Compared to last time, Yan Xi felt Zhou Yanci had become even more unrestrained.
As if some hidden switch had been flipped.
She had previously concealed her true motives for approaching Zhou Yanci, preparing over a dozen apology drafts in her mind—yet he never pressed her about it?
The night was deep, the rain heavy. Yan Xi felt her body nearly falling apart. The initial soreness had melted into pleasure, making her forget all the questions she meant to ask.
"Zhou Yanci… can we turn off the lights?"
Zhou Yanci countered, "Why turn them off?"
Because I don’t want you to see!
The room was dim, but the reflection of the stormy night outside the window cast an intimate, hazy glow.
Yan Xi’s face flushed crimson, her earlobes burning so red they might drip blood.
Even though it wasn’t their first time, Zhou Yanci’s scorching presence made her unsure where to look.
He reached out abruptly, and for a moment, Yan Xi thought he’d comply—but instead, he pulled off his tie. Before she could react, he draped it over her eyes, knotting it gently at the back of her head.
"Wait—"
"Now you can’t see." Zhou Yanci murmured against her ear, teeth grazing the sensitive skin.
He pulled her closer, shifting their positions.
A jolt of electricity surged through Yan Xi, toes curling in response.
Losing her sight only heightened everything.
Especially when Zhou Yanci wrapped his arms around her from behind, plunging her world into darkness—leaving only anticipation and the unknown.
Even the brush of sheets against her bare back made her nerves sing.
Zhou Yanci’s feverish skin pressed against her, fingers tilting her chin as he kissed along her jaw.
"Be good. Relax."
His voice was deep, magnetic, a siren’s call to surrender.
Yan Xi whimpered softly, instinct urging her to flee—but trapped in his embrace, there was nowhere to go.
The storm raged outside, the sound blending with their own. Her mind erupted like fireworks, dazzling and fleeting.
Lost in the haze, time dissolved.
——
Afterward, Zhou Yanci carried Yan Xi to the shower.
Her fair skin was marked with scattered red, like plum blossoms against snow.
His gaze darkened, desire flaring again—but he forced it down. Too much.
With a slow breath, he focused on rinsing her carefully under the warm spray.
Back in bed, Yan Xi curled into Zhou Yanci’s arms.
Winter nights were cold, the sheets slow to warm even with the heater on.
Luckily, Zhou Yanci radiated heat like a furnace. Oblivious to the storm in his eyes, Yan Xi nestled closer, sighing contentedly.
Zhou Yanci exhaled, tucking the blankets around her.
Now wide awake past her usual bedtime, Yan Xi propped herself up. "Did you tell Lu Wanning about Aunt Zhang?"
Zhou Yanci nodded.
He couldn’t hear Yan Xi’s thoughts, but the system’s voice was clear. At the birthday banquet, its clues made it obvious—Yan Xi had interfered with the Lu family’s search before. He’d pieced together why she’d swapped the DNA samples.
Back then, she couldn’t use her own. Now, things were different.
"I told Lu Wanning not to let you find out."
His reasoning had been simple: since the plot no longer revolved around Zhou Qingyu, he wanted Yan Xi to reclaim her family.
He still remembered the girl crying in the hallway five years ago. Zhou Qingyu was her anchor, and so was he—but Yan Xi deserved more people who cared.
Who knew Lu Wanning would bungle a simple DNA test and get caught?
Even Lin Zhi had managed to obtain Meng Xuanyu and Meng Yingrong’s samples undetected. Lu Wanning’s skills were embarrassingly lacking.
Yan Xi grinned. "I didn’t find out—the system told me."
Zhou Yanci: "That useless AI?"
System: […]
Excuse you?! It could hear them when not locked away! No badmouthing the system behind its back!
"Honestly, it’s fine," Yan Xi shrugged. "Even if the Lu family hadn’t reached out, I might’ve checked myself someday."
Finding family would be nice.
If not, she’d accept it.
Life was long. This wasn’t her only chance.
"But…" Her tone shifted playfully. "Lu Wanning was your fiancée in the novel. Now that you’ve awakened, don’t you feel anything seeing her?"
Zhou Yanci frowned. "What would I feel? In my past life, we were only engaged on paper."
"It was a business arrangement to avoid endless matchmaking."
Remaining unmarried was too radical for their circles. An alliance served as convenient camouflage—no more meddling from Zhou’s father or tiresome social setups.
That had been his rationale. But the sudden glint in Yan Xi’s eyes made him tense.
Zhou Yanci: !!!
"We never did anything! I swear!"
Yan Xi rested her chin on her hands, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Did you hold hands?"
"…"
"Yes. But that was in the novel!"
"Hugged?"
"…"
"Maybe once?"
"What about—"
Zhou Yanci cut in firmly. "No! Absolutely not!"
Yan Xi laughed, the sound light as wind chimes. "I know! That’s why after your accident, Lu Wanning teamed up with Pei Yubai to swallow Zhou Corporation. If she’d loved you, she wouldn’t have betrayed you so easily!"
Back when Yan Xi had been indifferent to Zhou Yanci, she’d wondered: how could a fiancée side with outsiders against her own family?
Now it made sense—their relationship had always been transactional.
Lu Wanning had simply acted as any shrewd businessperson would. Just as Yan Xi had advised Zhou Qingyu to acquire Meng Group when Meng Xuanyu self-destructed.
"If you’d actually married, the ending might’ve been different." Yan Xi mused.
Zhou Yanci’s instincts screamed danger. He stayed silent.
Amused by his panic, Yan Xi nudged him. "I’m just analyzing the novel’s plot! If you’d wed, Lu Wanning would’ve inherited your assets after your accident. She wouldn’t have needed to seize Zhou Corporation."
Yan Xi always felt that in the novels where Pei Yubai triumphed over Pei Hanli and won the beauty’s heart, it was all thanks to the plot’s favoritism. If even a few key moments had gone differently, Pei Yubai wouldn’t have succeeded.
Yan Xi had a very good impression of Lu Wanning, seeing her as a strong career woman who was also kind and polite in private, beautiful and gracious. If Yan Xi had been closer to the Zhou family, perhaps Lu Wanning wouldn’t have targeted them?
Zhou Yanci neither agreed nor disagreed. “Hypothetically, if—just if—I had married Lu Wanning in the novel, then she definitely wouldn’t have teamed up with Pei Yubai.”
Yan Xi nodded in agreement.
Zhou Yanci added, “She would’ve swallowed Zhou Corporation whole on her own, making the Lu family the undisputed ruler of Hai City.”
Yan Xi: “……?”
Yan Xi was both amused and exasperated. “But even if Lu Wanning took over Zhou Corporation alone, she wouldn’t have done anything to Qingyu, let alone force her to dig for sweet potatoes, right?”
Zhou Yanci: “True.”
Then Zhou Yanci paused. “So, after all this analysis, you’ve concluded that me marrying Lu Wanning could’ve also been a way to save Qingyu?”
Yan Xi shrank into the blankets, hiding her head.
“I never said that!”
……
It was already very late. More than three hours had passed since Lu Wanning obtained Yan Xi’s DNA sample. Given the Lu family’s technology, they should’ve had the results long ago.
Yet neither Lu Wanning nor Lu Beiyu, both of whom had Yan Xi’s WeChat, had contacted her.
Zhou Yanci noticed Yan Xi checking her phone and guessed what was on her mind.
“Want to know the results?”
Yan Xi nodded.
Zhou Yanci wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
“Sleep first. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to see Lu Wanning.”
.
Zhou Yanci arranged a meeting with Lu Wanning at a discreet café on the tenth floor of Hongrui Mall.
The DNA results could’ve been shared over the phone, but Zhou Yanci’s main purpose was to ensure that if this attempt failed, the Lu family—with their extensive medical resources and DNA database—could keep Yan Xi’s data to aid in finding her biological family.
Zhou Yanci privately thought the chances of Yan Xi being related to the Lu family were slim. In this life, due to the novel’s plot interference, there seemed to be many coincidences between Yan Xi and the Lu family, but in the original story, they had no connection at all.
At the Yellow Gem Café, Yan Xi and Zhou Yanci arrived early.
The meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m.
Yan Xi sipped her mocha, the slice of cake in front of her untouched.
She told herself it was fine if this wasn’t the answer—it was normal, after all.
But her heart still fluttered nervously.
Every time someone entered the café, Yan Xi craned her neck to look.
Zhou Yanci watched her. “Did you wait like this for other DNA test results before?”
“I’ve waited even longer!” Yan Xi said. “The Lu family has advanced technology. In the past, waiting a whole week was common.”
The long waits had allowed her imagination to run wild, filling her heart with detailed fantasies.
She would picture what her parents might look like, what her family might be like, whether she had siblings—and whether those siblings would accept her.
As long as there was no result, there was hope.
But each negative result had extinguished all those imaginings.
Still, Yan Xi kept trying.
Back in Han City, she had lied to Lu Beiyu.
She wasn’t disillusioned with searching for her family—on the contrary, she still desperately wanted to find them.
Even if they were ordinary, even if they were poor, even if they hadn’t wanted her back—or if they had deliberately abandoned her.
She still wanted to know.
Perhaps it was a bond etched into her bloodline, an irresistible curiosity about who her parents really were. Everyone had parents; so should she. Even if they couldn’t be together, just meeting them once would be enough.
Time ticked by.
The clock in the café passed 10 a.m., yet Lu Wanning still hadn’t arrived.
To Yan Xi, this silence was answer enough.
When she was younger, hospitals would always inform the parents of the DNA results first. Some families, heartbroken by the negative outcome, forgot to even tell Yan Xi.
She stared at the café’s entrance—empty, no one coming in.
Softly, she murmured, “Not this time either.”
Zhou Yanci’s heart ached. He pulled her into a hug.
“It’s okay,” Yan Xi encouraged herself. “There’ll be other chances. We’ll find them eventually~”
Zhou Yanci gently ruffled her hair. “Yeah. Even if Hai City doesn’t hold the answer, I’ll go with you to search elsewhere.”
Yan Xi and Zhou Yanci got up to leave.
At the elevator, Yan Xi took a deep breath, steadying herself.
She pulled out her phone, about to text Lin Zhi that she’d be returning to Xingyao soon.
The next second, the stairwell door beside the elevator burst open—Lu Wanning and Lu Beiyu stumbled out, panting heavily!
“Lu Beiyu, you idiot! If you ever navigate us to the suburbs again, I’ll strangle you, got it?!”
Lu Beiyu yelped as Lu Wanning twisted his ear. “How was I supposed to know there was another café with the same name out there? I thought I had the right location!”
“And the mall’s elevator was broken—we had to climb ten floors! Who could’ve predicted such bad luck?”
“Sis, let go of my ear! I admit I was wrong, okay? Really!”
“If I missed Yan Xi today, I’d have skinned you alive!”
Still scolding Lu Beiyu, Lu Wanning turned—and froze when she saw Yan Xi standing by the elevator, stunned.
Lu Wanning’s heels were ruined from the climb, her makeup smudged with sweat.
But seeing Yan Xi made it all worth it.
After twenty years of failed searches, they’d endured far worse. Today’s mishaps were nothing.
Lu Wanning rushed forward and pulled Yan Xi into a tight embrace.
Yan Xi stood frozen, having just resigned herself to another dead end—only for Lu Wanning and Lu Beiyu to appear, breathless and disheveled.
Then Lu Wanning’s first words shattered her composure:
“Xixi, we’ve searched for twenty years… and we’ve finally found you.”
“All these years, we’ve missed you so much.”
Yan Xi’s eyes widened, her nose stinging.
After five years of searching, she had her answer at last.
……
The night before, at the Lu family’s genetic testing facility, Lu Wanning had already seen the DNA results.
To be certain, she’d had the doctors run the test multiple times.
She could’ve just messaged Yan Xi the truth—quick and easy.
But Yan Xi didn’t even know about the DNA test yet. So… Lu Wanning wanted to tell her in person. There were so many things she longed to say.
……
The Topaz Café
Lu Wanning pulled out yesterday’s test report.
Both she and Yan Xi had seen such reports countless times before. But this time, the results confirmed that she and Yan Xi were biological sisters.
Not only that, Lu Wanning had obtained three separate reports, all proving that Yan Xi shared blood relations with Lu Beiyu, as well as with Chairman Lu and Madam Lu.
Perhaps the previous mishap had left Lu Wanning wary, because this time, she had taken every precaution.
"Xi Xi, these reports don’t lie. You really are our Lu family’s youngest daughter."
Yan Xi stared blankly at the reports, feeling as though none of this was real.
It was as if a long-held wish had finally been fulfilled, yet the future now seemed hollow and uncertain.
Maybe it was because she had grown up. If she had found her parents as a child, she could have thrown herself into their arms, whined and pouted, and poured out all her grievances from the past.
But she was twenty now—an adult. Even though these people were her family, and she was genuinely happy, there was still an unspoken distance, the awkwardness between strangers.
Twenty years of separation meant that, beyond blood ties, they were practically strangers.
Lu Wanning noticed Yan Xi’s hesitation and added softly, "Xi Xi, Mom and Dad already know about the results. They’re waiting for you at home. Will you come back with us to see them?"
Yan Xi looked up at her. "You mean… to the Lu family home?"
Zhou Yanci also asked, "Why didn’t Chairman Lu and Madam Lu come themselves?"
The last time the Lu family had visited the Zhou residence looking for Yan Xi, Zhou Yanci hadn’t been present, but he’d heard from his father that both Chairman Lu and Madam Lu had come in person. Now that the verification had succeeded again, there was no reason for them not to show up.
Lu Beiyu’s expression dimmed. "Mother is ill. Father is taking care of her at home."
Yan Xi froze. "Because of… the previous DNA test?"
The emotional whiplash—first the joy of a successful match, then the despair of losing their daughter again—would be enough to make any mother fall ill.
Seeing that neither Lu Wanning nor Lu Beiyu denied it, Yan Xi knew her guess was close to the truth.
She lowered her head guiltily. "I’m sorry."
Lu Wanning wasn’t aware that Yan Xi had switched the blood samples—Zhou Yanci hadn’t told her.
Gently, Lu Wanning reassured her, "You must have had your reasons for refusing the test before. And if the results showed a false match, that was our mistake. How could we blame you?"
"It’s our fault for not finding you sooner."
Lu Wanning couldn’t help but think that if they had located Yan Xi earlier, she might not have grown so distant and reluctant about reuniting with her family.
Yan Xi was just one person, while the Lu family was vast and influential. They should have found her much sooner, especially since they lived in the same city.
Lu Wanning took Yan Xi’s hand. "Xi Xi, come home with us, okay?"
A small part of Yan Xi still hesitated, but her curiosity about her birth parents outweighed everything else. She nodded.
.
The mall’s elevator had been under temporary maintenance for an hour. By the time Yan Xi and the others left, it had been fixed.
In the underground parking lot, Lu Wanning gestured for Yan Xi to sit in the back seat, with Lu Beiyu accompanying her while she took the driver’s seat.
Before Lu Beiyu could get in, Zhou Yanci followed.
Lu Wanning shot him a look. "We’re taking our sister home. What are you tagging along for?"
Zhou Yanci: ?
"I was the one who reminded you to retest the DNA. Is this how you repay me?"
Lu Beiyu muttered under his breath, "Sis, this might be our future brother-in-law."
Lu Wanning’s brows furrowed deeply.
Twisting around from the driver’s seat, she looked at Yan Xi in the back. "Xi Xi, things are different now. Our family has more than enough money. You don’t have to settle for someone just for financial security."
Zhou Yanci: ???????
"Excuse me? How is being with me ‘settling’?"
Lu Wanning gave him a matter-of-fact glance. "Zhou Yanci, have some shame. You’re pushing thirty, and my sister’s only twenty! Even cradle-robbing has its limits!"
Zhou Yanci… Zhou Yanci was speechless.
Since when was age something he could control?
Besides, a seven-year gap wasn’t that bad, was it?
Suddenly, he regretted wearing a suit today. He should’ve gone for something more casual.
Yan Xi quickly tried to smooth things over. "It’s not that big of a gap, really…"
Still, she agreed that Zhou Yanci accompanying her might be awkward. She hopped out of the car and patted his arm. "Maybe you should head back to Zhou Corporation first? I’ll be fine with… Lu Wanning and the others."
"I don’t like the idea of you going alone."
"What’s there to worry about?" Lu Wanning stared at him incredulously. "I’m her biological sister!"
"Big sis! Big sis!" Lu Beiyu played peacemaker. "We just got Second Sister back! We’re still practically strangers. President Zhou has known her for years—of course he’s more familiar with her than we are."
At that, Lu Wanning deflated.
How was it fair that some man knew her own sister better than she did?
Just then, the roar of an engine echoed through the garage as a van pulled up beside Yan Xi and Zhou Yanci.
Zhou Qingyu stepped out, pushing her oversized sunglasses up onto her head.
"I’ll take Xi Xi to the Lu family!"
Zhou Yanci frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Yan Xi raised a hand sheepishly. "I told Qing Qing!"
She had gone through so many DNA tests before that she hadn’t seen the need to mention the failed attempts. But now that it had finally worked, she had to let Zhou Qingyu know.
The moment she got the results, she had sent Zhou Qingyu a message.
Zhou Qingyu looped an arm through Yan Xi’s. "You’re not even married yet, why are you in such a hurry? I’m her best friend—of course I should be the one to go with her!"
Zhou Yanci opened his mouth to argue, but Zhou Qingyu tapped his chest with her sunglasses.
"How long have you even been together? Do you know her as well as I do? Back off! With me around, who dares to make her uncomfortable?"
A strange discomfort prickled at Zhou Yanci, but she had a point. With Zhou Qingyu there, the Lu family wouldn’t give Yan Xi a hard time.
Besides, if Yan Xi really was returning to the Lu family, he’d have to figure out how to win them over if he wanted to stay with her.
Reluctantly, he nodded.
He turned to Yan Xi. "Call me if you need anything."
……
Zhou Yanci drove off in his Aston Martin.
After a brief discussion, Yan Xi decided to ride in Zhou Qingyu’s van instead, following Lu Wanning’s car back to the Lu residence.
Lu Wanning hesitated for a second but agreed.
She had watched the travel variety show and knew how close Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi were.
With the seating arrangements settled, Zhou Qingyu immediately pulled Yan Xi aside. She still didn’t understand—last time, Yan Xi hadn’t even wanted to take the DNA test. How had she suddenly become the Lu family’s daughter?
"Did the Lu family threaten you? If so, just nod. The Lu family—we’re not afraid of them either!"
Yan Xi couldn’t help but laugh. "Before, there were certain reasons why we couldn’t verify the DNA, but now it’s fine!"
Zhou Qingyu let out a sigh of relief. When she first got the news, she was utterly confused and even thought Yan Xi had been kidnapped. She hadn’t even stopped for lunch, rushing over in a panic.
Straightening her back, she patted Yan Xi’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, I’ll go back to the Lu family with you. If they treat you poorly, we’ll walk out immediately! So what if they have money? Who doesn’t? Even without the Lu family, I’d take care of you myself!"
