Chapter 4: An Unexpected Guest

“Sorry, Uncle Liu, for making you wait so long!”

“Ah, it’s nothing, nothing. Get in the car quickly!”

“Okay.”

At this moment, Yaqi also noticed Liu Ya in the back seat. Her expression turned a bit complicated, and she slowly lowered her head.

Liu Ya didn’t want to look at her at all. She immediately turned her head away and even shifted her body slightly to the side.

“Yaqi, you and Liu Ya sit in the back. You two haven’t seen each other for a long time, so you can catch up!”

“Mm… okay.”

Yaqi gently opened the car door. Uncle Liu waited until Yaqi was seated comfortably before starting the car and driving home…

Yaqi glanced at Liu Ya, who had her back to her without saying a word. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say. She could only silently watch the moving scenery outside the window…

Neither of them said a word during the entire ride. The silence was strange. Uncle Liu kept looking at the two in the back seat through the rearview mirror, his face full of confusion.

“Liu Ya, you haven’t seen your sister Yaqi in a long time, why are you so cold? I thought you’d be thrilled. Weren’t you always clamoring to marry Sister Qiaoqiao before? Have you forgotten? And also…”

“That was when I was a kid and didn’t know any better! Why bring that up!”

Liu Ya instinctively raised her voice to cut off Old Liu’s words. Yaqi timidly turned her head to look at her upon hearing this, but Liu Ya glared at her fiercely, and she obediently turned back…

“Hey… Liu Ya, Yaqi will be living with us from now on for some reasons. So behave yourself, got it?”

Liu Ya was stunned. She immediately looked at Yaqi, eyes wide, with an indescribable expression on her face. After a moment of hesitation, she looked at Old Liu, then at Yaqi…

Yaqi also turned her head and smiled bitterly, silently avoiding her gaze…

“Huh? Why? I don’t agree!”

“You… weren’t you always clamoring to be with Yaqi when you were little? Why are you unhappy now?”

“Who said that! Besides, that was then. Now is now… I don’t care! I still don’t agree!”

“Whether you agree or not, it’s decided. No discussion!”

“But…”

“I’ll tell you the specific reasons later. In short, take good care of Yaqi…”

“Me take care of her?”

“Sigh… Liu Ya, you’re not a child anymore. As your father, I can indulge you sometimes, but you need to know your limits. You can’t throw tantrums at Yaqi, understand?”

“Just Old Liu, and you’re lecturing me? You’re not that great yourself!”

“Do you understand!”

Uncle Liu raised his voice, and Liu Ya was startled. She glanced at Yaqi, her face full of grievance and defiance…

“I understand…”

“Sorry, Yaqi. I’ll have to trouble you to be more tolerant of Liu Ya. This child is too immature…”

“No! It’s me who’s immature… Only today at school did I find out how amazing Liu Ya has become. Everyone likes her.”

“Hmph…”

Yaqi quickly explained, while Liu Ya muttered quietly on the side…

“Oh, don’t mind her. She’s still just a kid. If she throws a tantrum, don’t stoop to her level. Just tell me directly, and I’ll deal with her!”

“Old Liu, you wouldn’t dare!”

“See if I dare!”

Uncle Liu suddenly shouted, startling Yaqi. Liu Ya was stunned, then curled up tearfully, leaning against the car door, straining to keep her mouth shut so she wouldn’t cry out loud…

In her memory, Old Liu had always gone along with her. This was the first time he had treated her like this. And the reason was that Tang Yaqi. Thinking about it, Liu Ya felt even more wronged and unfair…

The three of them said nothing more and drove all the way home like that.

“We’re here, Yaqi.”

“Mm, thank you, Uncle Liu.”

“Don’t mention it. You’ve been here often before, right? You haven’t forgotten what the house looks like, have you? Make yourself at home and don’t be shy!”

“Mm, okay.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Liu Ya, Yaqi will stay in your room. Clean up your things.”

“Huh? Why should I! I don’t agree!”

Liu Ya immediately jumped up upon hearing this, grabbing the front seat and glaring at him furiously…

“Fine if she stays, but why does she have to stay in my room!”

Yaqi was too scared to speak and just sat there silently. Old Liu ignored Liu Ya and continued:

“Yaqi, I’ve put your luggage and clothes in the room. For now, you’ll have to squeeze in with Liu Ya. The furniture I ordered for you hasn’t arrived yet…”

“Wait, what? What room? That’s my room! Who allowed this?”

Seeing Liu Ya’s aggression, Uncle Liu sighed and slowly turned to look at her.

“But there are no other empty rooms in the house. Should Yaqi stay in your mom’s room?”

“How can that be!”

“Sigh, then you tell me, Liu Ya, where should Yaqi sleep?”

Liu Ya was stumped by the question. She glanced at Yaqi and said softly:

“Isn’t the sofa big enough for her to sleep on…”

Old Liu didn’t answer, just stared at her seriously. Liu Ya’s momentum gradually faded. She pouted in grievance, leaned back hard, turned around, and started sobbing quietly…

“Hey… Yaqi, sorry you had to see that. Go ahead and get out first. I need to talk to Liu Ya about something.”

“Oh, okay…”

As soon as Yaqi got out of the car, she saw Auntie Zhao standing at the doorstep, smiling and waving at her. Yaqi quickly ran over…

Liu Ya’s father was the boss of several listed companies and a well-known entrepreneur in the area. Their home was a two-story villa in the city center’s villa district.

It looked luxurious from the outside, and the interior decoration was elegant and grand.

The layout of the house: First floor had a living room, a guest room, a bathroom with a separate shower and bathtub, an open kitchen, and a storage room.

The second floor had one master bedroom, one secondary bedroom, one bathroom, and one balcony.

The living room was very spacious, and the bedrooms were also large. Originally, there was another room on the second floor, but Yaqi remembered never having gone inside. According to Liu Ya, it was her mother’s exclusive workspace.

The family also hired a nanny, Auntie Zhao. She was over forty, but her appearance showed no signs of aging. Her figure was very attractive, looking slim in clothes but curvy without, very charming.

Apart from a few crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, no one could find any traces of time on her face. Walking down the street, people would believe she was in her twenties.

Auntie Zhao also lived in Liu Ya’s house and was responsible for taking care of the family’s daily life. Yaqi knew her too. When she and Liu Ya got into trouble as kids, Auntie Zhao often had to clean up after them.

But she never blamed them, just silently helped them clean up and gently reminded them to be careful. In Yaqi’s heart, she was a kind and gentle aunt.

“Old Liu, you remember this!”

Liu Ya was about to open the car door when she was called back…

“Liu Ya, wait a moment…”

“What!”

Uncle Liu turned off the car and turned to look at Liu Ya, his face serious.

“Liu Ya, tell me honestly, do you hate Yaqi?”

“I hate her!”

“Is that the truth?”

“If not… then what…”

“Sigh… Liu Ya… why don’t you agree to let Yaqi live with us? Weren’t you two the best of friends before?”

“…None of your business!”

“Liu Ya… whether you like it or not, there’s no discussion. Yaqi must live with us!”

“Why?”

“…”

Uncle Liu fell silent. His eyelids drooped weakly, his eyes darkened, his expression turned ugly, and his hands trembled as he clenched his fists…

It took a long while before he spoke again:

“Yaqi’s parents… passed away…”

“Huh?”

Liu Ya couldn’t help but shiver. Her tear-filled eyes suddenly widened, and she dumbly turned to look at him…

“You’re kidding, right… What happened?”

“…I don’t know the details. I only know they had a car accident abroad. The ambulance came quickly, but their injuries were too severe, and it was too late…”

“Yaqi was still at school at the time. She didn’t find out until she got home that night…”

“How could… Uncle and Auntie…”

“Old Tang hadn’t contacted me for a long time. I only found out through a friend who was with him abroad… I never expected this to happen!”

Liu Ya was stunned for a long time, even wondering if her ears had misheard…

Seeing her like this, Uncle Liu covered his face with his hand, let out a long sigh, and forced himself to continue:

“Old Tang sold the house before going abroad. Yaqi had nowhere to go when she came back, and we couldn’t get in touch with any of her relatives…”

“Luckily, I got the news in time and picked her up from the airport before dark. I let her stay in a hotel for a few days…”

“These past few days, I’ve been busy with Yaqi’s guardianship issue… Ha. Looking back now, what Old Tang said back then was absolutely right! I can’t help but sigh, human nature is really…”

Uncle Liu clenched his fists in anger, his brows furrowed. But seeing Liu Ya’s bewildered expression in the back seat, he tried to calm down…

“Ah! Forget it. Speaking of guardianship, I only got it settled today. Thanks to those people, the process went smoothly. So today I brought Yaqi back.”

Hearing this, a subtle change appeared on Liu Ya’s bewildered face. She asked weakly:

“Then… these past few days, she must have been very sad…”

“Yeah… when I went to the hotel, as soon as I opened the door, there were used tissues all over the floor…”

“Is that so… then… is Sister Yaqi really part of our family now?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Liu Ya gently clutched her skirt, her expression unreadable. She silently turned her head to look at the seat beside her, which still held some lingering warmth…

“Liu Ya, you should know the relationship between our family and Yaqi’s family, right? Your names were chosen by your Uncle Tang and me together.”

“He was the best friend I will never have again in this life, to the death! No exaggeration! I can say without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today!”

Old Liu’s emotions grew more agitated as he spoke, and the corners of his eyes began to tremble. Realizing this, he quickly turned around, tilted his head back, covered his eyes with his hand, wiped them, let out a trembling long breath, and turned back…

“I digress… back to the point. Liu Ya, you might still resent me because of your mom’s matter. I know I haven’t done enough, and I have no excuse…”

“But don’t take it out on Yaqi, okay… Yaqi is all alone now. Although she’s optimistic, no one can accept something like this, let alone a young girl.”

Liu Ya listened and lowered her head in regret, biting her lower lip hard with her sharp canine teeth. Old Liu took her hand and said:

“So, promise me, Liu Ya, take good care of Yaqi. Don’t throw tantrums anymore, okay?”

Liu Ya was stunned. She turned her head to look at Yaqi, who was happily laughing while hugging Auntie Zhao. She was silent for a while…

“I understand…”

“Good, I trust you!”

Liu Ya pursed her lips, raised her head, and asked worriedly:

“Then… how long will Sister Qiaoqiao stay here?”

“Mm… probably until college. Yaqi is very sensible. I told her she could stay as long as she wanted, but she insisted on moving into the dormitory at college so as not to trouble me.”

“Really, it’s no trouble at all, this child…”

“College… that’s only two years, right? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I have no preparation at all!”

“Sorry, sorry… I wanted to surprise you. I planned to give you a heads-up, but I’ve been busy with various procedures lately and forgot…”

“What kind of surprise is that…”

“But… only two years, huh…”

“Yeah. Remember to get along well with Yaqi and don’t throw tantrums.”

“Alright, alright… I got it, really…”

“I’m just worried… Okay, Liu Ya, you can go back now.”

“Aren’t you coming too?”

“Ah, I still have some things to take care of at the company. I won’t eat at home. I’ll be back later.”

“Plus, you and Yaqi haven’t seen each other for a long time, so you must want to talk about girl stuff. I won’t spoil the mood.”

“Hmph, at least you’re self-aware… Fine.”

“Good, remember not to make your sister Yaqi sad!”

“Oh, you’re so annoying…”

After saying that, Liu Ya glanced at him unhappily, picked up her schoolbag, opened the car door, got out, and walked toward the other two…

Seeing Yaqi and Auntie Zhao being so affectionate, Uncle Liu in the car smiled with relief and drove away…

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