Chapter 46 Update
"It’s okay, plain water is good for the body." Saying this, Xiao Qing picked up a cup and poured two cups of water herself, handing them to Lu Jinyang and Xiao Yiting separately. Then, she took two more cups and poured a cup each for herself and Zhang Anqi.
Zhang Anqi looked at the cup of water with a somewhat strange expression and eventually didn’t drink it. Instead, she said to Xiao Yiting, "I’ll go to the village entrance to buy some groceries. You go ahead and chat~"
Xiao Qing originally wanted to say not to stay for a meal because it was past lunchtime, and she assumed they had already eaten. However, Lu Jinyang said, "Then we’ll trouble you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Anqi smiled slightly at him, "It’s no trouble, we haven’t eaten either."
Only three people were left in the living room, silent in facing one another. Xiao Qing understood that with her presence, Xiao Yiting wouldn’t say much, so he said, "You two talk, I’m going out for a walk~"
As soon as Xiao Qing left, Xiao Yiting said to Lu Jinyang, "Why did you come over?"
It’s not that he didn’t believe Xiao Qing’s words, but because he firmly believed Lu Jinyang wouldn’t tell the truth to Xiao Qing. Thus, he was sure that Lu Jinyang had somehow tricked her into coming.
Lu Jinyang heard this and leisurely took a sip of water before slowly speaking, "During your lifetime, I wanted Qingqing to meet you. Even if you don’t recognize each other, at least she wouldn’t go through life without seeing her biological parents."
"This..." Xiao Yiting was startled for a moment and didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, he finally said, "Thank you, but I’m afraid Qingqing is so sensitive that she might notice something is amiss."
"Don’t worry, I’m here." After saying that, he took another sip of water. "I actually came today to clarify one thing."
"Go ahead~"
"You previously mentioned swapping Xiao Qing’s identity with Xiao Anze. What puzzles me is why did you deliberately take Xiao Yijian’s daughter away, and why didn’t Mr. Xiao ask you to keep that child?"
Speaking of this, Xiao Yiting still felt a lingering fear. "At that time, after taking Xiao Yijian’s daughter, I placed her in my own home and told the old man that the girl was taken away. But she later caught a cold, passed away, and I even showed him the body."
Lu Jinyang suddenly understood. "So the body was...?"
Speaking of which, guilt flashed across Xiao Yiting’s eyes. Although it was quick, Lu Jinyang caught it.
"That body was my child with Fan Min... She passed away shortly after birth due to congenital heart issues. Fan Min didn’t know and always thought the child was receiving treatment in the hospital."
"So the child you later took home was Xiao Enli, and Fan Min believed he was her son?"
"Yes."
Xiao Yiting rubbed his temples, feeling a headache. Back then, he feared neither big trouble nor consequences. However, in the end, he managed to save his and Zhang Anqi’s daughter and kept Xiao Yijian’s daughter alive, feeling it was enough to atone for his sins this life. But for the child who died, he felt guilty inside.
"May I ask an impertinent question about the relationship between you, Xiao Qing’s biological mother, and Fan Min..."
Not knowing what came to mind, Xiao Yiting looked somewhat pained.
Lu Jinyang didn’t hurry him but poured himself a cup of water and drank slowly.
After a long time, Xiao Yiting finally spoke, "It was being young and reckless~"
It turns out he had a nominal commercial marriage with Fan Min, without any emotional foundation. On one of his outings, he met the lively and cheerful Zhang Anqi, and the two had a conflict. After multiple subsequent interactions, they fell in love with each other.