Chapter 2
"Just because that maternal and child health hospital in Juxian County had an accident!" The old man's face was red and his neck was thick with anger, his gray hair almost standing on end: "Back then, you insisted on running away with that bastard Song Jingliang to suffer! Giving birth to a child in such a poor and remote place!"
The fact that Jiang Lan had suffered for two years was a hurdle that Song Jingliang couldn't get over for more than ten years. He often felt indebted to Jiang Lan, and he didn't care at all when his father-in-law scolded him as a bastard. Instead, he quickly grasped the key point: "Something happened? Dad, what happened at that health center?"
Grandpa Jiang rarely scolds Song Jingliang anymore. People are all made of flesh and blood. He has seen Song Jingliang's heartfelt kindness towards Jiang Lan. He has seen countless people and can naturally tell whether it is genuine or fake. He has long accepted this son-in-law. But when the matter of that year is mentioned, he still blows his beard and glares, first giving Song Jingliang a fierce look.
“Yesterday, your second uncle came to play chess with me. During our casual conversation, he mentioned that his son, Xiaopeng, had just been transferred to Juxian County as the county magistrate when he encountered a lawsuit against the Juxian County Maternal and Child Health Hospital for switching babies. This is quite bizarre. Sixteen years ago, a nurse in the neonatal department suffered a miscarriage due to overwork. She was traumatized and became somewhat mentally unstable. Although she seemed fine on the surface, the hospital continued to let her work.”
Jiang Lan had a vague premonition of something bad, and Song Jingliang also sat up straight, his brows furrowed.
With a stern face, Grandpa Jiang continued, "She was in charge of newborn care, bathing the children. You all know what Juxian was like more than ten years ago. The township health centers were poorly managed, and checking work records was just a formality. She took advantage of the loophole during shift handover to switch two girls with the same blood type. The children didn't have any obvious birthmarks, and the parents raised them without any knowledge of it until this year when the truth came out and both sets of parents sued the Juxian Maternal and Child Health Hospital."
Jiang Lan's lips moved, and after a moment she said, "Switching a pair of children is already outrageous, we can't just..."
Her attitude was no longer so firm, but she was still unwilling to question whether the child was her biological child. However, some details that she had never paid attention to began to cause trouble at this moment.
Both she and Song Jingliang were outstanding in appearance. Song Jingliang was the kind of handsome man with striking features, prominent brow bones, and deep, handsome contours. Jiang Huaiyu was undoubtedly a good-looking girl as well, but his appearance was more delicate and handsome, with slightly upturned eyes, giving him a cool and proud good looks.
Both she and Song Jingliang once thought that Jiang Huaiyu looked more like her mother. Good-looking people always have some resemblance. Over the years, everyone who has seen Jiang Lan and her son has said that Jiang Huaiyu looks like her mother.
Is this resemblance unrelated to blood relations, and merely a coincidence?
This suspicion is like a poisonous seed. Even though Jiang Lan is very certain that Jiang Huaiyu is her child, this seed sprouts instantly, taking every opportunity to arouse suspicion.
Song Jingliang said in a deep voice, "We will arrange a paternity test as soon as possible."
He held Jiang Lan's hand and patted it twice to comfort her: "It's okay, there aren't that many unforeseen circumstances. Xiao Bao is definitely our child. Anyway, we haven't done the physical examination this year, so let's just add it as an extra item."
Jiang Lan forced a smile: "Who does a physical exam that includes a paternity test? But you're right... once the results come out, it will prove that Xiao Bao is our child. It's better than this uncertainty, and it will save Dad from having any doubts."
...
The physical examination involved drawing one more vial of blood than in previous years, but Jiang Huaiyu didn't think much of it. Song Jingliang first took Jiang Lan to the art exhibition, and then took Jiang Huaiyu back to school. This was their usual practice; whenever they had enough time, Song Jingliang would try not to use a driver. He liked to chat with his wife and children on the way.
"Your mom can't go to that air show you wanted to go to. Her art exhibition is doing so well that she wants to postpone it for half a month. What do you think, Mr. Jiang? Is it okay if just the two of us go? But your mom said she promised to go with you but couldn't keep her promise. So when you have summer vacation, she'll take you on a trip to Europe."
Jiang Huaiyu was eating cream ice cream, with a little white on the corner of her lips. Hearing this, she nodded and then shook her head: "Dad, I don't need my mom to come with me to Europe this summer. I want to go by myself. Actually, I can go to the air show by myself."
"How can that be? This is a parent-child activity..." Song Jingliang argued vehemently, "When have I ever missed a parent-child activity organized by President Jiang?"
"I feel like Dad, you're being a bit clingy." Jiang Huaiyu glanced at her father with a teasing smile, her upturned eyes narrowing slightly. "You wanted to go to that air show anyway, just like when I was one year old you bought me a big remote-controlled car that cost over two thousand yuan. You played with it for over a year, and even put me in a fruit basket and tied me to it to play with, which got you chased and beaten by Mom..."
"Stop! You shouldn't insult someone by bringing up their weaknesses, Mr. Jiang, that's not very kind of you..." Song Jingliang laughed at himself: "No, you were only the size of my slipper back then, how would you know about this?"
“My grandfather told me.” Jiang Huaiyu finished the last bite of her ice cream cone, turned to Song Jingliang and smiled: “Old Song, you can just say you want to go to the airshow. Both General Manager Jiang and General Manager Jiang will approve it.”
"Okay, thanks to the organization." Song Jingliang parked the car. "Go on, your parents have things to do tonight, Master Wang will pick you up."
Jiang Huaiyu took his schoolbag from the back seat. Song Jingliang saw the cream on the corner of his lips, smiled and called him a little kitten, then tossed him a small bag of wet wipes: "Catch!"
Jiang Lan often said that Song Jingliang was a hyperactive child. Jiang Huaiyu obviously did not inherit his father's athletic ability. He raised his hand to catch it, but missed and was hit on the head by the small bag of wet wipes.
The handsome young man glanced speechlessly at his underage father, bent down to pick up the wet wipe, and walked away without looking back.
As Song Jingliang started the car, he chuckled. Little Jiang Huaiyu's slightly angry look was exactly the same as Ms. Jiang Lan's.
How could this not be his own son? This is definitely his own son!
...
Probability of parentage (RCP): 0.0001% (<0.01%)
Conclusion: A biological parent-child relationship between Song Jingliang and Jiang Huaiyu has been ruled out.
Probability of parentage (RCP): 0.0001% (<0.01%)
Conclusion: A biological parent-child relationship between Jiang Lan and Jiang Huaiyu has been ruled out.
The written testimonies were laid out before the two of them, proving that their bright and promising little baby had indeed been switched at birth.
With the Jiang family's influence, finding their biological child wouldn't be difficult. The question is, what happens after they find the child?
Those who gave birth at the Juxian Maternal and Child Health Hospital back then, even if their families were well-off, were still far less well-off than the Jiang family. I wonder if that child suffered any hardship, and...
“I don’t want to send Xiaobao back.” Jiang Lan pinched her brow. “This is the child I’ve raised for sixteen years. If we can negotiate, our two families can raise the two children together. I can accept any conditions the other family has, as long as they are reasonable. At worst, I can transfer the villa in Nan’an District to them and treat them as relatives in the future. I will never…”
"Xiao Lan." Song Jingliang held her hand. "Don't panic. We still need to see what the other party's attitude is and what the two children think."
"Don't tell Xiaobao yet." Jiang Lan shook her head slightly. "He's preparing for a competition recently. Let's find him first and do a simple investigation before we talk about it."
If your child suddenly becomes a rich kid, and the other family is of good character, the two families can discuss things amicably. But if the other family is of bad character, then you'll have to handle it differently.
...
Jiang Huaiyu went to another city to participate in an English debate competition. Jiang Lan and Song Jingliang went on a business trip together two days before his departure. They rarely went on business trips together. Jiang Huaiyu suspected that they were actually going on a date, but Ms. Jiang Lan was too shy to say it.
After the plane landed in Beijing, Jiang Huaiyu and her team leader went to the hotel arranged by the event organizers. After putting down their luggage, Jiang Huaiyu and her partner, who was in charge of the second debate, went to the venue to check it out and familiarize themselves with the environment. They met some friends they had met at the regional competition, and the group of teenagers chatted and laughed for a while before returning to their respective hotels.
After a simple dinner, Jiang Huaiyu returned to her room, organized her keyword cue cards, ironed the suit she would wear for tomorrow's competition, and hung it in the closet.
Ms. Jiang Lan called him to inquire about the accommodation. She said the environment on her end was noisy, and she could vaguely hear accented vendors hawking their wares and car horns in the background.
Jiang Huaiyu became even more convinced that Lao Song had taken Ms. Jiang Lan on a trip out of town. Otherwise, his mother would usually video chat with him. It wasn't like they hadn't done this before. Jiang Huaiyu didn't expose him, chatted for a few words to reassure them, and then hung up the phone.
It was still early, and Jiang Huaiyu couldn't fall asleep anytime soon, so she took out her tablet and logged into the game.
"Polar Night" is a mobile game with a post-apocalyptic survival theme. In pursuit of high-quality graphics, Jiang Huaiyu has been playing it on a tablet. The game offers a variety of gameplay options, including team-based dungeons, PvP battles, and casual games where players can collect resources in a large world and build their own survival base. There are also some casual mini-games added to the game.
Jiang Huaiyu's arena ranking has always been very high. The game's class balance is well done, and most of the monetization points are in appearance. PvP is very comfortable to play, and it's great for occasional casual play.
He logged on and checked the base's supplies. Last time, he had asked Xiaoming, who was leveling up for him, to explore and find rare resources, which could now be used to synthesize a rare mount.
As soon as I entered the base, the system popped up a notification that there was a visitor. After the screen loaded, a game character in the form of a young male was in his vegetable garden, spraying water from his head in a diving posture, spinning around watering the vegetables like an out-of-control shower head, and also weeding a bit of grass.
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
What whizzed past?
Is this a new pet? It's quite unique.
Only then did he realize that it was an "Elemental Apostle" who was using his skills to water the rare plants in his base farm.
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Power Booster Xiaoming]: You're here, boss?
(Ghost Sniper) [JHY]: Hmm... I don't remember asking you to mow the lawn.
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Boosting Xiaoming]: Sigh, talking about money hurts feelings. You always give me extra tips, this is a free service.
The rotating shower stopped. Xiaoming's game character was wearing the most basic professional clothing, without dazzling hair or a bunch of expensive light pollution effects. He looked like a newbie who had just come out of the newbie village. But what didn't match this was the row of shiny arena honors above his head, like a row of neon-flashing advertisements.
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Boosting Xiaoming]: I've harvested the mature Starry Sky Iris and Eternal Silence Rose from your field for you.
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Power Booster Xiaoming]: I know you're not short of money, but these seeds not only cost money but also time. Missing the harvest will lower the quality.
Jiang Huaiyu has several rare outfits and mounts in the game, which gives him a special title. Because of this, many people have privately added him as a friend, but he has not accepted any of them. Xiaoming was entrusted by him to team up with him in the arena nearly ten times, and is considered one of his few friends.
But that was all there was to their relationship. Jiang Huaiyu never expected that Xiaoming would take the initiative to help him harvest the vegetables.
(Ghost Sniper) [JHY]: Thank you. I need to find someone to do a quest with later to craft my mount. Would you like to team up with me?
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Boosting Xiaoming]: Okay.
The two ran around the "Cyber Chang'an" map several times. When the rare mount was finally generated, all the online players on the server could see the dazzling aurora effect. Light particles fell down one after another, and a mechanical Qilin beast flashing with data streams swooped down from the sky, letting out a clear roar.
Friend requests exploded again, popping up one after another. Jiang Huaiyu glanced at the two game characters sitting on the back of the Qilin, one in front of the other, and then at the time. He thought it was about time to go to sleep. Just as he was about to tell Xiaoming, a dialog box popped up above Xiaoming's head, indicating that he was typing.
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Boosting Xiaoming]: I say, Boss J, in your circle of rich people, are farces like family feuds over inheritance or babies being switched at birth common?
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
Why are they all asking such unrealistic questions?
Without waiting for his reply, Xiaoming sent another message.
(Elemental Apostle) [AAA Boosting Xiaoming]: I probably won't be playing this season. There's been a sudden family emergency, and I'm not in the mood to research these things. Do you want me to recommend a few reliable boosting services to team up with?
(Ghost Sniper) [JHY]: No need, I'm used to teaming up with you, let's meet up again next season.
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