Free Web NovelChapter 285: Chapter 285: I Guessed It
Watching Li Wan eat while looking back at them, seemingly without the skittishness and fear from the past few days, Mrs. Li’s eyes welled up with tears again. She wanted to step forward and hug Li Wan, but she was afraid of startling her, leaving her at a loss for a moment.
Mr. Li also had tears in his eyes. He glanced cautiously at Su Qing and said, "Shall we have a talk?"
"Okay." Su Qing nodded lightly. At her side, Gu Xinsheng said to her, "You go talk with them. I’ll be here with your mother. Don’t worry."
Su Qing nodded, gave Li Wan a gentle smile, and quietly told her to eat well. Li Wan obediently nodded back at Su Qing and gave her a big, bright smile.
Su Qing and the Li family went to the garden next to the hospital building. There was a small pavilion there, a perfect spot to sit and talk.
The people who had come today, besides Mr. Li and Mrs. Li, were Shang Yuqi, Song Qingwen, and Li Huan. Once they reached the pavilion, Li Huan sat down next to Su Qing, pursed her lips, and said, "Su Qing, no matter what, our friendship can’t change, okay?"
After learning last night what the Jiacheng Li Family had done to Li Wan and Su Qing, Li Huan had been feeling uneasy. She was afraid that Su Qing would resent her family and that a rift would form between them. No matter what, Li Huan didn’t want to lose this good friend.
Su Qing smiled at Li Huan and gently patted the back of her hand, then turned her gaze to Mr. and Mrs. Li. She remained silent. She knew they primarily wanted to discuss matters concerning the Li family, so she waited for them to speak first. When she saw Song Qingwen staring intently at her with unconcealed astonishment, she gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Song Qingwen had been truly stunned the moment she arrived today. She never imagined that Su Qing would look so much like a young Mrs. Li. The resemblance was especially striking in her eyes, which were practically identical to Mrs. Li’s in her youth. When she first heard about it last night, she found it incredible, but now, she had to admit that heredity was truly a miraculous thing.
"Xiao Qing, may I call you that?" Mr. Li began, looking at Su Qing with a kind expression.
In his youth, Mr. Li had stared death in the face on the battlefield. He had lived his life with integrity and possessed a natural, imposing aura. Yet now, facing Su Qing, he felt a strange lack of confidence and found himself being involuntarily cautious.
"You can." Su Qing nodded.
Seeing that Su Qing had agreed, Mr. Li felt a surge of excitement. He quickly composed himself and said, "We’ve finished investigating what happened to your mother."
Mr. Li then recounted everything the Jiacheng Li Family had done over the years. He explained how they had orchestrated a "prince and the pauper" switch, forced Li Wan to the countryside, and deceived the Beijing Li family into believing Li Yuan was their daughter. He continued, detailing how they later lured Li Wan back, driving her to a mental breakdown and disfiguring her, and how they had recently planned to do the same thing to Su Qing.
Su Qing listened quietly. These events were more or less what she had already suspected, so she wasn’t surprised by Mr. Li’s words.
The Li family members were all secretly amazed by Su Qing’s reaction. They couldn’t believe that a girl not yet twenty could remain so composed when faced with such a monumental revelation.
Seeing Su Qing’s composure, Li Huan couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Su Qing, aren’t you surprised at all? When I found out, I could barely believe it. I can’t believe that branch of the Li family did so many terrible things."
Su Qing gave a faint smile. "I’d already figured it out."
"Huh?" Li Huan’s eyes widened in astonishment. Su Qing had actually figured out something she found utterly incredible. ’I feel like my intelligence just got completely steamrolled...’
Mrs. Li looked at Su Qing with great emotion. ’Actually, I suspected she already knew,’ she thought. ’This child has been far too composed from the very beginning.’ Smiling at Su Qing, she said, "Xiao Qing, now that everything is out in the open, both the Jiacheng Li Family and Li Yuan have been arrested. They will pay the price for their actions. We came today because we want to officially welcome you and your mother into the family. I know your mother hasn’t fully recovered, so we were wondering if we could acknowledge you first. Then, we can help your mother get reacquainted with us slowly. We all hope you and your mother will come back."
Su Qing simply shook her head.
Seeing Su Qing shake her head, the hearts of the Li family members sank. ’Could it be that she won’t forgive our mistake of identifying the wrong person?’
Li Huan was even more anxious. "Su Qing, you don’t want to? You don’t want to be sisters with me?"
