Chapter 73: Have You Ever Tested for DNA?

As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Lady Xu.

Lady Xu had already dealt with the traces of tears around her eyes. Seeing Xu Mu Ning so flustered, she asked, “Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

Xu Mu Ning’s attitude toward Lady Xu had changed.

Before she knew her true identity, she would curry favor with Lady Xu, desperate not to be driven out.

But now, knowing everything, resentment welled within her.

Why had she lived so long under the label of an adopted daughter, while Xu Yun Zhu, upon returning, was immediately recognized as the legitimate eldest miss of the Xu family? It was outrageously unfair.

“I—I agreed to have dinner with my brother outside. I might be home late tonight.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Lady Xu seemed tired, looking at Xu Mu Ning with hesitation, rubbing her forehead as if in pain. “You went on that show behind your father’s back. Don’t let him find out. He doesn’t watch variety programs anyway. Once you’re on, don’t provoke Xu Yun Zhu, understand? Your target is Pei Jin. I’ve given you the opportunity—whether you can seize it is up to you.”

Xu Mu Ning glanced at Lady Xu silently. “I understand… But if Xu Yun Zhu has an accident and dies, that can’t be blamed on me, can it?”

Lady Xu frowned. “Just stay away from her. She’s a harbinger of misfortune—anyone close to her suffers. Enough, go and have fun with your brother.”

Xu Mu Ning pressed her lips together.

She arrived at the café where she was to meet Xu Yu.

They sat in a secluded spot, with no one nearby—there was no risk of being overheard.

So when Xu Mu Ning saw Xu Yu, she couldn’t hold back her grievances. “Brother, am I really inferior to that wretch? Last time, I pushed Xu Yun Zhu and Dad slapped me, but that wretch broke my forehead, and Dad only cared about Xu Yun Zhu’s marriage to Pei Jin—not a word about my injury. In the past, I could tolerate it, but today I overheard that I am their real daughter! Xu Yun Zhu might be nothing but an impostor, usurping my place. Why should I endure any longer?”

Xu Yu listened quietly.

His slender fingers gently traced the rim of the coffee cup.

He glanced at Xu Mu Ning, seemingly gentle but in truth indifferent.

It was fortunate Xu Yun Zhu hadn’t suffered any harm, otherwise…

A slap would have been the least of Xu Mu Ning’s worries.

He adopted a troubled expression, “Could there be some misunderstanding? Yun Zhu looks just like Mom—could that be false? Ning Ning, maybe you misheard.”

“Impossible!” Xu Mu Ning was adamant. “I absolutely didn’t mishear. Their voices were muffled, but I caught everything clearly. Mom was cursing some woman—I didn’t catch the name, but she’s probably another disgrace, just like Xu Yun Zhu. No wonder Mom has always been good to me since I was little. I thought Xu Yun Zhu’s return would steal my affection, but I was wrong. Xu Yun Zhu is definitely not the Xu family’s daughter. As for why Mom and Dad adopted me, perhaps they had their reasons.”

At this point,

Xu Mu Ning looked at Xu Yu.

Lady Xu treated him as her own son, protective and deeply concerned.

Almost as if he were her biological child.

She swallowed nervously.

Xu Yu lowered his eyes, took a sip of coffee, and smiled gently at her. “Ning Ning, why are you looking at me like that?”

Xu Mu Ning made a bold guess. “Brother… have you ever had a DNA test with Mom and Dad? Since they could adopt me, maybe they adopted you too. You and I might both be their real children.”

Xu Yu’s face showed surprise. “Me?”

Xu Mu Ning nodded nervously. “Yes, Brother. Why don’t you secretly get tested with Mom and Dad? I’ll get a strand of Xu Yun Zhu’s hair for the test.”

Xu Yu chuckled softly, his eyes curving. “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Ning Ning.”

Xu Mu Ning breathed a sigh of relief, even feeling a bit hopeful.

If Xu Yu turned out to be her biological brother, she could ask him to stop being kind to Xu Yun Zhu—she wasn’t his sister at all.

She was so excited that she failed to notice the indifference in Xu Yu’s eyes, concealed beneath his surprise.

The truth Xu Mu Ning took over a decade to learn, Xu Yu had known since his very first day in the Xu household.

He knew Xu Father was his real father.

He had been placed in an orphanage from a young age, told to pretend not to know him, until that day when Xu Father brought along the elegant woman and a cute little girl, and took him home.

The little girl was barely four.

Her chubby little hand held his thin palm, her eyes shining as she called him brother.

Xu Father brought him to the luxurious mansion—a place he could never have lived in alone. Xu Father asked him to behave, promising him a good life.

He obeyed, submissive, all so he would no longer be abused or starved—so he could be safe and warm.

Back then, Xu Yun Zhu was like a little angel: adorable, innocent, always smiling sweetly at him, never letting go of his hand, introducing him to all her friends, proud to have a brother.

She didn’t know what an adopted brother was, treating him as her real brother.

All the best food and toys, she gave him first.

Lady Xu was a refined, graceful woman—her beauty was striking, but her temperament was as gentle as magnolia. She treated him impeccably, with fairness. Each day, she’d kiss Xu Yun Zhu’s little face, then gently ruffle his hair and ask where they’d been, whether Xu Yun Zhu had bullied other children.

Xu Yu always shook his head—even if she had, he’d never tell. Yun Zhu was his favorite sister.

They’d sit together on the steps; she’d play in the dirt, and he’d keep her company.

Lady Xu would sit nearby, her favorite pastime reading under the wisteria tree, enjoying the shade, sometimes gazing at the sky. That small, fenced area felt like a cage, and at times, Xu Yu thought Lady Xu was like a bird, always melancholy.

Only when she saw Xu Yun Zhu did she smile more.

So, as a child, Xu Yun Zhu was deeply attached to her mother.

Even at bedtime, she needed to nestle in her mother’s arms.

Lady Xu would hold her on the rocking chair beneath the wisteria tree, singing lullabies as she coaxed Xu Yun Zhu to sleep.

Xu Yu watched, entranced and a little envious.

Then Xu Father appeared, asking if he wanted a mother.

He had never known maternal affection.

From the time he could remember, he’d been in the orphanage. Xu Father would occasionally visit, but never took him home.

He yearned for a mother, so he nodded.

And so, he gained a mother.

Lady Xu became his mother.

From then on, she cared for him meticulously.

The house remained unchanged, the household the same.

Only one little shadow was missing.

Xu Yun Zhu.

In a certain shopping mall,

amidst the bustling crowd,

Xu Yu lost her.

His thoughts returned to the present.

The hand resting on his knee clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed.