Hearing this,
Jiang Nanshu’s heart still ached.
She was always too late, unable to save Zhou Yanxu’s fate.
In both worlds, it was a massive fire.
Yet in her heart, she firmly believed that Zhou Yanxu hadn’t died, that he must be living well somewhere in the world.
Jiang Nanshu pursed her lips and also showed sympathy, “That’s really too bad, he was very young, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, he was only 29 when he died, not even married, let alone having children. It’s such a shame.” The maid’s words poured out like a broken dam—everyone likes gossip, and she couldn’t resist revealing more to Jiang Nanshu: “The burnt house is just behind this villa. They say the fire raged for three days, and by the time they got it under control, the former Family Head was burnt to ashes, not even a corpse was left behind.”
Jiang Nanshu looked at the maid, her heart rate accelerating, “You’re saying not even his body was left?”
“Mm-hmm, so there are rumors that there are haunting occurrences behind here, it’s gotten to the point where we’re all too scared to go, and some servants have even said that when they passed by there at night, they saw will-o’-the-wisps amidst the burnt ruins!” The maid’s voice lowered, fitting the vast surroundings with an eerie feel.
“Really? Is it that mysterious?” Jiang Nanshu feigned surprise.
The maid nodded gravely, “It’s true, they saw it with their own eyes. If it weren’t for fear, the person who saw it would have taken a photo to show us.”
Jiang Nanshu was not afraid of ghosts.
If one were to say they truly existed.
Then that ghost could only be her.
Reincarnating into someone else’s body was always going to sound mysterious.
And no one would believe it.
“Then can you take me to see it? I’m a bit curious.”
The maid looked terrified, “No, no, you can’t go. Ever since the ghost sightings were rumored, Mr. Zhou forbade anyone from going there. It’s been sealed off, and now the place is probably overgrown with weeds and is very gloomy. If you go, you’ll have nightmares, young lady.”
Jiang Nanshu sighed, “Alright, I was thinking of having an adventure, but since it’s off-limits, I won’t go.”
“Do you have a picture of him? I’d like to see it.”
The maid continued to shake her head, “No… the fire burnt everything, not a single photo of him was left behind. If there is one… it would be on his gravestone.”
After a while, Jiang Nanshu asked,
“Where is he buried?”
The maid truthfully replied, “In the graveyard in Western Suburb, the place is a bit out of the way.”
“Okay, I got it, thank you. I don’t want to wander anymore, let’s go back,” Jiang Nanshu said to her with a smile.
The maid led Jiang Nanshu back the way they came.
It just so happened that Zhou Zhenghui came back at this moment.
He was holding the hand of a middle-aged woman with half-gray hair, who, in contrast to him, was still somewhat presentable and not as worn down as he.
“Zhenghui, where’s our daughter? Did you really find her? Are you lying to me?” the woman asked with a trembling voice.
Zhou Zhenghui felt very uncomfortable, but seeing the hopeful light in his wife’s eyes, he forced a smile, “Yueru, it’s true, I’ve found her, I would never lie to you, our daughter has come back.”
He pointed to Jiang Leyi, who was standing up anxiously not far away, and said to Liu Yueru, “Look, that’s her, her name is Le Yi, she is our daughter.”
Liu Yueru’s gaze instantly fixed, she blankly stared at Jiang Leyi for a moment, then tears streamed down, “She’s really back… really.”
She broke free from Zhou Zhenghui’s hand and stumbled toward Jiang Leyi, “Niao Niao, wu wu wu, my Niao Niao, Mommy missed you so much.”
She hugged Jiang Leyi tightly, crying so hard that she could hardly catch her breath.
Jiang Leyi looked towards Zhou Zhenghui in a bit of a panic.
Seeing that he too looked pained, he nodded at her, signaling her to keep playing the part.
Jiang Leyi pursed her lips, then slowly raised her hand and soothed as if she were coaxing a child, “Don’t cry, don’t be sad, I’ve come back.”
“Mom… I’ve come back.”
Liu Yueru trembled all over, a sound from her throat that was both a mournful wail and joyful.
Zhou Zhenghui, fearing that her emotions would become too agitated, hurriedly stepped forward to hold her back, “Yueru, don’t get too excited, your daughter is back, and she will always be with you. We need to take care of our health, okay?”
Liu Yueru wiped her tears, her voice hoarse, “Okay.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and change, and I’ll wait here with your daughter?”
Liu Yueru looked seriously at Zhou Zhenghui, “Her name is Niao Niao; she has a name.”
Zhou Zhenghui went along with her suggestion, “Alright, I’ll wait here with Niao Niao. How about we go out to eat today?”
Finally, Liu Yueru smiled, “Good, then I’ll go freshen up a bit.”
Her gaze lingered on Jiang Leyi with reluctance.
Her eyes were filled with maternal love, “Niao Niao, you wait for Mommy. This time Mommy won’t lose you again.”
Jiang Leyi nodded obediently, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Liu Yueru happily went upstairs, supported by the housekeeper.
Once Liu Yueru was out of sight, Jiang Leyi looked hesitatingly at Zhou Zhenghui, “Lady Zhou, she…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Zhou Zhenghui understood.
His face was sorrowful, “Yes, her mental state is not good. She’s been tormented with guilt over losing her child for more than a decade and hasn’t been able to move on, punishing herself mentally over and over. I’ve found many people to play the role of my long-lost daughter, but many leave due to her overpowering need for control. With one blow after another, she’s nearly gone mad. The doctor said that if she doesn’t have a pillar of support, she might not live much longer.”
Zhou Zhenghui sat down on the sofa, clutching his hair.
His already hunched back seemed to bend even further.
Jiang Leyi sighed softly.
Jiang Nanshu came over from one side, having just seen Lady Zhou.
Compared to the dark clouds here, the atmosphere there was jubilant, just shy of setting off fireworks.
Her eyes fell on Jiang Leyi’s face, both noble and gentle, thoughtful.
The author had not mentioned Jiang Leyi’s background in the book; rather, it mentioned Su Ran’s.
She had returned to a wealthy family and recognized a wealthy dad, but her mother was the third party that interfered in her wealthy dad’s marriage, leading to the original wife’s collapse and suicide by jumping from a building.
That is to say, the wealthy dad Su Ran recognized was not part of Zhou Zhenghui’s family?
After thinking it over, Jiang Nanshu asked, “Mr. Zhou, may I ask how many years it has been since your daughter went missing?”
Zhou Zhenghui glanced at Jiang Leyi before he slowly said, “Nineteen years…”
Nineteen…
Su Ran was already twenty-one, so that didn’t match.
As for Jiang Leyi…
Jiang Nanshu raised an eyebrow and smiled at her, “Sister, don’t be nervous. Think of it as saving a life; it’s a good deed. Don’t burden yourself; just transfer your feelings for Ms. Song onto her, it will help you get into the role better.”
Mentioning Mrs. Jiang, Jiang Leyi couldn’t help but feel sad.
She used to call almost once a day.
Since she seldom went home, the care and greetings gradually decreased.
Jiang Leyi took a deep breath and smiled in response, “Okay, I got it.”
While waiting for Liu Yueru, Zhou Yanbai’s teasing voice came from the doorway, “How could you leave me out of such an important family matter? Uncle, I’ve brought your real daughter with me.”
As he finished speaking, to everyone’s astonishment, he pulled out Su Ran, who had been hiding behind him, and said with a faint smile, “Her name is Su Ran.”