Chapter 864: 866, haven’t you seen a beauty before? (Second update)

Upon hearing this, Zi felt awkward yet maintained a polite demeanor, looking towards Situ Ya with a polite smile.

As a true man, one should not nitpick with a young lady.

Situ Ya glared at Zi ungraciously, "What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a beautiful woman before?"

Zi continued to smile courteously and said, "Yes, that’s right." I just haven’t seen a beauty quite like you. What are you going to do about it, bite me?

Situ Ya: "..." This response left her speechless.

She had always considered herself to have thick skin! But it turned out, this guy’s skin was even thicker than hers!

Duanmu Sheng chuckled lightly, "Zi, you came."

"Hmm." Zi nodded slightly, "I came for the cake, Sheng Sheng Sister. I heard you created a new one recently."

Situ Ya said in a faint voice, "Nobody asked what you came for, why are you so anxiously explaining? Are you trying to cover something up by being so overt?"

Zi took a seat opposite Situ Ya at a leisurely pace, smiling and saying, "Miss Lin is joking. There’s nothing here I need to cover up."

No matter when, Zi always maintained a polite smile.

Every time, Situ Ya tried to steer the conversation towards Duanmu Sheng, but to no avail, as Zi smoothly deflected every time.

It seemed that Duanmu Sheng was going to be disappointed this time...

Actually, Situ Ya did hope that Zi could end up with her.

Situ Ya followed up by saying, "Zi Qi, can I ask you a question?"

Suddenly so friendly and not calling him Little Black Charcoal anymore, Zi felt a little uncomfortable.

Zi took a sip of water with a feigned depth, "Hmm, ask away."

"Do you have a girlfriend yet?" Situ Ya asked slowly as she observed Zi.

Zi had repeatedly rejected her matchmaking attempts; could it be that he already had a girlfriend?

Or perhaps, did he have someone he liked?

Zi shook his head, "No." The main point is, a girlfriend isn’t something you can eat, so having one isn’t very useful to me.

If a girlfriend could be turned into food, then he might consider it.

Situ Ya nodded, "Next question, what kind of girl do you like?"

Zi said with a smile, "Miss Lin, that’s two questions." What about just asking one question as we agreed?

As expected, a woman’s words can’t be trusted.

Situ Ya, somewhat speechless, said, "What’s the big deal if I ask you one more question? Are you even a man? Why are you acting like a fussy woman?"

She wondered how Duanmu Sheng could fall for this kind of small man.

He didn’t have an ounce of manliness.

Even if a guy like Zi Qi offered himself to her on a silver platter, she wouldn’t take him.

Zi looked up at Situ Ya, equally speechless, "Anyway, I certainly wouldn’t like someone like you." Looking at Situ Ya, where was there any sign of a womanly demeanor?

Prickly and bristly, just like a man.

Any man who was blind enough to fall for her was heading for a tragedy!

In his heart, Zi felt immense sympathy for Situ Ya’s future husband...

"Haha," Situ Ya let out a scoff, "You talk as if I like you a lot. Do you think you’re currency?"

This Situ Ya was really sharp-tongued!

But Zi wasn’t one to be trifled with either, especially after spending so much time following Chu Jin.

Zi, with a smile in his eyes, said, "Haha, likewise, you’re not all that desirable yourself." And certainly not spiced sunflower seeds! Or even potato chips!

Only something delicious could be Zi’s true love.

The two of them, with tacit understanding, crossed their arms and made a face of disgust.

Looking at them like this, Duanmu Sheng’s eyes revealed a hint of envy.

She wished she could interact with Zi this easily, but sadly, Zi always treated her as a sister.

Thinking of this, a tinge of sorrow flickered through Duanmu Zhe’s eyes.

Compared to her, Zi seemed to talk more with Situ Ya, even though they were both disparaging each other.

But as the saying goes, enemies are bound to meet.

These two...

Just then, a couple walked into the shop, looking anxious, "Sheng Sheng, have you seen our Xiyuan?"

The visitors were none other than Lin Xiyuan’s parents, Lin Hong and Lin Lan.

"Uncle, Auntie, what brings you here?" Duanmu Sheng stood up and then said, "I haven’t seen Xiyuan. What’s wrong? Can’t you find her?"

Lin Lan, frantic, had red eyes, "We have no idea where that child has gone, she’s not answering her phone or replying to messages. We haven’t been in contact with her for over half a month."

Duanmu Sheng poured a glass of water for the couple, "Uncle, Auntie, don’t panic. Take it slow and have some water."

Lin Hong and Lin Lan took the water glasses and told Duanmu Sheng the whole story.

After hearing all the details, Duanmu Sheng frowned slightly and said, "Have you contacted Xiyuan’s classmates?"

Lin Lan nodded, "We have, but they said that Xiyuan didn’t take the flight with them that day. But that day, Lin and I clearly sent her to the plane! How could things turn out like this? Sheng Sheng, do you think Xiyuan could be in danger?"

Lin Hong and Lin Lan were genuinely very worried since Lin Xiyuan had been missing for such a long time.

After all, she was their only daughter.

Their daughter who was once lost and now found again.

Duanmu Sheng immediately reassured them, "No, no, Auntie, don’t think like that. Maybe Xiyuan has gone to some mountains where there’s no signal. It’s normal you can’t reach her. Hasn’t she told you before that she was going out to have fun? Xiyuan is an adult now, she can take care of herself. You don’t need to worry. By the way, have you called the police?"

Lin Lan nodded, "We have already reported to the police, but there’s been no progress on their part. Sheng Sheng, haven’t you been in contact with Xiyuan these past days?"

"I too haven’t seen Xiyuan for quite some time..." Duanmu Sheng’s brows knitted together slightly. Since that incident with Zhou Yiheng, she hadn’t seen Lin Xiyuan.

Zhou Yiheng was, after all, her own cousin. If she really saw Lin Xiyuan, she would feel extremely guilty.

Situ Ya, standing aside while observing Lin Hong and Lin Lan, frowned slightly and then spoke up, "Uncle and Auntie, excuse me for interrupting, may I ask, is the Xiyuan you’re mentioning Lin Xiyuan?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It’s Lin Xiyuan!" Lin Hong and Lin Lan nodded excitedly, "Young lady, have you seen our Xiyuan?"

A flicker of confusion passed through Situ Ya’s eyes and then she said, "Uncle, Auntie, pardon my boldness, please confirm, are you Lin Hong and Lin Lan?"

Lin Hong immediately said, "I am Lin Hong, she is Lin Lan. We are Lin Xiyuan’s parents. Young lady, have you seen our Xiyuan somewhere?" His eyes sparkled with urgency.

Situ Ya nodded, took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Lin Hong, then said, "Uncle, I met Lin Xiyuan half a month ago. She entrusted me, should I see you here at Sheng Sheng’s place, to give this to you."

This was a blood letter, visible only to the recipient; to others, it was just a blank sheet of paper.

Lin Hong didn’t immediately open the letter but continued, "Did Xiyuan tell you where she was going? Where was the last place you saw her?"

Situ Ya continued, "I saw her on my way home from work. I remember it was quite late at night, she was in such a hurry, as if she was rushing to do something. After handing me the letter, she left that place, and I didn’t ask further."

Even Situ Ya found it baffling.

Reflecting on it now, that girl named Lin Xiyuan was rather strange. How did she know she would definitely meet this couple here?

Had it not been for sharing the Lin surname, Situ Ya wouldn’t have agreed to do this favor.

After all, she and Lin Xiyuan didn’t know each other, and she had no idea where Lin Xiyuan came from.

Up until now, Situ Ya hadn’t figured out why she agreed to this task; it didn’t seem to be solely because of the shared Lin surname.

Seeing the expression of the couple now made her feel like she might have gotten involved in some serious trouble.

As long as they could ensure Lin Xiyuan was still alive, Lin Hong and Lin Lan could temporarily breathe a sigh of relief.

"Lin, hurry up and open it to see," Lin Lan urged Lin Hong.

"Alright." Lin Hong’s hands trembled as he opened the blood letter.

Unlike ordinary letters, the recipient of a blood letter can see the state of the person writing it between the lines, like a camera recording the scene at that moment.

Lin Xiyuan’s handwriting was beautiful, a very formal running script.

Each stroke very clear.

"Mom, Dad, please allow me to call you this one more time.

Thank you for your love over these four years, which has let me experience warmth like I never had before.

In truth, I am not your daughter.

I am but a wandering soul.

By a twist of fate, I occupied Lin Xiyuan’s body and continued to live in her place.

My real name is Xi He..."

As they read on, Lin Hong and Lin Lan’s eyes moistened.

In less than a moment, tears streamed down their faces.

Xi He explained the whole story in this letter.

This included the love and hatred between her, Mo Qingyi, and the Duanmu Zhe.

It also mentioned her causing Mo Qingyi to nearly die.

And the planning against Zhou Yiheng...

The only thing left out was her intention to trade her own life for Mo Qingyi’s.

At the end of the letter, she wrote this.

"Mom and Dad, I’m sorry for disappointing you. I wish that in my next life, I can still be your daughter, a real daughter."

After reading the letter, the couple held their heads and wept bitterly.

Duanmu Sheng, Situ Ya, and Zi were all stunned.

They couldn’t see the contents of the blood letter, so naturally, they had no idea what had happened.

"Uncle, Auntie, don’t cry. What happened? Tell us, and we can solve it together," Duanmu Sheng hurriedly took out a tissue and handed it to the husband and wife.

The couple still kept crying incessantly.

They had never imagined that their beloved daughter of four years was someone else...

The daughter they had recently regained had now become a cold corpse.

This sudden blow would be unbearable for anyone.

"Uncle and Auntie, did something happen to Lin Xiyuan?" Situ Ya asked cautiously.

Lin Lan said hoarsely, "She can’t come back, my Xiyuan can’t come back..."

"Auntie, what happened to Xiyuan?" Duanmu Sheng was also worried.

After all, the Duanmu family and the Lin family had many years of connection, and besides, Zhou Jin was so fond of Lin Xiyuan.

Lin Lan just cried and didn’t answer Duanmu Sheng’s question.

With such an incident, she suddenly didn’t know how to face the Duanmu family.

After all, the various events that had occurred in the Duanmu family in recent years had been constantly linked with Lin Xiyuan.

But then again, Lin Xiyuan was no longer Lin Xiyuan...

All these things were caused by Xi He...

Even so, Lin Lan still couldn’t get over the psychological hurdle.

After all, it was Xi He who did all these things under the guise of Lin Xiyuan’s identity.

"Sheng, Xiyuan’s gone! She’ll never come back," Lin Lan cried to Duanmu Sheng.

In the letter, Lin Xiyuan did not say where she had gone, only that she had gone to a place far, far away and would never return.

The meaning of never coming back was very deep, and between the lines, there was a longing for death.

Therefore, Xi He most likely was...

Lin Lan dared not think further.

"Aunt, don’t worry for now, Xiyuan is not the kind of person to act rashly. She must be playing a prank on you. Once she’s had enough fun outside, she’ll naturally come back," Duanmu Sheng consoled.

"She’s not coming back... She won’t be able to come back..." Lin Lan knew Xiyuan couldn’t come back after such an incident...

Lin Lan was very clear about it.

"Child, is your name Situ Ya?" Lin Hong looked up at Situ Ya.

"Yes, it is." Situ Ya nodded slightly, but inside, she was somewhat curious as to how the Lin parents knew her name.

She remembered that she had never told Lin Xiyuan her full name from start to finish.

This was a bit strange.

Lin Lan also stopped crying and looked at Situ Ya before continuing, "Is your mother... Qin Ling?"

Situ Ya nodded, "Yes, Uncle and Auntie, how do you know my mother?"

Qin Ling had passed away early, and Situ Ya did not expect that there were still people in the world who remembered her.

Hearing this answer, Lin Lan covered her mouth, and the tears she had finally held back now broke through once again, her shoulders shaking.

Situ Ya narrowed her eyes slightly. She suddenly felt that something was off, as Lin Hong and Lin Lan’s reactions were really strange.

Could all this be related to that letter?

Situ Ya shifted her questioning gaze to the blood letter.

However, the Lin couple had already closed the letter, and she couldn’t see anything.

Situ Ya redirected her gaze back to the now slightly stunned Lin Lan and Lin Hong and spoke again, "Uncle and Auntie, do you know my mother?"

Lin Hong and Lin Lan immediately snapped out of their daze.

Lin Hong wiped away tears and said, "No, we might have made a mistake. Xiao Lan, we should go home now."

"Right." Lin Lan also stood up, "It’s time to go home."

After bidding Duanmu Sheng goodbye, Lin Hong and Lin Lan left the bakery.

But after leaving the bakery, they didn’t immediately return to the Lin family’s home; instead, they walked into a hospital, clutching a strand of hair.

Bakery.

Situ Ya watched the backs of Lin Hong and Lin Lan as they left, slightly dazed. She always felt there was a special sense of familiarity about this couple.

A moment later, she looked back at Duanmu Sheng and said, "Sheng, your friend’s parents are so strange."

Duanmu Sheng scratched his head, "I also think they were a bit odd today. Normally they’re not like this. I don’t know what exactly happened to Xiyuan." Speaking of which, Lin Hong and Lin Lan were indeed very strange today. They had come to find Lin Xiyuan, but then, after reading a letter, they gave up on looking for her.

Then there was this conversation with Situ Ya.

From their conversation, it was clear that Lin Hong and Lin Lan recognized Lin Yuya’s mother, but why would they deny it?

However, all of this had nothing to do with her, so Duanmu Sheng didn’t think too much about it.

Situ Ya continued, "I think your friend is quite clever. He shouldn’t get into any trouble."

Duanmu Sheng nodded, "I hope so." No matter what, she hoped that Lin Xiyuan was well.

Speaking of which, Lin Xiyuan was also a pitiful person, having been deceived by the same man twice.

Because of the matter concerning Lin Xiyuan, Duanmu Sheng hadn’t paid any attention to Zhou Yiheng for a long time.

What Duanmu Sheng disliked most was the kind of person Zhou Yiheng was, fickle and uncommitted; even though he was her cousin, Duanmu Sheng could not forgive him.

**

Mo family.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day for Bao Bao and Bei Bei to start school.

Although Bao Bao and Bei Bei were only four years old, they were already starting the first grade.

There was no kindergarten in the Superpower World, so children directly started in the first grade.

In the morning, Chu Jin and Mo Zhixuan accompanied the two little ones to pick up their books and bring them back.

At this time, Mo Zhixuan was covering books with protective sleeves with a tender expression on his face, while Chu Jin sat next to them, sharpening pencils, preparing for Bao Bao and Bei Bei’s schooling.

Tomorrow would be the official start of school, and Chu Jin was somewhat worried that the little ones might not be accustomed to starting school for the first time.

After all, they were only four years old.

After sharpening the pencils, Chu Jin said to Bao Bao and Bei Bei, "Bao Bao and Bei Bei, once you get to school, you must listen to the teacher, not bully your classmates, get along well with your little friends, and pay attention in class, do you understand?"

Bei Bei nodded obediently, "Okay, mommy. Don’t worry, my brother and I won’t let you down."

Bao Bao also patted his chest, "Mommy, I’m already a man now. Don’t worry, I’ll protect my sister at school, and besides me, no one else can bully her."

"You little rascal!" Mo Zhixuan pinched Bao Bao’s ear, "You’re not allowed to bully your sister either!"

"Daddy, I was just saying. I love my sister too much to even think of bullying her," Bao Bao immediately pleaded for mercy. Bao Bao’s emotional intelligence was quite high, often leaving Mo Zhixuan disoriented with his endearing behavior.

Mo Zhixuan then released Bao Bao’s ear.

The next morning.

As they were too excited for the first day of school, Bao Bao and Bei Bei woke up early.

After putting on their school uniforms, they were now brushing their teeth in the washroom.

After brushing their teeth, Chu Jin crouched down to tie Bei Bei’s red scarf, while Mo Zhixuan was doing the same for Bao Bao.

Though the two little ones were not tall, the red scarves lent them a rather impressive appearance.

"Bao Bao and Bei Bei, from today onwards, you are primary school students. You can’t act like small children anymore. You must study hard, aim higher every day, and become useful people in the future, understand?" Chu Jin adjusted Bao Bao’s collar.

Bao Bao nodded and then said, "Mommy, from now on, I’ll do my own things and won’t need your help. Just teach me how to tie this red scarf."

Chu Jin smiled and said, "Okay, mommy will teach you once. Watch closely." With that, she untied the red scarf and slowly tied it again.

Bao Bao and Bei Bei were both clever children. After just one look, they learned how to tie the red scarf.

Seeing how smart both children were, Chu Jin felt very relieved.

Perhaps, to others, tying a red scarf might seem like a trivial matter, but to her, a mother, it was not so simple.

It signified the growth of her children.

After breakfast, Chu Jin and Mo Zhixuan personally escorted Bao Bao and Bei Bei to school.

Because it was the first day of school, the school gate was crowded with parents sending their children to school.

Chu Jin and Mo Zhixuan hadn’t sent their children to some aristocratic school; they chose an average public school. Only in the most ordinary places can children see more, hear more, and grow faster.

There was also that saying, only through bitter experience can one become a superior person.

"Daddy and mommy, you can go back now, I can take sister inside. Don’t worry, I will protect her," Bao Bao said seriously, holding Bei Bei’s hand and looking at Chu Jin.

The children from other families were all entering the school under the escort of their parents. Bao Bao and Bei Bei seemed much more sensible and stronger compared to them.

With so many people around, Bao Bao and Bei Bei were not a bit scared, instead, their big eyes sparkled with curiosity as they discreetly observed every parent there to send off their children to school.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read