Author's POV:
Chen Xinyi swirled the wine in her glass, her gaze distant and troubled. She had downed three full glasses already, but the alcohol did little to dull the unease gnawing at the back of her mind. The same nagging question kept resurfacing - who was asking questions about what had happened all those years ago?
The sound of her phone ringing jolted her from her thoughts, and she answered immediately, desperation lacing her voice. "Brother, have you done it?"
Her brother's reply was curt and matter-of-fact. "Yes, I did. You know I always do my job. Though you seem to forget everything I do for you, little sis."
Chen Xinyi felt a twinge of guilt, but it was quickly overshadowed by her growing sense of panic. "Listen, I'll send you the money right after this call, but I think you should disappear. Maybe go on a vacation, just for a little while."
Her brother scoffed. "What vacation? I don't need a vacation."
"You will listen to me!" Chen Xinyi snapped, her voice rising with urgency. "The person who's been asking questions is even more powerful than my husband. If they're serious, they won't hesitate to link you to the crime. You think if they come after you, your past won't catch up to you?"
Her brother's arrogance was palpable. "How many important people have I killed, and you think some lowly scum would be my downfall? No way. I'll use that money to pay off my debts and get a new car, maybe even a better apartment. And you'll be increasing my monthly allowance, of course."
Chen Xinyi felt her blood pressure rising. "Don't be so stubborn! If you're linked to the crime, it'll all come back to me, and we'll lose everything. Do you want that?"
"If you want me gone, you'll have to add another million. Maybe I can go to Cape Town - I hear it's beautiful this time of year," he bargained, his voice dripping with greed.
Chen Xinyi's frustration boiled over. "But I've already offered you so much! Why do you have to be so greedy?"
"Since you won't be adding any more money, I'm not going anywhere. It's my money, you can't tell me how to spend it," he retorted defiantly.
Desperate, Chen Xinyi tried a different tactic. "Listen, this might be the only chance you have to visit South Africa, like you've always wanted. Where will you be getting so much money from in the future?"
Her brother's response was unyielding. "Then give me the money for that vacation. This money already has its own plans."
Chen Xinyi felt her grip on the wine glass tighten as she fought the urge to hurl it against the wall. Gritting her teeth, she ended the call, her fury palpable. She knew her brother's stubborn nature all too well, but she couldn't risk adding more money to the pot. The 2 million yuan she had already given him was a significant portion of her own savings.
As the silence of the room enveloped her, Chen Xinyi drained the last of her wine, her mind racing with the implications of her brother's refusal to cooperate. The walls were closing in, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the net was slowly tightening around her.
*****************
Meanwhile Wu Qiang wasted no time in making his way to see his old friend, Huang Jiang. The familiar grandeur of Huang's estate greeted him as his driver pulled up to the entrance.
The butler quickly wheeled Huang Jiang into the living room, and the two old friends exchanged warm greetings. "My old friend, what brings you here today?" Huang Jiang asked, a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.
Wu Qiang smiled, "I don't need a reason to see a friend I've known for over five decades."
Huang Jiang chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, you know you visit me more than that brother of mine."
"Maybe he's still angry that you won't sign over your shares to him," Wu Qiang remarked.
Huang Jiang's expression hardened, "Huang Group is my blood and sweat. I don't trust him one bit."
"He's over 70 now, maybe he's changed," Wu Qiang offered.
Huang Jiang scoffed, "Greed runs in his veins, look at his son and his grandson. And we both know how he tried to steal the company the first time I got sick. He's lucky he still has that 5% share in his name."
Wu Qiang nodded solemnly, then a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. "Well, I have news that might cheer your old heart up."
Huang Jiang regarded his friend skeptically, "I doubt anything could ever cheer me up at this point."
"What if you found out you had a granddaughter?" Wu Qiang asked, his voice tinged with excitement.
Huang Jiang's eyes widened, and he shook his head in disbelief. "If only something like that would happen."
Wu Qiang leaned forward, "Remember when I told you that Wu Haoyu was in Wuhan?"
Huang Jiang nodded, still visibly confused.
"Three years ago, I sent him on a secret mission to find your daughter, Huang Yue," Wu Qiang explained. "A few weeks ago, he got a lead in Wuhan. He's followed the lead and found out that Huang Yue gave birth to a daughter."
Huang Jiang's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless. The prospect of finally meeting his long-lost grandchild filled him with a mixture of joy and disbelief. After years of mourning the loss of his daughter, this news was a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
"Are you certain?" Huang Jiang whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.
Wu Qiang placed a reassuring hand on his friend's arm. "Yes, my friend. Wu Haoyu is working to confirm the DNA as we speak. This could be the answer to your prayers."
Tears glistened in Huang Jiang's eyes as he grasped the significance of this revelation. His daughter, whom he had long believed to be lost, had given birth to a child – his grandchild. The weight of the moment was almost too much to bear, but Huang Jiang felt a sense of renewed purpose and determination.
Huang Jiang's hands trembled as he processed the information Wu Qiang had shared. "Are...are you sure the woman was Huang Yue?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion. "And where are they now?"
Wu Qiang's expression turned solemn. "Unfortunately, she abandoned the baby at the hospital because she was born sick due to malnutrition."
Huang Jiang's heart sank. "What? How could she do that? Why didn't she come back home? I would have raised the child!" he exclaimed, the pain of regret etched in his words.
Wu Qiang continued, "It gets more interesting. The midwife, well, he was a hustler, if that's even an appropriate word. He sold abandoned kids to people who wanted newborn babies, and your granddaughter was also sold to a woman who was desperately looking for a child."
Huang Jiang burst into tears, the years of searching for his daughter who had run away pregnant now laced with a glimmer of hope. "Where is my grandbaby now?" he asked through soft sobs.
"She lives with a family that thinks she is one of their own, well, except for the woman who bought her, who knows the truth," Wu Qiang explained.
Huang Jiang turned to his butler and commanded, "Get the jet ready. We're going to Wuhan."
The butler bowed and left to carry out the task, sensing the urgency in his master's voice.
Wu Qiang placed a hand on Huang Jiang's arm. "The girl is not aware of the truth. Make sure you don't scare her away when you get there, okay?"
Huang Jiang nodded determinedly. "I won't. I just want to be there, get the DNA tests done, and bring my granddaughter back home to take her rightful place as the heiress of all of this."
Wu Qiang gave a reassuring nod. "Let me leave you to your planning. Call me and let me know how everything goes."
Huang Jiang reached out and grasped his old friend's hand. "Thank you so much, my old friend. I owe you for this."
Wu Qiang waved a dismissive hand with a chuckle. "I know you would have done the same for me."
Huang Jiang's lips curved into a hopeful smile. "Once we do the DNA confirmation, we can go back to discussing that marriage we always talked about."
Wu Qiang laughed heartily. "Oh, I would love that. My grandson is getting old without a wife."
The two men parted ways, their laughter echoing through the grand halls. Left alone, Huang Jiang's thoughts drifted back to the fateful day 18 years ago when his daughter had dated a man he deemed unworthy. He wished he had never disowned her, for he would have raised his granddaughter and spared her the hardships his own daughter had endured. With a heavy heart, Huang Jiang prepared to embark on the journey that could finally reunite him with the family he had lost.