Reincarnated as a Poor Little Green Tea, Am I Destined to Be Bullied? - Volume 1 Chapter 51

Chapter 51: The Truth

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Why… am I in this group photo?

Didn’t Xia Mujin say she had never met her older brother…?

She said that after birth, the siblings were separated, one with their father, one with their mother. Just as they were about to reunite but hadn’t met yet, Ling Qingyue was kidnapped and disappeared?

If that’s the case, how could they possibly have a photo like this together…

Moreover, just looking at their poses and expressions in the photo, the siblings don’t seem unfamiliar at all…?

Gazing at the boy’s pure smile, Lin Yueye’s head began to throb faintly.

As if in some dream, she too had once smiled like that, running together with someone through a flower field under a clear sky.

Ugh… why can’t I remember?

Lin Yueye’s thunderstruck expression as she stood frozen in place was of course all seen by Luo Yahan.

“Are you alright? Still thinking about what happened earlier? Although I praised your courage, I still hope you’ll act within your limits.”

“No… it’s not that… Teacher Luo… this… this person…” Lin Yueye struggled to maintain her composure as she turned the frame over, pointing at the boy in the lower left corner of the photo. “This person’s appearance… is this Classmate Mujin’s older brother? The photo hanging in the auditorium… it looks very similar to him.”

“That’s normal. Even with the age difference, you should be able to tell. You’re right, this is the missing child of the Xia family, Xia Mujin’s older brother, Ling Qingyue when he was young. Hmm… at least by the time they found him, he had already changed his name to ‘Ling Qingyue’.”

“!”

Lin Yueye’s heart suddenly clenched tight, her chaotic thoughts churning like a stormy sea.

Yuebing also suddenly became well-behaved.

She sat in the corner hugging the salt bag, curling up her knees and perking up her cat ears to listen, being very obedient and not coming over to disturb them anymore.

“But… this shouldn’t be possible…?”

“Shouldn’t be possible?” Luo Yahan raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you mean shouldn’t be possible?”

“Mujin’s brother, he shouldn’t be in this photo. Wasn’t he kidnapped and went missing before he was 7 years old… He and Classmate Mujin had never met, right? So how could there be a group photo? He… I’m sorry, Teacher Luo, my thoughts are a bit jumbled right now, please give me a moment…”

“Don’t panic. Any girl who just went through such a frightening experience wouldn’t be able to stay calm. I’m not forcing you to listen to me now. If you’re not feeling well, we can talk another day.”

“No… I can do it… I’m fine.”

Lin Yueye wasn’t actually afraid of what had just happened.

She was only anxious about those childhood experiences she couldn’t remember.

She thought she was really like what Xia Mujin had said before, that she didn’t have many memories with her family before, so being kidnapped wasn’t something to regret.

But looking at this photo… seeing that boy’s shy smile, seeing the subtle doting concern in his eyes for the girl beside him, it was like firecrackers going off in Lin Yueye’s head, one after another in an endless string.

Luo Yahan deliberately remained silent for a long time, giving Lin Yueye time to adjust her state.

But since she had already taken out this framed photo, it meant she also had a certain resolved determination, and wouldn’t just let it end here.

“Was it Xia Mujin who told you?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“About Ling Qingyue’s situation. You just said that Xia Mujin and her brother had never met before. Did Xia Mujin tell you these things?”

“Yes…” Lin Yueye handed the frame back to Luo Yahan and used her fingers to rub her aching temples. “Classmate Mujin told me, the day before yesterday, at school.”

“I didn’t expect her to tell you even these things… Even though it’s her own family matters… She’s really being reckless.”

“Teacher Luo, but what exactly is…?”

“She lied to you. Xia Mujin and her brother were basically never separated when they were young. It’s normal for them to have a group photo like this.”

“……”

When two people say different things, there must be one side that is lying.

But usually, it’s not difficult to judge.

If you were to look directly into Luo Yahan’s cold and clear eyes, you would understand that this genius girl…

She simply disdains lying.

And the photo she’s holding in her hand is already the perfect evidence of reality, requiring no further testimony.

But after giving her conclusion.

Luo Yahan’s eyes sank, and she immediately added a sentence.

“No… that’s not precise either. She didn’t intentionally try to deceive you, it’s just that she herself believes it to be true. Living in a lie of her own making, unable to face reality. When a lie is told for long enough, even the teller starts to believe it. When talking to others about it, it becomes effortless. In a sense… it can’t really be called a lie.”

“Teacher Luo, I want to know… if she was lying to me, then what is the real situation…? Will you tell me?”

“Of course. I’ve already had you do the multiple choice question. From the moment you saw this photo, even if you didn’t want to hear it, you’ve already become obligated to listen.”

For someone who has already been drawn into the whirlpool.

Even if they say they regret it now, there’s no life raft that can be thrown into the rapids and still make it ashore.

Luo Yahan held the photo frame, leaning against the wall next to the landscape painting.

She looked down at the photo, gazing at the scene of the two siblings nestling together and laughing…

Her eyes held more complexity than nostalgia, impossible to fathom.

In her gaze was the end of that midsummer, the instant flash frozen by the camera lens.

“I was there when this photo was taken. Since we were young, our Luo family was close with the Xia family. I often went to the Xia family to play with the two siblings. I’m two years older than them, so we were all considered childhood friends. That’s why I know some things about their Xia family affairs.”

The frame swung casually along with her naturally lowered hand as Luo Yahan looked straight ahead at the ceiling, the chandelier and light strips, as magnificent as they were years ago.

“Some of what Xia Mujin said was correct. For example, the Xia family encountered some business crises in earlier years, and her parents’ relationship had some rifts during that time. They lived separately for a period. She probably told you that her mother took her, and her father took Ling Qingyue, right?”

“Yes, that’s what she told me.”

“But the reality wasn’t like that. Her parents did separate, but both children were taken care of by their mother alone during that time.”

With a light sigh, Luo Yahan continued.

“It was nothing more than their different views on business. Auntie felt that with the company at extremely high risk, it was better to give up those risks and start from scratch, building up from small to big, wanting a stable life. But Uncle was different. He believed that the foundation passed down from the previous generation couldn’t be abandoned. Even if there were risks, they had to take a gamble based on the existing foundation. Even if they lost, they had to accept it. This was the reason for their argument.”

“Auntie wasn’t a coward. She was a strong woman, but she was also a mother.”

“For the sake of the children, she took the two young newborns to hide in this mansion here, not getting involved in business affairs. She hoped that even if the company collapsed and people came to collect debts, at least the two children could live peacefully. This way, she also left enough space for Uncle to go all out at the company, so he wouldn’t have to worry about home. During that time, I saw the Xia family’s predicament with my own eyes.”

Hearing this, Lin Yueye clasped her hands behind her back and looked around.

She recalled the news she often saw on TV about Xia Group always winning big business deals, and said with a puzzled but smiling expression:

“So… in the end, Uncle won the gamble… right?”

“Yes, the Xia family’s continuation until today isn’t just due to luck, but also their foundation that’s hard to shake. After 7 years of tempering, the Xia family defeated a large number of competitors, recovered from the crisis, and even showed momentum surpassing their most prosperous period in the past.”

“Oh… that’s pretty good.”

But Lin Yueye also knew.

7 years of tempering.

In 7 years, Ling Qingyue… would have been 7 years old.

“Some rise… and some fall.”

As a witness, Luo Yahan recounted what she had seen and heard over those years in detail.

“Seeing the Xia family’s growing momentum, let alone those who were envious, there were naturally those competitors on the verge of collapse, hiding in the shadows, ready to make a last-ditch effort… a fight to the death.”

“So, they kidnapped Ling Qingyue?” Lin Yueye said in a calm tone. After all, it was something that had already happened. She felt regret, but was powerless to change it.

But she would definitely still feel upset inside, wanting to shout and curse at those who tried to extort money through such means.

“Trying to gain benefits by kidnapping children… it’s really despicable.”

“Yes, that was the reason they planned that kidnapping. But you’re wrong about one thing.”

“Huh…?”

Luo Yahan’s gaze sharpened.

Lin Yueye seemed to be able to see the urgent wailing in the mansion that day, the turbulent times of that year.

“They didn’t just kidnap Ling Qingyue.”

Luo Yahan let out another heavy sigh.

Her gaze drifted to the first floor, to the person sleeping peacefully on the sofa next to the bookshelf.

“The one who was kidnapped… was also Xia Mujin. After all, at that time, the siblings were always together, rarely separated.”

“What…?”

That year.

One was 7 years old, one was 6 years old.

That year.

Two worlds apart, as distant as the sky and sea.