When Guan Xuxu's words fell, Jiang Yucheng, who was usually as steady as a mountain, looked momentarily dazed. He seemed not to have understood her meaning. Weren't they just discussing changing rooms? Why was she suddenly moving out?
Beside them, Jiang Su and the others were equally incredulous, feeling that Guan Xuxu was making a mountain out of a molehill.
"Is that really necessary?"
It was such a small matter.
Jiang Han also looked on with indifference. "You're not a child anymore. That 'running away from home' routine doesn't work in the Jiang family."
He felt that Guan Xuxu was just bluffing. After all, the Jiang family was different from the Guan family; they were one of the top wealthy merchant families in Haishi. He didn't believe Guan Xuxu could actually bear to leave.
Yao Lin also offered a hypocritical plea from the side. "Xuxu, you did something wrong, and your eldest uncle only said a word to you. Why make such a fuss about running away? You're far too temperamental, child."
It was only now that Jiang Yucheng vaguely sensed something was wrong. He had seen Jiang Su's attitude toward Xuxu yesterday, but he had merely assumed it was a teenager's struggle to adapt to a sudden new sister. But now, whether it was Jiang Han, Jiang Cheng, or even Yao Lin, none of their attitudes toward Xuxu could be described as friendly.
If they spoke like this to her face while he was present, what was it like when he wasn't around?
"Xuxu, you..."
Jiang Yucheng frowned, wanting to clarify things, but Guan Xuxu had no intention of listening any longer. Turning around, she suddenly called out into the room. In an instant, a snow-white, round little fox leaped into her arms.
Xuxu caught it and then picked up the bag she had just brought back from her rental house. Just as she had when she arrived, she turned and headed back downstairs without changing a single thing.
Jiang Yucheng realized only then that he must have made a mistake. He quickly reached out to stop her. "Xuxu, if you feel wronged, you can say it. Don't... don't let your emotions get the better of you."
Guan Xuxu looked at him, her eyes filled with nothing but calm. "I don't feel wronged."
She had simply given up.
Xuxu had always known that her family bonds were thin. If she hadn't received such things in the Guan family over the past eighteen years, how could she dare hope to find them in the Jiang family? Perhaps Jiang Huai truly accepted her, but the Jiang family did not belong to him alone.
Since they couldn't get along, she wouldn't force it. Having finally broken free from the shackles of the Guan family, she intended to live her future days according to her own heart.
Holding the little fox, she stepped around Jiang Yucheng and walked away without a hint of hesitation or a single look back.
"This... causing trouble and then just leaving, that's far too irresponsible." Jiang Su couldn't help but mutter when he saw her actually leave. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Yutong smacked him on the head.
"What does it have to do with you? You never stop blathering! Shut up!"
Suppressed by his father's violence, Jiang Su finally quieted down.
Jiang Huai had remained silent until now, only moving to follow her down. Xuxu thought he was coming to stop her, but to her surprise, Jiang Huai simply turned to the butler and ordered a car to take her out.
He looked at her, his handsome face carrying his signature tenderness. "You're doing the right thing."
Guan Xuxu was confused.
"You've just come home. If you keep tolerating them, people will only think you're an easy target and become even more unscrupulous later. On the contrary, by making your stance clear from the start like this, others will have second thoughts." Jiang Huai spoke with a hint of pride in his voice.
Guan Xuxu was speechless. It turned out Jiang Huai thought her saying she would move out was just a way of "taking a stance"? But she really intended to move!
She opened her mouth, about to explain, "I'm not..."
But Jiang Huai interrupted her warmly. "I have an apartment in Qingjiang Bay. Go stay there for a few days. During this time, I'll have a nanny go over every day to clean and cook. Just stay there comfortably." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Regarding today's matter, your brother will definitely give you an explanation."
Guan Xuxu looked into Jiang Huai's serious eyes, unsure of what to say. If there were a blueprint for an older brother, he was likely exactly like this. She liked this brother.
Lowering her head slightly, she felt a large palm rest gently on her crown, radiating a comforting warmth.
"You are my sister. Since they can't seem to recognize that, I'll have to fix their brains and pour out all the water inside. That should help them see clearly." Jiang Huai smiled his usual gentle smile, but a hint of dangerous coldness flickered in his phoenix eyes.
Guan Xuxu could almost see Jiang Huai smiling while wringing her cousins' heads like he was twisting cabbages. She swallowed. "Okay."
She actually quite wanted to see that.
After a moment's thought, Xuxu put Little Beauty into the car and pulled two blessing bags from her backpack, handing them to him. "These are protective amulets I carved myself. I originally intended to give them to you and him."
By "him," she naturally meant Jiang Yucheng. But given the current situation, she didn't feel like presenting them personally, so she entrusted them to Jiang Huai.
Hearing that she had made them herself, Jiang Huai's beautiful phoenix eyes flashed for a moment. He took them with a smile. "I will keep it on me at all times."
Xuxu nodded and climbed into the car without another word. Jiang Huai stood in place, watching the car drive off. Only after a long while did he slowly turn around. The gentle smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a layer of frost.
Inside the villa's living room, Jiang Yucheng and the others were waiting. Seeing Jiang Huai return alone, they knew he hadn't managed to keep her. Jiang Yucheng's expression was grim. "Xuxu refuses to stay?"
Jiang Huai did not answer the question. He walked directly up to his father and said coldly, "Father, I believe I need to explain exactly what happened today in detail."
For some reason, hearing Jiang Huai's calm tone made Jiang Su and the others feel their scalps go numb.
In the car, Guan Xuxu ignored the Jiang family behind her and pulled a yellow talisman from her bag. She hadn't expected her status as a member of the Jiang family to be discovered so quickly, but the Song family wouldn't disregard the long-standing relationship between the two families to confront Jiang Yucheng just because she had said some "nonsense" at their door.
The Song family's reaction was too extreme. Something must have happened to Song Yuli.
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