Ning Yuan was in so much pain that she could barely lie on her side and coughed for a while before she felt better.
Xiang Ziye sat down beside her, patted her back, and wiped her lips with a handkerchief: "Is there anything else you want to ask? Considering how well Consultant Xiao Ning has taken care of Foreman Li, I will answer everything I know."
Ning Yuan suppressed the urge to avoid his hand patting her back and asked the question that puzzled her most, without any expression on her face—
"I'm curious, you grew up in the compound with them, why didn't any of them recognize you, even though you have a beard?"
As she spoke, she secretly glanced around, looking for a possible opportunity to escape.
You can hear the sound of water here. Looking out the window, there's a courtyard. The room is simply and cleanly furnished, and it even has a leather sofa, a rarity these days. The floral curtains look very cozy.
There were many photo frames on the table, mostly black and white photos, with the occasional single color photo, all clearly dyed using old-fashioned dyeing methods.
There were also photos of children, photos of teenagers... She thought she saw Xiang San?
Xiang Ziye suddenly took a photo frame from the table, held it in his hand, and smirked: "Advisor Xiao Ning, would you like to see what I used to look like?"
Ning Yuan calmly replied, "Is that alright?"
Xiang Ziye placed the photo frame in front of her, his attitude very friendly: "Of course."
Ning Yuan was stunned when she saw the person in the photo—
It was a group photo. The young man in the very center had a pair of clear, phoenix-shaped eyes under his sword-like eyebrows. The corners of his eyes were smooth and slightly upturned. He had a straight nose, well-defined lips, and a slightly upturned upper lip, giving him a gentle and composed feeling.
He has a scholarly air about him, calm and refined yet full of youthful energy; at first glance, he looks like Lee Joon-gi, a star from the neighboring South Korean country.
But he is completely different from the man in front of me now!
Xiang Ziye can be considered "handsome" now, but his face looks somewhat unnatural when he makes a move, and his eyes twitch involuntarily.
Moreover, he looked slender and tall in the photos, a typical scholar, but now Xiang Ziye is much stronger, with broader shoulders.
"You... had plastic surgery? There are actually plastic surgery procedures in mainland China these days?" Ning Yuan exclaimed in shock, blurting out her thoughts.
Xiang Ziye touched his face and scoffed, "It existed as early as the Republic of China era. The famous actress Zhou Xuan had double eyelids done. As for now in China, most of it is used to repair the faces of wounded soldiers and disfigured patients."
Ning Yuan was somewhat taken aback, then suddenly frowned: "You didn't get plastic surgery just to get revenge on Rong Zhaonan and infiltrate my inner circle, did you...?"
Currently, plastic surgery techniques in China are mainly for medical use, and the technology is quite immature, with a very long recovery period.
Xiang Ziye's face looks fine when it's expressionless, but if his expression is even slightly exaggerated, it looks very strange...
If he underwent plastic surgery to get revenge on the Rong family, the price seems too high, and it's clearly impossible.
Xiang Ziye suddenly tapped the boy on the left side of his photo with his finger, his smile both strange and chilling—
"Well, that's another story—this is my younger brother, Xiang Zijiang. He was the most outstanding of the three of us brothers. He was very talented from a very young age, and he has always been a very sensible child..."
Ning Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes, this is the "story" from the perspective of the Xiang brothers.
She looked at the young boy in the photo, who was also handsome and gentle, with a pair of eyes exactly like Xiang Ziye's, full of lively and bright light.
"Has Rong Zhaonan ever mentioned my fourth son to you?" Xiang Ziye suddenly asked.
Ning Yuan nodded slightly: "Mm."
Xiang Ziye turned his head and looked back at the young boy in the photo, his eyes filled with pride and nostalgia.
“My fourth son has always been excellent, with great grades and a talent for martial arts. The elders in the family have high hopes for him, and he is no less capable than Rong Zhaonan.”
Ning Yuan recalled what Rong Zhaonan had said: back in the old days in the compound, the adults were all busy, and in families with several children, the eldest child would take care of the youngest.
Xiang Ziye practically raised Xiang Zijiang single-handedly and has a deep affection for this younger brother.
"...Zijiang was very sensible from a young age. When I was busy, he would bring me tea and water, and even bring me water to wash my feet. When my marriage fell through and I left for another place in pain, he was the one who was most indignant."
Xiang Ziye stroked the photo, his eyes softening.
Ning Yuan certainly remembered the detail Rong Zhaonan had mentioned: Xiang Xiaosi had always stood up for Xiang Ziye and targeted Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu went to support medical care in remote areas and sacrificed his life at the earthquake site, which also led to Rong Zhaonan's anger and revenge against Xiang Xiaosi - he would beat Xiang Xiaosi every time he saw him.
Xiang Ziye closed his eyes, his eyelids twitching: "If my fourth son were still alive, his achievements in the army wouldn't be any less than Rong Zhaonan's back then, but he's dead..."
Xiang Ziye's expression was strange, his knuckles were white as he gripped the photo, and he trembled slightly, his whole aura seemed to be distorted.
It was as if he would do something terrifying at any moment.
Ning Yuan felt a chill run down her spine and immediately said, "Weren't you going to talk about why you got plastic surgery? You've gone off-topic!"
Xiang Ziye paused, and the twisted feeling on his body dissipated a little.
He looked at Ning Yuan and suddenly said apologetically, "Ah, I'm sorry, I just haven't told a story to anyone in a long time, so the prelude was a bit long."
He touched his face and said slowly, "That day, I personally drove Xiao Si to Rong Zhaonan's hands. After hearing that Rong Zhaonan had pushed him off the bridge, I drove back as fast as I could."
"But I was too late. By the time I arrived, the doctor had already pronounced Xiao Si dead and covered him with a white sheet..."
Xiang Ziye paused, then suddenly curled his lips and said in a low voice, "...That's my brother, the brother who always believed in me, respected me, and protected me...I didn't believe Xiao Si was dead, so I grabbed Xiao Si's body and rushed to the nearest hospital like a madman."
He laughed, his whole body trembling slightly: "And then, then my car crashed into a big tree and overturned. My head hit the windshield, my skull was fractured, and my face was ruined... Why do you think I need plastic surgery? All the tragedies in our family are thanks to Rong Zhaonan! Only with a beard do I look like a normal person."
Xiang Ziye raised his eyes, stared at Ning Yuan, pointed to his own face, and his smile was distorted—
"His affair with Ye Qiu made me a laughingstock in everyone's eyes. I could endure it; I left for distant lands! My face was ruined because of him; do you know how much that hurts?"
He suddenly reached out and roughly grabbed Ning Yuan's chin, his gaze cold and dark.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
