Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love
Chapter 20: Genes

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Genes

It was still early, the wintry air damp and cold. There were hardly any pedestrians outside the Xu Mansion. Butler Ge stood at a considerable distance, head bowed, awaiting Xu Si’s return. Xu Si asked Anshi to drive more slowly on his way back. This sudden show of concern left Anshi feeling rather alarmed. With downcast eyes, he agreed several times before turning the car around and departing.

The Xu Family home was too large, so vast it felt desolate. Even the entrance was exceptionally wide, enough to accommodate several cars entering simultaneously. Flanking the black stone-paved avenue were numerous drum stones carved from Han white jade. Xu Si glanced at them, her gaze lingering.

She recalled her late father’s aversion to touching those cold stone edifices. Similarly, he had harbored no fondness for his two paternal uncles or their families. Even at the zenith of his financial power, he never considered aiding them. He preferred they manage their own businesses abroad, advising them not to visit the Xu home without good reason, and certainly not to expect a single cent from him.

It was said that Mr. Xu was a cold and ruthless man, yet also an archetypal, competent businessman, indifferent to sentiment, his eyes fixed solely on monetary gain.

Xu Si had once thought so too. Her mother had been dead for only a year when her father seemed to have forgotten her, finding countless other women for companionship. After his death, these women had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, their eyes red with greed, all vying to seize her inheritance.

Now, she suddenly had a new understanding. Matters that could be resolved quickly shouldn’t be prolonged. Her father’s abrupt and total severance of ties with his brothers—though criticized by outsiders as forsaking kinship after amassing wealth—had, in fact, purchased many years of tranquility. Perhaps her father had long known his brothers’ true nature and keenly sensed the impending crisis.

Noticing her distraction, Butler Ge, who stood behind her, considerately offered a warm towel. "Miss," he asked softly, "are you thinking of Xu Sheng?"

Xu Si looked slightly startled, her elegant brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Ah, I was thinking of him, but not missing him," she said after a long pause.

The hem of her skirt brushed against the damp vegetation. Xu Si wiped her dry hands, not intending to say more. Turning, she strode back into the house, her expression once again softened into a gentle smile, as serene as a clear breeze under a bright moon. "Butler Ge, let’s go. I still have a phone call to make with Anshi tonight."

Indeed, some people are just like that. The bonds of blood were undeniable; even if she detested someone, she would inevitably inherit some of their traits. Perhaps it was because of this profound dislike that she realized something: when dealing with people and things she didn’t like, she was just like her father. She would rather bear infamy than leave matters unresolved, preferring to act decisively and permanently.

「Elsewhere.」

In the rear garden of the Xu Mansion, the short grass still held a vibrant green. He Li sat beside her husband, Xu Zhiqiang, basking in the small garden’s sunshine. The air was tinged with the faint, bittersweet scent of grass. Xu Zhiqiang was in no mood to appreciate it; his sharp, hawk-like eyes gazed at the boundless sky, as if burdened by heavy thoughts.

He Li didn’t know the extent of her husband’s ambitions, nor would he confide in her. From the fragments she overheard, it seemed he desired more than just a share of the Xu family’s fortune. He Li, however, felt that to live here indefinitely, like a wealthy madam, wouldn’t be bad at all. Everywhere she looked, there was opulence built with money; each day passed in comfort and ease. She squinted and smiled, but when she looked up again, her eyes suddenly met a pair of eerie, cold ones.

It wasn’t yet the coldest part of winter on Hong Kong Island, but the unfamiliar young man was still impeccably dressed in a suit-style uniform, his gait refined. Every aspect of him exuded an air of costly upbringing, comparable to Xu Si, who herself was steeped in a life of luxury and refinement. He naturally drew all eyes, offering polite smiles and greetings to the servants, yet he didn’t spare He Li and Xu Zhiqiang even a passing glance.

"Husband," He Li shook her husband’s arm. "Look, who is that?"

Xu Zhiqiang’s gaze landed on Pei Zhen, his expression more frigid than inquisitive. "Anyone appearing here is likely the orphan my niece adopted."

"Orphan?" He Li looked back, her gaze hesitant and incredulous. Such a handsome young man, an orphan without parents?

The word "orphan," stressed heavily, seemed to drift far on the air. It made the young man in their view slowly lift his gaze, looking over coolly. After two seconds, he gave a slight nod, then silently withdrew his gaze without lingering and continued on his way. His expression suggested he knew who they were but had little inclination to greet them.

"Did he hear us?" He Li took a deep breath. "Even so, why is he, like your niece, so disrespectful to us?"

"Respect has to be earned." Xu Zhiqiang’s earlier half-smile vanished. "The Xu family members are emotionally distant. You should visit your niece more often, show her some care. Children her age are wary, but their minds are generally quite simple. Once you gain her trust, you can live here permanently. Wouldn’t that be good?"

His words struck a chord with He Li. She immediately nodded. "Of course, that would be good. I love living here."

The chirping of summer insects drifted from the distant woods as a flock of turtledoves flew in formation towards the roof of the palace-like Xu Mansion.

「Night fell quickly.」

After finishing her work, Xu Si—often thought to possess the uncomplicated mind of a young girl—opened the study door to the terrace and lay on a lounge chair, seeking to clear her head. The city blazed with lights, yet only from a grand estate like the Xu Mansion, situated in the heart of the city, could one see the stars at night.

Suddenly, a white cat leaped from the fence, meowed, and trotted unsteadily over to sit beside Xu Si, affectionately rubbing its tail against the brown rattan chair. Its plump, endearing body then rolled over, belly up, as if inviting her to pet it.

It was unclear where it had slipped in from. Xu Si instinctively withdrew her hand. Unlike others, she somewhat disliked such furry animals. She remembered when she was young, someone had gifted her a similarly adorable kitten. That kitten, however, was quite fierce. She had only petted it once when its trimmed claws still managed to scratch her arm. Since then, she had never touched these animals again.

She was just about to ask Butler Ge to take the cat away when a knock sounded on the study door. Accompanying the knock was Pei Zhen’s uniquely pleasant voice.

"Auntie, may I come in?"

"Come in," Xu Si said, though she continued to stare at the fluffy little creature on the floor.

As soon as the door opened, Pei Zhen peered into the empty study, blinked slowly, and asked, "Auntie, I saw a white cat climb in. Did you see it?"

"I saw it." Xu Si, her expression serious and calm, pointed to the small white furball beside the chair. "It’s right here."

Pei Zhen smiled, gently approached the white cat, and softly picked it up. "Don’t run around," he whispered in its ear. "You’ll disturb Auntie’s peace."

"Do you like cats a lot?"

The scene was rather peculiar. Xu Si, who had detested cats her entire life, now had one brazenly enter her house, and she even found herself asking the young man if he liked them.

Pei Zhen paused, then looked up. "Quite a bit," he said. "But I used to just watch from a distance, rarely touching them. If I did, I’d be locked in a dark room to be disinfected and forced to reflect for an entire day, because such things were considered frivolous distractions."

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