âNo one,â Su Qingsang never thought that one day, her relationship with Su Chenghui would become like that. âI just want an answer. Is that hard? Is it difficult for you to mention the name of the woman who gave birth to me?â
âYou...â
âIsnât that why? If itâs not really hard for you to speak out the name of that woman, why are you still trying to conceal it at this point?â
Su Chenghuiâs face reddened. He didnât reply to Su Qingsangâs words. Su Qingsang wasnât expecting him to give the answer so easily, though.
She was still confused, longing for the answer. So, she couldnât help but take a step forward and raise her head to look at Su Chenghui.
âDad, am I the result of a one-night stand?â
âYou...â Su Chenghui was infuriated. He raised a hand and almost slapped Su Qingsang in the face.
Su Qingsang stared at him with her chin held high. Su Chenghuiâs hand paused briefly in the air, then dropped.
After that, he snorted, turned, and left without looking back.
This time, Su Qingsang didnât try to stop him. She stood there, watching Su Chenghui slam the door.
She felt tired, powerless, so she stepped backward and leaned against her desk.
Her puzzle was halfway solved, but the other half was still there. Su Chenghui was her father. That must be true.
What about her mother? Who gave birth to her? What kind of person was she?
Which woman had had a relationship with Su Chenghui? That was an unanswered question.
He wouldnât tell, and no one knew. Whom could she ask about that? Su Chenghui refused to give her the answer, so who could she get the answer from?
Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She glanced at Huo Jinyaoâs name that was sparkling on the phone screen, then answered the call.
Huo Jinyao returned to Rong City two days ago. The New Year was coming. He wasnât able to do whatever he wanted, even though he was the CEO of Tianyu Group.
There was lots of work for him to do in Rong City. Su Qingsang knew that he was busy. Some times, she could hear him typing very late at night.
At other times, she heard Yang Wenchang reporting to him.
âWhy are you calling me now?â Su Qingsang looked at the time and said, âHave you had lunch yet?â
âYes,â Huo Jinyao handed a file to Yang Wenchang, then signaled for the latter to leave. âDidnât you take a nap?â
âNo. Something happened. I couldnât sleep.â
Su Qingsang was still thinking about Su Chenghuiâs reaction. That made her a little unhappy.
âWhatâs wrong?â From her voice, Huo Jinyao sensitively detected that something wasnât right. âWhat happened?â
âHuo Jinyao,â Su Qingsang cleared her throat and said, âIâm not an orphan.â
âDid you talk to your father about it?â
âYes. He came to visit my Mom just now.â Su Qingsang repeated Su Chenghuiâs words to Huo Jinyao and described how he reacted. Of course, she didnât mention that Su Chenghui almost slapped her.
âAre you saying that your father admitted that youâre his daughter, but didnât tell you who your mother is?â
âYes. No matter how much I asked him, he wouldnât tell.â Su Qingsang was a little frustrated. âCan my real mother be an awful person?â
Otherwise, why would Su Chenghui have that kind of attitude?
âNot necessarily,â Huo Jinyao thought in a different way. âHave you thought that maybe your real mother isnât awful... maybe itâs the other way around?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âThink about it. Your father earned Li Qianxueâs favor when he was young. She liked him so much that she made him marry her, even though he didnât love her. She might not be the only rich girl who fell for your father. Perhaps your real mother was one of his suitors. She gave up on him at last, because she couldnât win over Li Qianxue.â
Huo Jinyao made a guess. Su Qingsang found it both funny and annoying.
âI donât think so. I assume you donât know how powerful the Li Family was back then. Who would have the guts to steal Li Qianxueâs man?â
That would be suicidal!
âWhat else could it be? You canât explain it otherwise. If your mother was just a random girl, he could have just told Li Qianxue whose daughter you are. He could have one mistress, or two. Thatâs the same thing.â
âHuo Jinyao, enough,â Su Qingsang couldnât bear listening to that. âI do think that my father is not a loyal man, but I feel your guess is less likely to be true than mine.â
âHow so?â Huo Jinyao believed that his guess could very much be right. âIf you ask me, Iâd say that your mother might be a girl from a very rich family. The only reason your father refuses to tell you about her is that he doesnât want your real motherâs family and the Li Family to become enemies.â
Huo Jinyao said it without thinking while looking at the screen of his computer.
Still, he had one vague, ridiculous idea popping up in his head when he heard himself. Was it possible that...
Su Qingsang bit her lip and changed the topic. âYou still havenât told me why youâre calling me.â
Huo Jinyao called her every night after he left for Rong City, but it was the first time he called her in the afternoon.
Hearing her words, Huo Jinyao stopped thinking about Su Chenghui.
âI have something to tell you,â said Huo Jinyao with a gentle voice. âGrandpa still wants you to come to Rong City for the New Year. I already said no, but he said that he could send a private plane to pick you and your Mom up. He also said that heâll hire the best doctor and nurse for your Mom if youâre worried about her.â
âWhy did he suddenly say that? Is there a special reason?â
Huo Jinyao paused briefly to think. Something crossed his mind. âI might have forgotten to tell you that my grandpa has one brother and one sister. I have one great-uncle and one great-aunt. They donât live in Rong City.â
âEvery year, they come back here during the New Year. This year, they heard that Iâm married, so they want to meet you.â
Huo Jinyao wouldnât care if it was anyone else. However, his great-uncle, Huo Yangyuan, and his great-aunt, Huo Yangxiu, were not ordinary people. Not to mention that they were elders of the family, so it was normal for them to want to meet the wife of their brotherâs grandson.
It was perfectly reasonable. Also, it was the first year of his marriage with Su Qingsang.
âQingsang, Grandpa said that heâll send your Mom to the best hospital, so you donât need to worry about her. He will make sure that our mother will be taken good care of.â
Judging by his words, she realized she might have no choice but to follow him to Rong City for the New Year.
âHuo Jinyao, do you have a huge family?â
âAre you scared?â
âNo. I just feel that it might be a little overwhelming.â
Last time, she had met Huo Jinyaoâs uncles and aunties, and his cousins. She thought that was his entire family.
But this time, she needed to meet his great-uncle and great-aunt, and their children. How many people would that be?
Somehow, she did not want to go to Rong City.