"Come here!" Xia Qingtian pressed a hand to her forehead, deciding to straighten out Erya's twisted perception of reality.
"I don't want to!" Erya's bright eyes widened. "You! Your tone is exactly the same as when Master is about to punish me! I'm not coming over!"
With that, Erya turned and ran, disappearing in seconds.
"Honestly..." Xia Qingtian was at a loss with this Erya. "My Qingtian is so much more adorable."
Compared to this Erya, her sister was a total little angel on earth!
Shaking her head, Xia Qingtian went straight to Xia Shang's room.
Xia Shang was not yet resting.
Today was the Yue family patriarch's birthday. Xia Shang had always disliked interacting with strangers, so he decided to rest in his room all day and calm his mind.
He had no memories of his childhood; he had collapsed at the foot of a mountain and was found and raised by his adoptive mother.
His adoptive mother had never hidden his origins from him, nor had she ever asked him not to dwell on the past he couldn't recall.
Although his adoptive mother had a peculiar temper, she had been very patient with him.
Now, his adoptive mother had passed away.
Family members he had lost contact with for many years had suddenly reappeared at this time.
Even Xia Shang, who was usually numb to atmosphere and emotions, found it difficult to accept.
Although he had done a lot of mental preparation before coming to Kyoto, the thought of meeting his "family" tomorrow still made him feel uneasy.
Xia Qingtian's visit at this moment was a very heartwarming gesture for Xia Shang.
"Uncle, would you like something to drink?" Xia Qingtian asked, looking at Xia Shang.
Xia Shang shook his head slightly, pulling out a smile that looked somewhat sinister, capable of scaring away children instantly. "Just stay with me for a while."
"Okay," Xia Qingtian replied, pulling over a nearby chair and sitting by Xia Shang's bed.
Xia Shang simply sat there, and after a long while, he spoke, "Erya said it was very lively outside today."
"Yes, many guests came today." Hearing Xia Shang's question, Xia Qingtian replied, "But I don't know many people. Oh, right, Mr. Gu also came."
"Mm," Xia Shang had an impression of his company's boss. "Mr. Gu is very capable."
This was Xia Shang's sincere admiration.
He had a good impression of anyone who could write code beautifully.
"Yes, he is indeed very capable to have discovered your talent." Xia Qingtian had also noticed that Mr. Gu seemed very good at discovering talent.
Perhaps it was because outstanding people always appreciated each other.
"I don't have any talent." Hearing Xia Qingtian's praise, Xia Shang lowered his head slightly, letting out a short laugh, as if shy.
"Uncle, don't be so modest." Xia Qingtian recalled working with Xia Shang to catch the hacker spy lurking in Xia Corporation, and she had shared the government bonus with him.
"Qingtian, tomorrow... I'm scared." Xia Shang finally brought up the matter of tomorrow. "What if, what if they are very disappointed in me?"
Xia Shang knew that he had never been a likable child since he was young.
He had almost no friends in the village, and only Erya was relatively friendly to him.
It was the same at the company; many people would get nervous and scared when their eyes met his, even fleeing in a hurry.
Once, he had simply wanted to remind a female colleague that the pendant on her bag had fallen off.
As a result, the colleague ran away crying...
Although after the misunderstanding was cleared up, the colleague had thanked and apologized to him with the company of friends.
In short...
Xia Shang knew he was not a person who would be well-liked.
What if the old man in the hospital saw him and was extremely disappointed?
What if his family members saw him and regretted finding him?
Xia Shang had never experienced these things, and he was very flustered.
Ever since he was found by his adoptive mother, he had lived with her in the villa on the mountain, rarely interacting with people.
If his adoptive mother hadn't sent him out, he wouldn't even have come to Z City to stay with the Xia family, let alone join Gu Corporation.
He should have stayed in that villa.
Silently existing, until death.
But now...
"What does it matter?" Xia Qingtian chuckled and said, "The worst outcome would be that they have eyes but fail to recognize jade.
We can go back to Z City together then. My dad, Aunt Liu, and Qingyu all welcome you very much.
There's even less need to worry about disappointing the old man in the hospital. After all, he's already in critical condition, how much longer can he be disappointed?
Don't put pressure on yourself."
Xia Qingtian put her arm around Xia Shang's shoulder. "Whether they recognize you or not, you're still our Xia family's little uncle, aren't you?"
"Mm," Xia Shang heard her, and the heavy stone pressing on his heart seemed to loosen.
"So, you can relax tomorrow. Besides, even if they want to acknowledge you, we'll need to conduct some practical checks.
After all, you are an important member of our Xia family, an indispensable family member.
If they are not good people, we won't let them take you away."
Xia Qingtian gave Xia Shang the greatest confidence. "You don't need to be bound by so-called moral requirements. It's the parents' fault for not watching their children.
You've done nothing wrong. Tomorrow, if you feel they are good people, you can chat with them more. If you dislike them, just give me a look, and I'll take you back to Z City immediately.
Alright?"
"Alright," Xia Shang felt much more relaxed now. Then he turned to look at Xia Qingtian and gave another short smile. "It's better not to disappoint the old man who is in critical condition..."
"Uncle..." Xia Qingtian looked into Xia Shang's eyes and gave him a big hug. "I really don't want to send you to someone else's family."
Although Xia Shang looked a bit intimidating, his heart was the most sincere and kind.
Xia Qingtian had always known that.
Being hugged by Xia Qingtian like this made Xia Shang a little nervous, and he lowered his head, his earlobes turning red.
He was also very happy that someone considered him family and valued him so much.
At this moment, the closed door was suddenly pushed open. Erya stood with her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks. "Hey! Xia Qingtian! This is my man! If you want a hug, go find your pretty-boy boyfriend! Stay away from my man!"
"Erya, come here!" Xia Qingtian didn't give Erya a chance to escape again, grabbing her by the collar. "If you dare to run again, I'll call your brother and have him take you away!"
"Hmm! I'm the one who's in the right! Why are you so fierce!" Erya's eyes widened, full of disbelief.
"This is considered fierce? Then you probably haven't seen what true 'fierce' looks like." Xia Qingtian dragged Erya toward the door. "Come with me! I must make you understand today that girls shouldn't say all sorts of nonsense! Come with me!"
"No! Xia Shang, save me!" Erya reached out to Xia Shang helplessly, while Xia Shang looked like he couldn't help.
Before the door was closed, Xia Shang could only awkwardly and faintly say, "Don't kick off your blanket when you sleep..."