The car circled for a long time before returning to the hotel. Song Lijun hurried out and walked straight inside, forgetting Catherine's existence.
Feng Zhenhua knew why his wife was distracted. He quickly followed Song Lijun's footsteps, turning to look at Catherine with concern.
"Dad, you take Mom up first. I'll order you some lunch."
Catherine shrugged understandingly, seemingly unfazed by her mother's distraction. She flipped through the hotel lunch menu, glancing at it casually.
It wasn't until a ding sounded in her ear, followed by the opening and closing of elevator doors, that Catherine randomly pointed to two set meals.
"Just these two. Send them to room 0729 later," she said.
After quickly finishing her order, Catherine pressed another elevator button and arrived at room 0729, one step behind the Feng couple. She ducked behind the wall, waiting for them to enter first.
The door was ajar, and the figures of Song Lijun and Feng Zhenhua could still be vaguely seen. Catherine crouched by the door, straining her ears to listen to their conversation.
"What's wrong? You didn't even greet her in front of Xiao Lin just now," Feng Zhenhua asked caringly. Song Lijun sat herself down in a corner of the sofa. "Didn't we agree not to let Xiao Lin notice?"
Hearing her name mentioned by her father, Catherine shifted slightly. She looked at Song Lijun and Feng Zhenhua through the gap.
The first time she saw Wei Yumeng at the hospital, she had already known her parents were being considerate of her. Having lived with her parents for decades, how could she not have noticed anything?
"I was careless."
Song Lijun finally pulled herself out of her thoughts. The sofa sank as she turned to look at Feng Zhenhua sitting beside her, her face filled with excitement and relief.
"When our granddaughter called us grandma and grandpa, I was truly unable to calm down for a long time."
"I know, I know all about it."
Feng Zhenhua gently patted Song Lijun's back. He understood her excitement at that moment. When he was called grandpa, wasn't he just as overwhelmed?
"If Xiao Lin hadn't been there, I would have wanted to reveal the truth directly! Our own biological daughter is right in front of us, yet we can't acknowledge her..."
Song Lijun covered her cheeks with a hint of sadness. It seemed her encounter at the hospital earlier had indeed been quite a shock.
The couple had carefully kept two red envelopes with them. They were originally intended as tokens of acknowledgment.
"We need to consider not only Xiao Lin but also Yumeng's feelings. There were so many people there at the time; it wasn't the right moment."
Feng Zhenhua knew this was a knot in Song Lijun's heart. He patiently consoled her.
Hiding outside the room, Catherine's expression turned cold. If she hadn't been cautious last night and sent people to track her parents in real-time, they would have truly planned to reveal the truth today.
Now they were even calling her Yumeng. How affectionate!
"From these few encounters, I find Yumeng to be kind, virtuous, and beautiful. Perhaps she'll accept the truth soon?"
Song Lijun's eyes held a trace of hope. They had observed and cherished Wei Yumeng's every action and word.
"This child has grown up to be like you, with noble character. Our granddaughter is right; Yumeng's eyes are so much like yours. I can barely look at them for more than a moment."
Feng Zhenhua was also moved by Song Lijun's words, unable to help but sigh. This was also why he had always remained taciturn.
As a loving father, Feng Zhenhua naturally shared the same thoughts as Song Lijun.
What parents in the world wouldn't want to acknowledge their biological children?
"Speaking of our granddaughter, she's truly a clever little one; she figured it out at a glance." Song Lijun smiled, her lips curling. She said with great regret, "I could listen to this 'grandma' a hundred times!"
"It's a shame our little grandson is so cautious; it's truly regrettable that he didn't call out to us." Feng Zhenhua couldn't forget Jinzhi. He imagined the scene after the truth was revealed. "This little fellow is destined for great things. He'll have to come back to Y Country with me to study."
Catherine frowned. Before anything was even certain, her father was already thinking of handing over the Y Country business to Jinzhi? Absolutely not!
"Think about it, these adorable twins, calling you grandpa and grandma one after another, how could you not be moved?"
Song Lijun, in an exceptionally good mood, teased Feng Zhenhua. The two of them lay on the sofa, envisioning a life where they held one grandchild in each hand.
"We do need to find time to have a proper talk, but I just don't know if Yumeng will be able to accept it."
Feng Zhenhua sighed. They also wanted to acknowledge their daughter, but their greatest concern, their most cherished thought, was Wei Yumeng's own feelings.
Listening to their conversation, Catherine felt no surprise. Her parents' thoughts were exactly as she had guessed.
Their greatest fear was that Wei Yumeng would resent and blame them for not looking for her, leading to a complete estrangement, which would be more painful than killing them.
Catherine curled her red lips, an idea forming in her mind. She tiptoed to the corridor, then deliberately heavy-footed her steps towards the room door and pushed it open.
"I'm back. Lunch will be here soon."
"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Lin."
Song Lijun said warmly, her mood exceptionally good, with even a smile in the corners of her eyes.
Catherine sat on the sofa opposite them, adjusting herself to a comfortable position, and nonchalantly brought up Wei Yumeng.
"However, seeing Mrs. Zhan today, she seems completely different from the rumors. She's very elegant and easygoing in person."
"Yes, this child is good. Did Xiao Lin hear some rumors?" Song Lijun nodded in agreement with Catherine's statement but was also intrigued by her words.
"Nothing much, just that after staying here for a while, you naturally hear a bit." Catherine smiled slightly, continuing without much concern, "They say Mrs. Zhan is someone who always seeks revenge and acts ruthlessly."
"Since she holds the position of the eldest madam of the Zhan family, she certainly needs to display decisive measures."
Feng Zhenhua didn't find anything wrong with that. In his opinion, one must bear the burden to wear the crown.
"That makes sense. I heard that her father merely didn't dote on her, and Mrs. Zhan disowned him as her father, even sending her stepmother to Africa."
Catherine covered her mouth, speaking with feigned surprise.
These words struck a chord with the couple, and Song Lijun and Feng Zhenhua both thought of Yin Fang, whom they had seen that day, and their expressions soured.
"Wasn't it said that it was her father and stepmother who harmed her mother, so that's why..." Song Lijun hastily retorted, clutching Feng Zhenhua's hand.
"That's merely a rumor spread by the Zhan family to protect their reputation. If that were the case, why didn't they bring them to justice?"
Catherine watched their expressions change with a cold gaze. She spoke casually but cruelly.
She had always maintained a good image in front of her parents, and they would never suspect her of fabricating anything.