Shen Qi was rendered speechless as she stared blankly at Su Jiu. As those words came out of Su Jiu’s mouth and reached her ears, her mind was overwhelmed and devastated, despite her adamant refusal to believe the shocking truth. Then, she seemingly lost control of her own body to respond for a while.
A moment later, Shen Qi’s face turned pale as a ghost. “W-What did you say…?”
“I know anyone would barely be able to accept the hidden truth of their birth at this time, but the truth is the truth, Miss Shen. You’re indeed the daughter of the late Madam Han, which makes you the Young Lady of the Han Family, whom we’ve been searching for ages.”
Dumbfounded, Shen Qi asked, “What about Han Xueyou? Isn’t she…”
“Speaking of her, we believe it’s connected to another matter. Han Xueyou had probably learned about the truth by chance. Therefore, she had gotten close to you to sound you out in order to make up her own story. Mr. Han had been desperate in looking for his sister all these years, and his men were aware about his desperation, so it was possible that everyone could have been mistaken in haste.”
Upon hearing that, the color drained from Shen Qi’s lips before they turned as white as a sheet.
Earlier back, Yan told her about something she saw coming. That girl might have already harbored an ulterior motive when she became close friends with you back then while you were both in college. The friendship that she initially wanted to treasure so dearly was in fact more complicated than it seemed.
No… it can’t be. With a pale face, Shen Qi shook her head while saying bitterly, “Could you all have been mistaken? After all, I’ve been friends with Han Xueyou for years. So, if you’re mistaken, you should have known from the beginning.”
“I’m sorry. We’re not certain how it happened, but there’s one thing I can tell you for sure. The truth of your birth is confirmed because Mrs. Shen admitted it herself.”
Thump! The truth sounded as if there was a huge and heavy boulder crushing her feeble heart.
So, her mother had already admitted it? What did she admit? That she was not the daughter of the Shen Family? Was that why she had always treated her differently than she did to Shen Yue? Could that be the reason behind the favoritism?
“In fact, despite having found Han Xueyou, Mr. Han has always been indifferent toward her. Although she met all the conditions, you should know that the sixth sense does exist in a family, through which its members can connect with each other. After all, if the two of you are a family, you are probably related to each other by blood. Yet, strangely enough, Mr. Han didn’t feel like Han Xueyou was his family. It was only because she met all the conditions that Mr. Han gave up investigating further on this matter—until he met you in the restaurant last time, Miss Shen. Speaking of this, I’d like to take you somewhere and show you something, Miss Shen.” Su Jiu then rose from her seat. “Miss Shen, please follow me. You’ll understand everything once you see it.”
Bewildered, Shen Qi followed her as they made their way through an escalator. Witnessing the grand and magnificent interior along the way, she couldn’t help but feel ill at ease. Soon, Su Jiu slowly let up her pace as they finally arrived at the door of a room. She then reached out for her keys in the pocket and opened the door.
This room had always been locked. However, Han Qing had specially entrusted the keys to Su Jiu to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, should it come in handy whenever necessary.
Unexpectedly, the keys indeed came in handy. Su Jiu opened the door before entering the room with Shen Qi following right behind. The room was regularly cleaned and well kept, therefore there was barely any dust found inside the room, and it was squeaky clean and shining in every corner. All items were nicely arranged and organized, making the room look neat and tidy. However, the dry air in the room suggested that it had been uninhabited for quite a long while. It was a strange atmosphere…
Upon entering the room, Shen Qi caught a glimpse of the huge poster on the wall, where she paused in place to admire it. In the poster was a lady in a blue dress with a traditional hairstyle that ran down gently to her shoulder. Her long blue dress reaching the floor had nicely set off her slender figure. As the moonlight shone on the blue sea right behind her, the reflection on the sea seemed as if it was sprinkled by a layer of glitter dust, while it beautifully portrayed her pronounced facial features.
The lady was smiling, yet the smile seemed somewhat faint, while her eyes appeared especially cold and indifferent. Although the sea behind her was beautiful, it was filled with nothing but void and coldness, as if there was no emotion felt at all.
Somehow, Shen Qi was reminded of herself when she looked into the mirror. Those eyes… looked like… hers…
“This was where Madam Han lived before she passed on,” Su Jiu suddenly commented.
Upon hearing her words, Shen Qi paused and bit her lips.
“Look at this picture. Is there a split second that you feel like you’re looking at yourself?” Su Jiu suddenly let out a laugh. “To be honest, the first time I saw you at the airport, you happened to be wearing a blue dress as well. Coincidentally, blue was Madam Han’s favorite color before she passed on. Therefore, all of her clothes were mostly blue in color, not to mention her fascination with the sea. I hadn’t seen Madam Han’s photograph at that time, so I didn’t understand Mr. Han’s reaction upon seeing you, Miss Shen. It was only later when I discovered the truth and saw Madam Han’s photograph that I realized you’re the spitting image of Madam Han, especially your eyes and the aura you possess. All these are the most apparent evidence.”
Shen Qi didn’t respond. The reason she hadn’t been able to say hello to Han Qing was because she couldn’t find a chance to do so. Even though she had suggested to Han Xueyou that she would like to treat her brother to a meal to thank him, Han Xueyou had always brushed her off in a panic while saying her brother was busy. Eventually, fate had still brought them together, where she happened to work with Han Qing on a project by chance.
Han Xueyou must have seen Madam Han’s photograph for herself and had foreseen the threat. Was this why she had tried to keep her from meeting Han Qing?
She had many questions that left her wondering previously, but now that the situation had come to light, she slowly connected the dots and realized that what she had just learned surprisingly added up. As such, she couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of Han Xueyou, for she never thought her bestie had been unexpectedly playing tricks on her, yet she was kept in the dark all along.
“Miss Shen, I know this is not easy for you, but the truth is as you can see. You’re indeed the one whom the Han Family has long been searching for. Anyhow, I’ve told you everything that I should on behalf of Mr. Han, so later on—”
“Can I go?” Shen Qi suddenly interrupted and asked.
Su Jiu paused.
“You know what, can I just be left alone here for a moment?”
There had been a lot happening today that messed her mind up like a bird’s nest. She couldn’t calm herself down despite her best efforts, and neither could she comprehend what happened and why it had turned out to be like this. She needed to find some solitude, in order to clear her mind.
Su Jiu understood how she felt and nodded. “Of course, then I shall leave you to it. I’ll head downstairs and bring Mr. Han here to meet you later when he arrives, Miss Shen.”
“Thank you.” Shen Qi expressed her gratitude, shortly before Su Jiu made a move downstairs.
