Chapter 452: Was This Home-packed Meal A Trade For Ruan Danchen’s Hard Work?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chang Zhiyuan merely glanced at Ruan Keyu secretly when he left the Chang family’s house. However, that was almost thirty years ago, so how was it possible for him to recall Ruan Keyu’s appearance?

Ruan Keyu appeared familiar to Chang Zhiyuan, all because of Ruan Danchen!

Ruan Danchen gave quite a deep impression on Chang Zhiyuan, not only because of Qi Chenglin but also due to Grandmother Chang and Chang Jingqiu’s criticisms on Ruan Danchen at home for no absolute reason. They acted as if they would fall sick if they did not release their anger on Ruan Danchen.

Looking at the picture at the moment, Ruan Danchen really looked like Ruan Keyu.

Then, Ruan Zeer scrolled the phone’s screen again to the next picture. “This is my cousin sister, do you think they look alike?”

Chang Zhiyuan was frozen on the spot, shifting his gaze from Ruan Danchen’s picture to Ruan Keyu’s again. They really looked similar the more Chang Zhiyuan glanced at them.

“If the genetic crossmatch wasn’t enough to explain everything, the fact that my sister and uncle look really alike is enough for the explanation too, right?” Ruan Zeer remained patient as he explained to Chang Zhiyuan slowly and warmly.

However, this warm voice conjured storms in Chang Zhiyuan’s mind. The evidence before him was solid and unshakable, and he had to admit that it was the truth despite the reluctance.

Once people started experiencing uncertainty, more doubt would follow; that was exactly how Chang Zhiyuan felt at the current moment. Chang Jingqiu’s face started to appear in his mind, and now Chang Zhiyuan realized that there was absolutely no similarity at all between her, Chang Yuehuan and Ruan Keyu.

From facial features to attitude and personality, none of it was similar to Chang Yuehuan and Ruan Keyu in any way.

Chang Zhiyuan never had a doubt for all these years, even though Chang Jingqiu did not look like Chang Yuehuan.

However, looking at Ruan Keyu’s picture right now, how could a child have no similarity with his biological parents at all?

Moreover, Ruan Danchen’s picture was there for comparison. Even an unrelated stranger would assume that Ruan Danchen was indeed Ruan Keyu’s daughter.

Chang Zhiyuan appeared dazed as if he took a big hit when Ruan Zeer took his phone back.

Ruan Zeer took a glance at him and smiled faintly. “This is a big issue. We tried to locate my cousin sister ever since her disappearance after she was born at the hospital, and that took us twenty-seven years. This was indeed a very important matter, so how could we recognize simply without solid evidence? There were quite a few who claimed to be my cousin sister during our search in these twenty-seven years, but all of them proved to be fake. We were actually quite experienced in this field too.”

“You... were searching all this time? Didn’t you figure that perhaps she was in her mother’s house?” Chang Zhiyuan asked in a trembling voice.

Ruan Zeer answered without a change in tone as if he did not notice Chang Zhiyuan’s abnormality. “To be honest with you, my uncle brought my aunt back home only once at that time, so except for my aunt’s name, we knew nothing about her family at all. We couldn’t investigate this matter even if we wanted to. Besides—”

Ruan Zeer shook his head and sighed. “My cousin sister was taken away secretly on purpose. She was my uncle and aunt’s friend back in the day and we had no idea why she treated my cousin sister and our family in that way. She knew we were searching for my cousin sister at that time and separated us nonetheless.”

Ruan Zeer’s eyes reddened and he could not speak further anymore.

Chang Zhiyuan understood everything right now, just as how he speculated. No wonder the Ruan family never visited the Chang family after all these years.

Chang Zhiyuan was impressed by the Ruan family because he realized that their financial status improved only recently. They remained committed in searching for their granddaughter despite their decent wages for twenty-seven years. This hardship was unimaginable indeed.

This was exactly why the Ruan family would not simply believe anyone who claimed to be their long lost granddaughter without solid evidence.

Since it was confirmed that Ruan Danchen was Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan’s daughter, who was Chang Jingqiu then?

“Who... who took her away?” a dispirited Chang Zhiyuan asked.

Ruan Zeer sniffled and forced a smile. “Look at me. I can’t believe I told you my family issues, it’s embarrassing.”

Chang Zhiyuan nearly suffocated as he did not expect Ruan Zeer to stop abruptly in his explanation.

Young man, that was unkind of you!

On the other hand, Qi Youxuan seized the opportunity and ate a lot of meat in Qi Chenglin’s absence.

Then, Qi Chenglin exited the washroom and returned to his seat. His gaze swept across Chang Zhiyuan calmly and rested on his child’s oil-smeared lips.

Qi Chenglin’s heart sank immediately. It would be a long and arduous battle to let the chubby kid lose his weight.

Chang Zhiyuan found it unfitting to question Ruan Zeer further in Qi Chenglin’s presence. Moreover, Ruan Zeer’s current attitude suggested that it was inappropriate to discuss family affairs with an outsider, so it was impossible for Chang Zhiyuan to obtain further information even in Qi Chenglin’s absence.

The purpose of this meal was meant for business discussion, but Chang Zhiyuan ended the discussion with his mind preoccupied with troubles and paid for the meal.

The kid pulled Ruan Zeer’s hand again when they stood up and prepared to leave.

Ruan Zeer lowered his gaze curiously and saw the kid gesturing to the meat that they took away previously on the table.

This reminded Ruan Zeer as he had completely forgotten about it. He then grabbed the takeaway meat before leaving together with Qi Chenglin.

Qi Chenglin bade farewell with Chang Zhiyuan when they reached the entrance. When they were searching for their vehicles respectively, Chang Zhiyuan overheard Qi Youxuan’s yell. “Dad, let’s go to my Great-grandma Ruan’s house quickly. I miss them so much.”

Qi Chenglin merely uttered a simple “Mm” in response to the kid. Then, an idea formed in Chang Zhiyuan’s mind immediately. He entered his car quickly and trailed after Qi Chenglin’s car cautiously.

Ruan Zeer and Qi Youxuan were sitting at the back of the car. Qi Chenglin took a peek at the rearview mirror and saw Chang Zhiyuan’s car behind him. The corner of his lips curled up as he spoke to the youngsters at the back, “Don’t act on your own next time.”

The youngsters tensed up immediately and apologized quickly, only to sigh in relief after realizing that Qi Chenglin made no attempt in punishing them.

The kid grabbed the back of Qi Chenglin’s seat with his chubby hands and asked, “Dad, are you supporting us on this?”

“I support this time. It’s unreasonable to act arrogantly to Danchen when Chang Jingqiu is the one who took over Danchen’s identity. Since Chang Jingqiu stole Danchen’s identity, she should thank God for the wonderful days she had stolen and behave with her tail between her legs while living her life in fright, but she instead chose to act arrogantly,” Qi Chenglin answered calmly.

“We gave Chang Jingqiu the identity, so of course we can take it back too,” Qi Chenglin continued coldly.

The kid and Ruan Zeer felt completely relieved right now. After Qi Chenglin stopped his car before the red light, he turned around to look at the youngsters. “Discuss with me first in the future, don’t act on your own.”

The youngsters promised Qi Chenglin immediately.

...

...

Chang Zhiyuan followed Qi Chenglin’s car all the way to Grandfather Ruan’s house. The residents in this housing area were scholars and scientists since this area belonged to the Academy, so the atmosphere here was different from those ordinary housing areas.

Chang Zhiyuan stayed in the car while Qi Chenglin brought Ruan Zeer and Qi Youxuan into the housing unit.

Chang Zhiyuan did not leave either. He just sat there and waited. Then, at approximately five o’clock in the evening, he received a phone call from Mo Yuxin asking if he was going home for dinner tonight.

“I still have something left to do, so I’m not going back home for dinner tonight,” Chang Zhiyuan answered. It was getting late and he realized it only now.

“Take care of yourself. Don’t drink too much alcohol and return earlier tonight,” Mo Yuxin instructed.

Chang Zhiyuan agreed before hanging up. Then, he opened a food delivery service app to check for available nearby restaurants and ordered some food for delivery before leaning back into the car seat.

Chang Zhiyuan had been thinking about this issue for the whole evening, and Chang Jingqiu became increasingly suspicious the more he thought about it. To be honest, he firmly believed that Ruan Danchen was actually his sister’s daughter. He merely felt unwilling to admit the truth without seeing the evidence with his own eyes.

Chang Zhiyuan had no idea how to face Chang Jingqiu at the moment. Once the seed of doubt had been planted and started to send out little roots and sprout, Chang Jingqiu’s recent behaviors felt suspicious with peculiarities in some of her actions.

Then, Chang Zhiyuan recalled Chang Jingqiu questioning him regarding the Ruan family and let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she did not get any answer from him since he really knew nothing about the Ruan family. He had no idea what Chang Jingqiu would do if she found out about the truth.

Chang Zhiyuan was well aware that this young lady was selfish and would do anything for her own benefits.

Chang Zhiyuan started to put on a solemn expression. Was it possible that Chang Jingqiu asked him regarding the Ruan family because she was aware of the truth? Was that the reason why she appeared troubled as if something was going on recently?

Chang Zhiyuan’s eyes snapped open, and without further delay, he dialed a phone number. “Lao Liang.”

“Brother Chang? Why did you suddenly think of calling your younger brother now?”

“I want you to help me investigate Jingqiu,” Chang Zhiyuan replied.

“Jingqiu? Your niece, Chang Jingqiu? What happened to her, and why do you want to investigate her?” Lao Liang asked in surprise. It was rare for an uncle to hire a private investigator to look into his own niece.

“Lao Liang, I treat you as my own brother, so I’m going to tell you the truth. You can’t tell anyone what I’m going to tell you next. Anyone including my family members except for me.” Chang Zhiyuan’s eyes were flushed red and his expression radiated solemnity.

Lao Liang could hear the solemnity in his voice and replied seriously without joking further, “Of course, we’re brothers. Trust me.”

“I trust you, that’s why I hired you instead of others,” Chang Zhiyuan whispered. “I suspect Jingqiu isn’t my niece. My real niece is, in fact, someone else.”

“She’s a fake?” Lao Liang let out a gasp of surprise; it was unexpected that Chang Zhiyuan hired him for such a bizarre issue.

They were not even making a television show!

“That’s why I want to look into her. Whoever she gets in touch with recently and in the future—” Chang Zhiyuan gave this some thought and continued. “I’m not a professional so I’m not sure about this, but it’s best if you can investigate everything in detail. Look into anything you can think of. Anything from her personal issues to the people she has contact with. Don’t miss out on anything you can possibly think of.”

“I understand,” Lao Liang promised.

“Lao Liang, I hope you can investigate this matter personally. I don’t trust others. I’ll pay you according to the price you investigate personally. I won’t let you suffer losses just because you’re my brother,” said Chang Zhiyuan.

“Brother Chang, I won’t be so calculative with you, so why are you even saying this? I’ll look into this matter personally even if you don’t mention it,” replied Lao Liang.

Chang Zhiyuan chitchatted with Lao Liang for a while before hanging up.

Chang Zhiyuan would hire Lao Liang not only because of their intimate relationship and trust in each other but also due to Lao Liang being the elite in this profession. Lao Liang would carry out his investigation with scrupulous attention to detail and stubbornness too. He would look into anything suspicious no matter how difficult or inconvenient it was. There were many details which others would miss, but not him. Moreover, he was well-connected and had abundant resources. Any matter that was difficult for others would be a simple case for him.

The food Chang Zhiyuan ordered was delivered to him after a while, so he gulped it down in the car.

After a long wait until around eight o’clock at night, Qi Chenglin and his family exited the house with three people following closely behind them. One of them was Ruan Zeer whom Chang Zhiyuan met this afternoon.

Chang Zhiyuan rolled down the car window immediately. Then, he realized that they were Ruan Zeer’s parents—which were also Ruan Keyu’s older brother and sister-in-law—after hearing Qi Youxuan bidding them goodbye.

...

...

Mo Yuxin noticed Chang Zhiyuan’s unusual expression as though something had gone wrong after he returned home. After Chang Zhiyuan had a shower and finished tidying himself in the bedroom, Mo Yuxin asked, “What happened today? You don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

Chang Zhiyuan massaged his glabella and canthi before letting out a heavy sigh. He then told Mo Yuxin about what truly happened in the afternoon.

Mo Yuxin covered her mouth in shock, and her eyes widened as her mind went into a state of confusion.

“Then... do you believe?” Mo Yuxin found her voice after a while.

Chang Zhiyuan sighed. “How about you? What are your thoughts after listening to all these?”

“I think I prefer Ruan Danchen,” Mo Yuxin hesitated before voicing out her concern. “My opinion may be biased because as you know, I don’t really like Chang Jingqiu. I won’t treat her kindly if it wasn’t because of you.”

Chang Zhiyuan patted her hand gently. “To be honest, I don’t like Chang Jingqiu too but she’s my sister’s daughter. Who knows if my preference toward Ruan Danchen is all because of my fondness toward her in my heart? Anyway, I passed this case to Lao Liang and he’ll help me look into it. Let’s see the result later. Keep this a secret too and treat her as how you normally did, there’s no need to change your attitude toward her now.”

Chang Zhiyuan’s wife usually treated Chang Jingqiu kindly without any exaggerated fondness, unlike how Liu Xiangwen normally did.

Mo Yuxin nodded in response. Frankly speaking, she really hoped that Ruan Danchen was their own niece.

...

...

Qi Chenglin did not keep the incident in the afternoon a secret from Ruan Danchen too. She was involved in this, thus she had a right to know about it.

“Don’t blame them for acting on their own, it was Chang Jingqiu’s arrogance that provoked them. Besides, we gave this information to Chang Zhiyuan, so he’ll investigate this matter himself. It’ll be more convincing that way and saves a lot of trouble for us, we don’t need to waste time bickering with him anymore. Chang Zhiyuan has a sense of propriety too, so he won’t reveal it simply even to Grandmother Chang once the information is confirmed,” Qi Chenglin said while helping Ruan Danchen dry her hair.

“I won’t blame them.” Ruan Danchen’s smile was especially warm as she leaned slightly backward and rested her head on Qi Chenglin’s firm lower abdomen. She could even feel the chiseled rectus abdominis muscles on his abdomen.

Ruan Danchen reached out to Qi Chenglin’s hand which was stroking her hair initially. Then, she leaned her face onto his palm and started nuzzling back and forth like a cat trying to please and ingratiate him.

“I know you guys were just protecting me. I used to fend for myself, but now I have a husband, a son and even a cousin brother to protect me, which warms my heart. It’ll be ungrateful of me to be angry at them. Youxuan and Zeer merely thought that it was unfair for me, and besides, you guys will protect me and won’t let me suffer if the Chang family realized my true identity.” Ruan Danchen was all alone initially, but now she had many who were willing to protect her. This very thought sent overwhelming warmth and pride in her heart.

Ruan Danchen did not expect to be protected like the apple of their eyes when she was at this age group and even her son had grown up too.

Ruan Danchen blushed at her own thought. She pounced straight into Qi Chenglin’s embosom and encircled her arms around his waist. Then, she rubbed her face back and forth against his chiseled lower abdomen which aroused Qi Chenglin.

Qi Chenglin asked with a croaky voice, “Why this sudden act?”

“I’m blessed, yeah!” Ruan Danchen blurted out. Obviously, she was brainwashed by the kid.

Nobody knew where the kid learned this “yeah” from recently, and he had been saying it repeatedly in Ruan Danchen’s presence every day. Now, even Ruan Danchen was brainwashed and accidentally blurted it out without her realizing it.

Qi Chenglin’s lips twitched involuntarily at the impression that he raised two children at the current moment.

Ruan Danchen’s face felt slightly wet and cold after she was done nuzzling against Qi Chenglin, which made her realize that her hair was not dry yet. Thus, Qi Chenglin’s shirt acted as a towel and absorbed the water that remained on her hair.

“...” Ruan Danchen released her grip amid the embarrassment. She tried to wipe the wet area on his shirt but her attempt was futile. Left with no choice, she lifted her gaze and gave Qi Chenglin an ingratiating smile.

Qi Chenglin raised his eyebrows in response, figuring that Ruan Danchen had a tendency to become silly after her pregnancy.

Ruan Danchen’s giggle even looked like Qi Youxuan to some extent.

“Were you this silly too when you conceived Youxuan last time?” Qi Chenglin could not help but complained.

“...” Ruan Danchen’s face darkened immediately. Using her fair and soft bare foot, she stomped on Qi Chenglin’s foot which was within a slipper. However, she was unwilling to muster up strength due to possible heartache, so she tapped lightly on his foot instead. “You’re the silly one. Your whole family is silly!”

“Ha-ha,” Qi Chenglin mocked.

“...” Ruan Danchen finally realized that something was wrong in her previous statement. She was Qi Chenglin’s wife, so she was actually scolding herself too with that statement.

Ruan Danchen had multiple episodes of vomiting during the first trimester, so the Qi family and the Ruan family prepared tonic soups for her together. However, the nutrient intake was far greater than the nutrient loss through emesis. Thus, fat had started to accumulate around her face and gave her a chubby appearance now.

Ruan Danchen’s initial oval-shaped face had a tendency to develop into a round shape. Her chubby face crumpled as she leaned backward pitifully and stared at Qi Chenglin in an upside-down position. “I realized my intelligence is deteriorating now.”

Ruan Danchen’s dejected expression appeared especially pathetic. The fair skin on her cheeks had an attractive rosiness to it, and it appeared more supple than before too. She was unsure if all of these were the effects of the tonic soups she consumed.

Qi Chenglin noticed Ruan Danchen was more emotional now than before the pregnancy, and she made no attempt in hiding those emotions too. She would appear as if acting cute with her chubby face once emotions controlled her.

This was cheating, and it was absolutely disgraceful!

However, Qi Chenglin was overwhelmed and defeated by Ruan Danchen’s cute expression.

The benignity on Qi Chenglin’s handsome face was indescribable. His gaze was soft as he pinched Ruan Danchen’s chubby cheek with his long and delicate fingers, controlling his strength so that he would not induce pain in Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen’s huge emotional fluctuations during pregnancy made her appear especially delicate and fragile now; she would be moody and petulant if things did not go her way.

Qi Chenglin felt like he was coaxing a child when he tried his best to please Ruan Danchen during this period without feeling annoyed. He found it interesting for her change in attitude and personality during her pregnancy and would like her to continue acting in this way from now on.

Moreover, Qi Chenglin considered this as a prior training so that when Ruan Danchen gave birth to a baby girl, it would be easier for him to coax his own daughter.

“If your intelligence is deteriorating, we can combine our brainpower together, so don’t you worry about it.” Qi Chenglin’s lips curled up and his dark eyes radiated laughter.

Even though Ruan Danchen admitted that her own mental agility was impaired, she still felt uncomfortable after listening to Qi Chenglin’s reply.

Ruan Danchen turned toward Qi Chenglin and poked his solid and firm lower abdomen with her soft index finger. “They say one will get baby brain for three years post-pregnancy. I really think I was smarter before giving birth to Youxuan. Now that I’m pregnant again, there goes my intelligence.”

The good-tempered Qi Chenglin was helping Ruan Danchen to dry her hair. Her long hair was spread across his palm while he dried each and every part of her hair in small bunches while enjoying the smoothness that went through his fingers.

“What are you worrying about? Do you think I’ll let you suffer in my presence?” Qi Chenglin smiled. He leaned forward and grasped Ruan Danchen’s hand which was still poking at his lower abdomen and gave a few light pecks on her fingers.

Ruan Danchen’s fingers were slender and soft without any callus formation or desquamation, which felt especially delicate.

Ruan Danchen squinted. “Others won’t be able to bully me, but you’re especially evil occasionally.”

Qi Chenglin made no attempt in denying as happiness flared in his narrowed eyes. Obviously, his mood was lightened after listening to Ruan Danchen.

“...” Ruan Danchen was left speechless.

What else could Ruan Danchen say when her man acted in this way?

Qi Chenglin placed the hairdryer down and carried Ruan Danchen to the bed. Then, he frowned upon noticing her barefoot.

“Even though the weather is getting warmer, it’s not warm enough to the extent that you can walk barefoot yet,” Qi Chenglin disagreed.

Then, with his nice-looking and delicate hand, Qi Chenglin grabbed both of Ruan Danchen’s feet. They really felt cold, so Qi Chenglin gave her a ‘you were so disobedient’ look.

“...” Ruan Danchen stared as her feet were grasped firmly by Qi Chenglin’s delicate hand.

Ruan Danchen felt uneasy when her feet were clasped within Qi Chenglin’s clean, elegant and especially warm palm too. She figured that they were dirty since it was not her hand which he was holding.

Even though Ruan Danchen took a shower and every part of her body was clean now, she would still feel embarrassed when he grasped her feet.

Ruan Danchen tried to retract her feet but Qi Chenglin’s grip was too strong. He raised his eyebrows in response and saw Ruan Danchen avoiding direct eye contact with rosy cheeks. This gave Qi Chenglin a good mood as he loved watching her feeling helpless in his presence for some inexplicable reason.

It was a terrible habit, but Qi Chenglin was unable to change it!

Qi Chenglin gave a little massage on the soles of her feet with both of his thumbs and showed his disagreement with his eyes. “Don’t move, your feet are cold.”

Ruan Danchen still felt uneasy. Normally it would be fine to use her foot to kick Qi Chenglin’s calves, but she had never thought of using it to contaminate Qi Chenglin’s hands.

historical

Qi Chenglin’s hands were too refined, so they must be kept clean and pristine.

“My feet are dirty,” Ruan Danchen mumbled.

However, Qi Chenglin seemed to take it seriously and examined her feet carefully. He even checked her toe web spaces which mortified her.

Fortunately, Ruan Danchen washed her feet clean. It would be extremely embarrassing if they were left dirty!

“They’re quite clean,” Qi Chenglin concluded after a thorough examination of her feet. Then, he gave some gentle squeezes on the soles of her feet again and put on a warm smile. “Fat accumulated on your body but not on your legs.”

Ruan Danchen’s lower limbs were still fair, slim and beautiful.

Then, Qi Chenglin tucked both of Ruan Danchen’s feet under his shirt. The soles of her feet were pressed against his lower abdomen, and she could even feel the smoothness and warmth on his firm muscles.

Ruan Danchen gave up struggling and lifted up her shirt to reveal her enlarging abdomen due to fat accumulation.

Ruan Danchen was fortunate enough to go through an entire pregnancy and gave birth to Youxuan without developing striae gravidarum. Some women were born with different skin constitution and elasticity which allowed them to go through pregnancy with no obvious changes except for further abdominal softness postpartum as compared to nulliparous women.

Ruan Danchen squeezed the fat on her waist and complained with teary eyes. “It’s not even three months yet and I’m already this fat. What am I supposed to do now?”

Ruan Danchen’s feet remained on Qi Chenglin’s lower abdomen but he asked her to bent her knees. Then, he leaned forward and placed his palm on her soft abdomen. “It’s soft and feels good. You’re too thin, you need to become sturdy so that it’ll be easier to give birth later.”

Ruan Danchen felt like burying her face at the current moment. She pouted and countered, “I’ve heard that the fetus will absorb mother’s nutrients too. If there’s excessive nutrient in the mother, the fetus will grow bigger and lead to difficult labor.”

Ruan Danchen grabbed the corner of the blanket and struggled with her thoughts. “What should we do if our daughter becomes too fat?”

“There’s such a thing too?” Qi Chenglin was indecisive now.

Qi Chenglin took care of newborn Qi Youxuan before this, but he had never taken care of pregnant women. Thus, it was natural that he had zero knowledge on the care and particulars in pregnancy.

“Yes, there is!” Ruan Danchen nodded vigorously.

Qi Chenglin pondered before nodding his head. “Then I’ll ask the doctor next time, and besides, aren’t we going for routine antenatal checkup? Everything should be fine if we follow the doctor’s advice strictly.”

Ruan Danchen’s feet were warmed under Qi Chenglin’s shirt. Then, she rubbed them on his abdomen shamelessly since she had nothing to lose before taking her feet out of his shirt and buried them under the blanket. After that, she turned around and rested her head on his thighs while playing around with the corner of his shirt.

“You promised to cook for me personally on my birthday initially,” Ruan Danchen complained regretfully. Qi Chenglin even mentioned that his cooking skills improved too.

Ruan Danchen planned to have a small birthday celebration with just the three of them only, but it was unexpected that Ruan Danchen recognized the Ruan family one week before her birthday. Thus, the Qi family and the Ruan family gathered together and organized a grand birth-->>

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