Yue Ning and Huo Yan walked along the bustling street. The air was filled with chatter, vendors’ calls, and the fragrance of roasted chestnuts drifting from the roadside stalls.
The noise and energy of the city did little to lift Huo Yan’s gloomy mood. Her small hands hung loosely by her sides, and her eyes lacked their usual sparkle.
Spotting a stall draped with colorful scarves, Yue Ning tugged her gently toward it. "Let’s get some scarves, shall we? I think one would look good on you," she suggested with a bright smile.
Huo Yan only pressed her lips together, her expression distant.
Yue Ning’s heart sank instantly. She had hoped the outing would lighten the girl’s mood, but it was futile.
With a sigh, she placed a hand on Huo Yan’s shoulder. "I just wanted to cheer you up," she said softly. "But if it isn’t working, we can go home." She then turned to leave.
But suddenly, a small tug on her sleeve stopped her.
"I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I’m ruining your efforts." Huo Yan’s voice was low, and laced with guilt.
Yue Ning’s gaze softened. "I understand what you’re feeling. We all miss Grandmother. But she wouldn’t want you to live weighed down by sadness. She’d want you to smile and live brightly, the way you always have."
Huo Yan lowered her head, her lashes trembling. Indeed, that was what her Grandmother would want from her.
"But if you truly don’t want to be here, we’ll leave," Yue Ning promised gently. "I won’t force you."
"No, Sister-in-law." Huo Yan looked up, forcing a small smile. "How about we check the scarves? I think I saw one which will fit you."
Relief tugged at Yue Ning’s lips. "That’s better."
’It is good that you have been able to coax her. It is better to walk around her, and lighten up her mood.’ The system spoke up, and Yue Ning agreed with her mentally.
They walked back to the stall, choosing two scarves before moving on. Just as they turned into the next street, Yue Ning accidentally brushed shoulders with a passerby.
She looked up... and she froze.
A middle-aged woman stood before her, refined in bearing, her gaze warm yet sharp. Recognition flashed in Yue Ning’s eyes. She dipped her head politely. "Madam Lu."
Seeing her actions, Huo Yan quickly followed suit, but her brows furrowed seeing the resemblance between the two. They look like a mother-daughter pair. She thought to herself.
Lu Ting’s breath caught in her throat. Her gaze locked on Yue Ning’s face, her heart constricting painfully. She looked exactly like the girl from her dream. The same delicate features, the same quiet grace.
"Mrs. Huo," Lu Ting managed at last, her voice trembling with restrained emotion. "I saw you at my birthday banquet, but I didn’t have the chance to greet you. Please, pardon my oversight."
Her words were polite, but her eyes lingered far too long on Yue Ning’s face... the one which bore a striking resemblance to hers, and who she kept seeing in her dreams.
Yue Ning shifted slightly, unable to handle the intensity of her stare.
"Do you need anything, Madam Lu?" She asked after a considerable amount of silence.
"No... I mean yes." She stammered. "How about I treat you both to lunch?"
Yue Ning exchanged glances with Huo Yan who nodded in agreement. The young girl was curious about what sort of relationship they both had.
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Lu Mansion, Study room>
The atmosphere was tense, and filled with suspense which was thick enough to choke on.
Father and Mother Yue sat stiffly across from Lu Jiang and Lu Quan, hands clasped together as though drawing strength from each other.
Father Yue cleared his throat, and forced a smile on his wrinkly face. "Mr. Lu, may I know why you summoned us here so suddenly?"
Lu Jiang didn’t answer. Instead, he gave his son a glance.
Lu Quan slid several old photographs across the table. "Do you recognize the girl in these pictures?" He demanded.
Mother Yue’s fingers twitched as soon as her eyes landed on the photos. The little girl in the photos had a bright smile, and a bracelet glinted on her right wrist. Father Yue’s face darkened for the briefest second before he masked it with a calm smile.
With a matter-of-fact tone, he admitted. "Of course. That’s our daughter, Yue Ning. Why ask a question you already know the answer to?"
Lu Jiang’s voice was cold with each word deliberate. "Your daughter... or the child you took in when she was four?"
Mother Yue stiffened, her back was instantly drenched in sweat. "She—she’s our child. We raised her, everyone knows that." She stammered.
Lu Quan scoffed. "That’s exactly the problem. Before age four, she didn’t exist. No hospital records, no school files. No neighbors who remember her. And yet, there are bank transfers. Care to explain?" Lu Quan gazed at them with folded arms.
He slid another set of documents onto the table. Monthly deposits, neat and steady.
Father Yue’s face turned rigid, and asked "What are you implying?"
"That Yue Ning wasn’t yours to begin with. Someone gave her to you to which you agreed in exchange for money." Lu Jiang answered plainly.
Mother Yue paled, wringing her fingers in fear. "No! We—we loved her. We never treated her differently!"
"How could you say she was handed over to us in exchange for money?" Her words sounded firm, but sweat trickled from her forehead down to her cheek.
Lu Jiang sneered. "That wasn’t my question." He leaned forward, with his gaze as sharp as blades, and asked. "Who gave her to you?"
The silence was suffocating. Father Yue clenched his jaw, his hands tightening over his wife’s trembling ones.
"We can’t say." He indirectly admitted that Yue Ning wasn’t their daughter.
Lu Quan slammed his palms on the table furiously. "Can’t, or won’t?" Google seaʀᴄh novel_fіre.net
Mother Yue flinched, tears brimming in her eyes. She turned to her husband, whispering. "They’ll find out sooner or later. Why don’t we—"
"Enough!" Father Yue cut her off harshly with his voice lowered.
The Lu men exchanged grim looks. The truth was close, but the Yues were still resisting.