Time truly is the most ruthless thing in the world. No matter how high his position and how powerful he is, Ren Fu has aged considerably.

In fact, more than 20 years ago, when he rushed back and saw the deputy holding Huiwen's urn, he already felt that she had aged ten years overnight.

Xu Xiusen had always known the various rumors circulating about why he hadn't been promoted, transferred out of City B, or even married for so many years. Regardless of the rumors, only he knew the real reason.

His wife and daughters were in City B, so of course he wouldn't leave. He liked to open the window late at night and take a deep breath in the direction of his former home. It felt like he was breathing the same air as his wife and daughters.

As for remarrying?

He already has a wife and children, why would he remarry?

His so-called extravagant lifestyle and pursuit of pleasure are merely a facade. He may deliberately indulge in drinking and getting drunk, but he would never touch any woman.

Some bolder women even came to his door, claiming they were pregnant with his child and demanding he take responsibility.

Usually at this point, he doesn't need to say anything; he just hands the women a list. Upon seeing the list, unless a few women are particularly shameless and harbor a侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that they can get away with it), the others will blush and walk away in embarrassment.

Those women who harbored illusions would pick up the receipts he had thrown away and question him, "You say you're impotent, so you're impotent? These kinds of receipts can be easily obtained with a little money. Do you think I'm a three-year-old child who's easy to fool? Let me tell you, Mr. Xu, if you don't acknowledge that this child is yours, I'll give birth to it. After the child is born, I'll do a paternity test. Then we'll see how you handle it!"

Xu Xiusen never bothered to talk to women like that. He shrugged, giving a "do as you please" attitude, and then went inside and closed the door.

No one knows for sure whether Xu Xiusen is actually ill, but one thing is certain: none of the women who came to his door asking for responsibility came back to him repeatedly.

People's mouths are always the most unreliable thing in the world. As for why Xu Xiusen indulged in a life of debauchery for so long, there was never any surprise. It wasn't that he was cautious, nor that the women were careful, but that Xu Xiusen was simply incompetent.

According to a woman who was frequently asked by Xu Xiusen to accompany him for drinks, Xu Xiusen was definitely not good in that area. Every time, he would appear to be holding her in his arms, but his hands were actually empty, meaning that his hands never touched her body.

This shows that Xu Xiusen is indeed impotent in that area. And it is precisely because of this impotence that his pride compels him to create the illusion of a life of debauchery, to pretend he is highly capable.

.

No matter how bad she was, Xu Xiusen was incredibly generous. His money was so easy to earn; all she had to do was drink and chat with him. Sometimes, she didn't even have to talk to him; she could just drink quietly. Women who made money in those kinds of places were masters of drinking, so naturally, Xu Xiusen was very popular with them.

Xu Xiusen knew all about these things, but since he felt it was unnecessary, he simply listened without changing his expression.

Every year on this day, the deputy would return to City B. Xu Xiusen knew this, but he never expected that in addition to visiting Huiwen's grave, she would also come to visit the home he and Huiwen used to live in.

To be honest, when Huiwen was alive, the deputy treated him very well and really treated him like a son. But after Huiwen died, the affection between the son-in-law and mother-in-law completely disappeared.

Ultimately, without Huiwen and the child, Xu Xiusen and the deputy... two people with no blood relation are no longer family.

From Xu Xiusen's vantage point, he could clearly see the deputy... with a full head of silver hair and a hunched back, lacking the calm and composed aura he exuded on television.

After closing the door, the deputy turned around and looked at the tightly closed door again, letting out a heavy sigh. Just as he was about to go downstairs, the phone rang.

That was her private number; only one person knew it.

She took out her phone, didn't even look at it, and put it directly to her ear to answer, "Yuanyuan, you're still up so late? Didn't Grandma tell you that you still need to rest on time and adjust to the time difference while Grandma is away?"

Because it was late at night and quiet, the sounds were exceptionally clear, and even the voice of the person on the other end of the phone could be clearly heard by Xu Xiusen.

He heard that the person on the other end of the phone sounded very young, probably in their early twenties, and probably around the same age as Xu Moran. For some reason, ever since he thought Xu Moran looked like Huiwen, he felt more and more that she was his biological daughter.

The girl on the other end complained, "Grandma, I just don't understand why you have to go to City B every year at this time? It was fine in previous years, but this year I just got back to China, can't you stay home and keep me company?"

In Xu Xiusen's memory, even Huiwen had never dared to speak to the vice president in such a complaining tone. People who have been in high positions for a long time have an aura of authority that is not angry, and there are really not many people who dare to contradict her.

Xu Xiusen was shocked on the spot. He was not shocked by the girl's boldness in complaining about the deputy... but by the fact that she called the deputy... "Grandma".

Her name is Fu... she's my grandmother, no, Fu... she also referred to herself as my grandmother when she answered the phone just now.

Could the girl on the other end of the phone be his and Huiwen's deceased daughter?

That's unlikely, isn't it?

Xu Xiusen took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and continued listening.

He heard the girl's complaint on the other end of the phone, and the vice president patiently explained, "Yuanyuan, it's strange. Grandma is going back tomorrow. We've left your mother in City B for so many years, and we always come to see her around this time of year. You've been studying abroad all these years and can't come to see your mother, so Grandma is doing it for you. Starting next year, you have to come back to see your mother."

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