After leaving the prison, Quan Tianxi drove back to the Quan family in the new district that same night.
It was already past one in the morning, but because Quan Zhixi was injured and hospitalized, the whole family was very worried, so the lights in the house were still on.
The large gate of the Quan family mansion, resembling an ancient castle, was slowly opened. Quan Tianxi slammed the accelerator to the floor and sped into the underground parking lot. He cut the engine, not even bothering to close the car door, and rushed towards the house.
"Dad, Mom, has Grandma gone to sleep?" he called out as soon as he entered.
Quan Maoheng and his wife Liu Peilin were anxiously waiting in the living room. Seeing their second son return, they both suddenly stood up. Liu Peilin rushed forward to question him.
"How is Xi'er? All the families are watching us right now. Your father and I can't leave the new district at this time. I really can't go see her. You bring her home tomorrow, and we'll have a doctor come to the house for treatment. Is it serious? I asked Xi'er, and she said she could recover. Is that true? What did the doctor say? Who is the attending physician?"
Quan Tianxi had to put aside what he wanted to say. After helping the elders sit down, he sighed softly, "I've consulted the top doctors both domestically and internationally, and they all say she won't recover completely and will have scars. I haven't told Xi'er yet. I'm afraid she won't be able to accept it."
Upon hearing this, Liu Peilin's tears immediately streamed down her face. She covered her mouth and cried, "My poor child. Appearance is the most important thing for a woman. If her face is ruined, how devastated she must be. What will she do in the future?"
Quan Maoheng also became anxious. "Bring her back tomorrow and let the family doctors take a look. No matter the cost, we must help your sister get better. Also, call your elder brother back. Is his own sister's accident less important than his company's affairs?"
Liu Peilin sobbed uncontrollably and questioned, "Who exactly harmed Xi'er to this extent? My poor daughter has suffered such great injustice. We must not let her suffer in vain."
Quan Tianxi paused before saying with some uncertainty, "This matter might not be as simple as it seems. Dad, Mom, Grandma has already gone to bed, right?"
Quan Maoheng grunted, "What is it?"
Quan Tianxi thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you have any photos of Grandma from when she was young? I'd like to see them."
"Photos? Why do you want to look at photos now?" Liu Peilin was very confused by her son's request.
Quan Tianxi insisted, "I'll look first before deciding whether to tell you. This matter is very important to our entire family, especially for Xi'er. I can't let you know without any basis."
Quan Maoheng and Liu Peilin were bewildered. Finally, Quan Maoheng glanced at his wife. Liu Peilin understood and turned to go inside to get the family photo album.
However, after bringing out the album, she started crying again. "Xi'er used to often look through these old photos with me. They say daughters are a mother's close confidantes, and it's absolutely true. You and your brother are just like your father; you only have eyes for the family and career."
"Mom, I'm much more family-oriented than my brother," Quan Tianxi said helplessly.
Liu Peilin sighed softly, wiped her tears, and flipped through the photos. As she flipped, she said, "Your Grandma was a great beauty. Your father didn't inherit even five percent of her looks. As for you three siblings, you all take after me more and haven't inherited the Quan family's advantageous looks at all."
Quan Tianxi stared nervously at the photo album until his mother took out a black and white photo and handed it to him.
"This one is preserved the best, but it's still not as good-looking as your Grandma in person. It was taken when she was thirty. When I first married into the Quan family, I thought she was your eldest sister," she said the last sentence to Quan Maoheng.
Quan Tianxi tentatively reached out and took the photo. When he saw the young Grandma in the picture, even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still stunned into silence.
The young Grandma in the photo was incredibly beautiful and carried a noble aura, a rare beauty.
This photo bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Quan Jiu, whom he had seen that day.
"Mom, you have Dragon Blood, but none of us three siblings inherited it from Dad. We all take after Dad," Quan Tianxi murmured.
Liu Peilin became even more confused but also felt fortunate. "Fortunately, you don't take after me. The rarity of Dragon Blood is indescribable. If there's a major hemorrhage, it's basically hopeless."
Quan Tianxi silently recalled Quan Jiu's information: Dragon Blood, birthday May 15th. He shared the same birthday as his third sister, even the same time of birth.
When Xiao Dong had prompted him to ask the old lady, he had already had a suspicion. He had always felt that Quan Jiu looked familiar, but because he hadn't seen his Grandma when she was young, and his childhood memories of her photos were vague, and now his Grandma's face was full of wrinkles, he hadn't immediately connected the two.
But after Xiao Dong's hint, he suddenly understood. That's right, even though his Grandma was now wrinkled and her hair was white, he could still see the striking resemblance in the eyes and brows between her and Quan Jiu.
The truth was so simple, yet so unbelievable.
"Dad, Mom, this matter, I think I'll have to wait for my eldest brother to return before I can tell you," Quan Tianxi couldn't bring himself to reveal the truth now. Although he genuinely liked Quan Jiu from the bottom of his heart, and it was highly likely she was his real sister.
But Liu Zhixi had been doted on since childhood. The family had lived together for twenty-seven years. Even if they weren't related by blood, they were closer than family.
In such a situation, how could he possibly say it? If he spoke, it would mean upheaval for two families.
But he couldn't bear not to say it. After all, blood is thicker than water. Quan Jiu's life had been thoroughly investigated by the Earth Net. She had been an orphan since childhood, raised by her Grandma, and had encountered her uncle's wicked family. At a young age, she had to earn money to support herself and had lived a very hard life.
Quan Maoheng and Liu Peilin found their son's behavior very strange. After repeated questioning yielded no answers, they had to give up. Quan Maoheng directly called his eldest son and ordered him to return that night.
Quan Tianyang was on a business trip abroad at the time due to his work, but the family's urgency compelled him to rush home. It wasn't until five in the morning that he finally returned to the Quan family.
Of course, the first thing he did upon entering was to inquire about Liu Zhixi's condition.
"Didn't I tell you to take good care of Xi'er when I left? Is this how you took care of her? Letting her get scalded all over? The skin graft Xi'er needs will be taken from your thigh!"
Quan Tianyang's face was grim. As soon as he entered, he began to lecture and blame his second brother.
Quan Tianxi remained silent. Only after Quan Tianyang had vented his anger did he persuade him, "Go rest for a while. Dad, Mom, and Grandma will be up soon. I have something important to announce."
Quan Tianyang's brow furrowed even tighter. "How can you sleep at a time like this? What is it? Tell me now, and I'll decide if I need to tell Mom and Dad."
"This matter really can't be kept from Mom and Dad," Quan Tianxi insisted.
Seeing this, Quan Tianyang could only glare fiercely at Quan Tianxi. "It better not be related to Xi'er."
By seven-thirty, Quan Maoheng and Liu Peilin were both awake. Because their second son had said he had something important to announce last night, they went directly to the conference room.
Their two sons were already waiting in the conference room. Liu Peilin, seeing that the projector had been turned on, was very curious. "What is it? It's so serious."
Quan Tianxi took a deep breath and turned on the computer screen. A photo of a young, beautiful woman was projected.
Liu Peilin exclaimed, "Isn't this your Grandma when she was young? But why is this a photo from the present? The background is Tian Shui Wan, isn't it?" Tian Shui Wan had been undeveloped wasteland for decades.
Quan Tianxi paused for a moment before slowly saying, "The woman in the photo is named Quan Jiu. She is twenty-seven years old and has Dragon Blood."