“Dad.”
She spoke first, and only then did the voice on the other end respond.
“I heard Hanzhou has returned to the country?”
Cen Jiansheng did not bother with small talk and got straight to the point.
Sooner or later, everyone would learn the news. There was little point in hiding it from the Cen Family Residence.
Cen Xi admitted it.
“Yes, he came back yesterday.”
The news of Shang Hanzhou’s car accident had been suppressed by him personally. The outside world only knew that he had returned from Germany. Very few people knew anything else.
Cen Jiansheng said, “It’s about time he came back.”
Cen Xi did not respond.
After a while, Cen Jiansheng continued,
“In that case, you and Hanzhou should come home for dinner tonight. After all, it’s been two years since we’ve seen each other.”
By both reason and propriety, Shang Hanzhou should make a visit.
Cen Xi lowered her eyes and lightly tapped the hospital floor with the tip of her shoe. The corner of her eye drifted toward Shang Hanzhou, who was still receiving an IV infusion.
A moment later, she said,
“Dad, I’ll come back by myself tonight. He’s not feeling well.”
The other end of the line suddenly fell silent.
When Cen Jiansheng spoke again, suspicion colored his tone.
“Don’t tell me you still haven’t met Hanzhou?”
“No…”
Cen Xi felt a headache coming on.
Cen Jiansheng’s tone revealed neither anger nor approval.
“Do whatever you want.”
Then he hung up.
Cen Xi had long since gotten used to it. She did not experience much emotional fluctuation and simply put her phone back into her pocket.
Just then, Fang Nian returned.
She nodded to him and turned back toward the consultation room.
…
The workday ended normally at five-thirty in the afternoon.
The Cen Family Residence villa was located in the suburbs, far from the hospital. Even taking a taxi required more than forty minutes.
By the time she arrived, it was already past six o’clock.
After paying the fare through a QR code, Cen Xi stepped out of the car.
She first took a deep breath and looked up at the detached villa before her.
It was the height of summer. The flowerbeds in front of the villa were filled with blooming flowers. As the evening breeze blew past, the blossoms swayed gently, filling the air with a rich floral fragrance.
A servant spotted her.
The servant froze for a moment, clearly surprised that she had come back.
Only then did the servant announce toward the inside,
“Second Miss has returned.”
Cen Xi did not remain outside.
She casually tightened her grip on her shoulder bag and walked in.
She had only lived at the Cen Family Residence for two hurried weeks before rarely returning.
Everything about the residence felt unfamiliar to her.
Whether it was the servants or Cen Jiansheng’s family.
Cen Jiansheng was sitting on the sofa watching a financial news channel.
When he heard the servant’s announcement, his body shifted slightly.
Only when she entered did he spare her a glance.
After waiting and confirming that Cen Xi had truly come alone—
Cen Jiansheng frowned in disappointment.
Still, he did not show it too obviously.
He switched off the television, stood up, and walked toward the dining room.
“Xi-Xi is back. Let’s eat first.”
Cen Xi called him Dad and followed him inside.
Not long afterward, movement came from upstairs.
Someone was coming down.
“Did Big Sister come home?”
The childish voice sounded especially excited.
A series of eager footsteps ran toward them.
Before Cen Xi could react, a pair of chubby little hands wrapped around her leg.
The child rubbed his plump face against her affectionately.
“Big Sister, I miss you!”
“Little Chen, don’t call people randomly!”
A stern female voice suddenly sounded from behind.
An Suqin hurried over and bent down to pick up her son.
Pouting, Cen Chen raised his little face and finally saw clearly that it was Cen Xi.
The cheerful expression on his face immediately collapsed into disappointment.
“It’s not Big Sister.”
Turning his head toward his mother, he asked in his childish voice,
“Mommy, when is Big Sister coming back? I miss Big Sister.”
Hearing her son mention Cen Ning, An Suqin’s nose tingled with emotion.
She kissed her son’s cheek and comforted him.
“Soon. Your Big Sister will be back very soon.”
From beginning to end, Cen Xi did not say a single word.
She sat quietly in her seat, her presence almost negligible.
Cen Jiansheng cleared his throat.
“Alright, let’s sit down and eat first.”
Only then did An Suqin sit down with her son in her arms.
Cen Chen was the child she had nearly risked her life to give birth to several years ago.
She doted on him excessively.
Most of the time, Cen Jiansheng turned a blind eye to it.
After all, Cen Chen was also the son he had fathered late in life.
How could he bear to scold or hit him?
“Aunt An.”
Out of courtesy, Cen Xi greeted her.
An Suqin did not even glance at her.
It was as though she had not heard anything.
She simply continued feeding Cen Chen.
“Little Chen, do you want some corn?”
“No, no…”
Cen Chen was holding a toy and only wanted to play with it.
After playing for a while, he became bored.
Tilting his head, he looked at Cen Xi sitting across from him.
Cen Xi had only come for a simple meal.
Once she finished eating, she intended to leave.
“I want you to play with me.”
Suddenly, Cen Chen pointed at her.
Since they rarely met, he barely recognized Cen Xi and assumed she was simply a guest in the house.
An Suqin’s face darkened slightly.
“Little Chen, don’t make trouble.”
“I want her to play with me!”
Cen Chen struggled to get down from his mother’s lap and insisted on going to Cen Xi.
An Suqin was exhausted from trying to restrain him.
“Enough.”
In the end, it was Cen Jiansheng who spoke.
“What’s wrong with letting them play for a while? No matter what, Xi-Xi is still his sister.”
An Suqin bit down hard on her lower lip and finally loosened her grip.
Immediately, Cen Chen ran over.
He stopped beside Cen Xi and tugged on her arm.
“Dad said you have to play with me!”
Cen Chen was already six years old.
Having been spoiled for years, his tone was filled with entitlement.
The meal was nearly finished.
Cen Xi lowered her gaze toward the little boy standing before her.
“What do you want to play?”
“Anything! I have lots of toys!”
Cen Chen nodded enthusiastically and immediately led her upstairs.
An Suqin stared fixedly at the direction in which the two disappeared.
Her body unconsciously leaned backward.
The chair scraped loudly across the floor with a harsh screech.
Cen Jiansheng frowned.
“You don’t need to be so wary of Xi-Xi. She would never hurt her own brother.”
“She’s your daughter, not mine!”
An Suqin’s eyes reddened as she spoke in a low, accusatory voice.
Her daughter was named Cen Ning.
Two years ago, the one who should have married into the Shang Family had been her Ningning, not Cen Xi.
But who could have expected that one morning, Cen Ning would suddenly collapse?
After being rushed to the hospital for examination, they discovered a tumor in her brain.
Her condition was critical, and surgery had to be performed immediately.
However, if she underwent surgery, the marriage alliance between the two families would inevitably be delayed.
Moreover, there was no guarantee the surgery would succeed.
Cen Ning might die.
And if Cen Ning died, then the marriage alliance with the Shang Family would fall apart as well.
The Cen Corporation had become famous in its early years for its furniture business.
But with advances in technology and changing times, younger consumers now preferred smart furniture.
The Cen Corporation had failed to seize that opportunity, and its business performance had steadily declined.
As a result, the marriage alliance with the Shang Family had become critically important.
As long as the alliance succeeded, the Shang Family would certainly direct resources toward the Cen Corporation.
Yasen Group was a century-old enterprise.
It had successfully navigated every major wave of change, never being eliminated by the times. Instead, it had only grown larger and stronger.
Especially after Shang Hanzhou officially became the person in power at Yasen Group, the company’s status rose even higher, and its overseas markets continued to expand.
Countless people secretly coveted the position of “Mrs. Shang.”
Had it not been for the close friendship between the older generation of the Cen Family and Grandpa Shang, which had led to the marriage agreement, there would have been no chance for a daughter of the Cen Family to occupy the position of Mrs. Shang.
Since Cen Ning had developed a brain tumor and needed to go abroad for treatment, the title of Mrs. Shang could not simply be handed over to someone else.
As a result, Cen Xi, the illegitimate daughter, was naturally pushed forward.
She took Cen Ning’s place and successfully registered her marriage with Shang Hanzhou.
After all, regardless of the circumstances, both of them were daughters of the Cen Family.