An Qingyan secretly met with Zhou Yuelan, who had been sentenced to five years in prison for child trafficking.
Two months had passed since they last met, and Zhou Yuelan looked even more haggard. She was very excited when she saw An Qingyan, and she held the microphone as if she wanted to say something, but then she lowered her eyes with guilt.
On the contrary, An Qingyan was much calmer. His gaze towards Zhou Yuelan was neither resentful nor pitying, but peaceful, as if he were looking at a stranger.
It's all in the past; he doesn't need to live in the shadow of the past forever.
He spoke first, asking, "Are you doing well inside?"
“It’s all the same no matter where you are…” Zhou Yuelan looked up at the handsome young man opposite her, who exuded nobility. She curled her lips into a bitter smile. “It seems you’ve been doing very well since you returned to the An family.”
An Qingyan: "Indeed."
“Nan Nan, he…” Zhou Yuelan hesitated, opened her mouth but no sound came out, then lowered her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know how he is now?”
"I don't know. I haven't heard from him since he left the An family." An Qingyan smiled gently, her tone devoid of any other meaning, simply asking, "Has he never come to see you?"
Zhou Yuelan silently shook her head.
There's always a reason why someone is pitiful, and Zhou Yuelan is a typical example. She's a woman with a tragic fate; since marrying Lin Jianxiang, she's never had a good life. As she just said, it's the same everywhere—life is always difficult. Remember the website m.xswang.com
She went to great lengths to switch her biological son with a wealthy family, but in the end, even her son despised her, disowned her, and never visited her once.
Zhou Yuelan was indeed pitiful, but that was no excuse for her crimes. Her husband did not treat her well, but she did not treat the child whose identity she had switched with hers well either.
"I came here today to ask you something."
An Qingyan didn't mention An Nanyi again and started to get down to business, "Eleven years ago, in the summer, didn't you work as a maid for a wealthy family? I went with you when I was eight years old."
Zhou Yuelan was momentarily bewildered, but after she came to her senses, her expression stiffened. "Yes, there is such a thing... Why are you asking about this?"
Her reaction was observed by the boy opposite her. An Qingyan looked her over with a probing gaze. "You worked there for almost two months. Then your friend came back from her hometown after giving birth, and you left with me?"
Zhou Yuelan nodded.
An Qingyan: "What happened during that time? Why do I have no memory of that period?"
“After you got home, you suddenly fell ill with a high fever that lasted for several days, and then you forgot all about those things.”
Zhou Yuelan tightened her grip on the microphone. "It's not an important matter. Why are you asking this?"
"Fever?" The boy frowned. That explanation made sense, but why did he forget that period of time? Was it because he subconsciously didn't want to recall it?
Only unpleasant memories are something we don't want to recall.
But the diaries he saw clearly showed that he had been very happy in the Gu family. That was probably the happiest memory of his childhood, a bright splash of color in a gray canvas.
He then asked, "Why do I have a fever?"
Zhou Yuelan: "Isn't it normal for children to have headaches and fevers?"
An Qingyan: "Did something happen to me at that rich family's house?"
Zhou Yuelan immediately shook her head and denied it: "No, nothing happened."
"Really?" The boy looked at the woman opposite him with suspicion, who was trying to appear calm and composed. He was sure she was hiding something from him and didn't want to tell him.
Why are you unwilling to talk about it?
Did it infringe upon her interests?
Zhou Yuelan refused to speak, and An Qingyan couldn't force her to open her mouth. However, he had at least gained some information. He didn't ask any more questions or have any interest in talking to her anymore, and soon left.
After returning home, he made a phone call to Butler Shen.
Butler Shen has always worked for the Gu family, including eleven years ago; perhaps he knows something.
Regarding An Qingyan's inexplicable question, Butler Shen tried hard to recall. Many years ago, there was indeed a woman who came to work for the Gu family through a friend's introduction, and she brought her son with her.
Because the little boy was exceptionally handsome and cute, and often spent time with his young master, he had a vague impression of him.
He never imagined that the little boy was actually An Qingyan.
"This... how could it be such a coincidence?" Butler Shen's usually calm face was now filled with surprise.
"Indeed, I was also very surprised when I first found out. Butler Shen, I know that was a long time ago. Could you try to recall if anything happened to me?"
Butler Shen thought for a while before finally remembering something very small. His expression instantly turned a little strange. It might be a small matter to him, but it might not be so to the person involved.
That happened after Gu Fei went abroad to study.
Song Shuman and Gu Fei's mother, Yu Qingtong, had always been good friends. That day, she brought An Nanyi, who was also eight years old, to visit the Gu family.
Later, for reasons unknown, An Nanyi accused Lin Qingyan, the son of the Gu family's maid, of stealing her belongings, specifically an expensive peace lock necklace.
An Nanyi cried and made a fuss, attracting everyone's attention, including Zhou Yuelan. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhou Yuelan actually found the necklace in Lin Qingyan's schoolbag.
Butler Shen couldn't recall the more specific details.
"The day after this happened, your adoptive mother took you and left the Gu family." Butler Shen sighed with some complicated emotions. "I really didn't expect this..."
It turns out that An Qingyan had met his biological mother eleven years ago. At that time, he was just an insignificant servant's son. Who would have thought that he was actually the youngest son of the An family who had been switched at birth?
The boy's hand holding the phone trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and tried to maintain his composure: "I understand. Thank you for telling me this, Butler Shen."
No wonder Zhou Yuelan wouldn't tell him the truth. So that's why she hurriedly took him away from the Gu family the next day. She was probably afraid he would be recognized.
How could he possibly steal Annan's things?
However, An Qingyan is now unsure whether he stole anything, because he no longer has that memory. He believes he wouldn't do such a thing, but he can't be sure.
If he didn't steal it, why would An Nanyi frame him? They were only eight years old at the time, and An Nanyi learned about her background when she was in high school.
An Qingyan sat on the sofa in the room, feeling uneasy. Her mind was in turmoil, and a picture suddenly flashed through her mind and disappeared in an instant.
He was crying, he was crying as a child, and there were several people standing around him. Zhou Yuelan stood next to him and raised her hand to slap him hard across the cheek.
What happened...?
An Qingyan was stunned for a moment, his eyes gradually reddening, but he could only think of this image and couldn't recall anything else. He raised his hand and patted his head, trying to remember something.
But it was all in vain.
An Qingyan had been thinking about this matter for a long time, but she didn't know how to tell her family and Gu Fei. She kept it to herself for two whole days.
He developed all the photos of himself and Gu Fei from when they were little, and stayed up late last night, looking at the photos on the balcony while feeling the cold wind.
I blew myself cold air all night and finally made myself sick.
His physical condition was actually quite good; he rarely caught a cold or fever. But this time, he had a high fever that almost reached 40 degrees Celsius. The next day, he was curled up in bed, burning hot, and had already begun to lose consciousness.
Seeing that her youngest son hadn't gotten up yet and there was no response to knocking, Song Shuman was worried and pushed the door open into the room. Then the family hurriedly took him to the hospital.
Song Shuman paced back and forth anxiously, "How could the fever suddenly get so high? He was perfectly fine last night!"
“Yan Yan can’t feel pain, what if something happens to her…”
“No, it’s nothing,” An Lingkang comforted his wife. “Don’t worry, the doctor said it’s just a common cold and fever. She probably caught a chill last night. Don’t think of it as something serious.”
Ordinary illnesses are certainly not enough to cause such concern, but An Qingyan's situation is special. Even the slightest ailment or pain can cause his family to panic and feel worried and scared.
But this time it was just a normal fever.
The private hospital room was quiet. An Qingyan lay quietly on the bed, an IV drip inserted into the back of her fair hand.
The boy's delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness, his lips were pale, and his forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat.
An Jing gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue, then checked his temperature with the back of her hand; thankfully, it wasn't as hot as before.
“I think Yan Yan has been acting a bit strange these past few days.” The VIP ward was quite spacious. An Yu sat on the sofa next to him and said with a frown, “I’ve seen him spacing out for several days now. When I ask him what he’s thinking about, he just says nothing.”
An Jing also sat down on the sofa. Afraid of waking An Qingyan, he lowered his voice and said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
An Yu shrugged. "I forgot."
An Jing raised his hand and patted his second brother's head, "I see all you're thinking about is eating, drinking, and having fun. Have you been going to work properly lately?"
"What? I go to the company every day, okay? My dad can vouch for me. I work so hard, and I've even lost two pounds!"
"Alright, alright, you've worked the hardest." An Jing had no time to argue with An Yu about this. He looked at the boy on the hospital bed with concern. "Tell me, what's Yan Yan thinking about?"
"It's nothing more than career, family, friendship, and love." An Yu thought seriously for a moment, "Did Yan Yan and Fei Fei have some kind of conflict?"
An Jing: "Feifei? Aren't you disgusting?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
