"Where is she?" the old man asked with an almost guttural voice, trying to get Madam Shen's attention who was busy making preparations for the closing speech for the night.
Lifting her eyes from the paper she was reading, Madam Shen took noticed on the difference that happened to the man she hadn't seen for years. Master Sun's face was timeworn and was wrinkled. His tailored suit trumpeted wealth and refinement.
The light coming from chandeliers illuminated his tired, worn face, wrinkles boring deeply into his skin. His expression was of frustration and fatigue. The world seemed no place for this man as if he had had enough. His listless eyes always watching, observing everything around him.
"Master Sun, it's been a long time." she greeted. She was aware of what he wanted but refuse to satisfy his curiosity.
"Where is she?" Master Sun repeated. He didn't have time for pleasantries and only wanted to know what was his granddaughter's condition.
"Please don't make a scene here, Master Sun. It was bad enough that your daughter injured our Xin'er," Shen Huang, Yi and Xue's father, joined the conversation. He wasn't there when his mother and eldest son found Lu Xinyi sprawled on the floor, but he'd seen the swollen foot she got from the incident.
The thought of his new daughter-in-law being assault in his own place didn't sit well on him. How could the Sun family tolerate that kind of behavior? Did they also abuse Lu Xinyi just like what they did to Sun Meixiu before?
Master Sun face froze. His mouth was slightly turned down, his eyebrows were curved downwards too. His face showed feelings of regret, feelings of being sorry for not able to protect Lu Xinyi from his own daughter and not realizing what he'd done when she was younger. Was her injury really that bad?
"You need not to worry about her. Her husband will tend to her needs and will ensure that she will recover well." Madam Shen added. There was no need to pretend that Master Sun wasn't aware of the truth between and Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi.
If this old man was worried enough about Lu Xinyi's condition, it wouldn't be surprising that he'd been keeping a track on her all this time. After all, Lu Xinyi was still related to him by blood and the true heiress of his estate.
Since Lu Xinyi arrived with Shen Yi that night, Master Sun had already observed her from afar. He could see the resemblance of Lu Xinyi to his deceased daughter, but they weren't the same at all in terms of attitude and confidence. His poor Meixiu had always been afraid to stand up for herself unlike this little miss, he was looking for.
Lu Xinyi had presented herself as a proper lady that she should be, in spite of the fact that she'd never received treatments and lessons in her early years of childhood. He was, of course, taken aback once he found out that Lu Xinyi married the young master of the Shen family.
Did she even consider what he will think of it? Probably not. For the past years, she kept on declining all his wishes and requests. Especially her marriage arrangement to the young master of the Li family and his request for her to come home.
This incident between his daughter, Sun Ruying and his granddaughter had proved something. He can't protect her in his own estate, not when his other children see Lu Xinyi as a threat.
"Then keep an eye to Xin'er. Please tell her, I'll be expecting her to visit one of these days."
Master Sun turned around and decided to leave his granddaughter to the Shen family. How long had it been? More than twenty years? He could still see in their eyes that they were still grieving for the loss of their previous young master. His mouth set in a hard line. So many regrets and wrongdoings he couldn't change anymore.
When he arrived at the Sun Estate, Sun Ruying came into him, wailing and begging for help. She was clearly distressed, so different from the arrogant woman who left the Shen Mansion earlier.
"What's wrong?" he inquired, anxious to know what caused this sudden changed to his daughter.
"Please, Dad. Help me. I don't know what's happening. The investors of Crystal Sun started to pull out their investments, some shareholders are also selling their shares at a low price."
It was a sudden disaster, no one had seen coming. All of her clients who'd signed a big project with Crystal Sun had also backed out and forfeited their contract. If she couldn't solve this, she will lose everything she worked on for years.
She'd already made several phone calls, trying to beg not to abandon her company and to find out what went wrong. Her attempts were in futile as neither her clients and investors listen to her. They won't even give her a chance to talk to their executives. Some of them declared that they would never work with them ever again.
Master Sun felt an acute pain and a ringing sound filled his head. He tried to stay upright and summon strength and for a brief moment, he did. His old age starting to affect his health and wellness. He knew exactly what brought this problem to his daughter.