"Chi Yu… you guys are still together?"
"Yes." Although Xue Xue took the initiative to guide Xue Dehui to mention Chi Yu, Xue Xue still felt weird about the other party's reaction. "What? What's wrong with us still being together?"
The words came out sharp and Xue Dehui could hear them.
"No, it's not that there is any problem, it's just…" Xue Dehui frowned and then loosened. "Then why didn't he come to pick you up today?"
"Because he went back to his hometown."
"Hometown?"
"Yes."
"Do you know where his hometown is?"
"Does it matter?" Xue Xue's tired body was originally leaning against the back of the chair in a relaxed posture, but after hearing Xue Dehui's question, she straightened her back suddenly. "Xue Dehui, what kind of riddles are you playing? If you have something to say, just say it? I don't think our relationship is good enough to have a heart-to-heart talk under such circumstances."
Xue Xue bit out the word "heart-to-heart" very seriously.
The smooth-moving car stopped at a red light.
"You are too hostile to me, Xue Li."
Xue Dehui tilted his head, and his sharp black eyes seemed to melt into the night, making it hard to see through it.
This is the inadvertent aura of a man who is used to being in a superior position. Even if there is no trace of extra emotion in his face, it will still make the person facing him feel a strong pressure.
Xue Xue couldn't remember when Xue Dehui began to appear frequently in Xue Li's memory. At the beginning, he was just the half-brother of Xue Li.
Xue Liansong planned to pass on "Lai Yao" to Xue Li from the moment Xue Li showed her extraordinary talent, but in fact Xue Dehui's excellence was not far behind. The reason why Xue Liansong chose to make Xue Li his successor ostensibly because of debt in fact, there is only one real reason behind it.
Because Xue Li was not a child who grew up around Xue Zhen.
Xue Liansong once had great expectations for Xue Zhen, but he was so disappointed later.
Hating that the iron did not become steel. [T/N: 恨铁不成钢 (hèntiěbùchénggāng): lit. disappointed that iron does not turn into steel (idiom) / fig. frustrated with somebody who has failed to meet one's expectations]
He even regretted that maybe he should have paid more attention to his daughter back then, instead of putting all his eggs in one basket to cultivate Xue Zhen. At that time, Xue Liansong had forgotten that Xue Zhen was once his proud son when he was a student.
But no matter what happened in the past, Xue Zhen gave up the company for the sake of love, which was unbearable for Xue Liansong.
This man who devoted half of his life to his career regarded "Lai Yao" as his life's painstaking effort, and even the status of his son and daughter has to be left behind.
Xue Liansong would propose marriage to Yang Qingmei for Xue Zhen, and Xue Liansong's plan was to take "Laiyao" to a higher level. Even though "Laiyao" was already a large-scale enterprise at that time, it was difficult for a strong dragon to beat a local snake. With the accumulated strength by the Yang family in the political circles from generation to generation, Yang Qingmei, as the most favored daughter of the Yang family, was the preferable marriage candidate. Xue Liansong spent a lot of effort in order to make this marriage come true.
He didn't expect Xue Zhen would be so unappreciative.
Xue Liansong beat and scolded him, tried his best to persuade him, and even took a step back, bluntly saying that Xue Zhen could take care of Gao Yinyin and let Xue Dehui be brought home. Unexpectedly, Xue Zhen would not be satisfied with this matter and was so determined that he insisted on giving Gao Yinyin a name, as if he had been drugged with ecstasy.
He even went to the extent of forcing himself to death.
This touched Xue Liansong's bottom line.
If he can ruin his life and marriage for love, he will be able to ruin his career for love in the future.
Such a person is not destined to achieve great things.
So Xue Dehui didn't get the attention of Xue Liansong, because he is the son brought up by Xue Zhen.
Xue Liansong knew his son very well, and he knew Gao Yinyin even more. This woman who tried her best to finally sit on the throne of Mrs. Xue may have some clever schemes, but they can only be used in romantic affairs, which pollutes people's eyes and ears.
So Xue Liansong selected Xue Li, and personally trained Xue Li to be the perfect successor in his mind.
Xue Li may or may not know, but Xue Xue, who has received all of Xue Li's memories, knows very well that the reason why Xue Li is still ignorant of love in her twenties was inseparable from Xue Liansong's deliberate efforts.
He didn't want his carefully cultivated granddaughter to be tainted with a love that makes her dizzy. He only wanted Xue Li to follow the life he arranged step by step, choose a suitable partner at the right time to marry, and give birth to the next generation of successors to pass on 'Lai Yao'.
It's a pity that man's calculation was not as good as heaven's calculation. Xue Liansong did not live as old as he expected, old enough to plan the future and eliminate all variables.
And when people face death, when they look back on their life, they tend to have different understandings and feelings.
"After all, you're my child… Ah Zhen, can you blame me?"
Xue Liansong's words gave Xue Zhen an opportunity.
He said he didn't blame Xue Liansong.
"You are my father, how could I blame you? I didn't come to see you before, because I was afraid that you would dislike me when I saw you."
This statement, whether true or not, succeeded in deepening Xue Lian Song's guilt.
In the six months, from Xue Liansong's admission to the hospice ward to his death, Xue Zhen put aside his work and almost made the hospital his home to accompany his father.
Under the orders of Xue Zhen and Gao Yinyin, Xue Dehui also went to Xue Liansong's hospice ward whenever he was free, even though he didn't have much affection for this grandfather who never wanted to see him, but his words were kind when he was about to die, after all, Xue Dehui would not show the emotions in his heart foolishly.
During that period of time, he was almost deceived by the father and son filial piety, thinking that the two had really cleared up their previous suspicions. It wasn't until Xue Liansong's will was announced that he suddenly realized it.
Everything was just a show.
Each took what they needed.
"Dad…you haven't given up yet?"
"Give up? Why should I give up?" Xue Zhen snorted coldly. "Laiyao should be my company, the company I will pass on to you in the future, if not… In short, the goal has to be achieved, plus with Xue Liansong's 7% equity, now you also have a bargaining chip to play against Xue Li , when the time comes…"
"Dad." Xue Dehui interrupted Xue Zhen's mumbling, which was not something he usually did, but this time he found that he couldn't help it. "Xue Li is also your child, your daughter."
"Xue Li?" When Xue Li was mentioned, Xue Zhen's expression froze, and then he showed a slightly distorted smile. "Daughter? No, she's not my daughter, she's that bitch… She's Yang Qingmei's daughter!"