"When did I say I was going to show up as a 'relative of Zheng Xiu'?" The Mighty Man scratched his head and grinned. "I *am* Zheng Xiu."
By the bonfire, the air instantly fell deathly silent.
Zheng Xiu pointed to his own face and chuckled. "I'll tell them I'm Zheng Xiu."
That's right. It was the simplest solution.
I've pretended to be my uncle, my son, my older brother, my younger brother.
Zheng Xiu had long since grown accustomed to switching freely between these tangled family roles. Now that the cards were on the table, he would go back to pretending to be himself.
The head of the Shuzhou Chamber of Commerce was named Si Youqing. The last time he had met Zheng Xiu was seven or eight years ago; all subsequent contact had been through letters.
After seven or eight years, couldn't Master Zheng, in the prime of his life, have gone through a second growth spurt? Grown taller, more formidable, more handsome? What could be more normal?
Zheng Xiu figured it wouldn't be a problem.
