Chapter 207

He gripped the phone tightly with his long, slender fingers, his tone seemingly tinged with helplessness. "Yingying and the children are all fine. Fortunately, no one was injured. Ding Rumei is still at the police station. With me at home, you can rest assured. However, I have something else to tell you, and I hope you and Dad can be prepared."

Huang Meiling was still in shock when she subconsciously replied, "Go on."

Xie Zhiyan paused, seemingly unsure how to begin, and went over his thoughts before speaking.

"Yingying accidentally saved a woman named Song Zhaodi on the train to Beijing with her child. Now she helps take care of the child at home and is also a good cook. This time, when Ding Rumei came to our house, she nitpicked and made things difficult for her."

Huang Meiling was completely confused, feeling as if Xie Zhiyan's brain was soaked in water. His words sounded nonsensical. Where did he come from and where did he come from?

“If someone has been wronged, you should try to compensate them first. See what they need, or add some money. If Yingying thinks she did a good job, then let her do it at home often. It’s not easy to have someone who is good at helping you. You don’t need to tell me and your dad about the compensation. You can decide what to do.”

Xie Zhiyan didn't speak, but Huang Meiling's anxious voice came from behind, "Why are you acting like a block of wood? You can't even understand such simple words. If you don't understand, at least say something."

Xie Zhiyan pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, and then carefully spoke, "I know this, but that's not what I want to talk about. You and Dad haven't met Song Zhaodi yet. She looks a lot like you when you were young. Yingying and I specifically looked at your and Dad's wedding photos. You two are cut from the same mold."

Shu Ying kept telling him to be more tactful in his speech, but if he spoke too vaguely, Xie Zhiyan worried that they wouldn't understand; if he spoke too bluntly, he worried that they wouldn't be able to handle it.

Huang Meiling had a vague idea of ​​what was going on. She stood there stunned, as if the blood in her body was flowing backward and her hands and feet were ice cold.

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, seemingly trying to convince herself, "But, but your father and I only have two children, one is you, and the other is your sister."

Xie Zhiyan was silent for a moment, then after thinking for a long time, he told her everything he knew, “But Song Zhaodi happens to be the daughter of He Caixia and her husband, the nanny who took care of you when you were pregnant with your sister. You and Dad must understand the intricacies of this better than I do.”

These words are neither frightening nor shocking.

The answer was obvious, but both sides were too cautious to take another step.

Huang Meiling's breath hitched, her mind went blank, and she didn't know how to think.

There was still no sound from the other end, and Xie Zhiyan felt a little worried. He said nervously, "Mom, don't worry. Not many people know about this yet. Yingying originally wanted to wait until you came back before making any plans. We just think it's too much of a coincidence."

Xie Wenyuan could only vaguely hear what Xie Zhiyan was saying, but he noticed that Huang Meiling's expression was not good and she moved closer to the microphone.

"What did Zhiyan say?"

Huang Meiling's head was buzzing and she couldn't hear anything. Seeing that she was about to faint, Xie Wenyuan quickly supported her with both hands.

Hearing the commotion, Xie Zhiyan felt uneasy. "Mom, don't get agitated. We'll know the details after you and Dad come back."

Huang Meiling took a deep breath, which finally calmed her down a bit.

"I understand. Please thank Yingying properly for me. Your dad and I will try to go back when we have time. Contact us again if there are any updates on your end."

Her eyes were red and her voice was choked with emotion. Even though Xie Wanying was different from them in many ways, she had never doubted that she was not her child.

Many people had warned them before, but she never took those crazy words to heart. How could a child who had been with her since birth not be her own?

Reality was too cruel; she dared not think about it.

Xie Zhiyan was a little worried. "You and Dad go ahead with your work. I'll handle things here. Xie Wanying probably knew about this earlier than we did, but we haven't told her what she already knows yet."

The paternity test hasn't been done yet, and to avoid any further complications, it's best not to let too many people know about this.

Xie Zhiyan and Shu Ying were both quite cautious, partly to protect Song Zhaodi and partly to avoid alerting the enemy.

Huang Meiling's mind was in turmoil. The thought that the child she had raised with such care for so many years was not her own child caused her a sharp, cutting pain in her heart.

Xie Wenyuan was completely bewildered, not knowing what the mother and son were saying that would make Huang Meiling so agitated.

After explaining everything, Huang Meiling reminded Xie Zhiyan to protect Song Zhaodi before reluctantly hanging up the phone.

Xie Wenyuan was still holding an empty lunchbox. Seeing her absent-minded look, he pulled her down to sit.

"Did something happen at home? Is Wanying causing trouble again?"

He only heard Xie Zhiyan mention something about his daughter, and knew nothing else. Huang Meiling seemed somewhat dazed, and he couldn't help but worry.

"I don't know what's wrong with this child. She was so well-behaved and obedient when she was little, but she's become more and more disobedient in the last two years. After all, Zhiyan is married now and things are different from before. It seems that we have indeed neglected her education."

Huang Meiling met Xie Wenyuan's gaze with red eyes, shook her head helplessly, and burst into tears.

"Zhiyan said that Yingying saved a girl on her way to the capital. The girl looked exactly like me when I was young, and she was He Caixia's daughter. She had escaped because she couldn't stand her husband's domestic violence."

“She is just like us in many ways, even more like our daughter than Wanying.”

Now that things had come to this point, Xie Wenyuan understood perfectly. His hands trembled; he was the one who had sought out He Caixia in the first place.

At that time, they only saw that the other party was an honest person, quick-witted, and pitiful, so they gave her a chance to make money. Who knew that she would repay kindness with enmity and conspire with her mother to pull a switcheroo.

"What should we do if Zhao Di really is our daughter?"

Huang Meiling already had the answer in her heart, but she was unwilling to believe it. How could her parents be so careless?

“That was our first child. She was living an inhuman life in the mountains, but we treated the other party’s daughter as our own. How could they do such a terrible thing?”