Chapter 5: “It Was Really Soft.”

They didn’t need to go to the hospital after all—Xu Airu regained consciousness not long after fainting.

They moved from the courtyard into the living room.

Once Old Master Xie understood the full story, he wasn’t overly alarmed.

And after hearing Tushan Jiu’s assurance that once the blade had been pawned, she wouldn’t let anything happen to Xie Jingting, Xu Airu finally let go of her worries completely.

Xie Jingzhou had already been sent out to look for Xie Jingting.

Before he left, Tushan Jiu reminded him to keep that small pair of scissors close to his body.

In the living room—

Old Master Xie chuckled and asked Tushan Jiu, “Xiao Jiu, the trip must’ve been tiring, huh? Are you exhausted? I already had the kitchen prepare something nice for you. It’ll be ready soon.”

Sitting upright, Tushan Jiu smiled politely and replied, “Flying is indeed a bit tiring, but I’m alright. Thank you for your concern, Grandpa.”

The old man nodded with a sigh. “Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, you kids have all grown up. I remember when your grandfather brought you here to the Xie family—goodness, you were only three years old. So cute. Everyone adored you.”

Xu Airu chimed in, “That’s right, all soft and squishy like a little snowball. I even held you once. Oh, and so did Shiyu, right, Shiyu?”

Hearing Xu Airu mention Xie Shiyu, Tushan Jiu pursed her red lips slightly and glanced over toward the man sitting alone on the single sofa.

Just moments ago, Xie Shiyu had returned to the old house.

Her first impression of him was still from that phone call—the sound of his voice.

Back on the mountain, when she was bored, she liked listening to audio dramas. You could say she was something of a voice-con.

His voice was just too pleasant—not the deep, ascetic kind that made you stop in your tracks, but one that felt like a spring breeze, gentle and unforgettable.

Listening to him speak, her ears tickled.

That was her impression of him—before they met.

But once she saw him in person, she realized—his looks were even more captivating than his voice.

His facial structure was sharply defined, the perfect balance of strength and elegance. His natural brows were thick yet refined, and the upward tilt at the ends of his peach blossom eyes gave them a bright, penetrating charm.

Tushan Jiu had imagined he would be wearing a meticulous suit, the kind of man who exuded elite energy.

But instead, he was in casual clothes, making him seem exceptionally relaxed and approachable.

Just like his voice—warm and noble.

She had only meant to sneak a glance, but unexpectedly, Xie Shiyu was already looking at her.

Their eyes met. Caught red-handed, Tushan Jiu gave an awkward smile and quickly looked away, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist.

Little did she know, Xie Shiyu had specifically changed out of his suit at the office before coming home—he didn’t want to make her feel distanced.

He chuckled softly and replied to Xu Airu’s question, “Yes, I held her.”

Then, recalling the sensation, he added, “She really was soft.”

Tushan Jiu’s body stiffened. She looked up at him, completely baffled.

She didn’t remember any of this!

Xie Shiyu caught that blank look. His lips curved ever so slightly. Of course she didn’t remember—she was still a toddler then.

Back when she first came to the Xie house at age three, she had clung to his leg and refused to let go, babbling happily and giggling at him.

When it was time to leave, his grandfather had to work really hard to peel her off of him.

She had cried so hard she couldn’t breathe properly. She hadn’t known many words then, but she’d done her best to express how much she liked him.

Yes, Xie Shiyu had known since childhood that he had a fiancée—and the engagement had been personally accepted by him.

Back then, Old Master Xie had built up the Xie Group from nothing, bringing it into China’s top 100 within just ten years.

Though still young, he had a fierce and decisive nature, but also made many enemies in the business world.

Many influential families banded together to suppress the Xie Group, trying to crush it.

Yet Old Master Xie truly had a gift for business. Without that, the company could never have risen so quickly from obscurity to success.

Even under united pressure, he managed to survive, maintaining a fragile balance.

Eventually, those families, seeing that he couldn’t be crushed through normal means, resorted to “unorthodox methods”—dark arts.

From then on, the Xie family’s fortunes plummeted. Worse yet, Old Master Xie’s wife, Shiyu’s grandmother, inexplicably grew weaker by the day, and within six months, she passed away.

It was a devastating blow.

Fortunately, by then, Shiyu’s father, Xie Wenmo, had grown up and was brilliant in his own right. He took on the burden of supporting the Xie Group by himself.

Xie Shiyu was born during this decline—from prosperity into hardship.

When the Xie family was on the verge of collapse, Tushan Jiu’s grandfather appeared, holding her in his arms.

He got straight to the point: the Xie family had pawned a blade with him. In return, he would guide their destiny back to the peak.

He told them openly—he had come specifically for Xie Shiyu. The boy was a rare child of destiny.

Old Master Xie was puzzled. If they had such a lucky star in the family, why were they still in trouble?

Tushan Jiu’s grandfather explained: Xie Shiyu was a child of fate, but even ancient emperors with great fortune didn’t have smooth lives. And back then, Shiyu was still young—his luck wasn’t yet strong enough to carry the entire family.

Old Master Xie then asked what the blade’s price would be.

Tushan Jiu’s grandfather didn’t hide it. Once things were settled, the price was for Xie Shiyu to marry his granddaughter.

Old Master Xie loved Shiyu dearly.

He thought: you can always rebuild a business, but you shouldn’t sacrifice your grandson’s future.

But when he turned around, he saw his eight-year-old grandson hugging the little girl tightly and saying firmly:

“Grandpa, I accept the engagement. I’ll sign the marriage contract.”

And so, the deal was struck.

Truthfully, Old Master Xie knew—his grandson had done it for the whole family.

The past was hard to revisit, but today, the Xie family stood strong as the wealthiest in Nancheng.

And since Xie Shiyu took over the company, it had soared to even greater heights.

Although Tushan Jiu’s grandfather had never told her these stories, it hadn’t taken much digging for her to learn the gist of it.

Of course, the part about her clinging to him and refusing to let go? She had no memory of that, nor could she divine it.

Old Master Xie asked, “Xiao Jiu, when will your grandfather visit? He and I always got along. I’d love to have a few drinks with him.”

Tushan Jiu looked up and gave a faint smile. “I’m afraid… that won’t be possible.”

The old man frowned. “Why not?”

“At the beginning of this year… Grandpa passed away.”

The living room fell silent.

Old Master Xie’s expression turned sorrowful.

Xu Airu reached out and gently patted Tushan Jiu’s hand.

Tushan Jiu looked up at her.

Xu Airu’s voice was filled with sympathy: “All these months, you were alone on the mountain… how did you make it through? Why didn’t you come down to the Xie family sooner?”

Tushan Jiu wanted to say it wasn’t a big deal—her grandpa and the others still came by to visit her from time to time. It didn’t feel much different from before.

But then she remembered how Xu Airu had reacted earlier at the mention of ghosts… so she swallowed those words.

She smiled and shook her head, saying mysteriously, “The time wasn’t right.”

As expected, the moment those four words were spoken, both Xu Airu and Old Master Xie stopped asking questions.

Only Xie Shiyu noticed that Tushan Jiu had quietly exhaled in relief.

His gaze shifted to her luggage. Then he stood up and said to Old Master Xie, “Grandpa, Miss Tushan’s probably tired after her flight. Didn’t we already prepare her room? Why don’t I take her upstairs to rest?”

Sure enough, the moment he said that, Tushan Jiu looked at him with wide eyes—full of gratitude.