He blamed himself for bringing her to a place that made her emotional. Yun Xuan suddenly held his hand that was reaching for the steering wheel to turn around.
"Don't worry about it. It's something in the past. Let's go." she said in a rapy voice. He wiped the remaining teardrop on her lashes before leading her out.
....
"They were ambushed at home." he told her. "My father was just like me, a private investigator. He uncovered some dirt about a powerful person, that's why this happened. I was only twelve then." He looked indifferent, as though it was long forgotten and the scar had long been healed.
Yun Xuan looked at him and was surprised. Most people would want to stay away from such careers after experiencing such trauma but he followed his father's dangerous path?
It was as if Tyler was reading her mind "Apart from my love for my career, I want to complete what he didn't."
"So how did you grow up?" Yun Xuan asked when they went back to the car.
"There was an elderly lady living close to our home. She only had one granddaughter living with her and was close to my parents. She took me in." he explained.
"And you had no siblings?" he asked.
"My foster grandma's granddaughter is my only sibling. You know her too, she's Ruolin."
"So it's like this..." Yun Xuan didn't expect his past to be that way. The way he phrased it online seemed like any normal family with both parents and siblings but now...
It was no wonder his relationship with Ruolin seemed pretty close. They had grown up together.
"I'll take you to see my grandma before it gets late. I already told her, we'll have lunch at her place. Her culinary skills are perfect, by the way." he smiled.
Yun Xuan nodded but just as he was about to start driving, his phone rang. His expression changed in the next second.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He had a troubled expression. "It's a call from the office. They need me there immediately."
Yun Xuan tried to remain calm "You should rush over. We can go to your grandma's on another day." She felt it was such a pity as she really looked foward to meeting her.
He put a hand on his forehead. "Grandma really looks foward to seeing you. She'll definitely beat me up thoroughly if you don't go today. " He thought about it "How about we go after I check what's happening at the office.....oh wait, how about Ruolin takes you there?"
Yun Xuan was stunned. "Will that be appropriate?"
"Why not? The old lady only cares about you anyway. We'll go together the next time. Or else if you don't go today then she'll sulk at me for ages." he was almost pleading.
"Okay."
"Then I'll call Ruolin over."
.....
An hour later.
"That used to be Tyler's home. Another family lives there now." Ruolin said as she showed her various places in the neighbourhood where the two of them supposedly used to play when they were young. She told her how naughty Tyler used to be, how all the girls in school had a crush on him and some of his embrarassing childhood stories.
Yun Xuan laughed her heart out as she followed along.
Grandma Wang's house was neither too big nor too small, just enough for three people to live in. To be exact, it only had a master bedroom and two other bedrooms, one of them having been modified from a guest room. The rooms were basically small in size without much color or decoration. The living room didn't look big either.
Her grandchildren had offered to buy her a new, bigger and more luxurious house when they had stable jobs and earned a lot but she rejected them saying that she had lived in that house all her youth and wouldn't move. Inside the old house, a healthy vibrant old lady hummed as she set the table. She had already been informed of Yun Xuan's visit and she looked as pleased as punch.
"You're here at last!" she was happy when Ruolin finally led Yun Xuan in.
"You must be Xuanxuan, I've heard so much about you. " she said jovially and hugged Yun Xuan, momentarily forgetting about Ruolin and pulling Yun Xuan in.
"Come in, I prepared your favorite food. Tyler and Ruolin mentioned that you like sweet and sour pork ribs." she rattled on.
"Thanks Mrs. Wang,."
"Oh, silly girl. We're a family. Call me grandmother." she pinched Yun Xuan's cheek playfully. Yun Xuan's mood was also uplifted. The old lady was much friendlier than she had imagined. She kept scooping dishes for Yun Xuan and chatting on happily, asking her about her family, occupation and all that.
However, Yun Xuan still felt something was a little odd about Ruolin's attitude. It was as if she had mood swings. Although she was friendly to her on her way here, right now she looked at Yun Xuan with some degree of despite.
Yun Xuan frowned as she thought about it. Could it be that earlier when she showed her all those places and told her all those stories, her intention was not to strike a conversation with Yun Xuan but to let her know her place? Let Yun Xuan know that the two of them had grown up together and knew each other better?
This Ruolin....Tyler was her godbrother! Did she have feelings for him?