"What's wrong, Zhou Zhou-jie?"
"Nothing." Zhou Zhuofei put down the photo frame and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "My eyes are just tired from staring too long."
The photo was so blurry that the facial features were barely distinguishable, so perhaps she had just imagined it.
She felt too awkward to ask Xie Lan for confirmation—bringing it up would have been far too awkward.
So she set the frame aside, but just then, Xie Lan seemed to notice something. She looked at the photo, then at Zhou Zhuofei, and let out a surprised "Huh?"
Uncertainly, she said, "Zhou Zhou-jie, you kind of look like my mom?"
"Really?" Zhou Zhuofei feigned exaggerated surprise, as if she were only just realizing it. "Do I?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's a resemblance...?" Xie Lan held up the photo frame, comparing it to Zhou Zhuofei. "But looking at it now, maybe not so much."
She struggled to recall any details about her mother, but nothing came to mind.
Seeing her struggle, Zhou Zhuofei gently urged, "Never mind, don't force yourself to remember."
Xie Lan sighed. "Why can't I remember anything?"
As a child, she had often imagined what her parents would have been like if they were still around—whether their family of four would have been happier. But that fantasy had abruptly ended one day in middle school.
She no longer dwelled on it, no longer missed them. If not for her father suddenly reappearing, she might have even forgotten he was still alive.
"It's normal not to remember. Most people can't recall anything before the age of three. Maybe you could ask your dad?"
Xie Lan was silent for a moment before answering, "He never talks about those things."
Zhou Zhuofei immediately regretted her question. What kind of question was that?
She hurriedly apologized, but Xie Lan just smiled wryly and said, "It's fine. At least now I have a wealthy father."
Relieved that Xie Lan didn’t seem too upset, Zhou Zhuofei ventured another question. "Then why was your family situation so difficult before?"
Xie Lan explained, "Because my dad didn’t know my mom had me. And my maternal grandmother didn’t know his identity. Then my mom passed away in an accident, so no one else knew either..."
Her father had explained all this when he first brought her home. And given Xie Ya’s situation, she figured the story added up.
Zhou Zhuofei nodded. That made sense—Xie Lan's father clearly had the means to raise a child, so he wouldn’t have abandoned her intentionally.
She took Xie Lan’s hand and changed the subject. "Well, that’s all in the past. Let’s talk about something happier. Where are you planning to study? I’ve never even been abroad."
Their conversation was soon interrupted by a servant calling them down for dinner.
At the dining table, an elaborate spread of dishes was laid out—home-style cooking, yet each dish was meticulously plated and garnished.
Then a middle-aged man entered the room, and Xie Lan’s relaxed expression instantly stiffened.
No introduction was needed—this had to be Xie Lan’s father.
From what Zhan Zilang and Jiang Shen had told her, Zhou Zhuofei had already formed a mental image of him: a dissipated, flamboyant middle-aged playboy.
But seeing him in person, she realized her imagination had been a bit exaggerated. After all, villains didn’t wear labels.
The man was well-preserved, exuding an air of refinement. He greeted her with a warm, almost paternal smile, his tone so genial that it was hard to reconcile with the stories she’d heard.
Despite knowing his misdeeds, Zhou Zhuofei found it difficult to dislike him—his first impression was that disarming.
"Miss Zhou, thank you so much for helping Lanlan."
"You’re too kind, Uncle." Seeing a face so similar to Xie Huai’s addressing her so warmly gave Zhou Zhuofei an odd feeling.
"Just a simple home-cooked meal—I hope you don’t mind."
Zhou Zhuofei responded with polite pleasantries, and once everyone was seated, the dinner officially began.
Xie Lan's father was the picture of hospitality, urging Xie Lan to eat while asking Zhou Zhuofei about how she and Xie Lan had met. When Zhou Zhuofei recounted Xie Lan’s hardships, he frowned with what seemed like genuine remorse, playing the role of a devoted father flawlessly.
Yet something felt off to Zhou Zhuofei.
If he truly cared so much about his children, how had Xie Huai and Xie Ya turned out the way they did?
One brother had no respect for others, worshiping money above all else, while the other was twisted in his thinking, his words and actions never aligning.
A person’s upbringing wasn’t solely the parents’ fault, but their influence was undeniable.
After some thought, Zhou Zhuofei reached a conclusion: he was performing. He needed to project the image of a good father, and she was his audience.
In other words, he cared deeply about reputation and appearances.
Otherwise, Xie Ya wouldn’t be living in the Xie household under such dubious circumstances, and Xie Lan wouldn’t have been asked to cut ties with old acquaintances after her name change.
So Xie Lan’s plan was indeed viable. Now Zhou Zhuofei just had to figure out how to casually bring up Xie Huai’s harassment without seeming deliberate.
Before she knew it, the meal was winding down, and time was running out.
As she sipped her sweet soup, deep in thought, Xie Lan's father continued inquiring about her recent studies.
Xie Lan answered dutifully until, in a fleeting glance at Zhou Zhuofei’s profile, she remembered her earlier observation.
Her father never spoke about her mother. At first, she assumed it was out of grief—but her second brother, Xie Ya, claimed it was because their father had so many past lovers he couldn’t keep them straight, just like his own mother.
Xie Lan had never dared to ask for the truth, suspecting Xie Ya might be right. Like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, she avoided thinking about it, unwilling to face reality.
She didn’t want to lose this family—even if it wasn’t conventionally warm, at least she wasn’t alone anymore.
But a part of her still clung to hope. Maybe Xie Ya was wrong. Maybe her parents had truly loved each other. Maybe their story was like a novel—torn apart by circumstances beyond their control?
So, in a casual tone, she brought it up.
"Earlier, Zhou Zhou-jie and I were looking at some old photos, and I noticed she kind of resembles Mom. Dad, do you think so too?"
"Is that so?" Xie Lan's father looked startled, then turned to study Zhou Zhuofei more closely.
As an elder, he couldn’t scrutinize a young woman too openly, so aside from their initial greeting, he hadn’t paid her much attention.
But now, upon closer inspection, something in his memory seemed to align.
"Honestly..." He grew increasingly surprised and also increasingly familiar with what he saw. "There really is some resemblance."
"Really?" Xie Lan was astonished and kept glancing at Zhou Zhuofei, as if she could see traces of her mother in her.
No wonder she had felt an instant connection with Sister Zhou from the very first moment they met.
"It's a matter of demeanor and figure—the overall impression is similar, but their actual facial features are quite different."
"Was Xie Lan's mother also an office worker before?" Zhou Zhuofei asked.
Since Xie Lan said her father rarely brought it up, surely there was no harm in an outsider like her asking, right?
Xie Lan also stared at her father with curiosity.
Xie Lan's Father lowered his head in thought before answering, "In a way, yes. Her mother briefly worked as a tutor."
"Wait, really?" Xie Lan's eyes widened—this was the first time she had heard about it.
"Yes, but she resigned after just a month." He didn’t elaborate further, brushing past the topic with a few words.
But a thought flashed through Zhou Zhuofei’s mind—Xie Lan’s mother must have worked as a tutor at least eighteen years ago. Xie Ya would have only been a toddler then, so the only possible student she could have taught was Xie Huai…
Perhaps Xie Lan's Father avoided the topic because having an affair with his son’s tutor wasn’t exactly honorable. But what did Xie Huai think about it?
Countless possibilities swirled in her mind. Though she couldn’t yet piece everything together, her intuition told her she was close to the truth.
Xie Lan's Father suddenly spoke up, "By the way, Miss Zhou, I’ve had someone calculate all the financial support you’ve given Lan over the years. I’ll repay you double."
Zhou Zhuofei snapped out of her thoughts and quickly declined. "I already made my stance clear last time—I did this out of kindness, not for repayment. Uncle, you could donate the money in Xie Lan’s name to those in need. That way, it becomes a virtuous cycle."
"Young people like you are rare these days…" Xie Lan's Father sighed in admiration.
After Xie Lan told him about it, his first instinct had been to have his assistant gather information on Zhou Zhuofei. Naturally, he had learned quite a bit about her.
From what he could see, her background was clean, and her character was kind. Besides, with Xie Lan set to study abroad in just over a month, there was no harm in letting them spend time together in the meantime.
So Xie Lan's Father was very friendly toward Zhou Zhuofei, praising her even more after hearing her response.
"Our Lan doesn’t have many friends in City K yet. If you have time, you’re welcome to visit her often."
"Of course, we’ll arrange something."
"That’s wonderful. Feel free to go out and enjoy yourselves—I’ll take care of everything else."
The meal ended on a warm note. Seeing that it was still early and Xie Lan wanted to chat more, Zhou Zhuofei decided to stay a while longer.
Even after Xie Lan's Father left the restaurant, Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t found the right moment to bring up Xie Huai. But she wasn’t in a hurry.
Because she had a bold hypothesis.
As much as she hated to believe in coincidences, this was a fictional world—sometimes plots relied on them to move forward. So she allowed herself to think even more daringly.
She suspected that Xie Huai’s obsession with her wasn’t about her at all, but rather about certain traits she possessed.
After returning to Xie Lan’s room, Zhou Zhuofei asked, "Was this the first time you heard about your mother being a tutor?"
"No, actually, even my grandmother didn’t know what my mother used to do. She rarely talked about those things, only sharing stories from my mother’s childhood."
"Did your eldest brother ever mention it?"
Xie Lan shook her head, surprised by the question. "Why would my eldest brother know?"
"Think about it—if your mother came to your house as a tutor, she couldn’t have been teaching your father, right?"
"Oh." Xie Lan’s eyes widened in realization. "So she was teaching… my brother?"
"Most likely."
"But my eldest brother never told me any of this…" Xie Lan’s thoughts were suddenly in turmoil. "Wait, I’m getting confused."
"It’s okay, take your time. I’ll think it through too."
Zhou Zhuofei stood up and began pacing, figuring it was a waste not to make use of such a spacious room.
After just two laps, Xie Lan seemed to have pieced something together.
"I just remembered something."
"What is it?"
"When I first arrived here, the whole family was present. I told you before that my second brother is really eccentric—he greeted me once and then ignored me. But my eldest brother stared at me for a long time. I was nervous then, so I missed a lot of details. But now that I think about it, he looked… disappointed."
"Why do you think he was disappointed?"
Zhou Zhuofei found this hard to believe—Xie Huai was someone who rarely showed emotion. Yet Xie Lan could sense such subtle changes. Was this the power of a blood bond?
Xie Lan pointed at a photo on the nightstand. "I thought I was overthinking it before, but now I believe it was because I don’t look like my mother."
Her features leaned more toward her father’s side—even her grandmother had said so.
"And at that reception last time, I had picked out a white dress and a light pink one. In the end, my eldest brother chose for me. Sister, you don’t know this, but my mother loved pale pink. There are still many of her old clothes at home…"
Hearing this, Zhou Zhuofei felt chills run down her spine. She couldn’t help but mutter, "Damn, this guy’s sick."
Xie Lan didn’t know how to react. On one hand, she was touched that someone else remembered her mother. But the fact that it was her half-brother…
She shuddered—this was way too weird!
"If this is true, then your father sending you abroad is absolutely necessary." Zhou Zhuofei quickly walked over to Xie Lan, her expression serious.
"Keep your distance from him. Don’t ever think you’re overreacting. Don’t brush it off as normal sibling closeness—you two have a huge age gap and didn’t grow up together. You have to be careful!"
"I understand." Overwhelmed by Zhou Zhuofei’s concern, Xie Lan could only nod vigorously. "Sister, don’t worry, I’ll protect myself. And you don’t need to worry—my eldest brother fully supports me studying abroad."
Zhou Zhuofei squeezed her hand firmly. "No matter what, safety comes first. Always be cautious, especially in a complicated family like yours. You have to put yourself first."
Xie Lan nodded even harder. She knew Zhou Zhuofei only had her best interests at heart. Even though she had never experienced a perfect family, she could still sense the strange undercurrents in the Xie household.
"Sister, I understand."
Seeing that the other person had truly taken her words to heart, Zhou Zhuofei finally felt somewhat reassured.
She suddenly felt a flicker of gratitude that Xie Lan had grown up in such an environment. If it had been her at eighteen, no matter how many warnings she received, she still wouldn’t have learned to be cautious.
"Still, nothing is absolute. After all, all of this is just our speculation—"
Before she could finish, the roar of a car engine echoed from outside the window. Zhou Zhuofei leaned closer to the glass and glanced down at the courtyard below, where a car was slowly pulling through the gates.
She recognized that car—it belonged to Xie Huai.
In an instant, an idea formed in her mind. It might sound unreliable, but she wanted to try it anyway.
Turning back to Xie Lan, she said, "Why don’t we test it out right now?"
Xie Lan looked puzzled. "How?"
Zhou Zhuofei pointed toward the walk-in closet. "Do you have any clothes I can wear? Preferably in light pink."
During her earlier tour, she had noticed racks of brand-new clothes and accessories, tags still attached.
Xie Lan immediately grasped Zhou Zhuofei’s plan and sprang into action. "I think there are some—let me check!"
She darted into the closet, and by the time Zhou Zhuofei caught up, Xie Lan had already pulled out several options that matched the request.
"Which one do you want?" Xie Lan held up the garments for her to see.
Without hesitation, Zhou Zhuofei replied, "You choose!"
No one was better suited to make this decision than Xie Lan.
After a careful once-over, Xie Lan relied on instinct and made her pick. "Then… this one!"
