NOVPUBChapter 304: Chapter 304 Old Acquaintance
Chapter 304 -304 Old Acquaintance
Bai Xiao finally got off work and stretched leisurely, the day hadn’t been busy at all! Although the heavy snow outside had stopped, the roads were tough to navigate. Every unit had mobilized their departments to voluntarily sweep and clear the roads, and their hospital had been no exception—it would be their Traditional Chinese Medicine department’s turn to shovel snow in the afternoon.
It was a response to the government’s call to action, something that, as a citizen, one should do.
There really wouldn’t be time for a nap after lunch.
Bai Xiao took off her white coat, put on her overcoat, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and wandered outside to look for Xiaoli. They usually had meals together.
But upon stepping out, she saw Shang Kaiwen and Shang Feng sitting on the waiting chairs outside the clinic, with Shang Kaijie nowhere to be seen. The pair stood up and greeted her with smiles that seemed harmless to humans and animals alike.
This smile—Bai Xiao didn’t understand. What was the Shang Family up to?
Did they really think she was easy to bully?
Ignoring them, Bai Xiao turned and went downstairs to the cafeteria, served herself food—today there was lamb and radish soup, as well as sour cabbage vermicelli, and a portion of rice. Bai Xiao’s appetite had decreased significantly these days.
She sat down with her meal, and just as she put the first mouthful of rice in, two people sat down opposite her, holding their own meal trays.
Bai Xiao rolled her eyes! Was this the kind of desperate clinging she was up against?
“Doctor Bai, what a coincidence!” Shang Kaiwen said without a trace of blushing or skipping a heartbeat.
“A coincidence? What do you two want by blocking me? I don’t think I have much to say to you!”
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to enjoy her meal after all.
Shang Kaiwen, in her entire life, had not recognized Bai Xiao, nor had she realized the special ability Bai Xiao possessed. So, what was Shang Kaiwen pestering her for?
Bai Xiao was truly fed up with handling Shang Kaiwen. She could smile and greet anyone else, but sadly, she just couldn’t bring herself to do the same for Shang Kaiwen.
Shang Feng looked at Bai Xiao with a certain eagerness, his gaze twinkling. This expression immediately put Bai Xiao on alert. Shang Kaiwen had once looked at her with the same zeal in a past life! She mistook it for admiration until she later realized it was nothing but covetousness.
Shang Feng was now looking at her the same way, and the expression on both father and daughter’s faces was eerily similar; she couldn’t fail to notice even if she wanted to.
Bai Xiao prepared to leave.
“Doctor Bai, you remind me of someone I used to know. I didn’t stay to do anything to you; I just want to ask about your background, to see if you might be the child of an old acquaintance of mine,” Shang Feng finally spoke up.
Shang Kaiwen had already analyzed it! If Bai Xiao was one of their family, Shang Feng’s daughter, there would only be benefits and no harm whatsoever for the Shang Family. If she was indeed Shang Feng’s biological daughter, it would mean wiping the slate clean of all grievances between Bai Xiao and the Shang Family! The resources Bai Xiao possessed could help pave an even smoother path for the Shang Family.
The An Family, Jiang Family—a connection to either would ensure their smooth sailing to the top.
What did the Shang Family lack now? It was the protection of power. Although the older generation of the Shang Family were also revolutionaries, the tumultuous times had hindered them. Moreover, compared to the Jiang Family and the An Family, the Shang Family was no match. So, after the old guard retired, they practically left no quality resources for their descendants. Currently, the Shang Family was only managing modest ventures precisely because they lacked confidence.
Better than some, but not as good as others.
“An old acquaintance?” Bai Xiao’s heart skipped a beat.
Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
Surely not this type of melodramatic twist; if Shang Kaiwen, who made Bai Xiao’s previous life so unbearable, was related to her, then looking at Shang Kaiwen would be truly frightening. Perhaps the targeting she faced from the beginning was all part of a conspiracy.
A conspiracy she had no idea about. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
“Yes! One of my friends who was sent to the village for labor reform was named Yu Shaoya, and you look so much like her.”
Shang Feng was somewhat excited, his look at Bai Xiao growing increasingly benevolent.
“Yu Shaoya?” Bai Xiao kept her composure. This name was indeed connected to her past—it was her mother’s. But who was Shang Feng?
“Yes, Doctor Bai, you’re from another province, from Liupan Village, and I apologize for investigating your background. It’s just that I’ve been somewhat too anxious. If this has angered you, I can apologize to you. The village we were sent to work in was near Liupan Village; did your parents ever mention that you were adopted?” Shang Feng approached the topic cautiously, not because he was overly eager for this child, but as Shang Kaiwen had mentioned, they were in need of help.
Bai Xiao might be that help.
Bai Xiao shook her head, “My parents have passed away, and they never told me that I was adopted. So I’m sorry, but you’ve got the wrong person.” She had long known that her birth mother was Yu Shaoya; nothing else mattered. She remembered her sister mentioning that Yu Shaoya had been abandoned by a heartless man, and after returning to the city alone, she was left to live by herself in the countryside. In that era, for a woman to be unmarried and pregnant was almost tantamount to a death sentence.
She must have endured so many cold stares and ridicule, only to give birth to her and then die of complications during childbirth. Such a woman was truly pitiable.
She could conduct her own investigation. With An Zhiyuan and Jiang Shaoqing to help her, she could find out if Yu Shaoya really was her birth mother. Nothing else was important.
Whether Shang Feng was the Chen Shimei she thought he was, no longer mattered. She had no intention of recognizing her ancestors and returning to her roots.
Moreover, she and the Shang Family were truly enemies now, a grudge that had begun in a past life, and nothing could change her resolve for revenge.
Not even a possible blood relation could soften her heart against such a scoundrel and her enemies. The good and kindness in her heart were reserved for others, certainly not Shang Kaiwen and Shang Kaijie.
Shang Feng, disappointed, asked again, “Are you sure your parents never told you?” There can’t be that many coincidences of people looking so similar, especially in the same region. The odds are just too improbable.
Shang Feng could not believe that Bai Xiao wasn’t his child.
Bai Xiao answered firmly, “Of course not. Even in their final moments, my parents were concerned about having my three brothers and sisters take good care of me. Over the years, my siblings have suffered so much hardship for me. Do you think, if I were unrelated by blood, they would do that?”
In her heart, she silently answered, yes!
In the world, there are siblings without blood ties who are as close as if they were related, warming her heart for many years.
Shang Feng’s inner answer was no!
Since he himself could not unconditionally treat someone unrelated by blood as family, naturally he believed others couldn’t either. People do tend to measure others by their own standards.
“Perhaps I have mistaken the person!” Shang Feng finally conceded.
Bai Xiao stood up, “Well then! I should be going back. Enjoy your meal!”
Shang Kaiwen stood up to say goodbye to Bai Xiao.
No matter the situation, Shang Kaiwen always carried herself with impeccable politeness and grace, never showing the slightest flaw.
This was the ultimate disguise.
Bai Xiao left coldly.
But, unfortunately, things don’t always go as one wishes.
“Doctor Bai! Have you finished eating? I thought you were still eating and wanted to sit with you for a while!” Dean Zhang suddenly appeared.
“Zhang Moru!”
Shang Feng greeted with surprise and delight.
Dean Zhang glanced at Shang Feng, from initial confusion to slowly dredging up a memory of an old acquaintance, finally realization dawning in his eyes, “You are Shang Feng!”
“It’s me! I didn’t expect to find you here. Do you work at this hospital?” Shang Feng was somewhat surprised, after all, they were old classmates.
“Dean Zhang, I’ll take my leave now and won’t disturb your reunion,” Bai Xiao quickly bid farewell, her mind in turmoil. Dean Zhang actually knew Shang Feng; could he possibly also know Yu Shaoya?
Perhaps she would find an opportunity to breakthrough from Dean Zhang in the future.
“Alright!” Dean Zhang was somewhat excited to see an old classmate.
