Chapter 92

The first time Xi Heng saw Song Xuehen, his whole family was driven out of the banquet by her wife Luo Ruzhi, leaving Fu Siyuan unable to leave the house for a month.

The second time Xi Heng saw Song Xuehen, he was stopped at the door by the Nie Family’s dog, and he watched as Song Xuehen was welcomed as an honored guest by the Nie Family.

The Song Family had just returned to the country, but they seemed to be his destined enemies, making him embarrassed everywhere.

Now, his ex-girlfriend ignored him completely and went straight to Song Xuehen’s car. Xi Heng had no reason to stop her—under Song Xuehen’s intimidating gaze, he dared not intervene.

No one cared about Xi Heng’s psychological shadow area. The Maybach quickly disappeared from his sight, leaving Xi Heng clenching his fists, covered in dust from the exhaust.

Li Wan knew she had done something foolish and didn’t dare to speak for a long time. Seeing Xi Heng standing still like an ice sculpture, she cautiously asked, “Who is Song Xuehen? She also has the surname Song. Is she a relative?”

“Impossible!” Xi Heng blurted out. Song Pianxian and Song Xuehen? With their completely different backgrounds, how could they be relatives? It was ridiculous.

Li Wan shrank back in fear, trying to appease him. “Yeah, Song Pianxian is an orphan. Where would she have relatives?” She was still so prominent that even Xi Heng didn’t dare to block her path.

Feeling sour, Li Wan’s mood was complicated. Song Pianxian was truly capable, capturing Xi Heng’s attention first and now this. Even though she was just a stand-in, she could still make Xi Heng constantly think of her. It was truly admirable.

Xi Heng’s expression became even uglier.

Song Xuehen had a good relationship with Luo Ruzhi, and Song Pianxian was an orphan who didn’t work at the Song Family’s company. If it wasn’t for emotional entanglement, how could Song Pianxian have any relationship with the Song Family?

After ruling out all impossibilities, the remaining possibility suddenly became much greater. Xi Heng’s heart sank, his face turning slightly green. He urgently ordered, “Meng Yue, investigate the relationship between Song Pianxian and the Song Family.”

Inside the Maybach.

“The person just now was Xi Heng.” Song Xuehen had a good memory. By now, the car had already entered the road, and she asked, “Has he been bothering you?”

Song Pianxian replied, “He has approached me twice.”

Song Xuehen snorted coldly, “The Xi Family’s style hasn’t rubbed off on Xi Heng at all.”

“If he bothers you again, tell me.”

Song Pianxian nodded in agreement. She appreciated Song Xuehen’s gesture, but she didn’t intend to actually seek Song Xuehen’s help. If she could avoid it, she didn’t want to rely on others, especially considering…

Nie Lingbo was still around.

Thinking of her, Song Pianxian’s gaze softened.

People couldn’t help but dwell on things. During the car ride, uncontrollable images of Nie Lingbo floated through Song Pianxian’s mind, almost as numerous as the clouds drifting across the sky.

When she got out of the car, Song Pianxian looked up and saw Nie Lingbo standing in front of the entrance to the paternity testing center, talking on the phone.

Today, she wore a cold gray coat paired with a white underskirt. As she moved back and forth, the slightly longer hem of her skirt swayed with her movements, like gentle ripples of water, gently encircling her slender and straight legs.

True to her name, Lingbo.

Perhaps it was the anticipation of seeing the person who had been wandering in her mind, but this meeting was accompanied by a hint of delight and amazement.

A natural smile spread across Song Pianxian’s lips, and she walked briskly over.

“Lingbo.”

Nie Lingbo was originally facing away from Song Pianxian. She turned to look, her waist twisting delicately. Her features were exquisite, with her slightly curled long hair cascading behind her, swaying weightlessly like the silhouette of a stunning beauty.

Song Pianxian was delighted.

What Nie Lingbo saw was Song Pianxian’s extremely pure smile, even her usually serene and gentle eyes turned into small crescents, overflowing with uncontainable joy and radiance.

Considering that Nie Lingbo was on the phone, Song Pianxian spoke very softly. When it reached Nie Lingbo’s ears, it sounded particularly sweet and gentle.

Nie Lingbo’s fingers holding the phone tightened.

“President Nie?” the voice on the other end called out.

Nie Lingbo came back to her senses and replied succinctly, “Contact the marketing department first to get the data, I’ll reply to you later.”

She hung up the phone.

Song Xuehen happened to walk over, somewhat surprised. “Lingbo? You’re here too?”

“Yeah, I came with Aunt Liu.” Nie Lingbo shook her phone. “I came out for some fresh air and to handle some work.”

“In that case, Aunt is inside, right? Let’s go in.” The last half of the sentence was directed at Song Pianxian.

Seeing their familiarity with each other, Song Pianxian couldn’t help but speculate.

Sure enough, Song Xuehen briefly explained to her. When Mrs. Song, also known as Aunt Liu in Nie Lingbo’s words, arrived in the country, Nie Lingbo and Luo Ruzhi went to pick her up together. With the help of some hints from the elders, Mrs. Song and Nie Lingbo naturally became affectionate towards each other.

As for why Nie Lingbo also came for the paternity test… Song Xuehen didn’t inquire too deeply, but Nie Lingbo casually explained:

“After you went to pick up Pianxian, Aunt Liu was worried that Song Fei would be lonely at home by herself, so she asked Ruzhi to accompany Song Fei. Aunt Liu asked me to accompany her.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Song Pianxian also showed an understanding expression, and Nie Lingbo glanced at her.

Following herself and Song Xuehen, Song Pianxian, who clearly knew only half of what was about to happen, and perhaps didn’t even understand that her life was about to undergo a drastic change, wore a sweet smile every time they made eye contact. She was obedient, special… and endearing.

The receptionist at the appraisal center quickly received them and led them to the VIP room, where Mrs. Song was already inside.

Nie Lingbo lagged slightly behind, and Song Xuehen entered first. Nie Lingbo stopped, tilted her head slightly, and waited for Song Pianxian to stand side by side with her before saying to her:

“Don’t be afraid.”

Song Pianxian blinked. “I’m not afraid.”

After speaking, she smiled at herself. “Don’t worry about me.”

Nie Lingbo felt an itch in her hand. At such a close distance, she didn’t suppress herself. In accordance with her wishes, she reached out and pinched Song Pianxian’s fair cheek.

The behavior was naughty, but the force was very light.

Nie Lingbo chuckled softly. “You still know how to smile. I worried for nothing.”

Why did Nie Lingbo suddenly become so close to her?

Being pinched by Nie Lingbo, Song Pianxian almost couldn’t react in time.

All along, her relationship with Nie Lingbo—or rather, Qinglu—had been gradually progressing. Or rather, these indulgent little actions seemed to be somewhat different from Qinglu’s usual demeanor.

09, holding a large pencil, seemed to have a realization. “Indeed, old habits die hard. Experience does not deceive me. Qinglu has learned a lot in this world.”

“Is that so?” Song Pianxian remained noncommittal.

The sensation on her face lingered as the cool fingers lightly brushed across, teasingly…

“In any case, she should have developed some favorable feelings towards me. This is a good sign,” Song Pianxian quickly suppressed her fluttering heart and rationalized the situation.

The most important thing at the moment was not this. The conversation with 09 was completed within a few seconds, just enough time for Song Pianxian to follow Nie Lingbo into the VIP room.

In the VIP room, besides Song Xuehen and the staff, there was only one middle-aged beauty, the original body’s mother, Liu Ying.

She carried herself well, and at a glance, one could tell she was used to a life of luxury. However, her complexion was pale, her figure was thin, and her expression was listless.

Liu Ying’s gaze didn’t even linger on the other two juniors. She looked toward Song Pianxian almost urgently.

Perhaps it was the mutual perception between mother and daughter. With just one glance, or maybe two, tears welled up in Liu Ying’s eyes.

Song Xuehan hurriedly handed her a tissue, but Liu Ying’s tears just couldn’t be wiped away, preventing her from clearly seeing the girl in front of her.

But the girl’s face had already been etched into her consciousness, overlapping with the small figure cherished in her heart.

She had imagined countless times what her child would look like if she had the chance to grow up.

She couldn’t imagine it.

Clearly, the little girl in her heart had never left. Her face was vivid, but she couldn’t imagine her growing up into an adult.

She had tried piecing together her own and her husband’s features, eyes like hers, nose like her father’s… The resulting face was handsome and beautiful, but stiff and lifeless.

That wasn’t her child.

She had seen photos of Song Pianxian, all the photos she could find from different periods. Perhaps photos were ultimately lifeless objects; she only felt resemblances, but that was all.

Today, finally seeing Song Pianxian in person, the figure she had been searching for desperately and always seemed hazy in her mind, finally became clear in Liu Ying’s heart.

It was like wiping away the mist from a mirror, leaving behind an exceptionally clear mirror, where everything could be seen clearly.

When they entered the sampling room separately, the room was only occupied by the quiet physician and Song Xuehan. Nie Lingbo was in another room accompanying Song Pianxian.

Liu Ying’s eyes were still red-rimmed. She remained silent for a long time, watching the blood being drawn from her body by the physician, and said:

“Even if the results come out, Pianxian… is not your cousin, I will recognize her as my goddaughter.”

Song Xuehan was taken aback. “Uncle doesn’t know yet, does he?”

“I’ll tell him.” After Liu Ying finished speaking, she smiled, “If your Uncle sees Pianxian with his own eyes, he’ll surely agree.”

This smile was particularly sad, even Song Xuehan, who was usually cold and rational, couldn’t help but be moved.

“Auntie, be happy. You’ve gained another daughter. This is a joyous occasion.”

“Indeed, it’s a joyous occasion.” Liu Ying’s mood lightened a bit. “I should quickly freshen up, as I’ll be meeting Pianxian soon.”

The blood sampling proceeded swiftly, and within less than five minutes, they were gathered together again.

During their brief encounter earlier, Liu Ying had lost her composure. Since Song Pianxian’s identity hadn’t been confirmed yet, it wasn’t appropriate to approach her. Song Pianxian was comforting her aunt, and in the end, Nie Lingbo made the decision to separate the two groups for sampling, giving Liu Ying some space to compose herself.

It didn’t take long, and with the presence of the physician, Song Pianxian couldn’t say much to Nie Lingbo before they met again.

This time, Liu Ying had regained control of her emotions. Although her eyes were slightly swollen, she could now communicate smoothly with Song Pianxian.

Liu Ying was eager to acknowledge Song Pianxian, but she didn’t know what to say and feared her own enthusiasm might scare the girl.

Feeling anxious, she turned to Song Pianxian and Nie Lingbo, recalling, “Pianxian, are you tutoring for the Nie Family?”

Before Song Pianxian could respond, Nie Lingbo answered, “Yes, she’s tutoring my niece, Nie Xingzhou.”

Liu Ying had always admired Nie Lingbo, but this time, she wasn’t pleased with Nie Lingbo’s eagerness to answer, which prevented her from hearing Song Pianxian’s reply.

However, these were just trivial matters, and Liu Ying didn’t dwell on them. She said cheerfully, “If Pianxian were really my daughter, I’d call you ‘cousin.'”

Nie Lingbo narrowed her eyes contentedly, her gaze shifting to Song Pianxian. “Since I only have male cousins, I’d like to have a few more little female cousins.”

Song Pianxian couldn’t ignore her aunt’s wishes. Despite her usual lack of interest in casual conversations, she joined in, saying, “Look how pitiful Lingbo is, not even having a cousin. Pianxian is much younger than us, so why not call her ‘Big Sister’ and see how it sounds?”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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