Chapter 44: PUA Man, Stay Away from My Daughter (11)

Xie Qi’an agreed to her grandma’s plan and started packing her things the next day.

When Grandma Xie was younger, she was quite the traveler, having visited most of the major attractions in the country. This time, she put extra effort into planning a trip specifically tailored to her beloved granddaughter’s preferences.

Xie Hui personally drove them to the airport. On his way back, he received a call from Xie Lang.

Xie Lang had always been highly efficient, and when it came to matters concerning his precious niece, he worked even faster.

After discovering that the issue originated from the hospital where Xie Qi’an had undergone her medical examination, Xie Lang handled the matter overnight before calling his brother to report.

Though the immediate issue was resolved, Xie Hui remained firm in his decision to transfer his daughter to another school.

He chose to send her to the city where her great-grandmother had lived. Recently, their great-grandfather had been reminiscing about his late wife and even dreamed that she was scared of being alone in their old home. Since he was already planning to move back for a while and had heard about Qi’an’s situation, he decided that transferring her to a high school in that city would be the best solution, given its decent academic environment.

After relocating, the entanglement between Shen Xi and Shu Xia became a thing of the past for Xie Qi’an.

Initially, she had entertained the idea of retaliating a little, just to make them uncomfortable since they seemed to enjoy making her miserable.

But once she learned about Shu Xia’s illness, that thought vanished completely.

At times, even Qi’an found herself annoyed by her own soft-hearted nature. But no matter how much she complained internally, she couldn’t change it. So, she could only grumble about it while continuing as she always did.

After moving, Xie Qi’an remained dedicated to her studies. She still aspired to be as outstanding as her father and uncle.

Following her college entrance exams, she attended her uncle’s wedding.

Initially, Xie Hui had assumed that his younger brother in this world would be just like him—solely focused on work. But unexpectedly, after reaching the peak of his career, Xie Lang actually decided to get married.

It all started when Xie Lang’s business expansion inadvertently affected the industry where Jin Lu’s new boyfriend worked.

Xie Lang had an exceptional talent for business and devoted himself entirely to his work.

Jin Lu’s boyfriend had been quite successful in his own right, but when Xie Lang entered their industry with competitively priced products, their company found itself squeezed out of the market.

Jin Lu later confronted Xie Lang, accusing him of targeting her boyfriend because he still had lingering feelings for her.

That accusation utterly disgusted Xie Lang. While he did find his work enjoyable and didn’t want to waste a young woman’s time when he had no space for romance, that didn’t mean he was willing to carry the burden of being labeled as a man hung up on his ex.

Coincidentally, around that time, Xie Hui was working on a business deal with another company’s CEO, and Xie Lang, who had come to deliver some documents, ended up hitting it off with that CEO.

Both of them were mature and well-established in their careers, so after a short period of careful consideration, they decided to get married.

It was a power couple dynamic—both of them were prominent figures in the business world, and their union was unexpected by many.

One late night, Xie Hui overheard his foolish younger brother, drunk, coming to him for a heart-to-heart.

Xie Lang admitted that the real reason he had stayed single for so long wasn’t just that he didn’t want to waste a young woman’s time—it was also because of the psychological scars left by Jin Lu.

He was genuinely traumatized by the days when even buying a pack of cigarettes would lead to an interrogation about whether his ex liked that brand.

Seeing his brother in this pitiful state, Xie Hui didn’t bother calling the servants at such a late hour and personally went to the kitchen to cook some sobering soup.

As Xie Lang sipped on the soup, Xie Hui sat beside him, looking utterly unimpressed.

“You’re disturbing my rest,” he said flatly.

“Brother, even if you think I’m disturbing your rest, let’s at least get this conversation out of the way tonight.”

Although Xie Lang had drunk quite a bit, he wasn’t being completely incoherent, so Xie Hui decided to stay and listen.

“Meeting the right person made me realize… I can actually have normal interactions with the opposite sex. I can go out without being yelled at, as long as I let her know where I am. I can have my own personal space.”

Back when he was with Jin Lu, he had time to notice the little red flags during their school days. But once he started working and still had to endure that level of scrutiny, constantly being accused of not loving her enough for the smallest things—it was utterly exhausting.

“She’s probably telling someone else right now: ‘Oh, so boyfriends actually can avoid talking to other women. Boyfriends actually can report their whereabouts with patience. Boyfriends actually can give up all their personal space just to include their girlfriend in everything.’”

Xie Hui rarely met people with such a high level of awareness. Watching his brother speak without much emotion, he reached out and ruffled his hair.

Even though Xie Hui had no interest in romance, he understood relationships well enough to know that forcing an ill-suited pair together would only lead to mutual exhaustion.

“Brother, when I came home from a business banquet last time, my wife was waiting for me in the living room. She had made me some sobering soup and told me to take care of myself.”

“Back when I was with Jin Lu, she would have just scolded me. She would’ve asked why I had to go drinking again, whether I’d forgotten that she hated the smell of alcohol, and whether I still loved her at all.”

Xie Hui repeatedly told him to go to bed, but seeing that Xie Lang had no intention of moving from the couch, he eventually pulled out a light blanket and draped it over him, letting him sleep there for the night.

As he did so, he could still hear his brother mumbling in his sleep about how amazing his wife was.

Xie Hui, forced to stay up late, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noted that at least it wasn’t too late.

Since his brother was about to get married, Xie Hui decided to be merciful this time and refrained from sending him abroad on a business trip as punishment for keeping him up.

While Xie Lang was happily preparing for his wedding, Xie Hui was a little worried about Xie Qi’an. He wondered if she would feel left out, thinking that her beloved uncle now had someone more important than her in his heart.

Possessiveness exists in all kinds of relationships—family, friendship, and love alike.

When Xie Hui knocked on his daughter’s door and got permission to enter, he saw Xie Qi’an sitting cross-legged on the carpet, carefully working on a “Hundred Blessings” painting. She looked very focused.

Trying to be as tactful as possible, Xie Hui brought up the topic. But Xie Qi’an couldn’t hold back her laughter and flopped onto a giant plush doll.

“Dad, you really overthink things. How could I possibly be jealous of my little aunt?”

“No matter how many little aunts I have, I’m still my uncle’s niece. It’s only natural that he values his wife and future kids more.”

As she spoke, she continued her work with a slight smile, revealing shallow dimples on her cheeks.

“I really like my little aunt, too.”

Even though she thought her dad was overthinking, Xie Qi’an still appreciated how much he cared about her.

After getting teased by his daughter, Xie Hui rubbed his temples helplessly. Thinking it over, he realized he had indeed been worrying too much.

When Xie Qi’an’s college entrance exam results came out, she successfully got into Tsinghua University. To everyone’s surprise, she chose to major in civil engineering.

Xie Hui was also a little taken aback at the time, but he respected her decision.

He never expected his daughter to achieve great success—he just wanted her to do what she loved.

During college, while shopping with her roommates one day, Xie Qi’an unexpectedly ran into Shen Xi.

Shen Xi had done poorly on the entrance exams and only got into an average university. Perhaps he had matured over the years, realizing how childish and self-righteous he had been back then. So, he approached Xie Qi’an to apologize.

“It’s fine.”

If he hadn’t introduced himself, Xie Qi’an would’ve long forgotten about him.

“How’s Shu Xia doing now?”

The atmosphere was awkward, and since Xie Qi’an’s roommate hadn’t come out yet, she could only force herself to make small talk.

“Mm, the doctors recommended conservative treatment, and she’s doing okay.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

When Xie Qi’an’s roommate finished checking out and returned, she was ready to leave. Even after all these years, she had no intention of keeping in touch with Shen Xi.

“Wait, Xie Qi’an.”

Hearing his voice, she stopped and glanced back.

“Xie Qi’an, can you give me a chance now? Let me pursue you?”

Shen Xi’s palms were sweating from nervousness. He didn’t even know when it started, but he had genuinely fallen for her.

“No.”

Xie Qi’an rejected him without hesitation, her eyes showing no emotion despite his crestfallen look.

To this day, she still disliked Shen Xi. In her eyes, a simple apology wasn’t enough to erase the past.

That night, while talking to her dad on the phone, Xie Qi’an mentioned the encounter, annoyed by how persistent Shen Xi was.

Fortunately, after that day, he never appeared before her again.

During university, Xie Qi’an remained an outstanding student. The only thing that gave Xie Hui a bit of a headache was that she showed absolutely no interest in dating. Whenever she had free time, she spent it in the library.

This made Xie Hui reflect—was it because she grew up by his side that she was influenced by him?

Later, when Xie Qi’an learned from her uncle about her dad’s concerns, she took the initiative to explain. She just wanted to be like her uncle—waiting for the right person.

Xie Hui’s real worry was that she might be lonely after he was gone. He didn’t want to force her into a relationship. So after hearing her explanation, he never brought it up again.

It wasn’t until five years after she started working that Xie Qi’an got into a relationship—with someone she met through work. They had a lot in common.

Xie Hui did a background check on the man and, after confirming there were no issues, met him in person. With his keen eye for people, he believed the guy was a good match.

He didn’t make things difficult for his future son-in-law. Instead, he even helped prepare the wedding.

At the ceremony, Xie Hui sat there, watching as Xie Qi’an, dressed in a magnificent wedding outfit, bowed to the heavens and earth alongside the man she had chosen.