Chapter 63

The family dinner ended before 8 PM. With the estate now divided, the eldest and second sons barely stayed for another twenty minutes. The third uncle’s family had planned to linger for an hour or two longer, but Grandfather waved them off, telling them to head home.

To the fourth son’s family, who were still diligently eating, Grandfather said, “You can pack up the leftovers and take them home if you’d like.”

“…”

Feeling exhausted, Grandfather motioned for Uncle Zhuang to help him upstairs.

Just as he was about to leave the living room, something crossed his mind. He turned back toward the table and addressed his grandson, “What was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier?”

Jiang Sixun replied, “It wasn’t me, Grandfather.”

“Grandfather, it was me,” Xu Zhiyi said, gently setting down her chopsticks and dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “There’s something I wanted your opinion on.”

Noticing Grandfather looked a little tired, she kept it brief. “Yuanwei Capital is planning to open a branch in Hong Kong, and I wanted to hear your thoughts.”

Grandfather’s face revealed no emotion, but he stood there, staring at the dining table for several seconds.

Xu Zhiyi patiently waited for his response. His gaze was fixed on the seat where the eldest uncle had been sitting. She couldn’t guess what thoughts were running through his mind, but she imagined that, at this moment, his heart must be filled with deep reflection.

Over the span of thirty years, father and son had broken ties twice. For five of those years, Lu Jianbo didn’t return to Hong Kong at all—those were the hardest years between them.

Grandfather, lost in thought, suddenly softened, a rare kindness in his voice. “Now that the estate’s divided, I have a lot of free time. Too much free time, and an old man can get sleepy. You’re setting up a branch office, right? Let me be your advisor—consider it my second act. But don’t get emotional, I’m not one for sentiment.”

Xu Zhiyi couldn’t help but laugh, caught between gratitude and disbelief. Just as she was about to express her thanks, the words stuck in her throat.

After saying his piece, Grandfather asked Uncle Zhuang to help him to the stairs. Although the house had an elevator, he rarely used it.

Jiang Sixun glanced to the side, noticing his father staring into his empty wine glass, lost in thought. Gently, he took the glass from his father’s hand. “Go help Grandfather upstairs. If you show him respect now, maybe one day I’ll learn to do the same for you.”

Lu Jianbo’s expression instantly hardened. “Don’t worry, when I’m old, I won’t need your help—even if I’m in a wheelchair.”

He refilled his glass halfway and said to the pair, “You two should head home.”

As the rebellious son left, the dining room fell silent. Lu Jianbo sat alone, sipping his wine slowly. Memories from the past came flooding back.

If only he and his father had softened their edges—if his father hadn’t been so domineering, and he hadn’t rebelled so recklessly—would things with Jiang Yue, his late wife, have turned out differently?

Maybe the whole incident with switching the children would never have happened either.

Uncle Zhuang returned from upstairs and saw that Lu Jianbo was still sitting there.

“Uncle Zhuang, I’ll be staying the night,” Lu Jianbo said.

He then sent a message to his son: I’m staying at the old house tonight.

Meanwhile, Jiang Sixun was putting the dessert he’d packed from Grandfather’s house into the fridge. Hearing his phone vibrate on the counter, he asked Xu Zhiyi to check it.

“It’s from your father,” she said, reading it aloud. Then, with a teasing smile, she added, “Does your dad report his whereabouts to you now?”

Jiang Sixun closed the fridge and replied, “He’s showing me how to be a good son, hoping I’ll learn something.”

Xu Zhiyi laughed. “Not a bad strategy—maybe you can use it when you become a dad.”

Jiang Sixun came over, sitting next to her with his arm draped over her chair. She leaned back, almost as if nestled in his embrace.

“I won’t need to,” he said, gazing at her. “If I have a son, I’ll be patient with him—nothing like how my dad was with me when I was younger.”

Back then, all his father ever did was interrogate him. Why did you get into fights? Were you acting up at school too?

“And if I have a daughter,” he continued, “our bond will be as close as the one you have with your father.”

Xu Zhiyi set down his phone and poured two glasses of wine. He smiled as he watched her.

“You’re pretending not to hear me again,” he teased.

“I’m listening,” she replied, handing him a glass. As they clinked glasses and locked eyes, she added, “On behalf of our future kids, thank you for being such a great dad already.”

Jiang Sixun didn’t take a sip. Instead, he placed his glass down, leaned in, and kissed her, catching the red wine still on her lips.

The taste of wine lingered between them, shared in that moment.

Their breaths intertwined, and they didn’t separate for a long time.

During their stay in Hong Kong, they had already gone through six boxes of supplies—tonight, they opened the seventh.

In the living room, Xu Zhiyi turned off the floor lamp. From where she stood, she looked down at Jiang Sixun. Her robe hung loosely, barely covering her as she crossed from the bathroom to the living room.

After an hour of intense intimacy, Xu Zhiyi rested her hands on his shoulders, trying to catch her breath.

“Want some water?” Jiang Sixun asked.

She shook her head, still breathing heavily.

Her damp hair was messily tied in a bun, with a few strands falling loose over her shoulder. Jiang Sixun gently tucked those strands behind her ear, but her hair was too long, brushing against her neck.

With a swift motion, he undid her loose bun, letting her long hair cascade down.

Her heart skipped a beat. “Don’t move!” she warned, pressing her hands on his shoulders.

She was straddling him, with him still inside her, and she didn’t dare move. His slight shift earlier had made her feel like she was on the edge of something overwhelming.

“I’ll just help you fix your hair,” he said softly.

“You know how to tie hair?”

“No, but it doesn’t seem that hard.”

“…” She decided to let it go. Pressing down on his arms, she firmly said, “No need. Just leave it.”

“And don’t move.”

She emphasized once more.

Jiang Sixun chuckled. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record.”

Leaning against his neck, Xu Zhiyi still wasn’t used to the position. It felt as if her whole body was being pushed to its limits.

Holding her tight, Jiang Sixun whispered, “Alright, I won’t move.”

Xu Zhiyi kissed his neck, her lips tracing upward to his sharp jawline.

When her lips left his jaw, they trailed back down to his Adam’s apple, and then lower, to the center of his collarbone.

Jiang Sixun’s voice was husky. “What kind of kissing technique is that?”

Still kissing him, her voice muffled against his skin, Xu Zhiyi replied, “One that’ll leave a lasting impression.” Then, her tongue flicked against his Adam’s apple.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and heat flared in his chest. His hands gripped her waist, lifting and lowering her, over and over again.

Xu Zhiyi let out a soft hum, unable to continue kissing him as she sat up straight, her hands wrapped around his neck. Each time she lowered herself, it felt like he reached straight to her heart. Whose breath was growing heavier, she couldn’t tell.

For the first time, she understood what he had once said: that his exhaustion and hers were not the same.

“I’m out of energy,” she whispered, collapsing against his chest, no longer able to move.

Jiang Sixun brushed his lips against her temple, teasing, “It’s only been four minutes.”

“Impossible!” she protested. It had felt like at least twenty.

“Fine, let’s say five minutes,” he smirked.

Xu Zhiyi chuckled in defeat, “Just call me ‘Five-Minute’ from now on.”

She was utterly spent; any more, and she’d be completely done for.

“I’m hot,” she murmured, still wrapped in her bathrobe.

Jiang Sixun tossed the robe aside, pulling her close.

---

The next morning, the two returned from Hong Kong to Beijing. Jiang Sixun had wrapped up his business on the island and arranged an afternoon meeting with Professor Shang, while Xu Zhiyi began assembling her Hong Kong team. Having Lu Jianbo as an honorary advisor helped keep Lu Jianliang from causing any trouble.

On the plane, Xu Zhiyi napped for an hour. Whenever Jiang Sixun was around at night, she could never get enough sleep, even though he was usually very restrained.

As they neared landing, Jiang Sixun gently woke her, handing her a cup of warm water. Half-asleep, she took a small sip with his help before leaning back again, still exhausted.

“What would it be like if you weren’t so restrained?” she asked, curious about how exhausted she could really get.

Jiang Sixun drank from the same cup she had used, smiling. “I don’t even know myself,” he said with a chuckle. “Wanna try someday?”

“…Who’s trying anything with you?” she retorted.

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice, “Then tell me, who is going to try it with me?”

Unfazed, Xu Zhiyi replied, “Five-Minute will try.”

Jiang Sixun laughed, recalling her new nickname, and kissed her on the cheek.

Her phone vibrated—a message from her father, sharing his location. She opened it and saw he was already waiting in the arrivals hall.

“My dad’s here to pick me up.”

Jiang Sixun put himself in his father-in-law’s shoes for a moment. If it had been his daughter, switched at birth and only returned to him at age twenty, how would he feel? He wouldn’t let her out of his sight, not even for a moment. The thought made him fully understand her father’s feelings.

After waiting an hour and a half, Xu Xiangyi finally spotted his daughter. Xu Zhiyi handed her bag to Jiang Sixun and dashed towards her father.

“Dad!”

Xu Xiangyi was momentarily stunned before realizing his daughter was rushing into his arms. The last time she had done this, she had been four or five years old, missing him after a long absence. Now, he was so surprised, he opened his arms wide to catch her.

“If you hadn’t come home today, I would’ve gone to Hong Kong to find you.”

Reluctantly, he let her go, but she stayed by his side, arm in arm.

“If I hadn’t returned today, you really would have gone to Hong Kong?” she asked as they walked.

Xu Xiangyi nodded, “I would have.”

He wasn’t joking.

“How’s your painting coming along, Dad?” she teased.

With a smile, Xu Xiangyi joked back, “If I tried to auction off one of my paintings, it probably wouldn’t even make it into the auction house.”

Xu Zhiyi laughed, hugging his arm. “If no one else wants them, I do! I’ll collect every single one. After a few years, I’ll even host an exhibition for you.”

Content with her words, Xu Xiangyi beamed.

Jiang Sixun followed behind them, keeping a respectful distance of a few meters. Xu Zhiyi glanced back at him, and they shared a knowing look. Finally, it seemed her father was warming to him. With her lips, she mouthed, I’ll wait for you.

Jiang Sixun nodded. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He had a meeting with Professor Shang that afternoon, so he excused himself. Xu Xiangyi invited him for dinner after he was finished with work.

Jiang Sixun promised to return early.

Professor Shang had a class that afternoon, so they were meeting in his office after it ended. Jiang Sixun arrived twenty minutes early and waited downstairs. As he stood there, he spotted a familiar face from a distance—Shang Ningwei.

“Sixun?” she called, surprised to see him there.

Hearing her voice, Jiang Sixun turned to face her.

Shang Ningwei hurried over, confused about why he was there.

“Here to discuss a collaboration with Professor Shang—the Jinyun project,” Jiang Sixun explained without pretense.

Hearing the name Jinyun, Shang Ningwei tensed. That project was a sensitive subject, at least for her.

She didn’t try to hide it from him. “I’m here to talk to my father about that too, on behalf of someone else.”

Jiang Sixun didn’t hesitate, “Lu Kaijing?”

Shang Ningwei nodded. “She called me last night—we talked for over two hours. Last time, I helped Shen Qingfeng get into the research center, which was a bad decision. But things are different now. Jinyun is no longer Shen Qingfeng’s project, and Lu Kaijing doesn’t like him either.”

Just a few days ago, the news of Shen Qingfeng’s arrest had been all over the place. Lu Jianbo had even issued a personal statement—partly to stabilize the company’s stock price, and partly to explain things to Xu Xiangyi.

As the internet lit up with accusations against Shen Qingfeng, Shang Ningwei’s numb brain finally realized how serious his crime of switching the children truly was.

Had she really not known this was a crime?

She had known.

But her mind had chosen to filter it out.

Two days ago, Lawyer Wang’s assistant contacted her, asking if she had any claims. For a long moment, her mind went completely blank. At that instant, she couldn’t think of a single demand for Shen Qingfeng’s crimes—not even basic compensation crossed her mind.

Deep down, when it came to the baby switch, she had never blamed Shen Qingfeng.

So, what claims could she make?

The assistant, sensing her silence, said, “Take your time. Think it over.”

Two days passed, and she still couldn’t come up with any specific demands.

“You’re trying to work with my father to get shares from this project, so you can give them to someone?” She asked bluntly.

Jiang Sixun was just as straightforward. “Yes, for Zhiyi.”

Shang Ningwei nodded, unsure whether she felt envy or jealousy at that moment.

“You treat her so well—is it because my foster parents were good to you?”

Jiang Sixun replied, “I knew her first, before I even knew who she was.”

He jogged her memory. “I found out she was Xu Zhiyi’s biological daughter while you were there. We were standing outside the Yuanwei building when Xu Zhiyi came to pick you up.”

Shang Ningwei couldn’t believe it. “She got that internship at Yuanwei on her own, not because Xu Xiangyi pulled strings?”

“No. She earned that offer herself.”

Shang Ningwei fell silent, frustrated that Xu Zhiyi always seemed to outshine her.

Finally, she changed the subject. “Lu Kaijing offered my dad a pretty good deal.”

Jiang Sixun wasn’t surprised. “I figured.”

Before she could respond, a voice called out to her from behind. She turned to see her father walking out of his class, looking pleasantly surprised to see her waiting.

Professor Shang greeted Jiang Sixun with a few pleasantries, then turned to his daughter. “What brings you here today? I was planning to drop by your place this evening.”

Hearing this, Jiang Sixun asked, “Ningwei doesn’t live at home anymore?”

“I moved out,” Shang Ningwei explained. “I’m closer to the office now—less running around.”

The convenience was only a small part of the reason. Mainly, she didn’t want to see Xiao Meihua or Shang Canran. Her father had given her a nearby apartment as an early birthday gift for her twenty-sixth birthday.

The three of them chatted as they took the elevator upstairs.

Given his special connection as Zhiyi’s foster father, Jiang Sixun wasted no time and presented the cooperation agreement to Professor Shang. It was full of sincerity.

Glancing at Shang Ningwei, Professor Shang said, “The conditions I’m offering are ones Lu Kaijing can’t match.”

Shang Ningwei gave a tight-lipped smile but said nothing.

Jiang Sixun then turned back to Professor Shang, “I don’t lack projects like Jinyun. The reason I insist on getting the shares is to teach my uncle a lesson. He aided in wrongdoing, and he won’t get away with it.”

They discussed the collaboration for another ten minutes. Jiang Sixun didn’t avoid Shang Ningwei’s presence in the room, but because she was there, he ended the meeting early.

“Take care, Professor Shang.”

Professor Shang personally escorted him to the elevator and only returned to his office once the doors closed.

Shang Ningwei flipped through the cooperation agreement. As Jiang Sixun had said, his offer was indeed something Lu Kaijing could never match.

Professor Shang tossed the agreement onto his desk. “Fame and fortune are fleeting. I’ll follow your lead, and we won’t let these offers cause you any pain.”

Shang Ningwei’s throat tightened. “But it’s Xu Zhiyi we’re talking about. You raised her for twenty years. Can you really turn her down?”

Without hesitation, Professor Shang responded, “Zhiyi has her parents now. I am your father.”

Shang Ningwei’s eyes welled up, and she hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Dad.”

He patted her back. “Compared to Xu Xiangyi, I’m pretty ordinary. You’ll have to forgive your mediocre father.”

“Don’t say that, Dad,” Shang Ningwei protested, tears falling. “When it comes to research, Xu Xiangyi isn’t even one-tenth of you. I really admire you, honestly.”

Professor Shang pulled away and handed her a tissue. “No more crying. I know you’re hurting, and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to balance things between you and your mom.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Shang Ningwei insisted. “You’ve done everything right. I’ve never felt mistreated.”

Professor Shang suddenly thought of Zhiyi. He had always known how much she suffered but had felt helpless, stuck between his child and his wife. In the end, he numbed himself and turned a blind eye, thinking that only by doing so could there be peace at home.

But the peace he had sought came at the expense of a child’s happiness.

Now, he no longer bought green tangerines—somehow, that seemed to soothe the guilt in his heart.

“No matter what Lu Kaijing offers, I won’t work with her. And no matter what, Jiang Sixun has always treated you well. Even if we can’t be the ones to help him in a crisis, we won’t betray him either. But whether we accept his conditions, that’s up to you.”

He handed her another tissue. “Let’s not worry about it for now. Think about where we should go for dinner tonight. It’s on me.”

---

Leaving the university, Jiang Sixun returned home.

The house was clean and quiet, with only the housekeeper there. The roses in the garden were in full bloom. After putting down his suitcase, he cut a bouquet and took it with him.

The housekeeper asked what he wanted for dinner so she could prepare it.

“I won’t be eating at home. I’m going to Xu Xiangyi’s place.”

The housekeeper hesitated, “Are you staying the night there too?”

Jiang Sixun replied, “No, I’ll come back here to sleep.”

No more sleepovers before the engagement.

The housekeeper then told him she’d be heading to New York next week, with her visa already processed. “Your mother isn’t used to the food there. The chef’s cooking doesn’t suit her. What will you do for breakfast and dinner? Should we hire another housekeeper?”

Jiang Sixun shook his head. “No need. I’ll just eat at Uncle Xu’s place.”

The housekeeper paused, then shrugged, “…Well, that works too.”

With the freshly cut roses in hand, Jiang Sixun didn’t bother calling his driver and drove himself instead. The two families lived close by—just a ten-minute drive.

Today, Xu Heng had come home early. As Jiang Sixun walked in, he overheard Xu Heng saying he couldn’t make it and would have to postpone.

Xu Zhiyi teased, “That’s on you for being too busy, not on me for refusing to go.”

Jiang Sixun, intrigued, asked, “What’s keeping you so busy?”

Zhiyi moved a cushion aside and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit. “The Singapore F1 Grand Prix. I promised to go with my brother, but now, last minute, he says he’s too swamped to make it.”

She turned to Xu Heng, puzzled, “What could be more important than the Grand Prix?”

Xu Heng glanced at his soon-to-be brother-in-law before replying, “Plenty.” He was busy organizing the birthday party, inviting enough people to rival the guest list for an engagement banquet.

Since his sister loved flowers, he’d decided to personally arrange them for the event. However, his floral skills weren’t quite up to standard, so he was planning to get a crash course from the family’s floral expert—a heartfelt gesture from a devoted older brother.