At the shout, Wei Meihua turned her head, saw Zhao Xiangwan, and immediately turned cold. She then turned to Zhao Qingyun and said, “Look, this is the relative I told you about, the one who came to ask for money. She took my money and didn’t even thank me. No manners at all!”

Zhao Qingyun looked over in Zhao Xiangwan’s direction. Perhaps due to their resemblance, Zhao Qingyun felt an inexplicable affection for Zhao Xiangwan. He gently reassured Wei Meihua, “Maybe she’s just a girl who recently moved to the city and doesn’t know better.”

But why did she recognize Zhao Chenyang? Zhao Qingyun suddenly realized and turned to Zhao Chenyang. “Who is she?”

Zhao Chenyang never expected to run into Zhao Xiangwan here.

As Zhao Xiangwan stepped closer, Zhao Chenyang’s heart pounded. Her parents were standing right next to her, and she couldn’t escape.

Her voice trembled, and after a long pause, she finally said, “She—her name is Zhao Xiangwan. She’s the third daughter of my adoptive parents. We grew up together.”

Zhao Qingyun studied Zhao Xiangwan, then looked back at Zhao Chenyang. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Why didn’t I see her when I came to pick you up?”

Zhao Chenyang stiffly replied, “She was sick at that time and stayed in the house.”

Feeling guilty, Zhao Chenyang was screaming inside.

[My mother is such a fool. I told her not to let Zhao Xiangwan come over, but she wouldn’t listen. Zhao Xiangwan looks so much like my father. If she sees him, it’ll be exposed!]

Wei Meihua looked at Zhao Xiangwan again, her mind clouded. “You—aren’t you from Qingyun’s hometown?”

Zhao Xiangwan smiled gently at her biological mother.

Wei Meihua shifted her gaze between Zhao Xiangwan and Zhao Qingyun. The girl in front of her was tall with narrow eyes, and she carried an air of authority despite remaining silent and never smiling. She resembled Zhao Qingyun remarkably—about 70%!

When I first met Zhao Xiangwan, why did I instinctively think she was from Zhao Qingyun’s old family? It was because Zhao Xiangwan looked so much like him, and the environment shapes its people.

But now that she heard Zhao Xiangwan was from Zhaojiagou, Huangtian Township, Luo County, and grew up with Zhao Chenyang, even Wei Meihua, despite her lack of intelligence, felt something was wrong.

The doubts she had earlier were answered at this moment.

When she first brought Zhao Chenyang to her side, Wei Meihua secretly delighted in seeing her big eyes and round nose: Although she hadn’t raised her, her daughter looked like her, and that felt good. When Zhao Chenyang turned twelve or thirteen and started growing taller, but stopped at 1.56 meters, it made Wei Meihua depressed. Both she and Zhao Qingyun were tall, and so was their son Zhao Chengzu, who would likely grow tall too. So, why was Zhao Chenyang so short?

No wonder! Genetics don’t lie. Zhao Chenyang isn’t her child at all. The tall, slender Zhao Xiangwan in front of her, who looked exactly like Zhao Qingyun, must be her real daughter.

Wei Meihua froze, unsure of what to do next.

Zhao Qingyun, secretary general of the provincial party committee, had mastered the ability to read people’s minds and assess situations. Just a few questions, and with the mockery in Zhao Xiangwan’s smile and Zhao Chenyang’s guilty evasion, he understood the truth.

—They had sent their daughter to be fostered in the countryside, and when they went to pick her up, they became greedy and sent another girl to impersonate her.

It was ridiculous. Zhao Qingyun had prided himself on being smart his whole life, but he’d been tricked by some country folk.

When Zhao Xiangwan’s real parents realized what had happened, she stood calmly, her expression unshaken. Her parents weren’t foolish—they understood everything. The next part depended on how they chose to handle it.

Wei Meihua’s first thought was: If this girl was her biological daughter, what about Zhao Chenyang? Does her engagement with the Xu family still stand? No, this couldn’t be exposed. It would be bad for everyone.

Zhao Qingyun’s first reaction was: The incident had happened long ago. The two children had already grown up. Worrying about the past didn’t matter now. Zhao Chenyang had been with him for eight years, and they’d developed feelings for each other. She was also engaged to Xu, which would be helpful for his career in the future. He couldn’t abandon her.

Thinking this, the couple exchanged a knowing look.

[Since Zhao Xiangwan could come to Xing City from the countryside, it proved she was capable. Why not sit down and talk to see if it’s worth acknowledging the past for her.]

Zhao Qingyun smiled and said, “Since you are Chen Yang’s childhood friend, why don’t you come to my house and have a seat?”

The biological parents’ reaction was both expected and unreasonable.

Although they discovered the truth, they didn’t seem upset or angry. They didn’t feel sorrow for seeing their own daughter suffer in the countryside for 18 years, nor did they express anger that Zhao Chenyang had stolen their daughter’s resources and deceived her emotions.

The couple immediately began weighing their interests and assessing the value of their daughter.

Although she couldn’t hear their thoughts, Zhou Qiaoxiu, sensing the situation, felt uneasy. How could she put it? They knew Zhao Xiangwan was their biological child, but their attitudes were gentle and restrained. They weren’t excited or angry. They didn’t seem to pity her at all. Where was their parental love?

Zhou Qiaoxiu showed her teacher’s concern: “Secretary Zhao, this is your family matter, but Zhao Xiangwan is my student. She’s honest and won’t complain. Let me speak on her behalf.”

Zhao Qingyun was surprised she called him “Secretary Zhao.” How did she know him when he didn’t know her? This was unsettling for Zhao Qingyun, who was always low-key.

He smiled and said, “You’re Zhao Xiangwan’s teacher? What would you like to say? I’m all ears.”

A bitter emotion rose in Zhou Qiaoxiu’s chest. She wanted to tell them how much Zhao Xiangwan had suffered in the countryside, how much effort she put into getting into college, how brave, kind, and strong she was, and how lovable and pitiful she had been…

Zhao Xiangwan stepped forward, stood in front of Teacher Zhou, met Zhao Qingyun’s gaze, and said lightly: “No need. It’s just a chance meeting; no need to sit down and chat.”

When she had longed for parental love the most, they had ruthlessly abandoned her. Now, she had been admitted to university, studying the major she loved, gaining respect and recognition from her teammates. She no longer expected their selfish and calculating acknowledgment.

As for Zhao Chenyang… Could she get back the eight years that were stolen from her? Would slapping her twice solve the problem? It would be better to say nothing and let Zhao Chenyang live in fear every day, as though a sword hung over her head.

Zhao Xiangwan turned around decisively without hesitation.

Xu Songling was a little slow to react. He scratched his head and looked at Zhou Qiaoxiu in confusion: “Shall we go or not?”

Zhou Qiaoxiu stamped her feet and sighed: “Let’s go!”

When Zhao Xiangwan had asked her to inquire about Zhao Chenyang’s situation, Zhou Qiaoxiu had reminded her that Zhao Chenyang had grown up in the countryside until she was ten, and once she moved to the city, there was no news. Zhao Qingyun had fostered his daughter in the countryside for ten years, breaking all ties with the foster family after taking her home. These two were heartless, and there was no need to search for them.

Now that she had seen them, they seemed like decent people, but unfortunately, they were useless.

Zhao Xiangwan was right not to recognize them. At such a young age, she had studied micro-expression behavior so thoroughly, helping the serious crime team solve cases. Her future was limitless. Instead of taking the initiative to acknowledge her relatives now, it was better to ignore them and let Zhao Qingyun and Wei Meihua regret it!

Zhou Qiaoxiu quickly walked forward, placed a hand around Zhao Xiangwan’s shoulders to offer warmth, and said softly, “I’ll listen to you. Let’s ignore them! Come to the teacher’s house tomorrow, and I’ll treat you to a big cake.”

Watching his lover walk alongside Zhao Xiangwan, Xu Songling’s eyes became moist. What a good child. How could she have such unreliable parents?

Zhu Feipeng, He Mingyu, and others were utterly confused. They exchanged looks, silently questioning what had just happened. However, they were smart enough not to ask any more questions and followed Xu Songling toward the hotel entrance.

On the other side, Zhao Qingyun felt uncomfortable as he watched his daughter turn away resolutely.

After 18 years apart, Zhao Qingyun had only held his daughter in his arms when she was a newborn. He didn’t have deep feelings for Zhao Xiangwan. In fact, even the name Zhao Xiangwan had been given by the foster family. But seeing his daughter today, whose face, figure, and temperament resembled his own by 70%, Zhao Qingyun was still moved.

——This is my daughter, the one who carries my bloodline.

When it comes to children, Zhao Qingyun couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful. Zhao Chengzu, the son expected to continue the family name, took after Wei Meihua. He had been raised by his grandparents and grew closer to the Wei family. Even Zhao Chenyang, who had come to see him, resembled Wei Meihua and had become close with Zhou Jingrong.

But the arrival of Zhao Xiangwan made up for all of Zhao Qingyun’s regrets. He was amazed at how powerful genes could be. Despite not having seen each other for eighteen years, father and daughter were still so alike.

However, that warmth didn’t compare to the weight of their family’s interests. Zhao Chenyang had taken care of Zhao Xiangwan for eight years and helped her gain favor with the Xu family. Giving up now would be like losing a valuable deal, and that wasn’t worth it.

Zhao Qingyun had originally planned to speak with Zhao Xiangwan, convincing her to forgive the past and see Zhao Chenyang as a sister. After all, daughters get married eventually, and the more daughters one has, the more in-laws they’ll have, which benefits Zhao Qingyun.

But Zhao Xiangwan didn’t give him a chance. She looked at him with disgust, as if acknowledging him for a second would dishonor her and ruin their family ties.

Ah, she’s still too young. She sees the world in black and white, with no room for compromise.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Zhao Qingyun tried to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Wei Meihua pulled him back. “What are you doing? Don’t you think you already have enough problems? Can’t you see the fire in her eyes? It’s obvious she’s here to settle scores.”

Zhao Chenyang’s face turned pale. He had thought of many ways to handle the situation—how to explain things to his parents, how to shift the blame to Qian Shufen, how to show his own worth, and if necessary, to call on Zhou Jingrong, his future mother-in-law who had always favored him.

But Zhao Xiangwan didn’t give him the chance to explain. She turned around and left without a thought for how impressive it was to grow up in a provincial party committee compound, with a father in a high-ranking position.

——The opportunity I worked so hard for was wasted by her.

It was such a terrible feeling—worse than being scolded or slapped by Zhao Xiangwan. It was suffocating!

Just then, a group of people approached, with Ji Jinmao leading the way.

Zhao Qingyun’s face lit up. He had come to this banquet specifically to make connections with Ji Jinmao, who was hosting a thank-you event for Ji Zhao’s personal painting exhibition. He quickly turned his attention to Ji Jinmao and greeted him, “Hello, President Ji.”

Ji Jinmao barely acknowledged him, giving a quick nod: “Ah, ah, hello.”

He didn’t even look at Zhao Qingyun. Instead, he rushed over to the door and saw Zhao Xiangwan and the others. He extended his hand and called out, “Captain Xu, please wait a moment—”