Neither of the Qin siblings said a word.
Xie Qian had seen someone he knew but didn’t go over to greet them, instead leading everyone upstairs, clearly unwilling to make introductions.
The Qin siblings could only pretend they hadn’t noticed.
Qin Jiao glanced at Wen Ying questioningly, and Wen Ying subtly shook her head.
The four returned to their rooms. Wen Ying set down her shopping haul and went to knock on Xie Qian’s door.
Xie Qian was on the phone when he opened the door. Whatever the other person said prompted a curt “Got it” before he hung up.
“Sit.”
Xie Qian poured Wen Ying a glass of water, then one for himself.
The anger still lingered in Xie Qian, more subdued than before but more intense.
It seemed Xie Qian had confirmed something through the call, and it had infuriated him.
Wen Ying took the glass, tilted her head back, gulped down half, wiped her mouth, and with a do-or-die resolve, asked, “Is it her?”
“Who are you talking about?”
Xie Qian showed no sign of unease.
Wen Ying looked disapproving, “Xie Qian, don’t play dumb. I’m talking about the woman with long wavy hair in the hotel lobby. You got angry the moment you saw her. Besides *her*, I can’t think of anyone else who could make you this upset. We haven’t talked about this since that day at the amusement park, but just because I haven’t brought it up doesn’t mean I’m heartless and forgot!”
The woman looked to be in her early thirties, about Chen Li’s age.
In reality, she was likely older, her natural advantages and meticulous upkeep making her appear over a decade younger!
Coupled with Xie Qian’s reaction to seeing her, Wen Ying could guess her identity… Who else but Xie Qian’s father’s mistress could make him this angry?
Called out by Wen Ying, Xie Qian didn’t deny it further.
“She shouldn’t be in Macau.”
Xie Qian explained the Xie family’s handling of the situation.
Xie Qian’s mother refused to divorce. His father’s mistress, along with her child, was supposed to stay abroad, out of sight of Xie Qian and his mother.
Xie Qian wasn’t satisfied with this arrangement but was powerless against it, as his mother wasn’t ready to divorce. He had to grudgingly accept it.
“But now she’s in Macau, clearly breaking the agreement. You’re angry, not just at this woman, but also because the Xie family lied to you?”
Wen Ying had a knack for zeroing in on the crux. Xie Qian nodded slowly.
“My uncle personally assured me.”
“You and your uncle are close, right?”
Wen Ying’s mind raced. Being betrayed by family would understandably upset Xie Qian. It sounded like his uncle held significant sway in the Xie family, and Xie Qian’s transfer to Chengdu had been approved by him.
“I think you shouldn’t rush to judge your uncle. At least give him a chance to explain!”
The Xie family wasn’t an ordinary household. Xie Qian’s family issues couldn’t be resolved behind closed doors; other family members were involved.
Xie Qian’s uncle was a key figure, and so far, his actions seemed to protect Xie Qian and his mother’s interests, even if those weren’t what Xie Qian wanted. Condemning his uncle without discussion would do Xie Qian no good.
Since Xie Qian couldn’t yet break free from the Xie family, he needed allies!
Wen Ying wanted to be Xie Qian’s ally but lacked the means for now, so she had to help him hold onto his uncle as one.
Many misunderstandings stem from not talking things out, and Wen Ying didn’t want Xie Qian to be isolated in the Xie family.
Xie Qian valued Wen Ying’s words. Perhaps because his family’s scandal was already known to her, he didn’t shy away, calling his uncle Xie Yuping in her presence.
The call went to Xie Yuping’s office, answered by his secretary, who quickly patched Xie Qian through.
After brief pleasantries, Xie Qian got to the point. Xie Yuping was surprised, “You’re sure it was her?”
“Uncle, how could I mistake her? I saw her in Macau today. What’s next, seeing her in Chengdu…?”
“Absolutely not!”
Xie Yuping knew Xie Jinghu hadn’t taken his words seriously, thinking Macau was far enough that the woman’s return wouldn’t cross paths with Xie Qian and his mother. Who could’ve predicted Xie Qian would visit Macau during the National Day holiday? It was as if fate, or heaven itself, disapproved of Xie Jinghu’s lies, arranging for Xie Qian to run into her.
Xie Yuping was deeply disappointed in Xie Jinghu but, in front of Xie Qian, maintained the elder’s dignity, urging Xie Qian to stay calm and promising to handle it.
“Xie Qian, this is the last time. If your father messes up again, I’ll send him abroad too!”
The Xie family was a unit. Xie Jinghu’s actions not only hurt Xie Qian and Zou Weijun but also made the family fodder for gossip. Everyone else was free of such scandals. If it came to it, Xie Yuping would have no choice but to exile his muddle-headed third brother, Xie Jinghu—since Xie Jinghu valued his mistress and her children more than Xie Qian, his mother, and the entire Xie family, he could just go live with them.
Xie Yuping’s assurance stirred Xie Qian.
If his father truly stayed abroad, such long-distance separation was as good as a divorce. When the time came to push for his parents’ divorce, his uncle and grandmother would have little ground to object, right?
For a moment, Xie Qian almost hoped his father would keep messing up, or that he could go downstairs now, provoke the woman into a rage, and let her goad Xie Jinghu into repeatedly testing Uncle Xie Yuping’s limits—he hadn’t always been this scheming; who had he learned it from?
Xie Yuping didn’t ask what Xie Qian was doing in Macau, nor did he suspect Xie Qian would visit a casino. He even asked after Xie Qian’s well-being, checking if his allowance was sufficient.
Xie Qian patiently answered all of Xie Yuping’s questions, and they spoke for a while before hanging up.
“So, your uncle’s still on your side, right?”
Xie Qian nodded, “Let’s go downstairs and check.”
Check what? Naturally, whether Xie Jinghu’s mistress was still there.
Wen Ying had one lingering question.
He Zhen’s mother seemed to know Xie Qian’s father’s mistress. She wondered if, in her past life, the mistress had officially taken her place, and whether He Zhen’s mother still associated with her… Did He Zhen really not know Xie Qian?
The He family, through some connection, could be linked to the Xie family, yet Wen Ying had been unaware of this.
Of course, back then, He Zhen’s mother hadn’t approved of her. Though her relationship with He Zhen seemed stable, she hadn’t entered the He family’s social circle. Even as He Zhen took over much of the family business, known as “Young Mr He,” Wen Ying was merely his girlfriend.
Wen Ying headed downstairs, her mind full of questions.
The thought that He Zhen might know Xie Qian, or at least be aware of him, while she, in her past life, had been devastated by Xie Qian’s death, made Wen Ying inexplicably guilty.
Whether this guilt was toward He Zhen or Xie Qian, who was in the elevator with her, Wen Ying didn’t dare dwell on.
