◎Goodbye, Auntie◎
Le Qing couldn't do anything about it, nor did she have any way to change the situation. Right now, she was like a fish on a chopping board, waiting for the knife to fall.
But the only clear thought in her mind was that she couldn’t just sit and wait for death.
"I should return to the country immediately," she said.
"Now?" Annie frowned. "Didn’t you say you couldn’t go back?"
"Yes." Le Qing stood up and spoke softly, "Even if I can’t stay there any longer, I can’t just leave without saying a word. I promised the children I’d return."
Even if the Jiang family later traced it back to her, she couldn’t let those accusations fall on her shoulders—she couldn’t bear them.
Annie stood beside her. "I’ll go back with you."
"No." Le Qing took a deep breath and made up her mind. "You can still help me with something small by staying here."
This time, she would definitely have to meet Jiang Suizhi’s father, but given how complicated and awkward things had become between her and Jiang Suizhi, Le Qing didn’t know how to explain it to him. Still, she knew she couldn’t let Jiang Suizhi find out before she resolved everything.
Jiang Suizhi still had a few days left for his overseas conference, so she had to settle things before then.
Once she made her decision, Le Qing immediately bought the earliest flight back home.
Jiang Hechang, still completely in the dark, had no idea what kind of mess his youngest son had stirred up abroad. At this moment, father and son were each preoccupied with their own affairs—one still scheming to win someone over, the other trying every means to uncover the truth of the past.
The paternity test results came out quickly. Before opening the report, Jiang Hechang had already braced himself mentally. Yet even so, the moment he saw the results, his mind went blank.
This Le Qing wasn’t the Le Qing from back then, and she certainly wasn’t the children’s mother.
Then… who was she?
The only child named Le Qing from the orphanage had already died.
Here he was, a man of his age, forced to rack his brains, yet unable to make sense of any key details. After much deliberation, he decided to discuss the situation with his youngest son—at least there’d be one more person to brainstorm with.
But just as he pulled out his phone, he received a call.
It was a number he’d secretly saved from Old Master Jiang’s phone, with a name attached—Le Qing was calling him.
Jiang Hechang hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Is this Mr. Jiang?" The woman’s voice on the other end was gentle yet carried a clarity that instantly convinced Jiang Hechang the person he’d met back then wasn’t her.
"Yes, speaking."
"This is Le Qing," the voice said. "I’ve just landed. If you have time, could we meet and talk?"
This time, before heading out, Jiang Hechang finally understood how Old Master Jiang felt when sneaking out on his own.
The moment he stepped downstairs, Old Master Jiang’s sharp gaze locked onto him, watching him like a hawk. "Where are you going?"
Ever since Jiang Hechang’s last attempt to visit the children ended with Old Master Jiang throwing him out, he’d been under constant surveillance.
As Old Master Jiang put it: "The children don’t understand anything yet. But until you’ve properly explained things to my dear girl, you’re not allowed to see them. That’s the principle."
What a load of nonsense. The old man didn’t even know who the children’s mother really was.
Jiang Hechang felt like the only one who knew the truth—the most perceptive and wise among them. Now, the ones who should feel isolated were the others.
So he decided to keep the revelation to himself for now. When the time came, he’d use the truth to humiliate every single one of them, making them regret ever ostracizing him.
"I’m meeting a friend," Jiang Hechang said calmly, adjusting his collar.
Old Master Jiang fired back, "What friend? How old?"
"Definitely not three years old."
"You’d better not be lying." Still, seeing how formally Jiang Hechang was dressed today—and noticing he wasn’t carrying any mysterious gifts—Old Master Jiang didn’t press further. "You have two hours. If you’re not back by then, I’ll go wait for you at my great-grandchildren’s place."
Jiang Hechang: "…"
He strode out of the house with his head held high.
Once in the car, he exhaled heavily. Who would’ve thought even home would feel like a battlefield, just like the power struggles at the company?
Truly, where there were people, there was conflict.
Even three-year-olds were no exception.
This time, he and Le Qing had arranged to meet at the same private restaurant from four years ago. Only now, Jiang Yan was no longer around, and this place no longer felt like their secret hideout.
Jiang Hechang arrived early and laid out all the documents he’d gathered on the table, ready for their discussion.
About ten minutes later, the private room door opened.
When he looked up at the person entering, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
There was always a difference between seeing someone in photos and meeting them in person. Now, he finally understood why Old Master Jiang kept calling this woman "my dear girl" all the time.
Unlike the flamboyance of the previous "Le Qing," this Le Qing had delicate, soft features, exuding a quiet, profound beauty—understated yet deeply captivating.
Instead of sitting down immediately, she stood by the table and gave a slight nod, neither submissive nor arrogant. "Mr. Jiang."
The contrast made Jiang Hechang realize how condescending he must have seemed during his first meeting with the previous "Le Qing." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Please, have a seat."
Le Qing set her bag down and didn’t waste time with small talk. Her gaze immediately landed on the thick stack of papers on the table.
Clearly, the other party had come prepared and knew exactly what this meeting was about.
She took a sip of water to soothe her dry throat, tense from nerves, then spoke softly, "The children mentioned you visited them a few days ago."
Jiang Hechang felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt. "I just went to see them, but I didn’t stay long."
His attitude took Le Qing by surprise—far less hostile and angry than she’d expected.
"I know," Le Qing said gently, setting her cup down. "I heard you took some of my hair. I assume the results are already in?"
Her eyes drifted toward the stack of papers.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Jiang Hechang saw no reason to beat around the bush. He pushed the documents toward her. "Some things are better discussed directly with the person involved. Regarding your identity, I believe we have the right to know. You’re Le Qing?"
"That’s correct."
Jiang Hechang smiled faintly. "Jiang Yan’s partner back then was also named Le Qing."
After all, he was a self-made man. Even in retirement, he carried the commanding presence of someone who’d weathered years of power, every gesture laced with scrutiny.
Le Qing felt like an employee caught red-handed by her boss, about to be interrogated. Steeling herself, she picked up the documents.
But to her surprise, there wasn’t much about the original host’s "scandalous" past. Instead, most of it revolved around the woman he’d just mentioned—
Le Qing froze, then looked up in shock. "What did you say?"
The children’s mother was also named Le Qing?!
"Exactly what you're thinking," Jiang Hechang said. "So all along, we assumed you were the children's mother—until I saw your magazine at my father's place. You look nothing like the Le Qing I once met. Different age, completely opposite personalities. So why is this? Where is the children's mother now, and why are they with you?"
Another bombshell dropped on Le Qing’s head. She couldn’t wrap her mind around why the biological mother shared the exact same name as her.
If not for the paternity test and the things Nora had told her, she might have suspected that the original host was the children’s real mother.
But her shock hadn’t escaped Jiang Hechang’s notice. His voice deepened as he pressed, "From your reaction, you didn’t know about this?"
"I’m sorry," Le Qing admitted honestly. "This is the first I’m hearing of it. In fact, I wasn’t close to the children’s mother at all, and I didn’t even know her name. I assume you know more about her situation than I do."
Not just "not close"—they had never even met.
Seeing the shift in his expression, Le Qing felt a flicker of relief. She had guessed right.
Jiang Hechang carried guilt toward the children’s mother, and after uncovering her identity, he must have already drawn his own conclusions about her fate.
"I took the children from someone," Le Qing began, reciting the explanation she had prepared. "Someone had plastic surgery to look like me, used my name to swindle money from the children’s mother on her deathbed, and then took the twins away."
"Later, while I was in the UK, someone mistook me for her, and that’s how I learned the truth. So I tracked that person down and took the children back." She pulled a few cards from her bag and placed them on the table. "But I’m sorry—that person escaped, and I still haven’t found them. At the time, I didn’t know who the children’s biological father was, so I had no choice but to raise them myself… until Jiang Suizhi appeared."
Jiang Hechang didn’t understand the gesture with the cards, but he was more urgent about her identity. "So you’re the child from the orphanage who was supposed to have died?"
Le Qing flipped through the remaining documents, and when she reached the last page—a photo of the orphanage child named Le Qing—her pupils dilated slightly.
Many years ago, when she was in the orphanage, they had taken photos too. Those photos were shown to every family considering adoption, so she knew exactly what she had looked like as a child.
And this photo was identical to her younger self. No wonder the original host had gone through such precise surgery to mimic her appearance.
When she was adopted from the orphanage, Le Qing had already been five years old. She didn’t remember anything before that age, and she had always assumed it was just childhood forgetfulness.
But now, right before her eyes, the records stated that the little girl had died at five.
She didn’t believe in coincidences—not like this.
In that moment, Le Qing realized how absurd her previous hopes and half-hearted compromises had been.
She had thought raising the two children was the best outcome, but now she couldn’t even be sure of her own origins, let alone her future.
Her future was a tangled mess.
"I don’t remember anything from childhood," Le Qing said, suppressing the tremor in her voice as she took another sip of water. "But I’ve always been Le Qing. That name has never changed."
She lifted her gaze and asked softly, "Mr. Jiang, do you have any other questions?"
He had gotten the answers he came for, and now Jiang Hechang truly had nothing left to ask. Yet something still felt off.
"What about the children…?"
Le Qing nudged the cards on the table again. "There’s one more thing I need to apologize for. By the time I took the children, the person who had them had already spent most of the money their mother left behind. I heard from Jiang Suizhi that it was originally money you gave to their mother."
Jiang Hechang: "…"
She really knew how to hit a sore spot.
"These cards have some savings. It’s not as much as what you originally gave, but it’s what I’ve managed to set aside for them over the years," Le Qing explained. "It also includes part of what they earned from their online videos. I haven’t touched a single penny."
"Before you came to my home, I had selfish thoughts—thinking that since no one had noticed my identity was wrong, maybe I could keep raising them. Because I truly do love them."
She pressed her lips together. "But after hearing Jiang Suizhi talk so much about their biological parents, and after seeing how much your family cares for them, I knew I couldn’t be that selfish. They belong with their real family. That’s why I came back—to settle this properly."
Jiang Hechang was taken aback. "How do you plan to settle it?"
"By letting them return to their real family, of course. I only took them in because there was no other choice." Le Qing forced a composed smile. "But before that, I’d like to see them one more time. Even though they’re young, they deserve to know what’s happening."
Truthfully, Jiang Hechang was deeply moved.
Having his son’s flesh and blood living outside the family had always weighed on him.
Now that everything was laid out clearly, Le Qing was just an unlucky victim who had ended up raising someone else’s children for years. She was only 24, with her own career and, someday, her own family. She shouldn’t be burdened by two children who weren’t even hers.
He had heard she even sold her designer bags and jewelry to support them.
And she had no connection whatsoever to their real parents.
After being lectured repeatedly by his younger son, Jiang Hechang felt a pang of remorse. Maybe he needed to adjust his mindset—he wasn’t even as mature as this young woman.
So he pushed the cards back toward her. "This money shouldn’t come from you. Keep it."
For some reason, Jiang Hechang felt like he had messed up somewhere. This wasn’t what he had intended when he came.
After a moment’s thought, he decided he shouldn’t take the blame this time. If the children were to return, Jiang Suizhi should be the one to handle it!
So he went with the flow. "Investigating you was my duty as their grandfather. But in the Jiang family, I don’t make the final decisions anymore—Jiang Suizhi handles everything. Whether you keep this money or when the children come home, you should discuss it with him. I believe the two of you are on good terms."
They had been on good terms. But then his son confessed to her in London two days ago.
The memory made Le Qing’s scalp prickle.
If she saw Jiang Suizhi again now, things would spiral out of control. It would be a mess.
Oh right—she needed to return the bracelet he gave her too.
But from the sound of it, Jiang Hechang did intend to take the children back.
Which was, of course, the expected outcome.
"Mr. Jiang," Le Qing said carefully, "Jiang Suizhi and I… had a bit of a disagreement recently. Meeting might not be the best idea. Besides, I only postponed work temporarily to come back, and I still need to return."
Jiang Hechang had no idea his son was constantly shuttling between two places. He assumed that after Le Qing went abroad, she had no further contact with Jiang Suizhi. Hearing her words, he couldn’t help but frown. "Has he been disrespectful to you?"
He was actually quite polite, but his ultimate intentions might not be.
Le Qing truly didn’t know how to phrase it. "I’ll find a way to explain things clearly to him."
"Le… child."
Jiang Hechang, who had almost no daily communication with his son, jumped to conclusions. Knowing full well what a difficult temper his son had—someone who didn’t even respect his own father—let alone a young woman like Le Qing, he assumed she must have suffered quite a bit.
The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt.
Traveling between two countries for the sake of the children, while also having to carefully navigate Jiang Suizhi’s bad-tempered and domineering ways—she really had it hard.
Jiang Hechang tried his best to soften his tone, though he wasn’t quite used to it yet. "I’ve met the two children. You’ve put a lot of effort into raising them, and I’m grateful for how you’ve treated Jiang Yan and Le Qing’s children. I’ll compensate you for everything. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll take them home first, and you can go back to work without worry."
Le Qing blinked.
She thought to herself that this Mr. Jiang spoke quite tactfully, even giving her a way out.
He wasn’t at all like the rigid, selfish old man described by Grandpa and Jiang Suizhi.
She tried her best not to appear too flustered. "It’s the least I could do."
After a pause, she picked up the documents on the table and stood up, saying softly, "I’ve booked a flight for tonight, so time is a bit tight. I’ll go home first to talk to the children."
"So soon?"
Hadn’t she just gotten off the plane?
"Yes." Le Qing forced a smile. "The schedule is tight."
Seeing that she really was in a hurry to leave, Jiang Hechang quickly chased after her with the remaining card and pressed it into her hand. "Take the card. What’s given to you is yours."
Le Qing clutched the card.
This wasn’t just about repaying a debt anymore—it was a growth fund she, as their "aunt," would leave for the two children.
Since Mr. Jiang didn’t want it back, she’d just give it to Jiang Suizhi along with the gifts.
After Le Qing left, Jiang Hechang also departed, his expression one of satisfaction. He felt he had finally done something right.
He went home and had the housekeeper prepare two children’s rooms, planning to buy plenty of supplies and even hire professional nannies. Even if the children were only staying for a few days now, they’d surely come back to visit their grandfather in the future.
Besides, he was certain he could raise them better than Jiang Suizhi ever could.
Unbeknownst to them, their entire interaction had been captured by a store employee and sent to Lin Shengxi, who was currently in the UK.
Ever since Lin Shengxi began investigating the children’s whereabouts, he had been in contact with the store’s owner, instructing them to report any unusual activity.
The owner, unaware that the investigation had already concluded, immediately recalled the events of years past upon seeing Jiang Hechang.
In a panic, they messaged Lin Shengxi: "Young Master Lin, Old Master Jiang Hechang of the Jiang family came to our store again. I even saw him hand a card to Miss Le Qing. She didn’t look too happy when she left."
At that moment, Lin Shengxi was fast asleep.
Since arriving in the UK for work, he had been swamped every day—especially with Jiang Suizhi pushing the project forward like a madman lately, leaving him exhausted enough to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Little did he know that when he woke up, his world would come crashing down.
Meanwhile, Le Qing didn’t go straight home. Instead, she headed to the kindergarten—the children were about to be dismissed, and she had already told Sister Wang that she would pick them up today.
The moment the two little ones walked out hand in hand, they spotted their aunt standing at the gate!
Their aunt was so pretty—prettier than anyone else around!
Ignoring their teacher’s presence, the two toddlers rushed toward the exit, shouting, "Auntie! We’re here!"
Le Qing’s gaze had been fixed on them the whole time. Hearing their voices, she waved and reminded them not to run off, to listen to their teacher.
Once the initial excitement died down, the two obediently lined up beside their teacher.
When it was finally their turn to leave, they clung to their aunt’s arms, nuzzling against her.
"Auntie, Annie missed you so much!"
"Brother missed you too."
"Are you staying with us for the weekend, Auntie? Let’s call Great-Grandpa!"
"Not yet." Le Qing took their backpacks and placed them in the car, then fastened their seatbelts. "Today, it’s just me and you two, okay?"
"Okay!"
Once home, the two immediately ran to their rooms and brought out their treasured candy jars. Though they never lacked sweets, these were special—given by their teacher as rewards, saved just for their aunt.
Le Qing had arranged with Sister Wang to come back at 7 p.m., so the house was empty except for her and the children.
As usual, she cooked in the kitchen while the two toddlers sat on small stools at a tiny table nearby, dividing their candy.
"Auntie gets these. Teacher said if I study hard, I’ll get more." Le Jia pushed a pile of candies and a small stack of cookies toward the edge. "These cookies are really good too. Auntie should have more."
Between stir-frying, Le Qing glanced back—the two were happily chattering away, just like always.
She didn’t dare look at them too long, afraid she wouldn’t be able to say what needed to be said. Instead, she asked gently, "Do you like the grandpa who visited the other day?"
The new grandpa?
"We like him!" Annie answered cheerfully. "He brought lots of toys, and Grandpa gets his ears pulled too, just like us!"
"You like Great-Grandpa, Second Grandpa, and Uncle too, right?"
"Mhm!"
Le Qing lowered her eyes. "Remember what Auntie told you before? If other family members are kind to you, what should you do?"
"Sleep together!" Le Jia raised his hand. "When Great-Grandpa visits, he sleeps in the new bed!"
"Great-Grandpa has a very big house." Le Qing spoke slowly. "That way, he wouldn’t have to share a room with Second Grandpa or get his ears pulled. Would you like to go stay at his house and sleep there?"
To the little ones, their aunt had always said that grandpas were family—and family could be together anywhere. So they nodded without hesitation. "Yes!"
"But Annie still wants to sleep with Auntie," the little girl added.
Le Qing plated the food and smiled. "Time to eat."
It had been so long since they’d had their aunt’s cooking that the two gobbled it up, sauce smeared all over their faces. Le Qing watched them intently.
Finally, Annie noticed something off. "Auntie, why aren’t you eating?"
"I am." Le Qing took a sip of soup, then said softly, "Sweethearts, Grandpa will come later to take you to his house."
Annie looked puzzled. "What about Auntie?"
"Auntie has to go back to work."
Annie painstakingly picked up the largest piece of meat and placed it in her aunt’s bowl, her little face full of concern. "Auntie works too hard."
Work was the worst thing ever.
"Can’t we just stay like this?" Le Jia still felt something wasn’t right. "Why do we have to go to Grandpa’s house?"
"Because Grandpa is family too, his home is also your home."
Annie added leisurely, "And it's Auntie's home too."
Le Qing lowered her eyes and smiled faintly.
In the end, she gave up on explaining the truth to the children, just as she had once hidden the truth about their father from them.
At their age, they hadn’t yet learned to handle such complicated relationships or understand such reasoning.
They only cared about those close to them and relied on them instinctively.
What reassured Le Qing was that their understanding of family was simple—they believed that as long as someone was family, they belonged together. So, they weren’t resistant to going to the Jiang household.
Perhaps that was for the best.
She really wasn’t good at goodbyes.
After dinner, she cleared the dishes, just as Sister Wang arrived.
Seeing that it was almost time for the children’s grandfather to pick them up, the two kids were still excitedly packing their toys and little clothes in their room, looking forward to going to Grandpa’s house.
"Auntie!" Annie ran over to Le Qing mid-packing. "We’ll take Auntie’s clothes too! When Auntie comes back, she’ll go to Grandpa’s house!"
Le Qing didn’t have many clothes here.
Wait—there was one. The "gift" she couldn’t take to England, so she had washed it and kept it in her room.
Now the children were already holding it, along with some old storybooks from the room.
Little Le Jia said, "We’ll take them to tell Auntie stories."
Le Qing looked at the dress, her throat tightening painfully. After a long pause, she managed to say, "Auntie needs to wear this. You can’t take it."
Annie gasped in surprise. "For work?"
But didn’t Auntie dislike it?
"Mhm." Le Qing walked over and carefully packed the dress away, along with the other gifts. "Auntie will take these with her."
But Sister Wang sensed something was wrong. "Miss Le Qing…"
"I have a flight to catch soon." Le Qing glanced back at her. "You should go with them. There’s no need to come back here."
She would arrange to transfer the house to Jiang Suizhi later.
Sister Wang’s mouth fell open. Did Director Jiang know about this?
No… he couldn’t possibly.
As the time neared, Le Qing didn’t linger.
She gathered all her belongings and knelt to hug the two little ones, who were still discussing what to pack. "Le Jia, Le An."
The children seemed to sense something and turned to her in confusion.
But before they could see, Le Qing covered their eyes.
All they heard was her whisper in their ears: "Goodbye."
"Bye-bye, Auntie~"
The two little ones didn’t fuss, knowing how hard their aunt worked. They even hugged her back. "We’ll be good for Grandpa and wait for you to come back."
Le Qing couldn’t give them a definite answer. Instead, she murmured softly, "Auntie will try her best to prepare."
To uncover the truth and return to them without any lingering burdens.
She quickly let go and hurried out, clutching her belongings.
Sister Wang stood frozen in shock.
Wait… what just happened?
Flustered, she pulled out her phone and called Director Jiang. It wasn’t until the second ring that he picked up.
"Director Jiang!" Sister Wang didn’t waste time, stepping into another room and lowering her voice. "Did you and Miss Le Qing have a fight? She packed up all her things and left."
Though Le Qing hadn’t kept much here to begin with.
Jiang Suizhi, who had barely managed to sleep and was abruptly awakened: "?"
He sat up, fully alert now. "She’s not in London?"
"She came back," Sister Wang said. "And she said she’s sending the kids to your family’s old house. Old Master Jiang is coming to pick them up soon!"
"???"
Jiang Suizhi couldn’t think of anything he might have done to upset Le Qing enough for her to rush back overnight—unless it was his remark about not mentioning Jiang Yan.
Damn it.
He hung up, threw on a jacket, and immediately booked a flight back to China.
Then he called Lin Shengxi, who only answered on the third try.
"Postpone the meeting," Jiang Suizhi said without hesitation.
"Uh… huh?" Lin Shengxi’s voice was thick with sleep, but after a few seconds, he jolted awake. "Bro, what’s wrong?"
"I need to go back to China for something."
"Okay." Lin Shengxi checked the time, then noticed a message from someone back home. His eyes widened as he read it. "Bro… did something happen to your dad?"
Jiang Suizhi: "My dad?"
"I just got word that Uncle Jiang had an unpleasant run-in with Le Qing at a private restaurant. He even gave her a card." Lin Shengxi was fully awake now. "What’s going on?"
"..."
Jiang Suizhi gritted his teeth. "He gave her money?"
Jiang Hechang again?!
Dad: Sigh. Somehow, I’m always the villain here.
