On the day when the paternity test results were announced, the living room of the Song family's old mansion was crowded with people, and the atmosphere was solemn.
All the relatives of the Song family had come. Some of them genuinely cared about this matter.
Most of them were just here to watch the show.
Song Hanzheng held Jiang Liuyue's hand and sat casually on the sofa in the old mansion.
His two long legs were casually crossed. One hand rested on his knee, and the other played with Jiang Liuyue's fingertips.
He looked completely at ease.
Lin Mei sat on the single sofa opposite, her face ashen. Her fingers tightly grasped the armrest, and she looked extremely flustered. Her eyes kept darting towards the door.
Beside her, Lin Yizhou showed no obvious reaction.
He sat quietly next to his mother, his back straight.
However, his gaze was always fixed on the two clasped hands across from him.
Finally, the lawyer arrived in a hurry, carrying a briefcase.
The relatives surrounded him at once, all talking at the same time.
"How could it be necessary to do this paternity test? Our Yizhou is so filial!"
"Exactly. On the day my elder brother passed away, Yizhou cried so sorrowfully. Even Hanzheng didn't cry that hard."
One after another, they spoke, their tones filled with preconceived partiality and an eagerness to take a stand.
The lawyer cleared his throat.
Everyone fell silent at once, found their seats, and all looked at him in unison.
He took out the document from his bosom, his movements unhurried.
After opening it, he calmly announced,
"I'm sorry. The result of the paternity test is... Mr. Lin Yizhou has no blood relationship with Mr. Song Tianqi."
The most shocked one was Lin Yizhou. He froze on the spot, his pupils dilating suddenly.
His lips parted slightly and then closed.
After repeating this several times, he finally managed to utter a hoarse sound.
"What? How is that possible! How could I not be my father's son?"
After saying this, he suddenly looked at his mother, Lin Mei.
He was like a drowning man reaching out in the dark, hoping to find a glimmer of comfort in his mother's eyes.
But Lin Mei averted her gaze, as if she had been scalded, and quickly looked away, not daring to say a word.
The other relatives also exploded in an uproar.
"Could there be something wrong with the test result?"
"Surely it's a mistake!"
Several aunts who were close to Lin Mei looked as if they had eaten something disgusting.
Song Hanzheng, sitting on the sofa, spoke up.
"We sent the samples to three institutions."
"It's impossible for all three to make the same mistake."
Then he looked at the lawyer and calmly asked, "Lawyer Jin, if Lin Yizhou is not my father's son, does he still have the right to inherit the estate?"
Lawyer Jin hesitated and glanced at Lin Yizhou.
Suddenly, the relatives started shouting.
"What? Lin Mei, you shameless woman! You brought in a bastard from God knows where into our Song family!"
"You don't deserve a single cent of our Song family's property!"
"Exactly! Exactly!" Several aunts pointed their fingers at Lin Mei and shouted shrilly.
Those relatives who had once greeted Lin Mei with smiles now showed undisguised contempt and disgust on their faces.
Lin Mei was being scolded while being pointed at by several relatives. Her face turned from white to green, and her lips trembled, unable to utter a word.
Lin Yizhou quickly stepped forward to shield his mother.
The relatives were even more merciless, shouting, "You bastard! Don't even think about getting a single cent of the Song family's money!"
Lawyer Jin waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
When the noise in the living room finally subsided, he began to speak.
"Although Mr. Lin Yizhou has no blood relationship with Mr. Song Tianqi, the years of foster - parent relationship formed between them is, legally speaking, equivalent to that of an adoptive father and son."
"So Mr. Lin Yizhou still has the right to inherit the estate."
Lin Mei's face turned deathly pale. Only after hearing this did she let out a long sigh of relief.
She was like a drowning person who had finally surfaced.
Thank goodness. Fortunately, this matter was exposed after Old Song's death. If he were still alive, they might not even have been able to maintain this "adoptive father - son" relationship.
Lin Yizhou scanned the relatives around him. Their faces showed various expressions: surprise, contempt, or schadenfreude.
Finally, his gaze landed on Song Hanzheng. The long and narrow eyes that used to be gentle were now filled with undisguised coldness.
"No wonder you've always hated me."
"So it's not because I'm an illegitimate child. You've known all along that I'm not Song Tianqi's son?"
Song Hanzheng looked up and met his gaze.
There was little emotion in his eyes; he just calmly looked at Lin Yizhou.
He shook his head and said frankly, "It was just a guess. I wasn't sure. After all, the old man really loved you."
Lin Yizhou looked at Lawyer Jin and suddenly said voluntarily, "I give up my right to inherit the estate."
Everyone present showed expressions of shock. Several relatives gasped, their jaws almost dropping.
Give up the right to inherit? That was money that one couldn't spend in several lifetimes!
Even Jiang Liuyue was a bit confused about Lin Yizhou's actions. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, trying to find an answer from his expression.
Could it be that Song's father's death really wasn't caused by him?
The string in her heart loosened slightly, then tightened again uncertainly.
Lin Mei was so excited that her voice trembled, "Yizhou, what are you talking nonsense about!"
Lin Yizhou patted her on the shoulder, as if comforting her.
He lowered his voice, but his tone was extremely firm.
"Mom, as his spouse, you can get half of the estate. That's enough for the two of us. Since I'm not Song Tianqi's son, what right do I have to hold grudges?"
He remembered the gentle way Song Tianqi had talked to him at the dinner table that day.
He remembered the kind look in his father's eyes when he said, "If you like to develop in the entertainment industry, Dad will support you" and "Don't worry about the funds." Lin Yizhou felt as if his heart was being stabbed with a knife.
What on earth had he done?
He had killed a man who had regarded him as his own son.
A look of panic flashed across Lin Mei's eyes.
She was afraid that if Lin Yizhou felt too guilty and blurted out the truth in front of everyone, everything would be over.
She quickly nodded and, in a hasty voice as if afraid of changing her mind, said to Lawyer Jin,
"Okay, Yizhou gives up his share."
Lawyer Jin then looked at Song Hanzheng and calmly stated the legal provisions.
"Mr. Song, if there is no will, according to the inheritance law, as the spouse, Ms. Lin Mei has half of the right to inherit the property. Since Mr. Lin Yizhou has given up his right to inherit, the remaining half will be inherited by you."
"Do you have any objections?"
Song Hanzheng suddenly stood up.
"According to the normal process, I have no objections."
Just when everyone thought this farce was finally coming to an end, he calmly continued,
"But what if my father's death was not an accident but a murder?"
As soon as he said this, all the relatives looked at each other in dismay.
What did he mean? A murder? Could it be that the Lin mother and son had killed him for the property?
