A beautiful summer night

Xie Tianqi's face was ashen, but he still looked self-deprecating and confident: "Is it necessary? Putting aside appearance, just talking about genes, in the past hundred years, not a single person in my Xie family has ever been born nearsighted and wears glasses. And you, at less than ten years old, are already wearing the same glasses as him!"

The trembling of the index finger pointing at Liu Shubai caused Xie Tianqi to lose control of his emotions.

It wasn't that he had no feelings for Xie Qiyan; after all, Xie Qiyan was the child he had been eagerly awaiting to be born.

But he couldn't control himself, especially when he saw Xie Qiyan wearing glasses. He couldn't help but think of Liu Shubai and the shame of being betrayed.

Xie Qiyan frowned slightly, not explaining whether he was nearsighted or not, but looking at Xie Tianqi with a hint of relief: "I should be happy, I inherited my mother's intelligence."

Xia Wanzhi, who was leaning against the door frame and peering out, couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

That smile miraculously dispelled the heavy atmosphere.

The reason for the laughter was that Xie Qiyan still had the mood to joke.

Knowing that he wasn't affected by Xie Tianqi's words, she felt much relieved.

Xia Wanzhi walked in somewhat awkwardly, and just as she was about to reach out to take Xie Qiyan's arm, she saw that he had already offered his hand to her first.

"Uncle Liu, could you also give me a hair?" Xie Qiyan glanced at Liu Shubai and emphasized, "It has to be black so it's easy to tell. I want to see if I can change my surname in a couple of days."

Liu Shubai was delighted and generously plucked several of them, saying, "Good son! Take them all."

After saying that, he tentatively asked, "If I want to change my surname... should I prepare the relevant documents in advance?"

Of course, the words were deliberately said to Xie Tianqi. Just seeing Xie Tianqi's dark, pale, and ugly face made Liu Shubai feel extremely happy.

He's almost fifty years old, yet he still speaks so disrespectfully. Yao Qin glanced at him, hesitated, and could only sigh helplessly.

Her thoughts were in complete disarray, and she felt her head buzzing and screaming for someone to leave. So she reached out to her son and asked, "Wanzi, come for a walk with me."

Early spring is sunny and clear, perfect for a relaxing stroll.

Xia Wanzhi was overjoyed: "Okay."

The Xie family's old house is not entirely a traditional courtyard house, and it would take a long time to explore it completely, but Xia Wanzhi only took Yao Qin to the south courtyard.

That was Xie Qiyan's courtyard.

After walking around, Yao Qin was unusually quiet. Seeing her staring blankly at the neatly arranged potted plants in the yard, Xia Wanzhi mentioned, "Ayan said you like asparagus fern."

Xia Wanzhi had been visiting the Xie family since she was a child, so she was very familiar with them. Every courtyard in the Xie family had flowers and trees, but only Xie Qiyan's south courtyard had asparagus fern.

These few trees in front of the door are the ones Xie Qiyan raised from childhood to adulthood.

Even though he went abroad at the age of twelve, everything in the South Campus was well taken care of.

It's true that Xie Qiyan wasn't well-liked in the Xie family, but it's also true that the old man treated him well in private.

Otherwise, the South Courtyard wouldn't have been given to him separately.

Yao Qin's eyes were somewhat vacant, but she smiled upon hearing this: "It was his great-grandmother who liked it."

Yao Qin's affection extended to Xie Qiyan as well.

It's a fondness formed from habit, nostalgia, and affection.

“The doctor said to take advantage of the spring to go out more. When you feel better, let’s go somewhere with Ayan.” Xia Wanzhi’s fingers brushed over the asparagus fern leaves. She remembered how Xie Qiyan, who was always indifferent when he was a child, would secretly shed tears when the asparagus fern leaves turned yellow. She couldn’t help but sigh, “Asparagus ferns are not easy to grow, but look, this asparagus fern has climbed all over the wall and is lush and green.”

It's true that the asparagus fern withered, and it's also true that it was later revived.

Yao Qin knew that Xie Qiyan had been sent abroad in his teens.

Therefore, it goes without saying who instructed them to take such good care of this asparagus fern.

Yao Qin remained silent, lowering her eyes to conceal her emotions.

The person who once vowed that he would never allow her to enter the Xie family's gate, even if it meant death, turned out to be someone who kept his promise.

The old man promised to treat Xie Qiyan well.

He did not break his promise.

The person who once vowed to treat her with eternal love has long forgotten his original intentions and has hurt her deeply.

ridiculous.

Ridiculous.

-

The paternity test results would take at least two days to arrive, but Xie Qiyan wasn't in a hurry; it was Xie Tianqi who was anxious.

In the dead of night, Xie Tianqi was awakened by a nightmare and suddenly felt afraid.

He didn't know what he was afraid of.

He was absolutely certain, both in the past and now, that Xie Qiyan was not his biological son.

But I just felt inexplicably palpitated.

On the day the Xie family was notified to pick up the forensic report, an uninvited guest appeared at their home.

The young boy stood alone in front of the Xie family's gate, his hands clenched tightly, his eyes filled with stubborn tears as he looked up, yet he hesitated to step across the threshold.

Until someone found him.

"Brother Xiao An!" Xie Tan, who was on her way to her dance class, had a high-pitched, clear voice. She was shocked and almost ran to Xie An. The bond they had formed since childhood was still there. Just as she was about to say something, she saw the tears that Xie An was trying to hold back in his eyes.

In an instant, Xie Tan suppressed all his excitement.

The driver responsible for taking Xie Tan to his extracurricular class had already passed the news to the old man.

After Xie Qiyan took power, the young master disappeared without a trace. When the matter of the illegitimate child was widely rumored, Xie An never showed his face.

It's easy to imagine that Hou Mengqiu kept this matter very well hidden.

Since Xie An was a child he had watched grow up, the old man guessed the reason and personally went to the door to greet him.

"You've lost weight." In the instant their eyes met, the old man uttered only two words.

There was no calling his name, no kind smile, only deep helplessness.

Xie An was deeply pained by the expressions on the faces of everyone in the Xie family. The tears he had been holding back finally fell, and he choked out, "Grandpa..."

If he hadn't overheard his mother arguing with An Bihua, he would still be completely unaware of what was going on.

The grandfather I've called "grandfather" since I was little isn't actually my grandfather, and the father isn't actually my father...

Family members are not family members.

When Xie An learned that everything about the Xie family had nothing to do with him, he felt as if the sky had fallen.

"You came back secretly by yourself?" The old man sighed softly, unable to bear seeing a thirteen-year-old boy crying like this. He stepped forward, wiped away his tears, gently patted his shoulder, and asked, "You know everything?"

The bond of over a decade was genuine. Although the old man had been heartless and refused to acknowledge him, his heart softened upon seeing Xie An.

Xie An simply nodded hastily, but his tears flowed even more profusely.

Before he could even say a word or two, Xie Tianqi's voice ruthlessly pierced through the door: "What are you doing back here?"

Xie Tan, who was standing to the side, shrank back in fright at the cold and ruthless voice. He looked down and swiped his watch twice to send a message to Xia Wanzhi.

Xie An was just as stunned, and the word "father" that was stuck in his throat was ultimately swallowed back down.

"You knew he wasn't your biological son, yet you tolerated him in the Xie family for over a decade. Why are you getting angry with him now?" The old man's face was stern. Compared to Xie An, the child he disliked, Xie Tianqi was the son he despised.

Xie Tianqi didn't answer, his gaze towards Xie An was both cold and ruthless: "I remember you liked your driver uncle the most, right? He's your father, you should be happy."

Xie An was so frightened that he burst into tears.

"He's just an innocent child, why are you saying these things to him!" The old man was furious and shielded Xie An behind him.

Xie Tianqi, still shaken by the nightmare of the previous night, was filled with unease when he suddenly saw Xie An in the middle of the day. He stared at Xie An's face, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down.

He clearly understood that his indifference to Hou Mengqiu's infidelity and Xie An's fact that he was not his biological son stemmed from the fact that he had never been emotionally involved.

He was ruthless towards Hou Mengqiu, and ruthless towards Xie An.

Yao Qin and Xie Qiyan.

Those were the woman and child he had deeply loved...