He had never seen her before.
—Or rather, what he saw was always just the woman in the narrow, worn photograph in his father’s wallet, and not the person herself.
But, he knew from an early age that there was such a woman in his father’s heart! A purely Oriental face, delicate and sweetly charming.
Although so many years had passed, Shen Lanxiao’s appearance invariably had changed compared to the past. But, perhaps because her work was going well, her family life was happy—even though her husband and son often quarreled over trivial matters, both Yu Jingxi and Yu Zexiao were exceptionally good to her.
So, even after more than twenty years, while time inevitably left its marks on her, when compared to the past photo Situ Che had kept, there was still an astonishing ninety percent resemblance to the person in real life!
He recognized her at a single glance!
The moment he saw her, Situ Xuan’s steps momentarily faltered! His father had been deeply in love with her all these years, while his mother suffered because of her! At this moment, he was competing for the girlfriend of her son!
Unaware of Situ Xuan’s inner turmoil, Jian Anning only saw him appear and went forward to greet him, "William, good morning."
As soon as she called out, Shen Lanxiao also followed her gaze over to Situ Xuan at the door!
It should be said that Situ Xuan actually looked more like his mother. Apart from his tall stature and gray-blue eyes, which were similar to his father Situ Che’s, his other features were the spitting image of his mother’s. At first glance, Shen Lanxiao could hardly see any trace of Situ Che in him. She saw a handsome, tall man in a suit who glanced in her direction then quickly averted his gaze, hiding much too much emotion in his eyes.
However, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, she noticed something odd from that glance. She slightly furrowed her brows and looked at Jian Anning beside her, "Who is this?"
"Oh, this gentleman is the person in charge of the American Huasi Film and Television, the investor behind ’Rock Youth,’ surname Situ. His English name is William."
Understanding that this man was likely her son’s "superior" at work, Shen Lanxiao politely nodded towards him. Situ Xuan quickly adjusted his emotions and approached as if he was unaware, speaking with ease, "Anning, it’s rare for you to bring someone to the set, who is this lady?"
"This is Zexiao’s mother."
"Auntie, hello," Situ Xuan greeted her politely, his gray-blue eyes suddenly flashing, "Pleased to meet you."
Caught off guard by his eye color, Shen Lanxiao paused for a moment. Despite Situ Xuan not greatly resembling Situ Che, she suddenly asked, "Mr. Situ’s eye color is quite unique. Are you mixed-heritage?"
"Yes, my eyes are similar to my father’s," Situ Xuan replied with a faint smile, his inherently distinguished demeanor adding a purposefully significant tone to his words.
Shen Lanxiao didn’t think too much of it, just offering a smile in return. Mixed-heritage was rare in Huaxia Country, but not in the United States! Although throughout her life she knew only one man with such eye color—Situ Che—it was indeed difficult for her to draw a connection between this young man and Situ Che.