Mr. Yun continued, "It's just a painting, after all. Everyone remembers the contributions of the Yun family's ancestors, and we're truly grateful. But to suspect Xixi just because she entered the ancestral hall—aren't you all being a bit far-fetched? Xixi is already a member of the Yun family, she's our daughter. According to our country's inheritance law, Xixi already has the right to inherit. Why would she ever do anything to harm the Yun family?"
After hearing Mr. Yun's words, everyone nodded in agreement.
Yeah, so what if Cecilia Gu doesn't have the Yun surname?
She's already the legitimate heir of the Yun family. Why would she go against her own interests?
Cecilia's eyes grew moist as she looked gratefully at Mrs. Yun.
But how did Mom and Dad know something happened to her in the village?
Mrs. Yun sighed and said to Cecilia, "Yesterday you called your father and told him you entered the ancestral hall. Last night, your father was restless and couldn't sleep. After thinking it over, we decided to come see for ourselves. We never expected to hear about this as soon as we arrived in the village!"
Cecilia sighed inwardly.
They really do treat her like their own daughter.
With so much care, how could she ever repay them?
"Mom..." Cecilia called out, feeling wronged, then slowly leaned against Mrs. Yun's shoulder.
Mrs. Yun kept comforting Cecilia, a satisfied smile on her face.
The village chief, after hearing Mr. Yun's words, replied awkwardly, "We were just a bit anxious! I hope Miss Gu won't take it personally."
Though there was a bit of trouble, at least things turned out okay in the end.
Mr. Yun, along with the other clan leaders, checked the rest of Zara Yun's portraits, and without exception, all of them turned to ashes.
A thought struck Cecilia, and she couldn't help but ask, "I've never asked before, but these portraits clearly seem to be painted by the same person. Do you know who the artist was?"
Mr. Yun sighed deeply. "It was General Qi! Before he died, he painted six portraits. Five were meant for the clan, and he kept one for himself. Unexpectedly, he took his own life on the day Zara Yun was married, and the last portrait was kept by the Han clan leader. Like the others, it was passed down through the generations and has survived until now."
Cecilia suddenly understood.
Could it be that Zara Yun's wish was truly fulfilled, that she met General Qi and then left this place?
This whole thing is just too strange—there's no way to explain it...
The original portrait of Zara Yun had vanished, and the ones hung up now could only imitate its form, but not its spirit.
Mr. Yun picked up his brush and painted six new portraits of Zara Yun, stamping them with his own seal.
Once the ink dried, Zara Yun's portraits were hung up again.
Cecilia stood before Zara Yun's portrait, but she could no longer feel that sense of spiritual connection.
Gone is gone.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hold on to it anymore.
Charles Yin gently took Cecilia's fingers in his hand, giving her a soft, reassuring look.
"Those things you just said—how did you come up with them?" Cecilia deliberately tried to distract herself and asked casually.
"I don't know, I just thought about it and said it," Charles Yin replied offhandedly. "Maybe I was moved by their unattainable love. After all, I'm luckier than they are—I've already got you, but General Qi couldn't even keep a single portrait of his beloved..."
Cecilia was touched, her heart softening as she reached out and hugged Charles Yin around the waist.
She gently leaned against Charles Yin's chest, feeling his protection.
This feeling was truly wonderful.
Charles Yin couldn't focus on enjoying the romantic moment with Cecilia. Instead, a thought crossed his mind and he asked, "Xixi, do you really not know who your biological parents are?"
Cecilia shook her head in confusion, "No, I don't! I've never really cared about that question."
But in this world, are coincidences really that common?
If Cecilia's resemblance to Nora Yun is just a coincidence, then what about Zara Yun? Why does Cecilia look so much like her too?
Cecilia sensed Charles Yin's hesitation and couldn't help but look up at him. "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly ask about this?"
Charles Yin spoke softly, "Xixi, have you ever considered doing a DNA test with the Yun family?"
Cecilia's body shook suddenly. "Why would you say something like that?"
Charles Yin said nothing, so Cecilia continued, "You think my resemblance to Nora Yun isn't just a coincidence? But do you know how far my home is from Province Y? How could the Yun family have two children and leave one thousands of miles away? My mom always said she found me in the wild! How do you explain that?"
Charles Yin lowered his gaze and said nothing.
Yeah, how could anyone explain this?
Cecilia continued, "Besides, when the Yun family had children back then, did they have one or two? Wouldn't they know? The Yun family was a prominent household over twenty years ago. If their child went missing, would they really do nothing?"
Exactly, there's just no way to explain it.
"Since you don't believe me, I'll call Mom right now and ask about what happened back then." With that, Cecilia took out her phone and dialed Jane Gu's number.
Jane Gu's voice quickly came through the phone: "Xixi, why are you calling at this hour? I'm still at work!"
"Mom, find a quiet place. I have something to ask you," Cecilia said directly. "It's about my background..."
Jane Gu was stunned for a moment before replying, "Okay, I'll be right there!"
After a while, Jane Gu's voice sounded again: "Why do you suddenly want to know about your background?"
Cecilia gave a bitter laugh. "Mom, this may sound unbelievable, but it's true! It feels like a dream, but it's really happening! I'm in Yuanshan Village, Yuanshan County, Province Y. I saw a portrait here, and the woman in it looks exactly like me. I've already found two people who look just like me: one is the late eldest Miss of the Yun family, Nora Yun, and the other is Zara Yun, the Qing Dynasty princess who caused a sensation 370 years ago when she got married. If not for the difference in eras, I'd almost believe she is me and I am her! Isn't this all just too much of a coincidence?"
Jane Gu was suddenly speechless on the phone. After a long pause, she said in a daze, "How could this be..."
Yeah, isn't all of this just too mysterious?
"Mom, how did you find me back then?" Cecilia finally asked the question.
After a long silence, Jane Gu finally answered, "It's been so many years, I can't really remember. I just recall... When I found you, you had just been born, wrapped in a beautiful little blanket, your umbilical cord still uncut, crying helplessly in the wilderness."
Cecilia had heard Jane Gu say this more than once before.
For some reason, Cecilia always felt Jane Gu was lying.
"Mom... I remember you said you clearly remembered my birth time. If you found me in the wild, why would you know exactly when I was born?" Cecilia gently asked in return.
Jane Gu fell silent again.
"Mom, are you hiding something from me?" Cecilia pressed on.
At first, Cecilia just wanted to prove to Charles Yin that she had nothing to do with the Yun family.
But Jane Gu's unusual behavior only made Cecilia more suspicious.
"No, what could I possibly be hiding from you?" Jane Gu's voice sounded a bit flustered.
What's going on?
Mom has never acted like this before!
Cecilia frowned.
But Charles Yin seemed to have figured something out. He mouthed a sentence to Cecilia.
Cecilia immediately said, "Good, that's fine. Mom, I have something to do here, so I'll hang up now and call you back later."
Jane Gu agreed and hung up the phone.
Cecilia looked at Charles Yin suspiciously. "Why didn't you let me keep asking?"
Charles Yin gave a helpless smile and said, "No matter how much you ask, Mom will never tell you the truth."
"You mean my mom lied?" Cecilia frowned.
"Isn't it obvious?" Charles Yin was the kind of person no one could fool.
Jane Gu's attitude on the phone had already made everything clear.
There had been several times when Mom almost told her the truth about her origins.
But back then, Cecilia hadn't cared who her biological parents were, so she hadn't listened.
But now, seeing so many coincidences, it would be a lie to say she wasn't curious.
If her resemblance to Nora Yun was just a coincidence, then was her resemblance to Zara Yun also a coincidence?
Then, when she was worshipping General Qi and the portrait in the ancestral hall suddenly turned to ashes—was that a coincidence too?
And when she was suffering, Nora Yun somehow had a spiritual connection with her—was that a coincidence as well?
When the villagers were blaming her, Mom and Dad Yun suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Was that just a coincidence too?
Isn't it a bit too much of a coincidence?
Why did Mom want to tell me before, but now she just dodges the question and refuses to say anything?
Cecilia's mind was filled with one mystery after another. She couldn't shake the feeling that so many things just didn't add up.
Charles gently turned Cecilia toward him, his voice soft as he said, "No matter who you are, you'll always be my Cecilia."
Cecilia was deeply moved. She looked up and met his gaze with a smile.
Not far away, Sylvia Ran clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms, but she didn't feel any pain.
Cecilia Gu...
Just you wait...
On the other side, Shawn Ke reached out and grabbed Mona Mu's arm, frowning. "Mona, can you please let me explain?"
Mona Mu shook off Shawn's hand, laughing wildly on purpose. "Boss, don't be ridiculous, okay? You're twenty-eight already—having women around is totally normal! Even your best buddy Charles Yin is about to be a dad, so it's no wonder you're feeling anxious! I get it!"
Last night, Mona Mu avoided him.
This morning, Mona barely acknowledged Shawn Ke.
Finally, Shawn Ke was starting to panic.