When she was at school, Sharon didn't live here often, so there wasn't much in the room, making the whole space look rather empty.

Sharon enthusiastically pushed open the walk-in closet in the room to show Clara her new dress.

"This one was a gift from my grandmother for my birthday, and this one is from Sister Ruxuan," Sharon introduced as she pointed at them, "And this one! This is the one my cousin gave me, hahahahaha."

Sharon's big eyes rolled, lively and proud: "I specifically chose the most expensive one!"

As she was speaking, someone pushed the door open, and both of them looked toward the entrance.

Bai Ruxuan looked at Clara with a complex expression: "Why are you here?"

Chapter 30

Bai Ruxuan had arrived a bit late, and since Julian had gone to a room on the second floor, she didn't know he had arrived. Seeing Clara, she was naturally a little surprised.

Thinking back to the harsh words she had said to Clara, she felt uncomfortable all over.

Clara didn't harbor any hostility toward her, thinking it was merely the dissatisfaction of a rival in love, and said calmly: "Julian is not here."

Bai Ruxuan said awkwardly: "I'm not looking for him; I came to find Sharon."

As if to prove it, she closed the door and sat on the stool of the dressing table. Sharon suddenly felt like she was trapped in the middle.

She was the one who called Sister Ruxuan, and she also called Teacher Clara, she thought guiltily.

Sharon simply decided to play the ostrich. She dropped the words, "Grandpa just said he wanted to see me, you guys chat," and left.

With a "bang" of the door closing, only Clara and Bai Ruxuan were left in the room, staring at each other. For a moment, the atmosphere was… awkward.

The air remained silent for a long time; neither spoke first.

It don't know how long passed before Bai Ruxuan suddenly said: "Clara, I won't fight you for Brother Julian anymore."

Her tone wasn't like the previous hidden daggers; instead, it felt like she had realized the other person already knew what kind of person she was, so there was no need to pretend.

Clara didn't react in time.

Bai Ruxuan suddenly closed her eyes, half-resigned and half-unreconciled: "I admit, I can't compete with you."

Ever since she last saw Clara, she had someone investigate everything about her, attempting to know herself and her enemy so as to be invincible.

But the more she investigated, the colder her heart became.

Because she discovered that if it weren't for Julian having to go abroad for treatment, she might never have had the chance to meet him at all.

Having played the role of the well-behaved girl for too long, she had felt suspicious heartbeats almost the moment she saw Julian. She followed him back to China, even hoping to become his assistant.

But now, she was told that even their meeting bore someone else's brand.

Bai Ruxuan suddenly started to feel a bit fortunate—fortunate that she hadn't known him for long, and hadn't yet reached the point of no return. At least, she could still maintain the dignity of a young lady from a prominent family.

What's more, her father had told her yesterday that Julian might already be planning to move against the Bai family.

She couldn't keep being… so willful anymore.

Even if she liked him, she was the sole heir to the Bai family; she didn't need to be subservient. She realized that there were plenty of men, and it wasn't as if Julian was the only one. As long as she kept the green hills, she wouldn't have to worry about running out of firewood.

However, Clara actually hadn't wanted to fight at all.

She didn't know how to answer either, only feeling that Bai Ruxuan must be quite upset, and that her presence here was perhaps a bit presumptuous. She also stood up and said hesitantly: "Um, you stay here… I'll go get something to eat?"

After saying that, she left the room, leaving Bai Ruxuan alone.

Clara pulled the door shut behind her. The oppressive feeling in her heart dissipated. She took a deep breath and was about to go downstairs when she happened to run into Julian coming out of the room next door.

Following closely behind Julian was a middle-aged man with graying hair who looked very elegant.

The moment Clara saw him, her movements froze. Her bright eyes stared at him unblinkingly, and her expression went dull.

Perhaps noticing the gaze from this side, Julian looked over. Seeing Clara standing blankly in the middle of the hallway, he thought it was strange and waved at her with a smile to come over.

"Come to my side, Qiaoqiao."

Chapter 31

Clara walked over, stepping with the same hand and foot, looking ridiculous. Julian thought it was amusing and went over to take Clara's hand directly.

He had originally wanted to introduce Clara to others, but the moment he touched her hand, he realized it was ice-cold. He asked with concern: "What's wrong, Qiaoqiao?"

Clara's brain was a mess; she shook her head blankly, unable to speak.

These people only assumed Clara was Julian's date, someone who had never seen the world and was scared silly. A voice from the crowd teased: "President Xie, you really should bring people out to see the world more often; don't just keep them hidden away."

This remark implied that Clara was provincial. Julian had also clawed his way up, so how could he not hear the insinuation?

In an instant, Julian's aura congealed. One hand held Clara's tightly, and his tone was cold as frost: "I hadn't noticed before, President Chen, why are you so fond of meddling in other people's business?"

Teasing was one thing, but Julian's anger was quite another. After being rebuffed, President Chen's face turned green and then red.

Clara seemed not to hear their words, staring straight at the man in the middle.

Suddenly, the man asked: "Julian, who is this?"

Before Julian could open his mouth, Clara met his eyes and took the initiative to reply: "Hello, I am Clara Dong."

The girl was no longer in the daze of a moment ago. Her expression was indifferent; she didn't look like someone who had never seen the world as they had described, but rather, she was poised and graceful.

Upon hearing her name, the elegance around the man dissipated. His expression suddenly became extremely shocked; his eyes widened, and his hands trembled as he raised them halfway to the air, unable to speak for a long time.

By comparison, Clara was much calmer, standing beside Julian with poise.

A father she hadn't seen in nearly twenty years appearing before her in this manner was simply too bizarre.

Almost everyone present noticed the man's sudden disbelief. Someone asked boldly: "Mayor Xu, what's wrong?"

The man called Mayor Xu ignored them, only looking at Clara, his voice lacking its usual authority and stability: "You said… your name is Clara Dong?"

"Yes, my name is Clara Dong." She nodded slightly.

Only Julian knew that Clara was not as calm as she appeared; her hand was gripping Julian's hand so hard it hurt.

He didn't know what was happening either, only vaguely sensing that Clara might have some connection to Mayor Xu.

Mayor Xu took a step forward, wanting to say something, but Clara took Julian’s hand and left directly, leaving several people staring at each other in bewilderment.

Julian had never seen Clara like this—exuding an aura that suggested she shouldn't be messed with—dragging him forward, ignoring everything as she strode through the crowd on the first floor.

Everyone around watched as Julian was obediently pulled away, and there was even… what did that expression of indulgence mean?

It wasn't until they were outside that Julian used a little force, his tone carrying a smile: "Classmate Clara Dong, if you keep walking, you'll end up at Tiananmen."

Clara’s pupils gradually cleared. Recalling her father, her heart still felt a bit obstructed. She lowered her head and said in a low, heavy voice: "Sorry… I lost my composure."

Julian stopped smiling, realizing that all of Clara’s uncharacteristic behavior was because she had seen Mayor Xu. A preposterous thought gradually emerged in his mind.

"Mayor Xu is…?"

Clara remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "He is my biological father."

A biological father who had abandoned his wife and daughter, was irresponsible, and hadn't been seen for twenty years.

Chapter 32

When Clara's parents divorced, she was already nine years old and remembered everything.

She remembered how her father used vicious words against her mother, belittling her and making her feel worthless. He never laid a hand on her, but this kind of verbal abuse was a thousand times worse than physical violence.

Clara's mother had gone from being confident to doubting herself day by day; she couldn't even find the words to refute him, because everything he said felt like a fact.