After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

A beam of light suddenly struck down in the darkness, causing everyone to look up. Song Zhi also looked up, but because the voice sounded very familiar.

Song Qin stood under the light. Whether it was Song Zhi’s imagination or not, she felt his gaze fall on her face for a moment, and then a smile—a triumphant smile—appeared on his face. For some reason, Song Zhi felt her brow twitch. She had a premonition of something bad.

Medical staff, rushing in, carefully parted the crowd and carried Song Guan away.

The malice on Song Qin’s face intensified: “Since everyone is here tonight, I want to take this opportunity to announce something.”

“Song Qin!” Xie Mu hurried down the stairs and immediately shouted sternly: “This is a family matter!” Her intention to stop him was clear, but Song Qin ignored her. Their relationship was never close, and there was no way he would abandon his long-planned scheme just because of one sentence from her.

Song Qin: “Although it’s a family matter, everyone here has intricate business ties with the Song family, so I personally feel I should bring this up to prepare all the uncles and elders.”

Song Zhi recalled his earlier look and realized this matter was very likely related to her. However, she had no leverage in Song Qin’s hands, and she also wanted to know what kind of trouble he was trying to stir up now, so she remained silent.

Those who were initially unhappy about his sudden interruption now grew interested. Some, not afraid of causing trouble, egged him on: “Madam Xie, judging by the nephew’s tone, this matter must be very important. If the nephew is facing any difficulties, he should speak up so we can all help solve them.”

Xie Mu gritted her teeth. With the man having said so much, and Song Qin clearly determined to tear things open, no matter how clever she was, she was helpless. Furthermore, even if she backed down, she was only standing here out of the slight affection built over years of acquaintance. Now, seeing Song Qin about to gain the upper hand, it wasn’t worth offending Song Qin and… others for that small sentiment.

Song Qin: “Everyone should still remember the Song family’s kidnapping case twenty-two years ago.”

Twenty-two years ago, An Ran, the Song family’s wife who was three months pregnant, was kidnapped for a colossal ransom. Although two decades had passed, the victim’s identity and the ransom’s size were still memorable to the older generation present. The most dramatic part was that although the ransom demand was high, the Song family wasn’t incapable of paying, especially with the An family also involved.

Yet, within the two-day deadline set by the kidnappers, the foreign trade goods jointly spearheaded by the Song and An families were seized by foreign police for carrying contraband. That shipment, plus the liquidated damages paid to other investment partners, amounted to tens of billions of US dollars. The Song and An families were simultaneously hit hard. The An family’s patriarch, devastated by the disappearance of his beloved daughter, fell gravely ill. Song Guan took over most of the An family’s business but still failed to raise the ransom for the kidnappers.

Many later suspected that it wasn’t a lack of ransom, but that Song Guan simply didn’t want to pay, or that the kidnapping itself was potentially a setup orchestrated by Song Guan. After all, the only person who benefited from the entire incident was Song Guan, who was originally a penniless boy who only managed to establish a small business by clinging to the An family behemoth. He then annexed the An family’s assets during An Ran’s kidnapping, creating the Song family as it exists today.

Someone asked: “What does this have to do with what you want to say?”

Song Qin: “I won’t beat around the bush. My sister and mother were recovered three years later. For all these years, my father has always felt indebted to my sister, compensating her by giving her everything she wanted. But it wasn’t until three days ago that I discovered the person my mother brought back is not my sister at all.”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd. Everyone, even those least familiar, had heard of the Song family’s infamous, spoiled eldest daughter. In an instant, everyone turned to look at Song Zhi’s location. What a joke! Even if this was a self-directed drama by the two Song family members fighting for power, it was a spectacle they had never witnessed before.

Song Zhi was slowly contemplating the best excuse to go find Shen Ying when she heard Song Qin’s shocking declaration. For a moment, she didn’t react, only blinking blankly. The words finally sank in.

Her first reaction was to laugh. Has Song Qin gone mad with desire for the Song Corporation? He’s illegitimate. If he manages to depose her, would replacing her with someone else make his puppet master rule legitimate?

Song Zhi slowly folded her arms and slightly lifted her chin. Although she stood much lower than Song Qin and was merely one of the crowd, at that moment, she exuded an air of superiority that others couldn’t ignore.

Song Zhi: “While I’ve never acknowledged the illegitimate child as my brother, there’s no need for you to find a new sister for that. I still won’t acknowledge you.”

Song Qin immediately clenched his jaw. He was born during the period An Ran was missing, and his mother only gained legitimacy after An Ran’s death. This fact was his biggest criticism—that he was illegitimate. Song Zhi, as always, knew exactly how to stab at the point that hurt the most.

Song Qin gritted his teeth, thinking, She won’t be able to utter a single word soon.

Song Qin turned on the projector. A stark white sheet of paper instantly appeared on the high, circular dome descending from the ceiling. Song Zhi’s gaze skipped past the beginning and landed on the last line: “No similar DNA map found between DNA Sample 1 and DNA Sample 2. Therefore, DNA Sample 1 and DNA Sample 2 have no kinship relationship.” Applicant: Zheng Min. Subject: Song Zhi. The lower right corner was stamped with the bright red seal of a public hospital.

This was a DNA test report. The applicant was her maternal grandmother.

Song Zhi’s smile faded instantly. Something tore apart her calm exterior, exposing the bloody, raw interior. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. She remembered calling her grandmother just a few days ago, and her grandmother’s soft voice calling her Nannan and asking if she wanted to eat her cooking. She also remembered her grandmother complaining angrily about why she wasn’t visiting.

And now, all she had was this white paper. The writing on the paper, stroke by stroke, was elegant and slightly soft-edged. Having lived with her grandmother for decades, she knew the handwriting perfectly. It was undeniably her grandmother’s.

Why did she do this? Why did she treat me like a fool, leaving me completely ignorant, allowing me to be laughed at and manipulated by others?!

Everyone looked at Song Zhi with varying degrees of disbelief, whispering amongst themselves.

Song Qin smiled: “There’s one more. Don’t rush.”

The second report was essentially similar to the first, but the last two lines were slightly different. “A large segment of a similar DNA map was found between DNA Sample 1 and DNA Sample 2. Therefore, DNA Sample 1 and DNA Sample 2 have a kinship relationship.” The difference, besides the map, was the subject line and the name of the DNA testing applicant. Those two characters were—Shen Ying.

It was Shen Ying, the one who had been coldly indifferent a few days ago, yet secretly concerned about her behind her back. It was Shen Ying.

Song Zhi thought coldly. So what?

The gazes of the crowd were now blatant. They moved over Song Zhi with an audacity that showed they were no longer afraid of being discovered. She didn’t care. She didn’t care about these eyes, and she didn’t care about these people. Song Qin’s goal was nothing more than to make her lose control. Why should she give him the satisfaction?

Song Zhi said coldly: “Song Qin, you have a wicked heart. What did you do to my grandmother and this person? I was not present for the DNA test. How can the hospital confirm my identity?”

The crowd realized the flaw. That’s right, Song Zhi wasn’t present. The medical staff didn’t know Song Zhi. It was entirely possible that Song Qin had switched the DNA samples.

Song Qin: “I knew you’d say that. So, I brought the evidence with me.” His eyes fell behind Song Zhi, toward the main entrance.

Song Zhi froze, a sudden premonition hitting her. A rustling sound came from behind—the sound of the crowd parting.

Song Qin announced: “This lady is Shen Ying.”

Having just seen her, everyone was familiar with who Shen Ying was.

A slightly hesitant voice cut through the hushed murmurs, sounding particularly jarring: “This person does look about fifty percent like the former Madam Song.”

With one person starting, voices quickly rose, agreeing on the resemblance.

Song Qin smiled proudly: “If you still don’t believe it, we can go to the hospital and do another DNA test.” He was certain.

The person behind her strode confidently forward. Her light, quick footsteps were the unmistakable Shen Ying style of walking. She passed Song Zhi, walked a couple of steps, and then stopped and turned at a distance that was neither too far nor too close to Song Zhi.

Shen Ying was fair-skinned and appeared cold. Standing before the crowd, she was composed and unafraid, acting as if everything happening had nothing to do with her. However, she never once looked at Song Zhi.

The corner of Song Zhi’s mouth twisted into a smile. She quietly asked: “Is this voluntary?”

What if she was coerced? What if she was forced to do this? Shen Ying wasn’t the type to seek out excitement, let alone testify for Song Qin in front of so many people. She would only be annoyed. So, the moment she saw Shen Ying, Song Zhi’s heart ached. She still cares.

All she needed was one word from Shen Ying. Just one word was enough. Even a lie. She would believe it. Shen Ying’s lie was the only thing she could possess right now. She had already lost too much. Her grandmother was probably never hers to begin with; she was just a replacement for An Ran. As for others—there seemed to be no one else.

Shen Ying said coldly: “Yes.”

A sudden feeling of helplessness rose in Song Zhi’s heart. Her already raw, bloodied spirit couldn’t bear the blow. Her bright-red heart was stabbed hard and then cruelly twisted. She could no longer find an excuse. She still cares.

Song Zhi looked at her: “Just now.” She spoke slowly, not wanting others to detect the tremor in her voice: “I was wondering if I had done something wrong again, and how I should apologize to you.”

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