Chapter 202: Chapter 202: She Has a Guilty Conscience Chapter 202: Chapter 202: She Has a Guilty Conscience Children are naturally prone to cry and fuss; those who don’t usually have problems, just like Han Bao.
The servants heard that Lili came from the orphanage and worried that she was abandoned due to intelligence issues.
Lin Qi said, “That’s not true, she’s very smart, she’s just too well-behaved.”
The servant nodded, “She must be hungry. I’ll bring in the meal.”
“Good, you haven’t eaten either, let’s eat together.”
The servant quickly brought over the food.
Lin Qi waved to Lili, “Lili, come and eat with us!”
Lili looked around; she had never seen such a luxurious house, with large rooms, large beds, and carpets that felt comfortable to walk on barefoot.
Therefore, she was a bit shy, but came over obediently when Lin Qi called her.
The servant set up a table and brought in the food, handing her a stool.
Lili sat down at the side of the table, and only after Lin Qi urged her to eat did she pick up her chopsticks and started wolfing down the food, eating deliciously.
Lin Qi watched, stunned.
Lili’s way of eating, as if she hadn’t had a full meal in days, desperately stuffing as much as she could into her mouth without taking time to taste how good the food was, seeming only to fill her stomach, her mouth all greasy.
The servant was also shocked, “She’s eating so well.”
Lin Qi said, “Mmm… she probably hasn’t had a full meal in several days!”
The servant asked, “Is the food at the orphanage that bad?”
Lin Qi shook her head, “I’ve never stayed in an orphanage.”
The servant said, “When Mr. Huo first brought Han Bao back from the orphanage, he ate in the same way.”
Lin Qi felt pain but even more sympathy, “Lili, eat slowly. There’s more if it’s not enough.”
Lili heard her, but her hands didn’t stop for even a moment, as if scooping up rice was only her survival instinct.
It looked like she was truly starving.
Ye Chan knocked and went in.
The Old Lady asked, “What is it? Do you need something?”
“Mom…” Ye Chan sat down opposite her, “Don’t you think that the little girl Lin Qi brought back is a bit suspicious?”
The Old Madam asked, “What do you mean?”
Ye Chan said, “I don’t think she’s that kind-hearted. She and Tingdong have been divorced for so many years now, and this girl looks to be six or seven years old. Could it be a daughter she had with another man after the divorce? Otherwise, why adopt this girl and bring her home?”
Upon hearing this, the Old Madam frowned, “Such unfounded speculation should not be spread.”
Ye Chan insisted, “Therefore, we need to find a chance to confirm it!”
The Old Madam asked, “How would you confirm it?”
Ye Chan said, “Let’s have Lin Qi take the child for a paternity test one day. If it turns out she’s her biological child, Tingdong will definitely not acknowledge it. There’s no reason for him to raise another man’s child.”
The Old Madam said, “You want her to take the child for a paternity test, but whether she’s willing to do it is a separate matter!”
Ye Chan immediately replied, “If she’s not willing, then she definitely has something to hide!”
The Old Madam said, “Enough, let’s talk about this later! What if she was just talking. They said she brought the child from the orphanage, right? The child’s background can be easily checked out; there’s no need to make a big deal out of it. If this child is really her illegitimate daughter, wouldn’t Tingdong find out? Since he has already decided to remarry her, it shows he knows her well enough.”
Ye Chan said, “I think Tingdong’s decision to marry her was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, he doesn’t know her that well yet.”
The Old Lady didn’t care to engage with her further.
Feeling snubbed, Ye Chan walked out of the Old Lady’s room, frustrated. The Old Lady simply didn’t take her seriously, all because she and Huo Yanlin had no children.
If she had a child, perhaps the Old Lady would think more highly of her.
Just wait, keep waiting patiently.
Ye Chan was about to return to her room when a servant came upstairs, approached Lin Qi’s room, and knocked lightly on the door: “Miss Lin, Mr. Huo has returned.”
Lin Qi opened the door and saw Ye Chan also standing outside. She frowned slightly but pretended not to see her.
Ye Chan huffed, rolled her eyes, and returned to her room.
Lin Qi asked, “Is he leaving tonight?”
The servant replied, “He is leaving.”
Lin Qi said, “Alright, ask him to wait downstairs for a moment.”
Lili hadn’t finished eating yet.
The servant went downstairs.
Lin Qi returned to her room, and Lili had just finished eating.
She handed her a handkerchief.
Lili reached out to take it, looking somewhat bewildered at Lin Qi.
Lin Qi said, “Wipe your mouth.”
There were some oil stains on Lili’s mouth.
But Lili seemed reluctant to use it, as the handkerchief Lin Qi gave her was very pretty, with beautiful patterns; she was hesitant to get it dirty. “This handkerchief is so pretty.”
Lin Qi said, “If you think it’s pretty, how about I give it to you?”
She realized that Lili was reluctant to use it, so she took out a tissue for her instead.
Lili wiped her mouth with the tissue and then, carefully, she stored the handkerchief away, feeling a bit embarrassed as she said, “Thank you, sister.”
Lin Qi patted her little head: “No need to thank me.”
Lili looked around: “Is this sister’s home?”
Lin Qi said, “Actually, according to our relation, you should call me auntie.”
Lili said, “But… I like calling you sister.”
Lin Qi looked too young, even though Lili, along with Han and Momo, were around the same age. When she saw Lin Qi, she instinctively called her sister.
Lin Qi answered her previous question, “This isn’t my home, this is…”
The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Huo Tingdong stood at the doorway.
Lili was so scared that she stood up and hid behind Lin Qi, timidly peeking out half of her face from behind her. She obviously didn’t recognize Huo Tingdong.
Huo Tingdong glanced at Lili and asked, “Why did you bring her back?”
Hearing this, Lili shrank back sensitively, fearfully clutching at the corner of Lin Qi’s clothes.
She thought Huo Tingdong didn’t welcome her and wanted to drive her away, or perhaps send her back to the orphanage.
She didn’t want to part with Lin Qi.
Lin Qi said, “Don’t scare her. I want to take her to stay for a while. She’s been bullied by other kids at the orphanage and isn’t eating or drinking. I’m worried that she might have psychological issues, so I want to bring her here and find her a psychologist.”
In front of Lili, Huo Tingdong didn’t say much.
He said, “Today’s company meeting was very long, dragged on till very late before I came back.”
Lin Qi asked, “Are Han and Momo downstairs?”
Huo Tingdong replied, “Yes, Han is sleepy. We will head home.”
Lin Qi took Lili’s hand and walked out the door.
Lili followed behind Lin Qi all the way. Huo Tingdong walked in front, looking tall and imposing. Lili was obviously afraid of Huo Tingdong and stayed silent.
Lin Qi chuckled and said, “Lili, don’t be afraid, this uncle isn’t a bad person.”
Lili said, “But, he looks so fierce…”