"What is this?"
"Bai Xiuqing's prenatal checkup report. The child in her belly really is over three months along. The person who altered the report for her is an externally recruited doctor from the ultrasound department named Fang Cheng. He's her high school classmate and has had a secret crush on her since high school."
Which is to say, regardless of whether the matter concerning Du Yuxi was true or false, the affair involving Bai Xiuqing was accurate down to the smallest detail.
"How does Yuxi feel?"
"I think..." Du Yuxi's eyes turned slightly red. "I want to know the truth. Although they are both gone now, I still need to know where I came from. An'an said that I look almost... exactly the same as that Madam Li."
Mother Du's eyes reddened as well. "Whether you acknowledge them or not, I've raised you for more than ten years. You are my daughter."
Previously, believing Du Yuxi to be Wang Xuehe's daughter, Mother Du had suffered deeply and felt immense reluctance, yet she had never dared to voice these words, fearing she would break her biological child's heart.
Now, with that worry gone, both mother and daughter cast off the heavy stones weighing on their hearts and were finally able to embrace and weep bitterly.
The three father and sons of the Du family watched this scene with a measure of relief—relief that they could still keep Du Yuxi, and even greater relief that the child they had welcomed back was Du Anrao, rather than some malevolent spirit like Miss Li.
At that time, Du Anrao, still entirely unaware of what had happened, had just finished booking the safe deposit box and was racking her brains over how to subtly reveal the truth to her kind Fourth Sister.
As a result of her wild musings, Du Anrao overslept the next morning. When she walked downstairs with dark circles under her eyes, the others had already gone to work or school, leaving only Du Hexuan sitting gracefully before the dining table, enjoying his breakfast.
"You're up. Eat your breakfast first before going upstairs to pack your luggage."
Du Anrao's hand froze as she pulled out a chair. "Pack luggage for what?"
[Could Second Brother be trying to kick me out of the house?!]
Father Du and Mother Du, who had already finished breakfast and were drinking tea on the opposite sofa, snapped their heads around.
The veins on Du Hexuan's forehead twitched. "Big Brother said you aren't quite sure yet what you like, and you don't have any clear plans for your future either. Since that's the case, you might as well come along with me to the set and look around. Who knows, you might find something you're interested in doing."
Du Anrao stiffened all over. "Would I be intruding too much? I don't have any experience in this field, so I might not be able to help Second Brother with anything."
[Help! How am I supposed to tell Second Brother that as the sole successor of my sect, I'm destined to go back and inherit that crummy little Taoist temple in the future?]
"Pfft..." Caught completely off guard by this sudden, heavyweight piece of news, Du Hexuan nearly choked on his congee as it went up his nose.
Father Du and Mother Du were also startled. All three involuntarily conjured mental images of their daughter (younger sister) wearing Taoist robes, sitting inside a temple to welcome pilgrims, and expounding the scriptures, causing them to shudder violently.
"You don't need to do anything. Just treat it like going out to play, and obediently sit by the side while I film."
Father Du chimed in as well, "It's not a bad thing to go out more and meet people. How long is this trip going to be?"
"We're going to City J for location shooting, so it'll take about a week round trip."
The time wasn't long, but since Du Anrao had only been home for less than two days before heading out on another long journey, Mother Du was truly reluctant to let her go.
Just as she was about to say something, she saw Du Anrao widen her eyes in astonishment.
[City J? Isn't that Fourth Sister's hometown?]
Yuxi's hometown? The Li family is in City J!
Mother Du and the others exchanged glances, reaching a consensus in a single instant.
[Then there's no harm in taking a trip there. I've been worrying over how to break this news to Fourth Sister; who knows, I might run into someone related to the Li family in City J? Even if I don't, I can use it as an opening when I get back to casually drop some hints to Fourth Sister, like meeting someone in City J who looks just like her.]
The more Du Anrao thought about it, the more foolproof her plan seemed. She no longer objected to her second brother's proposal, and after finishing breakfast, she obediently went upstairs to pack her things.
When she came back downstairs carrying her bags, however, she found Father and Mother Du each waiting by the door with luggage cases even larger than hers.
"Dad, Mom, what are you two..."
"Your dad and I discussed it. City J is far from home, and your second brother will be busy with work and might not be able to look after you properly. We're coming with you to take care of you and take a little vacation along the way."
"What about the company..."
"With your eldest brother there, nothing's going to go wrong." Father Du shirked his duties as a boss without the slightest trace of guilt.
Du Anrao: "..."
And so, when Du Junyan and Du Yuxi returned home from work and school, what met their eyes was an empty house.
The two abandoned ones: ?
Father and Mother Du claimed they were tagging along to take care of Du Anrao, but in reality, they didn't actually follow her to the film set.
The drama Du Hexuan had signed on for this time was a costume fantasy series, in which he played the role of a beloved white-moonlight immortal lord—a guest appearance.
In fact, given his current status in the industry, he hardly ever took on television dramas anymore, and even if he did, he would undoubtedly be the undisputed male lead, never lowering himself to play a supporting role for newcomers.
Yet years ago, when he had first entered the industry, he had owed a favor to the director of this series, and taking on this role was a way of repaying that debt.
This also meant that, despite merely making a guest appearance, he ended up being the biggest star in the production. Bringing along one extra person to watch the filming was hardly a big deal.
Instead, upon hearing that he had brought a fresh and lovely young woman onto the set, the director eagerly scampered over to take a look, gossip practically written all over his eyes.
"This is..."
Du Hexuan, who considered the man an old acquaintance, saw right through his little scheme and immediately rewarded him with an eye-roll. "My sister. My biological sister."
Upon hearing this, the director's eyes only grew brighter. "So this is the biological sister you've been hiding away and refusing to let anyone see! Looking closely, she really does look a bit like you, and she's a natural beauty. Little sister, since you're already here, are you interested in making a cameo in Uncle's show? Uncle guarantees we'll dress you up all pretty and stun everyone."
Knowing full well that the man had most likely mistaken her for Du Yuxi, Du Anrao instantly put on a polite yet awkward smile.
[Seriously, are they just this casual about casting people nowadays? They'll pull anyone off the street? And Director, you look an awful lot like a shady uncle trying to lure in innocent young girls!]
"Piss off. Isn't it enough that you're exploiting me alone? Now you want to fleece my sister too? Get away from her."
"You can't put it that way..."
Before the director could say anything else, a clear, pleasant male voice rang out from behind him: "Director, Brother Du."
Following the voice, Du Anrao looked over and saw a handsome, cute young man with a smile on his face walking slowly toward them from not far away.
"You're here. Let me introduce you. This is the male lead of our show, Pei Yiyuan. Xiao Pei, this is Actor Du Hexuan, who is guest-starring as your master in the series."
[Oh, oh! So this is that up-and-coming top star who's two-timing multiple people and sleeping with his fans. If I remember correctly, in just a few months, he's going to suffer a massive public downfall because of a multi-person sex scandal! He's the male lead of this drama? Doesn't that mean my brother's show is going down the drain for nothing?]
Du Hexuan: "..."
The drama's biggest investor, who had just stepped through the set gates in the distance: ?