Even though she acknowledged that Xi Nian was her brother, she found it impossible to call him "brother."
Picking up the phone, she just listened quietly. On the other end, Xi Nian sighed softly, "Ranran."
"Sorry," Yuran began.
Xi Nian understood what she meant, that she was apologizing for not being able to call him brother. He replied cheerfully, "You don’t need to feel sorry, Ranran. Even if there was a mistake, it was our mistake, not yours."
Yuran had nothing to say, actually not knowing how to start.
After a faint hum, she asked, "Calling me so late, is it..."
Before she could finish, Xi Nian had already affirmed, "Xi Bei, it’s Meng Qiuyan."
Yuran’s phone almost slipped from her hand, she staggered, stabilizing herself, "Say that again."
The excitement, exhilaration, and restraint in Yuran’s voice were all distinctly heard by Xi Nian on the other end of the phone. He repeated calmly, "Xi Bei is Meng Qiuyan; she is our sister."
Yuran’s eyes reddened, and warm tears fell down her cheeks. Her lips trembled several times, unable to speak. Both sides of the phone remained quiet until Xi Nian spoke again, "This matter, do you want to talk about it, or...?"
Yuran wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice much calmer yet still hoarse from crying, "I’ll talk about it. After all, I should be the one to explain."
Xi Nian did not agree with her statement, telling her it wasn’t her fault. How could she have handled the deceitful schemes perfectly when she was so young?
But saying this would only make Yuran feel worse, so he responded, "Okay, tell her about it. We’ll wait for your news. I’ll talk to Xi Yan and Xi Yang here; don’t worry about it."
"Ranran, do we really need to be so formal between us?"
Xi Nian, "I just got the news too. The results of the comparison came out just a few minutes ago. You’re the second person to know. Do you feel relieved now?"
"Not relieved. I haven’t received my sister’s forgiveness yet."
Xi Nian relaxed a bit, "Qiuyan will judge right from wrong by herself."
Around ten to nine, Bo Yan returned from Zhizhi’s room, having dried her hair and read her a bedtime story—a routine of his, managing everything in detail personally for Zhizhi.
Back in his room, he saw Yuran sitting on the edge of the bed with red eyes, which panicked him, and his normally steady steps turned chaotic.
He rushed over to Yuran, cupped her face, and made her look at him, "Baby, why are you crying? Who upset you? Tell me."
Yuran shook her head, her slightly red eyes meeting his, making him feel a pang in his heart as he embraced her, changing their positions so she could sit on his lap, tucking her better into his embrace, his chin resting on top of her head.
"What’s making you cry, hmm?"
The tone of his voice was drawn out, tinged with an indescribable danger.
Yuran was certain that if she just mentioned Xi Nian, this man would definitely rush out and give someone a beating. She shook her head, "Qiuge, the comparison results between Meng Qiuyan and Xi Nian are out."
A flicker of understanding crossed Bo Yan’s eyes; no wonder she was crying. All these years of pent-up emotions being released, it was good to let it out, though he still couldn’t bear to see her cry.
If her tears could be let out freely, it would be better for her emotional release, but now, with her eyes swollen red, he felt an unbearable ache in his heart.
He pressed her head to his shoulder, "One minute, cry your heart out, weep if you must, just for a minute, otherwise I’ll just keep kissing you."
Yuran looked up in astonishment, her eyes still very red but her expression utterly shocked, the contrast making him want to kiss her recklessly. He turned his face slightly away, not looking at Yuran’s appearance, "What’s wrong, not okay?"
Yuran smiled and shook her head, "It’s okay, of course, it’s okay. Thank you, Qiuge."
"Hmm, don’t mention it. Who else would pamper you?" Bo Yan thick-skinned, "Are you ready to take on the task of recognition?"
Yuran nodded, "Back then, I was responsible for losing her, so..."
Bo Yan understood, "I know, I’ll go with you, okay?"
"So, listen to me now, take a bath and sleep well. Tomorrow morning, I’ll accompany you to the studio to find Meng Qiuyan, okay?"
Leaving some words unsaid, Bo Yan seemed a bit disappointed; he didn’t even know why he was feeling that way. Quickly, he picked up Yuran in his arms; Yuran exclaimed, clinging to his neck, "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? Taking you to bathe, is that not okay?"
Yuran’s face flushed more deeply than just her eyes, the redness so striking, "You, you, can’t you be a little more subtle?"
Bo Yan lowered his head to whisper near her, "Baby, I’ve always said, don’t be so reserved. We’ve been through everything together, why be shy? Or let’s say, what haven’t I seen?"
Of course, after the bath, it was still Bo Yan carrying Yuran out, setting her down on the bed, and he bent down to kiss her forehead, smiling at her utterly exhausted little face.
"Can you care about fewer things? Hmm?"
He walked out to the balcony and called Xi Nian. On receiving Bo Yan’s call, Xi Nian didn’t seem surprised, only concerned as he asked, "Ranran, everything okay?"
"It’s okay, just a bit upset. Are you sure? Don’t give her hope and then..."
Xi Nian cut off Bo Yan’s words, "No, don’t worry, it absolutely won’t happen." Xi Nian had verified the results multiple times because he was worried about errors that could shatter everyone’s peace again, but as it turned out, no matter how many times it was confirmed, the outcome was always the same.
Assured by a definitive answer, Bo Yan felt more at ease, "What do you plan to do next?"
Xi Nian chuckled, his voice firm, "Settle accounts. Some matters, though years have passed, the evidence is still at the original site. My parents’ deaths couldn’t have been without evidence or by accident. Ranran is now with you, and that’s good. We don’t need to tell her about this."
"She has the right to know." Bo Yan interjected.
Xi Nian couldn’t deny it, "Yes, Ranran has the right to know. You can tell her. The choice is hers. If she also wants to know the truth about this matter, then I’ll share everything I’ve found with her."
Bo Yan, "It can’t be unrelated. Don’t forget the cause of Fu Yuran’s death."