Furthermore, Elder Shen had only just decided to accept Tong Yan, reneging on his words now would appear to be very cruel, wouldn't it?
Elder Shen started to hesitate. Xinghe was quiet; she waited patiently for his answer. She didn't force him because the decision laid with him. No matter his decision, she would honor it.
However, if he chose to side with Tong Yan then she would have to find another way to search for her mother. She wouldn't even tell the Shen family the truth because it was no longer necessary. The Lin family had caused such suffering to her mother, she wouldn't forgive them no matter what.
Tong Yan was part of the Lin family no matter how hard she denied it. Just as a mountain couldn't host two tigers, there could only be one of them remaining. It was either Xinghe or Tong Yan. This might be unfair to the rest of the Shen family that didn't know anything, but for Xinghe, if Elder Shen chose Tong Yan, it would seem like he chose the Lin family over the chance of finding his own daughter and Xinghe's mother.
The atmosphere in the study went stale for quite some time before Elder Shen finally came to a decision. "Even though I still feel related to that pair of mother and daughter, they have dominated my love for several decades; that should be more than enough. My real daughter is still out there, her fate unknown, I cannot let her to continue suffer anymore. Therefore, I promise to cooperate with you." Elder Shen sighed.
Xinghe raised her pair of shiny black eyes. "You sure?"
Elder Shen nodded firmly. "Yes, I am! I will cooperate fully with you, I will cut ties from them both. I've realized how naïve I was. I thought I could keep both, but now I really see that is not possible."
If he did find his daughter, it was obvious that Shen Ru and Tong Yan were going to put her through a hard time. His daughter had already suffered through decades of agony, he couldn't put her through more family drama. Even if Shen Ru and Tong Yan suddenly turned over a new leaf, his daughter would also feel awkward around them because they belonged to the family that did all those terrible things to her. Therefore, the only way to really treat his daughter well was to cut all ties with Shen Ru and Tong Yan or else it was only a disaster waiting to happen.
After confirming his thoughts, Xinghe's eyes softened multiple degrees. "Okay, thank you for believing in me. I promise to fulfil my end of the bargain as soon as possible."
Xinghe stood up and said, "Grandfather, I will come visit again soon, I will definitely stay for dinner next time." She knew it was only going to make things worse if she stayed.
"Okay, come find me if you need anything." Elder Shen didn't press for her to stay because he had something that needed to be done, and it was to crush Tong Yan's wishful thinking.
Xinghe nodded and led Ali out. When they passed the living room, their eyes met those of Tong Yan and Chui Ying.
Xinghe glanced lightly at them and left without saying any words.
Tong Yan suddenly stood up to gloat. "Xia Xinghe, you're leaving already? Why don't you stay for dinner? Didn't my grandpa ask the help to prepare many delicious dishes for you, how can you disappoint him like that?"
"Why would she stay? To make a fool of herself? Little Yan, you're the main character and she is not qualified enough to play the part of an extra," Chui Ying also added snidely. Both of them thought Xinghe was leaving because she couldn't stand being neglected. After all, with Tong Yan back in Elder Shen's heart, Xinghe, this new stepdaughter, would naturally be kicked out of the way.
The arrogant Xia Xinghe would definitely not stay, that was what they thought.
Tong Yan couldn't suppress the smug smile that threatened to appear on her face. Her eyes that looked at Xinghe were filled with derision.
Ali, who couldn't stand the way they looked at Xinghe, scoffed with condescension, "It's still too early to tell who the main character is! I advise you two to not be so arrogant or else the incoming face slaps will hurt so bad!"