Though she still lived with her parents in the Ye Family household and was their precious little girl, the thought of her biological parents' selfishness made Ye Jinmeng feel an overwhelming guilt towards her family and Wan Wan.
She even wondered if she had just been switched at birth? Hence, when Xiao Yongze mentioned the matter of inspecting the keepsake, apart from the fear of facing reality, Ye Jinmeng also held a certain expectation to break the speculation.
Shu Fen, curled up on Ye Jinmeng's lap, seemed to sense her gloomy mood, turned its head to lick Ye Jinmeng's hand, as if to offer comfort.
Feeling the ticklish sensation on her hand, Ye Jinmeng snapped back to her senses and saw Shu Fen's round eyes staring at her. Instantly, she felt healed and continued to pet the cat.
Xu Wanwan nodded, "Alright, when we return to school tomorrow, I'll find someone to open the box and see what's inside."
Xiao Yongze sighed in relief, "Good, if you find any clues about that year, please let me know."
"Sure, Uncle Xiao!"
Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan stayed at the Xiao Family home until around 2 o'clock, then decided to leave.
"We won't disturb you any longer, Uncle, Auntie, we're leaving now." Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan waved goodbye to the Xiao family.
"Come visit whenever you have time, Auntie will cook delicious food for you!"
"Sure, Auntie, I will surely come for meals!" Ye Jinmeng's playful behavior made everyone burst into laughter.
Xiao Yuanning, holding Shu Fen, ran up to Ye Jinmeng, "Sister, you must come to see me often. If not me, at least come for Shu Fen!"
Ye Jinmeng ruffled the hair of the tall boy in front of her, then stroked Shu Fen's little head, "There's no great distance between us, we can meet anytime whenever we're free. Be a good boy~"
As they watched the car drive away, the Xiao family finally returned to their house.
"Honey, why did you come back so soon? What did that person say? And what about the doubts you mentioned? What did you find?"
Song Jiaxi, who had been holding back her questions, finally let them all out.
Xiao Yongze looked up at Xiao Yuanning who had just entered, shook his head and said, "Let's talk in the study."
Just as they were about to go upstairs, Xiao Yuanning suddenly spoke up.
"Mom, Dad, don't hide it from me anymore. I know everything."
The couple stopped in their tracks, turning around to look at their son.
Xiao Yuanning let Shu Fen down to let it run away, then looked into his parents' eyes and continued, "I overheard you celebrating sister's birthday outside the study door when I was about to turn seven. Although I don't know why sister left, I know you must love her very much.
You've always hidden it from me, and I didn't want to tear open your wounds, so I pretended not to know. But every year on February 28th, I would hide at the study door, accompanying you to celebrate sister's birthday."
The couple was stunned, they had no idea their son had kept this secret so well that they hadn't noticed at all.
Xiao Yuanning looked at the dark circles under his father's eyes and spoke with a touch of heartache, "Mom, Dad, I'm grown up now and understand things. Although I can't be of much help at the moment, I still want to do my best to share some of your burdens, even if it's just offering some moral support."
At his words, Song Jiaxi's eyes immediately reddened. Her son Yuanning had always been understanding, never causing them any worry. Now, hearing these words from him, Song Jiaxi felt that she was failing as a mother.
She glanced at Xiao Yongze, their eyes meeting, seemingly understanding each other's thoughts.
Song Jiaxi walked over to her son, gently touching Xiao Yuanning's face, her voice choked with emotion, "My good boy, your words are worth a lifetime for me."
"Mom, please don't cry..." Xiao Yuanning tenderly wiped away Song Jiaxi's tears.
Song Jiaxi managed to pull a smile, "Alright, I won't cry."
She took a deep breath and sat on the couch, holding her son's hand. "Since you want to know, we won't keep it from you any longer. You do have an older sister..."
Song Jiaxi explained everything that had happened in the past to Xiao Yuanning, casting a heavy atmosphere over the living room.
"So, was my dad rushing out last night to meet that despicable nanny?" Xiao Yuanning clenched his fists, as if ready to beat up the nanny if she appeared before him.
Song Jiaxi nodded.
"Then Dad, did you come back so soon because the nanny told you where my sister is?" Xiao Yuanning asked anxiously.
Xiao Yongze sighed, "Yes, she has hidden in the deep mountains for so many years, but she revealed the truth after a little persuasion.
The child was buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of the West Outer Ring, but we can't dig there without permission, so we have to wait for the police to set up a case."
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yongze's eyes, "Tomorrow, I'll talk to the shareholders of Xiao's Company, buy their shares, uncover more of Xiao Wenyao's crimes, and send him straight to jail."
Song Jiaxi couldn't wait any longer, "Husband, I'm giving you one week at most. You must get him in jail within a week, or don't bother coming home!"
Xiao Wenyao touched his nose, "Alright, don't worry, my dear wife."
Xiao Yuanning: What kind of timing is this to be sweet-talking?
Suddenly, Song Jiaxi remembered something else, "Husband, you haven't explained what you meant about the doubts of the child-swapping incident back then. Speak up!"
Xiao Yongze explained what he had thought on the plane, things he still wasn't able to confirm yet. Listening to him, both Song Jiaxi and Xiao Yuanning felt a chill run down their spines.
Xiao Yuanning had a bold thought, "Dad, if Yu Huiying's target has always been our Xiao Family, and she successfully switched the two children, doesn't that mean the child who was killed might not be my sister?"
Even though Song Jiaxi wished it could be so, she said, "Son, I understand what you mean, but the fact is that the child Yu Huiying took was from the Ye Family."
"Mom, but there is no paternity test result right now to confirm that Mengmeng is Yu Huiying's child! What if our child and the Ye Family's child were mistakenly swapped before Yu Huiying made the switch?"
This statement from Xiao Yuanning stunned both parents for a moment, and their hearts began to pound. If that's the case, then Mengmeng...
But could there be such a possibility?
"Dad, Mom, although this probability is extremely low, it's not impossible. After all, you've mentioned before, at that time in the hospital, all the newborns were placed in a nursery. If a nurse carelessly mislabelled the identity tags, wouldn't that be the equivalent of swapping babies?"
Xiao Yuanning really hoped his speculation was correct, but he still sighed, "However, what I'm saying is just hypothetical. We still need to see if there's any direct proof from Wan Wan.
If it's proven that she did decide to switch with the Ye Family, then consider what I've said to be nonsense. Otherwise, it would be best to conduct a paternity test with Mengmeng."
