TMLFDN 78
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Xie Li's words came out fast and urgent, leaving Xie Siqi somewhat dazed. It was entirely possible that he hadn't grasped the situation, but as Xie Li pointed out, he could have given two gifts.
"Can neither Shen Xiyue afford it nor you? After all these years, you haven't managed to save up a couple of million in your personal account? If there were paparazzi or people from the gossip industry around yesterday, the news of the heir to the Xie Group only giving his sister a necklace worth tens of thousands would be all over the headlines today. Guess how much it would cost me to suppress that news?"
Xie Li's tone was both cutting and sarcastic. Children were always at a disadvantage when facing their fathers, especially someone like Xie Siqi, who was still immature, couldn't even spread his wings, and hadn't graduated from college yet. He was utterly powerless against the Xie family patriarch.
Moreover, the original body's father was always portrayed as stern, with a poker face and an air of authority. Currently, Xie Siqi wasn't qualified to show his claws in front of Xie Li; he could only swallow his pride.
Initially, his clenched fists slowly loosened, and his head, held high, gradually lowered. But Xie Li knew that as the male lead, he wouldn't be defeated by these events. It was highly likely that he was just biding his time, ready to strike back at his dear old dad at any moment.
Xie Li squinted his eyes, realizing that confronting the male lead head-on was somewhat reckless.
However, Xie Siqi was becoming somewhat stupid in his love affair. If he didn't assert his authority now, his days of peace would be over. There was no longer any possibility of reconciliation between them. Xie Li had made up his mind to secretly hand over control of the Xie Group to Jiang Yuying and let his daughter, Xie Siyun, manage it in the future. In his mind, the three of them were a nation.
Since that was the case, offending the male lead a bit more boldly didn't matter.
With this in mind, Xie Li took two steps forward, approaching the male lead. They were both the same height, standing at 1.85 meters, but because Xie Siqi was bowing his head, he appeared shorter than Xie Li. Additionally, their different auras made it seem like Xie Siqi was more than an inch shorter than Xie Li.
Xie Li stood tall and looked down at Xie Siqi. While the latter was feeling uneasy, Xie Li's tone remained calm, but his words struck Xie Siqi like thunder.
"You're worthless."
In that instant, Xie Siqi's hands and feet turned icy cold, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Instinctively, he raised his head, then realized they were too close, took a step back, and looked at his own father in disbelief, his face full of incredulity.
It's natural for Xie Siqi to react this way. In a wealthy family like theirs, being called worthless by one's own father practically meant giving up any hope of inheriting the family fortune. However, with only one son and one daughter in their family, even though Xie Li had been exceptionally affectionate to his daughter recently, he would never allow a girl to inherit the Xie family.
Xie Siqi couldn't help but wonder if his dad had a secret offspring he didn't know about. His recent actions were so disappointing; was his dad planning to groom a secret child?
If Xie Li knew about Xie Siqi's wild thoughts, he would probably just find it amusing.
As for whether Xie Li had a secret child, Xie Siqi didn't know. Most likely not, since it wasn't mentioned in the novel. Besides, he wasn't planning to acknowledge any secret children. It was a joke; having one troublesome son was enough headache, why would he acknowledge another one? Xie Li wasn't looking to decrease his life expectancy.
After the "friendly conversation" between Xie Li and Xie Siqi ended, Xie Siyun looked at her father with admiration. The way he stood up for her was so handsome! Seeing her father like this, Xie Siyun felt a bit embarrassed. After all, she had just turned eighteen yesterday, and she considered herself an adult now! Yet here she was, crying like a little girl; it was really embarrassing.
Afterward, Xie Li took his wife and daughter to dinner. They had originally planned to have dinner downstairs, but before they could even take a bite, they were already full of anger. Soon, only Xie Siqi was left in the lobby. He didn't follow them, nor did he stay in place.
The butler approached Xie Siqi, expressing concern. After all, he had watched Xie Siqi grow up, so naturally, he regarded him as his own nephew. "Young Master, Master is just angry right now. If you apologize to him later, this matter will be over. What parent would really be angry with their child? Just go and coax him."
Xie Siqi turned to look at the butler and shook his head.
"Uncle Zhang, it's different this time."
When he came back home for summer vacation this time, Xie Siqi had noticed something was off. His father's gaze towards him made him feel like a stranger, and he increasingly felt that Xie Li's eyes were growing colder and more impatient.
In the end, Xie Siqi didn't join them for dinner. Instead, he walked outside.
The butler sighed and didn't press further, heading to the dining room to serve the family of three who were already having dinner.
Jiang Yuying looked at the empty spot left by Xie Siqi, wanting to say something but hesitating. However, she didn't want the atmosphere at the dinner table to become awkward, so she ultimately chose to remain silent.
