Chapter 8: An Uncanny Resemblance

After exchanging greetings with Bai Mengqi, the two children immediately resumed their playful pestering of Zi Yanran.

Yet, after only a brief time spent with their mother, the children’s attention drifted once more, their gazes settling on Bai Mengqi, who stood quietly beside them.

Zixuan, in particular, blinked his large, glistening dark eyes, openly scrutinizing the beautiful older sister he had just met.

He first tilted his head, observing her from the left, then shifted to view her from the right, as if determined to take in every single detail of Bai Mengqi.

Even Ziyi, nestled securely in Zi Yanran’s arms, found herself captivated by her brother’s peculiar behavior. Her own small eyes, brimming with an identical curiosity, mirrored his as she peered at Bai Mengqi from side to side.

Strangely enough, both children seemed to harbor an innate sense of closeness towards Bai Mengqi, despite this being their very first encounter.

In short order, Zixuan found himself inexorably drawn to Bai Mengqi. He walked directly to her side, then, with a delicate, hesitant touch, reached out to graze her hand. His actions were tentative, yet infused with the unmistakable purity unique to a child.

The instant their skin met, Bai Mengqi’s body seized up. A profound shock coursed through her, causing her pupils to contract violently.

Immediately, her gaze snapped to Zi Yanran, filled with an expression of profound shock, bordering on fright. In that singular moment, she had already pieced together the astonishing truth.

“This? How could this possibly be?”

Bai Mengqi felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her. The very instant she made contact with the little one, she had perceived something utterly fantastical, almost magical.

Observing Bai Mengqi’s utterly horrified expression, Zi Yanran’s lips curved subtly upward. A fleeting, triumphant smile danced in her eyes before vanishing just as quickly.

It seemed she had long anticipated precisely this reaction from Bai Mengqi, and was now quietly reveling in her own cleverness.

“Big sister, what’s wrong?” Zixuan, noticing the sudden change in Bai Mengqi’s complexion, called out to her again, his voice laced with concern.

His innocent, guileless eyes were brimming with confusion. He simply could not comprehend why such a strange reaction would be provoked by a mere touch of his big sister’s hand.

Bai Mengqi drew a deep, steadying breath, struggling to regain her composure. She desperately needed to grasp the full implications of this bewildering situation.

“Great Immortaless, surely you sensed that, didn’t you? What exactly is happening here?”

After a brief moment of profound contemplation, the Great Immortaless finally offered her explanation.

“At that time, although you inhabited a female form, your essence remained fundamentally male. The fox demon, in controlling her, extracted a vast quantity of vital essence from your body. Upon her demise, this essence could not be refined, instead lingering within her. Subsequently, the convergence of yin and yang energies brought about this utterly inconceivable phenomenon.”

Bai Mengqi was left utterly speechless by these words, her mind reeling. ‘This… this is truly possible?’ she thought, bewildered.

Nevertheless, with matters having progressed to this point, she could no longer afford the luxury of doubt. Cultivators, after all, possessed their own unique methods for bloodline verification.

She knelt down, a soft, reassuring smile once more gracing her lips. Extending her arms, she gently scooped Zixuan into her embrace and spoke in a hushed tone, “You little imp, you’re quite the friendly one, aren’t you? Reaching out to touch someone of the opposite s*x the very first time we meet? Surely you’re not trying to take advantage of your big sister, are you?”

She attempted to use these lighthearted, teasing words as a shield, hoping to quell the burgeoning tension and panic within her. In truth, she hadn’t even consciously decided to pick up the child.

Crucially, Zi Yanran offered no resistance, no word of caution.

Once cradled in her arms, Zixuan gazed intently at Bai Mengqi for a long moment before answering with artless innocence, “I don’t know why, but you seem to carry Mommy’s scent. You two feel… very much alike, actually.”

His voice was remarkably clear and melodious, yet Bai Mengqi found herself caught between laughter and tears, utterly at a loss.

It was at this precise moment that the middle-aged woman approached them.

This was Su Xiaoshi, Zi Yanran’s mother.

As Su Xiaoshi made her way towards them, her gaze remained intently fixed on Bai Mengqi’s face, her eyes betraying a mixture of profound doubt and astonishment.

“Yanran, it’s only just past noon. It’s hardly time to be off work, is it? Why have you returned so abruptly? And who, pray tell, is this young lady…?” Su Xiaoshi inquired, unable to suppress her curiosity as she looked between her daughter and the unfamiliar girl.

Her curiosity was truly piqued. Her daughter, a creature of habit, invariably adhered to her work schedule and rarely, if ever, returned home unexpectedly at this hour, much less accompanied by an unfamiliar young woman.

Zi Yanran offered a calm smile, answering with an unhurried grace, “Mom, I came home for a matter of some importance. By the way, don’t you find that Ziyi and Zixuan bear a striking resemblance to my secretary here?”

As she spoke, her gaze flickered towards Bai Mengqi, a subtle, knowing glint in her eyes that seemed to hold a deeper meaning.

Su Xiaoshi paused, momentarily taken aback by her daughter’s words. Then, she meticulously scrutinized Bai Mengqi, murmuring, “Indeed, I noticed it the very instant you both entered. This young woman is practically an enlarged version of Ziyi; it’s truly peculiar.”

Her gaze swept repeatedly across Bai Mengqi’s face and figure, and the longer she observed, the more utterly inexplicable she found it.

And it was true; not only did the little girl, Ziyi, resemble her, but even the boy, Zixuan, bore an astonishing likeness to Bai Mengqi.

Should Bai Mengqi ever revert to her male form, these striking resemblances would undoubtedly become even more pronounced.

The subtle charm in her features, the very contours of her face, and the lines of her silhouette, all seemed to hint at some profound, mysterious connection.

This, then, was one of the underlying reasons for Bai Mengqi’s intense emotional upheaval upon encountering the two children.

Anyone unexpectedly encountering someone who bears such a striking resemblance to themselves would naturally be stirred to harbor unusual thoughts.

In this moment, Bai Mengqi finally seemed to grasp Zi Yanran’s true intention in bringing her to their home.

As she observed the appearance and age of the two children before her, every detail aligned perfectly with the unsettling suspicions she had harbored within her heart.

A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped Bai Mengqi’s heart. She had never conceived that events would escalate to such a degree; her once tranquil life, she feared, was now poised for complete upheaval.

“Mengqi, this is my mother, Su Xiaoshi. You may address her as Auntie, or simply Aunt.”

Zi Yanran provided the introductions for both parties, effectively shattering the delicate, somewhat awkward silence that had settled between them.

“Mother, this is my secretary, Bai Mengqi. You may simply call her Mengqi. She is my dedicated, full-time secretary, so I expect you two will be seeing a great deal of each other in the days to come,” Zi Yanran further elaborated.

Bai Mengqi immediately snapped back to full awareness, her mind racing. Forcing down the tumultuous, complex emotions swirling within her, she offered a polite greeting to Su Xiaoshi, “Auntie, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Though a faint tremor ran through her voice, she managed to maintain an outward facade of impeccable politeness.

Su Xiaoshi nodded in immediate acknowledgment, offering a small, polite smile in return. “Indeed, hello to you.”

Despite the smile gracing her lips, the profound doubt lingering in her eyes had scarcely diminished.

“Mother, I’m going to step into my room for a moment. There are some matters I need to discuss privately with my secretary. Oh, and incidentally, she hails from our very own hometown, Lantian County.”

Zi Yanran added this last detail, her gaze subtly shifting to Bai Mengqi, as if conveying a silent, potent implication.

Su Xiaoshi paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, before abruptly posing a question, “Is that truly so? Young lady, do you happen to have any brothers, older or younger?”

Undoubtedly, her mind was racing. ‘This young woman bears such an uncanny resemblance to my grandchildren,’ she must have been thinking, ‘could there possibly be some familial connection?’

Bai Mengqi was momentarily struck speechless, uncertain how to formulate a reply to such a loaded question. Firstly, she genuinely had no brothers.

Secondly, while she certainly possessed a dual identity, there was no apparent connection between the two. After a brief silence, she gently shook her head and murmured, “None.”

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoshi’s surprise only deepened. She furrowed her brow, murmuring to herself, “This is truly perplexing; the resemblance is simply uncanny.”

She simply could not fathom why a young woman with no familial ties whatsoever would bear such a profound likeness to her own grandchildren.

Zi Yanran’s parents, of course, were well aware that their daughter had experienced a profound upheaval in the past.

Four years prior, on a fateful night, their daughter had gone through something utterly unexpected: she had mysteriously disappeared, then had an intimate encounter with a enigmatic ability user, which subsequently led to the birth of Ziyi and Zixuan.

Yet, the bewildering truth was that Zi Yanran had conceived these children without ever having engaged in a physical relationship with the opposite s*x.

Ultimately, they had no choice but to attribute this miraculous conception to the extraordinary powers of the ability user.

For years, they had diligently utilized all their available resources, searching far and wide for the ability user who had shared that fateful night with their daughter, but to no avail.

The individual seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

From their perspective, they naturally yearned for their grandchildren and their daughter to have a complete family. After all, a childhood blessed only with maternal love but devoid of a father’s presence would always feel incomplete.

Watching the two adorable little ones grow day by day, their hearts were filled with both anxious concern and tender affection.

Moreover, they were growing older, and their daughter, too, would eventually need a stable partner and a proper home.

Thus, when they witnessed Bai Mengqi’s striking resemblance to the children, it was inevitable that a torrent of complex thoughts would surge through their minds.

“Alright, Mother, I’m heading back to my room now. I’ll take Zixuan and Ziyi with me. I’ll have lunch here at home.”

Zi Yanran offered a quick farewell, gesturing for Bai Mengqi to follow, then, cradling Ziyi and holding Zixuan’s hand, she made her way towards the room.

Only Su Xiaoshi remained standing, her expression a tapestry of complex emotions. She watched her daughter and Bai Mengqi disappear, her eyes brimming with a mixture of confusion and deep contemplation, her mind still tirelessly pondering the uncanny peculiarities of the situation.