"Oh right, I almost forgot!"
She disowned her father.
Xu Xiyan and Xu Jinshan had already cut off their familial ties.
They hadn't seen each other for five years and Xu Jinshan had changed a lot. He drove a luxury car and wore a gold chain thicker than a dog's collar around his neck. His beer belly also looked a lot bigger than before and his hair was streaked with gray. The only thing that hadn't changed was the gentlemanly look he always carried about him.
He came over and gave them a big smile—as if he was not the person who'd broken it off with Xu Xiyan five years ago.
He looked Xu Xiyan up and down, and said, "Yanyan, when did you come back from abroad? Why didn't you come home? If it weren't for your sister telling me that you're in the same shoot as her, I wouldn't have known you were back at all."
"Oh my! Did my ears deceive me? Isn't this the famous movie director from Yunhai Entertainment, Mr. Xu Jinshan? What brings Your Excellency here?"
How dare you still call yourself my father?
Xu Xiyan wasn't sure whether Xu Jinshan was being forgetful or thick-skinned, and yet he was displaying the virtue of a kind father.
"Yanyan, how could you say that to your father? You're still just as rebellious as before!"
Xu Jinshan didn't mind the irony in her words. He grabbed Xu Xiyan by the wrist and said, "Come, I'm here to pick you up and take you home."
Xu Xiyan shook him off and looked at him coldly. "Mr. Xu, could you please not touch me? I'm just a nameless actress and you're a famous director. If the paparazzi sees us, they'll think that I was trying to take advantage of your status!"
"Yanyan!! I beg you, please! I'm trying to help you here!"
Xu Jinshan felt his patience bleeding away over Xu Xiyan's surly behavior, but he had to try and accommodate her. She still had some use to him.
"Haha! A big shot director like you begging me? I'm flattered, but I can't afford your generosity. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. Sayonara!"
Xu Xiyan took Fang Xiaocheng's arm and began to walk away.
Xu Jinshan suddenly spoke again, "Yanyan, even if you don't want to see me, you should at least ask about your grandfather. He's dying. Don't you want to go back and see him?"
"…"
Xu Xiyan stopped abruptly, her heart froze as if someone was clutching it tightly.
Grandpa…
Grandpa is dying?
Xu Xiyan turned sharply at Xu Jinshan, staring straight into his eyes. "What are you talking about? What happened to grandpa?"
If Xu Xiyan still had any love for the Xu family, it would be for her grandfather, the grandfather who'd been good to her since she was a child.
Xu Jinshan knew he could convince Xu Xiyan by mentioning her grandfather. He sighed, deliberately exaggerating the situation.
"Your grandfather has become very ill recently. He's been calling your name. I'm afraid that if you don't go back soon, you may not get to see him at all."
Xu Xiyan grew worried as she listened to him, taking his words as truth without a second thought. "I understand. I'll go back and see grandpa in a few days."
Xu Jinshan felt relieved after Xu Xiyan had given her word. He continued his act, appearing eager to help her. "Yanyan, where are you two going? I can drive you both there."
Xu Xiyan didn't want to sit in his car, and came up with an excuse to refuse him.
"No, thanks. I'm going shopping with Orange," she said as she took Fang Xiaocheng's arm, walking off in another direction.
The two girls hailed a taxi and left the studio grounds together.
On the way in the taxi, Fang Xiaocheng asked, "Yanyan, are you sure you want to go back to the Xu family? What if your father abuses you again?"