Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Ruan Zeer, "…"

"What do you know?" At that juncture, Ruan Zeer simply felt like crying.

He had loosened up a bit after being bothered by Qi Youxuan, but unexpectedly however, Qi Chenglin popped a sudden question, "Does your uncle have any children?"

Ruan Zeer was briefly stupefied, requiring some time to come back to his senses and answer the man.

Glancing quickly at Qi Chenglin, Ruan Zeer was feeling slightly aggrieved. He thought that the topic had been dropped, but Qi Chenglin brought it up yet again.

"According to my parents, there was one who disappeared as soon as she was born. Our family had been looking for her all these years, but because there weren"t any leads, we weren"t successful," Ruan Zeer said.

It went without saying that those were private matters. He and Qi Chenglin were not that close and at most, they were able to interact to some degree. Ruan Zeer was no fool, however. He may have had a one-track mind when it came to factual matters as well as right and wrong, but his mind was nimble in most other occasions.

Knowing Qi Chenglin"s status and capabilities, Ruan Zeer would have nothing to lose by telling the truth. It would be great if Qi Chenglin could help him out on account of his friends.h.i.+p with Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan. If the man felt that their relations.h.i.+p had not reached a point where he would offer his help to Ruan Zeer, then the young man"s family would simply remain as it is, without any disadvantage to them.

"Something"s disappeared?" Ruan Danchen and Aunt Zheng heard Ruan Zeer talking when they carried the dishes into the dining hall. "Come and eat. You can talk while you have your meal."

Everyone then sat down on the dining table and Ruan Zeer retold everything.

He did not know much because his grandfather and his father did not mention it specifically to him. All he knew what was he heard in pa.s.sing during conversations his family had at the dinner table.

Ruan Keyu"s past with Chang Yuehuan was a blur too, so much so that he did not even know Chang Yuehuan"s full name. His family mentioned her as Yuehuan or daughter-in-law whenever they spoke about her.

Ruan Zeer roughly knew what happened, which was his uncle"s death in an accident and his aunt"s death during childbirth. It was from then onward that Ruan Zeer"s elder cousin sister disappeared.

Ruan Danchen knew that his search was like searching for a needle in a haystack, so she asked for further details. Qi Chenglin might not have the time to make the search, but in the event that fate led them to obtain some news about the lost woman, it would still have a positive impact.

However, Ruan Zeer scratched his head because he did not know the full story. He simply said, "I"ll go back home and ask me parents."

Ruan Danchen nodded and left it at that.

Meanwhile, it was Qi Youxuan who—in the midst of the meal—looked up at Ruan Zeer and then at Ruan Danchen. His gaze moved back and forth over the two of them, scrutinizing them thoroughly.

"What is it?" Ruan Zeer smiled and asked.

"I suddenly noticed that Big Brother Ruan looks quite similar to Mom!" Qi Youxuan remarked crisply.

Ruan Zeer"s mind went blank and so did Ruan Danchen. They both looked at each other at the same time.

Their similarities in appearance were not that apparent, although their eyes and facial structure looked the same to some extent. It was not as obviously similar as brother and sister from the same parents, but there were some traces of likeness.

If two completely unrelated persons such as themselves were put together, bystanders might think of the phrase "predestined to marry because of their similar features".

Of course, no one at the table had that kind of thought.

Ruan Danchen burst out chuckling. "Zeer and I are fated to meet, it seems. We both share the same surname and look quite similar to each other."

Ruan Zeer scratched his head while smiling. He did not mention anything about acknowledging Ruan Danchen as his sister for fear that Qi Chenglin might misunderstand him.

Qi Chenglin curled his lips in an amorphous smile. His dark pupils s.h.i.+fted from Ruan Danchen"s face and onto Ruan Zeer. In the end however, he said nothing.

On Tueday, Chang Jingqiu received a call from Liu Ronghua. Chang Jingqiu knew what Liu Ronghua"s purpose for the call was, without the latter needing to say anything at all.

She listened as Liu Ronghua spoke, "You want evidence, right? Your biological parents are here."

Chang Jingqiu gritted her teeth and replied, "They"re not my biological parents. You"re not allowed to say that kind of thing in the future."

In the end, Liu Ronghua snickered, as if mocking Chang Jingqiu for thinking that ignorance is bliss.

The unbothered Chang Jingqiu asked for the where and when. Liu Ronghua said that the couple would reach around ten that morning and had already arranged for them to stay at a hotel.

Hearing that their daughter entered a rich family made the couple excitedly happy and very emotional. They wanted to meet their daughter and were so eager that they did not even rest. They indicated that they would like to have lunch with Chang Jingqiu.

Hatred was the only thing that Chang Jingqiu felt in her heart, as she filled her mind with images of an avaricious old couple before even meeting them. She voluntarily suggested a restaurant and said that she wanted to meet them there.

The restaurant that Chang Jingqiu proposed was rather far. The establishment served peasant dishes and was situated at the countryside, just beside one of the national highways. For the sake of a large courtyard, they furnished their rooms with brick platforms, complete with a low wooden table on top of it, leaving the room very s.p.a.cious.

Chang Jingqiu chose that location because she did not want anyone else to spot her. It was an isolated and down-to-earth place that people in her circle would never have a meal in.

She went there before because the newspaper company that she worked for had organized an excursion there once. The taste was so-so because they cooked their food peasant-style and not at all elegant. Much of the ingredients there were uncommonly found in the city, with poultry such as free-range chicken, wild geese, and even peac.o.c.k.

Most importantly, it was cheap. She had no intention of spending too much, if any at all, on the parents that refused to acknowledge her in the past.

She had already clocked in for work, but after looking at the time, she drove to the restaurant under the pretense that she was going for an interview.

By the time she arrived, Liu Ronghua was already waiting there with the couple. Chang Jingqiu pushed the door, entered, then saw the middle-aged couple sitting on the brick platform. They should probably be about the same age as Xia Wenna or Guan Liya, but through looks alone, they looked ten years older than either of the two ladies.

The man"s hair was a disheveled mess. It was clear that it had been dyed, since the color was so black that it looked unnatural. His skin was very tan, a result of long-term exposure to sunlight. Chang Jingqiu did not know what his job was but did not ask about it, since she was neither interested nor concerned.

From his current look however, Chang Jingqiu surmised that he was a construction site worker. Years and years of ultraviolet rays eroded his skin, causing plenty of wrinkles to form. His eyes looked turbid while his lips looked unhealthy. Yellowed teeth—the consequence of frequent smoking—graced his mouth whenever he opened it, with patches of brownish dental plaque enveloping those teeth.

Even though the man did not open his mouth, Chang Jingqiu could smell the strong tobacco from him simply by standing beside him. The musk was characteristic of construction site workers, disgusting Chang Jingqiu to the point where she frowned.

The woman beside the man had locks of gray hair interspersed with black. Her hair was long and coiled into a bun, although some of the shorter hairs were more stubborn.

It was obvious that the woman was negligent in taking care of her own health. She may not even have washed her face with facial wash, as her skin was dark and dry, with an abundance of wrinkles without even needing her to smile. Her hands were particularly rough, with coa.r.s.e fingertips and a similarly textured skin, filled with plenty of calluses.

Once the couple saw Chang Jingqiu entering, they got off the brick platform guiltily.

The man looked at Chang Jingqiu as though he was trying to get on her good side but was apprehensive about it. He tried smiling, revealing a mouth filled with yellow teeth. The woman was much more excited than the man, wanting to step forward but hesitant to do so.

She looked at Chang Jingqiu from head to toe, displaying much admiration.

The woman seemed unclear as to how she should address Chang Jingqiu, so she looked warily at Liu Ronghua.

It was then that Liu Ronghua got up. She walked up to the area between Chang Jingqiu and the couple before introducing them. "I"ll get you all acquainted. This is Huang Pinggui, and this is w.a.n.g Lixia. They"re your biological parents."

Liu Ronghua then turned to the couple and said, "This is your daughter. She goes by the name of Chang Jingqiu now."

Evidently, the couple looked at Chang Jingqiu in shock and adulation. Chang Jingqiu had an air of n.o.bility with her branded attire, and even if the couple no longer recognized her, they knew that she had a ton of money.

"I didn"t lie to you back then, did I? I told you I"ll send her to a rich family. Look at how good her life is now. Miss Chang is the treasured daughter of her family, and the Chang family is very renowned," Liu Ronghua remarked with a smile.

Chang Jingqiu noticed a glimmer in Huang Pinggui"s eyes, and even w.a.n.g Lixia was finding it hard to contain her excitement.

"My daughter!" w.a.n.g Lixia stepped up in excitement and wanted to shake Chang Jingqiu;s hand.

Chang Jingqiu dodged it instantly and narrowed her eyes. Sparing no courtesy, she said, "We don"t know yet if that"s true, so don"t jump the gun and call me that. Even if you were my real parents, you"ve already sold me off, so we have no relations.h.i.+p. I came to meet you not because I wanted to acknowledge you. I just wanted to see the truth for myself."

w.a.n.g Lixia retracted her hand awkwardly. She saw the ring on Chang Jingqiu"s finger, but did not know what kind of jewel was in it. It looked expensive though, as the gem was glimmering and s.h.i.+mmering.

Huang Pinggui rubbed his hands a smiled, saying, "My daughter, you can"t say something like that. We"re your real parents. We sold you off because we had no other choice. We were in poverty. I went to work in the city as a temporary construction worker when your mother was still pregnant with you. The chief contractor was a terrible person who always did not pay our wages on time. We sold you because we didn"t have a choice. There were even times where I didn"t receive any money even though I spent an entire year working so hard. No one would sell their own child unless times were desperate!"

"That"s right!" w.a.n.g Lixia nodded fervently, with tears in her eyes. She wiped them away with her coa.r.s.e fingers. "I wasn"t willing to part with you at that time."

"But look at you now. You"re living a prosperous life because of those desperate times. You were born in a rich family, a family much stronger than ours. I heard you Aunt Liu say that you have a good life with the Chang family. They thought that you were their own granddaughter and they care for you deeply. If you were still with us, you would"ve been a peasant girl who wouldn"t"ve grown up to be so beautiful, dressed in so much expensive things, isn"t that right?" Huang Pinggui was truly in awe of Chang Jingqiu"s attire.

Chang Jingqiu was actually very grateful that they sold her off. She could not imagine how her life would turn out if she continued to live in the village.

She might end up like w.a.n.g Lixia, with coa.r.s.e skin and doing farm jobs. Perhaps she might even be wedded off to one of the men there, who had nothing to offer and was probably doing laborious jobs in the city just like Huang Pinggui.

"I don"t blame you for selling me off," Chang Jingqiu said coldly.

"I"m glad you don"t, I"m glad you don"t. We"re still family then," Huang Pinggui nodded and said without hesitation.

"Who are you calling family?" Chang Jingqiu uttered in disgust.

Huang Pinggui and w.a.n.g Lixia were both stunned. w.a.n.g Lixia asked awkwardly, "But…you don"t blame us, right? Why…"

"I don"t blame you because I don"t treat you as family. You"re nothing but strangers to me, always have been and always will be. You and I have nothing to do with each other, understood?" Chang Jingqiu said coldly.

"But…but we"re you"re real parents!" w.a.n.g Lixia turned frantic. "I still gave birth to you!"

"I came here today just to meet the two of you." Chang Jingqiu pursed her lips and was fed up at having to talk too much to them. She knew exactly why they were so eager to meet her. "Before we have a conclusion, it"s best for you not to talk nonsense. I know why you"re so eager to meet me, so if you want to continue getting some benefit, you"d better shut your mouths."

Chang Jingqiu took out her wallet and removed six hundred yuan, which she threw onto the table. "This is for lunch. I"ll contact the DNA test center, and if there"s no problems, we"ll take it tomorrow."

"Wait!" Liu Ronghua stopped her before she left.

Irritated, Chang Jingqiu turned around, to which Liu Ronghua then released her grip and said, "While you"re waiting for the test results, they still need to stay here at B City. I"ve already paid for their flight tickets and their hotel room today. In the end, you"re the one that wants the truth. It doesn"t make sense for me to pay for everything else now, does it?"

Chang Jingqiu twitched her lip in disdain and scoffed. "How much did you spend? I"ll pay you whatever money you"ll spend, but I don"t have much cash on me right now."

Liu Ronghua felt that if she went to look for Chang Jingqiu in order to settle the debt, the latter would not be so shameless as to refuse acknowledgement of the debt. Chang Jingqiu may not be a good person, but since she was from a rich family, she would likely keep her promise when it came to matters involving money.

Liu Ronghua did not hold her back anymore, so she left.

Huang Pinggui and w.a.n.g Lixia looked on blankly. The upset w.a.n.g Lixia pouted and said, "Our daughter"s now a rich person. She"s grown up. We can"t claim connections with her anymore."

Huang Pinggui took off his shoes, and with his feet covered in hole-filled socks, he sat back on the platform. With a sip of tea, he said, "Hmph! We"re still her biological parents. She"s has to respect us because we"re the ones that gave birth to her!"

"I think so too. Besides, the Chang family isn"t poor. It won"t be a big deal if she took care of us," w.a.n.g Lixia added. She rolled her eyes after seeing Chang Jingqiu"s att.i.tude earlier. "She doesn"t lack money at all. The clothes that she wears is enough for us to eat well for a few years, and it"ll be enough for Dan"er"s studies. She"s a cruel woman if she"s willing to buy all those things but doesn"t even want to give her own family a bit of money."

"Sigh, we"ll just keep this between us. It"s not good to talk about this in front of her. We still need to depend on her for Dan"er"s school fees." Huang Pinggui touched his hair.

Since he knew he was going to stay in a hotel that day, Huang Pinggui neither bathed nor washed his hair, just so he could save some water at home. At that point, his hair was oily and had a musty odor.

Unable to bear it any longer, Liu Ronghua covered her nose with a tissue.

"I"ll keep quiet." w.a.n.g Lixia nodded while rubbing her stomach. They then asked Liu Ronghua to order because they were both hungry already.

On Wednesday, Chang Jingqiu brought Huang Pinggui and w.a.n.g Lixia over to get the DNA test. She contacted one of the people so the test results would be known as soon as possible.

Their second meeting saw Huang Pinggui and w.a.n.g Lixia fawn even more over Chang Jingqiu, but on the other hand, she remained indifferent and was not even willing to look at them. Huang Pinggui and w.a.n.g Lixia tried talking to her, but she ignored them completely and even showed her disgust for them at times.

Her att.i.tude led them to chastise her after they had gone back, complaining that Chang Jingqiu was not a good person since she did not even acknowledge her own parents.

During lunchtime, Ruan Danchen came looking for Qi Chenglin to have lunch. She noticed that Jiang Yuan was gone. His desk was empty and there were no doc.u.ments at all, as if he did not even show up for work in the first place.

After entering the office, she asked Qi Chenglin about it.

"He"s outstation for a few days to deal with some stuff," Qi Chenglin explained.

He omitted to mention what Jiang Yuan was tasked to deal with. Ruan Danchen did not ask too much either, as she felt that it was something relating to work.

Due to his absence, one of the female employees from the secretary"s office took over his duties temporarily. Nevertheless, the more important things were not a.s.signed to her for fear that she might make a mistake; since Jiang Yuan would be coming back after a few days, it would be inconvenient for him to pick up where the temp left off. Qi Chenglin might as well let Cheng Dongge deal with those important things.

Nevertheless, the temp was not too familiar with Jiang Yuan"s tasks either, but if anyone can take his position, then Jiang Yuan would no longer be that useful to Qi Chenglin anymore.

Qi Chenglin tried his best to make do for those few days, but the temp did hamper his work efficacy significantly.

When Ruan Danchen came up, Qi Chenglin still had a bit more of his early morning work to finish up. Another task would be taking up the latter half of his day, so he did not want to delay the morning work and settle it in the afternoon.

Ruan Danchen waited in the office for him, but after some thought, decided to order delivery. It was to prevent him from needing to decide on a place for lunch, as that would entail a ma.s.sive waste of time.

Although Qi Chenglin said he would quick, Ruan Danchen did not want him to rush too much. She ordered the food and told him to take it slow without worrying.

Fortunately, when the food came, Qi Chenglin managed to finish his work too.

Looking at the time, he noticed that he had spent forty minutes dealing with it despite saying he would be done soon. He looked apologetically at Ruan Danchen and was thankful that she ordered delivery; otherwise, she would have gotten hungry along with him if she waited there.

Ruan Danchen waved at him, smiling and telling him, "Come and eat."

Qi Chenglin felt that she was quite alike to Qi Youxuan and could not help but c.o.c.k a brow. Still, he followed her instructions and leaned over to her, hugging her tightly. Ruan Danchen was made to feel as though she was rearing a big dog.

She gave him a pair of chopsticks and was just about to eat, but she was soon hoisted up and placed onto his lap.

"Let"s eat. What are you doing?" Ruan Danchen was feeling quite hungry by the time she asked that.

"Feeding you," Qi Chenglin said. He used his chopsticks to pick up a snow pea and held it up to Ruan Danchen"s lips. "Open your mouth."

Ruan Danchen looked at him and wondered if he was going to even eat properly.

Having been with him for so long, she finally noticed that the man was sometimes a stubborn one with a one-track mind.

Qi Chenglin looked at her for a moment and closed his eyes, explaining. "Too much work. Couldn"t eat on time."

His words were ambiguous, but Ruan Danchen knew that he was apologizing because his work took up their lunchtime together.

The apology was an unusual one in that he thought of feeding her lunch.

Feeding someone was conducive to a bit of romance, and once in a while was okay. Qi Chenglin however, seemed intent to feed her until she was full.

Ruan Danchen did not find it too nice to reject him, since that would make her seem unadventurous. She was very hungry however, and with him feeding her so slowly, she did not know when she would be satiated.

Ruan Danchen swallowed the spoonful of rice that he fed and curled her lips into a naughty smile. There was plenty of oil on her lips after he fed her, so she immediately pressed her lip onto his face. She gave him a good kiss, and with the oil on her lips smeared over his face, her lips felt very clean.

Qi Chenglin was stunned while Ruan Danchen laughed like a kid that succeeded in his quest for mischief. She looked at his stupefied expression and found it very adorable.

She took a napkin and was about to help him wipe it off, but to her surprise, Qi Chenglin"s face leaned over to her. He placed his cheek on her and rubbed against it, causing both their cheeks to turn incredibly oily.

"Why haven"t I noticed your childish side before?" Ruan Danchen said while laughing. She wiped both their faces at once, but for some reason, the aroma of food was still prevalent on their faces.