Chapter 895: Estranged Father-Daughter (1)
Lu Xiangtian saw that Zhao Youlin said nothing for a long time and frowned. As if he could see what Zhao Youlin was thinking, he asked with a smile, “Do you have the necklace right now?”
Zhao Youlin’s eyes lit up when she heard that. She was about to say that she didn’t have the necklace on her. It would be better to arrange the viewing of the necklace to some other day and in the meantime, go back to swap out the photos inside the necklace.
However, before she could say anything, Lu Xiangtian made his move first.
“If you do not have the necklace right now, I don’t mind going to your house.”Lu Xiangtian’s meaning was very straightforward. He was truly determined to see the necklace today. No matter how hard Zhao Youlin struggled, it was useless.
How could Zhao Youlin not understand Lu Xiangtian’s hidden meaning? The expression on her face froze. Then, she let out a sigh of relief. She reached her hand to the back of her neck and unclasped the necklace hidden beneath her clothes.
Lu Xiangtian’s cold eyes finally showed a trace of emotion after seeing the necklace. His eyes seemed to forget everything else in the world. It consumed everything else in his heart.
Zhao Youlin quickly realized this. She could not help but tighten her grip on the necklace. She looked into Lu Xiangtian’s eyes, which were filled with extreme pressure, and hesitated for a long time before she finally handed the necklace over.
Lu Xiangtian’s hands were shaking when he took the necklace over. The moment Lu Xiangtian opened the necklace, Zhao Youlin’s heart was also trembling.
On one hand, she hoped that the woman in the photo with the gentle smile was not the person Lu Xiangtian was looking for. On the other hand, she was secretly looking forward to it. As for what she was looking forward to, even she herself could not tell.
Drip… drip… the clear sound of water came from the opposite side, scaring the few bodyguards who were standing on the side and also Zhao Youlin.
Politicians were terrified at the mention of him, and bigwigs from all walks of life were extremely afraid of him. The legendary cold, ruthless, and b.l.o.o.d.y man actually… cried in front of her?!
For a moment, Zhao Youlin thought that she had gone crazy.
However, she quickly realized that this was not her illusion. The man in front of her was actually… crying!
Lu Xiangtian caressed the familiar smiling face in the necklace. The aura around him had changed. The expression on his face was no longer cold and hard. Instead, there was an indescribable gentleness and nostalgia.
The teardrops that fell from his eyes like broken beads seemed to be the result of a deep, long-lost love.
After a long while, Lu Xiangtian finally moved his gaze away from the photo and realized that he had lost his composure.
He wiped the tears off his face and apologized to Zhao Youlin, “I’m sorry, I lost my composure.”
“It’s… It’s okay.” Zhao Youlin was still in shock that Lu Xiangtian had cried in front of her, so she replied reflexively when she heard Lu Xiangtian’s apology.
When she realized what had happened, her expression changed again. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she could not suppress her curiosity and asked, “Mr. Lu, you just…”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Zhao.”
“In that case, the person in the necklace is really…”
“Indeed, she is my wife and our child.”
With a rumble, Zhao Youlin felt a bolt of lightning striking down from the clear sky, leaving her completely stupefied.
The woman on the necklace was really Lu Xiangtian’s late wife. Then, could she really be…
“Ms. Zhao, Ms. Zhao…” Lu Xiangtian’s call pulled Zhao Youlin back from her fugue state.
“Ah, what…” Zhao Youlin suddenly came back to her senses. Her hand unconsciously moved to the side of the table, and just like that, it swept across the gla.s.s on the side of the table.
With a loud bang, the gla.s.s fell to the ground with a loud bang. The two people at the table were also shocked by this sudden accident.
“Sorry, I…” Zhao Youlin’s mind was a mess.
Lu Xiangtian was stunned for a moment, but he quickly came back to his senses and said, “It’s okay. Let someone come and clean it up.”
Being able to see the photos of his deceased wife and children made Lu Xiangtian’s mood, which had been gloomy for a few days, improve a lot. He called a few waiters to clean up the mess and also called for a fresh cup of coffee for Zhao Youlin.
After this small episode, Lu Xiangtian and Zhao Youlin basically calmed down, especially Zhao Youlin.
On the surface, she lowered her head and sipped the coffee in the cup bit by bit, but Zhao Youlin could not stop herself from glancing at Lu Xiangtian.
If she was only 50% sure before, now Zhao Youlin was 90% sure that the person in front of her was her…
The remaining 10% uncertainty was because she had been cremated in her previous life, and there was probably not even any residue left. It was impossible to do a paternity test with the person in front of her to confirm their ident.i.ty. Otherwise…
Zhao Youlin was frightened by her own thoughts. Otherwise, what would she do? If she was still the same Zhao Youlin from before, would she do a paternity test with Lu Xiangtian and recognize this man as her father?
This idea was too crazy and unrealistic. Zhao Youlin hurriedly withdrew her gaze and focused on drinking her coffee.
Unfortunately, her previous observation was too obvious. Lu Xiangtian had already noticed her.
“Ms. Zhao, you…”
Zhao Youlin took a deep breath and spoke first, “Before I tell you who the real owner of this necklace is, can I take the liberty to ask about your late wife?”
Lu Xiangtian did not expect Zhao Youlin to be interested in this. He was stunned for a moment. Eventually, he smiled and said, “Ms. Zhao, feel free to ask any questions. After asking, I hope that you can tell me the truth about the question I asked before. Take it as fulfilling the heart of an old father who has been separated from his daughter for many years.”
Zhao Youlin’s body trembled. She did not agree or refuse. She only replied tentatively, “I want to know about you and your wife, and how you ended up apart. The more detailed, the better.”
Zhao Youlin added guiltily, “Mr. Lu, don’t misunderstand. I’m asking on behalf of my friend. After all, she once mentioned to me that she was abandoned at the gate of the orphanage at that time. If not for the director and other kind folk picking her up, I’m afraid…”
Lu Xiangtian’s eyes flickered when he heard what Zhao Youlin said. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed as he said in a deep voice, “This was all my fault.”
Zhao Youlin’s hands trembled slightly under the table when she heard what Lu Xiangtian said.
“Zhirou is my wife.”
Zhirou… Zhao Youlin chewed on the name and the agitation in her heart grew. This was the name of the woman in her photo, the name of her biological mother.