Chapter 458: The Secret About the Past (76)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Shaking her head, Madam Xu answered, “I don’t know either, I just have such a feeling.”
“…”
Xu Youran froze in shock the moment she heard what Madam Xu said through her headphones. She had left a hidden hearing device in the living room instead of her parents’ bedroom, which was not quite appropriate for her to enter alone.
The conversation she just overheard had greatly caught her by surprise.
She knew exactly who her mother was referring to by “Ms. An.”
How could An Xiaoning possibly be the biological daughter of the Xu family?
She refused to believe it.
Xu Youran was rather fl.u.s.tered at the thought of the disaster that would be brought upon her if An Xiaoning turned out to really be their biological daughter.
An Xiaoning already had three sets of G.o.dparents. She would definitely exact her revenge on Xu Youran if she were to acknowledge her biological parents.
Xu Youran’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably as she could not contain her emotions.
She revved up the engine and stepped on the reverse pedal before speeding away from the Xu family mansion.
Throughout the journey, Xu Youran could not manage to calm down at all.
She arrived back at the Gu family mansion to see that Mrs. Gu was sitting in the living room. She stepped forward to greet her, “Mother, what are you doing?”
“I’m just playing ‘Fighting the Landlord’ on my phone because I’m bored.”
“Mother, when is Xiaoning’s birthday?”
The alert and cautious Mrs. Gu stared at her and said, “I don’t know.”
Realizing that Mrs. Gu did not want to tell her, Xu Youran did not continue to probe further.
She stood up and made her way upstairs.
She was ill at ease even until she returned to her bedroom.
If An Xiaoning were to decide to carry out the DNA test when she comes back a month later and it turns out she’s the biological daughter of the Xu family, what’s going to happen me…
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got.
She was filled with growing uneasiness.
She lay in bed and began imagining An Xiaoning’s face in her head, trying to find some clues from the latter’s features.
The more she thought about it, the more she sensed something amiss.
She found a photo of An Xiaoning’s front profile online. After scrutinizing the photo on her screen, she suddenly realized that An Xiaoning indeed resembled Madam Xu.
Xu Youran was utterly dejected at this very moment.
After taking a closer look, she realized that An Xiaoning’s lips looked very similar to that of Military Commander Xu’s.
An Xiaoning’s features put together did not resemble a particular person. However, one would find that every feature of hers was similar to the Xu family members if singled out.
Xu Youran felt a s.h.i.+ver down her spine.
She dared not imagine just how An Xiaoning would exact revenge on her if she really turned out to be a member of the Xu family.
She was petrified at this very moment.
Xu Youran sat on her bed, overwhelmed with fear and uneasiness.
After much thought, Xu Youran decided to hire a private investigator to find out An Xiaoning’s current whereabouts.
The private investigator was highly efficient and very soon provided her with the information she wanted.
She was told that An Xiaoning was currently living in a hotel in the capital of M Nation.
She was handling some business matters together with Gu Beicheng.
After obtaining the information, an idea popped up in Xu Youran’s mind.
Xu Youran and Lin Mingxi were the only ones left at the dining table when Mr. and Mrs. Gu took their leave after dinner.
“Mingxi, I heard that Beicheng and Xiaoning went on an overseas business trip together.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Lin Mingxi acknowledged while eating her food.
“Do you really find that safe?” Xu Youran asked smilingly.
“Of course, they’re family. They can look out for each other.”
“Well, Sis-in-law, there’s something on my mind that I’m not sure I should tell you about.” Xu Youran lowered her voice and said, “I heard from Dongcheng that Beicheng has been carrying a torch for Xiaoning for years, ever since Xiaoning and Jin Qingyan first got married. Although they may be family on the surface, they’re still not biologically related, after all. You have to be extra careful now that they’re alone together overseas.”
Lin Mingxi smiled and said, “They’re both married individuals. I doubt anything would happen. Beicheng only sees Xiaoning as his kin now. I trust him.”
Although she said that on the surface, she had in fact registered everything Xu Youran said.
“Don’t mind me for being nosy, but it’s only normal for men to fall head-over-heels in love with such an outstanding woman like Xiaoning. Beicheng has had a crush on her for years. He’s a man, after all. Men are all visual creatures who act on their hormonal impulses. Even if something really happens, you wouldn’t find out about it since you’re not there with them. So I think you should really go there to accompany him, lest he gets lonely,” said Xu Youran.
Although Lin Mingxi found that her words made sense, she nonetheless still had her guard up against Xu Youran and knew not to trust her words easily since she was well aware that the latter did not get along well with An Xiaoning.
Besides, it would not be too late to wait until the matters with her shares in her parents’ company had been settled before flying there to meet him.
Lin Mingxi decided to go to the study to pick out some books to read since she had trouble sleeping that night.
Just as she casually picked up a book at the bottom of the shelf, she discovered that there was a photo slid in between the pages of the book.
It was a photo of An Xiaoning.
Although only her back view could be seen, Lin Mingxi managed to recognize it right away.
She could tell with just a glance that the photo was taken sneakily without An Xiaoning’s knowledge.
Lin Mingxi was suddenly overwhelmed with an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness.
She looked down and continued to stare at the photo for a long time.
She then placed the photo back inside the book and returned the book to its original position before going back to her bedroom.
Her imagination began to run wild while a million thoughts filled her mind.
At last, she decided to give Gu Beicheng a phone call.
It was only daytime in M Nation while it was already nighttime in S Nation.
Gu Beicheng was having a busy time and had set his mobile phone to silent mode.
Lin Mingxi called him repeatedly but failed to reach him.
Thus, she decided to give his a.s.sistant a call, only to find that he was busy at the moment.
She finally relaxed a little upon hearing the a.s.sistant’s answer.
Although she was well aware that the person An Xiaoning loved was not Gu Beicheng but Jin Qingyan, whom she even had a son with, Lin Mingxi could not help but overthink and let her imaginations run wild, perhaps because she felt insecure.
It was precisely because she knew that her husband did not truly love her.
Hugging her knees while sitting on the bed, Lin Mingxi placed her head on her knees and remained silent.
Gu Beicheng returned her calls when he finally had the chance to take a break from work.
“I was busy earlier and my phone was set to silent mode.”
Lin Mingxi placed the phone beside her ear and said softly, “Oh, I’m settling the procedures regarding the company shares now. I’ll go to M Nation to look for you when I’m done, okay?”
“Sure. You sound a little upset. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, I just miss you.”
Gu Beicheng chuckled and said, “Really?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“I do. Go to bed early, I have to get back to work now.”
“Alright.”
Lin Mingxi was rather disappointed because he did not tell her that he missed her too.
Ever since they got married, she had known all along that he was not the type to sweet talk and give mushy compliments all the time. However, she was not sure if he did not like saying them or he simply did not want to say them to her.
The more she dwelled on it, the more frustrated she got.
Lin Mingxi’s mind was sent into a whirlwind, and she decided to hurry and settle the company matters before flying off to see him as soon as possible.
In reality, she had truly read too much into things.
If An Xiaoning had harbored any feelings for Gu Beicheng at all, she would have long gotten into a relations.h.i.+p with him.
Why would she wait until they were both married to other people, to start an extramarital affair with him?
To An Xiaoning, Gu Beicheng will forever be her kin, a truth that could never be changed. Unfortunately, Lin Mingxi was not too convinced by that fact.