DLRC – Chapter 66 Going for a Paternity Test

When he saw who had arrived, Huo Mingwang was clearly a little surprised—but not for long. After all, this mother and daughter living here was thanks to his handiwork.

“Mm.” Huo Mingwang glanced at Sun Aiying, who stood by his feet grinning, then looked up as Liu Xuehua walked in smiling from the front door.

“Where’s Old Chen? Didn’t have him drive you?” Liu Xuehua greeted him naturally. She glanced at the gray sedan parked at the entrance and asked with a smile.

“Chen Liang’s in the car,” Huo Mingwang replied. After exchanging just a few words, he left the dessert shop. Before going, he turned back for a look at Yu Hui, who was still fiddling with his drawing paper, and Yu Wei, who was chatting and laughing with Liu Xuehua behind the cashier counter.

He suddenly felt… this might be an opportunity.

Having Liu Xuehua and her daughter move here seemed like a pretty good decision.

After he left, Sun Aiying excitedly tugged at Liu Xuehua’s hand. “So Huihui’s mom makes cakes this delicious, even Uncle Huo came to buy some!”

You had to know—Uncle Huo was super busy. Normally, unless it was work-related, he’d never personally go out shopping anywhere. Even that one time he took her and her mom to the department store had been a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But she understood. Opportunities like that were rare. Uncle Huo was busy, after all. She was satisfied just having that one time—he wasn’t her dad, after all, so she couldn’t ask for too much.

Liu Xuehua smiled gently and looked at her daughter. “Alright, hurry and choose. Mommy still has to drop you off at kindergarten.”

“Okay!”

Liu Xuehua wasn’t fond of cooking, so they usually bought their meals. Since they could afford it, she often grabbed breakfast from a small vendor or noodle shop. Now that they’d moved, and with this shop conveniently downstairs, she’d take her daughter here for breakfast if it happened to be open.

The reason wasn’t complicated. Besides building a good relationship with the new neighbors, Liu Xuehua had also learned that Yu Wei’s situation was very similar to hers—she was also a single mother. There was a certain shared sympathy between them.

So if she could offer a little extra support, she would. Anyway, the pastries were pretty unique. Both she and her daughter liked them, and they could stop once they got tired of it.

After picking out their treats and paying, Liu Xuehua waved. “We’re off.”

Sun Aiying waved too, calling out to Yu Hui, “Huihui, I’m going to kindergarten now! Bye, Auntie Yu Wei!”

“Okay, take care!” Yu Wei smiled at the mother and daughter, watching them walk out the dessert shop door before she finally had time to return to the kitchen to continue baking.

Meanwhile, Huo Mingwang had returned to the office with Chen Liang.

Huo Mingwang’s company mainly dealt with grain—though called a “company,” it was essentially a factory, and the office building was located in a complex called “Limin Grain Mill.”

Limin Grain was one of the largest privately-owned grain producers in Luzhou. It had originally been founded by Liu Xuehua’s husband, Sun Dafa, who was also Chen Liang’s former boss.

After Sun Dafa passed away, due to external pressure and mounting debts, competitors had teamed up to try and crush Limin. Most of the employees left, the factory nearly collapsed, and debt collectors swarmed outside the gates daily.

It was during this crisis, on the brink of bankruptcy, that Huo Mingwang—Sun Dafa’s right-hand man—gritted his teeth and held the fort. Together with current Vice President Zhou Chengyu, he rallied the remaining veteran staff and worked tirelessly, day and night. After three years of blood, sweat, and tears, they brought Limin back to life and returned it to glory.

Only those who lived through it could truly understand the hardships they endured.

Now in Luzhou, even if people didn’t know Huo Mingwang by name, they all knew the story of Limin Grain’s revival and its new boss. That was the path through which Huo Mingwang had risen to power.

The building had three floors. Huo Mingwang’s office was on the top floor. There were three offices total: his, Chen Liang’s (his assistant), and Vice President Zhou Chengyu’s.

When they reached the third floor, Huo Mingwang pushed open the office door to find a tall man in black already waiting inside.

“Well? Did you find anything?” Once inside, Huo Mingwang left Chen Liang outside, took a few long strides, and sat in his chair.

The man in black answered respectfully, “Boss, I found out. I visited her parents and two brothers. They said she discovered she was pregnant after returning from Xishui Village, and she wasn’t with any other man during that time.”

Huo Mingwang leaned back in his wooden chair, listening quietly, his brows furrowing deeper.

“I also talked to the neighbors around their home. They all said she gave birth not long after coming back from the village. I suspect…”

Huo Mingwang interrupted coldly, “Suspect what?”

The man in black grew even more serious. “Boss, considering your relationship with… with Ms. Yu at the time, I think the child might be…”

He trailed off, but the implication was clear. Huo Mingwang’s gaze darkened as he stared at him in silence. The man continued.

“I heard that Port City has good paternity testing facilities. Maybe we can arrange something there… Who knows, maybe that child…”

Sweat beaded on his forehead. In a hoarse voice, he finally said, “Might be yours.”

The air turned frigid. Every breath felt like an invisible hand clutched Huo Mingwang’s throat, nearly choking the air out of him.

He fell silent. His fingers lightly tapped the table—tap tap tap—like the slow drip of water, every second a torment.

“You verified it?”

“Verified.”

The man in black’s chest heaved slightly. He didn’t know what the boss was thinking, but the information had been double- and triple-checked. He added, “I gave that family a lot of money. They told me everything they knew—especially her younger brother. He didn’t seem to like her much and said some awful things, but I don’t think he was telling the truth.”

“What did he say?” Huo Mingwang frowned at him.

The man repeated everything Yu Bing had said—mostly slurs and insults. How his sister had been perfectly normal before going to the countryside, and how she returned with a bastard child and a strange personality, like a lunatic.

And that her son—just like her—was a freak.

But from their own observations of Yu Wei and her son, neither of them seemed remotely strange. In fact, they were more normal than most. So those words were hard to believe.

Finally, the man in black added, “Before I left, the old lady in that family asked where she was now. I didn’t tell her.”

“Mm.” Huo Mingwang stopped tapping his fingers and gave a soft reply.

It seemed Yu Wei had run away with her son on her own—otherwise, her family wouldn’t be completely unaware of her current whereabouts.

A large pile of documents had been placed on the desk by his assistant, but all Huo Mingwang could think about right now was that little brat Yu Hui lying on his shoulder, softly whispering into his ear with that cute, milky voice, one word at a time: “Uncle Huo, you’re a good person.”

Agitated, he crumpled a piece of white paper beside his hand, then unconsciously smoothed it out again.

“Where’s Guo Qi right now?” Huo Mingwang asked.

“He’s on a business trip in Y City.”

“Tell him to go to Hong Kong when he returns…” Huo Mingwang paused for two seconds, then said, “Forget it. Call him now and tell him to hurry back. Once he gets to Luzhou, have him come see me immediately.”

The man in black replied, “Understood.”

“Also, check her current place again over the next few days.”

“Got it.”

As he was about to leave, the man in black suddenly remembered something. Turning back to the man whose face had now turned dark and terrifying, he said, “Boss, after I went back last time, Mingxia still refused to come. Should we…?”

The moment the name “Mingxia” was spoken, Huo Mingwang’s expression visibly darkened. If his face was just unpleasant before, now his eyes looked murderous.

The white paper in his palm was crushed into a wrinkled ball—just like a broken heart, something that could never return to its original state.

“Don’t force her for now,” Huo Mingwang said. “I’ll go back myself when the time comes.”

The man in black finally left. As the door shut behind him, the crumpled white paper in Huo Mingwang’s hand was clenched into an even tighter ball.

He stared at the towering stack of documents in front of him. Work used to be his favorite way of numbing pain, but today, he didn’t even feel like flipping a single page.

Suddenly, he stood up, grabbed a pile of documents, and walked out. He shoved them all into Chen Liang’s hands outside the door.

“Take all of these to Vice President Zhou. I’m heading out for a bit.”

“Huh? Oh, okay!”

Chen Liang scratched his head as he watched Huo Mingwang’s figure walk farther and farther away, puzzled. “Didn’t he just get back? Why’s he leaving again?”

Strange. The boss had been acting a little off lately.

Huo Mingwang drove aimlessly through the streets, his mind gradually emptying—but driving in that kind of mental state was extremely dangerous.

Sure enough, he almost hit a pedestrian just a moment ago. He slammed the brakes and the car came to a steady stop at the side of the road.

In his mind, Lu Long’s voice kept replaying: “Maybe… the child is yours.”

Bang—

His fist slammed hard against the dashboard, producing a dull, heavy thud that echoed in the car like a lingering ghost.

Huo Mingwang knew very well how he felt about Yu Wei.

He hated her—for everything she had done to him. But he also loved her. It was a deep, unforgettable love. Ridiculous, really. That doomed relationship should’ve ended five years ago.

Yet here he was again, coming up with excuses to see her. Even when he tried to punish her once, he ended up standing outside her door the whole night.

A match flared against the side of a box, producing a vivid flame. He took a hard drag from the cigarette, exhaling a ring of smoke that filled the car, blurring his vision and choking his nose.

He had planned it all out—if he still couldn’t let go of her after some time, he’d bring her home and lay everything out in the open.

Whether she remembered or not, he would make her remember.

But of all the possibilities, he never considered the child might actually be his.

Back then, they were truly husband and wife. Having a child wasn’t impossible.

He rolled up the sleeves of his suit to his forearms, the cold wind pouring in through the window stung his skin, jolting him a bit more awake.

The cigarette between his fingers had barely been smoked before he ground it out underfoot.

The engine roared to life again, and the car sped off, vanishing around the corner.

The days that followed weren’t too bad. Besides the mother and son upstairs often stopping by, Huo Mingwang also came frequently. But he seemed to have a purpose—though what that purpose was…

“Put it on my tab.”

Yu Wei took the cake from his hand and placed it into a box. “Alright, that’ll be five yuan. I’ve noted it on your tab.”

“Mm.” Huo Mingwang didn’t say much. Their gazes met for a second, and in that moment, there was a strange, silent understanding. Then he awkwardly looked away—and happened to see Yu Hui crouched on the floor playing with his bird.

“Bye-bye, Uncle Huo!”

That little guy actually knew Huo Mingwang was leaving. He twisted his little body around and waved.

Huo Mingwang hesitated for a moment, then unexpectedly turned around and walked over to the kid.

A shadow fell over Yu Hui and his chirping bird. Confused, he looked up—and found Uncle Huo still there, standing right behind him.

He scratched his head and stood up. “Uncle Huo, do you like my bird too?”

Huo Mingwang stared into those big, glimmering obsidian eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. That bold assumption in his heart… he began to hope it was true.

Suddenly, he crouched down—as if overwhelmed by the child’s cuteness—and ruffled his hair with one large hand.

Yu Hui was stunned by the gesture and stood motionless, staring at the man in front of him. With the distance shortened, he could smell the faint herbal scent on Uncle Huo.

Not only Yu Hui, even Yu Wei was dumbfounded by the strange and unexpected gesture.

Could it be… that her son’s charm was now strong enough to win over even Huo Mingwang?

But the strange part was, after ruffling Yu Hui’s hair, Huo Mingwang didn’t say a word. He simply stood up and left. Outside, Chen Liang was waiting in the driver’s seat. The car started up and quickly disappeared.

Inside the shop, mother and son exchanged confused looks.

Life continued on like that for a while. Later, Huo Mingwang frequently came by to buy cakes and desserts from her shop. Usually he came alone; sometimes he was with Chen Liang.

Funny thing was, his tastes were quite similar to Yu Hui’s—they both loved mille crepe cakes, matcha cream cakes, and toast. Every time, that’s all they ordered.

They also shared a dislike for egg tarts.

According to a cute interview with Yu Hui: he said egg tarts had a weird taste and smelled too eggy, so he didn’t like them.

As for Huo Mingwang—he once bought one, bit into it, and instantly his expression changed. After walking out the door, Yu Wei noticed him secretly pull a gray handkerchief from his pocket and spit it out.

Why? Who knows. She still couldn’t figure out why an egg tart could make Huo Mingwang react like that on the spot.

Life with her son was still sweet and fulfilling.

Those peaceful days continued all the way until December 21st.

That day, Yu Wei took her little heater (Yu Hui) downstairs to buy groceries. Just outside, she ran into Song Xia, also carrying a basket, and the two went to the market together.

“Yu Wei! I was just about to come find you,” Song Xia said with a beaming smile. In her basket was a sweet biscuit, which she occasionally took a bite from as they walked.

“Find me?” Yu Wei asked curiously. “What for?”

Could it be…?

“Your son’s kindergarten enrollment is settled!” Song Xia grinned, and sure enough, it was exactly what Yu Wei had guessed. However, this time, Yu Hui overheard it.

Yu Wei instinctively looked down—and sure enough, the little guy’s expression instantly changed. He looked up at her, worried: “Mama…?”