Guan Qishen, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. His youthful features, a mirror image of Father Guan's, were twisted with a mix of dissatisfaction and heartache.
"Xuxu, that belongs to Ruirui. When did you become so insatiable?"
Guan Xuxu's hands clenched at her sides. She heard him continue, "If you'll just be obedient and give your spot to Ruirui, I can try to convince Mom and Dad to let you stay."
Guan Qishen truly believed he was offering her the best possible option. In his mind, she should be nothing but grateful.
Father Guan chimed in as well. "Even though you were adopted, I've always treated you like my own flesh and blood. The Guan Family is a respectable household; we wouldn't dream of sending a daughter back to her roots without any luggage. Your biological parents aren't well off, so you should take what you need."
As for the bracelet, he didn't breathe a word about returning it to her.
Guan Ruirui spoke up then, her voice dripping with feigned grievance. "Sister, I know you really want this bracelet, but it did belong to Grandma... How about this? I'll transfer some money to you instead. Is ten thousand enough? If not, how about twenty thousand?"
Her words clearly implied that Xuxu only wanted the bracelet so she could hock it for cash.
Xuxu's gaze turned ice-cold as she glared at Guan Ruirui. Ruirui flinched, her body shrinking back instinctively under that piercing look.
Xuxu looked at the three people standing before her, her expression utterly indifferent. Her response was sharp and final.
"I don't need your money, and I certainly don't need you to beg for me to stay."
Once, she had done everything to earn their approval. She had studied etiquette and personally crafted amulets for them, treating them as her true family and giving them her best. Yet, she had never received a shred of sincerity in return. Even when she had nearly died for Guan Ruirui's sake, they hadn't spared her a single glance of concern.
She would never crave such a "home" again.
Guan Qishen's expression soured at her instant rejection. He felt she was being utterly ungrateful. Without the Guan Family, what kind of life could she possibly hope for?
Bai Shuqin stepped in front of Guan Ruirui, snapping at her son. "Qishen, why are you even bothering with her? Even if she begged and cried to stay now, this family wouldn't have her! And she'd better not think of taking a single thing from the House of Guan!"
Seeing the opening, Guan Ruirui stepped forward again, looking as though she wanted to offer more advice. But when she spoke, her voice was a whisper intended only for Xuxu's ears, laced with smug pride.
"Sister, I forgot to tell you. Brother Pei confessed to me the day before yesterday. We're planning to get engaged soon. I know you've always liked him, but I still hope we can have your blessing."
Xuxu stared at her gloating face and asked expressionlessly, "Who told you I liked him?"
Guan Ruirui froze, clearly not expecting that reaction. According to her plan, hearing that the person she loved had confessed to someone else should have left Xuxu devastated, perhaps even reduced to tears.
Xuxu merely looked at her as if she were a fool. "Even though you're clearly blind, I'll give you my blessing. After all, if two scourges stay together, you won't be able to ruin anyone else. It's for the best."
Guan Ruirui's pupils contracted, and her face nearly contorted with rage.
Xuxu ignored her and turned to the rest of the Guan family. "I will pay you back for every cent spent on raising me from childhood until now. From this day forward, I have no relation to this family."
The Guan family had schemed against her Fate, but she had severed that layer of Karma. The calamities she had been forced to block for Guan Ruirui in the past would now return to Ruirui twofold. By paying back the cost of her upbringing, she settled her debt of gratitude.
With both the debt and the Karma severed, she would no longer bear any karmic burden, even if she chose to strike against the Guan family in the future.
She cast one last look at the bracelet on Guan Ruirui's wrist. "You won't be able to keep that bracelet. Before long, I'll make you return it to me with your own two hands."
With that, Xuxu turned and walked out of the Guan family villa without a single backward glance.
Bai Shuqin watched her departing figure, so enraged she could barely speak. "Look at that! An ungrateful white-eyed wolf through and through! If it wasn't for Ruirui, I would have kicked her out long ago!"
Guan Ruirui hugged her mother's arm, gently rubbing her back to soothe her. "Sister probably just can't accept being sent back to such a poor place so suddenly. Don't be angry with her, Mom."
"You're just too kind for your own good," Bai Shuqin said, looking at her younger daughter with helplessness. She then glared in the direction Xuxu had gone and muttered, "She was hit like that and didn't suffer a single scratch or injury. She's probably possessed by some kind of monster. It's a blessing we found an excuse to get rid of her, or who knows how she would have ruined our family."
"Enough. Stop talking about it," Father Guan said sternly, ending the conversation.
What the four members of the Guan family didn't know was that the moment Guan Xuxu stepped out of their garden, the blazing sun above the villa seemed to be swallowed by dark clouds. The surrounding temperature dropped instantly.
In the shadows of the corners, rustling whispers and giggles broke the silence.
"She's gone. She's finally gone."
"This house is ours now, hee-hee-hee..."
Guan Xuxu walked toward the entrance of the villa district. Despite the sweltering heat, she showed no sign of discomfort; not even a drop of sweat touched her brow. It was as if her body automatically partitioned her from the summer heat.
She pulled her phone from her pocket. Guan Baocheng her adoptive father had given her the contact information for her biological parents, though she hadn't reached out yet. She knew very little about them.
Living in the mountains, they were certainly not wealthy. She had just finished her college entrance exams; if her biological parents couldn't afford her tuition, she would find a way to earn the money herself. As for the rumors that she might be sold off into a marriage upon her return, Xuxu wasn't worried in the slightest. In this world, the person capable of selling her simply did didn't exist.
Lost in thought, she found the number. Just as she was about to press dial, a massive roar erupted from a nearby helipad.
She looked up to see over a dozen identical black helicopters descending in perfect formation.
While this villa district wasn't the most elite in the city, luxury cars were a common sight. However, Xuxu had never seen anyone roll out a fleet of over a dozen private helicopters. Assuming it was some local tycoon making a grand entrance, she prepared to walk away.
But as she moved to the side, the bodyguards disembarking from the helicopters began to move with military precision. They swarmed toward her, snapping into two perfect rows directly in her path.
The doors opened, and pilots wearing black suits and white gloves stepped out, standing in formation. They were clearly highly trained.
Finally, the door of the central helicopter slid open.
A long leg wrapped in deep-grey suit trousers stepped out first. A tall, elegant man descended from the cabin. His well-tailored suit accentuated his exceptionally handsome features, giving him an air of noble grace.
He looked at her and approached slowly. When he spoke, his voice was deep and pleasant. "Guan Xuxu?"
Seeing a faint, familiar resemblance in the man's eyes, Xuxu guessed his identity. "I am."
The man glanced at the phone screen she was still holding, then let out a small "tsk." He reached out and suddenly tapped the dial button for her.
A second later, a melodic ringtone echoed from his own pocket. He pulled out his phone and held the caller ID screen up for Xuxu to see. Leaning down slightly to match her height, his eyes crinkled with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm your brother, Jiang Huai."
Guan Xuxu: "..."
She silently scanned the handsome "brother" in front of her, then looked past him at the fleet of aircraft, the professional pilots, and the army of bodyguards. It took a long moment for her to find her voice.
"I heard... that my parents lived in the mountains..."
Her implication was clear: This doesn't look like the lifestyle of people living in the mountains.
Jiang Huai seemed to anticipate her confusion. "The ancestral home is indeed in the mountains," he said, pausing for a beat before adding, "But that mountain belongs to our family."
Guan Xuxu: "..."
So, her biological family wasn't just "not poor" they owned an entire mountain?
What kind of person could privately own a whole mountain?
Was that even legal?
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