Chapter 550: The Secret About the Past (168)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
An Xiaoning had no choice but to drop the idea.
Things were progressing much slower than she had imagined.
She only managed to obtain Tuoba Rui’s hair samples from Tuoba Shuo a month later. It then took another few days to send the hair samples out of the Autumn Palace for a DNA test to be carried out.
An Xiaoning finally received the results several days later.
An Xiaoning let out a sigh when Jin Qingyan informed her of the test results.
She rarely sighed.
She only ever reacted that way when she felt completely helpless about a truth that can never be changed.
The results proved that she was indeed Tuoba Rui’s biological daughter.
It was an undebatable truth.
Although Tuoba Rui was already in his fifties, he was still handsome and suave. One can only imagine how much of a heartthrob he was back in the day.
However, An Xiaoning did not feel like she took after him at all.
Perhaps it was because she bore too strong of a resemblance to her mother.
An Xiaoning was certain that Tuoba Rui must have seen photos of her before. After all, she was the Young Madam of the Jin family and often made it on the news. Besides, there were tons of photos of her on the internet as well.
Has he never been curious about why I look so much like Shi Qingzhou?
If he knows the reason, why has he never come to look for me before?
Could it be that he wanted to bury the truth with the past and never let me find out that I’m his daughter?
An Xiaoning had no idea exactly what the reason was. She did not wish to know either, for she had far more important things to do from now onward.
As for her biological father, she had no plans to acknowledge and reunite with him at all.
She decided not to disrupt his life and intervene, on the account that he already had a wife and children now.
Needless to say, she could already vaguely guess what he had done to her mother.
She put on a short-sleeved chiffon top, a pair of shorts, and a pair of sneakers before heading downstairs.
Tuoba Danxue was leaning against the couch, appearing rather morose. “Mu Ning, come here and massage my shoulders and head, hurry. I feel like I’m about to faint very soon.”
“Your Highness, did you have a poor night’s sleep?” An Xiaoning asked as she walked behind the couch and reached out to massage Tuoba Danxue’s shoulders.
“I talked to Minxing over the phone all night long.”
“But don’t you usually refrain from calling or using communication platforms?”
“Yes, because my mobile phone is closely monitored, be it phone calls or text messages. But it wouldn’t matter since I was chatting with him. Besides, that’s what my mother wishes to see anyway,” said Tuoba Danxue.
“Since your mobile phone is being monitored, why don’t you just secretly buy another handset?” An Xiaoning asked.
With half-closed eyes, Tuoba Danxue answered, “It’s not that simple.”
“Your Highness, you and Mr. Jin seem to hit it off really well. I think you two are very compatible with each other.”
Tuoba Danxue did not answer, seemingly having sunk deep into a trance.
Noticing that she was no longer moving, An Xiaoning craned her neck to take a look, only to find that she had fallen asleep.
Thus, she stopped massaging her and instead covered her with a blanket.
During breakfast, An Xiaoning had no appetite at all. The food was bland and tasteless to her, although Zhi Yin seemed to be enjoying every bite of it.
An Xiaoning stopped eating altogether after having a few mouthfuls.
Noticing that she did not seem to be eating much, Zhi Yin asked, “Why aren’t you eating anymore?”
“I’m trying to lose weight.”
“You’re already skin and bones, what else is there to lose? You’re only going to become uglier when you look all shriveled up and scrawny.”
“You really jump at every chance to attack me personally, don’t you? I only look thin when I have clothes on and chubbier when I’m naked, unlike you. You look the same from every angle, inside and out. It’s such a waste that you’re blessed with a pretty face,” An Xiaoning sneered nonchalantly.
Zhi Yin rolled her eyes and retorted, “I know you’re just trying to comfort yourself. I can understand why.”
An Xiaoning put her spoon down and walked toward the backyard, where she took a seat on the swing.
The morning air was fresh and clear. She leaned against the chain of the swing, swaying her body back and forth.
“Mu Ning, where’s Her Highness!?!” Shi Xiaoyu’s servant hurriedly asked.
“She’s in the living room. What’s the matter, Sister?”
“Madam specially instructed me to tell Her Highness to make a trip down to see Madam.”
“I’ll go and call her.” An Xiaoning got up from the swing and proceeded to call Tuoba Danxue.
Tuoba Danxue was jolted awake from her slumber by An Xiaoning. “What’s the matter?” she asked in frustration.
“Your Highness, Madam wants me to tell you to go see her. The Lin family will be paying a visit later to discuss His Highness’s marriage.”
“What has that got to do with me? I’m not going,” Tuoba Danxue refused vehemently.
“Madam said that everyone has to be present as a form of respect.”
Tuoba Danxue got up from the couch and headed upstairs to change into a fresh set of clothes. She came down half an hour later after putting on some makeup.
An Xiaoning did not expect for Tuoba Gucheng to be engaged to Lin Shishi so soon.
Although they did not progress as quickly as Tuoba Danxue and Jin Minxing, they were not far behind either.
This time, Tuoba Danxue did not bring Zhi Yin along and instead only went with An Xiaoning.
They arrived at the president’s mansion to find that the Lin family had yet to arrive.
Tuoba Danxue struggled to open her eyes and took a seat before saying, “I’m very tired.”
Shi Xiaoyu glanced at her and said, “You and Minxing chatted for the whole of last night. You two really have a lot to talk about, huh? I tried to call you just now but your mobile phone was switched off.”
An Xiaoning was truly surprised to hear that Shi Xiaoyu was indeed aware of Tuoba Danxue and Jin Minxing’s conversation.
No wonder Tuoba Danxue was saying that she was being monitored.
“We could chat for such a long while obviously because we have a lot in common. You can’t force a conversation if there’s nothing to talk about,” Tuoba Danxue remarked with her eyes closed.
“You’d better freshen up when the Lin family gets here later. I’ve already discussed this with your father. Your brother’s wedding has to be scheduled before yours,” Shi Xiaoyu instructed.
“So if Elder Brother gets engaged too in the meantime, does his wedding have to be scheduled before Brother’s too?”
“That’s for sure. The problem is, your elder brother doesn’t have a suitable marriage partner yet,” said Shi Xiaoyu.
Tuoba Danxue smiled sarcastically and sneered, “Isn’t it your forte to casually arrange marriages for your children? Hurry and find Brother a wife too.”
Shi Xiaoyu was infuriated by her words. “Didn’t I find you and your brother a good catch each? You ought to count your blessings. You don’t know how fortunate you really are.”
“Yes, thank you so much for your care and concern, Mother. It’s only thanks to you that I’m getting the chance to marry such a good man.”
An Xiaoning looked up at Shi Xiaoyu, who was so furious that she had turned pale.
She then turned to look at the man beside Shi Xiaoyu. So that was her biological father, hah…
She felt her stomach twist into a knot. However, she suppressed the discomfort with all her might and continued to stand beside Tuoba Danxue while straightening her back.
Ten minutes later, the Lin family arrived.
Chief of Staff Lin, Madam Lin, Lin Junnan, and Lin Shishi were all present.
After greeting each other formally, they sat down and got straight to the discussion.
“Since we all agree to their marriage, why don’t we settle on a suitable date for the wedding? Chief-of-Staff Lin and Madam Lin, what do you think of my suggestion?” Shi Xiaoyu asked, smiling.
Chief-of-Staff Lin nodded and said, “Sounds great. When do you think would be an appropriate time for the wedding to be held, Madam?”
“Danxue and Minxing’s wedding is to be held in December. Since Gucheng is Danxue’s elder brother, we think that it’d be better to hold his wedding before hers. I’ve already checked the Lunar calendar. The 6th of August is an auspicious date. Why don’t we hold it on that day then? It so happens that the weather is fair this month too.”
“Sure, that date it shall be, then,” Chief-of-Staff Lin agreed.