Chapter 271: Chapter 263: Going to Hong Kong
In recent days, He Xuewen grew increasingly restless. He was not willing to simply return to Sui City, yearning instead to find Mu Xiulan. He originally planned to go on his own, but Sisi insisted that they either go together or not at all. Thinking of Ah Nan’s blessed land and its ability to provide shelter from dangers, he agreed to bring Sisi along.
The shallow sea between Guangdong and Hong Kong was all that separated the two, making the trip a simple affair. A Ji had already made the arrangements for them. When Fei arrived, he found He Xuewen and Sisi exchanging Hong Kong Dollars in preparation for their use in Hong Kong.
Fei was taken aback when he saw Sisi, dressed in a pink cardigan, white blouse, and black long skirt. The girl bore such a striking resemblance to his sister-in-law. In fact, she seemed even more beautiful.
"Brother Wen, Brother Fei here has something for you. He’s from over there," A Ji introduced them.
The group found a quiet teahouse and sat down at a secluded spot. Upon seeing Fei, Sisi felt a unique aura about him—likely linked to that Boss Qiao.
"Brother Fei, here are the father and daughter you’ve been looking for. You can ask them whatever you need to," said A Ji.
A Ji obviously knew why this favored man from Boss Qiao’s ranks had made the trip. Apparently, the message he intentionally had relayed over there had caught Boss Qiao’s attention—had he really taken such a keen interest in this affair?
"Hello, I’m Fei. I’m here on behalf of my sister-in-law to find her daughter, Tuantuan. My sister-in-law’s name is Mu Xiulan. This young lady looks a lot like her and is also about the right age," Fei said politely, not at all resembling a gangster.
Despite being prepared, hearing it firsthand still caused a sting in He Xuewen’s heart. He took a deep breath, and the smile on his face faded slightly.
A Ji and Sisi watched He Xuewen with concern, fearing he couldn’t handle the news. He forced a smile, indicating he was alright.
Fei was unaware of the relationship between He Xuewen and Mu Xiulan. Mu Xiulan had told him before coming that this man might very well be Tian Mantong from fifteen years ago, now Sisi’s foster father, and that’s why he spoke so openly of Mu Xiulan’s current identity.
"I really am Mu Xiulan’s daughter, but how can I believe that you are sent by Mu Xiulan?" Sisi asked.
Fei was surprised. So, the girl knew her own background—had her foster father informed her? This saved him from having to explain himself. He glanced at He Xuewen with gratitude.
"Here is a letter and a photograph from your mother. You can look at them."
Fei handed a letter and photograph to Sisi. He Xuewen snatched them and began to look. In the photo, Mu Xiulan was dressed in a purple qipao and draped in a silver-grey fur cape, exuding elegance. Age had not left many marks on her face; she remained as young and beautiful as ever.
"Daddy, is this my Mama? She’s beautiful!"
Sisi leaned in to take a closer look. She hadn’t expected Mu Xiulan to be so beautiful, with such a fine demeanor, resembling a lady from a wealthy family. And judging by her appearance, she must have been living comfortably, which explained her impressive maintenance.
Weighed down with emotions, Sisi felt that the better Mu Xiulan’s life was, the slimmer the chances of her reuniting with Daddy. Considering Daddy’s behavior in the past few days, he must have had a deep affection for Mu Xiulan. Now with such an outcome, would he be able to bear it?
"Yes, your Mama was indeed very beautiful. Ah Nan, you look so much like her, you’ll grow up to be beautiful too."
He Xuewen, suppressing the agony in his heart, forced a smile as he opened the letter which indeed contained the familiar handwriting he remembered. The letter only had a few lines, essentially saying that she was Ah Nan’s Mama and asking Ah Nan and her adoptive father to make a trip to Hong Kong to meet her, assuring that everything had been arranged and that they just needed to follow this Mr. Fei.
Xiulian actually thought she was Ah Nan’s adoptive father? He Xuewen must have been presumed dead by her. He felt as if his chest was suffocated by a sponge, wanting to speak but finding himself unable to utter a word.
"Daddy, shall we go?" Sisi asked He Xuewen in a soft voice.
"Let’s go, we were planning to go there to find your Mama anyway." He Xuewen said dryly, gathering the photo and the letter.
A Ji sighed at his good friend, ah, how fate plays tricks on us, a seemingly perfect couple yet ending up separated like a pair of swallows flying apart. Perhaps it’s better not to marry at all; like him, born bare and will leave bare!
Fei had initially intended to take He Xuewen and his daughter straight to the villa to meet Mu Xiulan, but He Xuewen insisted on meeting at a hotel. Perhaps it was his pride. He didn’t want to meet his wife at her current husband’s house, which would be even more unbearable!
It’s a good thing Fei was there, or how could the two of them, without any identification, have ever been able to check into a hotel?
Sisi looked at He Xuewen with concern. He was already on his twelfth cigarette. Since Fei went back to report, He Xuewen had kept on smoking non-stop, and he was about to finish an entire pack soon.
"Daddy, you can’t smoke any more! Your lungs won’t be able to take it."
Sisi snatched the thirteenth cigarette from He Xuewen and took the whole pack away. He Xuewen glanced at her, his lips moved, but he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.
"Daddy, I know you’re hurting inside. Don’t hold it in. If you want to cry, just cry it out. I won’t laugh at you."
Sisi looked at He Xuewen with pity, feeling heartache for the man. The book says the fastest way to forget the pain is sweet love. After they return, she’ll let Daddy find new love to quickly move on from the pain!
He Xuewen was amused by Sisi’s words, he drained the coffee on the table in one gulp, as if making a firm decision, his face cleared of dejection and regained its usual vigor.
"Don’t worry, Ah Nan, Daddy’s fine. As long as your Mama is happy, that’s good. Let’s go down and wait for your Mama."
"Okay." Sisi obediently responded, sighing to herself. Daddy must be forcing a smile right now, how pitiful!
The hotel lobby was not very crowded, and there were quite a few foreigners. The distinguished appearances of He Xuewen and his daughter caught the frequent attention of people in the lobby, some even whispered not so quietly, and Sisi vaguely heard words like "star" and "Japan," feeling a bit annoyed. Damn it, just because someone looks good, they’re assumed to be Japanese? I’m a native-born Chinese, thank you very much!
"Beautiful miss, may I ask if you’re from Japan?" A twenty-something fair-skinned blond man walked up to Sisi and asked in English.
"No, China." Sisi also replied in fluent English, her response terse as she didn’t wish to engage in much conversation with this foreigner.
However, this foreigner was completely clueless, not only reciting his entire family history but also incessantly asking all sorts of questions, acting like a nosy parker rather than a privacy-respecting foreigner, more akin to a chatty aunt from the neighborhood lanes.
Sisi was exasperated and finally had to excuse herself to receive guests to get rid of this annoying foreigner Willie.