Hearing this, Xu Chuning's expression paused, and her gaze towards him changed. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice clear and cold, carrying a distinct sense of detachment, "How am I not my mother's biological daughter?"
Sensing her emotional shift, Shen Sinian's lips parted slightly, showing a hint of grievance as he murmured, "You don't believe anything else I say, so I could only bring this up."
Shen Sinian only found out about this in middle school himself. He had always felt that his mother and maternal grandfather weren't very close to each other. They were always very polite towards Xu Chuning, agreeing with everything she said, daring not to retort.
This clearly wasn't the attitude of elders towards younger generations.
Later, Shen Yubai revealed to him that right after Xu Chuning was born, a malicious servant in the household swapped her with their own child. She was abandoned to an orphanage, while that servant's child grew up as her, carefree in the wealthy Xu family, owners of Xuyijia Supermarket chain.
At that time, network and information technology weren't as advanced as now; human trafficking and child abandonment made it very difficult to find lost children,
let alone Xu Chuning was swapped at birth, the Xu family initially didn't even realize their child had been switched.
Xu Chuning was adopted by the orphanage, and when she was five years old, You Shuzhen, devastated by losing her daughter and ready to commit suicide by the lake, encountered Xu Chuning. After that, she adopted Xu Chuning, treating her as if she were her own daughter.
That's how Xu Chuning was retrieved by the Xu family, but their relationship wasn't very good.
In her heart, You Shuzhen was her only mother. Even though You Shuzhen had passed away, her place in Xu Chuning's heart was irreplaceable.
"…"
Hearing Shen Sinian's muttering, Xu Chuning couldn't help but start to doubt the words he initially said.
The fact that she was adopted was known by very few people. You Shuzhen didn't adopt her in Jiang City; instead, she adopted her from a remote town in Ning City. Later, upon hearing news of her daughter in Jiang City, she brought Xu Chuning here.
Jiang City is a provincial capital, far more developed and connected than the relatively secluded and underdeveloped Ning City.
Thus, You Shuzhen and Xu Chuning settled down here.
Their contact with people from their old hometown dwindled, and over time, everyone assumed Xu Chuning was You Shuzhen's biological daughter, a narrative You Shuzhen upheld.
"Mom…" Seeing Xu Chuning's dazed expression and seizing the moment she was distracted, Shen Sinian carefully tugged at the hem of her clothes, lifting his peach-blossom eyes similar to Shen Yubai's and put on a pitiful expression, "If you don't believe me, we can go for a paternity test."
Xu Chuning lowered her gaze, looking at the two fingers on the edge of the cloth, and thoughtfully looked up at Shen Sinian, "You—"
Knowing that what the young man before her said was absurd, and the situation even more ludicrous, yet somehow, after a series of events this morning combined with the face in front of her that indeed looked slightly like her own, Xu Chuning suddenly realized that what he said might be true.
But, this was just too shocking.
Time travel, isn't that something only found in novels? How could it happen to her.
Seeing that Xu Chuning started to take seriously what he had just said, Shen Sinian cautiously asked, "Do you believe what I've said now?"
Xu Chuning steadied her emotions on the verge of collapse, and glancing back at You Shuzhen, busy in her tasks, she feigned calmness, "Mom, I'm going out for a while."
It was probably best not to let You Shuzhen hear about this bizarre circumstance for now. She might not be able to handle it.
You Shuzhen, her head bowed picking vegetables, responded, "Okay."
Xu Chuning dragged Shen Sinian out of the store and walked towards a less crowded alley.
After walking a distance, Xu Chuning loosened her grip on Shen Sinian's wrist, and Shen Sinian accidentally revealed a hint of regret on his face, realizing it had been a long time since his mother had held his hand.
Xu Chuning hadn't noticed his subtle emotional change. She stood still, exhaled, rubbed her temples, and calmly asked the tall boy before her, "What else do you know?"
Shen Sinian: "Huh?"
Xu Chuning, logically: "Paternity tests are not inexpensive. You have to give me more convincing reasons for me to believe you, before I decide whether or not to go to the hospital with you."
She couldn't just fully believe Shen Sinian based on a few insider information that outsiders might not know.
What if someone else tries the same trick later? Would she become a frequent visitor at the paternity test center?
"…"
Shen Sinian never expected that his mom would already be thinking in such business terms at this time, even using the word "bargaining chip."
"So will you believe me if I tell you?"
Xu Chuning glanced at him sideways, "Go ahead."
To set conditions before even talking, who raised this kid.
Shen Sinian sighed sullenly and then said, "What if I tell you about your true origins?"
Xu Chuning: "Speak."
Shen Sinian: "You are the biological daughter of the owner of that supermarket chain across the street."
He glanced up and saw a large chain supermarket opposite — Xuyijia Supermarket.
Following his gaze, Xu Chuning slightly curled her lips, "Don't talk nonsense."
Shen Sinian parted his lips, wanting to argue that he wasn't talking nonsense, but when he met Xu Chuning's round apricot eyes, he instantly cowered, "You and my dad were high school classmates."
This time, it was Xu Chuning's turn to twitch at the corner of her eyes, "You're not going to say your dad is Shen Yubai, are you?"
She hadn't forgotten the "Mom and Dad" he had called out at the hospital.
Shen Sinian nodded emphatically, "That's him."
Xu Chuning was at a loss for words.
"What I said is true," Shen Sinian suddenly didn't know how else to prove his identity. He hadn't brought his mobile phone, and he only had the suit on him, with nothing else more persuasive.
Xu Chuning didn't speak, just looked at him quietly.
Just as Shen Sinian was racking his brains trying to think of something else to say, Xu Chuning averted her gaze and decisively said, "Let's go to the hospital now."
Shen Sinian's eyes brightened, "You believe me?"
Xu Chuning, with an expressionless face, walked towards the bus station, and said relatively calmly, "Until the results come out, I'm still skeptical about what you said."
She had three reasons for agreeing to do a paternity test: First, there was a slight resemblance between Shen Sinian and her, although it was not unusual for two strangers in the world to look quite similar.
Second, Shen Sinian had no reason to concoct such an absurd lie to deceive her. She and You Shuzhen didn't have much money, there was no point in targeting them for deception.
And third, naturally… the things that Shen Sinian spoke of, some known only to her and You Shuzhen, or even just to her alone, Shen Sinian got them right.