Gu Xu was unaware that his wife had gone through a spiritual interrogation at the Li Family; he was sitting in the hotel lobby and soon fell asleep, only to be awakened by a phone call just as he began to doze off.

"Boss, it seems like someone is investigating Sister-in-law. I traced it and found that it appears to be people from the Li Group in America. I’m not sure what their purpose is, so I warned them a bit, but I thought this was something I should let you know about, just to prevent any issues."

Gu Xu remembered his wife mentioning over the phone that she was treating Master Li, and he frowned slightly, but soon relaxed and said to the person on the other end:

"I understand. As long as they don’t overstep, there’s no need to keep a close watch on them. It’s nothing serious."

"Okay, got it."

The other party replied before hanging up.

Huo Sining had no idea about these interruptions. When Li Changming mentioned her grandmother, she was already quite surprised. But soon, the old gentleman gave her another unexpected revelation.

"Huo girl, do you know about Diaoti Country?"

Li Changming suddenly asked her.

Huo Sining suddenly lifted her head, staring at Li Changming in astonishment.

Perhaps her expression revealed her secret, as Li Changming suddenly laughed softly, with a hint of tears in his eyes, mixed with indescribable regret, longing, and relief.

"If I’m not mistaken, your grandmother is still alive, isn’t she?"

Li Changming asked quietly.

Huo Sining opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to say. At this moment, her heart was swirling with countless emotions, her mind blank, only capable of staring foolishly at Li Changming, unable to make any sense of it.

Li Changming seemed to have anticipated Huo Sining’s reaction, smiled lightly, and muttered:

"Chengxiang... your grandmother, indeed deceived me. That year when I returned to the country, I asked if she would go with me. She said she had a terminal illness and wouldn’t live long. I should’ve guessed back then..."

Huo Sining was completely confused. She couldn’t understand how Li Changming guessed her grandmother was still alive. What was this old man’s story?

"Your grandmother showed exceptional talent from a young age, quick to learn anything, but she dared not show it, fearing it would bring trouble."

"She thought she kept her secret well, but actually, I vaguely suspected something, just didn’t dare to confirm it."

"That year I returned to the country to see her, and upon seeing her face, I found it strange. She hadn’t changed, but I had grown old."

Huo Sining’s face was pale, even knowing she was barely holding on, she forced a smile and pretended ignorance: "Master Li, I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Li Changming seemed to have expected this reaction too, waved a hand to calm her:

"Don’t be afraid. If I wanted to use this secret to threaten you, I would have done so a long time ago, wouldn’t wait until now. You are her granddaughter, just like my own granddaughter. To meet across the vast Ocean is destiny. Although I couldn’t wait for her, seeing you fulfills my lifetime’s only regret. Let’s have a good grandparent-grandchild chat."

Li Changming’s words were sincere, and his gaze was earnest. Indeed, Huo Sining couldn’t see any greed or malice in those eyes. His reassurance finally allowed her tense heartstrings to relax, and her previously anxious posture sank back.

"I heard from Jun’er that you were recognized back to the Huang Family? There’s something you probably don’t know. Your grandmother wasn’t really a child of the Huang Family; she was adopted."

Li Changming’s words were like a thunderclap to Huo Sining’s ears.

"What did you say?" Huo Sining quickly raised her head, looking incredulously at Li Changming.

Li Changming nodded: "I’m not lying. This is something I heard firsthand while hiding in a corner, listening to your grandmother’s adoptive parents discussing her marriage."

"Back then, the Huang Family matched your grandmother with Liang Pengzhi. I was just a poor kid with nothing, naturally looked down upon by the Huang Family. But I grew up playing with your grandmother, often visiting the Huang Family, and overhearing such a secret by chance."

"Your grandmother was a child picked up by the Huang Family by the river. In those days, everyone wanted sons, so daughters were often abandoned in the wild. This was not unheard of. But the Huang Family had three sons and was missing a lovely daughter. Your grandmother was so cute that when the Huang elders saw the baby girl by the river, they fell in love immediately, and secretly took her home, claiming she was their own to outsiders."

"Your grandmother was shocked to learn of this, but her marriage with the Young Master Liang was already decided. She acknowledged the Huang elders’ kindness in raising her, and did not want to disappoint them, so she agreed to marry into the Liang Family."

"At that time, I was disheartened, having nothing to hold me back, and seeing your grandmother get married, I decided to leave that heartbroken place. Sixteen or seventeen years old, fearless like a newborn calf, I ventured alone abroad to make a living."

"It was then that your grandmother developed the idea to find her biological parents, later secretly wrote letters to me, reporting her investigative progress."

As he spoke, Li Changming seemed worried that Huo Sining wouldn’t believe him, and got up, slowly climbing a wooden ladder, extracting a dust-covered wooden box from the top of a wooden bookcase full of books.

Huo Sining was worried that the old gentleman might fall, hurriedly reaching out to take the box and carefully supported the old gentleman down. Once he settled back into a chair in the study, she handed the box over to Li Changming. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The box looked very old, with a lock that was the most ancient kind from Huaxia Country. Li Changming rummaged in a drawer for quite a while before finding the key to this lock, a long metal rod, and inserted it into the lock, gently twisting it to open the lock.

Opening the box, its contents were clearly revealed before Huo Sining’s eyes.

A cracked wooden comb, rusted old hairpins, and yellowed envelopes from Huaxia, appearing to have been reread countless times by its owner, the paper edges frayed.