In Fang Jiangyi's mansion, he spent a sleepless night, pacing back and forth in the living room.
A moment later, his phone rang. He quickly answered it.
The person on the other end said, "Mr. Fang, the test results are out."
Fang Jiangyi took a deep breath. "What's the result?"
The person replied, "We went to the scene to collect the blood as you instructed. After DNA screening and comparison, we've confirmed that Miss Lu is indeed Cheng Yanxia. There's no mistake."
The caller paused for a moment and continued.
"After you left, Lu Qianzhou immediately rushed to the hospital to visit Miss Lu. He even had a conflict with our bodyguards. Lu Qianzhou left after staying for about two hours."
The breath that had been stuck in Fang Jiangyi's chest finally escaped. He wasn't sure if it was relief at finding out that Cheng Yanxia was still alive or disappointment at what she had done these days.
Even though Peng Shiyi and Yuan Qiuping had both told him that Lu Sheng was Cheng Yanxia, he still clung to a sliver of hope in his heart and refused to believe it. But now that there was solid evidence, he felt at a loss and didn't know what to do.
He had once tested her and suspected the many similar physiological reactions she shared with Cheng Yanxia.
The Cheng Yanxia he had been looking for for so long had actually been by his side all along.
She had approached him right under his nose, played all sorts of tricks, and worked hand in hand with Lu Qianzhou. She had won his trust and become his girlfriend. That meant the two of them had started working together against him from the moment this so - called Lu Sheng appeared.
He let out a soft laugh.
He never thought that the once - rule - abiding and timid Cheng Yanxia would have the determination to reinvent herself and be so ruthless towards him.
Maybe she didn't actually have such determination or the ability to pull off such a deception, but she had met Lu Qianzhou.
Fang Jiangyi tightened his fist, his hand gripping the phone tightly.
He should have been sad. He seemed to have truly fallen for her.
After a brief internal struggle, he dialed a number and called Assistant Sun.
"Destroy all the vouchers for the projects that Lu Sheng was in charge of. I'll transfer all her projects on the grounds of her injury. Thoroughly investigate Lu Qianzhou's recent actions. Finally, inform Wang Keding that I need to meet him as soon as possible."
After giving these instructions, he finally threw his phone away.
His hanging hand trembled slightly.
...
Yanxia only stayed in the hospital for one day before returning home. Her injuries were actually not serious. She just followed Lu Qianzhou's arrangement and stayed out of sight to avoid any more trouble.
But she was still very anxious. She didn't know how far along Lu Qianzhou's plan was. Had Fang Jiangyi already noticed something? Would all their efforts end up in vain?
She was extremely restless and sat on the hanging chair in the backyard to kill time.
Uncle Fu rushed over from the front yard and called out to her, "Second Miss, there's someone outside who wants to see you. He's also bringing a child. He says his name is Lan Yuzhou."
Yanxia opened her eyes abruptly.
After welcoming Lan Yuzhou and his daughter into the living room, Yanxia asked someone to pour them tea. The three of them sat facing each other, looking at each other.
It was obvious that Lan Yuzhou's child was a very shy girl. Her big eyes were very bright. Her ear - length hair was tied into two ponytails. She tightly held onto Lan Yuzhou's hand and tried to hide behind him.
Yanxia shifted her gaze and said, "Jiangyi and I have been looking for you. We originally thought it was Third Brother who had you taken away. I didn't expect you to come here on your own."
Lan Yuzhou didn't look well. The stubble on his face was obvious.
Seeing the child gobbling up the fruits on the table as if she hadn't eaten for a long time, Yanxia frowned. "Is this how you take care of your child? How could you let her starve like this?"
Lan Yuzhou said, "Does Miss Lu think I'm like you, with people protecting me wherever I go? People like us are always at the mercy of others. Right now, several parties are looking for me. My wife couldn't take it anymore and took the money and divorced me. I have to take the child with me and protect her safety."
No matter how much she disliked this man who had given false testimony without a bottom line, she knew the child was innocent.
So she waved Uncle Fu over. "Have someone prepare some food for them as quickly as possible."
"I think there are some things you don't want the child to hear, right?" Yanxia's gaze fell on the girl. "Ask Uncle Fu to get some snacks and take her to the backyard. There are many facilities for children to play with there."
Lan Yuzhou hesitated for a moment. He seemed afraid that the child would not return and didn't want her out of his sight.
"Since you've chosen to come here, you should know that if I don't want you to leave, you won't be able to step out of this courtyard gate."
These words successfully intimidated Lan Yuzhou. He finally chose to compromise. He pulled the child out and told her, "Daddy has some work to talk about with this sister. You go with Grandpa to the back and have a good time. We'll have dinner together later."
Although the girl was shy, she was very obedient. She followed Uncle Fu to the backyard obediently.
When everyone had left and only the two of them were left in the living room, Yanxia finally asked.
"You've chosen to hide, so why did you come to me? Why me in particular?"
Lan Yuzhou's expression stiffened for a moment. "I know I can't hide forever. They'll always find me. The only thing I'm worried about now is my child. Since both of you are looking for me, I can testify in court again. But what I'll say depends on which side you're on."
Yanxia looked at him and roughly understood what he meant. "You don't have to go through me. You can just choose between Fang Jiangyi and Lu Qianzhou directly."
"No." Lan Yuzhou looked directly into her eyes, his gaze clear and earnest. "I can't trust either of them with my child. Only by entrusting my child to you can I feel at ease."
It was a high compliment. He had only met her once. How could he be so sure?
"What do you know? You've only met me once. How can you be so sure that I'll take care of your child?"
She was in a difficult situation herself and didn't have the heart to care about others.
Lan Yuzhou said, "Because Miss Lu has a different status from them. Due to your own experiences, you'll cherish life more than others. I've looked into you. You're very kind. You were always enthusiastic about charity work in China while studying abroad and sponsored many people. You just need to take care of my child for a while, or protect her safety and send her to an orphanage. If you're willing to help me, I'll be your servant and repay you when I get out of prison!"
Yanxia looked back at the child who was having a great time playing in the backyard. Thinking that she was in the same situation as the child, with an uncertain future, she felt a little sad.
"Aren't you curious why I'm concerned about the matter between Fang Jiangyi and the Cheng family?"
Lan Yuzhou said, "I've heard about your relationship with Fang Jiangyi. Miss Lu should already know what kind of person Fang Jiangyi is by now. It's inevitable that you're disappointed in him. After all, you've always had a good relationship with Lu Qianzhou. No matter how big the rift is, you're still a member of the Lu family after all."
That's right. She would always be Lu Sheng until Cheng Hua was released from prison.