CHAPTER 425: CHAPTER 342: SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT

Li Si and Leng Mochen were caught in the whirlwind of these entangled relationships, their confusion evident in their wide, dazed eyes. But someone else was even more distraught than them.

Li Guofu and Zhang Meihua could hardly believe it; they never imagined a day would come when they’d face such an impossible dilemma.

At first, they thought it was a stroke of luck when Mr. Han Sr. took the initiative to approach them and acknowledge Li Guofu as his godson. Regardless, this seemed like an opportunity.

After all, Mr. Han Sr. had been treating them generously lately. When Li Guofu mentioned needing money to keep his business afloat, Mr. Han Sr. handed it over without hesitation and even used his connections to introduce business opportunities to Li Guofu.

As for Li Fei, he treated her just like his own granddaughter. Once, Li Fei casually mentioned how envious she was of her classmate’s car. Within mere days, Mr. Han Sr. gifted her a car.

Though it wasn’t a particularly expensive model, it still cost over ten grand!

Finally, their good days seemed to be on the horizon, and the Li family couldn’t help but grin even in their sleep. This was the life they believed they deserved!

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. No one knew when it started, but Mr. Han Sr. ended up meeting a woman outside, and the two quickly hit it off.

After some time, he suggested they gather for a meal to officially meet each other.

But this meeting turned into chaos the moment everyone saw who the other party was. They stared at each other, seething with silent anger, unable to speak.

Enemies met, and tensions flared, but out of respect for Mr. Han Sr., no one caused a direct confrontation.

Zhang Meihua never expected Mr. Han Sr.’s new partner to turn out to be Mrs. Zhou. Conversely, Mrs. Zhou was completely stunned to see that the godson’s family Mr. Han Sr. had acknowledged was Zhang Meihua’s family!

This was truly one of those moments that left you unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Mr. Han Sr., not being a fool, immediately asked how they knew each other.

Mrs. Zhou, resolved to commit to her relationship with Mr. Han Sr., decided there was no need to hold anything back. She truthfully recounted the history of her being neighbors with Zhang Meihua years ago.

Finally, disregarding Zhang Meihua’s flattering smile and begging look, she told the story of how Li Fei snatched her daughter Zhou Rou’s boyfriend.

Li Fei couldn’t suppress her anger and shouted back at Mrs. Zhou. Han Mingxue was a stain on her life!

Now, it felt like a healed scar was being mercilessly torn open once again!

Mr. Han Sr. was furious. He truly hadn’t expected such history to be buried beneath all this.

Han Mingxue, that kid, was actually his biological nephew! Yet he had done something like that!

If this had happened involving someone else, it might have been easier to accept. After all, it’s not unheard of for men to juggle multiple relationships!

But now, what was he supposed to do?

Mrs. Zhou, after listening to Zhang Meihua’s accusations, also realized for the first time that Mr. Han Sr. was indeed Han Mingxue’s biological uncle!

How was she supposed to deal with this?

She had met Mr. Han Sr. through an introduction and found him compatible after spending some time together. That’s why she was considering taking things further.

Though Mr. Han Sr. was older, he was wealthy, and his mannerisms proved he wasn’t just any ordinary man. Mrs. Zhou began to foresee benefits in pairing up. Her son and daughter weren’t married yet, after all.

Finding a well-off partner could provide many advantages—like when her son gets married, wouldn’t Mr. Han Sr. help contribute?

On her widow’s earnings alone, she’d be joking if she thought she could afford a house for her son in Beijing!

These days, young women are shrewd. Even if her son’s current girlfriend came from a wealthy family, that still wouldn’t belong to her!

She couldn’t boldly claim a stake in a home her future daughter-in-law’s family paid for, could she?

It’s not like having a daughter. If Zhou Rou gets married, moving into a house bought by her son-in-law would feel perfectly natural!

But in this situation, what was she supposed to do?

In the end, this meeting ended on a sour note. Before Mrs. Zhou could sort out her feelings, her daughter Zhou Rou, who had been missing since her recent trip back home, suddenly reappeared!

While Mrs. Zhou was feeling miserable, finally she had someone to talk to. Although she held back at first, she eventually shared the entire situation with Zhou Rou.

When Zhou Rou heard this, she was utterly stunned. She knew her mom had recently entered a new relationship, and deep down, she supported it.

After all, since she and Zhou Gang weren’t at home, her mother would feel lonely. Especially with her father’s passing so many years ago, leaving behind a mountain of suffocating debt for the family of three.

Now, they were finally debt-free, and she wanted her mom to be happy.

But how could fate be so cruel? Mrs. Zhou had mentioned her new partner’s surname was Han, which triggered a brief moment of unease in Zhou Rou. She had wondered, could there be any chance he was related to Han Mingxue?

But then she dismissed the thought. Han wasn’t an uncommon surname; there were many people with that name across the country.

Now, listening to Mrs. Zhou’s explanation, she sensed something was wrong. "Mom! Did you say that Mr. Han Sr. is Han Mingxue’s biological uncle?"

Mrs. Zhou quickly nodded. "That’s right! I heard it straight from Zhang Meihua and he confirmed it himself!"

Zhou Ruo furrowed her brows. "Something doesn’t feel right! Mom, think about it: if Han Mingxue is Mr. Han Sr.’s biological nephew, and he’s already broken up with Li Fei, why would Mr. Han Sr. recognize Li Fei’s family as his godson’s household? Isn’t that completely messing up the family hierarchy?"

She continued, "It’s impossible for Han Mingxue to avoid running into his uncle forever, right? How would he face Li Fei after everything that’s happened?"

Mrs. Zhou finally started to connect the dots as well. "That’s true! Not to mention, Zhang Meihua isn’t the type to make foolish decisions! Why would she let Li Fei’s ex-boyfriend’s uncle become their godfather? It’s just too strange!"

She paused and added, "And one more thing! The more I look at it, the more Li Guofu seems to resemble Mr. Han Sr.! I hadn’t noticed it before, but seeing them together... there’s definitely a similarity!"

Mrs. Zhou hesitated to voice a detail she’d kept to herself: when introduced to Mr. Han Sr., she was drawn to him partly because he bore a striking resemblance to Li Guofu.

Through all these years, despite never mentioning it, there were nights when regret weighed heavily on her heart.

She couldn’t help but think—if Zhang Meihua was living a good life now, wasn’t that the life she was supposed to have?

If she’d been more thoughtful about the future back then and less swayed by superficial appearances, maybe she wouldn’t have ended up with Zhou Rou’s late father and endured decades of hardship!

What woman doesn’t long for a considerate man to spend her life with?

Suddenly, Zhou Rou’s expression lit up with intrigue. "Mom! Do you think there’s a possibility that Li Fei’s dad and this Mr. Han Sr. have some hidden connection? Maybe something like a shared lineage? For example, what if they’re actually father and son?"

Her immediate thoughts didn’t go to Grandma Li’s side—it was more likely, she guessed, that Li Guofu could have been a child abandoned by Mr. Han Sr. in the past.

Otherwise, out of all the possible families, why would he decide to recognize their household?

What’s more, Li Fei and her mother weren’t the type to swallow their pride and move on. If there wasn’t something fishy going on, Zhou Rou didn’t believe Li Fei would willingly mend fences so easily—recognizing her ex-boyfriend’s uncle as a god-grandfather? She truly pushed past all limits!

There was only one explanation: Li Guofu and Mr. Han Sr. must share a bloodline!

But thinking along those lines, it brought up an unsettling question:

Could Li Fei and Han Mingxue also be blood relatives?

And if that were true, it would be a massive scandal!

Zhou Rou carefully analyzed the situation. She hated Li Fei, and this scenario might just pave the way for ultimate revenge!

Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhou fell into deep thought. It was true that she and Zhang Meihua had been neighbors once, but after they married, except for exchanging the occasional snide remark, she knew little about Li Guofu.

That said, suggesting Li Guofu wasn’t Mrs. Lin Sr.’s biological son? Mrs. Zhou would counterargue till the end.

Back when the eldest Li family son was alive, he wasn’t favored much by his mother—let alone after his death. If it were a question of his parentage, saying he wasn’t Mrs. Lin Sr.’s biological child seemed more believable.

But this scenario was growing increasingly implausible!

Unless, unless...

Mrs. Zhou hesitated to take her thoughts further; the implications were far too absurd!

At this moment, Zhou Rou smirked mischievously. "Mom! I remember Li Fei has an aunt, doesn’t she? Maybe we can get some answers from her!"

She couldn’t believe that such a major family drama wasn’t something that at least one member of the household was aware of!

"That’s true! I actually know where she works! She’s at LeleMart supermarket, working as a merchandiser in the dairy aisle. Maybe we could go and ask about it indirectly?"

"Honestly, I think Mr. Han Sr. is genuinely a decent man. His conditions are excellent, too! But with these tangled relationships, I can’t bring myself to face him!

In any case, his nephew dated you, and if things really progressed between us, wouldn’t it be awkward to meet later on?"

Even though Mrs. Zhou usually had a thick skin, this situation felt increasingly uncomfortable to her the more she mulled it over.

Zhou Rou soothed her. "Mom! Don’t overthink things just yet. Let things happen naturally. I’ll head over to the supermarket later and see if I can find anything out."

"Alright then," Mrs. Zhou agreed with little hope.

This whole ordeal was truly nerve-wracking! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider visiting Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)