Chapter One Hundred and Six: A Missed Opportunity

Seeing that the people Gu Xiujin had brought had already dealt with the trouble, Zhou Jinfan clapped his hands, straightened up, and said to Song Qing, who was staring at him in astonishment, “You’ll get used to it eventually. We in Benevolence Hall have people backing us too.”

The battered Boss Gu and the others no longer even dared to lift their eyes. They slumped there listlessly until Gu Xiujin’s cold gaze swept over them and he said, “What? Do you want me to invite you out myself?”

“No need, President Gu. We’ll get out right now.” Boss Gu hurriedly shook his head. Just as he was about to lead his men away, another group suddenly appeared at the entrance of Benevolence Hall.

Shao Siming had roughly figured that the time was about right. He should come out and play the hero to rescue his daughter, so he led his men to the door of Benevolence Hall and shouted, “Who dares make trouble in Benevolence Hall? Don’t you know that Xie Qingtang is my daughter, Shao Siming’s daughter?”

After he finished speaking, he waited for Xie Qingtang to cry out in gratitude and run to him for shelter and comfort, only to be surprised that there was not a single sound beside him.

Shao Siming, who had been holding his head high in proud satisfaction, finally sensed that something was wrong. He lowered his head and swept his gaze across Benevolence Hall, only to freeze on the spot, his eyes widening.

Watching Shao Siming stand at the entrance of Benevolence Hall, desperately trying to make himself noticed, Xie Qingtang found it absurd beyond words, and a look of contempt curled at the corner of her lips.

“President Gu, what are you doing here?” The moment Shao Siming saw Gu Xiujin, he hunched over at once in a manner visible to the naked eye, then hurried over to Gu Xiujin with a face full of ingratiating smiles, like a dog bobbing its head and wagging its tail.

The moment he stepped into Benevolence Hall, that swaggering, self-satisfied air vanished in an instant. It was as if he had a master of disguise’s face-changing skill. Seeing her own biological father like this, Xie Qingtang only felt humiliated.

Seeing that Gu Xiujin was not looking at them, Boss Gu and the others quietly crept away and slipped out of Benevolence Hall as quickly as they could.

Shao Siming had put all his attention on Gu Xiujin by now. How could he still spare any thought to lecturing Boss Gu and the others in order to win Xie Qingtang over? There was a far greater Buddha here, one he needed to flatter first.

“Shao Siming, you really came at a fine time,” Xie Qingtang said coldly, looking at him without the slightest courtesy. “If you’d been any later, the show would already have ended. Then you wouldn’t even have managed to grab the last scrap of a scene.”

Shao Siming naturally understood the implication in her words. His heart sank, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but because Gu Xiujin was present, he coughed lightly and put on an elder’s air as he said with mild reproof, “Qingtang, how can you speak to your father like that? I came as soon as I received the news and learned that Boss Gu was causing trouble for Benevolence Hall. If it had been anyone else, knowing you were in trouble, they might not even have come at all.”

Hearing the superiority and condescension in his tone, Xie Qingtang was at a loss for words. She did not know where Shao Siming got such an inflated sense of self-importance.

At that moment, Li Zhao led the bodyguards under his command and stood behind Gu Xiujin with great momentum. Seeing this, Shao Siming could not help but pause, a flicker of unease and fear rising in his heart.

Just then, Gu Xiujin’s phone vibrated. A text message had arrived. He frowned slightly as he glanced at it, then said to Xie Qingtang beside him, “I have something else to attend to, so I’ll go first. If you need help, Li Zhao can stay.”

“No need. I can handle it.” Xie Qingtang understood what he meant, after all Gu Xiujin also knew that her relationship with Shao Siming was not a good one.

But Xie Qingtang had always been independent and strong, and after she understood what he was implying, she subconsciously shook her head. That feeling of not needing anyone’s help welled up from within her.

Gu Xiujin did not seem surprised by her refusal. He nodded, then left with Li Zhao and the others. Throughout the entire time, Shao Siming never truly raised his head; he kept it slightly lowered, showing his deference to Gu Xiujin.

Only after Gu Xiujin and the others had completely left did Shao Siming finally lift his head and look around. Seeing no signs of vandalism in Benevolence Hall, he was rather surprised. Had Boss Gu been in Benevolence Hall for so long just now and still not made things difficult for Xie Qingtang?

“What are you doing here? Haven’t you learned enough from the last lesson?” Xie Qingtang said coldly. She did not even look at Shao Siming, turning her head away and returning behind the counter, her hand already resting on the medicinal powder she had previously prepared.

If Shao Siming made any rash move, she would absolutely not be polite.

Unexpectedly, though, Shao Siming seemed to have become much more patient than before. He sat down on the chair beside him, swept his gaze across Benevolence Hall, and then said to Xie Qingtang, “Qingtang, it seems you still haven’t forgiven me. I know I was wrong to you before, but you should at least give me a chance to make amends. After all, you are my biological daughter, and I am your father.”

“Father? Heh.” Xie Qingtang looked at him with no courtesy at all. “Shao Siming, please stop insulting those two words. You gave birth to me but never raised me. You are not even fit to be compared with an animal. And for the sake of the greed in your own heart, what exactly have you done? You know that better than anyone.”

Shao Siming slapped the armrest of the chair beside him and rose in anger, his chest heaving. It seemed he was about to say something, but in the end he swallowed it back down.

Seeing this, Xie Qingtang’s brows furrowed slightly. Based on Shao Siming’s temper, he should not have been able to hold back his anger like this.

“No matter what you’ve said or done, I am still your father, and I should tolerate you. In a few days it will be the Ghost Festival. Come home and celebrate. Your mother has made a lot of your favorite dishes. And your younger brother has been thinking about you all this time.” Shao Siming tried to lure Xie Qingtang with family affection.

The moment he finished speaking, Xie Qingtang laughed in open mockery. Then, with a chill in her eyes, she said, “Shao Siming, don’t you think that is ridiculous? I have long since no longer had a mother. My mother is lying in her grave and cannot rest in peace. And my younger brother? Really, where exactly did this younger brother come from? You know that better than I do. Coming home for a family reunion? How laughable.”