Li Si had just finished eating when there was a knock at the door. "Co in!" she cleared her throat and spoke with a gentle tone, though her voice was still sowhat hoarse.
Leng Mochen entered and imdiately noticed the rosy tint on her pale face, causing his heart to soften. "Little girl, are you feeling better now?"
"Much better. Big brother, co here. I want to talk to you about sothing!" Li Si pulled Leng Mochen to sit beside her and carefully explained what had happened yesterday. As she reached the end of the story, sadness overtook her, and tears fell once more. Who could tell her what the real truth was?
"Big brother, do you think what she said could be true? Am I really not my dad’s child? Then where are my real parents? Did they abandon ? Did they not want ?"
Li Si cried loudly, as if the only way to vent her inner grievances, frustration, and fear of the unknown was through her tears!
Leng Mochen gently held her in his arms, softly patting her back and speaking soothingly. "Little girl, don’t be sad. Maybe it’s not true! I’ll send soone to investigate right away. Jiang Feng is currently in Beijing, so I’ll have him go to your father’s school first. We should have results soon. Since you’re about to have sumr vacation, why not stay here for now?"
Li Si silently nodded. At this mont, being in Brother Leng’s embrace, she felt safe and warm. At least there were still people in this world who truly cared for her and treated her well!
Let her indulge in this warmth for a while. No matter what the future holds, what mattered now was that she didn’t feel alone!
Recently, the weather had been unpredictable, but it finally cleared up today. Li Si pushed open the window, closed her eyes, and felt the warmth of the sunlight on her skin. She took a deep breath of the post-rain air; it was so refreshing and pleasant.
"Little girl, don’t stand by the window and catch a chill!" Leng Mochen walked up to her, closing the window as he spoke. Seeing Li Si’s face, which had grown thinner, his heart ached silently.
These past few days, the little girl had been with him. Though she appeared cheerful and chatty, the deep pain in her eyes couldn’t deceive him.
Li Si gave him a bright smile. "Big brother, don’t talk to like Sister Tao does, okay? I’m completely well now. Look how lovely the weather is today! Shall we take a stroll in the garden?"
"Put on another layer. I’ll wait for you here!" Leng Mochen chuckled helplessly. He couldn’t bring himself to reject her suggestion.
"Got it! I’ll be right back!"
Heading upstairs to her room, Li Si entered the walk-in wardrobe. The previously sparsely filled cabinet with just a few clothes had now been replaced with an array of high-end won’s clothing. The shoe cabinet beside it displayed shoes of various styles. Leng Mochen had ordered soone to purchase all these from the mall.
Li Si chose a pink long dress and picked out a pair of white canvas shoes from amongst the high heels. She still preferred flats, it seed. Then, she casually tied up her flowing long hair with a rubber band—a youthful vibe exuded from her appearance.
Leng Mochen was downstairs and, upon seeing Li Si slowly descending the stairs, was montarily dazed before returning to normal. Little girl, you look good in anything.
The two strolled leisurely along the winding path in the villa’s garden, occasionally exchanging words but consciously avoiding the topic of Li Si’s background.
"Little girl, the weather is great today. How about inviting a few of your friends over for a gathering?" Leng Mochen thought of her friend Bai Shasha. Perhaps spending ti with close friends would brighten her mood!
Li Si’s eyes lit up. "Great idea! Big brother, how about we have a barbecue and drink beer in the garden?" The first ti she ca to this villa, that idea had popped into her mind. However, she hadn’t found a chance to bring it to life yet.
"Of course. I’ll have Sister Tao prepare everything. You call up your friends!" Leng Mochen finally saw a genuine smile on Li Si’s face, and his mood lifted as well.
Li Si excitedly took out her phone, dialing Bai Shasha first. The call was answered after a single ring.
"Li Si, you sumr vacation slacker! You’re only now rembering to call ?" Bai Shasha’s resentful voice ca through.
"What? Missing so much you can’t sleep?" Li Si teased her cheerfully.
"Oh, please. I’ve practically forgotten what you look like! Hurry up—I demand answers. Where’ve you been lazing around lately? And why has your phone been off for days?"
"It’s been raining, so where could I go? My phone ran out of battery! How about a barbecue feast today? At my big brother’s villa!"
"Perfect. I’ve been craving barbecue lately! You’re like Song Jiang with a tily rainstorm—so considerate! I’m coming over right away!"
"Alright! I’ll wait for you!"
"Hey, don’t hang up yet, Si! Can I bring friends along?" Bai Shasha asked hesitantly, worried that if there were only three of them, the gathering might feel too quiet. Barbecues were more fun with more people.
"Sure! Bring a few friends. It’d be best if your Cao Yufan ca along too!"
"Get lost!"
Li Si called Jiang Fan next. After exchanging a few words, Jiang Fan efficiently ended the call.
Who should she call next? Li Si scrolled through her contact list. Definitely not Kong Dan; she’d accuse her of flaunting wealth. Yu Lili was too unfamiliar, so she didn’t bother. Zhou Rou wasn’t liked by Brother Leng, and recently, Li Si found herself bothered by her as well.
It seed she didn’t have many friends after all!
Oh well, let’s see how many people Bai Shasha can bring. Li Si headed back into the villa and coincidentally bumped into Sister Tao, who was preparing to head out with the driver to buy supplies.
"Miss Li, is there anything special you’d like to eat?" Sister Tao’s tone was extrely respectful.
"Sister Tao, don’t forget to buy plenty of beer and drinks! By the way, where’s my big brother?" Li Si couldn’t think of anything specific, so she answered casually.
"Sure! Mr. Leng is in the study."
"Alright. You go ahead!"
Li Si went up to the third floor and saw that the study door was open. Leng Mochen was sitting in the executive chair, making a phone call.
He gestured for her to sit down, responding briefly to the call while seemingly listening to soone’s report on the other line.
Soon, Leng Mochen hung up.
"Little girl, we’ve found a bit of information, but I don’t know if it’s useful," Leng Mochen deliberated before speaking.
"What is it? Tell , big brother!" Li Si anxiously stood up and walked to Leng Mochen’s side, pressing him impatiently for answers.
"Jiang Feng interviewed so people from your father’s school. Since your dad went to university in the 1980s, nearly 20 years ago now, he learned that your dad had a girlfriend during his school years, but no one knows what happened to her afterward."
Leng Mochen realized that this search wouldn’t be easy. Back then, there wasn’t the internet or interconnected networks like today or later years. Many records and household registrations were handwritten, leaving room for error.
"So, there’s nothing about at all?" Li Si felt the headache too. Whose child was she really?
"Little girl, don’t worry! Jiang Feng has already found information on a few of your dad’s classmates. He plans to visit each of them. We’ll definitely get so useful news!" Leng Mochen reassured her, though he was unsure himself.
"I guess that’s the only path forward." Li Si sighed helplessly. How co even in her past life, the truth didn’t erge until her final monts? Was Grandma lying? But judging by her reaction that day, it didn’t seem like it. Ugh, what a headache. Better not dwell on it!
"Cheer up, little girl! I’ve got so business at the company that needs attending to. Later, when your friends arrive, be sure to have fun, okay?" Leng Mochen hadn’t been to the company in days, and a lot of tasks had piled up.
"Got it! Don’t worry about , big brother. Go make us lots of money!" Li Si knew Leng Mochen might worry that his presence would make her friends feel constrained during their chat, so he intentionally let her be. Besides, he had definitely spent enough ti with her already.
(To be continued. If you like this story, please visit Qidian (qidian) to cast recomndation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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