Chapter 40
 
As soon as these words were spoken, Xu’s mother’s face changed instantly.

She stared at Shen Siyan and then at Shen Man. “Shen Man! Why has Shen Siyan become so…”

Shen Man paused and looked at her. “Actually, I’m also curious about that.”

She turned to Xu Zhilu with gentle eyes. “Don’t be afraid.”

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Mr. Xu, shouldn’t you explain this? You’ve forced Zhilu to the hospital without even asking her opinion. You just assume she should give blood?”

She continued seriously, “Even if they were biological siblings, if one is unkind, there’s no obligation to help. In this world, only those who adhere to moral standards can speak of morality. If you don’t follow it, how can you discuss these fine traditions?”

The nurse, standing by, looked bewildered.

“Do you still want to proceed with the blood transfusion?”

The nurse added anxiously, “It’s too late for the patient.”

Father Xu frowned and looked at Xu Zhilu. “Zhilu, that’s your sister.” Xu Zhilu pursed her lips and looked at him. “You can proceed with the transfusion, but I have a condition.”

Xu’s mother glared fiercely. “You want to negotiate terms with us? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be where you are now!”

Xu Zhilu ignored her and looked at Father Xu. “Is it okay?”

Father Xu frowned. “What do you want?”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “I am eighteen now. I want to move my household registration out, and I also want a house.”

She said, “I don’t have high requirements, just a house in the city center. The size is up to you.”

Father Xu remained silent.

Xu Zhilu continued frankly, “Once I get it, I will never return to the Xu family again, and I will have no further relations with the Xu family.”

She turned to Xu’s mother. “Don’t worry, I will divide the family property with Xu Zhijia.”

Shen Siyan looked at Xu Zhilu with some surprise, then fell silent.

Shen Man quickly understood.

She looked at Father Xu. “Mr. Xu, time is of the essence.”

Father Xu looked at Xu Zhilu. “Do you really want to cut ties with us?”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “Yes.”

“No regrets?”

“Right.”

Xu Zhilu said without hesitation, “Promise? Promise me you will proceed with the blood transfusion right now.”

Father Xu nodded. “Go ahead.”

Xu’s mother widened her eyes. “How could you—”

Before she could finish, Father Xu shot her a fierce look and said, “Shut up.”

Xu’s mother opened her mouth, but she could only watch as Xu Zhilu was taken away by the nurse.

The nurse, who had just witnessed the scene, was a bit confused but explained the process to Xu Zhilu.

“First, we need to do a blood test. Even though you’re sisters, we need to be on the safe side.”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “I understand. Thank you.”

The nurse looked at her with surprise, impressed by her calmness and composure in such a situation.

Shen Siyan followed.

After seeing the nurse’s actions, he stood behind Xu Zhilu and asked, “Are you scared?”

“No.”

Shen Siyan nodded, was silent for a moment, and then patted her head.

It was rare for Xu Zhilu not to scold him.

After the blood was drawn, the results came back shortly.

The nurse looked at Xu Zhilu and Xu’s father in surprise. “Sorry, the blood type is incorrect.”

Everyone was stunned.

Xu Zhilu was taken aback, but her heart felt a sudden sense of relief.

She smiled slightly. “Just as I hoped.”

She looked at the others. “I’m not your biological child, am I?”

Before they could speak, Xu Zhilu turned to Father Xu. “To be more blunt, I am your daughter, but not her daughter, right?”

Shen Man’s eyes widened as she looked at Mr. and Mrs. Xu. “Is this true?”

The two had never expected Xu Zhilu’s blood type to differ from Father Xu’s, and, thus, from Xu Zhijia’s as well.

It’s true that a child’s blood type can be the same as either the mother’s or the father’s.

Xu Zhijia’s blood type matched her father’s, but Xu Zhilu’s did not, and she knew that Xu’s mother’s blood type did not match what was tested.

Instantly, all previous doubts were resolved.

Why did Father Xu treat her neutrally, while Xu’s mother and Xu Zhijia treated her as an enemy?

Because she wasn’t Xu’s mother’s daughter, nor was she Xu Zhijia’s real twin sister.

For some reason, after confirming this, Xu Zhilu actually felt relieved and happy.

At least this proved, from another perspective, that she wasn’t such a failure that even her own mother treated her as an enemy.

Father Xu’s face darkened. He didn’t expect this matter to be revealed so abruptly.

Xu’s mother was even more devastated and angry. “It’s all because of you!”

She pointed at Mr. Xu. “If it weren’t for you, how could our family have ended up like this!”

The nurse didn’t have time to listen to their quarrel and quickly tried to dissuade them. “We need to transfer blood stocks from other hospitals now. Calm down.”

After speaking, she hurried away.

Once the blood supply was replenished, everything outside the operating room was quiet.

Xu Zhilu didn’t stay long and left soon.

She no longer wanted to know what happened next.

Shen Siyan followed her out of the hospital. Seeing her walking forward, he did not stop her and just followed quietly.

When Shen Siyan saw that she wasn’t paying attention to the traffic light, he quickly pulled her back.

“Xu Zhilu!”

He shouted, “Watch the road.”

Xu Zhilu then raised her eyes to the red light.

She paused and stopped.

Shen Siyan looked at her with concern, pursed his lips, and said, “Don’t be sad.”

“I’m not sad.”

Xu Zhilu was silent for a moment before she said, “I had guessed this answer before.”

But she had no way to confirm it.

Everyone had told her that she and Xu Zhijia were twin sisters. Although they didn’t look alike, there were many twin sisters who didn’t resemble each other. Moreover, her eyebrows and eyes somewhat resembled Xu’s father’s, so Xu Zhilu had dismissed the idea that had once occurred to her.

However, after her rebirth, the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was off.

Xu’s mother not only disliked her but seemed to hate her as if she were an enemy.

This hatred made Xu Zhilu reflect on whether she had done something to make her mother hate her so much.

She searched her memories, but there was nothing she could find.

Xu Zhilu also observed her mother’s demeanor and attitude towards her. Sometimes, Xu’s mother would argue with Xu’s father about Xu Zhilu, and Xu’s father would give in.

Except for the slap she gave Xu Zhijia last time. After that slap, Xu Zhijia had been quiet for a while and then resumed her life as a young lady. This suggested that Xu’s mother had a certain influence over Xu’s father.

This influence wasn’t due to strictness or fear, but rather a form of compensation.

Xu Zhilu knew her father’s character. He wasn’t the type to be very considerate of his wife, and sometimes her mother seemed almost unhinged. After thinking about it, Xu Zhilu concluded that her father must have done something to let Xu’s mother down, which is why he acted this way.

Thus, they made certain compromises, but they would not exceed their bottom line. It was either unconditional indulgence or an exchange of interests.

Seeing her like this, Shen Siyan was at a loss for words.

He reached out and hugged her without permission, whispering, “Without them, you still have us.”

Xu Zhilu’s body stiffened, and she pushed him away. “Let’s go back to school.”

The two walked back to the school in silence.

The evening self-study class had ended, and Shen Siyan sent Xu Zhilu back to the girls’ dormitory building, giving her a few instructions before leaving.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Xu Zhilu looked at him and said, “Be careful.”

Shen Siyan nodded.

After returning to the dormitory, Jian Anran looked at her in surprise. “Zhilu, where did you go during evening self-study? Are you okay?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’ll go take a shower first.”

She whispered, “I’m a little tired.”

Jian Anran nodded and didn’t ask any more questions. “Go ahead and rest.”

“Okay.”

After taking a shower, Xu Zhilu lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. As she looked, tears began to flow from the corners of her eyes.

She tried to wipe them with her quilt, but she couldn’t control herself.

She didn’t know why, but when she heard the truth, she felt relieved, yet there were other emotions as well. Xu Zhilu cried into her quilt, trying to vent all the grievances she had felt for so many years.

She cried silently, not wanting to draw attention.

She cried for an unknown amount of time until she could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep.

_

When Shen Siyan returned home, Shen Man and Shen Guangyuan were sitting on opposite sides of the sofa, with a noticeable distance between them.

He was a bit surprised because, in the past, they would always stick together at home.

He called out, “Mom, Dad, I’m back.”

Shen Man looked at him. “Is Zhilu okay?”

“Yeah,” Shen Siyan responded. “She seems fine.”

He paused and looked at Shen Man. “Mom, do you know what’s going on?”

Hearing this, Shen Man sneered. “Ask your father! He knows much more clearly than I do.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

He looked at Shen Guangyuan.

Shen Guangyuan rubbed his nose and glanced at his still-angry wife, looking a bit helpless. “Actually, I found out by accident, but Zhilu’s father asked me to keep it a secret, saying he wanted to give her a complete childhood. So, I didn’t tell you.”

Shen Man: “Haha.”

She said sarcastically, “Look at Zhilu’s childhood. Is that what you call a complete childhood? It’s better for her not to have parents!”

Shen Guangyuan: “…”

Shen Siyan nodded and asked, “Dad, do you know why you didn’t tell me before?” He was curious. “What’s going on? Who is Xu Zhilu’s mother?”

“…”

Shen Guangyuan looked at him helplessly. “It’s a long story.”

“Then keep it short.”

Shen Guangyuan sighed but didn’t put on airs.

The story was quite clichéd. Men often cheat when they have money, but that was just part of it.

As Shen Guangyuan explained, he raised his hand and swore that he had never cheated on his wife and that Shen Man was the only one in his life. Shen Man rolled her eyes at him.

However, Xu’s father did cheat on his wife, and, as luck would have it, the child of the woman he cheated with was born around the same time as Xu’s mother’s child.

Xu’s mother only discovered this when she was about to give birth, through someone else—supposedly Xu’s father’s former secretary. Something had gone wrong after they had been working together for a long time.

To get Xu’s mother to forgive him, Xu’s father gave her a lot of benefits and promised that it would never happen again. After the child was born, she wouldn’t have to see it if she didn’t want to; he would just send her away and fulfill his obligations without being too nice to the child.

So, Xu’s mother agreed.