By noon, the weather had turned muggy without anyone noticing. At two in the afternoon, a sudden downpour caught pedestrians off guard.
As Xia Zhiyi opened his umbrella and got out of the car, he heard not only the patter of rain striking the canopy, but also several people talking nearby.
Today, his biological maternal grandfather had invited him to meet, and Xia Zhiyi had accepted out of curiosity and for certain purposes of his own.
After Xia Zhiyi reported the matter to the police, they quickly identified his two biological maternal uncles as suspects and began investigating and gathering evidence.
The very next day, Xia Zhiyi received a call from his biological maternal grandfather's secretary.
Xia Zhiyi was not surprised by this development.
"Hello, young master. I'm Chen Zhou, Mr. Song's special assistant."
Xia Zhiyi had only just stepped through the door and had yet to close his umbrella when he looked up to see a young man in a smart suit approach and speak in a gentle tone.
He nodded slightly, smiling. "Hello."
Chen Zhou discreetly looked the boy over. His first impression was of a student with little experience of the world. His clothes were fairly ordinary, with no designer labels, but the fabric looked very comfortable.
Thinking of the boy's identity, then of the usual ways of those in the Song family from his generation, Chen Zhou could not help feeling a little wistful. They all have Song blood, yet their circumstances are so different.
He showed none of this, however, merely smiling politely as he led Xia Zhiyi toward the elevator.
Xia Zhiyi was not oblivious to the scrutiny Chen Zhou thought he had concealed, but since the man meant no harm, he pretended not to notice.
Just as the two reached the elevator, however, its doors slowly opened on the first floor. A group of people, likewise dressed in smart suits and exuding an imposing presence, appeared before them. Following behind Chen Zhou, Xia Zhiyi saw him visibly pause.
He seemed somewhat surprised.
The next moment, Xia Zhiyi saw Chen Zhou incline his body slightly. Though the movement was subtle, his body language told Xia Zhiyi that someone in the elevator required Chen Zhou to adopt a more deferential posture.
This made him a little curious.
Xia Zhiyi looked up at the man in the very center of the group and heard Chen Zhou say respectfully, "Mr. Fu, I didn't expect to see you here."
Mr. Fu?
Xia Zhiyi's expression shifted slightly. That surname triggered something of a stress response in him.
The male lead of the novel was surnamed Fu.
But...
The man before him was definitely not Fu Yunyi.
At first sight, Xia Zhiyi felt as though he were looking at a moving iceberg. Those deep, indifferent eyes swept lightly over him without lingering.
But there was no denying that, in that instant, Xia Zhiyi felt he had taken a critical hit from the man's looks.
After a brief acknowledgment, the man hurried away, surrounded by bodyguards.
Neither exchanged a word as he passed Xia Zhiyi.
Very tall. As they brushed past each other, Xia Zhiyi caught a cool fragrance on him. It smelled lovely, though he did not know whether it was cologne or something else.
At heart, Xia Zhiyi was something of a face-con, and he admitted that, despite the man's decidedly cold and forceful manner, he had indeed developed a slight liking for someone he had only just met.
He withdrew his gaze.
His surname is Fu. I wonder how he's related to the male lead. He doesn't look like an ordinary person.
Only after the man left did Chen Zhou straighten again. Glancing at Xia Zhiyi, whose eyes were lowered in silence, he assumed the boy had been frightened. After a moment's silence, he said, "Let's go. That gentleman just now... actually doesn't appear in public often. You don't need to be too afraid."
You probably won't have anything to do with each other afterward, anyway.
Unless Song Guosheng suddenly lost his mind and insisted on bringing these two blood relatives who had grown up away from the family back to live in the main residence, despite his grandson and granddaughter clearly being at odds with his son's family.
Then Xia Zhiyi might move within their circle as a young master of the Song family, slightly increasing his chances of encountering that member of the Fu family-but only slightly.
After all, even most people in the circle from that man's generation could not simply see him whenever they wished.
For that reason, Chen Zhou had no intention of introducing the man to Xia Zhiyi and led him into the elevator.
Xia Zhiyi merely smiled faintly at Chen Zhou's attitude, unbothered.
Quite apart from having no such intention, even if he truly wanted to learn the man's identity, he would not start with someone from the Song family. He had his own methods, and the information he obtained would be more comprehensive and reliable.
Upon entering the private room, Xia Zhiyi looked up and saw several people seated inside. His smile remained unchanged. "Sorry, traffic was bad. Sorry for the wait."
The old man in the seat of honor had a full head of white hair and a thin frame. His gaze was particularly complicated as he looked at Xia Zhiyi. "You're Xia Zhiyi?"
Xia Zhiyi nodded slightly. "Yes."
Song Guosheng said, "...Sit."
Once Xia Zhiyi sat down, Chen Zhou, who had led him there, quietly withdrew from the private room and closed the door behind him.
Everyone in the private room apart from Xia Zhiyi belonged to the Song family, so it would naturally have been inappropriate for an outsider like Chen Zhou to stay.
Waiting outside the door, Chen Zhou continued dealing with some work on his phone while finding time to mutter inwardly, This has become quite a mess, but luckily the old man reacted quickly and kept the news from getting out. If people in the circle found out someone in the Song family had hired a killer, things would be bad.
What a shame. If this young master had contacted the old man instead of going straight to the police, he might have received a large sum in compensation. Now that things have turned so ugly, even if the old man still felt guilty toward that young lady, there probably isn't much of that left.
I wonder whether the will he only just revised will change again...
As he was thinking this, Chen Zhou noticed the door behind him being opened from inside. Somewhat surprised, he turned to see the young boy he had shown in not long ago walking out.
Meanwhile, an inexplicably oppressive silence hung over the private room behind him.
When Xia Zhiyi had already stepped through the doorway, Chen Zhou heard Song Guosheng's voice behind him. "Think this through. Once you walk out that door today, there will be no turning back. I'm already old. I won't last much longer, and I can't be a protective umbrella for you and your sister."
"As long as you go to the police station and explain that this was a misunderstanding, your uncles won't treat you or your sister poorly in the future."
Chen Zhou was speechless.
Xia Zhiyi turned slightly, still smiling. Yet now his smile infuriated the other members of the Song family in the room.
He said, "Thank you, but I don't need criminals as relatives."
The boy was slender, the baby fat on his face not yet entirely gone. His voice was clear, yet... unexpectedly forceful.