Yan Qingsi noticed that Xia Anlan had not touched his food. “Please…eat,” she said, scratching her head. “The food will turn cold.”
Xia Anlan nodded. “Okay…”
Yan Qingsi watched as Xia Anlan took his first bite. She had practically never seen anyone appearing like a feast to the eyes with that posture of his.
To her knowledge, those people appearing on television who constantly slaved for the country were like gods—they did not need to eat at all. Today, she finally saw one eating right in front of her eyes as they sat across each other.
Yan Qingsi marveled at this, internally. It felt as though she had not woken up from a dream, watching the president eat.
Not a single noise peeped out of Yan Qingsi while Xia Anlan ate.
She waited for him to place his chopsticks down. Only then did she loosen a breath. She could ask her questions now.
Xia Anlan’s secretary, who stood by his side, passed him a wet towel. He took it and wiped his hands. “You’ve been holding it in for very long, haven’t you?” he said, smiling.
Yan Qingsi gave an awkward smile. “Not–very–long–at all.”
She actually wanted to say that she had been holding it in for so long that she wanted to spew blood. She wanted to know how did she ended up here, when she could leave and why was he treating her so special.
Xia Anlan got onto his feet. Yan Qingsi followed after him.
He sat in an armchair and gestured toward the seat beside him. “Don’t stand there. Take a seat.”
Yan Qingsi took as seat. Her spine was ramrod straight. She did not dare to act too impetuously before Xia Anlan. “Can I…ask?”
“You may.”
“Then… Why did you bring me here, from Su city?”
Xia Anlan glanced toward his secretary. The latter immediately stepped forward, whipping out two photos and placing them in front of Yan Qingsi. She goggled at the sight of those photos.
“This case goes way back into the past,” Xia Anlan said, seeing Yan Qingsi’s stupefied expression. “The Xias and the Sus are old family friends. Three days ago, Su Wei sent your photo to me. You look extremely similar to my mother when she was young… The moment I saw your photo, I immediately thought of my younger sister. Forty years ago, she got into trouble on her fifth birthday… She was kidnapped. No one managed to save her, and she’d been burned to death.”
Yan Qingsi did not know how to reply to that. She laced her fingers together. “I…”
“Whenever I see you, I keep thinking, what if my younger sister didn’t die at that time. If you…were her daughter. That was why I asked for you to be brought here.”
Yan Qingsi raised her head wildly. She stared at Xia Anlan, her features twisted into shock. Words had fled her head.
The Xias… Was her mother related to the Xias?
Yan Qingsi had thought about her mother’s heritage plenty of times before. She had imagined it plenty of times before—but she never imagined that she would be related to the Xias.
She observed that old photograph of the two young women, and she recalled her mother’s profile. Could it really…be…be… Were they mother and daughter?
Xia Anlan’s younger sister had died when she was five; her mother had been adopted when she was five. Was this…a coincidence, or…the truth?
Yan Qingsi recovered her wits. “My mother had died when I was very young,” she murmured, “she–she…had been around five when…she…was adopted…”
Xia Anlan’s hands trembled. At first, he had only been half-sure of this. Now though…he could almost be certain of it, even though there was no DNA test.
“But…we…cannot simply say…that they’re really blood-related.”
An evident excitement shone in Xia Anlan’s eyes. “I wanted to take a sample of your blood while you were still unconscious for a DNA testing,” he said, “but…later, I thought that I should wait for you to wake up and let you decide after asking you.”
Yan Qingsi clenched her hands into fists. “Do it.”
Yan Qingsi noticed that Xia Anlan had not touched his food. “Please…eat,” she said, scratching her head. “The food will turn cold.”
Xia Anlan nodded. “Okay…”
Yan Qingsi watched as Xia Anlan took his first bite. She had practically never seen anyone appearing like a feast to the eyes with that posture of his.
To her knowledge, those people appearing on television who constantly slaved for the country were like gods—they did not need to eat at all. Today, she finally saw one eating right in front of her eyes as they sat across each other.
Yan Qingsi marveled at this, internally. It felt as though she had not woken up from a dream, watching the president eat.
Not a single noise peeped out of Yan Qingsi while Xia Anlan ate.
She waited for him to place his chopsticks down. Only then did she loosen a breath. She could ask her questions now.
Xia Anlan’s secretary, who stood by his side, passed him a wet towel. He took it and wiped his hands. “You’ve been holding it in for very long, haven’t you?” he said, smiling.
Yan Qingsi gave an awkward smile. “Not–very–long–at all.”
She actually wanted to say that she had been holding it in for so long that she wanted to spew blood. She wanted to know how did she ended up here, when she could leave and why was he treating her so special.
Xia Anlan got onto his feet. Yan Qingsi followed after him.
He sat in an armchair and gestured toward the seat beside him. “Don’t stand there. Take a seat.”
Yan Qingsi took as seat. Her spine was ramrod straight. She did not dare to act too impetuously before Xia Anlan. “Can I…ask?”
“You may.”
“Then… Why did you bring me here, from Su city?”
Xia Anlan glanced toward his secretary. The latter immediately stepped forward, whipping out two photos and placing them in front of Yan Qingsi. She goggled at the sight of those photos.
“This case goes way back into the past,” Xia Anlan said, seeing Yan Qingsi’s stupefied expression. “The Xias and the Sus are old family friends. Three days ago, Su Wei sent your photo to me. You look extremely similar to my mother when she was young… The moment I saw your photo, I immediately thought of my younger sister. Forty years ago, she got into trouble on her fifth birthday… She was kidnapped. No one managed to save her, and she’d been burned to death.”
Yan Qingsi did not know how to reply to that. She laced her fingers together. “I…”
“Whenever I see you, I keep thinking, what if my younger sister didn’t die at that time. If you…were her daughter. That was why I asked for you to be brought here.”
Yan Qingsi raised her head wildly. She stared at Xia Anlan, her features twisted into shock. Words had fled her head.
The Xias… Was her mother related to the Xias?
Yan Qingsi had thought about her mother’s heritage plenty of times before. She had imagined it plenty of times before—but she never imagined that she would be related to the Xias.
She observed that old photograph of the two young women, and she recalled her mother’s profile. Could it really…be…be… Were they mother and daughter?
Xia Anlan’s younger sister had died when she was five; her mother had been adopted when she was five. Was this…a coincidence, or…the truth?
Yan Qingsi recovered her wits. “My mother had died when I was very young,” she murmured, “she–she…had been around five when…she…was adopted…”
Xia Anlan’s hands trembled. At first, he had only been half-sure of this. Now though…he could almost be certain of it, even though there was no DNA test.
“But…we…cannot simply say…that they’re really blood-related.”
An evident excitement shone in Xia Anlan’s eyes. “I wanted to take a sample of your blood while you were still unconscious for a DNA testing,” he said, “but…later, I thought that I should wait for you to wake up and let you decide after asking you.”
Yan Qingsi clenched her hands into fists. “Do it.”
