Rebirth from the Ashes

Chapter 371: It’s My Fault

The man shook his head helplessly. “What else can I do for her? I just want to thank her. I was going to see my niece and my grand-nephew, so why don’t you guys join us for dinner?”

‘Do I look like a bad person?’

It was because of his ageless face that this girl had a bad impression of him.

“We won’t join you because we have a party to attend!” Song Wenye carefully observed his eyes and did not find anything unusual. His gaze carried a pure appreciation and kindness from an elder.

‘This uncle looks so young! He’s 70 years old but looks fifty! I’m so envious…’

“Then give me a contact and I’ll treat you guys to dinner someday.” The man looked regretful and turned to look at Shen Xi.

Although this girl was cold in nature, he somehow felt very close to her.

The car soon stopped at the entrance of the Liuhe Garden. This was China’s oldest restaurant that had been around for hundreds of years. It had a long-established reputation in the Capital.

Shen Xi closed his eyes and covered her face with her baseball cap. She also had earphones on to block out the noise.

The man told Song Wenye that his niece and grand-nephew would come over to thank Shen Xi, so they would be delayed for a while.

Song Wenye was a soft-hearted person and agreed without much thought. It was normal for the man to bring their children and grandchildren over to express their gratitude for saving his life.

The man soon returned, dragging Fu Qingli and Fu Junqiu with him.

When Song Wenye saw them, her eyes almost popped out. She tugged on Shen Xi and screamed in excitement. “Xixi! Xixi! Xixi! Look!!”

‘OMG! This uncle is not an ordinary man! Niece? Grand-nephew? So that beautiful lady is his niece and the grand-nephew he mentioned is Fu Qingli?!’

When Fu Qingli saw Shen Xi, he felt a complicated emotion in his heart. He did not expect that their paths would cross and they were destined to meet again. He also figured that his granduncle’s savior must be her without a doubt.

Fu Junqiu was ecstatic. She winked and pinched Fu Qingli. They must be fated to be together because they met so unexpectedly.

When Shen Xi was asleep, she noticed that the strange uncle kept staring at her. Although there was no malice in his eyes, his inquisitive gaze still made her uncomfortable, so she covered her face with her cap.

Now that there was such a commotion that Fu Qingli was also here, Shen Xi could not pretend to be asleep and took off her cap.

Fu Junqiu finally saw the girl’s face and felt her body stiffen. Her fingers that were clasping Fu Qingli’s tightened and her eyes flickered. She murmured, “Lil’ Xi…”

Fu Qingli frowned slightly and leaned into his aunt to remind her not to lose her composure. He whispered, “Her name is Shen Xi. She’s Li Jingran’s daughter.”

Fu Junqiu just felt that her eyes and heart were incredibly sore. She was choking back tears and could not control her emotions as she went to Shen Xi.

Fu Qingli knew that this would happen and grabbed her arm to pull her back.

His granduncle smiled and said, “These are the kids who saved me when I had a heart attack. Otherwise, you two wouldn’t be able to see me today.”

Song Wenye was embarrassed and pointed at Shen Xi. “We didn’t help much. It was mostly Xixi who saved Uncle.”

The man pulled Fu Qingli and Fu Junqiu to his side and formally introduced them to Shen Xi. “Little lady, this is my niece, Fu Junqiu, and this is my grand-nephew, Fu Qingli. My name is Shangguan Huan.”

Since he got in the car, Shen Xi had been aloof and exuded a coldness that rejected all contact. Not to mention asking her name, he did not even have the opportunity to introduce himself.

Several times, Shangguan Huan wanted to go out of his way to ask her, but he was afraid to leave a bad impression on her.

“I’m Shen Xi.” Shen Xi looked at the older man in front of her. She was detached but polite.

Fu Qingli looked at her. “Ms. Shen, thank you for saving my granduncle.”

Shen Xi nodded politely. Her eyes were cold and her voice even colder. “You’re welcome, Mr. Fu.”

She could not have imagined that this passerby uncle she inadvertently rescued was such a big shot.

“Can I call you Lil’ Xi?” Fu Junqiu’s eyes were affixed to Shen Xi. ‘This little girl and Sis-in-law look very much alike.’

Fu Junqiu knew that her sister-in-law and Li Jingran were twins, so it was normal for Li Jingran’s daughter to look like her sister-in-law, but she had this feeling that made her blood surge. She could not help but want to hug Shen Xi and get close to her. It made her feel that this girl was Lil’ Xi, the Fu family’s Lil’ Xi.

“Hello, Ms. Fu.” Shen Xi was polite and subtly rejected her request.

Shen Xi could not afford to mess with the Fu family. Otherwise, Fu Qingli would get her killed.

Fu Junqiu felt disheartened and flashed an awkward smile. She extended an invite to her. “Ms. Shen, I’m very grateful that you saved my uncle. We’re going for dinner, so why don’t you join us?”

She wanted to spend more time with Shen Xi.

If Lil’ Xi was still around, she must be as beautiful, understanding, and kind as Shen Xi.

“I’m sorry, but we have a class reunion, so we won’t disturb you,” Shen Xi smiled. “Saving your uncle was not a big deal. No matter who collapses in front of me, I won’t just sit back and watch, so you don’t need to feel so thankful to me.”

Fu Qingli just felt that Shen Xi was directing this sentence to him.

He knew very well in his heart that it was for the best that she could think this way and be so self-aware, but somehow, he felt very uncomfortable after hearing her words.

Fu Junqiu lowered her head and pinched her nephew discreetly for him to say something and invite the girl for a meal. However, Fu Qingli did not have any response no matter how much she pinched him. She was so angry that she wanted to hit him.

Shangguan Huan was about to speak to persuade them again. He also wanted to have a meal with the girl, not only because she saved him, but for other reasons that he could not pinpoint. He just thought that this girl was very lovable.

“If Ms. Shen is busy, we won’t bother you,” Fu Qingli said before his granduncle.

Fu Qingli’s words had fulfilled Shen Xi’s and his own wishes, but Fu Junqiu and Shangguan Huan were exasperated.

Shen Xi watched as the old man got down from the car. She smirked and thought, ‘I must’ve had some kind of deep hatred with Fu Qingli in my past life! What sh*tty luck do I have to meet him again and again?!’

Song Wenye was a bit regretful and sighed. “Xixi, turns out that the pretty lady is Fu Qingli’s aunt, not his girlfriend.”

“What are you sorry about?” Shen Xi did not expect the lady to be Fu Qingli’s aunt and thought that she was his girlfriend. The way his aunt looked at her and her tone felt a little strange.

“A handsome man and a beautiful woman should be a couple. It’s just so soothing to the eye.” Song Wenye muttered and asked, “Why didn’t you go with them to dinner?”

Shen Xi took her cap and covered her face. Her voice was cold as she yelled, “I don’t want to!”

Song Wenye naturally supported Shen Xi unconditionally. “Okay, well… Our party will be more fun anyway!”

She sensed that Xixi did not like Fu Qingli.

Fu Qingli had a complicated expression when he stared at Xixi earlier, but Song Wenye could not tell what it was.

On the side of the road, Shangguan Huan watched as Shen Xi’s car drove away. He pointed at Fu Qingli angrily and yelled, “What’s wrong with you, brat! What kind of attitude is that?! She saved my life yet you have this stinking attitude. You might as well let me die of a heart attack!”

Fu Junqiu also slapped Fu Qingli on the back of his head and gritted her teeth in anger. “How did that girl offend you? So what if she’s Li Jingran’s daughter? She saved Uncle’s life, so why can’t we just have a meal together? Do you hate her so much?”

She could see that her nephew was only hostile to Shen Xi because she was Li Jingran’s daughter.

Fu Qingli did not speak. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Shen Xi’s car disappeared into the traffic and felt irritable and suffocated.

“Lil’ Qiu is right! This is the previous generation’s feud, so the younger generation shouldn’t get involved! What bad things did Shen Xi do to make you have such a strong opinion against her?” Shangguan Huan was furious and pointed at him. “Go away and don’t stay here to annoy me! It’s not easy for me to live till such an old age. Even if I don’t die of a heart attack, I’d probably die of anger!”

“Yes, Granduncle, it’s my fault.” Fu Qingli could only admit his mistake in front of his elder’s frenzied bombardment.

“Is this your attitude of admitting your mistake?” Shangguan Huan glared at him in anger, then turned to leave.

Fu Junqiu glared at Fu Qingli fiercely, then held her uncle’s arm. “Uncle, just now I heard that the kids are going to Gongcheng. Let’s go there too, maybe we can run into them.”

Shangguan Huan asked, “What’s Gongcheng?”

Fu Junqiu said, “I don’t know. Let’s take a taxi. The cab driver must know where it is.”

Shangguan Huan nodded. “Okay.”

Fu Junqiu hailed a cab, then helped Shangguan Huan into the taxi. She looked at Fu Qingli, who was standing next to them, and asked, “You coming?”