By this point, I had seen enough. I left Yao Youfanâs consciousness and returned back to the real world. For a long time, I remained standing where I was. I felt empty. I wasnât sure how I should tell Xu Chuqiao this news.
Despite how much Xu Chuqiao hated and despised her, Yao Youfan never once mentioned her past to him. She was trying to protect him. So how could I be the one to reveal this secret?
But if I donât tell him, that means Iâve failed my job. What should I do?
I had no authority to choose. My job was to tell my clients what they wanted to know. I have to tell Xu Chuqiao the truth and not worry about the other stuff.
Yes. I have to do my job! It has always been like that, right?
I reminded myself and then quickly dashed out of the office.
âAre you done?â Suyang was crouching by the door. When he saw me, he stood up.
âYes.â
âDid it go well? Your expression doesnât look very good.â
âIâm fine. Maybe itâs because I only have a day left. Tomorrow, I wonât be going into office. I need to finish writing everything and Iâm going to give him the report by the end of the day.â
âDonât worry about going into the office. Iâm still here. Until you submit your report, Iâm still the marketing manager. Iâll be able to cover for you for tomorrow!â Suyang gave me a reassuring pat on the back.
*cough cough*. I didnât know whether I should smile or cry as I hugged him.
The next day, I went to the house that Na Wei gave Yao Youfan while she was pregnant. I was able to locate it based on what I had seen through her memories. After doing some research, I found out that the house was still under Yao Youfanâs name. However, the house had been vacant for a very long time. I used the method that Xialing taught me and easily opened the door.
The moment I opened the door, the wind from outside blew all the dust in the room. I had to cover my mouth and nose.
Although the whole house was dusty, all the furniture were at its original spot. They were all covered by an eerie white cloth. After giving birth to Xu Chuqiao, Yao Youfan probably never came back here again.
Every step I took caused the dust to spin in the air. I took out a scarf from my bag to cover my mouth and nose. Then, I tiptoed towards the bedroom. My intuition told me that there was something there.
I lightly pushed open the door. Dust was everywhere and everything appeared very hazy. After the dust calmed down, I walked inside the room and vaguely noticed someone sitting on the bed.
It was a grey, bony old man.
I froze in shock. I didnât know what to say. Was it the person Iâve been searching for all this time? Xu Senâs ghost?!?
Xu Sen also seemed stunned by my arrival. He was more shocked when he realized I could see him.
Now that I have mastered the spiritual techniques, I was able to communicate with ghosts. Although they couldnât speak, I could understand the message they transmitted through their energy waves.
âAre you Mr. Xu Sen?â I bravely walked over to face him.
âWho are you? You can see me?!â
âIâm hired by your son Xu Chuqiao to investigate your will....â
Xu Senâs eyes turned even dimmer. Who wouldâve thought that the former person in control of the Xu clan corporation could look so defeated and pitiful?
âSince youâve found this place, you must already know the answer, right? Please donât tell Chuqiao!â
âMy job is to tell him what he wants to know.â I coldly responded.
âHe wouldnât want to know the truth. Wei, Youfan and I all tried our best to keep this secret. Itâs better that Chuqiao thinks Wei and I are his parents. He should live under this assumption. Itâs unnecessary for him to know the truth.â
âIf thatâs what you wanted, why didnât you leave him with any inheritance? If you had, he wouldnât be so suspicious now.â
Xu Sen clenched his fists, âThis is what we owe Youfan. We had promised to give our entire estate to her after our death. This wasnât only my decision. It was both me and Weiâs decision.â
âYour wife also wanted this?â
âBefore Wei died, she left a letter for me. She wanted me to help her compensate Yaofan with everything we had.â
âBut things have gotten to this point. Are you seriously going to watch your son hate his biological mother? If Xu Chuqiaoâs fury doesnât get extinguished, eventually another tragedy will occur. Why donât you just reveal the truth and let them reconcile?â
âLife isnât that simple.â Xu Sen shook his head, âChuqiao purely wants to know whether the will is real, right? Show him the item in the drawer and heâll understand.â
I followed Xu Senâs finger and opened the drawer. Inside, there was a box that was exquisitely designed. I opened the box and saw a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it; it was the letter that Wei had written to Xu Sen before she passed away.
Oh Sen... I feel like Iâm still rather young, but the disease has already attacked my vitals. This must be Godâs punishment to me. God must be punishing me for being selfish. I harmed you and Youfan. As your wife, I want to make a final request. Iâve always lived cautiously throughout my lifetime. I didnât compensate Youfan enough. So please help me compensate her as much as you can. I know Youfan is not a materialistic type of person. But aside from money, I donât know what else I could give her.... Iâm going to leave this world before you. Please forgive me for being selfish until the very end.
Love you, Wei.
Through the letter, I could feel Weiâs pain. She loved Xu Sen, Yao Youfan, and her son. But without intending to do so, she had harmed them all.
With this letter, Xu Chuqiao wouldnât know everything but at least he would know the will was real. Perhaps he will understand why his dad gave Yao Youfan his entire estate?
No! Currently, Xu Chuqiao is suspicious of my identity. If I give him this letter, he would probably think I teamed up with Yao Youfan to create fake evidence to fool him.
While I was stressing, suddenly I heard the lock on the door turning.
Whatâs going on? Aside from me, someone else knows about this place?
Before I could find a spot to hide, I could hear a strong voice echoing from the living room, âI know youâre here. Come out and letâs have a chat.â
It was Yao Youfan? Why was she here? I stared at Xu Sen. He looked stunned too. He probably had no idea either. But since I was already caught, I had no choice but to reveal myself.
I gripped onto Weiâs letter and stepped outside the bedroom. I calmly went to Yao Youfan and asked, âHow did chairman know I was here?â
Yao Youfan exclaimed, âIt was you! Last night, I could already sense something odd about you. My intuition told me I had to come here to check this place to see if something was going on. I was correct....â
She was truly a business woman. I had underestimated Yao Youfan.
âChairman, your intuition is very good...Suyang was the one who told you right? He told you I was here and my reason for working at the company.â
âIf youâre going to be so direct, Iâll be straight up as well. Donât assume you can meddle in our family affairs. If you touch my bottom line, youâll be in danger.â
âSo whatâs your bottom line?â
âDonât touch Xu Chuqiao.â
âI didnât touch him!â
âThe secret between the three of us will remain a secret.â
âChairman, I urge you to be honest with your son. At this rate, nothing good can come out of this. Itâs pointless of you to be so stubborn.â
âYou want me to tell him heâs my son? How can I say that to him? How would you react if you found out the mother youâve loved for thirty plus years was actually not your mother? In fact, your mother was actually the woman you loathed?? The only thing I can do is to tacitly admit that Xu Chuqiao is Na Weâs son; Xu familyâs legitimate son. As for me, Iâm only a shameless third party. Thatâs it.â
Suddenly, Yao Youfanâs eyes landed on the paper in my hand, âWhat do you have in your hand?â
âThis?â I raised the letter, âThis is Na Weiâs letter. It is evidence that proves Xu Senâs will is real. I am quite sure you have seen it before. Earlier, I was debating whether I should give it to Xu Chuqiao. If I give it to him, he probably wonât be against you anymore. By doing so, Iâm helping you.â
âWhat did you say?â
âI said, by giving this letter to Xu Chuqiao, Iâm helping you.â
Yao Youfan didnât seem to have much of a reaction.
âNot only will I give him the letter, Iâll also tell him the truth.â I raised my voice as I gazed at Yao Youfan with no fear in my eyes.
âYou!â She was so mad that she couldnât say anything.
Thatâs right! This was the reaction I wanted.
I put the letter inside my pocket and lifted my chin arrogantly, âSuyang was on your side from the very beginning. He knew that Xu Chuqiao had sent me to investigate you, so you used Suyang to control me. What did he tell you? Did he tell you to follow his method and youâll get the result you wanted?â
I didnât expect to be used by the the person who meant the most to me.
All those sweet words, smile, and warmth.... It was conclusive proof that I was an idiot. Three years later, that person still had my heart. If he was in front of me now, I would rip it out in front of him.
âWhat do you mean?â Yao Youfanâs eyes flickered. She was evidently feeling a bit uneasy.