While Yan Sui was investigating, Amos was also conducting his own inquiries. Yan Manjia hadn’t used her real name to participate, but her recommender was recorded in the archives of the oil painting association. After some twists and turns, it wasn’t difficult to trace it back to Yan Manjia.
Her nephew’s wife, eighteen years old, married, and with the recent leaked video from the elevator circulating, a clearer image of his features was captured. Meng Ting… the person in Yan Manjia’s painting was Meng Ting, the wife of Yan Sui, the patriarch of the Yan family!
Recently, the Yan family had frequently been in the news, with a lot of gossip online. The fact that Meng Ting wasn’t actually the illegitimate child of the Meng family was proven by Yan Sui himself. His appearance, age, and even background all matched.
Amos paced around his hotel room, feeling restless and anxious. He really wanted to confirm it right away, but he was afraid of being disappointed in the end. He didn’t even dare let his mother, Ning Zhou, know. The kidnapping and murder of their youngest son had always been a shadow over her heart, a pain that must never be touched over these years.
Amos’s original name was Xiao Zimo, the second son of the main house of the Xiao family in Beicheng. The person he called when he left the coffee shop was his elder brother, Xiao Zi’ang. Although their grandfather was still alive, the current patriarch of the Xiao family was their father, Xiao Huimin.
Their branch was considered the most legitimate lineage of the Xiao family in Beicheng. If Meng Ting was indeed their youngest brother who had been kidnapped and murdered seventeen years ago, then his name should be Xiao Zinuo, with ‘Nuo’ meaning ‘promise’.
The names Xiao Zimo and Xiao Zi’ang were given by their grandfather, but the name of their youngest brother was chosen by their father, Xiao Huimin, symbolizing his unwavering commitment to Ning Zhou.
But how could someone who was clearly still alive have been declared dead by the entire family back then? There was even tombstone erected in the Xiao family’s ancestral grave, and they visited him every year during the Qingming Festival. When Xiao Zimo was young, he would even bring toys with him, but as he grew older, he understood, though it had already become a habit.
Occasionally, when he had something on his mind, he would visit. Over the years, he had traveled both domestically and internationally, and whenever he returned after a long absence, he would go see him. But now, it seemed that the person they had been mourning all these years might not be dead at all.
Yet, the information online made him feel uneasy. If Meng Ting was indeed their youngest brother, then his life had been too tragic. That Li Yifei was simply asking for trouble!
Xiao Zimo didn’t know how long he had been pacing when Xiao Zi’ang finally called him.
“It’s almost certain that Meng Ting is our Nuo Nuo. I’ve booked a flight, don’t act rashly…”
However, before he could finish the second half of his sentence, Xiao Zimo hung up on him. When he called back, there was no answer.
In the East District of Beicheng, Xiao Zi’ang paced around his study for a while, then left by car to return to the Xiao family’s old residence to see his father, Xiao Huimin.
Xiao Huimin, following the old master’s instructions, was planning how to deal with the Yan family. There had been no action yet, but if they did act, it wouldn’t be long before they regretted it deeply.
Their third uncle had caused a lot of trouble over the years, and it was always the main house that cleaned up after him. This time, he had even provoked their family’s Nuo Nuo. It served him right that Yan Sui had dealt with him; there was no need for the two families to continue their feud.
“Dad, this is what I found out on short notice,” Xiao Zi’ang said, not wanting to waste any more time. His flight was scheduled in just three hours, and he couldn’t let Xiao Zimo act recklessly. Yan Sui from the Yan family was not someone he could handle.
Xiao Huimin looked at Xiao Zi’ang with surprise. It had been years since he last saw his son in such a flustered state. He was about to lecture him, but Xiao Zi’ang had already placed the documents in front of him. Xiao Huimin decided to take a look first.
But with a casual flip, his eyes widened, and before long, the impatient person became himself. He suddenly stood up, knocking over the teacup on the desk, but he didn’t care, “This, this… is this real?”
But as he casually flipped through the pages, his eyes widened. Soon, he was the one who became flustered. He stood up abruptly, knocking over a teacup on his desk, but he didn’t even notice. “This, this… is this true?”
Xiao Huimin’s voice trembling uncontrollably. The death of their youngest son was not only a hurdle his wife Ning Zhou couldn’t overcome, but it was also his own.
Ning Zhou’s health was relatively weak. After a difficult childbirth with Xiao Zimo, she was somewhat injured and was told it would be difficult for her to conceive again. But they already had two sons, so they weren’t in need of more children. Unexpectedly, five years later, Ning Zhou suddenly felt nauseous. When they called a doctor, they found out she was already over two months pregnant.
This completely unexpected child, one can imagine how surprised they were.
They had always wanted a daughter, but in the end, it was another boy, one who was even more beautiful than most girls.
Not only did Ning Zhou adore him like a treasure, but he did too. He had scoured through dictionaries to come up with the name ‘Nuo’. He had even argued with his father for several days over the right to name him.
But who would have thought that during a family trip to the countryside, the nanny conspired with kidnappers. Ning Zhou and their youngest son were taken hostage at home. Ning Zhou was rescued, but their youngest son was killed, leaving them only with a blood-stained swaddling cloth. Ning Zhou fell ill for over half a year, and Xiao Zinuo became a permanent wound in their hearts.
But it turned out that their so-called ‘killed’ son was actually alive…
It took Xiao Huimin a full ten minutes to digest this fact before he could accept it. He flipped through the documents again to find Meng Ting’s high school photo again. Xiao Huimin, who hadn’t shed a tear in years, suddenly felt his eyes sting terribly.
Xiao Zi’ang could also understand Xiao Huimin’s loss of composure. He was a full ten years older than Meng Ting. When Ning Zhou was pregnant, he and Zi Mo were also very happy. He had felt the fetal movements and even held the newborn Meng Ting. When he thought Meng Ting had been killed, he was also quite sad for a long time.
“Nuo Nuo married Yan Sui from the Yan family this past July. According to the information, he treats Nuo Nuo quite well…”
“Treats him well, my foot!”
Xiao Zi’ang was suddenly sprayed with saliva by Xiao Huimin. He helplessly stepped back two paces, his ears ringing from the outburst.
“How old is my family’s Nuo Nuo? How could he possibly lay a hand on him…”
Xiao Zi’ang, who was ten years older than Meng Ting, wasn’t even married yet, while Meng Ting had been married for nearly half a year.
Xiao Zi’ang also didn’t try to persuade further. He took another step back, “Zimo is in Haicheng. I’ve booked a flight and will be heading over soon. You handle the rest of the investigation. As for Mom… let’s wait a bit longer before telling her.”
At least until they had figured out what happened back then, after he had met Yan Sui and Meng Ting. Of course, he also anticipated the scolding he would receive for keeping it a secret.
Xiao Huimin thought for a moment before nodding slightly, “Go ahead and bring the person back.”
Xiao Zi’ang didn’t dare to respond to this. Even if Xiao Huimin himself appeared, he probably wouldn’t be able to achieve it. Yan Sui from the Yan family had recently been planning to take on both the Xiao family and the Yán family from Licheng at the same time. Such a person, he alone might not be enough to make Yan Sui let go of Meng Ting.
Of course, what Xiao Zi’ang was more worried about now was whether Xiao Zimo would mess things up.
“No, you go first. I’ll arrange things here and come over as well.”
Xiao Huimin probably thought of this too, as he changed his words after Xiao Zi’ang had taken two steps.
“Alright,” Xiao Zi’ang turned and nodded, then left the study, got into the car, and headed straight to the airport.
***
The Xiao family had almost no foundation in Haicheng, except for a distant branch, the Xiao Mu family. Recently, because Xiao Zi had offended Yan Sui, Xiao Mu was directly taken away by the police from the classroom for investigation. The only branch of the Xiao family in Haicheng was also considered defeated.
After much effort, Xiao Zimo finally managed to get the phone number of Wang Feng, who was close to Yan Sui, through a few of his classmates in Haicheng. Unable to contain his impatience, he went directly to the Yan Corporation building to wait for news, only to find out that Yan Sui hadn’t been to the company for almost a week.
He continued to call Wang Feng, not to ask when Yan Sui would be willing to meet him, but about Meng Ting’s condition. If Yan Sui hadn’t been to the company for a week, didn’t that mean their Nuo Nuo was seriously injured?
“How is the madam’s injury? Why isn’t he going to the hospital? Is the private doctor reliable? I know some foreign doctors I can introduce to you…”
Wang Feng, who was in the hallway of the Yan residence, was almost overwhelmed by Xiao Zimo’s barrage of questions.
“I’m sorry, this is a private matter of the CEO’s family, I have no way of knowing about this. Also, the CEO’s schedule is quite tight during this period, so he can’t meet with you.” After Wang Feng finished speaking, there was a long silence on Xiao Zimo’s end before he responded.
“Alright…” Xiao Zimo’s tone was quite reluctant…
He was about to hang up the phone after a few more moments of silence, when he heard a completely unexpected voice on the other end.
“Are you here to see Yan Sui? He’s in the study.”
“Alright, Madam.”
Who else could Wang Feng call Madam? It was Meng Ting, it was the voice of their family’s Nuo Nuo!
But just as he wanted to hear more, Wang Feng must have realized the call wasn’t hung up, so he ended it.
Xiao Zimo was quite excited but didn’t continue to call Wang Feng. Instead, he called Xiao Zi’ang again; he was already on his way to the airport and would arrive in Haicheng in two hours. Although Xiao Zimo couldn’t see Yan Sui, he was certain his brother Xiao Zi’ang would have a way.
***
Their investigation was progressing quickly, and Yan Sui’s side wasn’t lagging either. When Wang Feng entered, Yan Sui was already reviewing Amos’s information. In fact, just mentioning the Xiao family was enough for Yan Sui to understand the situation.
However, he continued to look into it because he also needed to investigate what had happened seventeen years ago for Meng Ting’s sake, hoping to uncover the truth behind Meng Ting being sent to the orphanage.
Wang Feng had already informed Yan Sui over the phone about Xiao Zimo’s desire to meet him and had refused on Yan Sui’s behalf. But after entering, Wang Feng still relayed Xiao Zimo’s strange questioning to Yan Sui once more.
Wang Feng silently wiped sweat for Yan Sui. Their madam had such a good personality and was so beautiful that he attracted so many admirers without even trying. The calls had even reached him, and the provocations had come right to Yan Sui’s face—truly bold.
Yan Sui didn’t respond to these remarks. He had called Wang Feng over for other matters.
They discussed for nearly an hour before Wang Feng left the study. But the door that had just been closed was opened again, and this time, it was Meng Ting who entered.
Yan Sui looked up, and Meng Ting immediately smiled at him, “I missed you, so I came to see you.”
As he spoke, he on the edge of the sofa, leaning against the backrest, his face turned toward Yan Sui. True to his words, he simply missed Yan Sui and had come to the study to see him.
Yan Sui glanced at the documents, then pushed them aside and stood up, walking over to Meng Ting, whose gaze followed him all the while.
“Am I distracting you from your work?”
Meng Ting seemed puzzled as to why Yan Sui wasn’t continuing with his tasks and instead came over to him.
Yan Sui gently embraced Meng Ting and sat down, holding him firmly in his arms. He felt a sense of crisis, but since he hadn’t met the Xiao family yet, it wasn’t the time to tell Meng Ting.
“I missed you too, so I came to hold you.”
This answer was quite convincing for Meng Ting. He tilted his head and kissed Yan Sui’s cheek, “Mm, you can hold me.” He only allowed Yan Sui to hold him.
Yan Sui kissed Meng Ting’s neck in response, and they continued to hold each other like this for over ten minutes before Yan Sui returned to his work.
Meng Ting didn’t leave either. He remained leaning against the sofa, watching Yan Sui until it was almost time for dinner, and they went downstairs together.
Dr. Bart had already been picked up by Yan Yu, but he and Gu Li still needed to review the surgical plan a bit more, which was scheduled for two days later. Yan Yu and He Yue had waited for so many years, so they didn’t mind waiting a couple more days. Naturally, the more thorough the preparation, the better.
Gu Li and Bart didn’t come to the main house for dinner; they stayed in the side building. The two of them had a lot to talk about, and after dinner, Zhen Han went over to ‘steal some knowledge’.
After dinner, Yan Sui took Meng Ting for a short walk, but they didn’t go far. Although Meng Ting was much better, he still couldn’t engage in strenuous activities, so even walking had to be done in moderation.
They didn’t head to the lawn but went directly to the backyard.
The two rows of maple trees were beginning to turn red, and the sky retained only a faint white line, yet it didn’t diminish the splendor of the scenery.
Meng Ting held Yan Sui’s hand, glancing at the scenery before him and then back at Yan Sui, repeating this several times before he finally gave up.
“I can’t tell what you’re thinking… Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Yan Sui, lost in thought, couldn’t help but smile upon hearing Meng Ting’s words. He stopped walking, pulled Meng Ting into his arms, and gently embraced him.
“You don’t need to do anything. Just stay by my side, stay healthy, don’t get hurt, and be happy every day. That’s all I want.”
Yan Sui didn’t even realize how tender his words sounded. Meng Ting, leaning against his chest, suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his nose.
He hugged Yan Sui back and after a long while, responded, “I promise I won’t let myself get hurt again.”
He had already realized that when he was sick or injured, Yan Sui would lose his appetite, sleep poorly, and delay many things just to stay home with him. He already knew all of this and he couldn’t bear to see Yan Sui like this, so his promise was absolutely sincere.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 072.3″]
始終如一 (shǐ zhōng rú yī): to remain the same all along; to be consistent throughout; unswerving from start to finish (idiom); uniform; consistent; being the same from beginning to end, and is often used to describe people who are persistent and never stop doing things.
[/dropdown]Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.
