Finally, Madam He was sentenced, and after searching in vain, He Chen and Xu Yue could only accept the fact. A few years later, the two went abroad to live, leaving this place of sorrow.
As for Madam He, life was not good after her release from prison. Her son, whom she longed to see most, was no longer by her side, and she suffered from illness. She passed away within a few years. Before her death, she revealed that her granddaughter had not died then, but no one believed her anymore.
He Chen and Xu Yue did not attend her funeral either.
After that, they continued to live abroad and had no idea what was happening in China.
He Bin rarely accessed the internet and was unaware of the online debate about Ye Zhi's parentage.
It was only a while ago that He Bin's distant cousin's son from his hometown, who usually browsed such things online, remembered the daughter discarded at He Chen's house. He approached He Bin, asking if it was possible that Ye Zhi was their family's child and if they could try to recognize her.
He Bin only learned about it then. He realized that Ye Zhi did bear some resemblance to his brother and sister-in-law.
So, he contacted his brother and sister-in-law, explaining the situation.
Upon hearing this, He Chen and Xu Yue ultimately decided to pretend they knew nothing and not to disturb Ye Zhi.
They had always believed their daughter was dead and had accepted that reality. Although it was now possible to prove their daughter was alive, they would be heartbroken again if she wasn't.
Moreover, in their opinion, if Ye Zhi was not living well, they would reach out to help her regardless of blood relation.
But now that Ye Zhi was successful and had a happy family, their interference would only create discord between Ye Zhi and her adoptive parents. Therefore, it was better not to interfere.
As for when Cen Xiucheng came to find him, He Bin had thought his distant cousin was still persistent and wanted to stir up trouble, which was why he had been unpleasant to Cen Xiucheng and wanted to drive him away. He hadn't expected Cen Xiucheng to notice something was amiss.
After hearing the long story, everyone had varied expressions.
Cen Xiucheng awkwardly touched his nose. He had intended to repay a favor, but it seemed he had unintentionally caused trouble again. Indeed, if this were the case and Ye Zhi was truly He family's child, it was better for them not to disturb each other.
Ye Zhi, however, felt a sense of relief.
Although her background was somewhat melodramatic, it was still within normal bounds. Fortunately, she had no connection with Ou Minghan and Cen Ya. She could accept this kind of background.
Moreover, her parents were good people. Unlike the older generation, they did not favor sons over daughters. They had plans for their own lives and made their own decisions about everything. Their reluctance to recognize her stemmed from their consideration for her well-being.
"Ms. Ye," He Bin sighed, "This is the truth of the matter. Are you still willing to undergo a DNA paternity test?"
"I still want to have the test done," Ye Zhi said calmly. "Some things need to have an answer. Please believe that no matter the result of the test, it will not affect my relationship with my parents."
"Alright," He Bin agreed.
"I'll arrange the test," Qi Xuan said.
Ye Zhi understood his meaning. Although both parties only wanted a result, an answer, if this matter were to leak out, it would cause a stir and perhaps even become uncontrollable.
Therefore, it was naturally better to keep it as low-key as possible.
"Okay," Ye Zhi nodded.
Afterward, they all left.
Ye Zhi and Qi Xuan got into the car together. Ye Zhi leaned back in her seat and smiled somewhat helplessly, "It seems we'll be spending this Chinese New Year in N City."
"After the test, we'll return to Kyoto," Qi Xuan gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You've worked hard these past few days."
"You've been with me the whole time, so you've worked hard too," Ye Zhi moved closer to him. She asked with a smile, "Qi Xuan, if the test result shows that I am indeed the He family's child, will you be very disappointed?"
"Disappointed about what?" Qi Xuan blinked slightly.
"Disappointed that I don't have a dramatic background or extraordinary parents?" Ye Zhi blinked her eyes. "I'm just an ordinary person's child. Aren't you disappointed?"
Qi Xuan frowned slightly. "But I'm also an ordinary person's child."
Ye Zhi: "...Your ancestors founded a bank. How dare you call yourself ordinary? Do you have a misunderstanding of what ordinary means?"
Qi Xuan chuckled. "If you put it that way, then PhDs who went abroad to study twenty to thirty years ago weren't ordinary people either. You're not an ordinary person's child either; you're the child of an intellectual family."
Ye Zhi was amused by him. "Are you arguing? Compared to your Qi family, aren't I still very ordinary?"
"Ah Zhi," Qi Xuan gently held her hand and said in a low voice, "I love you, not some dramatic background or extraordinary parents. If I cared about that, I would have just married your parents, wouldn't I?"
Ye Zhi was torn between laughter and tears. "You really are... your words are getting sweeter and sweeter."
"What I say is always the truth," Qi Xuan smiled gently. "Ah Zhi, just as you don't care about the test results, neither do I. I love you as a person, not your background or your circumstances."
"Alright, alright, I believe you~" Ye Zhi leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Qi Xuan's eyes brightened. Just as he was about to kiss her back, Ye Zhi said, "Drive quickly~"
Qi Xuan sighed helplessly. Ye Zhi always liked to tease him and then not take responsibility, igniting a flame and then leaving it to burn.
Never mind, he would mark this down for now. One day, he would claim it all back!
*
On the island, Ou Minghan, in pain and itching, finally managed to recover.
He stared at the pure white ceiling, contemplating how to escape.
He was not willing to be locked up forever, nor would he give up like this!
Ou Minghan's mind raced. Escaping with the chains was unlikely. He still had to work on Ou Tiantian, forcing Ou Tiantian to hand over the keys!
But how should he do it?
Gurgle... A sound made Ou Minghan's expression turn grim. He was hungry...
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Ou Tiantian would definitely bring him food; she wouldn't let him starve to death.
Since Ou Tiantian refused to release him, she would most likely feed him herself. That would be his chance to escape!
He could take the opportunity to bite Ou Tiantian and force her to release him... No, the probability of failure was too high, and it would only anger Ou Tiantian.
After much thought, Ou Minghan decided that he should take the opportunity to kiss Ou Tiantian when she fed him.
Ou Tiantian clearly loved him and hated him. Deep down, she must still have love for him!