Chapter 183: A Little Selfishness
The four people immediately took two steps back and cautiously examined Zhao Zhaodi’s expression, seemingly afraid that the young girl might dislike them.
“Tomorrow morning at 9:00, we’ll meet at the Judicial DNA Testing Center. Once the results are in, we’ll discuss further, okay?” Xu Fang asked.
The four of them hurriedly agreed.
One of the mothers suddenly tried to hand Zhao Zhaodi a bag: “This is a团糕 (traditional rice cake) I made myself. It tastes better than the ones you buy outside.”
Her gaze toward Zhao Zhaodi was full of affection.
The couple standing next to her also suddenly woke up: “Yes, yes! We also brought some food for you. It’s late, and you must be starving after getting off the plane. This is sugar lotus root, which your daddy made. When you were two years old, you could eat an entire piece in one go.”
Zhao Zhaodi looked at them helplessly: “I… I can’t accept this… I might not be your daughter…”
But the three of them had the same thought: “Whether or not you’re our daughter, if you eat it, it will be like our little girl has eaten the food we made for her. It will fulfill this small wish of ours.”
Zhao Zhaodi turned away and quietly wiped away the tears from her face.
Xu Fang asked Zhao Zhaodi to take the items.
Although they were there to meet Zhao Zhaodi at the airport, Xu Fang and her group had already made the arrangements for the pick-up; they were just accompanying the group to the hotel.
After checking into the hotel, Zhao Zhaodi couldn’t sleep well that night.
Although the hotel bed was many times softer than the one at her home, just the thought of the identity test the next day and the possibility that she might not belong to any of the couples in Suzhou made her feel terrified.
She was afraid that even if she were to meet her biological parents, she wouldn’t be able to change her situation, that they might not like her, or that her new family might not get along with her.
The next morning, as Xu Fang was leaving her suite, she found Zhao Zhaodi sitting by the door.
“Boss, if… if my family is bad… can I stay with you? As long as you support me to go to school, I’m willing to sign a contract to sell myself!” Zhao Zhaodi said pitifully.
Xu Fang looked at the girl, who had two large dark circles under her eyes, and patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, if your parents aren’t responsible for you, I’ll take care of you. But this is no longer the old society; there’s no need for a contract like that.”
Although Xu Fang didn’t have children, she had raised several, and didn’t mind taking care of Zhao Zhaodi as well.
She thought that this was part of the system’s task, and that the girl probably came from a decent family, so things like those troubles wouldn’t likely happen.
After breakfast at the hotel, as they were heading downstairs, they found a group of people already waiting in the lobby.
These people all looked at Zhao Zhaodi with anxious expressions, holding photos of children, some with a resemblance to Zhao Zhaodi.
The two couples who had arrived at the airport last night were also among them.
Xu Fang’s gaze fell on the couple at the front of the group. The middle-aged couple was dressed in well-tailored coats, the lines smooth and elegant, seemingly hand-crafted. Although they looked at Zhao Zhaodi with great urgency, they exuded an air of natural elegance.
This composed demeanor stood out among the crowd like a crane among chickens.
Behind them was a young man, around 25 or 26 years old, dressed in a black suit. He had strikingly similar features to Zhao Zhaodi, and his gaze toward her was exceptionally gentle.
Xu Fang thought to herself that this must be Zhao Zhaodi’s family.
“Miss, do you have a red birthmark on your lower back?”
“Girl, do you have a black birthmark on your left calf?”
“Little girl, do you have a mole on the back of your neck?”
A group of parents gathered around, anxiously staring at Zhao Zhaodi, eagerly awaiting her confirmation.
Unfortunately, when Li Cuiyun and her husband picked Zhao Zhaodi from a group of abducted children, they had been careful. Zhao Zhaodi didn’t have any particularly obvious marks, which was to prevent her from finding her biological parents.
As Zhao Zhaodi shook her head, the light in the eyes of the parents asking about marks slowly faded.
One mother suddenly hugged the photo and began crying: “Where is my daughter… Why is it so hard to find her…”
Her crying spread among the gathering crowd. Zhao Zhaodi’s rejection meant that they had once again failed.
Some of the parents who still had hope looked equally sorrowful, for they too shared the same pain.
Zhao Zhaodi was not good at handling such situations, and in her panic, she didn’t know what to do with her hands. She wanted to comfort them but didn’t know how to begin.
Finally, it was the wife of the composed couple who, after a heavy expression, gently spoke to the others after glancing at Zhao Zhaodi: “Let’s take our time. Finding the first child will lead us to the second. Our children will definitely be found.”
Xu Fang thought that in the face of these uncontrollable crying parents, such comfort would be futile, but to her surprise, after hearing the woman’s voice, the crowd gradually calmed down.
“Lin Jie, we won’t cry anymore. As long as we keep looking, we’ll find our children. You’re right; we need to find our children in the best condition. We need to work hard and stay healthy so we don’t scare them.”
With Lin’s comforting words, those parents who had confirmed that Zhao Zhaodi wasn’t their child left in an orderly fashion.
The remaining group headed to the Judicial DNA Testing Center.
Throughout the testing process, Mrs. Lin’s gaze never left Zhao Zhaodi. Her husband and son’s expressions were similarly intense.
As an official paternity test institution, the results normally take seven business days, but due to the urgency of the situation, the center said it could be expedited, possibly taking only three working days.
The other parents gradually left, leaving only Mrs. Lin’s family of three.
“Little Zhao, can I call you that?” Mrs. Lin gently asked.
Zhao Zhaodi nodded slightly. She couldn’t deny the feeling, and she felt an innate fondness for Mrs. Lin.
“Is this your first time in Suzhou?” Mrs. Lin asked.
Zhao Zhaodi nodded.
Mrs. Lin continued, “Since the test results aren’t out yet, how about I take you around Suzhou for the next few days?”
Zhao Zhaodi wanted to go, but she shook her head firmly: “Auntie, that’s too much trouble for you. I’ll just stay at the hotel and wait for the news. There’s no need to be so kind.”
Mrs. Lin smiled: “You don’t need to feel burdened. Whether or not you’re my daughter, I would love to spend more time with such a lovely girl like you.”
Zhao Zhaodi indeed liked her, and for a moment, she felt hesitant.
Mrs. Lin was very sincere. She took out her ID card: “You can take a look at my ID. Don’t worry, Auntie isn’t a bad person. I selfishly think that if you are my daughter, spending time with you in Suzhou means I get to spend more time with my daughter.”
Hearing this, Zhao Zhaodi felt as though something had suddenly warmed her heart.
