Chapter 137 I can’t forgive Xie Xu on behalf of Xu Jing

New Year's red lanterns have been hung outside the Jingfu compound.

The waiter led them into not the Haitangyuan box they often went to, but Guan Shanyue's next door.

Before entering, Chen Zhan cast a glance at Xie Huaiqian. He felt a little uncomfortable and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Chen Zhan said calmly, "Actually, you can just say it. It's not that I won't give you and Minister Xie face."

A few years ago in Rongchuan, she asked him to help bring some things to Zhou Jingyu and owed him a favor. It just so happened that she also wanted to make some things clear to Xie Xu to avoid encountering such things in the future.

Xie Huaiqian was speechless, "It seems you guessed it."

Chen Zhan wanted to say, he had vaguely guessed it on the way here, "Don't use this method in the future."

Xie Huaiqian nodded awkwardly, "I definitely won't do that next time. I was just afraid that you wouldn't get in my car after hearing Fourth Uncle's name."

Chen Zhan: "What about your second uncle?"

Xie Huaiqian: "Don't worry, I'm the one who picked you up. I'll call your second uncle myself."

She nodded.

The box door opened.

Xie Xu and his secretary were already inside. When they saw Teacher Chen come in, this man who was very good at dealing with people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually looked a little reserved.

Chen Zhan was stunned for a moment. Xie Xu had already opened a seat next to him. "You're here, come and sit down. We haven't ordered yet, take a look at the menu to see if there's anything you like."

The waiter took the coat and bag from her and hung them aside. After hesitating for two seconds, Chen Zhan sat down.

Xie Huaiqian: "Fourth Uncle, do you want me to have a couple of drinks with you tonight?"

Xie Xu waved his hand and said he would not drink, "Your sister is here, why drink wine? It's just a reunion dinner for the festival."

Xie Huaiqian smiled and said, "Then I'll listen to you, Fourth Uncle."

The menu was placed in front of Chen Zan. She randomly checked two items and put it back. Xie Xu took it and looked at it, and added a few more dishes that suited Chen Zan's taste.

Being able to sit peacefully in a private room and have a meal with Xie Xu was a rare thing for Chen Zhan. Knowing that she was deliberately keeping a distance from Jin Hanzhou, he sent Xie Huaiqian over to change the situation.

Xie Xu wanted to show concern for Chen Zan, but he didn't know where to start, for fear that he would accidentally ruin the atmosphere of the meal.

Xie Huaiqian had to take the initiative and asked her if she was trapped in a mountain hotel due to a blizzard a few days ago.

Xie Xu asked worriedly, "Is he okay?"

Chen Zan said it was okay, and then Zhou Jingyu and Jiang Yushan went up the mountain.

Xie Xu nodded. "I trust Zhou Jingyu's work, but he tends to be extreme in his emotions. How are you with him now? Is he still pestering you?"

Chen Zhan replied: "No, we are fine."

Xie Xu nodded thoughtfully.

At the end of the meal, Xie Huaiqian went out to pay the bill, leaving some space for the unfamiliar father and daughter.

Xie Xu actually didn’t know what to say. He was already very satisfied just to be able to sit down and have a meal together.

After a long pause, he asked again, "Are you planning to return to Rongchuan for the Spring Festival this year, or stay in Beijing? If you stay, I'll have someone clean up the room at home..."

Chen Zhan interrupted him and said, "I've already bought a ticket back to Rongchuan the day after tomorrow."

Xie Xu was speechless, then said blankly: "Well, you haven't been back for a few years, it's time to go back and see your mother and her family. Your mother remarried, so I guess you have to spend the New Year at the man's house, right?"

Chen Zhan hummed softly again.

Xie Xu said worriedly: "I heard that your mother took your grandmother to live with us to help take care of the children. Since your last name is not Gu, you might feel uncomfortable celebrating the New Year at someone else's house..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zan raised his eyelids and looked at Xie Xu, his tone becoming somewhat sharp. "My last name isn't Gu, so should I change it to Xie?"

Xie Xu quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I meant that your mother has remarried and has a new family, so she might not care about you as much as before. I never thought of asking you to change your last name. I'm very satisfied to be able to sit down and have a simple meal together."

He spoke humbly.

Chen Zhan didn't want to lose his temper, so he just asked in disbelief, "Do you really think so?"

Xie Xu pursed his lips and said, "It doesn't matter what I think, what matters is what you think."

"I heard that you separated from my mother because of a family marriage, right?" Chen Zan mentioned what happened back then.

Xie Xu's eyes flashed with sadness. "Your mother and I were both forced to do things against our will back then. Our separation wasn't dignified. I didn't even know you existed. She didn't tell me, and I didn't look for her later. It's only natural that she hates me."

Chen Zhan looked at the man with gray hair on his temples and let out a soft breath. "Even if you knew about my existence back then, would you have given up the arranged marriage and married my mother, or would you have still broken up with my mother and asked her to abort the child?"

Xie Xu stared at her blankly, his eyes revealing deep remorse and guilt, "If I had known she was pregnant, I would never have let her go back to Rongchuan so easily."

Chen Zhan pointed out: "But you still can't resist the family. The final result is marriage."

Xie Xu was shocked. She was too smart and too insightful. "I'm sorry for her, and I'm sorry for you."

Chen Zhan: "Minister Xie, Ms. Xu must have loved you very much back then, which is why she was willing to bear the pressure and give birth to me. But she also hates you. As long as she doesn't forgive you, I shouldn't be so ungrateful as to forgive you on her behalf. Do you think I'm right?"

No matter what, Xu Jing is the mother who gave birth to her and raised her. Even if she is not a gentle mother to Chen Zan, she cannot be ungrateful. It doesn't make sense for a father to suddenly appear in the middle of the world and then follow him just because he is powerful.

Xie Xu couldn't help but understand what Chen Zhan meant, and said helplessly, "I've visited your mother many times in the past few years, but she found me annoying and refused to forgive me. Later, she got married to the director of the hospital, so I couldn't go to her again. After all, that would destroy someone else's family."

"You see, she won't forgive you, and there's nothing I can do." Chen Zan couldn't get involved in the affairs of her parents' generation, so she sighed in her heart.

The coldness in his tone softened. "If all you ask is to have a meal together during holidays, I can agree. But please don't ask Xie Huaiqian or the senior to do this kind of thing for you in the future. You should have my phone number, so just call me next time."

She had long been accustomed to not having a father. When she was a child, she might still be obsessed with the idea of ​​having a father, but she had long realized that some people just had shallow kinship.

Being able to retreat here now is her biggest concession. It would be bad if this kind of thing happens often in the future.

Xie Xu knew that Chen Zan had taken a step back, and he was quite content with that. He didn't insist on her calling him father. If she didn't acknowledge him, he could only blame himself for not fulfilling his responsibilities as a father. If anyone had to blame anyone, it was himself.