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Gu Xiaoxi bit her lip.

Looking at Fu Qiuyi’s face full of regret, her heart was somewhat moved.

But it was only a little bit, that slight feeling, like the last red glow lingering in the sky before sunset.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared.

It wasn’t his fault that he abandoned her.

But now, he had a lover, he had children.

What right did he have to talk about compensating her?

Without a complete family, even if he gave her a lot of money, it wouldn’t make up for the regret in her heart.

Because, in his home, there simply wasn’t a place for her.

"Let’s hear it! How do you plan to make it up to me?" Gu Xiaoxi tried to look nonchalant. She crossed her legs and picked up the whiskey from the table, pouring herself a glass.

The amber liquid deepened the shade of her eyes, and even her pale fingers became clenched with a cold hardness.

Fu Qiuyi instinctively pursed his lips and took a while before showing a friendly smile. "As long as you’re still willing to acknowledge me as your father, whatever compensation you want, I’ll give it to you."

Is that really so?

Gu Xiaoxi gripped the glass in her hand tightly and drank all the whiskey in one go, the move somewhat stylish, yet also somewhat weathered.

She put down the glass, raised her head with a deep gaze, and firmly said word by word, "Fine, then tell me. Who is my mother? Is she alive, or is she dead?"

The moment her words fell...

There was a brief silence in the air.

In an instant, father and daughter looked at each other, neither saying a word.

From Fu Qiuyi’s eyes, Gu Xiaoxi saw hatred...

Was it hatred toward her mother?

Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t help but bite her lip, feeling a suffocating pain in her chest!

"I..." Fu Qiuyi clenched his teeth, his hand formed into a fist.

It took a long time before he numbly picked up the glass from the table and, like Gu Xiaoxi, drank it all in one gulp.

As if by doing so, he could muster the courage to continue.

"What difference does it make if she’s alive or dead!

She divorced me not long after you were born.

Now she’s living well, she probably doesn’t even care about you, her daughter!

" Fu Qiuyi’s face pallid, his eyes fixed on Gu Xiaoxi, "Why bother inquiring about her?

I hate her, so, just consider her dead!"

Gu Xiaoxi suddenly stood up from her seat, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes.

In fact, she had much preferred that her mother had died of illness or for some other reason.

Not that she had abandoned them... and was still living well!

How could there be such a heartless mother in the world?

At this moment, Gu Xiaoxi even deeply regretted having asked that question.

Fu Qiuyi, seeing the sadness in Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes, immediately stood up, walked over, and grabbed her hand as he explained, "Xiao Xi, you still have me. Your dad might have wronged you back then, but I’ve always been thinking of making it up to you.

Being a soldier is very tough, I don’t have much to give you, but I’ve saved up a dowry for you.

When you get married, I just hope you will invite me.

Let your dad make a minimal contribution to make up for the mistake I made. "

Gu Xiaoxi clearly felt the strong and powerful hand in her palm, trembling.

What was he shaking for?

She didn’t know.

All she knew was that, at this moment, her heart had already turned cold.

She didn’t want anything but her family.

And Fu Qiuyi already had a home of his own.

In this lifetime, she would never be part of the family he started with another woman.

She would never forget when she had pretended to be Ye Yuwei, she had seen Dongfang Yanqing.

Fu Qiuyi loved her so much, loved their child.

How dare he talk about it, offering her affection once again.

"Unless, mother could come back. You had no wife, no children, perhaps then I might return to your side, to be doted upon. But now, you have your own family. To your family, I am just an excess," Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes were already brimming with tears, misting over and blurring her vision.

She couldn’t even see the light anymore.

After a long while, she mustered the courage to turn around, looking at Fu Qiuyi with a sneer on her lips, "I was abandoned by my mother just after I was born, and later lost by my father. Maybe, I am destined to be alone in this life. I hate no one, I just hope you won’t disturb me anymore. I don’t want to see you ever again."

This family was already shattered; why should she foolishly hope for a mother who would love her to appear in the future?

If Fu Qiuyi was already married, it was likely her mother had remarried too!

For so many years, she had been on her own. Why bother appearing at the Fu Family, to be disdained?

Gu Xiaoxi covered her lips, striding out of the hotel, the tears she had held back finally falling uncontrollably.

Despite her intense desire for familial affection, she had personally turned her father away...

But she didn’t regret it.

Her pride told her that she could live well on her own. Why bother being the daughter of the Fu Family?

Why provoke those who didn’t like her, people she didn’t like either?

Gu Xiaoxi took her keys, left the hotel, and walked towards the car.

Just then, she noticed someone sitting on the roof of her car.

The man was tall, his height of 185 cm forcing her to look up.

He wore all white, a loose shirt over white casual pants paired with white leather shoes, his delicate features almost rivaling hers. If not for his distinctively masculine attire, one might almost mistake him for a woman.

"Ya?" Gu Xiaoxi thought she was seeing things and blinked hard to clear her vision.

After a moment, the figure was still there, and she walked up joyfully, waving at him, "What are you doing on top of the car? Come down!"

"Almost two years without seeing each other, I thought you had forgotten about me!" Ya flipped off the car roof, standing in front of Gu Xiaoxi with a brilliant smile.

In his smile, one could always see a hint of youthful arrogance and reckless uninhibitedness.

"How could I! Last year I had people searching all over the world for you. But why did you disappear?" Gu Xiaoxi quickly opened the car door, smiling at the man, "Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal!"

Ya glanced at the grand hotel in front of him and raised an eyebrow, "This place here is a restaurant! Inviting me into the car, where are you planning to take me for a meal?"

Gu Xiaoxi slapped her forehead, forgetting her bearings in her excitement, quickly closed the car door, and gestured for Ya to go ahead.

Ya, with his hands in his pockets, walked with his head held high and chest puffed out past Gu Xiaoxi.

His gaze inadvertently caught the tear drops on her eyelashes, then he pretended as if nothing happened...

Only he hadn’t expected that seeing her cry would stir up a sense of pity within him!

And that feeling of pity arose spontaneously, without reason, beyond his control.

Gu Xiaoxi watched Ya’s majestic, graceful stride, thinking he resembled a lofty immortal.

Her gesture of invitation, on the other hand, made her feel like a small palace maid.

This man...

Compared to before, his presence was clearly much more imposing.