As Anhao spoke, she looked at the probing look in Elder Anâs eyes with a faint smile and continued,ââWhat you see on the surface might not be the real me, and what you believe on the surface might not be the truth.â
Elder Anâs sharp gaze landed on Anhaoâs face.
Old Master An was not an ordinary old man who was muddle-headed. He was already guessing something, but now, Anhaoâs words seemed to confirm his guess.
However, Old Master An was observing Anhao carefully, as if he wanted to find out more about her. At this moment, Anhao turned to look at Zuo Hancheng who was beside her.
He had always respected her choice. Other than putting all the things she had been through in the Gu family into a file bag and handing it to An Ping, he did not help her make any other choices.
The moment she lifted her eyes, Zuo Hanchengâs gaze was also on her. It was indifferent and calm, but it could easily break a personâs heart.
After exchanging pleasantries and turning around to leave without hesitation, Elder An looked at Zuo Hancheng and Anhaoâs backs with a clear look in his eyes. Finally, he turned to look at An Ping, who was beside him, and then at the file in her hand.âFollow me to the study.â
âDad, what do you want to talk about? Letâs talk about it tomorrow.âHowever, An Pingâs voice refused. Under Old Anâs serious and unhappy expression, she said calmly,âIâm a little tired today. Iâve had headaches for the past few years, and now my head is hurting.â
âIs that Anhao related to you?âGrandpa An did not give her any time or chance to escape. He stood there and looked at her coldly.âTell me the truth. Did you have any children during the ten years you were in China?â
An Pingâs face was slightly pale, but she suddenly turned her eyes. Her eyes were filled with a cold smile and hatred as she looked directly at the obvious pressure in the old manâs eyes.
â What do you think?
Elder Anâs breathing instantly stopped. His eyes were fixed on An Ping, who had always seemed calm and collected after returning to the An family for the past few years. This daughter, who had been baptized by the passage of time, was already over fifty years old. She was no longer the young and flamboyant young man from more than twenty years ago who was willing to fall out with him for the sake of a man he liked.
âI want the truth from you. Donât keep me in suspense! From the first time I saw Anhao, I felt that that girl resembled you a lot. It was completely different from Anxinâs pure charm! At the beginning, I was only suspicious of the relationship between the two of you, but I didnât think deeply about it. But in these two short days, the fire between you two, the old man, I didnât know what to do, so I couldnât see what was hidden in it.â
Elder An looked at her sternly.âWhen you came back that year, your mother said that you were married in China but divorced. Did you give birth to a child in China? Is Anhao your daughter?â
Is Anhao your daughter?
This sentence made An Ping tightly grip the file in her hand. Her expression was cold and she did not say a word.
âIf she is the child you gave birth to in China, who is the father of the child? Now that youâre here, how long do you plan to hide it from me?ââDo I even have a granddaughter? My biological granddaughter!â Elder An said angrily with a cold and sharp tone.â
However, An Ping still only sneered.â Youâre getting on in years. Youâre no longer as stubborn as you were when you were young. Youâd rather chase everyone away than accept those people or things that you refuse to accept. And now, she actually sent her wish of having a biological granddaughter to me. So what if I had given birth? So what if I didnât give birth? To you, Anxin is your granddaughter, isnât she?â
âDonât talk about that girl who was adopted from the orphanage! For so many years, no matter how much you loved her, I had never seen her with the same gaze as you used to look at Anhao! You still refuse to tell the truth? Why do you have to force me to expose all these dirty laundry in front of Hancheng and Anhao?â
âIf youâre not afraid of losing face, Iâll let you do whatever you want.âAfter An Ping finished speaking indifferently, she turned around and walked away with the file in her hand.
âYou!â Old Master An glared at An Pingâs back, his chest heaving up and down in anger.
Elder An felt as if the truth was about to be revealed. Although these people had deliberately kept it a secret from him, he still remembered Zuo Hanchengâs unfathomable attitude when he asked him to go out and talk to him last night.
At that time, he had suspected Anhaoâs background. After all, that child was too similar to Anping, and he had an inexplicable liking for Anhao. He had asked Zuo Hancheng about it at that time, but Zuo Hanchengâs answer sounded casual and just right. He did not admit or deny it, but threw the mystery back at him. He could not dig out even a trace of the truth from Zuo Hancheng.
On the other hand, Zuo Hanchengâs wisdom, upbringing, experience, and calm attitude made Old Master An suspicious.
Why would Zuo Hancheng, who was usually so busy that he did not have time to visit his relatives, bring his wife to the An family?
It was as if he had realized that he had been played around by a group of young people, and that the culprit was his daughter, An Ping. Old Master Anâs eyes were filled with anger, but he had nowhere to vent it!
The truth was laid out before her eyes. The few years when Anhao was in the Gu family, the hospital records of her being beaten up until her skin was bruised and even seriously injured, were all vivid in her mind. The most serious incident was Anhao lying in the hospital with broken ribs when she was 16 years old, and there were photos recorded by cameras when she was hospitalized.
In the dimly lit ward, the weak and thin child was completely different from the little Anhao in her memory who liked to laugh and play around with Yi Zeyang. She was so small and thin, lying quietly on the hospital bed alone. There was no one in the ward, not even a fruit basket. With her injuries so bad, other than the occasional professional visits from the cold doctors, no one came to see her.
Through the blurry photo, he could feel the helplessness and loneliness emanating from Anhao, as well as the compromise and fear that lingered around her because she was young and incapable.
â When you were taking care of your adopted daughter, your biological daughter was almost raped by that father surnamed Gu when she was fourteen. At sixteen, her ribs were broken and she fell from the second floor. She ate leftovers and lived in a small room with a leaky roof. She was wearing tattered clothes that other people didnât want and her body was covered in bruisesâ¦â
Zuo Hanchengâs voice reverberated in her ears. An Ping raised her hand to cover her mouth and sat in the room, trying hard to suppress her tears.
How could this beâ¦The daughter that she treated like a treasure, the daughter that she had tried her best to hide in China, the daughter that she wanted to protect, how could this beâ¦