Upon hearing Siff’s words, Xia Qingyu’s smiling face suddenly turned serious: “I only have one older sister, and that’s not you.”
Xia Qingyu’s abrupt change of expression was also something Siff hadn’t anticipated.
Tarik knew the significance of Xia Qingtian to Xia Qingyu and didn’t find it surprising. He had no intention of bailing Siff out.
Rather, he rather hoped Siff would run into a wall like this and leave quickly.
Don’t hinder him here… from completing his mission.
“What a little cutie,” Siff said, praising Xia Qingyu insincerely, her smile unchanged. “It’s okay if you don’t call me that. In my heart, I’ve always wished for a cute sister like you.”
“Then you can keep wishing,” Xia Qingyu stated plainly. “I can’t bear your affection. I am only my sister’s sister.”
“Your sister must be very happy and delighted to have a sister like you. I envy her so much.” At this point, the smile on Siff’s lips had become a little stiff.
Hearing Siff say this, Xia Qingyu’s expression softened slightly. She didn’t know if Xia Qingtian would be happy and delighted to have her as a sister, but she was very happy to have an older sister like Xia Qingtian.
She was very clumsy and didn’t quite know how to express her feelings, but she knew she would save the best for her sister.
Seeing that Siff showed no signs of leaving, Tarik wanted to speak up to dismiss Siff. However, before he could say anything, someone called out to him, saying that Young Master Lei San wanted to see him.
Tarik clenched his fist by his side, a hint of hesitation in his brows.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you, Qingyu,” Siff said, her beautiful eyes curving into a smile, appearing frank and sincere.
Only Tarik knew the cunning heart hidden behind those eyes.
“I’ll be back soon,” Tarik said softly, looking at Xia Qingyu, and then gave Siff a deep look before leaving.
Siff received Tarik’s warning. She clenched her fist by her side, her nails digging into her palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
“You don’t need to accompany me. Go take care of your own business,” Xia Qingyu didn’t feel the need for anyone to accompany her. If anyone were to accompany her, she would only wish it were her sister.
“What’s the matter?” Siff chuckled. “Qingyu, your Finnish is really good. Did you study it seriously before? I’ve always wanted to learn Chinese, but it’s too difficult. After studying for so long, I’ve only grasped the basics.”
“I’m quite talented in languages,” Xia Qingyu said, and then couldn’t resist showing off: “My sister knows many languages too.”
Who cares what your sister knows?
Though she thought this, Siff didn’t say it aloud. She chuckled, her laughter as melodious as silver bells. “That’s right. You’re Father’s daughter. He’s such a great man, his daughter must be extraordinary.”
Hearing Siff say this, Xia Qingyu’s expression visibly soured further. Just as she was about to retort, a deep, gentle male voice came from beside them: “Qingyu is my daughter, and she is very outstanding. Siff, you are my adopted daughter, and you are naturally no less accomplished under my tutelage.”
Upon hearing this voice, Siff’s expression stiffened. She immediately looked at the newcomer with apprehension. Seeing the smile on his face and that he didn’t seem angry, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully called out, “Father.”
“Mm,” Xiang Xueyuan replied, then turned to Qingyu. “This evening gown was specially chosen by me for you. It suits you very well.”
Xia Qingyu took half a step back, her eyes filled with defensiveness as she looked at Xiang Xueyuan.
Looking at the person before her, the words Aunt Liu often said echoed in her ears.
Her biological father had once tried to burn her and her mother to death…
The thought alone sent a chill down Xia Qingyu’s spine, making her shiver.
“Qingyu, whether you admit it or not, I am your father. If you have any misunderstandings about me, I believe that as long as you are willing to stay by my side and give us a chance to interact, I will prove to you that I am more than qualified as a father,” Xiang Xueyuan said with a faint smile, looking at Xia Qingyu.
Xia Qingyu took another half step back. This half step led her directly into a warm embrace.
“Mr. Xiang, you’re such a busy person. There’s no need for you to personally entertain my sister,” Xia Qingtian said, placing her hand on Xia Qingyu’s shoulder, and smiling charmingly at Xiang Xueyuan. “You should go and attend to your business.”
“Sis!” Xia Qingyu turned her head and met Xia Qingtian’s eyes. Only then did her restless heart finally feel steady and stable again, a warmth surging from her heart to her limbs.
“You little scatterbrain, you disappear the moment I take my eyes off you,” Xia Qingtian said, affectionately tapping Xia Qingyu’s nose with her fingertip. “What were you talking about with Mr. Xiang? You didn’t cause him any trouble, did you?”
“No, we were just talking about this evening gown.” Xia Qingyu, no longer flustered, had regained her composure. She shifted her gaze from Xia Qingtian’s face to Xiang Xueyuan’s, revealing an incredibly radiant smile. “Grandpa Xiang, thank you for the dress. I like it very much~”
“!” Xiang Xueyuan almost choked on Xia Qingyu’s words. After a moment of sputtering, he turned and left with a displeased expression. Siff, standing nearby, dared not even breathe and quickly followed.
After Xiang Xueyuan and Siff had left, Xia Qingtian finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She gave Xia Qingyu a big hug, then pinched her little face and said, “You little rascal, you were really planning to anger him to death, weren’t you?”
Xia Qingyu didn’t answer, merely shrugging her shoulders and spreading her hands in a nonchalant manner.
Seeing this, Xia Qingtian laughed again.
This time, her laughter was a little loud, so loud that even Xiang Xueyuan, who had already walked away, could hear it. His expression darkened further.
Initially, he had intended to use a relatively gentle approach to make Xia Qingyu recognize reality and willingly return to his side.
Since that was the case, he didn’t mind using some means.
“Siff,” Xiang Xueyuan said, his gaze darkening. “Take her to the study on the third floor. I’ll be waiting for her there.”
“Yes, Father,” Siff replied in a low voice, her eyes shifting slightly.
Having managed to drive Xiang Xueyuan away this time, Xia Qingyu was in a very good mood. Even Gu Yaoyang, who was with Xia Qingtian, didn’t seem as displeasing to her.
Seeing that Gu Yaoyang seemed to have something to discuss with Xia Qingtian after taking a phone call, Xia Qingyu quite sensibly said, “I haven’t seen where that brat Shi Xingwu has gone for a while. I’ll go find him, lest he embarrass himself.”
“That’s fine too. Call me anytime if anything comes up,” Xia Qingtian also knew Shi Xingwu’s character was rather restless, so she gave him an okay gesture and continued chatting with Gu Yaoyang.
Watching Xia Qingtian and Gu Yaoyang’s retreating backs, Xia Qingyu sighed deeply, “Sigh…”