Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

It's a few photos of little babies with pigtails on their heads, and they look especially cute when they smile.

Those eyebrows and eyes—

The old man picked up a photo that had fallen to the ground, and when he turned it over, he saw that Xu Qingcheng was holding the little girl in the photo.

Those eyebrows and eye contours are unmistakable.

As Jiang Wenyu came out of the greenhouse, she heard the old man slap something with his hand and make a muffled sound. She put down the watering can and looked over, only to hear Fu Shiqing ask, "Has it been verified?"

"The information isn't complete yet, and I was afraid you'd be anxious, so..." Old Chen replied respectfully, "The child wasn't born in China; we've already arranged for someone to verify it."

Jiang Wenyu, with her sharp ears, heard this and asked, "What child?"

Before Lao Chen could speak, Fu Shiqing spoke first, "Verify it as soon as possible, and tell them to keep their mouths shut and not to make a fuss about this."

Old Chen understood and immediately turned and left.

After Jiang Wenyu and the others left, she came over and opened the documents that Fu Shiqing had slammed on the table. She held the photos a little further away from herself to look at them, but her presbyopia made it hard to see clearly, so she simply took the old man's glasses to look at them.

After reading it, the two old people stared at each other for a long time, neither of them saying a word.

Even though they were quite old and had experienced a lot, the fact that this was a child, not an object, still deeply moved the elderly couple.

After a long while, Jiang Wenyu finally asked, "What's the baby's name?"

Make a wish.

Fu Shiqing tapped on the documents on the table. "He's not even two years old yet. I had someone verify it."

"Not even two years old yet?" Jiang Wenyu sat down on a small sofa on the side, looking at the photo carefully. "This baby is beautiful, just like her mother."

The old man hummed in agreement. "It does resemble it."

That round, tiny bundle is so adorable. Old people have a natural fondness for babies; it's a longing and a hope for new life and fresh vitality.

The Fu family is considered to have a large and prosperous population, but looking down the line, things are not so good. There is a lack of people and a lack of vitality. Only with people can a family prosper.

The old man was naturally looking forward to it, every single day.

Fu Pingxiu suddenly had a child who was already five years old when he entered the family. The old man was happy, but not having experienced the joy of the moment of birth felt like something was missing.

Jiang Wenyu was overjoyed when she heard that Pinxiu's wife was pregnant with their second child, and she had already prepared several sets of baby clothes.

Looking at this little white and soft baby, her smile is so cute, it's enough to melt anyone's heart.

Jiang Wenyu found it more and more fascinating, and couldn't help but sigh, "Judging by the dates, she conceived around the time of her wedding. The child's name is Xu Yuan (meaning 'wish'), but what kind of wish did she make?"

"That girl is stubborn. Back then, when she said she had aborted the child, I genuinely believed her." Jiang Wenyu shook her head. "Whether we investigate or not, there's no way we'll make a mistake. That girl is probably truly heartbroken and doesn't want to tell us the truth."

"Let's investigate further, and investigate thoroughly."

Jiang Wenyu glanced at him. "That girl won't do anything outrageous. Even if she went a bit too far with Jingting, I don't believe she's shameless in this kind of situation."

After all, it was the old lady who chose him, and no matter what the circumstances, I still trust my judgment in people.

"She ran away to study abroad and had a man with her. Let's find out the truth to save ourselves from gossip." In his life, he never did anything based on mere speculation. Even if he believed something, he would still need to have solid evidence presented to him.

It's not because of doubt.

Instead, by being clear about everything and having a clear understanding of everything, one will not give outsiders a chance to talk or to sway one's beliefs.

His cautious and meticulous approach to work is also the reason why he can act decisively and efficiently.

Jiang Wenyu understood what he meant and stopped talking.

"Don't make this public yet. When you have time, ask Pinghui and his wife what Jingting's situation is now," the old man instructed.

Jiang Wenyu took off her glasses and put them down. "I know that."

We've been husband and wife for a lifetime, so there's no need to say much; we can all guess pretty much what's going on.

"That kid Hongxin should be able to get out around next spring, right? I heard the boss is still trying to get him out before the new year. I wonder if this experience will teach him a lesson." Jiang Wenyu muttered, then sighed, genuinely disappointed in him.

The old man slammed his cane on the ground. His wrinkled face bore the marks of time; all his youthful vigor had been taken away by time, leaving only vicissitudes and helplessness.

Once a person goes astray, it's hard to turn back; but some things, if you don't understand them yourself, no amount of advice from others will help. After all, he's your own grandson; how can you not feel sorry for him?

……

I have an appointment with Dr. Pang for this afternoon.

After arriving at Huanan Hospital, Xu Qingcheng called Dr. Pang, who told her that she didn't need to register and could go directly to the pediatrics department. She asked her assistant to wait for her in the pediatrics clinic area and take her directly to the specialist's office.

"Let's go to the pediatric clinic. Dr. Pang might be a little late." Xu Qingcheng had been to Huanan Hospital many times and knew the place well.

Xu Qingyao followed, carrying Xu Yuan in his arms.

"You hold her hand and let her walk by herself." Xu Qingcheng glanced at Xu Yuan. "How about Yuanyuan gets down and lets her uncle hold her hand?"

Xu Yuan turned her head and hugged Xu Qingyao tightly with both arms, pressing her face against him, "No, Yuan Yuan likes Uncle."

Xu Qingcheng glared at him, "You're so lazy."

Xu Qingyao chuckled, then picked up Xu Yuan and weighed her in his arms. "Sis, haven't you noticed that children really do resemble their parents?"

"..." Xu Qingcheng glared at Qingyao, "So you're trying to find ways to say I'm lazy, huh?!"

As the two reached the outpatient building, Xu Qingcheng turned to look at him and reiterated, "I told Dr. Pang it was a relative's child, you..."

"I know. Let's go." Xu Qingyao interrupted her, knowing that Xu Qingcheng had nagged about this countless times.

But deep down everyone knows that some things can't be hidden; it's just a matter of time.

Whose child is Xu Yuan? You don't need to look at the household registration book; you can tell just by looking at his face. Besides, adults can lie, but children can't.

He understood that Xu Qingcheng didn't want to reveal Xu Yuan's intentions, but since she was standing here today, it was clear that Xu Yuan's treatment was more important than anything else.

Besides, even if Fu Jingting knew about Xu Yuan, if he dared to compete with his sister for Xu Yuan, Xu Qingyao would definitely not let him off the hook.

Wen Fei stood at the entrance of the pediatrics department and waited. She saw Xu Qingcheng coming from afar. Xu Qingcheng had her hands in the pockets of her white coat and squinted at the two adults and one child walking towards her.

Wen Fei felt a sharp pain and swelling in her chest; Fu Jingting's obvious rejection of her stemmed from this woman.

Wen Fei knew that all men were lustful, and she also admitted that Xu Qingcheng was indeed beautiful. Therefore, based on her beautiful face, she could be easily forgiven for whatever she did.

With just that pretty face, men are willing to fall at her feet!

Thinking of Fu Jingting's cold words to her yesterday, Wen Fei felt a surge of anger and distress.

Her gaze turned cold and sharp, reddened by jealousy, but she withdrew it all as they approached.

They collected everything, leaving nothing behind.

Wen Fei smiled and waved to Xu Qingcheng as she went to greet her, "Miss Xu, Dr. Pang asked me to take you there."

Upon seeing Wen Fei, Xu Qingcheng was taken aback, recalling that Dr. Pang had said on the phone that she was Wen Fei's assistant.

Xu Qingcheng opened her mouth, wanting to say that the world is so coincidental... and it really is coincidental!

But she suppressed all her emotions and calmly greeted Wen Fei, "Hello, Dr. Wen."

"This way." Wen Fei led the way, glancing at the little girl in Xu Qingyao's arms. The little girl was looking around with wide, curious eyes. Her pretty face was sure to be a femme fatale when she grew up.

Wen Fei's gaze swept back and forth between the three of them. She smiled and looked at Xu Yuan, "The little girl is so pretty, she looks just like Miss Xu."

Xu Qingcheng remained silent.

Xu Qingyao didn't know Wen Fei, so he naturally didn't know that she was Fu Jingting's fiancée, but he still keenly sensed his sister's tense nerves.

Upon arriving at the doctor's office, Wen Fei asked them to sit down and wait a moment, then took out a form for Xu Qingcheng to fill in the child's basic information.

Xu Yuan was very afraid of doctors in white coats, afraid of injections, and clung tightly to Xu Qingyao with her little arms.

Wen Fei took a piece of candy out of her pocket and gave it to Xu Yuan, smiling as she asked, "Little friend, you don't need a shot, what's your name?"

Xu Yuan stared at the candy in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then took it. "My name is Xu Yuan, and I'm two years old."

He speaks quite fluently; you can tell from how his parents taught him at home.

Wen Fei looked at the hearing aid in Xu Yuan's left ear, her face beaming with praise, "You're two years old now! Xu Yuan is so great!"

Xu Qingyao reached out and patted Xu Yuan's little head. He was a complete stranger to Wen Fei, but he felt that this doctor was very approachable and patient with children.

Only Xu Qingcheng's fingers tightened as she held the pen, her heart aching with a heavy weight.

Fortunately, Dr. Pang arrived quickly. "I'm sorry, something came up and I was held up."

"It's alright, we just arrived too." Xu Qingcheng quickly stood up.

Dr. Pang changed into her white coat, looked at Xiao Xuyuan, and beckoned, "Come here, little one, let me take a look."

Xu Qingyao quickly took Xu Yuan's hand and went over.

Dr. Pang looked at the form in Xu Qingcheng's hand, "Have you filled it out? If you have, give it to Dr. Wen to create a file."

Wen Fei came over, took the form from Xu Qingcheng, and her gaze fell on Xu Yuan's date of birth.

She looked up at Xu Qingcheng, said nothing, and went to the computer on the side to enter the data into the system.

"You're the child's father? Such a young father?" Dr. Pang looked at Xu Qingyao.

Xu Qingyao gave an awkward laugh, neither denying it nor offering a direct answer.

Little Xu Yuan clung tightly to Xu Qingyao's leg, refusing to go over. "Yuan Yuan doesn't need a shot, Yuan Yuan is all better, Yuan Yuan is taking her medicine."

"No injections needed, just a check on Yuanyuan's ears." Xu Qingcheng reached out and tugged at her little ear and the hearing aid on it. "Once her ears are healed, she won't need to wear hearing aids anymore."

Xu Yuan seemed to understand but not quite, and only moved on after hearing that he wouldn't need any more injections.

Pang Shenghua laughed, "It's because you're afraid of getting injections just because you see someone in a white coat."

Xu Qingcheng smiled and pulled Xu Yuan over.

Pang Shenghua stared at that small face, then suddenly looked up at Xu Qingcheng.

This child looks so much like Xu Qingcheng.

She looks a bit like her father, but...

Dr. Pang's eyes swept over Xu Qingyao's face again, and she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the child's mother come along?"

"no."

Before Xu Qingyao could finish speaking, Xu Yuan turned around and tugged at Xu Qingcheng's sleeve, "Mom, Yuanyuan's mom."

Xu Qingcheng tried to cover her mouth but couldn't. She had told her several times at home to call her "Auntie," but she gave herself away in a second.

Wen Fei's fingers, which were typing on the computer, stopped abruptly, and she looked sharply at Xu Qingcheng.

Xu Qingyao lied without batting an eye, "My sister has been taking care of her for a long time, so she's gotten used to calling her that."

"So you're siblings. No wonder you look alike." Dr. Pang smiled and didn't say anything more.

He simply said, "First, we'll do a routine check-up to see the basic condition of the external auditory canal, auricle, and tympanic membrane. Second, we'll do a tuning fork test. Third, we'll do some related audiological tests, such as pure-tone audiometry and acoustic impedance. Fourth, we'll do imaging tests, like a CT scan of the temporal bone, to see if the cochlear structure is normal. Fifth, we'll do an MRI to check if there are any space-occupying lesions inside the internal auditory canal."

Dr. Pang quickly finished speaking, "You've had quite a few done before, and I've seen them all, but each hospital has different equipment, and the test data is not exactly the same. Besides, your last comprehensive examination was six months ago."

"I understand, Dr. Pang."

"I've already prepared the forms in advance and contacted the relevant departments to arrange for the little one to have priority access to the hospital. If we can expedite the process, the tests should be completed this afternoon. We'll discuss the results later."

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Pang." Xu Qingcheng stood up, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Pang Shenghua called Wen Fei's name twice before Wen Fei suddenly heard him and quickly responded, "Teacher."

"Take them to the inspection area."

Wen Fei hurriedly got up and led them there, and was unusually silent the whole way.

The phone rang, and Wen Fei saw that it was Fu Jingting calling. Yesterday, he spoke to her like that, clearly drawing a line between them. Today, when he called, Wen Fei was a little hesitant to answer.

She steadied herself and answered the phone, sweetly calling out, "Jingting."

Xu Qingcheng remained unmoved.

When Xu Qingyao first heard the name, he subconsciously glanced at Xu Qingcheng.

"I've made plans with Lu Jingzhou tonight," Fu Jingting briefly explained the location. "Take a taxi over then."

Wen Fei's face was expressionless, but her voice clearly showed her delight. "Meet your friend? Sure, I'm free tonight. Send me the address."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Fei glanced back and saw Xu Qingcheng and the others following behind her. She smiled faintly, "Miss Xu, Jingting already explained to me yesterday that I was impolite before. This kind of thing won't happen again."

Xu Qingcheng looked up at her, her gaze indifferent. "It's good that Dr. Wen understands. Should we turn left or right ahead?"

Her indifference made Wen Fei's words seem like a punch to cotton. She still remembered the last time at the entrance of Xinghe Bay, Xu Qingcheng's face was as white as snow, and she stood on the moral high ground to watch Xu Qingcheng's helplessness.

At this moment, Xu Qingcheng seemed completely unaffected, while Wen Fei curled her fingers tightly in her pocket. "Left side."

After introducing them to her colleagues in the examination room, Wen Fei left, but she still glanced at Xu Yuan before leaving.

Xu Yuan's cry of "Mom" pierced Wen Fei's heart. Although she hadn't been involved in Fu Jingting's past, she had heard a lot about it. Judging from Xu Yuan's age, they were still married at that time.

If... the child is Xu Qingcheng's.

Wen Fei pressed her temples and returned to the doctor's office. Pang Shenghua was looking at Xu Yuan's information. Seeing her come in, he asked, "Did you take it?"

"Um."

"Feifei, what's the situation between you and Jingting now?"

"Nothing much, just like that." Wen Fei paused, then smiled. "Teacher, I'd like to leave a little earlier this afternoon."

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Jingting invited me to dinner tonight and introduced me to his friends." Wen Fei smiled, her eyes lowered. "I'm going home to change my clothes."

Pang Shenghua understood and couldn't help but laugh. "What do you mean it's nothing? I've already introduced you to my friends. Alright, alright, I've granted you leave. Just remember to go home early."

……

During a break in the examination, Xu Qingyao asked Xu Qingcheng, "Is that Dr. Wen Fu Jingting's fiancée?"

"Yes."

"What did she mean by that? Why does it sound so grating to me?" Xu Qingyao's voice was tense, while Wen Fei's voice was gentle, but he still heard a hint of provocation in it.

"It doesn't mean anything. She's Fu Jingting's fiancée, so it's understandable that she cares about me, her ex-wife." Xu Qingcheng didn't want to say more.

Since Fu Jingting was going to introduce Wen Fei to his friends...

Xu Qingcheng closed her eyes briefly. Why think about this? This is good enough. They're no longer entangled. He goes his sunny path, and she goes her narrow bridge. No matter who accompanies whom, she shouldn't care or interfere.

Xu Qingyao saw that she didn't seem to be affected, so he simply stopped asking.

The inspection was very tedious, and some data still hadn't come out even when it was almost time to leave work.

Looking at the data that had come out, Pang Shenghua glanced at Xu Qingcheng's tense expression and reassured her, "Don't worry too much. The data I've seen so far is consistent with my initial assessment; the chances of a successful surgery are quite high. Don't wait any longer. The child has been through so much during the examinations; let's take her home first. I'll discuss the surgical plan with you later."

"Dr. Pang, is it appropriate for her to have surgery now?" Xu Qingcheng asked anxiously. "Some doctors have suggested that she have the surgery after she turns three."

"The child's hearing loss is trending towards worsening, and my advice is to have surgery as soon as possible. Of course, all surgeries carry risks."

Xu Qingcheng nodded, "Then I'll wait for your call."

After all that fuss, Xu Yuan was really tired. Right now, she didn't want Xu Qingyao to hold her and just snuggled up to Xu Qingcheng.

Pang Shenghua looked at them but didn't ask any more questions. She could clearly sense that the siblings were unwilling to talk about the children's parents.

Dr. Pang had no intention of prying into people's privacy, but since she was entrusted by Zhong Wanxiu, she still called Zhong Wanxiu to tell her that Xu Qingcheng had come to see her with the child.

"How is it?"

"Fortunately, it's about what I predicted. The surgical plan isn't something I can decide alone; I need to discuss it with others." Pang Shenghua pressed her temples, some words welling up in her throat, but she held them back. "That child is quite good-looking."

"Wanxiu, Feifei and Jingting seem to be doing well, right? Feifei asked for leave today because Jingting wants to introduce her to his friends."

"Oh? Really?" Zhong Wanxiu was a little surprised. "I didn't know that. The children are all grown up now, and they won't tell me their thoughts all the time."

"That's true." Pang Shenghua smiled. "But Wen Fei has a very good temperament and personality, so they are a good match."

Zhong Wanxiu seemed to be in a low mood and had no desire to chat. After exchanging a few words, the two prepared to hang up.

After ending the call, Zhong Wanxiu thought for a moment and immediately called Fu Jingting, asking, "Where are you now?"

"Outside."

"With Wen Fei?"