Chapter 549: The Secret About the Past (167)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Jin Qingyue immediately stood up from the couch upon sight of Mrs. Ling exiting.
“Auntie, are you leaving already?”
Mrs. Ling expressed assent and left. She did not wish to ignore Jin Qingyue since she had watched the latter grow up, after all.
Jin Qingyue entered the bedroom and asked, “What did you and Auntie talk about?”
“Nothing much, she just agreed to change her attitude toward you if I could make your reputation improve.”
“I’m not a celebrity and can’t clean up my reputation. How are you going to clear my name?” Jin Qingyue asked in surprise.
“You may not be a celebrity but you can enjoy media exposure as celebrities do. Leave it to me to handle, you don’t have to care about this.”
“Brother Ciye…”
“What’s wrong?”
Jin Qingyue sat beside him and grabbed his hand affectionately. “I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life.”
Although it was not a mushy sweet nothing or a solemn pledge of love, it was still as heartwarming to Ling Ciye.
He held her hand and said, “I hope you’ll keep your promise.”
“Of course I will.”
—
It was already almost evening by the time they arrived back at the Autumn Palace.
Under Tuoba Danxue’s strong persuasion, her two brothers finally agreed not to tell their parents about her falling into the ocean. They could tell that she was worried that Tuoba Rui and Shi Xiaoyu would forbid her from leaving the palace again in the next few months before her wedding.
After dinner, An Xiaoning headed back inside her room and opened her palm to read the note on it.
There was only a single line written on the note, which read: “Meet me at my yard tonight.”
It was a note written to her by Tuoba Shuo. An Xiaoning was ill at ease at the thought of the DNA test results.
It’s only human nature to insist on further confirming facts despite already knowing the truth, seemingly searching for a teeny bit of impossibility within the truth.
She wanted a sample of Tuoba Rui’s hair to further verify the truth.
Once the night fell quiet, An Xiaoning headed to the mansion not too far away.
Tuoba Shuo was already waiting for her in the yard.
Upon hearing her footsteps, he turned around to welcome her.
“You’re here?”
An Xiaoning nodded and said, “The DNA test results…”
“Are they out?”
“Yes,” she answered with a nod.
“Let’s talk inside.”
They entered the house one after another and sat down opposite each other. An Xiaoning was rather hesitant about telling him the truth.
However, he’s already in so much pain. Wouldn’t it be cruel to hide the truth from him for the rest of his life?
He had every right to find out the truth, as much as it may be cold and harsh.
As the thought crossed her mind, An Xiaoning stood up abruptly and knelt down before him to kowtow. “I only ever kneel to Heaven and my parents. I’ve never knelt in front of outsiders before.”
Beaming with joy, he asked, “Does that mean we are…”
“No, we’re not father and daughter,” said An Xiaoning, witnessing clearly the look of dejection on his face.
“We’re not?”
“We are related by blood, but we’re not father and daughter. Do you understand what I mean? I think I already know the truth, but I’d like to further verify it,” An Xiaoning said frankly.
Tuoba Shuo was overwhelmed with shock upon hearing her words.
“We’re not father and daughter but we’re biologically related? Do you mean you’re…” Tuoba Shuo asked agitatedly, his hands quivering tremendously.
An Xiaoning remained silent, allowing her attitude to speak for itself.
Tuoba Shuo turned as pale as a sheet as his mind was sent into a whirlwind.
An Xiaoning held onto his shoulders and said, “But to me, you’re my father. I still don’t know if my mother is alive, but it’s very likely that she isn’t. If you and my mother were deeply in love back then, she probably died against her wishes. Like I said, I’m going to find her if she’s alive and her ashes if she’s dead.”
“Shi Xiaoyu said that your mother’s ashes have already been scattered into the ocean.”
Shaking her head, An Xiaoning said, “But I refuse to believe that, and I want to continue finding out the truth. So, I need your help with something now.”
“What is it?”
“Help me obtain Mr. President’s hair samples. I’d like to verify this fact even further. Once the truth is confirmed, I’ll know what to do next.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to speak, “I actually wanted to keep this piece of news from you because the truth is too harsh for you. But I mustn’t lie to you even after you’ve sacrificed so much for my mother. I was abandoned in the village when I was an infant, and my adoptive parents sent me to live with my master in the mountains when I was just a few years old. When I reached adulthood, I actually never thought of searching for my biological parents before. I only decided to do so much later. I already treat you like my father now. Are you also willing to consider me as your daughter?”
A unique look of masculinity formed in his eyes. “I’m willing to. I’ll help you with the hair samples,” he agreed with a nod.
“Do you know what my mother’s birth characters are?”
“Yes, she told me before. What’s the matter?”
“Tell me her birth characters.” An Xiaoning knew that it may very likely be impossible to read her mother’s birth characters. However, she still wanted to give it a try before seeking help from the elderly fortuneteller who read Jin Qingyan’s fortune.
“She was born on the 4th of April in the year XXXX on the lunar calendar. Her time of birth was four o’clock in the morning.”
“Are those birth characters… real?” An Xiaoning asked in astonishment.
“They’re real, that’s why I remember them so clearly.”
An Xiaoning proceeded to try and read the birth characters. Just like she had expected, she could not manage to do so.
“I’ve been out for quite some time, I ought to go back now. Contact me again if you manage to get hold of the President’s hair samples.”
“Alright.”
An Xiaoning did not let him see her out and instead strode back hastily.
She felt as if a heavy rock had been lifted off her chest after telling him the truth.
She lay down in bed and gave Fan Shixin a call.
“Young Madam?”
“Hello, do you remember the time when we went to the woods?”
“Yes, what’s the matter?” Fan Shixin asked.
“Make a trip down there again and see if the elderly man is still there.”
“Young Madam, didn’t we realize that he was no longer there when we went back again the second time?” said Fan Shixin.
“Go take a look again. We’ll meet if fate allows. I won’t force Heaven’s will,” said An Xiaoning, not getting her hopes up.
“By the way, Young Madam, Xu Youran came by this afternoon.”
“What for? Was she there to see my mother?” An Xiaoning asked, having already guessed the answer, more or less.
“Yes, she said she came to visit Madam Gu and also asked about where you went. I told her that you were away. I was watching her closely throughout her entire visit. She left shortly after talking to Madam Gu for a while in the living room.”
“Alright. Don’t let her in again the next time she comes by, even if she claims to be here to visit my mother. She’s a devious one.”
“Yes, got it.”
After ending the call, An Xiaoning placed her mobile phone beside her pillow. She did not feel sleepy at all.
It began pouring in the middle of the night. Strangely, it seemed to be heavier during summer.
It was still raining cats and dogs in the morning.
Fan Shixin was far more efficient than she had imagined. She received a message from him right after she woke up. He informed her that he did not manage to find the house in the woods or the elderly man.