Lu Zhiyong placed a bottle of ice-chilled champagne on the table and said with a smile, "You father and daughter should have a good chat. It’s been so many years since you’ve last seen each other, and it’s rare to have the chance to sit together, drink some wine, and chat..."
Hmm, why do those words sound so familiar?
Oh, I just said that to Tang Fei, and he didn’t agree.
He continued, "Today is a good day, I’ve brought out the Emperor Champagne that I’ve kept for many years. Champagne with roast lamb, and I’ll give you a few cloves of my own grown solo garlic. I tell you, this way of eating is simply marvelous; even gods wouldn’t exchange it... You two drink first, and when the lamb is ready, I’ll go slice the meat for you."
After saying that, he turned around and began to busy himself.
Lu Siyu took the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket with a pop, removing the cork, poured a glass for the old man, and then one for herself.
She hadn’t even put down the bottle before she started gulping down the champagne.
Then, she poured herself another glass and tilted her head back to finish it.
The old man sat beside her, not picking up the glass in front of him, nor saying anything to dissuade her.
He knew she needed to calm down a bit.
If she didn’t drink a bit more, she probably wouldn’t be able to speak what was on her mind.
They were father and daughter, supposedly the closest people in the world, but now sitting together, they felt so estranged.
He didn’t understand Lu Siyu, the information he knew about her was all through internet searches and from whatever Lu Zhiyong had told him over this period...
What could Lu Zhiyong, this rough man, possibly know? All he saw were superficial layers.
What was in her heart? What did she truly care about?
Lu Siyu didn’t understand her father either; she resented him, hated him, yet longed for him and missed him...
It was an extremely complex and contradictory feeling, so contradictory that now, sitting in front of him, she was still doubting whether it was right to see him, why see him at all?
It wasn’t until Lu Siyu had downed her third glass of champagne that she slightly paused.
Her face glowed red, her eyes not as sharp and indifferent as before, carrying a slight grievance and confusion. She looked at the old man and asked, "Why did you come back? Weren’t you dead? Everyone said you were dead..."
The old man finally picked up his glass of champagne, looking at the fine bubbles continuously emerging, and said in a deep voice, "I was dead... I thought that by letting you treat me as dead, it would somehow make your lives easier..."
"Heh, is that your explanation? Is that the reason you give to those of us who have waited for you for over a decade?"
"That’s not an explanation, it’s the reason I left... and even now, I can’t explain it..." The old man looked remorseful, having long considered himself a dead man; he would hold no kindness for the world.
Yet, facing his own biological daughter, there was still a trace of softness...
Just as she said, she had waited for him for many years, searched for him for years, and now he suddenly appeared before her, without explanation, unable to find a reason for leaving...
How could anyone reconcile with that?
Wasn’t that too cruel?
Lu Siyu, unexpectedly, was not angry. She picked up her glass again and drained the champagne inside.
"I knew it a long time ago," Lu Siyu said. "If there were a reason that could be explained, you wouldn’t have been pushed to this extent... Saying nothing at all is much better than fabricating some excuse."
"I’m sorry," the old man spoke.
"Sorry?" Lu Siyu scoffed, "These three light words, what meaning do they hold?"
"Besides this, there’s nothing else I can do... I can’t even let the outside world know I’m still alive..."
Lu Siyu looked at the old man and asked, "I don’t care about these things. After so many years, what expectations could I possibly have for you?"
"I just want to know, what’s your relationship with Tang Fei?" Lu Siyu stared into the old man’s eyes and asked.
The old man took a sip of champagne, the taste acidic and without a trace of sweetness.
He wondered whether it was the taste of the wine or the taste of life.
"It was intentional for you to lure him into Lu Ban Mountain, wasn’t it?" the old man asked.
"Yes, otherwise how would it have been possible to expose you?" Lu Siyu did not deny, glancing at the old man, "If it was just me forcing uncle’s hand, you would never come out to see me, right?"
The old man didn’t answer that question.
Because what Lu Siyu said was true, had Tang Fei not followed them and entered the Lu Ban Array, he would never have come out to meet Lu Siyu...
What good would seeing each other do?
Since it had already devastated people, why give them a sliver of hope?
What he had done was inherently disreputable, why drag these innocent people through the mud?
"When I found someone using the ’Useless Heart’ technique, I began to suspect his identity..."
"Moreover, what he made shared one similar trait with yours—he liked adding a safety catch on the power apparatus..."
"Besides the Lu Family, no one uses the ’Useless Heart’ technique. Those who use the ’Useless Heart’ technique don’t have the habit of making safety catches... So, when I saw that wooden bird, I knew you had come back..."
"It’s strange, he was also very curious about me. I could tell he was trying to find ways to get close to me, trying several times to get information about you from me..."