He Lao Yezi glanced at him and asked, "Have you seen Mianmian before?"
Ruan Feng was startled upon hearing this and then shook his head, "No, this is the first time."
He Lao Yezi gave him another look, lifted the tea next to him and took a sip, then asked, "From the moment Mianmian arrived, I could see something was off in your eyes. Out with it! What’s the matter?"
Ruan Feng was someone who had weathered many storms and was not so easily flustered. If something could make him unable to hide his thoughts and display them so clearly, it surely wasn’t simple.
Ruan Feng knew that He Lao Yezi was a shrewd man, but he hadn’t expected that He Lao Yezi would notice so minutely. As he was thinking of how to bluff his way through, he heard He Lao Yezi speak again.
"Although I am old, I’m not confused. Don’t try to fob me off with lies."
Since he had asked, what he wanted was the truth.
With the conversation having reached this point, if Ruan Feng continued to lie, it would be extremely rude. After thinking it over, he simply told the truth, considering the results would be out that very afternoon anyway.
Whether true or not, it would soon be laid bare.
If it was true, He Lao Yezi was bound to find out sooner or later. Fresh chapters posted on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
"Old Master, since you’ve asked, I won’t hide it from you. Mianmian is very likely Mianmian."
He Lao Yezi’s eyebrows twitched suddenly, and a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, "Tell me what happened."
Ruan Feng didn’t know much, but he tried his best to convey what he knew, "It had already been investigated that Mianmian was kidnapped and sold to Licheng, but the trail went cold after that. Recently, another trip to Licheng revealed that an old human trafficking case had inadvertently implicated Mianmian. By chance, the investigation pointed to Mianmian being the Mianmian we know now."
As he spoke, Ruan Feng’s voice became somewhat hoarse, "You know, over the years, there have been quite a few mix-ups, and now that Mianmian and Xiaonan are dating, there’s fear of another mistake. That’s why Yiqian took Mianmian’s hair for identification. The results will be out this afternoon."
He Lao Yezi’s expression grew serious, "I had already investigated Mianmian’s background. She was an adopted daughter picked up by Shen Jianhua and his wife. The trail ended as soon as they found her. If Mianmian is Mianmian, naturally, that’s good."
After pondering for a while, he continued, "Before the results come out, the fewer people who know, the better."
If it turned out to be another mistake, what would Shen Mianmian do?
Some, no doubt, would have even more objections to her.
"Right," Ruan Feng nodded, "Yiqian and I think the same. But there’s a ninety percent chance that Mianmian is actually Mianmian. You have no idea, the moment I first saw her, I felt a deep affinity, a connection only kinship can bring."
He Lao Yezi looked at him and huffed, "As far as I know, Lingyu has a lot of issues with Mianmian." If they were kin, shouldn’t Ruan Lingyu have felt that even more so?
Ruan Feng caught the implication in He Lao Yezi’s words, his expression slightly awkward, "Lingyu has been difficult over the years, and much of it has to do with me. If I hadn’t been careless and lost Mianmian back then, she wouldn’t have become the way she is."
He Lao Yezi sighed, "Enough, so many years have passed, there’s no point in talking about that now. Mianmian has endured a lot of hardship over the years. If she really is Mianmian, think first about how you will compensate her!"
As he said this, a trace of a smile reappeared on his face, "She and Xiaonan are quite fated. It hasn’t been easy for the two kids to get to where they are now."