Mo Suqing picked up the fruits that were dropped on the floor and entered the ward.
She and Leng Xiyao initially wanted to take a short walk outside the hospital, but she felt that the weather was a little chilly outside. Eventually, Leng Xiyao bought some fruits near the hospital entrance and dragged her back in, saying that the cold might be bad for the baby.
This was why they heard the conversation between Ye Zhongjue and Ceng Hanyu.
Mo Suqing looked at Ye Zhongjue.
She asked calmly, âYou already knew?â
âMm!â
âHow long?â
âFor about half a month?â
âIs it true?â
âYiâan did the check. An Zhenguo is really Leng Xiyaoâs grandfather. The ages match up as well.â
Mo Suqing walked over and placed those documents away before sitting down at Ye Zhongjueâs bedside.
âDo you blame me for not telling you?â
Mo Suqing shook her head and smiled.
âNo, I wonât be this unreasonable. I donât wish for you to keep secrets from me, but Iâm referring to things between us. This is between Yao and Ceng Hanyu. Ceng Hanyu shared it with you because he trusts you, and you should have kept it a secret for him.â
Ye Zhongjue heaved a sigh of relief.
âI was also afraid of things going awry. I asked Ceng Hanyu to come over because I wanted him to tell Leng Xiyao the truth sooner rather than later. The man Leng Xiyao duped today is none other than An Zhenguo, her biological grandfather. The old man just misses his grandchild.â
Sudden realization hit Mo Suqing. âHeâs actually Yaoâs grandfather? Isnât he An Huilinâs relative?â
âMm!â Ye Zhongjue nodded. âAn Zhenguo is a distant uncle of An Huilinâs. By right, Leng Xiyao should be calling her Auntie.â
Mo Suqing was speechless. Wasnât this too much of a coincidence? Yao and An Huilin were actually related!
The both of them fell in love with Leng Haoyun too! Was this heaven trying to play a joke on them?
Ye Zhongjue continued. âActually Iâm telling you all this so you could talk some sense in Leng Xiyao. You girls are so close, and I know youâd be devastated if anything happens to her. An Huilin is not an easy target, so Leng Xiyao should be extra careful, especially now that they are at loggerheads with each other. An Huilin holds some shares of the An Group as well. An Zhenguo has only one granddaughter, Leng Xiyao. Now that heâs found her, his inheritance and the An Group will be left to her for sure. Apart from Old Man An and Ceng Hanyu, thereâs basically no one else she can trust now!â
Mo Suqing nodded at this, but her brows creased as she asked, âI heard you guys say that Ceng Hanyu is Yaoâs fiance?â
âMm!â, Ye Zhongjue answered. âThatâs right. The Ceng and An families have had close ties for a long time. The adults at that time had a verbal agreement on this after Leng Xiyao was born. After she went missing, Ceng Hanyu has been looking for her all this time.â
Mo Suqing was lost for words. She did not know what to say to this, nor did she know which side she should be on.
None of them were at fault, and it was just a twist of fate which led to them meeting each other like this.
â¦â¦
Ceng Hanyu chased after Leng Xiyao and they ended up at the rooftop.
She stood quietly at the edge of the roof. Ceng Hanyu did not dare to make any sudden movements, afraid that she might suddenly decide to jump off the building.
âAnne, calm down. Listen to me, okay?â
Hearing Ceng Hanyuâs pleading tone made Leng Xiyao turn around. The wind whipped the hair around her face, and Ceng Hanyu could not understand the expression on her face.
She looked like a confused doe lost in the forest, doubt, conflict and dilemma evident in her eyes. It was heartbreaking to see her like this.
âYou⦠What you said earlier, is it all true?â Leng Xiyao asked fearfully. She did not know what the answer would be, but she knew that she felt extremely confused and terrified right now.
If Ceng Hanyu was speaking the truth, then Iâm not a part of the Leng family at all. Who am I then? Why did I have to go through all those years of pain?
If he was lying, then why did he say all that? The probability of it being a lie was close to zero.
If they discussed it, then they would have been a hundred percent sure of it. They arenât idiots.
Ceng Hanyu looked at her with a serious gaze. âIâm telling the truth. Iâve never lied to you! Walk back here first, and Iâll tell you everything, okay?â
Instead of listening to him, Leng Xiyao became more agitated. She backed away towards the edge, almost making Ceng Hanyuâs heart leap out of his chest.
âAnne, donât!â
âIâm not Anne, Iâm Leng Xiyao! Tell me this, Ceng Hanyu. Did you already know who I was when you approached me for the very first time?â Leng Xiyao stared at Ceng Hanyu as she asked.
âIâll tell you everything once you walk back here, as long as youâre safe, Iâll tell you everything you want to know. Anne, whether youâre Leng Xiyao or Anne, please cherish your life. Itâs more important to stay alive than anything else!â
Ceng Hanyuâs words might have triggered something in Leng Xiyao. She did not plan on jumping off the building. She merely wanted to feel the breeze here. It was Ceng Hanyu who was worried that she would jump off.
She stepped away from the edge and moved to somewhere safe before she spoke.
âOkay, you can tell me everything now. Iâm listening!â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Leng Xiyao was keeping her emotions in check as she waited for Ceng Hanyu to speak. It was as if she was waiting for a verdict to be passed.
Buffeted by the wind, Ceng Hanyuâs voice sounded almost ethereal.
He said, âYour name is actually Anne. When you were younger, you were brought to the hospital since you were ill, but you went missing after that. The marriage agreement was made from when we were both children. Iâve been looking for you all these years, and Iâve never thought that you would be with the Leng family. You asked if I already knew who you were when we first met. No, I didnât.â
âAt that time, I just thought you were mischievous, and that you were full of ideas. For some reason, you just felt familiar to me, thatâs all. I didnât approach you on purpose either. It was only until Leng Haoyunâs engagement, where Grandpa An was invited, that he recognized you instantly!
âI was still too young when you went missing, and I canât even remember what Auntie looked like. It was Grandpa An who told me that you looked exactly like her. This then reminded me of the time when I had to go get Rh-negative blood for you after your accident. From then on, I felt that the probability of you being Anne was rather high. So, I took a strand of your hair to do the DNA testing with Grandpa An, and that was the confirmation we needed.â
Leng Xiyao stood there numbly. âDNA testing. How did you get my hair?â
âWe went drinking after the engagement party, and you got drunk after...â
Ceng Hanyu did not dare meet her eyes as he was afraid that she would be angry.
Leng Xiyao was a little upset at this. She pointed at him, saying, âYou...â
No other words came out of her mouth. She felt helpless.?What can I say? Logically speaking, I canât blame Ceng Hanyu for this. He had been searching for me all this time.
Leng Xiyao spoke again after some time.
âThe Grandpa An youâre referring to, itâs that old guy who was looking for you during the engagement party?â
Ceng Hanyu said in resignation, âThatâs your grandfather!â
Leng Xiyao looked up at the sky, trying hard not to let her tears fall.
Was this a joke? That weird old man I pranked turned out to be my grandfather.
She tried to force a smile and keep her head up, but the tears eventually fell.
Ceng Hanyu stepped towards her and took her in an embrace. Leng Xiyao did not push him away.
She weeped silently against his shoulder, her tears soaking his jacket.
Leng Xiyao cried for a long time until Ceng Hanyu started speaking again. It was only then that she stopped crying so much.
Ceng Hanyu said, âStop crying, Anne. I know all about what happened between you and Grandpa An today. He misses you dearly, and he has never forgotten about you.â
Leng Xiyao looked up with swollen eyes. âThen⦠what about my biological parents?â
Ceng Hanyu sighed. âThey passed away within a year after you went missing. Auntie was devastated. She almost went insane looking for you. It was unfortunate that she had to leave this world with regrets.â
Leng Xiyao stared at Ceng Hanyu blankly, not knowing what to say.
She grew up in the Leng family while her blood relatives were going through so much pain.
âCould you not tell Uncle about this?â Leng Xiyao asked.
âItâs up to you. Iâll support you in whatever decision you make!â Ceng Hanyu patted her on the head as he spoke.
After a short pause, he continued, âGrandpa An misses you a lot. Iâll bring you to see him, if you have the time, okay?â
Leng Xiyao looked at him awkwardly, slowly pushing him away.
âMy head is in a mess right now, and I donât know what to think about this. Can you give me some time to think it over? Iâll go see him when Iâve calmed down a bit.â
Ceng Hanyu sighed again. âOkay! Iâll respect your choice. Do you want to have a look at the DNA testing report?â
Leng Xiyao shook her head.?I donât need that since we already know the results. The An family isnât the type to acknowledge just anyone off the streets. They must have checked it thoroughly before they approached me on this.
âOkay, Iâm tired now. Iâll be going back first. Iâll look for you again when Iâve thought this over!â
Leng Xiyao then turned to leave.
Ceng Hanyu followed closely behind. âLet me send you back. Iâm worried about you.â
Leng Xiyao turned to him suddenly. âCeng Hanyu, even though we have a marriage agreement, I donât have feelings for you. Please stop bringing up things like fiancee or fiance. Iâm grateful that youâve been searching for me all this time, but Iâm not able to reciprocate your feelings. I donât wish to promise you anything, nor do I want to lead you on!â