At this point, the small talk was over and had reached its conclusion.
Their father-and-son conversation that night still needed an opening, after all.
"As of this moment today, the lineage's future direction and character have essentially been settled. Even if Zuo Xiaoduo dies before his time, that can no longer change. Once we enter that circle Qiao'er spoke of... we will never be able to leave. We will have been branded."
Gao Panyun's expression turned cold and stern. He rose and paced back and forth through the study, his hands behind his back.
"More than that, after this affair, all hope of returning to the Gao Lineage Ancestral Vein will be severed completely. From now on, there will be only one road we can take."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand." Gao Yu looked pained.
"Good. So... you, who bear a grudge against Zuo Xiaoduo for killing your daughter, are destined never to become the next head of the Gao Lineage."
Gao Panyun almost exhausted all his strength saying those words.
Gao Yu's face was wooden. "I understand, Father."
The moment Gao Qiao'er had stepped forward and persuaded everyone in the Gao Lineage with her speech, Gao Yu had realized this with exceptional clarity.
"I, too, will relinquish my position as lineage head once the situation stabilizes."
Hands behind his back, Gao Panyun looked out the window.
Outside, the moon was bright and the breeze gentle.
A full moon shone, pure and clear.
"I am your father and Yan'er's grandfather; the hatred in my heart is not necessarily any less than yours. Yan'er and Ping'er grew up in my arms, too."
"Even if Zuo Xiaoduo does not care, we ourselves must still mind the boundaries. Since we have resolved to stand beside him, we must remain mindful