“Sure!”
Jimin readily agreed. He whipped out his phone and tossed it over to Lisa
“Thank you, Commander Huo.”
After thanking him, Lisa swiped on the phone.
But it had to be unlocked using a password…
Lisa said, “Commander Huo, your phone is locked and needs a password.”
“Password is 1234.”
Lisa was speechless.
However, it wasn’t the time to discuss how simple and crude Commander Huo’s phone password was. After unlocking the phone, she called home.
…
Gu family.
Shortly after crying, because she had suffered too great of a blow, Qi Yuefeng called Lisa while she was still in camp.
In the end, Lisa said she’ll return immediately.
That made Qi Yuefeng feel a little uneasy.
Her daughter was training in the military, and she shouldn’t be concerned with such matters at the moment.
She could have just called during the weekend.
At least her daughter wouldn’t think too much at the time being.
Qi Yuefeng was fully aware that one couldn’t easily leave the camp while they’re training. If so, wouldn’t her daughter be worrying in vain since she couldn’t even go out of the camp?
She blamed herself. She had suffered too great a blow from what her daughter’s ‘mother’ told her.
That madam spoke super harshly.
She claimed to come from North City and was the madam of the Yu family.
She even tossed out the name of the company that Qi Yuefeng, a simple housewife who never traveled far from home, had heard of.
It was a renowned large enterprise.
And Lisa was the daughter of that enterprise’s owner.
Qi Yuefeng was shocked. It had never occurred to her that her daughter was of noble birth.
Tan Yalan reprimanded her for not looking for Lisa’s biological parents after they had found her, causing Lisa to ‘suffer hardship’ for so many years!
Her family never mistreated Lisa in any way, but in Tan Yalan’s eyes…
Such a life, such a family…
For their Lisa…
Was considered ‘suffering hardship.’
Because a prominent family lived a life of luxury that ordinary folks couldn’t even imagine.
Moreover, Lisa’s adoptive mother was even so unpresentable.
Qi Yuefeng could only suffer in silence, unable to refute Tan Yalan’s words.
Back then, they had tried looking for Lisa’s biological parents for some time and even stuck up ‘missing person’ notices.
But during that time, because of her husband’s promotion at work, they had to move to Dayi City.
They didn’t spend much time in North City after that.
Furthermore, they had always wanted a daughter.
Hence, after Lisa’s biological parents didn’t show up for a month, they brought the child to Dayi City.
It had been so many years, and all along they had done their best for this daughter and never once mistreated her.
She wanted to refute Tan Yalan with these words, but one sentence from the latter and it struck Qi Yuefeng’s soft spot.
“Tried finding? That’s just empty talk. You merely wanted a daughter. Do you think I didn’t check on your family before coming? You’ve suffered a miscarriage before, haven’t you? And it was also a baby girl!”
That arrogant and unkind face, that disdainful attitude… all those made Qi Yuefeng break down.
She had told no one about these matters.
Only she and her husband knew about this; Lisa and Seokjin didn’t even know.
But to these prominent families, no matter how well they concealed it, it was just a matter of time before they found out.
She was like a child whose thoughts were exposed. The only bad thought she ever had got magnified infinitely that it filled up her entire heart, ultimately causing her to break down.
She only wanted a daughter, and Lisa was her daughter. All these years, she had regarded Lisa as her precious darling.
She was her daughter!
Shortly after Tan Yalan left, she called her husband.
Gu Hong was flustered when he received her call.
He couldn’t be bothered about the fact that he had to attend a meeting in the company and simply canceled the meeting to rush home.
At home, Qi Yuefeng sat on the sofa with tears all over her face, and looking very pale; she suddenly appeared older.
Seeing Qi Yuefeng in such a state, Gu Hong’s heart ached for her. He went up to hug her. “Did you confirm that she really is Lisa’s biological mother?”
Qi Yuefeng’s tears instantly gushed out. She slumped in Gu Hong’s arms and sobbed non-stop. “Yes, no need to confirm. Their faces are similar! The date she mentioned matched the time we found Lisa. She even took out Lisa’s photos when she was a year old…”
Identical.
The baby in those photos looked identical to the Lisa they found.
Moreover, Tan Yalan’s face resembled Lisa too much.
However, her Lisa had never shown such an unkind sneer on her face the way the madam did.
Overwhelmed, Gu Hong held Qi Yuefeng, and his gentle eyes suddenly became stern.
“We need to let Lisa decide for herself. We can’t do it for her, not even her biological parents can.”
All along, Gu Hong’s attitude differed from Qi Yuefeng’s.
He had always felt that Lisa’s biological parents had to bear responsibility for her going missing back then.
How could they lose a year-old baby? If that wasn’t considered failing in their duties as parents, then what was?
If they hadn’t found her, who knew what fate the little Lisa would have suffered?
Hence why Gu Hong never had good vibes towards Lisa’s biological parents.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
And it was a series of rare consecutive numbers to the end.
Such numbers belonged to important people.
Thinking it was a call from some client, he put the call through and said, “Hello?”
“Dad!”
He heard his daughter Lisa’s voice over the phone.
Gu Hong was surprised. “Lisa, whose phone are you using?”
“Dad!”
On the other end of the line, Lisa didn’t answer him. The minute she heard Gu Hong’s voice, she could no longer restrain her emotions.
She actually felt afraid.
Very afraid.
She was afraid her family couldn’t withstand the Yu Family’s pressure on them, and that she had to repeat her fate from her previous life.
She had to be brave in front of Qi Yuefeng, in front of everyone.
But she couldn’t shake away from her mind the events of what had happened in her previous life.
Else, she wouldn’t have worked so hard to change everything!
The uneasiness and the despair she felt during those two years in jail buried in the deepest spots in her heart.
Finally, the minute she heard her father’s voice, the infinite grievance and emotions exploded all at once.
She suddenly couldn’t hold herself back anymore, even if the Chief Instructor and Commander Huo sat in the front seats.
Even though it had been a few months, she couldn’t restrain her emotions any longer.
Her tears slipped down her cheeks like a string of broken pearls.
Jimin was dumbfounded.
Lisa sobbed over the phone. And before Gu Hong could speak, he heard a man speaking loudly over the phone. “What are you crying for? Useless!”
The fury and grievance overwhelmed her, making her unable to control her emotions. Hearing Jungkook’s words, she subconsciously retorted in a choked voice.
“I just want to cry! So what if I’m useless!”
Jungkook was momentarily stunned.
He saw the tears on Lisa’s face from the rearview mirror. After yelling at him, she vigorously wiped away her tears with her hands.
She seemed especially aggrieved.
He said nothing and simply looked at Lisa.
Jimin was staring so hard his eyeballs were about to pop out.
In his many years of existence, this was the first time someone dared to yell at Jungkook!
And the most important thing was he didn’t react!
It didn’t even seem to affect him.
Tsk, tsk, tsk…
Over the phone, Gu Hong anxiously asked, “Lisa, why are you crying? Also, who’s the man talking next to you?”
He wasn’t deaf. He heard that one line loud and clear.
Lisa sniffled a little, trying to stop her tears. But when she spoke, she couldn’t control her voice from sounding choked. “Nothing… nothing, Dad. I’ll be back soon, I’ll be home right away.”
“Why did you come back? It’s nothing important. Be careful when you come back. I’ll be waiting at home with your mom. Don’t cry. But whatever it is, come back and talk to Dad.”
Gu Hong’s warm voice entered Lisa’s ears, and it slightly made her calm down.
Regardless, at least her parents were still by her side. At least they were still by her side.
“Okay… okay, I’m reaching home soon.”
After hanging up the call, Lisa returned Jimin his phone, but she had her head lowered in embarrassment. “Thanks, Commander Huo”
After all, it’s embarrassing to cry in front of others.
“No need for a thank you.” Jimin glanced inconspicuously at Jungkook. Seeing that he had retracted his gaze from Lisa, he asked, “Lisa, I hope you don’t find me nosy. I’m only asking. Are you worried that your parents will send you back to your biological parents?”
After all, Lisa was returning home because of such a matter.
With her head lowered, Lisa appeared dejected. She shook her head slightly. “I’m not worried about that.”
The Gu family absolutely was not willing to send her back to the Yu family.
“Then why are you crying? Or do you wish to see your biological parents?”
“No.” Lisa pursed her lips. Her tears had gradually stopped now. “I don’t wish to see them.”
Perhaps even she herself didn’t realize how terrifyingly cold she sounded when she said this.
Just then, someone handed her a tissue from the front seat.
It startled Lisa.
She took the tissue from that slim, long, and fair hand. Without turning around, Jungkook said, “Wipe your tears.”
He sounded as cold as ever.
As if he felt nothing in particular.
Lisa took the tissue from him and wiped away her tears, then apologized for the rash words she spoke earlier when her emotions overwhelmed her. “Sorry, Chief Instructor, I was feeling a little anxious just now…”
“It’s fine.”
He seemed to not truly mind.
Next to him, Jimin felt even more strange.
He never dared to yell at Jungkook before. Although Jungkook shot Lisa some death stares after she had yelled at him, he actually didn’t mind it?
Could the difference in treatment not be so obvious!?
After the commotion, none of them spoke for an amount of time.
The atmosphere in the car was quiet and odd.
When the car drove to Dayi City and as she got closer to her home, Lisa began feeling anxious.
When she arrived at the destination, Lisa was already burning with anxiety. After bidding Commander Huo and the Chief Instructor a simple farewell, she immediately dashed for her home.
Jimin and Jungkook weren’t in a rush to leave. They looked up at Lisa’s residence from outside.
“Does that lass live here?”
Jimin felt a sense of wonder. The place she lived at seemed ordinary.
But Lisa, on the other hand, didn’t look ordinary.
Jungkook had been here once, so he didn’t bother looking up. He started fidgeting with another lighter.
When Jimin retracted his gaze and was about to drive away, Jungkook spoke up coldly, “Wait a while more.”
“Wait for what?”
Jimin froze in surprise. Jungkook said nothing.
As Lisa went up to her home, realization dawned on Jimin. “Major-General, surely not? Why didn’t you just ask her what time she would go back? From the looks of it, her family issues aren’t going to be solved anytime soon.”
With a strike of the lighter, the flame illuminated Jungkook’s fingertips. His actions were fluid and elegant as he fiddled with the lighter, that even the flame seemed to dance on his fingertips.
Gazing at that flame, he calmly ordered, “Check on her biological parents.”
“Sure, no problem.”
For people like them, even if they didn’t have any clues, checking on something was relatively easy for them.
…
Lisa went upstairs. As she had left in a hurry, she brought nothing back with her, not even her keys. Hence, she could only slap anxiously on the door.
Quickly, the door was open. It was Gu Hong who opened the door.
“Dad!”
Lisa immediately shouted. Then, peering into the house, she asked, “Where’s Mom?”
“Your Mom’s asleep.”
Gu Hong turned his body sideways for her to enter. “She isn’t feeling well today.”
Perhaps because of how Tan Yalan agitated her, she kept complaining of a headache.
Since it took Lisa three hours to get back by car, Qi Yuefeng fell asleep before she even arrived.
Upon hearing this, Lisa’s heart tightened.
She turned around and pulled at Gu Hong’s sleeves. “Dad, tell me, did someone came to look for Mom today? What did that person say?”
Earlier on, she only learned that someone from the Yu family showed up. But for the reason behind it, Lisa couldn’t figure it out.
Gu Hong had some hesitation. But after some thought, he made her sit on the sofa and told her about some things.
“Since you’re old enough now, it’s time for you to know certain things. You’ve known since before that we’re not your biological parents, and we’ve never concealed that from you. But today, your biological mother came and said that she must bring you back with her. Moreover, your biological parents are of distinguished identities.”
‘Tan Yalan?’
Lisa felt a little disconcerted.
That arrogant woman actually came?
Lisa could still vividly remember the attitude she showed her in her previous life!
But in this lifetime, she was in a different place, and such a change took her by surprise.
Tan Yalan wouldn’t possibly come here on her own two feet if everything followed the events from her previous life!
Because in her eyes, it was unbefitting of her stature.
Seeing the shock in Lisa’s eyes, Gu Hong thought she was simply surprised by what she had heard about her biological parents. Worry surged up in his heart.
“Lisa, whatever thoughts you have, tell me. Dad and Mom will always support your decision. If you miss your biological parents and wish to return to their sides, it’s okay.”
He tried his best to say it as calmly as he could, but his voice still quivered a little.
He was the main pillar in this family, and Lisa was the daughter he raised for over ten years.
His daughter might be someone else’s daughter soon, and they might no longer have any ties after that.
Even Gu Hong found it hard to accept.
“Go back?”
Lisa looked stunned, and then she laughed coldly in her heart. “Impossible!”
She would be a retard to return to the Yu family once again.
But then, the more pressing matter at hand was reassuring her Gu father.
“Dad, I absolutely won’t go back. Regardless of how bigshot my biological parents are, regardless of who they are, they were the irresponsible ones, to begin with. I won’t possibly return. I, Gu Lalisa, only have you two as my parents forever.”
Hearing his daughter’s words, it elated Gu Hong, but at the same time, he felt a slight disapproval.
“Lisa, you’re being too radical. As parents, it’s inevitable to make some slips. Perhaps they didn’t do it on purpose back then.”
Humans liked to think on the bright side. But Gu Hong didn’t have the slightest idea of the Yu Family’s true color.
Lisa knew that Gu Hong only said this because he didn’t know what she knew, but she couldn’t tell him all that.
Else, what was she going to say if he asked where she learned all these from?
“Does Dad wish for me to go back that badly?”
One line from Lisa was all it took to shut Gu Hong up.
Of course, he didn’t hope to see Lisa go back.
Just then, her parents’ bedroom door opened.
Qi Yuefeng walked out with a dazed expression.
“Mom!”
Lisa immediately went up to hold her arm.
“Aye, Lisa, you’re home.”
Perhaps because she was unwell, Qi Yuefeng sounded less energetic than she usually sounded.
Lisa’s heart ached to hear this.
But she still asked anyway. “Mom, who came to our house today?”
Qi Yuefeng’s lips moved a little. She glanced at Gu Hong, and upon seeing the latter nod, she knew that he had told Lisa about the situation.
She couldn’t hide it from her then.
“It was your biological mother.”
“Mom, you can’t just say that any random person who comes is my biological mother.”
They hadn’t done a paternity test, so she could still deny it.
Qi Yuefeng gazed at Lisa and forced a smile.
She went to the sofa and sat down, and she sighed out loud after.
How could she not admit it? Lisa’s baby photos were concrete evidence.
That identical face on the photo bore a great resemblance to Tan Yalan’s.
How could there be so many similar-looking people in this world?
“Did she say anything else?”
Lisa needed more information.
Because Tan Yalan came over, she didn’t know many things as everything differed from the previous life.
But she could still more or less predict what Tan Yalan had said, and also her style of handling matters.
But the crux was, she wasn’t clear which tactics Tan Yalan would deploy.
“She…”
Qi Yuefeng seemed reluctant to tell her. “She’s staying in a hotel in Dayi City now, she hasn’t left yet. She told me to think of a way to bring her to the military to see you.”
Lisa snickered her heart upon hearing this.
Indeed, she was still trying to get to her.
She had said it so clearly over the phone. And with everything that had happened since then, Tan Yalan should be furious.
Could it be because she had yet to see this daughter of hers in this life?
But in any case, Tan Yalan’s hopes would come to naught.
She should also scrap the idea of bringing her back to the Yu family. Because in this lifetime, even coming into contact with the Yu family made her feel disgusted.
Just as Lisa was pondering how to settle such a matter, someone knocked on the door.
Who could visit at that time of day?
Lisa and Gu Hong looked at each other, then the latter went to get the door.
Jimin was standing outside.