Chapter 9: A Father’s Concerns and a Mother’s Revelation

Su Xiaoshi’s gaze intently followed Bai Mengqi’s receding figure, her eyes betraying an ineffable complexity of emotion. She remained rooted to the spot, as if struck by a paralysis spell, falling into a prolonged reverie. A torrent of thoughts churned in her mind, her imagination galloping wildly like an unbridled horse. The more she pondered, the more something felt amiss.

After a considerable pause, Su Xiaoshi suddenly seemed to snap back to reality, hastily lifting her feet to follow. Her steps were a little flustered, her heart a mix of tension and anticipation, as she made her way to a room on the first floor.

Inside, a refined middle-aged man sat quietly on a comfortable sofa, engrossed in a book. This was Zi Yanran’s father, Zi Ye, a veritable legend in the business world.

Back then, Zi Ye had truly started from nothing. With extraordinary courage and sharp business acumen, he resolutely embarked on his entrepreneurial journey. In just five years, he established the largest enterprise in Lantian County, instantly becoming the center of attention.

Yet, he was not content. Harboring even greater ambitions, he moved his entire family to the bustling Jiangcheng. On Jiangcheng’s fiercely competitive business battlefield, he leveraged years of accumulated experience and wisdom. After four years of relentless effort and struggle, he successfully rose to be among Jiangcheng’s top ten enterprises, solidifying his status as a business legend.

“Husband, Yanran is back,” Su Xiaoshi announced hurriedly the moment she entered the room, her voice laced with an urgent, almost palpable strangeness.

Zi Ye merely gave his wife a fleeting glance, his eyes holding a hint of habitual composure. A gentle smile played on his lips as he calmly replied, “She’s back, so she’s back. What’s so surprising about that?”

In his view, their daughter often came home, so he didn’t give the matter much thought. Clearly, Su Xiaoshi’s message was not so simple. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she were carefully considering how to articulate her next words.

“No, she brought someone back with her,” Su Xiaoshi finally managed to say, her gaze fixed on Zi Ye, searching for any reaction on his face.

Upon hearing that his daughter had brought someone home, Zi Ye’s calm expression instantly shifted. He immediately set down his book with a decisive motion, then slowly removed his glasses and carefully wiped them.

Only then did he look up again, his eyes wide with surprise as he asked, “A man?”

He had always been deeply concerned about his daughter’s marital prospects. After all, he had only this one daughter and no son; her happiness was paramount to him.

Ever since the incident four years ago, Zi Ye had hoped his daughter could emerge from the shadow and resume a normal life. However, his daughter had consistently shown no inclination towards marriage.

Each time he introduced her to a potential suitor, she would refuse without hesitation, claiming an inner resistance that made acceptance impossible. As a father, he watched with growing anxiety, naturally wishing for his daughter to marry and settle down soon. This had become his greatest worry.

He didn’t aspire for his daughter to marry an exceptionally talented or wealthy man; as long as she could accept him and be happy, that was enough.

“You’re overthinking it. It’s not a man; it’s a very beautiful girl,” Su Xiaoshi replied, a hint of helplessness on her face.

Upon hearing it was a woman, Zi Ye couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his wife, his expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Oh, a woman,” he scoffed. “What’s so strange about that? Really, you got my hopes up for nothing.”

As he spoke, he reluctantly settled back onto the sofa, picking up the book he had just put down. He seemed ready to resume reading, the sliver of expectation that had just been sparked now vanished without a trace.

“But this girl looks remarkably like our little Ziyi,” Su Xiaoshi continued, knowing this might pique Zi Ye’s interest again. “More importantly, she’s from our hometown, Lantian County.”

Indeed, at her words, Zi Ye’s movement to resume reading halted once more. He looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Ah? Is that so? How similar? You don’t mean…” Zi Ye, being a shrewd man, instantly grasped his wife’s implication.

Su Xiaoshi nodded gravely, her gaze conveying an undeniable certainty. “Come on, let’s go see,” Zi Ye said, preparing to stand. “I want to see for myself how much this girl you’re talking about resembles our Ziyi.”

His heart was now brimming with curiosity, eager to meet this girl his daughter had brought home, who supposedly resembled his granddaughter so closely. However, just as Zi Ye was about to rise, Su Xiaoshi promptly stopped him.

“What’s the rush?” Su Xiaoshi said. “She and our daughter went to the room to chat. Yanran will be eating dinner here, so you’ll see her soon enough.”

Zi Ye slowly sat back down upon hearing his wife’s words, yet he clearly sensed his daughter’s unusual behavior. He furrowed his brow, musing inwardly, ‘This is strange. It’s not like Yanran’s character at all. Has she ever brought an outsider home before?’

****

Meanwhile, in Zi Yanran’s room, the atmosphere was rather subtle. Now, only the four of them remained. Indeed, as unbelievable as it seemed, these two little ones were truly Bai Mengqi and Zi Yanran’s biological son and daughter.

Bai Mengqi had just verified that cultivators could determine blood relations through the power of their bloodline. That night, due to the fox demon’s power, Bai Mengqi and Zi Yanran had unexpectedly experienced an abnormal yin-yang union.

Not long after, Zi Yanran discovered she was pregnant. For Zi Yanran at the time, this news was undoubtedly a tremendous shock. She plunged into deep confusion and helplessness, unsure of what to do.

Zi Yanran’s parents, upon learning the news, also underwent an intense internal struggle. On one hand, they worried about their daughter’s future; after all, unmarried pregnancy still drew considerable scrutiny in their society.

On the other hand, they felt for their daughter, unwilling to see her suffer too much harm. Ultimately, however, they chose not to terminate the pregnancy. Instead, they steadfastly kept the child, enduring the strange looks from friends and relatives.

Of course, had Zi Yanran herself not wished to keep the child, they wouldn’t have forced her. Ultimately, it was Zi Yanran’s own voluntary choice.

As for Bai Mengqi, after seeing the two children and interacting with them, she had largely understood the entire sequence of events. Her heart was now a maelstrom of emotions: surprise, guilt, and an ineffable complexity.

The room’s atmosphere grew awkward once more, a suffocating silence descending upon them. At this point, it was difficult for Bai Mengqi to continue feigning ignorance. She was no cold-blooded creature; facing everything before her, she knew she could no longer escape.

“Ugh! I don’t want to argue with you anymore. I’m so tired,” Zi Yanran suddenly spoke, looking at Bai Mengqi, who sat silently on the bed, holding Zixuan. “Are you still going to deny knowing me now?”

Her eyes revealed a trace of weariness and helplessness. For so many years, she had raised the children alone, and only she truly knew the hardships involved.

Bai Mengqi wasn’t particularly surprised by these words. She glanced at Zi Yanran, a hint of doubt in her eyes as she asked, “You already knew my identity? I didn’t think I left any flaws, did I?”

She had believed her disguise was flawless, yet Zi Yanran had still seen through it. Bai Mengqi had admitted it. Had she not seen these two children, she might have continued to play dumb.

“You’ve finally admitted it,” Zi Yanran said. “I thought even after seeing the children, you’d still pretend not to know me. Yes, your disguise was impeccable. But that night, I saw your true appearance, and your scent hasn’t changed either.”

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were recalling the events of that night. Bai Mengqi immediately sniffed her own arm, a puzzled expression on her face. “Scent? What scent could I possibly have? I don’t even use cosmetics.”

She truly couldn’t comprehend what Zi Yanran meant by ‘scent’. Zi Yanran herself couldn’t quite explain it. She had simply relied on her intuition and repeated probes to finally confirm Bai Mengqi’s identity.

“I only confirmed it after repeated tests,” Zi Yanran explained. “The person who snatched your bag earlier was my bodyguard.”

Well, with the conversation reaching this point, Bai Mengqi couldn’t help but admire Zi Yanran. Though Bai Mengqi was powerful, in terms of worldly experience, Zi Yanran was immeasurably superior.

If the previous events were mere coincidences, then once Bai Mengqi’s status as an ability user was confirmed, it was difficult to attribute anything further to chance. The same scent, nearly identical appearance, both being ability users, and both hailing from the same place—all these factors combined made the conclusion almost undeniable.