Chapter 0108

Chen Qingtian finally understood—if she didn’t tell the truth, that idiot Wu Zhishang would never help her.

Wu Zhishang slowly sat back down, listening intently until his jaw dropped in shock. He never expected things to be like this.

"Now, can you help me arrange a meeting with Lin Ran?" Chen Qingtian’s slightly sulky tone made Wu Zhishang wish he could vanish into the ground.

Had he really misunderstood her so badly earlier?

"Ah? Uh… fine!"

This was important, and he really should help.

When Lin Ran rushed into the office later, he was surprised to see Chen Qingtian there.

Oh? Here to see Old Wu?

The three of them sat in the office, with Lin Ran and Wu Zhishang exchanging glances first.

Lin Ran: Nice, bro. You’re eating this meal too?

Wu Zhishang: Nah, not like that. This woman has something to discuss with you.

Lin Ran: Why couldn’t she just say it over the phone?

Wu Zhishang: It’s kinda big. I only know part of it, but it’s pretty explosive. You’ll have to ask her for the details.

Watching Lin Ran and Wu Zhishang blink rapidly at each other, Chen Qingtian was immediately reminded of their first meeting.

Back then, these two had also been making weird faces at each other.

"Are you two… speaking some kind of secret language?" Chen Qingtian asked, cutting straight to the point.

Lin Ran coughed. "Ahem! Ahem! Miss Chen, what brings you here to see me?"

"Oh? You knew it was me who wanted to meet?"

Lin Ran: "Old Wu just told me."

Chen Qingtian: ??? Did Wu Zhishang even say anything?

"Two things. First, I just wanted to catch up." Chen Qingtian figured easing into the conversation would make it easier to broach the real topic.

But Lin Ran frowned and went straight for the jugular.

"Catch up? We’re not exactly close, are we? Let me make this clear—I’m a married man. You’d better get to the second thing, or I’ll start thinking you’re trying to be my mistress."

Chen Qingtian froze on the spot. Now she understood why Lin Ran and Wu Zhishang were such good friends—they shared the same infuriating, shameless sense of humor.

"Pfft. Wow, you really cracked me up there. Fine. My grandfather is Chen Xiao."

Lin Ran: "And my son is Lin Tianba!"

"Pffft—!" Wu Zhishang couldn’t hold back, spraying tea everywhere.

"Hahaha! Bro, your logic—I can’t—hahaha!"

Lin Ran: "I was just trying to lighten the mood. What, you can’t even talk properly in front of Miss Chen now?"

Wu Zhishang quickly wiped the grin off his face, though he couldn’t shake a pang of disappointment.

He’d thought Chen Qingtian might have actually started to like him a little these past few days. But now he realized he was wrong.

She’d only gotten close to him to dig up information.

If Lin Ran found out her real motive, he’d probably be just as shocked.

Suddenly, Lin Ran paused.

"Wait. Who did you say your grandfather was?"

Chen Xiao?

That name sounded familiar.

Wasn’t he the head of the education bureau?

"You’re Director Chen’s granddaughter?" Lin Ran asked skeptically.

Chen Qingtian smiled and nodded. "Lin Ran, me coming to see you today wasn’t an accident. It was inevitable."

"Just say what you need to say." Out of respect for Director Chen, Lin Ran decided to stop messing with her.

"I think… you might be my cousin." Chen Qingtian’s words hit Lin Ran like a truck, leaving him completely frozen.

Lin Ran: "Cousin? You’re related to my son, Lin Tianba?"

Chen Qingtian: "You have a son?"

"Found him in a dumpster. But I already disowned him."

Chen Qingtian took a long moment to process that before shaking her head helplessly. "I… might be related to you through your mother’s side."

"Honestly, the first time I saw you, I felt something different—a sense of familiarity. You look a lot like my father."

Lin Ran was baffled. "Hold on, let me get this straight. What do you mean, I look like your father?"

"Because you might be my father’s nephew." Though Chen Qingtian said "might," her tone left no room for doubt.

Lin Ran relaxed. "That’s impossible. My mom’s surname is Su, not Chen. When I was a kid, I asked her, ‘Where are my grandparents?’ She just said, ‘They’re all dead.’"

Chen Qingtian’s face darkened.

"It’s… complicated. Your mother—my aunt—was apparently very rebellious back then…"

"Wait, hold on. Old Wu." Lin Ran glanced at Wu Zhishang, who immediately understood.

He pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds, handed Lin Ran a portion, and refilled his tea to the brim.

The two of them sat properly on one side of the table like eager students ready for a lecture.

Once they were settled, they motioned for Chen Qingtian to continue. She stared at them with a look of utter disbelief.

So you two are treating me like some street storyteller now?

"Uh… Our Chen family has deep roots, but back then, my aunt insisted on starting her own business. Nowadays that’s normal, but back then, our family didn’t approve."

"But that wasn’t even the worst of it. Later, she fell for some good-for-nothing man and was determined to marry him. It caused a huge uproar—Grandpa even threatened to kill the guy himself. But my aunt protected him so well that no one in the family ever even saw his face."

"Eventually, my aunt was put under house arrest. Then one day, when no one was around, she ran away… and never came back."

Lin Ran raised his hand. "But what does this have to do with my mom?"

Chen Qingtian: "About ten years ago, Grandpa received a photo—of you as a child. My aunt had sent a message with it: ‘If you ever meet this child by chance, help him if he’s struggling.’"

"Maybe she thought Grandpa was still angry after all these years, so she never returned. But the truth is, he forgave her long ago. He regretted everything and would often stare at old photos of her alone."

"Honestly, Grandpa’s just a pitiful old man now. Back then, my aunt—"

Wu Zhishang raised his hand. "Professor Chen, could we skip to the main point?"

Chen Qingtian was so exasperated she almost laughed.

"Fine. After getting the photo, Grandpa sent people to look for you, but we never found anything. We didn’t even know your name."

"Then how can you be sure it’s me? My mom’s surname is Su," Lin Ran interjected, raising his hand again.

Chen Qingtian stood up and walked slowly toward him. "Because I think my aunt changed her name to avoid being found."

"And you—not only do you resemble the child in that photo, but you also look a lot like my father when he was young. Our family has been searching for you all these years. The moment I saw you, I had my suspicions."

"After spending time with Wu—this jerk—and gathering information about you, I became even more certain. You are my cousin."