EBE Chapter 164 An unexpected discovery
Chapter 164 An unexpected discovery
As Zhou Zhiwei gets older and her health declines, she is fortunate to have found her granddaughter and has decided to stay in Dongzhou for a while.
Upon learning of her decision, Fifth Jue had no objections and immediately asked Gu Han's housekeeper to help him buy a villa in Dongzhou City.
The house is only a ten-minute drive from Lanting Apartments. That area is full of old villas and is a well-known residential area for the wealthy.
The old house was originally the residence of a jewelry designer who had divorced ten years ago. He recently found a new love and was moving to Paris to live with his partner, which is why he sold this small villa in Dongzhou City.
The designer's taste is excellent and matches Ms. Zhou's taste, so she doesn't plan to renovate.
Zhou Zhiwei still personally rearranged a bedroom for Li Xi. Her bedroom was the original master bedroom, which almost filled the entire third floor.
The study, small living room, dressing room, and bathroom are connected to the bedroom.
Although it's called the master bedroom, it's actually as big as a large penthouse.
Zhou Zhiwei not only gave the master bedroom to Li Xi, but also put Li Xi's name on the property certificate.
When Li Xi learned of this, her first instinct was to refuse.
But Zhou Zhiwei held her hand and said, "Xibao, your grandparents are getting old. We'll live one year at a time. We've accumulated countless riches in our lives, but in the end, won't they all belong to you, your mother, and your uncle?"
"We missed your childhood, and we feel so guilty towards you. We don't know how to make it up to you beyond material things like money."
“These things that you think are valuable are the only little trinkets your grandmother can give you. If you don’t want them, your grandmother will feel bad.”
Li Xi couldn't help but smile, because Gu Huaizhou had said something similar to her a long time ago.
For truly wealthy people, money really is just a number.
There's a saying that goes something like this: true romantics come from wealthy families, because they have no worries about food and clothing and their lives are smooth sailing, so they can pursue spiritual wealth and resonance of the soul.
"I understand, thank you Grandma."
“Your grandpa and I will be moving here in a few days. Xibao, why don’t you move in with us too?”
Zhou Zhiwei knew her health was poor and wanted to spend more time with Li Xi.
Li Xi did not agree immediately, but said that she would stay in the small villa with her parents on the night of the move.
Hearing this, Zhou Zhiwei was also very happy. She reminded Li Xi, "Remember to invite Huaizhou to come along too."
"it is good."
Two days later, the Fifth Master and his wife quietly moved into the small villa.
When Li Xi and Gu Huaizhou arrived for lunch with flowers and wine, they ran into Luo Wen, the legendary uncle and the adopted son of the Fifth Absolute Couple, in the garage.
"Li Xi, hello, I am Luo Wen."
Luo Wen was nearly fifty years old and had never married. He was a tall man with dark skin but handsome, strong features.
He was wearing a printed shirt and a white suit; he was a typical handsome middle-aged man from Southeast Asia.
Li Xi felt a sense of familiarity the moment she saw Luo Wen.
Very strange.
She had imagined that the legendary Uncle Luo Wen was a ruthless and unapproachable wealthy man, just like her maternal grandfather.
Unexpectedly, the other person gave her such a peaceful feeling, making her subconsciously want to get closer.
“Uncle,” Li Xi called out sweetly.
Luo Wen seemed surprised that Li Xi would accept him as his uncle so quickly, so he was overjoyed to hear the word "uncle".
“…Hmm.” Luo Wen responded calmly, but his hands, hanging by his sides, tightened subtly, making him appear somewhat nervous.
"correct."
Luo Wen quickly opened the car door, took a gift box from the passenger seat and handed it to Li Xi, "This is a gift from your uncle, see if you like it."
"Thank you uncle."
Li Xi accepted the gift box, intending to open it later.
Seeing that Luo Wen was staring at her expectantly, clearly wanting to see if she was satisfied with the gift, Li Xi had no choice but to hand the gift box to Gu Huaizhou, saying, "Huaizhou, you hold this for me."
Gu Huaizhou helped her carry the gift box, and Li Xi opened the exquisite box in front of her, discovering that it contained a complete set of luxurious pink gemstone jewelry.
Even someone as naive as Li Xi could tell how valuable this set of jewelry was.
Gu Huaizhou immediately recognized the origin of the jewelry set in the box. He explained to Li Xi, "This is a South Sea pink blood diamond. If you look closely, you can see the blood-red patterns inside the pink diamond."
"A luxury item among pink blood diamonds and pink gemstones, this set of jewelry made a high-profile appearance at a Nanyang auction house six years ago and was sold to a jewelry collector for 60 million."
"Mr. Luo Wen, are you the anonymous jewelry collector?"
Luo Wen smiled slightly and said, "Every year I collect a set of top-tier jewelry, thinking that I can give it to Mengbao in the future."
"To be honest, Mengbao's favorite color is pink gemstone."
"I see." Seeing that Li Xi seemed hesitant, Gu Huaizhou guessed that she might not want to accept this generous gift, and said, "Xi Xi, since your uncle gave it to you, it is his way of showing his affection. Just accept it."
"Thank you, uncle."
Li Xi planned to put the jewelry set in a safe, together with the jade bracelet that Gu Huaizhou had given her.
But then Luo Wen said, "Wear it. Jewelry is meant to be worn; otherwise, it loses its value."
"Now?" Li Xi hesitated.
"Correct."
Luo Wen said, "Keep it on. It's okay if you lose it. Your uncle has many more at home. I'll send someone to bring you some more later."
After thinking for a moment, Luo Wen suggested, "Why don't you go to Southeast Asia with your uncle? You can pick any jewelry you want from his jewelry store."
Li Xi: "..."
As expected of the most prestigious family in Southeast Asia, they are indeed very wealthy.
“Then I’ll wear these earrings today.” The necklace was too luxurious and exquisite to be worn every day, so Li Xi took out the earrings and put them on.
Her skin was snow-white, her neck was slender, and pink diamond earrings dangled around her neck, making her look radiant.
Luo Wen praised, "You really suit pink gemstones. That's great. Finally, someone will be able to wear all those jewels that your uncle has collected."
"Let's go inside."
The three of them entered the house together.
The Fifth Master and his wife stood in the foyer waiting for them.
Luo Wen walked at the front and, upon seeing Fifth Jue, respectfully called out, "Godfather."
But when facing Zhou Zhiwei, Luo Wen called out, "Mommy."
"Grandpa and Grandma".
Li Xi handed the flowers to Zhou Zhiwei, the red wine to the butler beside him, exchanged a few pleasantries with the two elders, and then made an excuse to say, "I'll take Huaizhou to see my room."
"Okay, go have fun. We'll eat in half an hour."
Zhou Zhiwei went off to arrange flowers happily, while Wu Jue took Luo Wen to the study.
Li Xi pulled Gu Huaizhou up to the master bedroom on the third floor. Pushing open the double doors, the two entered a sea of pink.
The wallpaper is light pink, the curtains are pink lace, the carpet is light pink wool, and even the bedposts are a soft pink color.
Standing in the pink bedroom, Gu Huaizhou felt a little lost, "...What a dreamy room."
Gu Huaizhou's apartment is decorated in a black and white style, while Wuyadao's decoration is more modern.
He had never seen such a pink room in his life. Gu Huaizhou's comment was tactful and fair: "This room has a princess style. Lili would definitely like it if she saw it."
Gu Huaizhou gave Li Xi a teasing smile, "It seems I should change how I address you and call you Princess Li Xi."
Li Xi was also embarrassed. "The old man probably wanted to make it up to me. He always wants to give me the best. I guess I'll just have to make do with this place."
"Too."
Gu Huaizhou wrapped his arms around Li Xi's waist, rested his chin on the top of her head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Tonight, Your Highness, would you like me to stay and serve you in bed?"
Li Xi's ears turned red. "...We'll see how you do."
Unable to resist his seduction, Li Xi quickly removed Gu Huaizhou's hand and went outside to the balcony for some fresh air.
Below the balcony is the back garden, where Ms. Zhou is currently arranging flowers under the domed pavilion.
"By the way," Li Xi asked Gu Huaizhou, "did you notice before that Uncle Luo Wen called his maternal grandfather 'godfather,' but called his maternal grandmother 'mommy'?"
"why is that?"
Li Xi always felt that Luo Wen's identity in the Fifth Family was a bit strange.
Upon hearing this, Gu Huaizhou was even more surprised than Li Xi, "You didn't know?"
"what?"
Gu Huaizhou said, "Mr. Luo Wen is Grandma Zhou's son."
"Huh?" Li Xi was shocked. "His own son?"
"Ah."
Seeing that Li Xi was completely unaware of this matter, Gu Huaizhou told her, "Grandma Zhou once had a lover, but he... well, let's just say he wasn't a good match."
"After breaking up with that man, Grandma Zhou found out she was pregnant. She resolutely gave birth to the child, who is Mr. Luo Wen."
"When the Fifth Elder met Grandma Zhou, Mr. Luo Wen was already two years old. The year he married Grandma Zhou, Mr. Luo Wen was five years old, and he was even a flower boy at their wedding."
In those days, it took immense courage for a woman to have a child out of wedlock and raise it herself.
"So, Uncle Luo Wen is actually my maternal grandfather's stepson? Then why did he publicly claim that Uncle Luo Wen was his adopted son?"
Li Xi pondered, "Could it be that Grandpa doesn't like Uncle Luo Wen?"
But based on what she had observed these past few days, her maternal grandfather clearly relied heavily on his uncle, Luo Wen, a level of trust and esteem that was rare even among fathers and sons in many wealthy families.
"of course not."
Gu Huaizhou explained: "The culture in Southeast Asia is somewhat different from that on the mainland. In Southeast Asia, any child brought by a woman is a stepson, but only children who are truly capable can become godsons."
“In large families in Southeast Asia, stepsons have no real power or inheritance rights, but adopted sons enjoy inheritance rights just like legitimate children.”
Li Xi suddenly realized, "So, when Grandpa publicly declared that Uncle Luo Wen was his adopted son, not his stepson, it was actually an acknowledgment of his abilities?"
"Ah."
Li Xi sighed, “My impression of my grandfather has changed. I used to think he was the kind of domineering person who had the final say, and I had a prejudice against him. Now it seems that he was more manly than most men.”
For someone in his position to marry an unmarried woman who had a child out of wedlock and make her the matriarch of the family without any reservations, and to treat his stepson as his own son after marriage, nurturing and giving him important responsibilities, is a very rare thing.
"Yes."
Gu Huaizhou said, "Do you know how the bond between my grandparents and your maternal grandparents came about?"
How could Li Xi know that?
She grabbed Gu Huaizhou's arm and looked up at him coquettishly, "Tell me about it, Huaizhou."
Gu Huaizhou couldn't resist Li Xi's coquettishness at all, and he immediately said, "In Southeast Asia, arms are a legal business. The Fifth Family is the largest arms family, but there are also two powerful mortal enemies."
"Forty-five years ago, the Fifth Master was betrayed by his family confidants and enemies, and eventually fled to the mainland, where he met my grandparents."
"At that time, the Fifth Master was shot and his wounds became infected. He had a high fever, but he always carefully protected his stepson by his side."
"When my grandmother saw that the Fifth Master was still devoted to his stepson after he fell on hard times, she knew that he was a man of great loyalty and righteousness. So she asked my grandfather to find a way to send him to the hospital and save his life. Afterward, she secretly sent him back to Southeast Asia."