This is a photograph cut from a newspaper, slightly yellowed, but the people in the photo are still clearly visible. In the center stands a young Mr. Nangong, smoking a pipe, his expression rather serious. To his left is Nangong Jue, and to his right is a young woman in a cheongsam, smiling, radiating happiness. On the far left stands a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy with a buzz cut, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The photo was neatly cut out, with very clean edges. The middle part seems to have been frequently rubbed, and the color has faded a bit, making the clothing details somewhat blurry.
Xiang Wan guessed that this might be a photo taken at Nangong Jue's wedding, which was published in the newspaper and then cut out.
The young woman's eyes and eyebrows looked familiar. Xiang Wan thought about it carefully and realized that they resembled Nangong Chen's. She was probably Nangong Chen's biological mother, and the boy next to her should be Nangong Yu.
A photograph doesn't reveal much; at most, you can recognize a person. But what Xiang Wan was curious about was who would cut out and keep a photograph from a newspaper.
Unable to figure it out, Xiang Wan put the photos aside and began to look through the other contents of the paper bag.
Because she had requested an investigation into Nangong Yu, the information about him was the most extensive. From the hospital where he was born to the school he attended abroad, every detail was listed. At first glance, it seemed perfectly normal. Xiang Wan read it over several times, gaining a general understanding. It also detailed how many girlfriends Nangong Yu had and the places he had visited.
No wonder he's Nangong Yu; he's had so many girlfriends you couldn't count them on your fingers. No wonder the person who gave her the information looked at her hesitantly, thinking she'd run into a womanizer.
Xiang Wan scoffed, put his documents aside, and picked up another document.
The document consisted of only one sheet of paper, on which was written a woman's name—Milan. Born into a scholarly family, she lost her parents at a young age and was nearly abducted by human traffickers before being rescued. She married Nangong Jue and had a son. Later, she suffered from depression and committed suicide by jumping off a building.
It turns out that Nangong Chen's biological mother was Milan, the woman smiling happily in the photo. Who saved her, and why she married Nangong Jue, were not detailed.
Next is information about Nangong Jue. In his youth, Nangong Jue was a handsome and talented man, and he was known for his chastity and integrity. However, after getting married, he began spending his nights among women, seemingly becoming a completely different person. This list details a series of Nangong Jue's girlfriends and mistresses, with Xia Zhi listed first.
The Nangong family has become famous because of the Nangong Group, so it's not surprising that they have some scandals. The fact that the detective agency was able to investigate these matters, and even added that they have no offspring, shows that they are quite efficient; they were able to uncover such private matters.
When Xiang Wan flipped through the last document, she was a little stunned. The entire page contained only one name—Nangong Xiong, along with his birth date and the title of head of the Nangong family; nothing else was known.
Yes, Nangong Xiong must be Old Master Nangong. Since she entered the Nangong family, no one has mentioned the name of this person in charge to her. She doesn't know if Nangong Xiong deliberately doesn't want people to say it, or if he just doesn't want her to know it alone.
Having learned all this, Xiang Wan looked at the yellowed photo again and felt that something was amiss.
Nangong Jue, as the groom, doesn't smile in the photos, while Nangong Xiong looks serious. Only Milan and Nangong Yu appear happy. Nangong Jue has his hands at his sides, while Milan leans slightly towards Nangong Xiong, her right hand lightly resting on his arm, her left hand loosely supporting his elbow. If the two brothers, Nangong Jue and Nangong Xiong, were covered up, Milan would look more like Nangong Xiong's wife.
Xiang Wan was startled, stunned by her own thoughts. She stood up nervously, took a sip of water, and quietly pondered the issue.
Milan is the wife Nangong Jue has chosen. He shouldn't find someone else after marriage, unless—the person he loves doesn't have him in her heart! Or perhaps, the person his wife loves is someone he dares not even imagine!
With a "thud," the water bottle in Xiang Wan's hand fell to the ground. She seemed to have guessed the truth, yet she couldn't believe it.
Milan's rescue, her marriage to Nangong Jue, Nangong Jue's infidelity after marriage, the pipe Milan caresses, Nangong Jue's indifference towards Nangong Chen—all of this seems to have an answer…
Xiang Wan couldn't believe that these things were just coincidences. If she guessed correctly, Nangong Chen's background didn't seem to be so simple!
To verify this hypothesis, all that's needed is to perform a DNA comparison between Nangong Jue and Nangong Chen. Xiang Wan was getting restless and wanted to do it immediately, but when she glanced at her watch, it was almost dinnertime. She couldn't stay here any longer; she had to return to the Nangong family mansion.
Xiang Wan hurriedly put all the documents back into the paper bag, thinking that these things must not be discovered by anyone, especially the Nangong family. She looked around the room but couldn't find a good place to hide them, so she put them in a plastic bag and placed it under the air conditioner unit that extended outside the building.
When they returned to the old house, it was already dinnertime. Xiang Wan went back to her room to change her clothes, then came down, greeted Nangong Xiong, and sat down.
Nangong Yu also sat down at the dining table, occasionally glancing at Xiang Wan with a meaningful look. Nangong Chen looked unwell and sat one seat away from Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan ignored the two people and continued eating her meal.
"How are company affairs being managed?"
Halfway through his meal, Nangong Xiong put down his chopsticks and asked about Nangong Yu.
"Don't worry, I won't do any worse than you."
"That's good. Xiang Wan, you and Xiao Chen have had enough of this. Every man makes mistakes. Life goes on, and you two should make up."
Nangong Xiong steered the conversation towards Xiang Wan, who remained silent for a while, unsure of what to say.
"Old man, let the young people handle their own affairs. They know what they're doing."
Nangong Yu interjected at the right moment, which relieved Xiang Wan. When she looked up and saw Nangong Yu's malicious smile, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.
Nangong Chen seemed not to hear, silently shoveling rice into his mouth.
The restaurant was huge and luxurious, but Xiang Wan always felt there was something between them, and even the exquisite food didn't quite suit her taste.
At this moment, Liu Zixi, who lives in a luxury apartment, is torn about whether or not she should kick the man who entered her room out.
From the moment Liu Zixi moved into that apartment, she caught the eye of the man living next door. That's right, this apartment was notorious in the city for mistresses and lovers; the people living there were either kept women or engaged in prostitution, both men and women, and there were even people who specialized in matchmaking for wealthy men.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
