If it weren't for Xu Nian's phone call, Guan Xia might have completely forgotten about the person. But meeting face-to-face was perhaps for the best—to settle things once and for all, rather than having them suddenly reappear and cause trouble later.
She mentioned it to Pang Le, who immediately furrowed his brows and muttered curses under his breath while speeding up the car toward Guan Xia's residential complex.
Lugging her suitcase out of the elevator, Guan Xia spotted a young girl crouched in front of her door—someone who bore a faint resemblance to her.
Before Guan Xia could even get a proper look or say a word, the door to Xu Nian's apartment suddenly swung open. Xu Nian stepped out as if he’d been waiting behind it the whole time—still in the same clothes, shoes unchanged—and casually closed the door behind him. "You're back," he greeted Guan Xia.
Guan Xia gave a noncommittal hum before turning her attention back to the girl.
It was unclear how long the girl had been waiting in the hallway. She hugged a backpack to her chest, her back pressed against the wall as she dozed off, not even hearing the elevator. Only Xu Nian’s voice startled her awake. Her eyes flew open in confusion before landing on Guan Xia and the others.
At the sight of so many people, the girl instinctively shrank back. But when she finally got a clear look at Guan Xia’s face, she seemed to brighten with excitement, scrambling to her feet.
The girl looked like she had a thousand things to say, but the words stuck in her throat. After a few hesitant glances at Guan Xia, she took a small step forward and timidly called out, "Sister."
The word made Guan Xia’s stomach churn. Before she could respond, Pang Le cut in sharply, "Who are you calling ‘sister’? Guan Xia’s always been on her own—no sisters, no family. Don’t think just because you look a little like her, you can waltz in here and claim some connection."
Pang Le’s tone was harsh, his expression impatient. Towering over the girl, he looked downright intimidating.
The girl flinched, stumbling back two steps before stammering, "N-no, I’m not here to claim anything. I just—I just—"
Her face flushed red, clearly struggling with words. After several false starts, she finally managed to force out, "I… I came to apologize. I’m sorry."
Clutching her backpack, she bowed deeply to Guan Xia before continuing, "I know what my parents did back then was wrong. And I know you don’t want to see me, but I—"
Her sincerity only made Guan Xia more irritable. "If you know that," she interrupted coldly, "then why come looking for me? Just say it—what do you want?"
The girl, unused to such sharp words, blinked back tears, her eyes reddening. After a moment, she suddenly unzipped her backpack and revealed its contents. "I came to give you money."
Guan Xia glanced inside—neat stacks of crisp red bills, untouched since being withdrawn from the bank.
Baffled, Guan Xia frowned. "Why are you giving me money? I don’t need it. Take it back."
The girl pressed her lips together stubbornly. "I know you don’t want it, but I still think you should have it."
As if worried Guan Xia would misunderstand, she hurriedly added, "It’s all mine—none of it’s from them. It’s my savings from New Year’s money and part-time jobs. Really, it’s all my own."
She emphasized it twice before mustering the courage to hold the backpack out again.
Guan Xia didn’t move, only repeated, "I don’t need it."
The girl’s unexpected behavior made Guan Xia wary. Before the girl could say more, Guan Xia quickly summoned her system interface, sharing its vision to scan the girl’s soul.
To her relief, there was no trace of the blood-red aura that marked members of the criminal organization.
Rejected twice, the girl looked humiliated but kept her arm outstretched. "I don’t mean anything by it. I’m not trying to make up for what my parents did. I just… I just want your life to be better."
Guan Xia almost laughed. "Who told you my life isn’t good? If you went through all this trouble to find me, you must’ve done your research. This apartment? I own it. I have money, free time, plenty of friends. I’m doing just fine—I don’t need your pity."
Guan Xia had no interest in deciphering her biological sister’s motives. Right now, she just wanted her gone. There were too many things demanding her attention—every second counted.
But the girl wasn’t so easily dismissed. Stung by Guan Xia’s words, her eyes widened, brimming with tears. "I’m not pitying you!" she protested, voice trembling. "I just—I just—"
Frustrated, she struggled to find the right words, her voice thick with emotion. "I’ve known about you for years. I’ve been saving up, looking for you. I never spent a single penny of my New Year’s money. I took part-time jobs in college—all so I could save enough to give to you when I found you."
The more she spoke, the more her voice cracked, tears finally spilling over.
Guan Xia remained unmoved, only narrowing her eyes. "What do you mean, you’ve known about me for years?"
The girl wiped her cheeks with a sniffle. "Since I was seven. That summer, I overheard my grandparents talking while I was supposed to be napping. They said… if the child before me hadn’t been abandoned, they’d be eleven by now. They wondered if you’d been adopted, how you were doing. They kept telling my parents to find you, but my mom said… even if they did, after all these years, you’d never—"
The girl, clearly unaccustomed to lying, answered bluntly before catching herself. She shot Guan Xia an awkward glance and hung her head.
Though she didn’t finish, Guan Xia could easily guess the rest: that she’d be too old to bond with, not worth the effort or expense. Better to leave things as they were—less trouble that way.
After figuring things out, Guan Xia couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. She really had to thank that couple and was grateful for their rationality and cold-heartedness. Otherwise, if Guan Xia had been taken back, aside from scrambling to find her own way, she would have been dragged into the troubles of family life.
Perhaps because Guan Xia's expression was too indifferent, the girl shrank back again and finally lowered the backpack she had been holding up, hanging her head low and nervously shifting her feet.
Guan Xia snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the girl, continuing to ask, "Aside from you, do your parents know you’ve found me?"
The girl peeked up at her briefly before lowering her head again and shaking it. "They don’t know. Neither do my grandparents. I haven’t told anyone. Every time I came here, I did it secretly. Luckily, I live on my own now—as long as I call them regularly, they don’t suspect anything."
In other words, as long as she sent the girl away and made sure she wouldn’t speak of this or come back, Guan Xia could return to her peaceful life as before.
At this thought, Guan Xia’s expression softened slightly, but her words remained just as ruthless. "You said you’ve been looking for me. Now that you’ve found me and seen that I’m doing well, since your goal is accomplished, you should leave. And don’t come back again."
Guan Xia’s tone wasn’t harsh, but the girl, who had just stopped crying, began shedding tears again, drop by drop, landing on her shoes.
Guan Xia didn’t notice at first, but when the girl remained silent for a long time, she finally took a closer look and realized she was crying quietly.
Having lived in this world for twenty-five years, Guan Xia had interacted with many children and later met plenty of people her own age, but none were as bold yet timid as this girl—and none cried so easily.
Guan Xia couldn’t help feeling exasperated. "Why are you crying? No one’s scolding you. I’m not even blaming you for suddenly barging into my life, and yet you’re the one crying first."
The girl seemed to find her own behavior embarrassing too. She roughly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, still not looking up, and spoke haltingly, "I don’t want to cry, but I can’t help it. Are you really not going to take my money? I’ve been saving it for years—since my seventh birthday. Over a decade’s worth. I always thought that if I ever found you, I’d give it all to you."
She hurriedly added, "Don’t worry, they don’t know about this money. I saved it secretly and withdrew it secretly. They don’t know I found you either, and I won’t tell them, so they’ll never bother you."
As she spoke, she kept glancing at Guan Xia’s expression. Seeing that she wasn’t as angry as before, the girl shuffled her feet and whispered, "Please take it. I just want you to live a little better."
Afraid of being scolded again, she didn’t even wait to see Guan Xia’s reaction before lowering her head.
The girl’s earnest attitude made it hard for Guan Xia to stay angry, but she truly didn’t want the money. Firmly, she shook her head again. "I really don’t need it. I’m not short on money, and I don’t want to keep arguing about this. Take your money and leave. Like you said, you want me to live well—but I already am."
Hearing the finality in Guan Xia’s tone, the girl pressed her lips together, unwilling but resigned. After stealing a few more glances, she finally sighed in defeat. "Fine. I’ll go then."
Guan Xia immediately stepped aside, revealing the elevator behind her. Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu reacted just as quickly, moving out of the way in unison.
Realizing there was no room for negotiation left, the girl hesitated, looking at Guan Xia as if she wanted to say something more. But in the end, she just clutched her bag and shuffled into the elevator.
Only when the elevator descended, confirming the girl was gone, did Guan Xia finally relax, rubbing her temples.
Though the girl’s intentions had been unexpected, at least she wasn’t as difficult as Guan Xia had feared. That was a pleasant surprise.
Pang Le also let out a relieved sigh, but Zhong Xiaoyu glanced at the elevator and remarked, "Who would’ve thought she came to give you money? I assumed she’d tracked you down because you’re successful now and was desperate to reconnect. But it’s good—she’s kind and self-aware. She won’t shamelessly come knocking again."
Pang Le suddenly realized something and muttered, "She was seven when Guan Xia was eleven. Guan Xia is twenty-five now, so that girl must only be twenty-one—still in college, right? And today isn’t even the weekend. Wow, skipping school right after the semester starts?"
Zhong Xiaoyu did the math. "Normally, eighteen is freshman year, so twenty-one would be junior or senior year. By that point, she’s practically a veteran—taking a few days off isn’t a big deal."
Pang Le nodded. "True. Anyway, she’s finally gone. I’m starving! Guan Xia, hurry up and open the door! I remember you have some snacks at home—let me grab something to tide me over while we wait for the delivery."
With the girl gone, the tense atmosphere lifted. Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu noisily crowded into Guan Xia’s apartment. As Guan Xia turned to grab her luggage, she saw Xu Nian had already picked it up, smiling faintly at her as he asked, "Why aren’t you coming in? Aren’t you tired after hours on a flight? Go on inside."
Left with no choice, Guan Xia entered empty-handed, watching as Xu Nian effortlessly carried her suitcase in and placed it in a corner of the living room.
After changing into slippers, Pang Le immediately began rummaging through Guan Xia’s stash without a hint of restraint, muttering, "Crackers? Nah. Wafer bars? I’ll take two. Chocolate? One piece sounds good."
Zhong Xiaoyu, equally hungry, squeezed in beside Pang Le and started picking through the snacks.
Guan Xia checked the fridge for something to eat, and Xu Nian followed, saying, "My mom dropped off some dumplings and buns this morning. Want me to go get them and cook some? It’ll be faster than waiting for delivery."
Guan Xia didn’t answer right away. She opened the freezer first and saw that the portion Xu Nian had given her earlier was long gone. Smiling, she said, "Sure. But there are three of us—will we finish all the dumplings your mom sent in one go?"
Xu Nian tilted his head slightly, thinking, then shook it with a chuckle. "No. Maybe because I’ve been away on business so much lately, my mom’s been extra doting. She brought over hundreds. Plenty to go around."
Only then did Guan Xia nod and let him go fetch them.
When it came time to cook the dumplings, Guan Xia intended to do it herself, but Xu Nian insisted she must be tired from the morning flight and took over. Not wanting to sit idle while a guest worked, Guan Xia stayed to help, using the chance to ask about Lu Tingfeng.
When Lu Tingfeng was mentioned, Xu Nian's expression turned somber. As she dropped dumplings into the boiling pot, she said, "He's just like how he was when he first learned about his sister's death—refusing to eat or sleep, just sitting silently in front of her gravestone, staring blankly. No matter what I say to him, he doesn’t respond. But don’t worry, it’s just a phase. Given time, he’ll come to terms with it on his own."
Guan Xia filled a clean bowl with cold water and set it by the stove, asking worriedly, "Do you really think he can figure it out by himself?"
She still vividly remembered the day Lu Tingfeng sat in the technical team’s office, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the computer screen—especially those bloodshot eyes filled with hatred. Putting herself in his shoes, she doubted she could easily move past such grief either.
As they talked, Guan Xia lost track of how many dumplings Xu Nian had added to the pot. Only when the basin was empty did Xu Nian set it aside and say, "He will. I know him, just like you know Pang Le. If we give him time, he’ll find his way out of this."
Seeing the confidence in Xu Nian’s tone despite her troubled expression, Guan Xia felt reassured.
After discussing Lu Tingfeng, Xu Nian naturally shifted the conversation to Guan Xia’s visit to the orphanage. Guan Xia didn’t hold back, sharing every clue she’d found and the theories she’d pieced together in detail.
After a moment of thought, Xu Nian replied, "Your reasoning makes sense. Since Qi Bai and the others won’t be back for a few more days, I’ll look into it in the meantime. Who knows? We might uncover something."
