The Confrontation

The post included a nine-photo collage.

One was a video still showing a man putting something into a bowl.

The next three photos depicted the police apprehending two men and escorting a young man from behind a milk tea stall.

The remaining photos showcased bowls of tofu pudding with perfect presentation, followed by two candid shots of Rong Xuelan.

In one, she was preparing tofu pudding with Dou Dou on her back, her delicate and beautiful profile highlighted by the camera angle.

"She left the construction site just to sell tofu pudding while raising a child?" Qi Yu asked through gritted teeth.

So she would rather endure such hardship than tell him about the child?

Taking a few deep breaths, Qi Yu suppressed the urge to hurl the phone across the room.

Over the past few days, he had been bombarded with information.

The private investigator he'd hired had traced Rong Xuelan's whereabouts during her disappearance and delivered all the related details.

When Secretary Tang handed over the folder, her expression was complicated, and she hesitated several times, as if unsure whether to speak.

Qi Yu couldn't understand her hesitation until he opened the folder.

The contents left him stunned.

He recognized every character on the page, yet when strung together, they seemed utterly incomprehensible.

Rong Xuelan was pregnant and had given birth to a child?

Was this some kind of joke?

Qi Yu was about to explode with anger, but the photos at the back of the file rendered him speechless.

The photos showed Rong Xuelan walking along a dirt road in a rural village.

Her belly was enormous, stretching the fabric of her clothes tightly.

She looked uncomfortable, both of his hands supporting her lower back.

Secretary Tang explained that after the one-night stand with Qi Yu, Rong Xuelan had moved to a village in the suburbs of Tianxing City about a month later.

These photos had been taken by villagers.

The child was undoubtedly his.

Qi Yu was almost certain.

He ordered Secretary Tang to locate Rong Xuelan and the child immediately.

"Send me the location of the tofu pudding stall," Qi Yu said, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket. "Also, notify the DNA testing center staff to meet me there."

...

The line at Rong Xuelan's stall kept moving forward and soon Wang Hei reached the front.

Rong Xuelan smiled at him. "From now on, your tofu pudding is free. Thanks for helping me promote my business so much."

Wang Hei chuckled and started chatting while watching Rong Xuelan prepare the pudding. "Sister, will you keep selling tofu pudding here forever?"

Forever?

Rong Xuelan's hand froze briefly before she answered hesitantly, "Uh… I'll probably keep selling for a while."

It was only June and the night market was still bustling with people.

Rong Xuelan planned to save as much money as possible by continuing to sell tofu pudding before the weather turned cold.

When the winter came, she'd rent a proper shop, though she hadn't yet decided what to sell.

"Oh," Wang Hei said, sounding disappointed. "We're about to have our final exams. Once the semester ends and I go home, I won't be able to come and buy your tofu pudding anymore."

"That's okay. You'll be back in September when school starts, right? It'll still be warm then, and I'll probably still be here," Rong Xuelan replied.

"That's tue," Wang Hei admitted. "But I'm such a big fan of your good looks. A whole summer without seeing my beautiful tofu pudding sister is going to be tough." Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Sister, do you have a Weibo account? Can I follow you?"

Rong Xuelan didn't even own a phone at the moment, let alone a Weibo account.

She knew, however, that Weibo's influence was only growing.

Many businesses and brands had opened official accounts, collaborating with celebrities and influencers to promote their products and gain popularity.

Wang Hei's suggestion made Rong Xuelan think she could give it a shot.

Having a second chance at life, she was determined to seize every opportunity to earn money and provide Dou Dou with the best life possible.

"I don't have one yet, but I plan to register an account soon," Rong Xuelan replied.

Wang Hei's eyes lit up. "That's great! Then you can post your photos and daily updates! Oh, and you should livestream while you're selling tofu puddingtoo—it'd definitely attract tons of fans!"

"Alright, I'll consider it. Thanks for the idea. Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more tofu pudding!" Rong Xuelan handed him the freshly made pudding.

However, when she looked up, she noticed a tall figure standing at the stall.

It was Qi Yu.

His face was cold and expressionless, and he stared at Rong Xuelan intensely, as if the air around them had suddenly turned icy.

Rong Xuelan's heart skipped a beat and the faint smile on her lips vanished.

Why was Qi Yu here?

What did he want?

Feeling the soft, small body of Dou Dou on her back, Rong Xuelan instinctively straightened her posture.

Did Qi Yu suspect something?

Qi Yu didn't disrupt the queue of customers.

Instead, he stepped to the side, momentarily breaking the eye contact.

The oppressive aura he exuded seemed to dissipate slightly.

"When do you finish here?" Qi Yu asked, his tone devoid of emotion.

Panic surged through Rong Xuelan as she replied, "It'll be a while. I still have two buckets of tofu pudding to sell."

Qi Yu nodded his head faintly, pausing for a moment before saying, "I'll wait for you. Hand me the child—I'll carry him."

Rong Xuelan's heart sank and in that instant, she understood the underlying meaning behind Qi Yu's words.

He had figured it out.

But how?

The customer at the front of the line called out, snapping Rong Xuelan out of her thoughts.

She took a deep breath, unstrapped Dou Dou from her back and handed him to Qi Yu.

There was no way she could avoid this confrontation, so she might as well face it head-on.