You Are My Omega - Chapter 44

Fantuan’s full-month celebration was a small, private affair. What stood out even more than the simplicity of the event was the complete absence of elders from both the Xu and Liu families. That was the truly strange part. To the guests who had been invited, it seemed odd. But for Liu Lingyan and Xu Manyue, this was exactly what they had expected.

Neither Liu Lingyan nor Xu Manyue felt nervous at all. However, Xu Shijiu was visibly tense. She kept glancing toward the front gate, clearly worried that Old Master Xu, Father Liu, or Father Xu might show up. They probably already knew about the event. If anything were revealed today, it would be a devastating blow to everyone involved.

She couldn’t allow that to happen.

Her sister was already trapped in this situation. If she ever found out that her sister-in-law’s mother and younger brother were still involved in certain things, she would completely break down. There was no doubt about it.

Lin Xinyi noticed how tense Xu Shijiu had been lately and grew even more concerned. It had already been several days since Old Master Xu’s last visit. Ever since then, Xu Shijiu had been distracted and distant. Whenever Lin Xinyi asked her about it, she never got a straight answer.

And just as they feared, Old Master Xu arrived unannounced. It was as if he had planned it down to the minute. As soon as the last of the guests left, he showed up at the door, carrying a number of gifts. His presence was grand and imposing.

Xu Manyue immediately wanted Xu Shijiu to go back to her room. She thought Xiaojiu would be afraid to face Old Master Xu. But to her surprise, Xu Shijiu stood her ground and met him head-on.

“I’m here today to bring a gift for little Liu Shu,” said Old Master Xu. His tone was hard to read. What surprised everyone even more was that he felt the need to explain himself to Xu Shijiu. That was something he had never done before.

Liu Lingyan started to stand up to greet him, but Xu Manyue gently pressed her shoulders back down. Liu Lingyan was just about to say something when Old Master Xu interrupted her.

“No need. You should stay seated. You’ve just given birth. Your health comes first.”

His voice was filled with concern. Liu Lingyan felt touched, even a little overwhelmed. Xu Manyue, however, frowned deeply. Her grandfather had never been so kind. The last time he visited, he had turned and left almost immediately. Hadn’t he disliked Lingyan from the beginning? What had changed?

Could it be because she had shown him the test results suggesting that Fantuan might develop into a top-level Alpha in the future?

That was the only explanation Xu Manyue could think of.

“Xiaojiu…” Xu Manyue looked at her grandfather, who now sat calmly on the sofa. He no longer seemed like the harsh, intimidating figure she remembered. At this moment, he looked like an ordinary grandfather. Still, she stayed alert. She glanced at Xu Shijiu without saying a word, but her eyes were filled with quiet concern.

Old Master Xu let out a grunt. Their glances were so obvious, he could see right through them. How could he not care? And Xu Manyue should have known better than to act like that in front of him.

Now that his emotions had settled, Old Master Xu seemed to have forgotten how poorly he had treated Xu Shijiu in the past. Given all that had happened, how could Xu Manyue possibly feel at ease or care what he thought anymore?

“Little Liu Shu’s nickname is Fantuan?” Old Master Xu asked, clearly surprised by the name.

“Yes,” Xu Manyue replied with a nod.

“You came up with it?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“I did,” she answered. “Why? Don’t you like it?”

Fantuan. It sounded soft and chubby and adorable. What could be more fitting?

Old Master Xu couldn’t find the words to respond. His face turned red with frustration.

“With a nickname like that, how is the child ever supposed to achieve anything?”

“She doesn’t need to achieve anything,” Xu Manyue replied with a shrug. She reached out and tapped Fantuan’s little nose as Liu Lingyan held her. The baby wrinkled her nose and looked like she might start crying, so Xu Manyue quickly pulled her hand back.

She wasn’t expecting Fantuan to become someone great. She knew how exhausting it was to grow up carrying the weight of expectations. As a child raised by her grandfather, her life had been nothing but studying. There was never a moment of peace. Except for the occasional visits to her mother’s house on Wednesdays, she had felt more like a learning machine than a child.

“What kind of talk is that? Fantuan is the future of Xu Entertainment and the heir to the Xu family. How can she not take on that responsibility?” Old Master Xu scowled. He had raised Xu Manyue strictly and expected her child to follow the same path.

“There’s already an heir. You don’t need to worry about it, Grandpa,” Xu Manyue said firmly. Her gaze was unwavering.

She had already made up her mind. She had talked it over with Liu Lingyan. There could only be one person who inherited everything she had built. That person had already been decided.

“You’re giving everything to Xu Shijiu?” Old Master Xu was shocked. He had believed that Xu Manyue hated Xu Shijiu in the past and only kept her around out of guilt. But now, she was willing to hand over the entire family legacy?

If that was true, then he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

“Yes,” Xu Manyue answered without hesitation.

Xu Shijiu froze, the orange in her hand slipping slightly. She stared at her sister, stunned and speechless. She didn’t know how to respond. Part of her wanted to refuse, but after a moment, she stayed quiet.

If this was what would bring her sister peace, then she could go along with it for now. She could always decline later. What mattered most in this moment was not letting her sister lose face in front of their grandfather.

“This is outrageous. You have a daughter, yet you want to pass everything to Xu Shijiu?” Old Master Xu was furious. His face turned red as he shouted. He had thought Xu Manyue would weigh guilt against responsibility. He never imagined she would go this far. If he hadn’t come today, he might never have known until the Xu family and business had already changed hands.

Xu Manyue remained calm. She showed no fear in the face of his anger.

“Xu Shijiu is my sister. Why shouldn’t she inherit it?”

They were both part of the Xu family. They were both family. She had never understood why her grandfather poured so much effort into training her while showing nothing but dislike for Xu Shijiu. Even as children, he had never shown her sister a kind face.

Although, to be fair, she hadn’t liked Xu Shijiu much when they were younger either. After all, she had taken all of their mother’s love.

Even if she truly intended to give everything away, it would still take time for Xu Shijiu to accept it. Just now, she had clearly seen Xu Shijiu frown. That expression showed her reluctance, but she said nothing for the sake of keeping the peace.

As expected, she and Lingyan had guessed right.

“She’s your sister?” Old Master Xu laughed freely, as if he had given up completely. He looked at Xu Manyue, then turned to the visibly uneasy Xu Shijiu.

The truth was, Xu Shijiu was very clever. Even though he hadn’t spoken clearly yet, she already seemed to understand what he was about to say. Unfortunately, the one thing that could never be changed was that Xu Shijiu was not truly a child of the Xu family.

He had never forgotten the moment when Xu Manyue’s mother clutched his hand and begged him not to tell anyone before she left. That was the only reason he had kept this secret for so long. But now, with Xu Manyue actually planning to hand over the entire family estate, this was something he simply could not accept.

If that was her decision, then he would no longer honor her so-called final wish.

“Stop joking. How could Xu Shijiu possibly be your sister?” Old Master Xu sneered at her. “She’s just a stray child your mother picked up in the countryside. No one wanted her.”

The room went completely still.

“That’s impossible. The paternity tests you did before confirmed that Xiaojiu is Mom’s biological daughter,” Xu Manyue said firmly, refusing to believe it. Xu Shijiu couldn’t possibly not be her sister.

“Those things? All it takes is a phone call to get the results you want,” Old Master Xu said with clear disappointment. He couldn’t believe Xu Manyue hadn’t figured out something so basic.

Xu Shijiu lowered her head and said nothing. She looked calm on the outside, but Lin Xinyi, who was holding her hand, could feel her trembling fingers. Only she knew how deeply shaken Xu Shijiu really was.

“Xiaojiu, it’s okay. Don’t listen to him, alright?” Liu Lingyan no longer cared about Fantuan at that moment. She passed the now-sleeping baby to the nanny and gestured for her to take the child upstairs. Then she went over to Xu Shijiu to comfort her.

Believing or not believing was a choice.

But judging by how confident Old Master Xu was, the truth he spoke probably wasn’t a lie.

“I want to go back to my room,” Xu Shijiu said in a voice so soft it seemed to take all her strength to speak. Lin Xinyi was the only one who heard her and responded without hesitation.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

She nodded at Liu Lingyan, then quietly pushed Xu Shijiu away. She believed that Xu Manyue would be able to handle the rest.

For the older generation, blood ties were everything. But for people today, they were not always so important.

At least to Xu Manyue, it wasn’t the most important thing. It was just something too overwhelming to accept in a single moment.

Only when Liu Lingyan gently reminded her did Xu Manyue snap out of her daze. She looked at the now-empty seat where Xu Shijiu had been, took a deep breath, and steadied herself again.

“I saw Mom’s belly grow with my own eyes.”

“Yes, your mother was indeed pregnant at the time,” Old Master Xu replied, his face growing darker. “But because of a careless mistake, that child was lost.”

“What?” Xu Manyue was stunned. She had never known that her mother had miscarried.

“After your mother became pregnant, you were taken to live with me. You didn’t witness much during that time. That’s why it was so easy to keep this hidden from you. It was just as easy to fool Xu Shijiu, who was confused and feverish and remembered nothing from that time.”

“In order to create a convincing illusion, your mother hid away with Xu Shijiu at the Xu family’s country estate. Once things quieted down, they came back to the main house.”

“Why keep it a secret?” Xu Manyue asked, genuinely confused. “It was just adopting a child. Why hide it?”

“Because it was shameful. It would bring disgrace to our ancestors. The Xu family has never recorded anyone of unknown origin in the family genealogy. It would have been a complete embarrassment.”

Those words sent a cold chill through her heart.

Support You Are My Omega