Xu Linyun’s eyes widened, and she looked at the man before her in disbelief, unable to believe that Xu Linchuan didn't trust her.
She was an actress; if she wanted to act, she could do it flawlessly. But she was also his sister. Xu Linchuan had seen all the changes in Xu Linyun during this time.
“How many more things are you hiding from me? Linyun, you’re not my innocent and adorable sister anymore!”
“Brother! You—”
A flicker of panic flashed in Xu Linyun’s eyes. She seemed to read something in Xu Linchuan’s eyes, yet also nothing. It was as if Xu Linchuan knew everything. Would he also know that she wasn’t actually…
“Brother, please don’t be like this, okay? It really wasn’t me. I wouldn’t do such a thing. How could I hire someone to kill? How could I harm Su Qi? Harming Su Qi would benefit me, but as you said, Tingyun is so smart, he’d find out as soon as he investigated. Wouldn’t that be seeking my own death?”
Xu Linyun was about to cry, her eyes red, her nose sniffling. Towards the end, she was on the verge of sobbing.
Xu Linchuan’s brow furrowed. After three seconds of contemplation, he released his grip on Xu Linyun’s wrist. “I believe it wasn’t you, and it’s best if it wasn’t you. Otherwise, your fate will be dire!” Huo Tingyun had been delaying his divorce from Su Qi, clearly developing feelings for her.
It was just that Huo Tingyun himself hadn’t realized it!
As a friend of many years, he didn’t want to expose Huo Tingyun. But after what happened tonight, Huo Tingyun was clearly enraged. In all their years of friendship, Xu Linchuan had never seen Huo Tingyun so furious. Although he wasn’t cursing or raging, his aura clearly indicated his anger.
If Xu Linyun had truly done it, even he, as her brother, wouldn’t be able to protect her!
“You seem to have something on your mind lately. What’s wrong?”
Xu Linchuan changed the subject, his voice softening.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xu Linyun’s complexion did not improve but instead turned even paler.
“I… it’s nothing. Perhaps it’s just some discomfort before pregnancy. I’ll be fine in a while.”
“Then you should rest well.”
“Mm!”
Xu Linyun watched Xu Linchuan leave. She reached out and turned off the light. In the darkness, her eyes remained wide open, never closing.
The next day, Xu Linyun went to the orphanage she had been in before.
Her car stopped at the entrance of Sunflower Orphanage. Xu Linyun leaned forward as she got out of the car, looked up at the orphanage gate, her heart sinking, before stepping into the orphanage.
In the院长’s office, Xu Linyun sat down. After waiting for a while, the elderly院长 finally arrived.
“Miss Xu, you were looking for me.”
“Hello,院长. I am Xu Linyun.”
After the院长 sat down, Xu Linyun couldn’t wait to speak. “Do you remember that decades ago, I was adopted from this orphanage?”
“You… you are the little girl who was adopted by a wealthy family?”
The old院长 adjusted his reading glasses. His hair was white, and his eyes were aged. He recognized Xu Linyun. Although his memory was poor, the Xu family was a prominent family in Shencheng, which he remembered very clearly. “It is me. Do you remember me? kanshu伍.ξà
“I remember, I remember. Is there something you need?”
“I want to ask if you ever mistakenly adopted a child?”
When she was brought back to the Xu family, she was too young to remember anything.
She had spent several days investigating before finding this orphanage.
To confirm the truth, she had come to find out!
“Mistakenly adopted? How could that happen?” The old院长 was clearly advanced in age.
Xu Linyun bit her lower lip. She had already secretly done a DNA test and confirmed it.
She was not the biological daughter of Xu Qingfeng and Xu Ruyun at all!
That was why, when she needed a transfusion that night, she couldn’t donate blood to Xu Qingfeng due to blood type incompatibility!
“Impossible…”
“Then, at that time…” Xu Linyun stood up abruptly, her hands propped on the table, staring directly at the old院长. “Was there a girl of the same age as me who was brought in?” The old院长 tapped his head. “There seemed to be. You two were both left at the orphanage’s doorstep at the same time…”
Xu Linyun’s heart sank. She pressed, “Who was that girl?!”
The old院长 adjusted his reading glasses and thought carefully. “It’s been too long. I can’t remember clearly. A few years ago, there was a fire, and the records were burned. If you want to know, you’ll have to ask the nurses who worked at the orphanage back then. I have their contact information.”
Xu Linyun noted down the contact information of a few nurses, thanked him, and left the orphanage. Perhaps it was the early stages of pregnancy, but as soon as she stepped outside, she felt a surge of nausea.
She leaned against the car door, spitting out some bitter fluid, and swallowed hard.
As the saying goes, paper cannot wrap fire.
But this matter, even if it couldn’t be wrapped, it had to be!
If Xu Qingfeng and Xu Ruyun found out that the daughter they had raised for so many years was not their biological daughter, she couldn’t even imagine the consequences!
Tingyun had changed, her brother had changed, everyone had changed!
If she also lost the identity of the Xu family’s eldest daughter, how could she live!
Xu Linyun bit her lower lip tightly, her skin breaking and bleeding, completely unaware until her phone vibrated. A call came in; it was Xu Ruyun. “…Mom?”
“Where are you?”
“Out eating and shopping. What’s wrong, Mom?”
“That bitch Su Qi, she’s really lucky. She survived such a serious car accident.”
“Mom, you know about this?”
“Of course. The news reported it. I guess your brother will be worried again.”
“Let’s not talk about this, Mom. Where are you? I’ll come over to see you and Dad now.”
Xu Linyun had her driver take her to the hospital. It was late at night when she left the hospital. Xu Linyun returned to the Xu family alone. A servant had stewed bird’s nest. Xu Linyun pulled out a chair and sat at the table to eat. While doing so, she took out her phone. Seeing that no servants were around, she clicked on the phone numbers of a few nurses.
As long as she asked these few people, she would know what happened back then.
She had to find the real Xu family’s eldest daughter in advance to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
Fortunately, Xu Qingfeng was in a coma, and Xu Ruyun was constantly by his side, taking care of him in the hospital, leaving her no time for anything else. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The more Xu Linyun thought about it, the colder her heart felt. She felt like she didn’t even have the strength to hold her phone and had no appetite for food. She got up and returned to her room.
She tapped the phone screen, composed a text message, and sent it.
“Brother, if one day you find out I’m not your real sister, will you still love me?”
“Silly girl, what nonsense are you saying? You’re my only sister. If I don’t love you, who else would I love?”
Xu Linyun looked at the message that came back, a pang of bitterness rising in her heart, her eyes moistening.