Li Shengxiao paid no attention to her suddenly paling face, turned around, and sat down on the sofa with his long legs crossed, his chiseled jaw lifting as he looked at her, âAlso, Mrs. Rong doesnât have to look for Rong Yan anymore. If thereâs anything, she can come to Li Group to find me.â
Jiang Meiqi abruptly turned to look at the distinguished and imposing man on the sofa; it took her quite a while to find her voice. She said sheepishly, âWhat does Mr. Li mean by that? Rong Yan is my daughter, wouldnât it be inappropriate for Mr. Li to forbid me from seeing her?â
The last thing Li Shengxiao wanted to hear at the moment was her claiming Rong Yan as her daughter, especially since he was one of the few who knew the truth! His eagle-like eyes suddenly narrowed, a chill radiating from them as they swept over Jiang Meiqi like a bone-chilling gaze reserved for a clown jumping about, âRong Yan is Mrs. Rongâs daughter, is she? How come Iâve never heard of that? I recall you only have one daughter, Rong Weiwei. Mrs. Rong must be mistaken.â
His piercing gaze seemed like a knife, causing Jiang Meiqiâs heart to tremble inexplicably, as if the deepest secret she harbored was known to this man.
But that was impossible; that secret was known only to her and her mother, not even Rong Nanfeng or Weiwei were aware, there absolutely couldnât be a third person privy to it!
Even if this man had power that reached the skies, he shouldnât possibly know her secretâ¦
After some mental recalibration, her racing heart finally began to settle. Glancing at Rong Yan, she pursed her lips and asked, âWere these words told to Mr. Li by Rong Yan?â
She took a deep breath and continued, âWeiwei is my friendâs daughter. Her father died in a car accident, leaving her all alone. Seeing her so young, I couldnât bear to let her end up in an orphanage, so I took her back to the Rong Family. Everyone in the Rong Family knows that Weiwei is just staying with us.â
âHaving no parents since she was young, I felt sorry for Weiwei and gave her some extra care. I know my concern for my friendâs orphan caused Rong Yan to feel uncomfortable and to misunderstand me. But she is my own daughter; even if I treated Weiwei a bit better, it doesnât mean I didnât consider Rong Yan as my daughter. Moreover, Weiwei has now moved out of the Rong Family and is living elsewhere. Itâs not easy for me to correct the misunderstandings the outside world has about our family. After all, me stepping forward to clarify things would hurt both parties. One is my own daughter, and the other is the orphan of a friendâtheyâre both dear to me. Mr. Li can understand a motherâs heart, right?â
Her words were earnest, as though the reality was indeed as she describedâthat she had not favored one over the other, and that treating Rong Weiwei better was simply out of sympathy for her lack of âparentsâ.
Had someone not privy to the truth heard her, they might have believed her.
Unluckily for her, Li Shengxiao knew the truth and was aware of how she had used Rong Yan over the years while disparaging her as a âlittle bastardâ behind her back. Just the thought of this woman exploiting her so-called maternal identity to repeatedly inflict psychological wounds on an innocent young woman filled him with a desire to see her gone from Capital City.
But if he were to do so, there would only be two outcomesâeither Rong Yan would not accept his extreme actions, or he would reveal the truth to Rong Yan, only for her to find out she had been deceived and used by the Rong Family for twenty years!
Neither scenario was what he wished to see. Whether it was the Rong Family, Jiang Meiqi, or Rong Weiwei, he didnât care; he only wanted that young woman to live unrestrainedly and without reservations.