Gu Ziting pouted.
“My lactose intolerance has gotten much better.
Even the doctor said it’s fine to have a little bit once in a while.
Mom just always wants to control me and make me do whatever she says.”
The word “control” sounded incredibly bizarre coming from the mouth of a five-year-old.
Just as Gu Huaijin was about to speak, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
He answered it, and Lin Susu’s voice came through the receiver.
“Huaijin, are you home yet?”
“I am.”
“Has Miss Xia not returned yet?”
Gu Huaijin fell silent for a few seconds.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huaijin, I think I saw Miss Xia…”
Lin Susu stammered hesitantly, “She was having dinner with a young man.
They seemed quite close.”
Lin Susu paused for a moment before asking cautiously, “Did something that happened during the day upset Miss Xia again?Huaijin, shouldn’t you go and explain things to her properly?”
Gu Huaijin’s eyes darkened.
Xia Xing wasn’t home to cook dinner because she was actually on a date with another man.
His voice unconsciously grew a few degrees colder.
“Where is she right now?”
Lin Susu gave him an address.
Gu Huaijin muttered an “Understood” and quickly hung up the phone.
…
Inside the restaurant, Jiang Panzhou gazed at Xia Xing.
“Have you really made up your mind?”
Xia Xing nodded.
“The ‘Summer Night Star’ was custom-made for me by my mother.
Yet, for the sake of my family, I gave it up for a full five years…”
Saying this, Xia Xing let out a soft sigh, her expression tinged with a lingering sense of loss.
“What about now?”
Jiang Panzhou asked in a low voice.
“Returning to the stage will require frequent performances and a grueling schedule.
I’m afraid you won’t have much time left to accompany your husband and child.”
“Ziting’s health has already been restored.”
A faint trace of mockery surfaced in Xia Xing’s eyes.
“Besides, he doesn’t need my care anymore.”
“What about Gu Huaijin?”
Jiang Panzhou asked again.
“Will he agree to this?”
At the mention of Gu Huaijin’s name, the warmth in Xia Xing’s eyes completely vanished.
“My own affairs do not require his permission.”
Jiang Panzhou stared at her intently for a moment before saying, “But he won’t approve of you having contact with me.”
“I don’t need his approval.”
As she spoke, Xia Xing remembered how she had distanced herself from Jiang Panzhou just because of a single word from Gu Huaijin.
A look of guilt crossed her face.
“Senior Brother, I’m sorry.”
Jiang Panzhou shook his head.
“Xing’er, you have nothing to apologize for.
It is I who failed you.
I promised your late mother that I would protect you.”
“Yet, I lacked the ability to shield you, letting you endure so much grievance.”
Jiang Panzhou was Xia Xing’s senior fellow disciple.
The two of them had studied the violin under Xia Xing’s mother since they were children.
Nowadays, Jiang Panzhou had become a highly renowned violinist in the industry.
His handsome appearance and melancholic aura had propelled him to immense popularity, making him the dream lover of countless young women.
His fame was comparable to that of a top-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry.
Although he was wealthy and famous, he was still no match for a capitalist tycoon like Gu Huaijin.
Xia Xing said, “It’s not your fault.
It was my own…”
Before Xia Xing could finish her sentence, a soft voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
“Miss Xia, what a coincidence seeing you here!”
Xia Xing turned around to see Lin Susu, dressed in a pure white dress.
Running into someone she despised twice in a single day was truly bad luck.
Xia Xing’s attitude was icy.
“What business is it of yours?”
Lin Susu smiled gracefully.
“Miss Xia, please don’t be angry.
I was just wondering.
Since Huaijin rarely comes home, why aren’t you at home preparing dinner?”
Lin Susu’s tone was light and cheerful, her expression gentle and mild.
To any onlooker, she looked like an innocent, sweet, and harmless woman.
By contrast, Xia Xing was made to look unreasonable, harsh, and cold-blooded.
However, Xia Xing could easily detect the hidden provocation and mockery in Lin Susu’s words.
Xia Xing raised her head and caught the smugness in Lin Susu’s eyes that hadn’t quite faded away.
She retorted, “Why does Gu Huaijin rarely come home?
It’s because all his free time is occupied by you, Miss Lin…
Are you playing dumb, or do you actually know exactly what you’re doing?”
Lin Susu put on a panicked expression.
She grabbed Xia Xing’s hand and explained frantically, “Miss Xia, listen to me, that’s not what I meant…”
Before Lin Susu could finish her sentence, Xia Xing interrupted her.
“If you aren’t playing dumb, then you simply lack a sense of self-awareness.”
She pulled her hand away.
“Miss Lin, people who lack self-awareness are incredibly annoying.”
“Ah!”
Suddenly, Lin Susu let out a shrill scream and fell backward.
Before Xia Xing could even react, a tall, upright figure stepped forward and caught the stumbling Lin Susu.
“Susu, are you alright?”
Lin Susu turned her head, her face pale.
Seeing who had arrived, her eyes instantly reddened.
She looked as though she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world, utterly pitiful.
“Huaijin, I’m fine…
Miss Xia didn’t mean it.
Please don’t blame her, okay?”
Gu Huaijin’s gaze shifted slightly, and only then did he notice Xia Xing standing to the side.
His brows knitted together, his voice dripping with a chilling coldness.
“Xia Xing, apologize to Susu.”
Similar incidents had happened more than once.
If this were in the past, Xia Xing would have undoubtedly panicked and rushed to say things like, “It wasn’t me,” “Listen to my explanation “I didn’t do it,” or “Please believe me.”
And Gu Huaijin had never once stood by her side.
Every single time, he forced her to apologize to Lin Susu.
If she refused, Gu Huaijin would subject her to the silent treatment.
He wouldn’t answer her calls or reply to her messages.
He would treat her as if she were thin air, refusing to speak a single word to her, or even spare her a glance.
Eventually, even Gu Ziting joined in on the silent treatment.
In the end, she would always have to bow her head and admit fault.
Recalling all of this, Xia Xing let out a cold sneer.
“Why should I listen to you?
Who do you think you are?”
Gu Huaijin froze, almost certain he had misheard her.
“What did you just say?”
Xia Xing stared at Gu Huaijin, her voice freezing over.
“When I cared about you, whatever you said went.
Now that I don’t care anymore, who the hell do you think you are?”
Gu Huaijin finally understood her meaning.
In his memory, Xia Xing had never spoken to him in such a manner.
She had always been gentle and considerate.
She would leave the lights on and wait for him when he came home late.
She would cook midnight snacks for him when he worked late in his study.
She would even brew a cup of sobering tea for him whenever he got drunk.
Although Xia Xing hadn’t been as pleasing to him as before ever since Lin Susu returned, she had never once defied him or clashed with him so directly.
For some unknown reason, a trace of irritation welled up in Gu Huaijin’s heart.
Just then, a childish voice suddenly rang out.
“Mom, you taught me that I have to apologize when I do something wrong.
So now that you’ve done something wrong, shouldn’t you apologize to Auntie Susu?”