After My Rebirth, My Husband Pampers Me Everyday!

Chapter 165: Settle Grievances

Guiying turned.

Xue ShangYan sat by the window, one leg crossed over the other, a teacup resting lightly in his hand.

Early forties, broad-shouldered, in a dark, well-cut jacket. A single gold ring caught the light on his right hand. Morning light spilled through the glass behind him, warming the arm of his chair and laying a pale stripe across the edge of the table.

"Sit down," ShangYan said. "Please."

Guiying glanced at the portrait one last time, then crossed the room and sat down across from him.

ShangYan set his cup down and reached for the teapot. The scent of jasmine and sandalwood rose with the steam as he poured a second cup and pushed it toward Guiying.

"Apologies for how you were brought here," ShangYan said. "It wasn’t how I intended to introduce myself. I’d hoped Saturday’s dinner would serve, but I couldn’t wait."

Guiying wrapped both hands around his cup, feeling the heat through the porcelain. "Why?"

"Because you’re my nephew," ShangYan said, eyes steady. "And I only just learned you exist. I’m not a patient man when it comes to things that matter."

Outside, the courtyard was quiet. Pale light lay flat across the stone. A sparrow landed on the sill, tilted its head, pecked once, and lifted off again.

Guiying watched ShangYan’s hands—steady, no tremor. "You could’ve waited until Saturday."

"Saturday will be loud and full of people with agendas," ShangYan said. "I wanted to meet you without that." He drank slowly, set the cup down. "Is that unreasonable?"

Guiying looked at the portrait, then back at ShangYan. The resemblance pulled at him.

"How do you know my mother?" he asked.

ShangYan’s thumb froze against his cup. He set it down, eyes fixed on the painted face. For a second his expression softened.

When he looked back, his hand stayed flat on the table.

"We were close," he said quietly. "For several years, a long time ago." He picked the cup back up, fingers tightening slightly. "Her name was Isabelle."

The sandalwood lingered in the air.

The courtyard tree didn’t move. Guiying sat with both hands around his cup, feeling the weight of a conversation that had started with more underneath it than either of them was saying.

ShangYan refilled Guiying’s cup without asking and settled back into his chair.

"Why did you leave home?" he asked.

His voice was low, unhurried. It thinned the air in the room, and Guiying found himself listening before he’d decided to.

He looked across the table. The question sat lightly between them, no pressure behind it. But Guiying had the sense ShangYan already knew the answer and was just giving him room to say it.

"You already know why," Guiying said.

ShangYan smiled, said nothing, and waited.

"Still," Guiying said, setting his cup down. "I’m living well." He held ShangYan’s gaze. "What about you, Uncle? Is life treating you well?"

A beat. "My father never mentioned you. Not once." His eyes flicked to the portrait and back. "And you seem very familiar with my mother. You don’t need the Xue family’s resources. So why come back?"

ShangYan looked down at his cup. Outside, two leaves drifted through the pale courtyard light and settled on the stone. He turned the cup once, slowly, before looking up.

The smile returned, quieter this time. Something sat behind it that didn’t reach the surface.

"I came back because of someone," he said. "And then I realized there were things I’d left undone for too long." He set the cup down. "Things that needed to be taken care of."

Guiying looked at him.

That feeling was back. It had been sitting in his chest since he walked through the door, familiar in a way that had no explanation. Like a place you’d only ever seen in a photograph. He didn’t understand it, didn’t reach for an explanation. He let it sit.

He picked up his tea and said nothing.

ShangYan refilled his own cup. The room stayed quiet around them, easy and unhurried. Sandalwood lingered in the air. The courtyard light shifted slowly across the floor.

ShangYan leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the armrests. His gaze didn’t waver.

"Don’t you want revenge?" he asked, voice still low. "After what they did to you, are you content to let it stand? Aren’t you angry?" He paused, watching Guiying’s face. "If you want it, I can take care of them for you. Settle your grievances."

Guiying set his cup down and smiled, small and deliberate. "No."

ShangYan raised an eyebrow, but Guiying went on.

"It would only be satisfying if I take my revenge myself." He picked the cup back up, letting the warmth settle into his palms. "But, Uncle ShangYan, why are you so interested in me? Enough to run a background check. And I have a feeling you know I’m married."

ShangYan’s smile tipped up on one side. "You’re quite the schemer, son."

He drank, set the cup down, and his voice softened a degree. "As to why I’m so interested in you... I don’t know. Maybe because you’re my lover’s son. Or my brother’s son. I can’t say." He held Guiying’s eyes. "But you are special to me. So I’ll protect you. No one in China will be able to harm you, unless they’re ready to lose their head."

Guiying’s eyes widened.

The words landed wrong and right at the same time. He knew he wasn’t ShangYan’s son. But hearing it said like that, with that weight behind it, it felt like sitting across from a father.

But he wasn’t.

His biological father hadn’t wanted him. It would be selfish to make a father out of his uncle now.

ShangYan exhaled through his nose, almost amused. "And, yes, it’s true. I know your husband is Liu Liuxian. Fine man."

Guiying smiled, the tension easing slightly. "Are you some kind of mob boss?"

"Yes," ShangYan said plainly. "I have a lot of underground power."

Guiying smiled again, slower this time. There was no reason to refuse an alliance with a man who had that kind of reach.

"Of course," he said. "Two illegitimate sons should stick together."

He reached across the table, hand out for a handshake.

ShangYan didn’t take it. He stood, rounded the table, and opened his arms instead. "A hug."

Guiying hesitated for half a second, then stood and stepped into it.

As they hugged, ShangYan’s face was turned away from Guiying. His arms were steady, but in his mind he sighed.

The only illegitimate one here is me, Guiying.