Leng Shuyue’s smile stiffened.

But at the thought of Xia Qiuming’s imminent return, a smile was plastered back onto her face.

"Leng Yuan, we’re family. How can you just cut ties like that? It was my fault back then. I should have been on your side. Can I apologize to you?"

’He’s still just being petty,’ she thought. ’He’s probably holding a grudge because I didn’t take his side back then. An apology should be enough to fix this!’

Leng Yuan’s expression turned cold. He looked at Leng Shuyue without a trace of emotion, as if she were less than a stranger.

This aunt of his had sided with the second and third family branches. Afterward, afraid he might hide some valuables, she had his second and third uncles watch him like a hawk while he moved his belongings.

Anything of value was kept by his second and third uncles.

If his father hadn’t been so vigilant, he wouldn’t have been able to take a single thing with him.

Even if he had managed to take them by force, severing ties later wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

For a person like that to suddenly come trying to curry favor with him made Leng Yuan deeply suspicious.

He had cut ties with the entire Leng Family. His parents were dead, and his only living relative was his maternal uncle, whose whereabouts were unknown.

His maternal grandparents had endured great hardship in their youth, which had ruined their health. Shortly after his mother’s wedding, their conditions suddenly worsened.

The doctor said their health had been failing for a long time.

They likely wouldn’t have held on for so long if they hadn’t wanted to see their daughter get married. With their conditions worsening, there was nothing more that could be done.

The old couple were both content.

Seeing their daughter find a good match was a great weight off their minds.

Their only remaining worry was their young son.

The old couple only had a son and a daughter. The daughter was the eldest, the son the youngest, and they had doted on both equally.

Now that their daughter was settled and their son was still young, they had no choice but to entrust him to her care.

His mother had nodded, promising to take good care of her younger brother.

The year his grandparents passed away, his uncle was only sixteen.

His mother worried about her brother and wanted to bring him over to live with her, but he refused.

Two months later, his uncle suddenly announced that he was going to enlist in the army, and he was incredibly determined.

His mother forbid it. She even took a willow switch and beat him so severely he couldn’t get out of bed.

In the end, his uncle, Xia Qiuming, dragged his feverish body to the recruitment office and signed up.

He actually succeeded. His mother had no other choice but to reluctantly agree.

This all happened before Leng Yuan was born. He only knew about it because his mother constantly spoke of this uncle.

He was five years old the first time he remembered meeting his uncle.

That summer, Xia Qiuming came home, and his mother burst into tears on the spot.

Xia Qiuming was in his twenties by then, a strapping young man. Military service had made him sharp, capable, and very strong.

As a child, Leng Yuan had been quiet, clever, and aloof, showing little affection for anyone around him.

Aside from his grandfather and his parents, he had no friends.

Out of love for his sister, Xia Qiuming doted on his quiet nephew. He carried him out to run wild every day and brought him back lots of toys and clothes.

But his visit was as brief as it was sudden. He only stayed home for a month before leaving again.

He didn’t return again until Leng Yuan was thirteen years old.

By then, he had been promoted several ranks.

Although they had only met in person that one time, they exchanged letters every month. Plus, with his mother constantly talking about him, Leng Yuan never forgot his uncle.

Ever since that first meeting when he was five, every time his mother wrote to her brother, she would leave a blank sheet of paper at the end for Leng Yuan to add a few words.

Back then, he had just started practicing his calligraphy. His characters weren’t very pretty, but they were still legible.

At first, his mother had to make him do it, but eventually, it became a habit.