Lan Jinyao sighed and then strode into the living room. When Chen Meile saw her, she quickly waved at her and said, âMeimei, quickly come over here!â
Qingqing, whose face was stained with tears, also turned and glared at her, her pupils dilated with anger and resentment.
When she turned away, there was nothing but a pitiful look left in her eyes.
Lan Jinyao inwardly sneered. Chen Meimei was a tough woman, so even when facing everyoneâs ridicule and criticism, or while facing Fu Bainianâs cold treatment time and time again, she would never show that kind of expression.
Although Lan Jinyao didnât know Chen Meimei very well, she was very sure about this one point.
âDad...donât tell me that you still canât recognise me?â
Qingqing crouched in front of Old Chen, looking extremely emotional as her lips quivered slightly.
At first, Old Chen was somewhat dismayed, but then his gaze landed on Lan Jinyao. With a gaze that could seemingly see through everything, he glanced back and forth at the two, unable to reach a conclusion for a long time.
Lan Jinyao dry coughed and asked, âDad, whatâs going on here? Could it be that I have another sister?â
At this time, Chen Meile finally spoke up and coldly said, âWhat other sister are you talking about? That woman simply wants to say that sheâs Chen Meimei. Tsk, tsk, Meimei, it looks like someone wants to impersonate you, but it seems that she hadnât done enough homework!â
Lan Jinyao laughed. âI see, Qingqing, it looks like your performance isnât good enough. You canât even deceive my Sister, so how can you expect to deceive my Old Man?â
A light flashed in Qingqingâs eyes; she then pounced on Old Chenâs lap and wailed. âDad, I also donât know what happened. I remember chasing after Fu Bainian, and then I left in anger. I sped while driving and I...I got into a car accident. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I became like this. Dad, you have to believe me; a soul with ill intentions is currently occupying my body!â
Shen Weiâan actually dared to say such otherworldly things. Wasnât she afraid of being sent to a mental hospital?
However, Old Chenâs receptiveness was relatively strong. He didnât doubt Qingqingâs words, nor did he think it was nonsense. Instead, he asked, âMeile, what do you think?â
Hearing this, Chen Meile immediately answered, âWhat Miss Qingqing said earlier is nonsense, her words were without basis. From the time Meimei was sent to the hospital until she was discharged, Iâve handled everything myself. The doctor said before that Meimeiâs signs of life were still there, so it was impossible for such a weird thing as a soul transfer to happen. Besides, I was with her the day she woke up, and I didnât notice anything unusual.â
Old Chen nodded. It seemed that heâd bought Chen Meileâs story.
Qingqing stared at Chen Meile in astonishment and asked, âSis, you clearly know what happened, so why are you saying this?â
Chen Meile didnât take this lying down, and coldly sneered. âI donât have so many sisters! Please donât call me that!â
Being rejected by Chen Meile, Qingqing had no choice but to target Old Chen. âDad, you have to believe me. I know your deepest secret; even my sister doesnât know about it. Do you want me to say it out loud for you to believe me?â
When Qingqing mentioned the word âsecretâ, Lan Jinyao keenly noticed a change in Old Chenâs expression.
A secret that even Chen Meile wasnât aware of...then, how could she possibly know it?
When her thoughts got to here, Lan Jinyao started to get nervous. If Shen Weiâan truly knew Old Chenâs secret, then she would have the upper hand.
She hurriedly reprimanded, âEnough, stop talking nonsense! Miss Qingqing, please leave at once. If you continue acting outrageously like this, then donât blame me for being rude!â
After Lan Jinyao said this, she raised her fists towards Qingqing. This was something that Fu Bainian had taught her; it was one of Chen Meimeiâs signature moves.
Old Chenâs expression darkened, and he suddenly said, âMeimei is right. If you continue talking nonsense, Iâll get someone make you leave right this instant!â
Lan Jinyao was stunned. Did Old Chen get angry?
Qingqing also froze for a second. She then stared at Old Chen with an incredulous look and softly asked, âDad, what did you just say?â
âDad, wait! Letâs wait a bit, thereâs no rush to chase her out!â
It was Chen Meile who said this. She stared at her watch and said, âDad, the moment Miss Qingqing arrived, I called the police. The police must already be outside by now.â
âYou called the police?â Old Chen cast a questioning glance at her.
Chen Meileâs lips slowly curled upwards as she explained, âYes, I called the police. Dad, you might not know this, but Miss Qingqing is a repeat offender. She impersonated someone else, and even her ID card was forged. Her identity was exposed this morning; itâs all over the news. She mustâve come here to seek your help, so she came wailing and begging for you to ârecogniseâ her.â
âI see!â Old Chen nodded, and then shook Qingqingâs hand off his knee.
After a while, Old Chen stood up and said, âIâll leave this matter for you sisters to handle; I still have some business to take care of.â
Chen Meile immediately responded, âAlright!â
Qingqing stared hopelessly at Old Chenâs departing figure. A minute later, she abruptly stood up, pushed Chen Meile away, and ran outside.
Chen Meile sneered and was about to chase after her when Lan Jinyao grabbed her arm and said, âSis, leave this matter to me. You didnât actually call the police, did you? You merely said that to scare Qingqing, right?â
A glint flashed in Chen Meileâs eyes before she smiled and said, âAs expected, Meimei knows me the best. Outsiders wouldnât be able to imitate our tacit understanding.â
Lan Jinyao seemed to have noticed that something was off and she affectionately smiled back at Chen Meile.
She tilted her head slightly and saw Old Chen walking into his study from the corner of her eye. Just now, he was watching their every movement. It seemed that, in the end, Old Chen still had his suspicions.
Some things, once revealed, would stay rooted in oneâs heart and continue growing into towering trees.
Once the root of doubt was deeply planted in Old Chenâs heart, it was bound to break out of the ground and grow.
âSis, in the future, you had better tell him these things yourself. In the end, Iâm just an...outsider!â
Chen Meile nodded. âItâs only a matter of time before I tell him everything. I initially didnât want to break my Old Manâs heart. However, now thereâs nothing I can do about it. Qingqing, that woman, is truly abhorrent! If she falls into my hands one day, Iâll never let her off!â
Lan Jinyao stared at Chen Meile, her gaze gradually deepening.
She wouldnât give Chen Meile this chance, because she would deal with Shen Weiâan herself!