Chapter 423: You Better Not Have This Thought Just Because Her Surname is Also Ruan
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“There’s a saying that the elder brother is like a father. Keyu is seven years younger than me. In my eyes, he is partially my son. These years, the appearance of his younger self is becoming clearer in my mind. I keep on recalling the beautiful look that he has when he was young. I had always kept this little brother under my wings and hoped to protect him forever. I had done so for over twenty years. Who would have thought that he…” Ruan Keshan could not fight back the tears that finally rolled down his face. “I had protected him for so long but in the end, I could not keep his only child safe. I have failed him, I have failed him!”
“Yuehuan was also a poor young lady. She only had Keyu to depend on. Although we don’t know much about her, I’m still very satisfied with this sister-in-law. She was so pitiful yet I still could not protect her child. I just want to know where that child is… where…”
Chen Minxia knew that the most painful prick in the hearts of the Ruan father and son was Ruan Keyu’s child whom they had never met. They had never given up looking for that child all those years but what else could they do? There was no trace for them to follow and they did not even know whether the child was a boy or a girl. The only clue they found was the hospital where Chang Yuehuan gave birth. The hospital had informed them that Chang Yuehuan was accompanied by a friend at that time.
It was originally a procedure for the family to sign the papers if a woman went into labor and was to give birth at the hospital. However, the explosion at Shuo City University was too chaotic with heavy casualties. Even that hospital had received numerous casualties in the emergency department. With Ruan Keyu’s death in the explosion and their family far away in B City, there was no one who could sign the papers for that maternity patient.
In that era when the people were still sincere and honest, there were not as many rules and regulations to follow. The hospital had allowed an exemption for that case as they could not just see the patient lose her life. They let the maternity patient signed the papers on her own and specifically expressed that the hospital would not be responsible for any accident that might have occurred thereafter.
Only then did they move her into the delivery room.
Despite that, they did not expect the patient to give in to death due to the massive blood loss during delivery.
The medical treatment was not as strict at that time. There were many flaws in the procedure. Furthermore, Shuo City was just a small place with merely two public hospitals. The other public hospitals were only slowly established a few years later.
The situation then was also too chaotic as a result of the explosion. The surgical rooms were insufficient to cater to the continuous intake of casualties. Thus, many first aid surgeries were simply performed in the hall.
The hospital even had insufficient doctors for their patients, let alone surgical rooms.
With the lack of manpower to properly care for those newborn babies, the child went missing when the Ruan family finally arrived at Shuo City. Nonetheless, the hospital still kept the childbirth record which had the hastily documented information of the child including the gender, weight, blood type, etc.
Ruan Keshan could not trust the information recorded in such a chaotic situation. He was afraid that the record was simply composed to turn him away. Even so, he still took down the information regardless of the truth. At least, there was something to hold on to.
His father, Ruan Lichuan, had also turned up at Shuo City immediately after being informed of the incident. They claimed Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan’s bodies and buried the couple together. Of course, the Ruan family did not let the hospital off easily but so what?
His brother and sister-in-law had both passed on while their only child was still missing.
All those years, they had never given up looking for that child with the little information they had.
Ruan Keshan slammed a fist on the table suddenly. After the loud ‘thud’, he said, “We had already had everything planned out. Once Yuehuan had given birth, we could bring them back to B City. Dad had even gotten Keyu a teaching post at B University. Who could have thought… Who could have thought…”
Chen Minxia quickly wrapped her palms around Ruan Keshan’s fist. She examined his bruised joints and a few other areas that were bleeding.
“Lao Ruan, calm down. I did not show you the photos to bring up your guilt from the past.” Chen Minxia wanted to treat his wound but knew that Ruan Keshan was not in the mood for that at the moment.
Besides, it was merely a common bruise. So, there was nothing to fuss about. That punch, however, must have been painful for it had hit the bones.
“I just wanted to say, didn’t the hospital tell us that there was a friend accompanying Yuehuan at that time? I remember this Liu Ronghua coming to B City for a trip with Keyu and Yuehuan. They must have been quite close. Could it be her who stayed by Yuehuan’s side?” Chen Minxia explained as she felt Ruan Keshan calming down. Upon hearing her guess, Ruan Keshan was also stunned.
“You’re saying that… She might take Keyu’s child away?” asked Ruan Keshan. His face lit with hope.
All those years, they were searching relentlessly with the little information they had circulating Shuo City. Whenever they found a hint, Ruan Lichuan and Ruan Keshan would both put aside their work to travel to Shua City in person. However, they would always return in disappointment.
In recent years, Ruan Lichuan could no longer rush about as he grew older with age. Thus, Ruan Keshan was the only one left to continue the search.
“Perhaps. It could also be a nice samaritan who helped Yuehuan.” The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. So, Chen Minxia could only speak of her conserved thoughts to Ruan Keshan.
The one who accompanied Chang Yuehuan at that time was their biggest clue. They had asked around her colleagues and neighbors yet they found nothing.
It even occurred to them to contact Liu Ronghua but they were not familiar with her. During the time when Liu Ronghua went to B City with Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan, they also did not have much conversation with her. Therefore, they could not even recall Liu Ronghua’s name, let alone looking for her.
“When we went to look for her then, we could not find her. Since we now know that she is in B City, we can just visit her. She is at least a clue to the child. Maybe we can get something out from her. She was so close to Yuehuan. Perhaps, Yuehuan did find her at that time,” said Chen Minxia.
Looking at Ruan Keshan’s hopeful expression, Chen Minxia squeezed his arm. “Lao Ruan, don’t put too much hope in this. It is after all merely a guess. I’m afraid that like before, we’ll go with hope but…”
“I know.” Ruan Keshan patted the back of her hand softly. “After all those tries, I’ve actually prepared myself for disappointment whenever we found a trace. However, as long as I don’t give up, I’ll never lose hope even until my death. When Zeer is older and we still haven’t found Keyu’s child, I’ll explain everything to him and let him continue the search.”
Chen Minxia understood Ruan Keshan’s feelings for his brother very well. That was why she had never asked him to give up the search. Both Ruan Lichuan and Ruan Keshan were working on scientific research. Their work nature did not earn them much. Nonetheless, they still received a considerable amount from their subsidies, rewards, and monetary prizes for their research.
Besides, Ruan Lichuan was the nation’s most notable researcher in his field of study. He was even among the top ranks in the world and had been awarded the Fields Medal. There was no Nobel Prize for the field of mathematics. Thus, the Fields Medal was internationally considered as the field of mathematics Nobel Prize.
Ruan Lichuan was definitely a leader in the mathematical field.
Ruan Lichuan’s worth could not be measured by money alone. He was a national treasure. The country had also not treated him badly. So, the Ruan family’s financial capability was rather decent. It was only their search for Ruan Keyu’s child those years that did not allow them to have much savings.
“That’s it!” Ruan Keshan’s expression changed suddenly. His eyes were overflowing with a pleasant surprise that was obvious even through his thick glasses. “Wasn’t there a piece of news that caused an uproar? It mentioned that Liu Ronghua has an adoptive daughter named Ruan Danchen.”
Chen Minxia let out a sigh. Although he said that he was prepared for disappointment, he still could not control his excitement and eagerness.
“You better not have this thought just because her surname is also Ruan. Even if we are suspicious of that fact now, we do not have any evidence. How would she perceive us if we just go to her rashly?” advised Chen Minxia.
“I know but…” Ruan Keshan still could not help but shake in excitement. He gripped Chen Minxia’s hands tightly and asked, “She is, right?”
“I’m not sure.” Chen Minxia shook her head. “Before this, I did not have much recollection of Liu Ronghua but when I saw this photo, I began to remember things about her. When I first met Liu Ronghua, I felt slightly uncomfortable to be around her. I could not seem to like her because apart from her weak and pitiful appearance, I also noticed her feelings towards Keyu.”
As Chen Minxia saw Ruan Keshan’s confused gaze on her, she recalled that that man had a low EQ. Pursing her lips, she decided to put it bluntly, “I think she liked Keyu.”
When Ruan Keshan seemed to understand her point, she continued, “Looking at how her actions were completely revealed on the Internet, I feel that she is not a sensible person. We cannot predict her actions based on that of any other normal people. What if her feelings towards him led her to imagine herself raising Keyu’s child by giving the child his surname? Which woman would harm the child of her beloved man? That Ms Ruan is really lucky to have finally found a good place to belong. Otherwise, what’s there awaiting her?”
Chen Minxia sighed, “I’m in a dilemma right now. I hope that Ms Ruan is Keyu’s daughter. Then, we can stop our neverending search. No matter the pain that Ms Ruan had gone through, she has finally had her happy ending. Yet I hope that it isn’t her as well. I don’t want Keyu’s daughter to suffer so much earlier.”
“All in all, we can’t just turn up in front of Ms Ruan rashly. It’s not right to mislead her. Since she is here with her husband and child, she definitely won’t vanish in an instant. If we have any suspicion, we can always get Keer to ask her. Now though, we must first visit Liu Ronghua to ask her about what she knows,” said Chen Minxia.
As Ruan Keshan could panic easily when facing such matter, Chen Minxia was needed by his side to remind him.
Whenever Chen Minxi finished a sentence, Ruan Keshan would nod his head just like her son.
“It’s just that where do we find Liu Ronghua? Should we get a detective?” asked Ruan Keshan as he looked at Chen Minxia.
“Don’t you know a few journalists?” Chen Minxia replied with another question. Ruan Keshan also frequently released some academic papers and was given countless awards. As a result, there were always a number of journalists who would like to interview him.
He had only accepted a few interview requests and instead, put his attention on his research. Nevertheless, he was still acquainted with a few journalists.
“Looking at the uproar earlier, I wonder if those journalists have gone to interview her? She may be staying away from the public but the journalists must have had her address. So, we don’t need to waste our time by hiring a detective,” Chen Minxia said with a chuckle. “However, if you don’t want to owe someone a favor…”
She knew Ruan Keshan’s character very well. He would put all his heart into his research and seldom socialized with others. He also did not like to participate in similar socializing events even if to show himself up only for a short while. He did not like and did not want to socialize just like Ruan Lichuan.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. I’ll go and ask them now. Hiring a detective will take a long turn around,” said Ruan Keshan. Then, he quickly called his teaching assistant as these matters were usually handled by his teaching assistant.
His teaching assistant was shocked to see him requesting the journalists’ contact information. The teaching assistant was even more surprised when Ruan Keshan preferred the journalists who wrote social-related topics or entertainment news.
Despite that, the teaching assistant still gave Ruan Keshan the contact number of a journalist who wrote social news. That journalist used to interview Ruan Keshan so he was not unfamiliar to him. Furthermore, the teaching assistant was worried that those who wrote entertainment news could not be trusted and would simply make something up to trick him.
After getting the contact number, Ruan Keshan immediately called the journalist. The journalist did not even ask anything. Instead, the journalist gladly shared the address of Liu Ronghua’s residing address with him.
Ruan Keshan gripped the paper with Liu Ronghua’s address tightly in his hands. It was as important as gripping onto life. That was the biggest clue they had in those twenty years.
Chen Minxia took a glance at him and advised, “It’s late. Don’t work too late into the night. It’s bad for your eyes and your body. Remember to wash your face later. Your eyes are still red after that outburst earlier. If you let Keer see you like this, he’ll assume that we have had a fight.”
“Aye,” Ruan Keshan agreed honestly.
Chen Minxia chuckled, “Keer is going to visit the Qi family this Sunday. So, we can visit Liu Ronghua then. Let us beat around the bush with Keer these few days to ask about Ms Ruan’s situation.”
“Sure, sure,” responded Ruan Keshan quickly.
Ruan Keshan tidied up his table and left the room. He let out a sigh of relief when he did not find Ruan Zeer around as he exited the room. He did not want his son to see him in a mess. Thus, he hurried into the washroom to clean up his face.
Chen Minxia went to the living. When she saw Ruan Zeer holding a glass to fill it with water, she tried to ask unintentionally, “Zeer, are you visiting the Qi family this Sunday?”
Ruan Zeer nodded in affirmation. Hence, Chen Minxia continued, “It’s better to not go empty-handed. I’ll buy some food tomorrow for you to bring along.”
“Okay,” smiled Ruan Zeer. He was also wondering about what he could bring for the Qi family.
He had only recently known that Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan were from such a wealthy family. He also knew that they were not short of anything that he could bring. The most important thing was the intention behind the gift yet that intention was the most difficult to grasp.
“I notice that Ms Ruan was still very young but her son is already so big,” said Chen Minxua as she poured herself a cup of tea.
Ruan Keer did not hurry away after filling his glass with water. Instead, he sat down across Chen Minxia and continued the conversation. “It’s not right to address her as Ms Ruan anymore. She is already married after all.”
Chen Minxia chuckled, “I always saw her name on the news so I just subconsciously address her as Ms Ruan.”
“She did not mention how old she is but I guess that she should be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Actually, I feel that she seems more like twenty-three or twenty-four years old,” said Ruan Zeer.
Chen Minxia nodded her head and sipped on her tea. She stopped asking about Ruan Danchen in fear that Ruan Keer would suspect something. If he acted oddly in front of Ruan Danchen, he might be considered to have impure intentions by the Qi family.
…
That Saturday, Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin both had to attend different business meetings and had left for the office. They would return to the Qi family manor later in the afternoon for a gathering. Cheng Dongge had to follow along as Qi Chengzhi’s assistant.
Qi Chengyue was already in her fifth month of pregnancy yet her belly seemed to be so much smaller than the others in their fifth month. It was even smaller than Song Yu’s belly.
“Why is your belly so small? Where are all the nutrition fed into you?” Guan Liya stared at her daughter’s abdomen and shook her head.
“I’ve checked with the doctor but the doctor said that there was nothing wrong with the baby. Besides, it’ll be easier on me if the child is smaller,” explained Qi Chengyue in a smile. She rubbed her belly affectionately as two dimples were clear on her cheeks.
“It’s not good for the baby to be too small as well. We still have some birds nests at home. I’ll ask your dad to bring it to the office for you.” Guan Liya clicked her tongue, “You’re always like this. If there is no one to monitor you, you’ll never eat these things much less buy them. You seldom eat fruits as well. Do you take in more now that you’re pregnant?”
“I still don’t like to eat fruits. Well, at least my blood sugar level will not level up,” Qi Chengyue still responded with a smile. “When I went to the hospital for a check-up, I passed all the necessary tests. I don’t even have a high blood sugar level like every other pregnant woman because I don’t eat too many fruits. I’ll only take in some when Cheng Dongge gave me at night.”
“This child. What would you be without Cheng Dongge? You can’t eat too much nor too little.” Guan Liya glared at her. She seemed to control herself from accompanying Qi Chengyue.
“I won’t lack nutrition. I always eat those supplements that you give and still have some left at home. Dongge would braise them for me every day.” Qi Chengyue’s face was glowing with happiness. Besides, her face was slightly rounded due to her pregnancy. That had made her look even more jubilant.
Guan Liya noticed that Qi Chengyue kept mentioning Cheng Dongge in their conversation. It was obvious that their relationship was very good. Seeing that Cheng Dongge treating Qi Chengyue well, Guan Liya felt relieved and happy for them.
“Alright, I know that Dongge treats you well! If you keep on mentioning him like this, others may think that I’m not satisfied with this son-in-law.” Guan Liya rolled her eyes at Qi Chengyue. “When Dongge is at home, he can care for you. What about the time that he is not home? He has to attend business meetings after all.”
“Then, I’ll not do anything.” Qi Chengyue bit on the banana that Guan Liya gave her. “Actually, I do make myself something when he’s not home but there are a few times when I forget. Mom, you do know how forgetful a pregnant woman is. Missing a few supplements is not a big deal.”
“You can’t be bothered but I’m concerned about my son-in-law.” Guan Liya gave Qi Chengyue another glare. “Dongge is already so busy yet he has to care for you. He must have been very tired after his business meetings but still has to make time for you.”
Qi Chengyue’s smile grew sweeter at the thought of her husband.
Since her pregnancy, she had become more dependent on Cheng Dongge. She did not know why but she loved to be affectionate towards him. Whenever he was not around, she would miss him so much that she went to peek at him at the office during working hours. She would feel a sense of satisfaction when she saw his charming look as he worked so seriously. After that, she would leave him secretly.
However, her daily secretive actions were caught by her colleagues. Of course, Cheng Dongge knew of her actions later on but could not do anything about it.
He also wondered why Qi Chengyue would look for him every day. There was no fixed timing for her secret visit. Whenever she thought of him, she would go to peek at him. Thus, Cheng Dongge could not wait the whole day for her to visit and had resorted to working calmly. Nonetheless, he would turn his head around to check if Qi Chengyue was there.
There were a few times that he caught her with her big belly. Qi Chengyue was also ashamed to be caught red-handed. Her baby-face was slightly rounded during her pregnancy and that made her seem more adorable.
She would blush and turn around to leave him to his work but Cheng Dongge would attend to her helplessly and with an affectionate smile. He had never asked her to not visit him during working hours. Her visit was also greatly welcomed by Cheng Dongge because he would miss her as well. Besides, he enjoyed seeing her embarrassed expression when she peeked at him.
Therefore, he did not mind that people might pass by them. He pulled her into his embrace and planted a few soft kisses on her. As a result, Qi Chengyue was too embarrassed to visit him so frequently herself.
“Didn’t I ask you to hire a housekeeper but you don’t want to,” sighed Guan Liya as she shook her head.
