What did Xia Xiaolan look like in front of Du Zhaohui?
Due to the cold weather, Xia Xiaolan wore a thick down jacket in navy blue. This color was ubiquitous in present-day China – many work uniforms were this color, worn by construction workers and government officials alike. The worker-peasant blue was everywhere.
Du Zhaohui had seen this in Pengcheng, in Yangcheng, and now in Beijing.
He had zero interest in such a dull color.
But when he looked up at Xia Xiaolan, Du Zhaohui realized his mistake – navy blue wasn’t dull at all; it depended on who wore it!
Xia Xiaolan hadn’t made any special effort with her appearance. Her hair was tied back in a practical ponytail. With her heavy review schedule lately, plus various disruptions, she wasn’t looking her best – dark circles visible under her eyes.
But she was young!
Indeed, heaven had blessed her with natural beauty – plump collagen, fair skin, and fine features.
With Du Zhaohui’s sharp eye, he could discern her attractive figure even under the thick clothing.
Neither too much nor too little – everything was just right. Her alluring charm was natural, not created through makeup and styling. She was neither a bookworm nor a masculine woman – Xia Xiaolan didn’t match any of Du Zhaohui’s preconceptions!
How could she possibly be Du Dajun’s daughter?
How could someone like Du Dajun have such a daughter?
When the school administrator said this was Xia Xiaolan, Du Zhaohui was somewhat skeptical:
“Xia Xiaolan? Your father is Xia Dajun, right?”
Upon entering, Xia Xiaolan didn’t see Liu Tianquan, but instead, a well-dressed young stranger who best fit the image of a “Hong Kong businessman” in the office. Of course, not the pot-bellied businessman himself, but rather a businessman’s son.
Xia Xiaolan had no impression of Du Zhaohui – she would have remembered such a flashily dressed man if she’d seen him before.
While still puzzled, this “rich merchant” mentioned Xia Dajun, making it difficult for Xia Xiaolan to even force a smile.
“Hello, may I ask why you’re looking for me?”
This was an acknowledgment that Xia Dajun was her father.
Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to acknowledge it, but what could she do? Biologically, Xia Dajun was her father. Even though she despised his blind filial piety and domestic violence, his failure to consider his wife and daughter, even though Liu Fen and Xia Dajun were divorced, he was still her “father” by identity.
Just like suddenly having an ex named Wang Jianhua.
These social relationships of the original owner, though Xia Xiaolan wanted to ignore them, couldn’t be completely severed.
Now, though Xia Dajun had been missing for almost a year, he suddenly reappeared in her world. In front of the school administrators, Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to explain her family situation again.
Outsiders might not understand, thinking that even with the divorce, that was between Xia Dajun and Liu Fen – how could it affect the father-daughter relationship?
They didn’t know that Xia Xiaolan herself had a different soul now and had never developed any father-daughter feelings with Xia Dajun. This person only brought her negative associations. While Xia Xiaolan could sincerely treat Liu Fen as her mother and Liu Yong as her uncle, Xia Dajun… apologetically couldn’t manage it.
Du Zhaohui couldn’t miss the distance in her tone.
Young Master Du collected himself and decided to have a proper talk with Xia Xiaolan. If she had been built like a linebacker, Du Zhaohui would have stuck to business, delivered his message, and left. But Xia Xiaolan’s appearance was so far beyond his imagination that what would have been 90 points for beauty was forcibly expanded to 100 points due to the gap between expectation and reality. If Du Zhaohui were to score Xia Xiaolan, her natural beauty would be 90 points, with 10 points deducted for her half-hearted styling!
A 90-point bare-faced Xia Xiaolan deserved Young Master Du’s patient treatment. Her negative resistance toward Xia Dajun wouldn’t do – how could she go to Hong Kong like that?
“Everyone, I’d like to speak with student Xia Xiaolan privately. Her father has some messages he wants me to relay to her if you don’t mind…”
Others’ family matters weren’t something they should listen to.
In broad daylight, there was no worry about Du Zhaohui having improper intentions.
So they let them talk, and considering the donation even gave Du Zhaohui the office.
“Miss Xia, you have afternoon classes, right? Head back to class once you’re done talking!”
The department head said before leaving, also helping Xia Xiaolan.
Du Zhaohui sent his entourage out, including the guide. Being alone with Xia Xiaolan in a small space made Young Master Du somewhat uncomfortable. The office had no curtains, and people outside could see inside, so Du Zhaohui chose his words carefully:
“It’s like this – your father Xia Dajun has been working for me, and now he’s injured and receiving treatment and recovery in Hong Kong. He hopes to see you. His injury was work-related, so don’t worry about the subsequent treatment costs, I’ll cover everything, including his future livelihood… Additionally, the group has some employee benefits that could let you live in Hong Kong, and we can help you get Hong Kong residency.”
Before meeting her, Du Zhaohui had been fully confident.
After meeting her, his attitude about these “benefits” became much more proper.
Because Xia Xiaolan was too beautiful – while Hong Kong might not recognize mainland university degrees, Hong Kongers would certainly recognize Xia Xiaolan’s beauty. With such stunning looks, if she wanted to live in Hong Kong, she could debut by participating in the Miss Hong Kong pageant.
TV stations would compete to sign her, and with that face, even without acting talent, she could land leading roles in TV dramas.
After television would come movies, then commercials.
With a wave of her hand, many tycoons would line up to be her patron.
Du Zhaohui could already plan out Xia Xiaolan’s Hong Kong life in his head. She wouldn’t need to rely on him, so naturally, he had to speak more politely.
Any young male becomes polite and modest in front of a beautiful girl. If they’re crude and vulgar, they’re either gay or have water in their brain trying to attract attention by being different.
Young Master Du thought he was being sufficiently humble and polite, but Xia Xiaolan frowned:
“I’m sorry, but I think there might be some misunderstanding. My relationship with my birth father isn’t good. I can’t possibly go to Hong Kong to see him, nor do I have any plans to live in Hong Kong in the future. Thank you for your kindness.”
Xia Xiaolan didn’t even bother asking about Du Zhaohui’s background.
She had no emotional connection with Xia Dajun, so how could she possibly go take care of him now?
It couldn’t be that the person who previously enjoyed Xia Dajun’s fatherly love was Xia Ziyu, but now that care was needed, they called for Xia Xiaolan! The Hong Kong lifestyle, and Hong Kong permanent residency – these things held no attraction for Xia Xiaolan.
She very seriously added:
“He has a niece in Beijing too, and their relationship is even closer than father and daughter. Why don’t you ask her?”
Xia Ziyu might not go either.
No matter how attractive a Hong Kong identity might be, it couldn’t outweigh Wang Jianhua’s importance, right? Xia Xiaolan couldn’t understand it – one could only say Xia Ziyu’s love for Wang Jianhua was true, willing to take punishment for him even over the tutoring class issue.