Meng Jingwei's eyes lit up, "You... you really are willing, willing to raise the children with me? You won't mind they are Qing Muyie's?"
He Xiaomingjin, though weak, still raised his hand to wipe away her tears, and said softly, "I love you for who you are. Even if you have a past with Qing Muyie, that's the past. As for the children, I'll love them because I love you."
"Jin Jin, you... you're so good."
Meng Jingwei lunged forward, hugging him, her cheek against his.
In that moment, they were incredibly close, so close that Meng Jingwei felt a pang of revulsion, but she had to do it.
Only by making He Xiaomingjin believe without a doubt could she successfully extract information about the children's whereabouts from him.
*A Ye, I'm sorry.*
Meng Jingwei felt a sense of guilt towards Qing Muyie.
But in an urgent situation, it was a necessary, albeit difficult, measure.
Meng Jingwei's transformation today was immense, especially her drastic change in attitude towards He Xiaomingjin.
He Xiaomingjin couldn't accept it, or even adapt to it, for quite some time.
After a while, he raised his hand and patted Meng Jingwei's back, "Don't be sad."
"How can I not be sad? I love you, but I had children with that 'beast' Qing Muyie. Jin Jin, I feel... I'm tainted."
Meng Jingwei's tears streamed down her face, flowing into the hollow of He Xiaomingjin's neck.
He felt it and his heart ached even more.
Meng Jingwei had finally remembered their past and wanted to marry him. Everything was developing in a positive direction.
But for some reason, He Xiaomingjin felt a sense of unease.
"Weiwei, everyone has a past. Children are innocent."
"Children, do the children resemble me more, or Qing Muyie?" she asked.
He Xiaomingjin thought for a moment, "Your genes are strong, of course they resemble you more."
Meng Jingwei's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed He Xiaomingjin knew where the children were.
"Old Chen Tou... if only Old Chen Tou thought the same way you do."
Meng Jingwei got up and sat back in the chair, choked, "He said I am to become the Hidden Master in the future, and keeping the children is a stain on my life. He doesn't want me to see them. He even wants to give them away, so I'll never see them again."
Time was of the essence. Meng Jingwei had to find out the children's whereabouts today. Otherwise, if Old Chen Tou had a private meeting with He Xiaomingjin, he would surely instruct He Xiaomingjin to keep the information secret. Explaining it away would make it nearly impossible to ascertain the children's location.
"Grandfather... I'll talk to grandfather later. Weiwei, you shouldn't be too sad."
He Xiaomingjin sighed.
Meng Jingwei shook her head, "Jin Jin, can't you see Grandpa's personality? Once he decides something, it's impossible to change. The ceremony for inheriting the Hidden Master is imminent. He'll definitely send the children away these next few days."
She tightly gripped He Xiaomingjin's hand, "Jin Jin, can you arrange for someone to send the children away? That way, at least I'll know where they are. If Old Chen Tou sends people to send them away, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'll never have a chance to see my children again in this lifetime."
The more she spoke, the more she cried.
By the end, Meng Jingwei was crying uncontrollably, which broke He Xiaomingjin's heart.
His entire world revolved around Meng Jingwei, and he couldn't bear to see her cry like this. He immediately told her, "The children are in Qiyai Mountain, in the village of Qingshui, in the courtyard house furthest east by the river. I'm in the hospital and can't make arrangements. Hurry and contact someone to take the children away, say they've been sent out."
Meng Jingwei bit her red lip gently, "No, I don't dare. If Old Chen Tou finds out, he'll be furious."
"Don't worry, I'll keep this a secret from Grandpa," He Xiaomingjin said with a sincere expression.