Free Web NovelChapter 241: Chapter 241: Not Blood-Related
On Saturday, Su Li successfully bought the factory. After finalizing the transfer that same day, she treated the agent to a thank-you meal.
After the meal, Su Li went to a bookstore.
She spent two hours at the bookstore, straightening out her accounts and counting her cash. After depositing the cash at the bank, Su Li finally returned home.
She rested for a bit, then picked up a book Wu Sheng had previously given her.
As she read, she grew drowsy. Just as Su Li was about to drift off, the phone rang.
’Who could be calling at this hour...’
Startled awake, Su Li muttered to herself as she went to answer the phone.
"Hello."
"Su Li, it’s Aunt Chang."
Su Li was a little surprised to hear Aunt Chang’s voice on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Aunt Chang."
"I’m so sorry to be calling you again, Su Li," Aunt Chang said, her voice full of apology.
"It’s no problem. What’s on your mind, Aunt Chang?" Su Li asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she forced a pleasant tone.
"Uh... it’s nothing major. It’s just that Tang Yuanxiao’s promotion will be announced soon."
Aunt Chang hesitated for a moment before saying to Su Li, "I figured you might not know yet, so I just wanted to give you a heads-up."
"Okay, thank you, Aunt Chang," Su Li replied.
"You’re welcome..." Aunt Chang trailed off. After a bit more hesitation, she finally got to the real reason for her call.
"Su Li, there’s actually another reason I’m calling. I wanted to ask you something. I don’t know why, but I just have this feeling that something’s not right..."
"Go on," Su Li said quickly.
"Back in her hometown, did Grandma Xiao Mo have a habit of hitting Tang Mo?"
Aunt Chang finally got the words out. "I should have asked Tang Yuanxiao, but I can’t reach him at the moment. I couldn’t stop myself from calling you..."
Su Li cut her off. "Aunt Chang, what are you trying to say?"
"I’m just asking. So, did she?"
In that day and age, many people still believed that to spare the rod was to spoil the child, so it wasn’t uncommon for adults to hit children, either with their hands or with a thin switch.
With her heart pounding, Su Li answered firmly, "No, she doesn’t have a habit of hitting Little Mo. Little Mo has never been hit."
Anxiety surged through her. "Aunt Chang, what are you asking this for? Did Grandma Xiao Mo hit him?"
Aunt Chang hesitated. "I’m not sure. It’s just... I saw something odd on Little Tang Mo’s neck a couple of days ago. And he wouldn’t talk to me or say hello, which he’s never done before..."
"Then I heard today that Little Tang Mo has been out of school for two days, so I thought I should ask..."
Su Li grew frantic. "Something odd on his neck? What do you mean? She’s never hit him before, and he wouldn’t just miss school for no reason. Have you been to see him?"
"I just went over, but Grandma Xiao Mo said he was sleeping. I couldn’t see him."
In truth, what had made Aunt Chang so uneasy was a rumor she had heard that day.
The rumor was what made her notice all these strange details, what made her recall the odd thing she’d seen two days prior, and what compelled her to call Su Li and ask if Mrs. Tang had a history of hitting Little Tang Mo back in their hometown.
Su Li’s brow tightened. She couldn’t see Aunt Chang’s expression through the phone, but she had a strong feeling that something was wrong, that the woman was holding something back.
"Aunt Chang, you wouldn’t be telling me all this for no reason. There’s something else you’re not saying, isn’t there?"
Su Li asked point-blank.
Aunt Chang hesitated. "It’s just... some ridiculous rumors. I don’t think they could possibly be true, but..."
Only after Su Li pressed her again did Aunt Chang finally speak.
"They’re saying things like... that Tang Mo isn’t Tang Yuanxiao’s biological son... Su Li, it’s definitely not true, so don’t you worry. I’ll go over and check on him again in a little while."
Aunt Chang’s words left Su Li utterly stunned.
’Tang Mo isn’t Tang Yuanxiao’s biological son?’
’How could that be?’
’It’s impossible...’
’But then why would Little Tang Mo miss school for no reason, and what was that mark on his neck?’
After hanging up, the more Su Li thought about it, the more her anxiety grew. Something felt terribly wrong.
A torrent of past memories flashed through her mind.
She remembered when Tang Yuanxiao had come home on leave and thanked her for saving Little Tang Mo. He had said, "He’s special. I can die, but he can’t. He’s more important to me than my own life. Saving him... I’m more grateful for that than if you had saved me."
And Mrs. Tang, who had once said, "Momo was premature. He was so tiny when he was born, I was afraid he wouldn’t make it. Thankfully, he pulled through and grew up strong."
She herself had once seen a photo of Tang Yuanxiao and Cui Yun and remarked that it was a good thing Little Tang Mo didn’t resemble his father, or he wouldn’t be nearly as cute...
’Oh, and there was more.’
The way Yu Le looked at Little Tang Mo—her expression was so complicated and strange.
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but later, when Little Tang Mo had stumbled upon that same photo, Yu Le had seemed panicked...
In the end, two things remained at the forefront of Su Li’s mind: the rumor Aunt Chang mentioned, and that group photo she had glimpsed.
When she first saw the photo, she’d felt something was off, but Yu Le had snatched it away before she could pinpoint what it was.
She hadn’t thought about it much since.
But looking back now, Su Li finally realized what had been so strange.
The photo seemed fine at first glance, but a closer look revealed the problem.
Cui Yun was married to Tang Yuanxiao; they should have been the most intimate pair. In the photo, Cui Yun should have been standing next to Tang Yuanxiao, not off to the side.
’Right... and that unfamiliar man who had looked strangely familiar.’
’Why did he look familiar...? Thinking about it now, it was because she saw Little Tang Mo every single day.’
’You wouldn’t think of it unless it was brought up, but now that it was, she realized—Little Tang Mo looked just like him!’
Su Li shook her head, frightened by her own audacious theory.
"No way... It can’t be..."
’Could Little Tang Mo really not be Tang Yuanxiao’s son? Logically, that should be impossible.’
In her past life, Tang Yuanxiao had spent half his life looking for Little Tang Mo. Back when she hadn’t been in a position to search for him, Tang Yuanxiao had been searching constantly.
And when she finally started searching, Tang Yuanxiao was still looking.
He had searched for Little Tang Mo for over twenty years without ever giving up.
She had seen his devotion to Little Tang Mo with her own eyes. How could he not be his real son? fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Su Li tried to tell herself she was overthinking things, but a voice in her head told her she probably wasn’t.
It was unbelievable, but it might just be the truth.
Most importantly, Aunt Chang said there were rumors. Had Mrs. Tang heard them too?
’Is that why she’s keeping Little Tang Mo from school? Is that why she hit him?’
Su Li shook her head violently, murmuring, "No, that can’t be..."
’Even if Mrs. Tang found out Little Tang Mo wasn’t her son’s biological child, she wouldn’t go so far as to hit him.’
’This was Little Tang Mo, the grandson Mrs. Tang doted on down to her very bones. In her past life, didn’t she cry herself blind because she couldn’t find him? Didn’t she die filled with sorrow, unable to rest in peace?’
’A woman like that... no matter what, she would never hit Little Tang Mo.’
’Even if he wasn’t her biological grandson, all that affection she’d shown him over the years couldn’t have been fake. Those feelings were real. It had to be impossible!’
Su Li kept shaking her head, desperately trying to convince herself, but the fear in her heart didn’t lessen one bit.
The more uneasy she felt, the more she muttered "impossible," but her hands moved swiftly, already dialing Aunt Chang back.
The call connected, but no one picked up.
Su Li tried twice. When no one answered, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She grabbed her bag and bolted out the door.
