Su Chenghai called Su He precisely for this matter. With his limited means, he couldn't find any trace of the mother and son. The mother and son had already absconded with his last remaining assets, so how could he not be anxious?
After hearing his account, Su He silently grumbled in her heart: Serves you right!
For being an unscrupulous rich man!
For being a philanderer!
Retribution has arrived!
"We no longer have any relation. I don't want to get involved in your family's affairs," Su He's words were somewhat cold. But they were practically strangers, so saying such a thing was not unusual.
Su Chenghai abandoned his usual harsh demeanor towards her and his tone held a hint of pleading. "Everything that happened before was my fault. I only beg you, for the sake of our father-daughter relationship, to help me with this..."
Su He, however, couldn't be bothered to waste words with him and spoke directly, "I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I can't help."
"I know your difficulties, but your husband is Lu Yanbei. Finding someone is just a matter of him opening his mouth..." Su Chenghai refused to give up and continued to pester her.
"Why should he help you?" Su He asked with a smile.
Su Chenghai choked for a moment. "After all, I was his former father-in-law."
"You can say that to him yourself," Su He said, preparing to hang up.
Su Chenghai became anxious. "Su He, if you agree to help, I'll tell you a secret."
The word "secret" successfully made Su He pause.
What secret could she possibly have?
Fearing Su He wouldn't believe him, Su Chenghai revealed a few hints. "It has something to do with your being lost back then."
Su He wasn't simply swapped at the hospital; she was deliberately switched by someone with malicious intent and then abandoned. When Su Dazhi found her, she was squatting by a baozi stall, drooling, her longing gaze something Su Dazhi would remember his whole life. Later, the Su family found her and only explained the reason simply, but the truth behind it was never revealed to her.
Su He took a deep breath, hesitating whether to make this trade.
Lu Yanbei came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, and saw her sitting on the bed with a troubled expression. "What's wrong?"
Su He decisively hung up the phone. "Su Chenghai wants to make a deal with me."
"He still dares to approach you?" Lu Yanbei frowned unhappily. "What did he say?"
"He wants to trade the secret of my being lost back then for information about two people," Su He told him the whole story. "Do you think I should agree to it?"
"Do you care about the truth of what happened back then?" Lu Yanbei countered.
Su He hesitated and nodded. "If it was simply a mistaken swap, there's nothing much to fuss about. But if someone meticulously planned it, I want to seek justice for myself."
Lu Yanbei placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. "Since that's the case, agree to it. However, the truth of the information needs to be verified. As long as the information is true, I'll help him this once."
Su He touched his smooth chin and asked, "Will this put you in a difficult position?"
"It's just a matter of a word," he said. Compared to other things, his wife's feelings were paramount.
He didn't want Su He to dwell on this matter.
Resolving this knot in her heart was very necessary for her.
His bottom line would always be her.
"Thank you," Su He looked up gratefully and kissed him on the corner of his mouth.
"So perfunctory?" Lu Yanbei playfully pushed her onto the bed.
Su He blushed involuntarily and resisted, "Haven't you had enough of this morning?"
"Not enough," Lu Yanbei answered honestly.
Su He gave him a playful glare. "How can you be so shameless!"
"I'm a normal man," Lu Yanbei leaned on her shoulder, his warm lips gently nibbling her neck, causing Su He to tremble.
Was this man a dog?
After a while, Lu Yanbei finally got off the bed, breathing heavily, and went back into the bathroom.
Su He quickly pulled her sleeping gown, which had slipped to her waist, back up and rolled into the covers.
She clutched her chest, feeling her heart pound.
It wasn't hard to imagine what would happen after her period ended.
Su He covered her face, feeling both nervous and inexplicably expectant.
With Lu Yanbei's capabilities, finding out about the past would be a trivial matter.
Soon, his subordinates learned from a former nanny of the Su family that when Su An'an was brought back to the Su family, Qin Ruofang noticed something was wrong and felt that it wasn't her child. However, because Su An'an was fair-skinned and much prettier than her own wrinkled infant daughter, she had a momentary lapse in judgment and didn't mention it to anyone, letting the mistake continue.
Because she hadn't given birth to a son, the Su family harbored considerable resentment towards her. Before she had even finished her postpartum confinement, plans for a second child were already in motion. If Su Chenghai, who was on a business trip, saw the child looking so unappealing upon his return, he might have been even more disgusted.
Under a spell of infatuation, she simply went along with the mistake and raised Su An'an as her own daughter.
To be fair, Su An'an was indeed accomplished in everything she did. Moreover, she was obedient and likable, which pleased Su Chenghai, a new father, for quite some time.
It wasn't until Madam Su fell seriously ill and required a bone marrow donation from a relative that Su An'an's true identity was exposed.
At that time, the Su family was greatly shocked and cursed Qin Ruofang, pointing fingers at her and accusing her of not even recognizing her own biological daughter! Qin Ruofang naturally put on a display of being wronged, claiming that all newborns looked alike and she wasn't sure what had happened.
However, even after Su He was found, the Su family didn't seem to like her much.
After all, the Su family valued sons over daughters, and girls were always meant to be married off, so they were of little consequence.
Su He, having learned the truth, remained silent for a long time before finally laughing.
She never imagined that such a heartless mother could exist in the world!
To avoid being disliked by her in-laws, she was willing to let her biological daughter wander outside and doted on an imposter for decades.
Thinking of this, Su He felt like laughing.
"Fortunately, I had good fortune, with my adoptive parents and siblings doting on me," Su He said, leaning in Lu Yanbei's arms as she finished reading all the documents, her expression remarkably calm.
Lu Yanbei patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Such relatives are better off without."
"I never considered them family anyway," Su He said. "I only acknowledge my adoptive parents."
Lu Yanbei affectionately kissed her forehead. "From now on, they will never be able to hurt you one bit."
Lying in his embrace, Su He felt incredibly at ease.
*
Qin Ruofang, who was sunbathing on an island abroad, involuntarily shivered.
She looked at the bright sun outside and couldn't help but wonder.
Could it be that Su Chenghai had found out her whereabouts?
He shouldn't have!
She was convinced her maternal family wouldn't betray her!
Besides, the hush money she gave them was substantial.
Could it be that Su Lao Er's side had made a mistake?
As she pondered, her phone suddenly rang. It was Su Chengt'ao calling.
She thought for a moment before finally answering. "You better have something important to say."
"Sister-in-law, my brother hit me. Shouldn't you compensate me more for the medical expenses?" Su Chengt'ao reasoned amicably. He only received five percent from Qin Ruofang, so he was naturally not satisfied. But he also knew Qin Ruofang's personality and couldn't push her too hard.
His elder brother's fate was the best example.