"Brother Gu..." The way she called "brother" sounded rather forced.
Xie Shuwen turned his head and glared at Xie Bingxia, then pushed her towards Gu Bei. He tried to smooth things over, saying, "Look, now the old master has passed away. Gu Bei, you can't just leave your younger sister alone, can you?"
"You mean you want me to take care of her?" Gu Bei sneered.
"For the old master's sake, she is, after all, the old master's only bloodline." Xie Shuwen emphasized the word "only" especially strongly.
"Then why don't you take care of her, Uncle Xie? She has the Xie surname!" Gu Bei retorted, emphasizing the words "Xie surname" even more strongly.
"It's just that... the situation in my family is complicated. You know your aunt. She's not the type to take care of kids."
"Sorry, I'm not the type to take care of kids either."
"Gu Bei, you're being so heartless! I spent so much effort to find your younger sister, and you... you..." Saying this, Xie Shuwen pretended to hold his forehead and groaned, "Oh, my blood pressure... Cough! Big brother, look at the good son you've raised! Really... Big brother!"
"Stop acting and leave. Let Father have his last bit of peace."
The two were really at odds with each other. They went back and forth, neither willing to back down. Xie Shuwen was gasping for breath, still trying to come up with a countermeasure. Xie Bingxia bit her thin lips and whispered, "Uncle Xie, please send me back. I'll go back to the orphanage in the United States."
"Since big brother doesn't want me, and you don't want me either..." Xie Bingxia's long eyelashes, like a crow's wings, drooped. After a moment of hesitation, she quietly looked up to see Gu Bei's reaction.
Meeting his gaze, Gu Bei was taken aback again, and his heart unconsciously began to waver. He looked back at the portrait on the Xie family's tombstone. The old master of the Xie family was smiling kindly at him. A complex mix of emotions welled up in his heart. So he sighed and changed his tone, saying, "Today is Father's funeral. He definitely wouldn't want to see us arguing." After saying that, he waved to Xie Bingxia, "Come here."
Xie Bingxia was still a bit shy. She hesitated for a moment before shuffling over in small steps. She slowly walked up to Gu Bei and looked up at him. At the age of seventeen, she was still in her physical development stage, but compared to Gu Bei, who was almost 1.9 meters tall, she was much shorter. Her height of less than 1.6 meters only reached his chest. Coupled with Gu Bei's excellent figure, he was like a clothes hanger. The height difference and the difference in body build created a strong sense of oppression. Not to mention those deep eyes. In the past, there were stars in Gu Bei's eyes, especially when he looked at Xia Jingwei. Now, there was only a deep blue like the sea, making it hard to figure him out.
Just two years had passed, and Gu Bei's originally angular face had become more refined. That refinement was the mark of years and experiences. The thick frown between his eyebrows made his face look unpleasant and even a bit fierce. The aura of a leader was constantly emanating from his body. No wonder he had become the top figure in the Xie family.
"Bow to your father." Gu Bei's palm rested on Xie Bingxia's back and gently patted it a few times.
The bow was a bit stiff, which just right expressed the feelings of a girl who was in a strange environment and seeing her father for the first time, and that too at his funeral. Xie Bingxia bent over, her eyes downcast. She saw the fresh lawn bathed in the rain, and a barely perceptible smile curved her lips.
"That's it." Gu Bei walked straight past her without even looking, casually taking off the famous - brand leather gloves on his hands and throwing them into the grass beside him.
"Come with me."
Gu Bei had walked several meters away before Xie Bingxia followed. But she was blocked at the car door. Before she could get in, Gu Bei slammed the car door shut and said, "You take the car behind."
Disgust, contempt, and disdain were very obvious on Gu Bei's face. Xie Bingxia wasn't angry. She quietly sat in the back seat of the car and looked out at the rainy mist. At this moment, her inner feelings were completely different from her appearance. Her blood was boiling. Because her new life was just beginning, and she was eager to start her revenge.
After Gu Bei's motorcade entered the city, they soon went their separate ways. Xie Bingxia watched the car Gu Bei was in quickly disappear from her sight. She nervously asked the driver, "Where are we going?"
The driver replied without hesitation, "The boss has given instructions. You'll be temporarily arranged to live outside for now."
Goodness! Gu Bei didn't want to take her home! Was he on guard against her?
"You'll stay here for now." The driver took Xie Bingxia to a high - class apartment. "If you need anything, you can contact me."
Xie Bingxia took the note with the driver's phone number on it and then looked up at the room, which was like a show flat. ——It was indeed Gu Bei's style. He wanted to keep things completely separate from the start.
Xie Bingxia had taken a flight from abroad early in the morning to attend the funeral. She was really tired. She took a careful shower, tried out all the high - end skin - care products in the bathroom one by one, and then quietly stood in front of the mirror.
She reached out to wipe the water droplets off the mirror, and a familiar yet strange face appeared in her eyes. Xie Bingxia touched her lean jawline. As the saying goes, the environment changes people. This was really true.
"Get up! Keep fighting!" The coach's roar echoed in her ears.
"Don't stop until you throw me down today!"
"Ah ——yah!" The young girl roared and pounced on the coach, hugging his waist. But the difference in their bodies was too great. Even though the young girl gritted her teeth and her sweat soaked the ground along her hair, the coach remained unmovable.
Thud ——The young girl was instead thrown down and fell heavily to the ground.
"Get up and keep going!"
Xie Bingxia's breathing began to get rapid. She supported the edge of the sink with her hand. In her memory, the tall figure of the black coach loomed over her. Every time, it made Xie Bingxia feel the suffocation of sinking into the deep sea. She could only fight against the odds again and again until she learned the skills.
If Xia Jingwei was a rich young lady who was pampered and never did any housework, then Xie Bingxia was a flower that grew out of a cliff crack after forcing herself into a desperate situation for survival and revenge.
Two years had passed. She had changed a lot. She had tried things she had never tried before, just to make herself no longer weak and to become a sharp blade that could be inserted into Gu Bei's chest cleanly.
Xie Bingxia took a few deep breaths to calm down. Her reflection in the mirror gradually blurred due to the water vapor. She skillfully took out her makeup bag and began to disguise herself. Suddenly, she nervously scanned the surroundings, and then relaxed a bit ——Gu Bei shouldn't be so perverted as to install a surveillance camera in her bathroom.
She wiped the water vapor off the mirror again, and there was Xie Bingxia's usual face. Clean, beautiful, and spotless, like a budding flower. She also had to hide her wise eyes.
"Ah, it's really not easy to pretend to be someone else." Xie Bingxia sighed and tied the belt of her bathrobe.
Suddenly, there was a beeping sound from the password lock outside. Xie Bingxia froze and hurriedly picked up the glasses on the table and put them on.
Could it be Gu Bei?