Chapter 1292

A graceful yet charming figure stepped forward to greet them.

Nangong Yun quickly hooked her arm through the Old Man’s and sweetly changed her greeting: “Grandfather.”

She then tilted her head to glance at Bei Kuangri and obediently called out, “Uncle.”

Bei Kuangri nodded slightly, offering a faint smile.

“Good child.” The Old Man looked at the younger generation and the servants, chuckling heartily twice.

“Alright, alright, no need to stand on ceremony. Go on about your business, all of you.”

Everyone then paid their respects once more.

Those with duties quietly withdrew to attend to them.

Only a few servants remained, along with the Old Madam and Nangong Yun accompanying the Old Man.

When the others had gone, the place finally settled into calm.

The Old Madam and Nangong Yun supported the Old Man as they continued walking toward the main hall.

Before they reached the doorway, the Old Man’s gaze instinctively drifted toward the few pots of parrot beaks not far away.

Suddenly, a figure came into view.

A faint silhouette dressed in white stood behind the blooming flowers.

The gentle breeze blew softly, lifting her naturally cascading long hair.

Strands of it swayed gracefully in the wind, exuding an indescribable fresh purity and, under the sunlight, a touch of radiant beauty.

Such a familiar feeling, such a familiar figure—he had yearned for this image for over a decade, his heart wrenching in midnight dreams where her absence left only pain.

His Qingyou, the purest and most cherished child of his life…

“You’er…”

The Old Man suddenly stopped in his tracks, his complexion changing entirely.

Before the Old Madam could react, he broke free of her support and rushed toward the direction of the flower pots.

The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.

They all froze where they stood, watching the Old Man, unable to process what was happening.

Seeing the Old Man walk so quickly, everyone became alarmed, fearing he might fall.

The Old Madam was the first to recover and hurried to follow him.

“What’s wrong? Walk slower, be careful!”

But despite quickening her pace, she still couldn’t catch up to the Old Man.

In the blink of an eye, the Old Man had already arrived in front of Baili Xia.

His trembling hands reached out, as if to touch the girl before him.

Yet, as his hands lingered in mid-air, they abruptly stopped.

From afar, the resemblance was striking.

But up close, the differences were clear.

She was not…

the same person.

It was only then that the Old Man saw clearly this figure wasn’t the one he had longed for all this time.

This girl merely bore a certain resemblance to Bei Qingyou.

Back then, those pots of parrot beaks had been brought back from abroad by her as a special gift for the Old Man.

Later, Bei Qingyou would often stand there, tending to the flowers.

But ever since her death, Bei Qingyou’s name had become a forbidden topic in this household.

For years now, no one dared speak of her again.

Only the Old Man, whenever he saw these pots of flowers, couldn’t help but think of her.

Others, worried that the sight of the flowers would provoke more painful memories, had wanted to throw them away.

But the Old Man had laid down an unyielding order, absolutely forbidding it.

And in this instant, the Old Man had mistakenly seen Baili Xia as her.

“You are…” Looking at Baili Xia, the Old Man’s voice was still tinged with excitement.

Startled by the Old Man’s sudden approach, Baili Xia froze in shock.

Standing this close to her relative, especially seeing the longing and tenderness in his eyes, she was so overcome with emotion that she momentarily forgot to respond.

It wasn’t until Mu Xiaoyao gently nudged her from behind that Baili Xia regained her senses.

She quickly bent her waist in a respectful bow and greeted, “Good day, Sir.”

She had wanted to call him Grandfather, but before everything became clear, she couldn’t reveal even the slightest hint of information.