Zhang Lian also wore a loving smile. "I'm your birth mother, Mingxia. Twenty years! Mom finally gets to see you!"
Hearing their self-introductions, Jiang Ling's expression changed drastically.
Her usually bright and beautiful face turned ice-cold in an instant.
In the memories of the original owner of this body, the concept of birth parents no longer existed.
This was because her adoptive parents, before their deaths, had tearfully told her that they had found her discarded in a trash heap.
Though she didn't know why her birth parents had been so cruel, from the moment they had willingly abandoned her, her so-called birth parents had ceased to exist.
Furthermore, the debt of nurture outweighed the debt of birth. Her adoptive parents, who had raised her, were her true kin.
She had never expected to see these heartless parents again after being abandoned.
To her surprise, they had appeared at such a critical juncture.
Jiang Ling sized up the couple before her. Jiang Jianguo and Zhang Lian were also looking at Jiang Ling.
Their eyes were filled with excitement and surprise.
They truly hadn't expected their abandoned second daughter to have grown into such a beauty.
She had seemingly inherited all of the excellent genes of the old Jiang family.
In contrast, their younger son, while a bit handsome, was far inferior.
This "money-losing" girl had benefited so much from the old Jiang family; it was time she helped her brother.
In the few seconds the couple was observing Jiang Ling, the coldness in Jiang Ling's eyes had transformed into indifference.
No love, no hate, no familial connection, only a profound indifference.
They were strangers, as cold as strangers, their fates entirely irrelevant to her.
Such an indifferent gaze made the couple's scalps tingle for a moment, but this was quickly suppressed by a surge of fervent greed.
"Daughter, it's been twenty years. Your father and I have waited for this day for over twenty years. I..."
Zhang Lian spoke with overwhelming emotion, but her sentimental words were cut short by Jiang Jianguo.
"Mingxia, you must come to the hospital with us now. We can talk about anything after this is taken care of!"
"Yes, yes, saving a life is like putting out a fire. Let's go to the hospital quickly!" Zhang Lian, thinking of her precious son in the hospital, urged.
Jiang Ling let out a cold scoff. "Go to the hospital for what? I'm not sick. If you have nothing else, please leave. I have things to attend to and no time for your idle chatter."
With that, she moved to close the door.
Jiang Jianguo placed a hand on the door. "Whatever you have to do can wait. Come with me to the hospital now!"
Zhang Lian echoed, "Yes, yes, your brother is in the hospital waiting for you to save his life."
"Save his life? What happened to him?" Jiang Ling asked.
She wasn't concerned about the so-called brother, but rather curious about the karma that would befall the younger son as a consequence of the cruel deeds committed by these heartless parents.
Seeing her ask, Jiang Jianguo vaguely explained that Jiang Tianbao had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant, but they had been struggling to find a match.
Jiang Ling laughed heartily upon hearing this.
Revenge, this was true retribution!
As a top-tier actress, Jiang Ling was not only skilled at conveying emotions through her eyes but also at perceiving the inner thoughts of others.
The few moments ago when these heartless parents had spoken of how much they missed her for twenty years, their expressions had been feigned kindness, but their eyes held contempt, disdain, greed, and hypocrisy.
When they spoke of their younger son hospitalized with leukemia, the concern and worry in their eyes were so genuine and fervent.
With such a stark contrast, how could Jiang Ling not guess the reason for her abandonment?
It must have been because this couple favored sons over daughters, abandoning her for the sake of having a son and for the so-called continuation of the family line.