Lin Wan's words of comfort convinced Jin Wen Ye to observe the newcomers first. If they only wanted the spirit spring water and their usage wouldn't affect the base's other residents, they could stay. Otherwise, he would seize their supplies and expel them.
With his decision made, they summoned the members of the Sang family currently residing in the base for a meeting.
007 appeared as it always did during such times, and this was no exception. Upon hearing the surnames of the newcomers, it immediately understood.
These people were indeed not bad, and they were indeed here for Lin Wan. Lin Wan's mother was the youngest daughter of the Sang family. Years ago, when she and her lover returned to visit relatives, they were targeted by jealous relatives of the man's family. Lin Wan's father died on the spot, and her mother was severely injured and hospitalized. She later gave birth prematurely, and the baby was swapped. It took them several years to discover this during a major medical accident.
The Sang family had sent people to investigate this matter numerous times, but unfortunately, they never found Lin Wan. Her mother, who was in poor health, had been kept in the dark. Before the apocalypse, her mother accidentally learned of the truth, which caused her to decline rapidly. Before she died, she left a dying wish for the Sang family to find her biological daughter.
Lin Wan's maternal grandmother was still alive. The older generation mourning the younger, she was so grief-stricken that she nearly passed away. After handling Lin Wan's mother's funeral arrangements, she intended to return to China to find her granddaughter.
Had the apocalypse not occurred, the Sang family would have returned earlier. At that time, Jin Ling and Lin Wan were in the midst of a fierce quarrel, and Jin Wen Ye's distant relatives were trying to push women onto him. The Sang family would have appeared, put them in their place, and supported Lin Wan – a truly memorable scene.
Seeing the group now wary of each other, 007 found it somewhat amusing.
Among the Sang family members who arrived, apart from a small number of friends and their bodyguards, most bore the surname Sang. Lin Wan had four maternal uncles and one maternal aunt, all married with children. This generation alone numbered ten people. The next generation included seven maternal cousins and six maternal cousins, an adopted daughter who had replaced her identity, three younger male cousins, and two younger female cousins. Four of them were married, bringing the total for this generation to twenty-three. There were also three nephews. Together with the grandmother, this extended Sang family comprised thirty-seven people.
Furthermore, with unmarried partners, a few more individuals were added.
However, not everyone participated in such meetings. Only Lin Wan's two maternal uncles, two maternal cousins, and her aunt were present. Before Lin Wan appeared, her aunt kept looking towards the entrance. When she saw Lin Wan, visibly pregnant, appear at the conference room door, she immediately stood up.
Two young girls were escorting Lin Wan. Seeing others attempt to approach, these girls immediately blocked them.
Jin Wen Ye also stood up, helping Lin Wan to a seat beside him. Lin Wan was the sole supplier of spirit spring water for the entire base. Although she rarely appeared, everyone at the base knew her and respected her greatly.
Jin Wen Ye looked at the woman, whose face was filled with emotion, and frowned. "This is my wife, Lin Wan, the supplier of spirit spring water for the Lin Cheng base. Since you insisted on seeing her, you may speak now."
"Lin Wan, your name is Lin Wan." The aunt became emotional. "May I call you Wan Wan? You look so much like your mother. I, we are all your family. I am your mother's older sister, your aunt. Wan Wan, we've finally found you!" Su Dan novel website.
The woman couldn't help but cry. Jin Wen Ye's frown deepened, and the others attending the meeting were utterly bewildered. Wasn't this supposed to be a meeting? How had it turned into a family reunion?
Lin Wan remained very calm. When she was bullied in the orphanage as a child, she would wish she had family, that her family would find her, but no one ever came.
Now, she was long past the age of yearning for parental affection. Jin Wen Ye had given her more than enough, and Old Master Jin treated her well. She felt no particular affection for these people and was quite suspicious of their motives.
"What evidence do you have to prove that I am a child of the Sang family?"
Her words stunned everyone. The Sang aunt took a moment to react and said, "You look very much like your mother. We have photos. Also, your mother said you have a crescent-shaped birthmark on your lower back, and your father did too."
Jin Wen Ye's expression changed.
Lin Wan's face also turned grim instantly, but she remained calm. "I grew up in an orphanage. It's not strange that I have my birthmark. This cannot be used as proof."
Lin Wan did not trust them. If not for the apocalypse and everything that had happened, if someone had found her and claimed to be her relative, she might have been moved. But given her current status and abilities, it wasn't vanity to say that too many people had ulterior motives concerning her.
"We are truly your family. If you don't believe us, we can do a DNA test right now. We searched for you for many years and only found a clue a few months ago. We were supposed to return immediately, but the apocalypse delayed us. Your mother's only wish before she died was to find you, Wan Wan. We are truly your family."
Lin Wan looked at Jin Wen Ye, feeling a sense of confusion.
Jin Wen Ye put an arm around her shoulder. "Let's do a paternity test first. If you want to acknowledge them, you can. If not, you don't have to."
The Sang family members were immediately displeased. The two maternal cousins attending the meeting both possessed supernatural abilities. They stood up and looked at Jin Wen Ye. "Mr. Jin, although we have been separated from our cousin for so many years, we are blood relatives and do not need a paternity test. We have photos of our aunt, and anyone with eyes can see they are mother and daughter. Are you suspecting us of having ulterior motives and therefore don't want Wan Wan to acknowledge us?"
"Don't you have ulterior motives?"
This retort immediately shut the other person down. Before the apocalypse, that person was a favored son of heaven. Wherever the Sang Hua Group went, royal families of some countries treated them as honored guests. It was rumored that among the "friends" who came with them this time was a prince and a princess from one country.
Such individuals, speechless before Jin Wen Ye's retort, were naturally displeased and glared at him with dissatisfaction. If not for their good upbringing, they might have already resorted to physical violence.
The other three remained silent. Seeing the stalemate, Shen Qian stepped in again as a mediator. "President Jin, why not let Lin Wan do the paternity test with them first. However, esteemed guests, even if you are Lin Wan's relatives, you cannot expect any special privileges in the base. If you intend to wield power as before, then Lin Cheng base cannot meet your requirements. You should seek opportunities elsewhere."
The young man who had spoken earlier angrily retorted, "What business is it of yours how we do things? Who do you think you are!"
"Sang Ting, quiet down."
Another man stood up and restrained his hot-tempered cousin, then looked at Jin Wen Ye, whose expression was grim. "Apologize to Mr. Shen."
The young man was clearly very unhappy but finally, under the man's stern gaze, apologized to Shen Qian. "I'm sorry."
Shen Qian completely ignored him.
"Mr. Jin." The man gave him a slight nod. "We are indeed here for our cousin, Lin Wan. Lin Cheng base is indeed our best choice. The supplies we brought should be useful to you. I don't think you need to scrutinize our motives too much. Whether it is allowing cousin Lin Wan to find her family or strengthening the base, it is entirely beneficial to you. Our only objective is to find a place to settle down and also to put the elders at home at ease. As long as the paternity test results come out and cousin can occasionally visit my grandmother, the Sang family asks for nothing more."