———
______
Chapter 221
"What did you say? You said Chengcai brought this letter out?!"
Although Brother San's vocal cords were damaged, Wen Yan could still hear the overwhelming shock beneath his flat, raspy tone.
"Yes, it was him. I guess that photo belonged to you too, but Wen Chengcai stole it. When I arrived, you were probably just looking for that photo, right?"
"Yes. I only discovered the photo was missing today. He's been gone from here for many days, but I only realized it today. His phone won't connect anymore, it's been turned off the whole time."
As Brother San spoke, he looked toward Wen Yan once more.
His eyes carried a hint of pleading.
"I don't usually go online. You must have found out something to come looking for me—please, tell me what happened, okay? I want to know why Wen Chengcai would do this."
"I can," Wen Yan nodded. "I'll tell you everything I know, but in return, you have to answer everything I want to know later."
"Okay, I promise you!"
Brother San stared at Wen Yan, his gaze burning and urgent.
Wen Yan felt a bit uncomfortable under that kind of stare, so she simply pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her bag and put them on.
Brother San immediately pulled his hat brim lower: "Sorry, I frightened you."
While making this gesture, he also took the initiative to avert his eyes.
After putting on the sunglasses, Wen Yan could observe Brother San's expressions even more uninhibitedly.
From their interactions today and last time, Wen Yan didn't feel the man before her was overly self-conscious or sensitive; every time he hid his appearance, it seemed to be because he was afraid of scaring others.
Why would someone who was so thoughtful of others abandon the mother and daughter pair back then?
...Wen Yan told Brother San everything about Wen Chengcai's actions over the past few days, as well as the paternity test, down to every detail.
Brother San had originally been sitting down listening.
But the moment Wen Yan finished speaking and her voice trailed off, he stood up in excitement once again.
This time, his heart was set on charging straight toward Wen Yan.
However, the moment he stood up, Shen Jingxiu and Shen Jingchuan beside her immediately stood up as well.
Brother San opened his mouth, quickly glanced at the two brothers, and sat back down.
This time, even his voice trembled as he spoke, and tears once again slid down from his eye sockets.
"So you... are you the daughter of Xiao Rou and me? Your name is Wen Yan, taking Xiao Rou's surname. You... you really... your mother,"
Brother San choked up several times, trying multiple times before finally finishing the last question.
"Your mother... how did she die? When did it happen?"
Behind her sunglasses, Wen Yan stared straight at the man in front of her.
She had thought Wen Yan's biological father would be a callous, irresponsible scumbag.
Yet at this moment, she saw many complex emotions in this man's eyes.
There was shock, pleasant surprise, and immense grief, but absolutely no cold indifference or heartlessness.
Wen Yan answered Brother San's question: "My mother passed away in a car accident. I was still very young then, about two and a half years old. To protect me from harm, she shielded me tightly beneath her body, using her own flesh to block the disaster for me. I survived, but my mother left this world forever.
"Later, my maternal grandmother contracted severe kidney disease and developed dementia. Forget about raising me, she couldn't even take care of herself, so I was sent to an orphanage. As for asking whether I'm your daughter, I can't be one hundred percent sure.
"What I can be sure of is that I'm definitely my mother's daughter, and I am not Wen Chengcai's daughter. However, the other two strands of hair Wen Chengcai brought out back then, the two strands that didn't belong to him—shared a highly similar DNA match with mine."
Saying that, Wen Yan pulled out the two paternity test reports from her bag, along with the hair samples she had reclaimed from the testing institution.
"I'll leave them on the table for you to look at. If you really had a relationship with my mother when you were young, and if Wen Chengcai really stole that photo from you, then I have reason to suspect those two strands of hair were also taken by him from your bed."
At this moment, Brother San had no heart to look at the reports Wen Yan provided. Bent over, he pressed his hands tightly into fists against his chest, letting out continuous, low groans of pain.
Beneath his feet lay a piece of discarded cardboard; Wen Yan saw the cardboard being soaked wet by some liquid, forming dark circles one after another.
Those were likely Brother San's tears.
The last time she saw a man weeping so bitterly was probably a little boy in the park whose father refused to buy him a toy.
Back then, that kid was wailing and rolling on the ground, completely uncaring of his image, with tears and snot flowing together into his mouth.
A very genuine emotion.
Except Brother San was suppressing it.
After crying for a long time, Brother San wiped his eyes with a trembling hand, then shakily pulled a pocket watch out from his collar.
He wore this pocket watch around his neck; opening it revealed a tiny photograph inside.
He then placed the opened pocket watch on top of the paternity test reports.
Behind her sunglasses, Wen Yan glanced at Brother San, then reached out to pick up the pocket watch.
The photo inside the pocket watch was preserved—or rather maintained—extremely well by Brother San.
One could tell at a glance that it was from a distant era, yet it wasn't faded in the slightest; the facial features and expressions of the two people in the joint photo could still be seen with crystal clarity.
Without a doubt, one of the people in the photo was indeed Wen Rou.
And the other person... Wen Yan opened her mouth wide in shock.
The sunglasses covered her eyes and isolated her gaze, but they couldn't cover her mouth.
Seeing her like this, Shen Jingchuan immediately got up, walked to her side, and took the pocket watch from her hands.
Shen Jingxiu followed close behind.
When the two brothers saw the photograph inside the pocket watch, they both furrowed their brows in unison.
Wen Yan also stood up and turned around at this moment.
Shen Jingchuan subsequently turned around as well, took off her sunglasses, and asked in a lowered voice:
"The light here is so dim, the photo is black-and-white, and you're wearing sunglasses—can you even see clearly?"
"What do you think?" Wen Yan placed the sunglasses directly onto the bridge of Shen Jingchuan's nose. "See for yourself."
"..."
"Very good. Now, even without a paternity test, I can be certain he's the owner of those strands of hair. The man in this photo looks way too much like you!!"
"Exactly. No wonder Wen Chengcai was so confident, insisting on posing as my father even if it killed him. Turns out he already knew what was going on the moment he saw me."
"And the birthmark on your waist too. But why didn't this guy react when he saw you?"
"...Because he didn't even know my mom was pregnant. Alright, give me back my sunglasses."
"Why do you insist on wearing sunglasses? I can't even see your eyes."
"Because I'm going to interrogate him."
Shen Jingxiu raised his hand and, without a second word, snatched the sunglasses off Shen Jingchuan's face and returned them to Wen Yan.
Wen Yan held her sunglasses and turned around, looking at Brother San.
"Looking at this face of mine, do you find it a bit familiar?"
"At first glance, a little, but I didn't think in that direction. I never knew I had a daughter in this world. I also forgot long ago what I used to look like. I don't have many photos left; this is the only one, and the only joint photo with Xiao Rou."
"Alright." Wen Yan put on her sunglasses again. "Now, is there anything else you want to know? I can tell you everything."
Fearing Wen Yan might be frightened by his appearance, Brother San lowered his head after glancing at her.
"Did you suffer when you were in the orphanage? Were the people there good to you?"
To be honest, Wen Yan didn't know these details; she didn't have these memories in her head.
However, when she first transmigrated over, she didn't seem to notice the original host having any psychological scars in this regard. So...
"It wasn't very hard. The welfare institute staff were pretty good. Later, when I was in my teens, I was adopted by my current adoptive father. Standing before you right now are my two non-biological older brothers. Their whole family treats me very well, and I live very happily."
"Good. As long as you're happy, that's good. I wronged your mother, and I wronged you. But as long as you're happy, your mother looking down from heaven will surely be happy for you too."
"Maybe. Anything else to ask?"
"You're a star now; what Wen Chengcai did this time must have had a huge impact on you. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Wen Yan shook her head: "No. Any other questions?"
"No more. As long as you're doing well and have no trouble on your shoulders, that's enough."
"Alright, now it's my turn to ask you. As we agreed earlier, I'll tell you everything I know, and you must answer my questions."
"Ask away. I will answer all your questions without hiding a single thing."
"Okay. Your name. I don't believe you're just called Brother San."
"Xu Jie. My name is Xu Jie."
"Xu Jie," Wen Yan nodded. "Okay. Next question. Why did you abandon my mother?"
Xu Jie's tears rolled down once more.
"I don't know if that counts as abandonment. Xiao Rou and I broke up normally. When we broke up, I didn't know Xiao Rou was pregnant. I used to be a criminal police officer.
I met Xiao Rou while executing a mission. Back then, there were only a few small factories on this land, far from the scale it has today.
At that time, there was a silk-reeling factory here, and Xiao Rou was a buyer for the factory. She was a very brave girl; when we chased suspects here, she feared nothing and even helped us catch them.
That time, thanks to Xiao Rou's help, I even earned a merit award in the team. Afterward, fearing she might face retaliation, I often walked her home after work. Gradually, feelings grew between us.
We spent a very wonderful time together. Shortly after, we got engaged. I even bought a house near the silk-reeling factory and moved in with Xiao Rou. Right where we are standing today, this used to be the home Xiao Rou and I shared.
We both thought our lives could go on peacefully; after all, the wedding date was set and approaching fast. We both liked children and never thought about taking contraceptive measures.
However, my work grew busier and busier, and Xiao Rou's mother fell ill. When her mother was sick, she had a terrible temper, and Xiao Rou was under immense pressure during that period. We often argued over trivial, petty matters.
Arguing back and forth, we eventually broke up. Xiao Rou brought up breaking up first, saying separating for a while would be good for both of us and that she wanted to move out. I left the house keys with her.
I was in immense pain during that period. It so happened there was an opening in the team, so I transferred from the criminal investigation squad to the anti-drug squad. Because I was a fresh face, my superiors dispatched me to go undercover. Before the assignment began, I went to see Xiao Rou, telling her I was going on a long trip, but I couldn't tell her specifically what I was doing.
That mission was far, far more arduous than I imagined. I thought I could return in a year at most. But unexpectedly, by the time I came back, my body had turned into what it is today.
The silk-reeling factory was demolished, and even the house I bought here was torn down to build new factory workshops. Just from this blast injury alone, I lay in the hospital for almost two years. By the time I got out, my father had already died of illness. I asked someone to look into Xiao Rou, but all they found was her death certificate.
There was no more news. I thought we were only separating briefly, but I never expected that this departure would last a lifetime. The team arranged other administrative duties for me, but with this face of mine, who wouldn't be frightened looking at it? I didn't choose to stay in the team, but returned to this place instead. I thought that maybe one day Xiao Rou would come visit me in my dreams—right in our house, on this very piece of land.
Child, I'm sorry. If I had known earlier about your existence, I would never have agreed to break up with Xiao Rou. Back then, I was truly too young and acted too impulsively."
Wen Yan truly hadn't expected the truth back then to be like this.
No wonder back at the police station, she saw a chief-level figure shaking hands with him.
Originally, Wen Yan had come with the intention of seeking justice for Wen Rou.
However, if Xu Jie wasn't lying and they had broken up normally, Wen Yan really didn't know how to denounce him.
After all, there were no couples or spouses in the world who didn't quarrel; life was inherently full of mundane trifles.
Furthermore, his disappearance back then wasn't because he was a scumbag, it was to execute a mission. He was a hero of the people.
For the sake of his mission, he transformed into his current appearance. For a normal person, this was undoubtedly a massive sacrifice, far beyond what an ordinary person could bear.
What was she supposed to do now?!
Wen Yan turned around, took off her sunglasses, and instinctively turned to the two older brothers behind her for help.
Understanding her intent, Shen Jingxiu patted her arm lightly, then said to Xu Jie:
"Everything you've said, we will investigate one by one; I hope you haven't lied to us. Additionally, if convenient, we still hope you can cooperate in providing your biological samples, such as hair, we need to verify it on the spot."
"I have no objection," Xu Jie replied, taking off the hat on his head on his own initiative. "Do it yourselves; I won't move."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Shen Jingxiu gave Shen Jingchuan a look, and Shen Jingchuan immediately stepped forward to pluck a few strands of hair from Xu Jie.
Immediately after, Shen Jingxiu added another line: "One more point: taking your biological sample is because we don't want to be misled by incorrect data. Even if the data proves there is a parent-child relationship between you two, it does not mean Wen Yan will necessarily acknowledge you as her father."
Glossary Updates:
Xu Jie (許傑 / 三哥): Brother San's real name; former criminal police officer turned undercover anti-drug officer who was severely disfigured in a blast injury. Revealed to be Wen Rou's former fiancé and Wen Yan's biological father.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
Check out this other novel I am currently translating: THE IMPERIAL CONSORT'S RISE TO POWER it is very interesting. i picked it up and fell in love with it.
.jpeg)
We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You can vote for this novel translation and drop a review on Novel Updates!
Show support by clicking on the Support Us button below!❤️
.jpeg)
We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You can vote for this novel translation and drop a review on Novel Updates!
Show support by clicking on the Support Us button below!❤️
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 Comments
What's on your mind...