Lingnan
In the antique-style room, an elderly man with a full head of silver hair, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, sat silently at his desk working.
The room door was carefully opened, and the butler, Old He, tiptoed in.
Upon seeing the approaching figure, Qian Shan removed his gold-rimmed glasses and spoke in a low, slow voice:
"Any news yet?"
Old He's expression darkened slightly, and he shook his head: "No, the Chu family has kept the news completely under wraps."
"In the past two years, Miss Chu has rarely appeared in public, and the young master has never appeared in public at all."
"No one knows what exactly happened in Haijing Bay two years ago. Since then, the young master and Chairman Aissi Hall have vanished into thin air, and no information about them can be found."
Upon hearing this, Qian Shan's gaze turned deep, but his expression remained unchanged.
After a moment of silence, he opened a drawer, took out a report, and looked at the report spread out on the table, his expression becoming complicated.
It was a paternity test report, and the subjects of the test were him and Xiao Wujie.
The test results showed that... they were immediate family members.
Old He looked at the paternity test report, his expression slightly moved.
This report was made at his suggestion.
Two years ago, after finishing his work and returning to Lingnan, Qian Shan remembered that there was still a blood test experiment about Xiao Wujie that hadn't been done, so he instructed the research team below to conduct the test and analysis.
Looking at the blood sample in his hand, and considering Qianshan's unusual behavior towards the child, Lao He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking his mind.
"Master, don't you feel that this child looks somewhat similar to you when you were young, especially to Shui Han?"
“Especially this child…who also has the surname Xiao.”
Yes, Qianshan's surname is Xiao, not Qian. His name is Xiao Qianshan.
The Shui Han he mentioned was Xiao Qianshan's youngest son, Xiao Shui Han.
Seeing Xiao Qianshan's emotion, he gritted his teeth and suggested:
"Master, would you like to have a blood test done on this child?"
The Xiao family lost a child many years ago and has never given up searching for him, but they have never found him or received any news.
What if... this child... is it?
Xiao Qianshan is cold and serious. Over the years, he has never been moved by the many cute little children in his family, but he has developed an inexplicable sense of closeness to a child he has never met.
At least, he didn't think it was a coincidence.
After a long silence, Xiao Qianshan listened to his suggestion.
And the result was exactly as he had guessed.
"Master, why haven't you told Shui Han after all this time?"
"This is the only child we've lost in all these years. The appearance, gender, and age all match up."
“This child is your own grandson, the child Shui Han lost twenty years ago.”
Seeing Xiao Qianshan staring at the paternity test report with a complicated expression, Lao He couldn't help but ask a question.
"There's no news about this child at all, and his fate is unknown. What's the point of telling him?"
Xiao Qianshan replied in a deep voice upon hearing this.
He frowned slightly, closed his eyes briefly, and said in a dry voice, "What if something happens to this child... do you think he and Xiao Lan can handle it?"
Upon hearing this, Lao He fell silent.
The Xiao Shuihan couple have not had any more children over the years, but they have never given up searching for this child.
Even though I haven't been able to find it, I still hold onto a sliver of hope.
But if something really happens to this child, then there will be no hope left.
"It's truly a cruel twist of fate. If this child had ended up somewhere else, we probably would have found him long ago."
"But no one expected that he would be picked up by the eldest daughter of the Chu family. With the Chu family's ability to keep it a secret, it was naturally difficult for us to find out."
After speaking, Xiao Qianshan placed his aged hands, clasped together, on the solid wood table and spoke in a deep voice:
"That's good. At least he was raised with love and care by the little girl, and he was spared the suffering of being tossed about and displaced."
Old He looked at him, his mouth involuntarily opening and closing.
It is truly rare to hear such tender words from one's own cold and austere master.
It's easy to see that he feels guilty and heartbroken for his grandson, who has been missing for many years and whose fate is now uncertain.
Just as Lao He sighed with mixed feelings, Xiao Qianshan spoke again:
"But have you ever thought about how he ended up in the Chu family?"
"It was fate that he was found by the Chu family's little girl, and it was also his good fortune. However, he was abandoned in Lingnan, and the Chu family's little girl found him in Bingcheng."
"This spans almost half of China's territory. How did he end up there?"
Old He's eyes widened: "You mean there's something fishy going on behind this..."
Xiao Qianshan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he said in a deep voice, "It's hard to say."
"But at least until all of this is clear, this child must not be exposed to the outside world."
Old He nodded repeatedly, then continued:
"Master, as you yourself said, it's for external audiences."
"Shui Han can't be considered an outsider, can he?"
“I know you’re worried that if something happens to the child, the couple will feel guilty and unable to bear it.”
“But keeping it a secret like this isn’t a long-term solution. Besides, just because we haven’t been able to find any information about the child doesn’t mean something has happened to him.”
"Judging from the intelligence, this kid is probably quite capable. Even Chairman Aisie Hall must have suffered a loss at his hands."
Xiao Qianshan's gaze deepened and became more complex.
He didn't know how capable the boy was, but he knew all too well how terrifying Aisie Hall was.
He'll likely have to pay a heavy price to get the better of that old hag.
Old He continued to persuade, "Master, it's been two years. You should still consider telling Shui Han."
“He is the one who suffers the most from losing his child. Every time we have a family gathering, the way Shuihan looks at those little ones makes my heart ache.”
"The child doesn't seem to be in good health..."
Xiao Qianshan glanced at him, who seemed hesitant to continue, and lowered his eyes, speaking softly:
"Go ahead and say it, there's no need to hold back."
Old He gritted his teeth and said, "If things get out of hand, that would be... truly heartbreaking."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qianshan fell into a long silence, his head slightly lowered, his gaze deep, like an old and silent sculpture.
After a long silence, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said in a low voice:
"Make arrangements in the next few days, and I'll fly to the capital."
Old He was taken aback for a moment: "You're going yourself..."
"Winter has just passed in the capital, and the spring chill is still in full swing. Why don't we wait a bit?"
"Besides, your 90th birthday is coming up soon..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Qianshan raised his hand to interrupt him: "It's alright, I'm just a bit older, I'm not at the point where I can't even leave the house."
"If they ask, just say you have an appointment with an old friend in the capital, and you're going to keep the appointment to relax. You'll be back in a few days."
Old He was still somewhat hesitant. Xiao Qianshan looked out the window and slowly said:
"Given the Chu family's influence in the capital, their subordinates won't be able to find out."
"I am, after all, the head of the Xiao family. Even if we have no personal relationship, they still have to give me some face."
"If I can find that child, I can die in peace."
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