Chapter 20: Genes
It was still early, the wintry air damp and cold. There were hardly any pedestrians outside the Xu Mansion. Butler Ge stood at a considerable distance, head bowed, awaiting Xu Si’s return. Xu Si asked Anshi to drive more slowly on his way back. This sudden show of concern left Anshi feeling rather alarmed. With downcast eyes, he agreed several times before turning the car around and departing.
The Xu Family home was too large, so vast it felt desolate. Even the entrance was exceptionally wide, enough to accommodate several cars entering simultaneously. Flanking the black stone-paved avenue were numerous drum stones carved from Han white jade. Xu Si glanced at them, her gaze lingering.
She recalled her late father’s aversion to touching those cold stone edifices. Similarly, he had harbored no fondness for his two paternal uncles or their families. Even at the zenith of his financial power, he never considered aiding them. He preferred they manage their own businesses abroad, advising them not to visit the Xu home without good reason, and certainly not to expect a single cent from him.
It was said that Mr. Xu was a cold and ruthless man, yet also an archetypal, competent businessman, indifferent to sentiment, his eyes fixed solely on monetary gain.
Xu Si had once thought so too. Her mother had been dead for only a year when her father seemed to have forgotten her, finding countless other women for companionship. After his death, these women had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, their eyes red with greed, all vying to seize her inheritance.
Now, she suddenly had a new understanding. Matters that could be resolved quickly shouldn’t be prolonged. Her father’s abrupt and total severance of ties with his brothers—though criticized by outsiders as forsaking kinship after amassing wealth—had, in fact, purchased many years of tranquility. Perhaps her father had long known his brothers’ true nature and keenly sensed the impending crisis.
Noticing her distraction, Butler Ge, who stood behind her, considerately offered a warm towel. "Miss," he asked softly, "are you thinking of Xu Sheng?"
Xu Si looked slightly startled, her elegant brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Ah, I was thinking of him, but not missing him," she said after a long pause.
The hem of her skirt brushed against the damp vegetation. Xu Si wiped her dry hands, not intending to say more. Turning, she strode back into the house, her expression once again softened into a gentle smile, as serene as a clear breeze under a bright moon. "Butler Ge, let’s go. I still have a phone call to make with Anshi tonight."