The visitor was Xie Sidu.

He didn't come alone; his mother-in-law, Old Mrs. Ding, was with him. Compared to her previous arrogance, Old Mrs. Ding now seemed like a pitiful old woman, with a somewhat aggrieved expression.

Upon seeing his son whom he hadn't seen for so long, Old Master Xie's expression was also filled with excitement. "Sidu, you're back."

Xie Sidu nodded. "Yes, Dad, I'm back."

His gaze paused for a moment, then landed precisely on Xie Li, who was standing behind Old Master Xie.

"Are you Xie Li?" Xie Sidu seemed to want to step forward, but suddenly stopped and took a step back awkwardly.

Behind him, Old Mrs. Ding's eyes revealed a hint of mockery, and her gaze towards Xie Li was full of disdain.

Ding Huizhu dislikes her biological daughter Xie Li, partly due to the encouragement of the Ding family. However, Xie Sidu is Xie Li's biological father, yet he avoids her like the plague upon their first meeting, which shows that Xie Li is indeed unlikable.

How can anyone compare to even a single finger of Xie Ziyuan?

Seeing Xie Sidu's reaction, Ding Huizhu felt inexplicably embarrassed. "Brother Du, Xie Li is a bit childish, don't take it to heart..."

She knew Xie Li's personality; she was utterly ill-mannered and lawless. She was afraid that Xie Li would ignore Xie Sidu just like she did to her, which would be extremely disrespectful to Xie Sidu.

As for Xie Sidu's dislike of Xie Li, she naturally didn't want to see it either, but what could she do if Xie Li wasn't liked by her own father?

Ding Huizhu felt that by speaking up for Xie Li, she had already helped ease the tension between the father and daughter.

Thinking this through, he turned to Xie Li and said, "Xie Li, this is your father, come here quickly..."

“Dad.” The girl’s voice was clear and firm.

Xie Li looked up at Xie Sidu, her eyes clear and without the slightest hint of reluctance, and called out again, "Dad."

From the moment Xie Sidu appeared, Old Master Xie was on tenterhooks. He knew his son's personality all too well, as well as Xie Li's.

I thought the two of them would be awkward at first meeting, and I was hoping that Ding Huizhu, as their mother, could mediate their relationship. But I never expected that Xie Li would show a hint of affection for Xie Sidu.

Although it was a little less intimate than his own, this gesture was enough to bring tears to the old man's eyes.

Xie Sidu froze, seemingly not expecting Xie Li to react this way.

In the past, he would have responded calmly and indifferently, but that was enough to hurt a young girl.

Grandma Ding's eyes even held a hint of schadenfreude. Xie Li's attempt to find fatherly love from Xie Sidu was probably a miscalculation.

Tsk tsk, I wonder if she can handle Xie Sidu's humiliation later.

Ding Huizhu quickly changed the subject: "Brother Du, why didn't you tell me you were coming back..."

"Lili, it's your father." Xie Sidu suddenly spoke with trembling lips, stepped forward with a smile, and gently pulled his daughter into his arms.

An unprecedented joy spread across his face. "My darling, welcome home!"

Ding Huizhu and Old Mrs. Ding were completely frozen, both with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Grandpa Xie smiled broadly, "It's just in time that Sidu is back." He paused, abandoning his earlier intention to make a scene for the Ding family, "Our family is finally reunited today."

He's getting old and doesn't have the fiery temper he had when he was young anymore. He always tries to give the younger generation some face and room for maneuver.