“Calm down, calm down, don’t panic…” Realizing that Zhao Youlin was not being herself, Mu Tingfeng quickly reached out and held Zhao Youlin’s head, kissing her forehead non-stop. He attempted to appease Zhao Youlin’s uneasiness.

Thanks to Mu Tingfeng’s vigilance, Zhao Youlin’s fluctuating mood gradually stabilized. She panted softly and said hoarsely, “I’m sorry, I was too excited.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I understand.” Mu Tingfeng lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Zhao Youlin’s forehead. His eyes stared into Zhao Youlin’s eyes with obvious heartache and worry.

If he was the one who encountered this incident today, he would also panic and lose his cool.

Her parents had been missing for more than 20 years, reduced to codenames in her memory. She never even got to put faces to those codenames. Today’s revelation was not a pleasant one to go through.

“If, and I mean if, your guess is right, that Mr. Lu is really… would you be willing to acknowledge him?” Mu Tingfeng hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he couldn’t help but ask.

Zhao Youlin lowered her head and stared at the ground, as if she was defending herself from the air, but also seemed to be hiding from something.

After a long silence, Mu Tingfeng finally heard her mumble, “I… I don’t know…”

She really didn’t know. She didn’t know how to face that person; she didn’t know if she would be willing to acknowledge him; she didn’t know how to sort out their previous relationship; she didn’t know!

For twenty years, her father was only a symbol in her heart, an empty pronoun. It was not until Zhao Shunrong appeared that she finally experienced some so-called care from her father.

However, in her heart, Zhao Shunrong was different from her biological father, who was nowhere to be found. This was also why she was able to quickly accept Zhao Shunrong, but it was impossible for her to accept a biological father who suddenly appeared, even if… that person was really Lu Xiangtian, it was still impossible!

Mu Tingfeng sighed lightly and reached out to touch Zhao Youlin’s head. “If thinking about it troubles you, then don’t. Everything is still obscured by smoke and mirrors. We don’t even know where to begin.”

Zhao Youlin replied in a muffled voice, “Yes, I know.” She wasn’t afraid of anything, but she needed to take precautions. Things could get very tumultuous in the near future.

Mu Tingfeng held Zhao Youlin in his arms and pondered for a moment before asking, “Bringing up Lu Shu… did you do it on purpose? Do you want Lu Xiangtian to go back and investigate her?”

Zhao Youlin didn’t deny it. “I’ve wanted to get someone to investigate her for a long time, but she has been so well-protected. You’ve seen the results of our prior investigation. We can’t find anything that’s really useful. If we can’t find anything, someone has to.”

They couldn’t investigate Lu Shu because she was Lu Xiangtian’s daughter. Since that was the case, there was nothing better than Lu Xiangtian himself investigating her.

Zhao Youlin lowered her eyes and thought of a possibility. She subconsciously grabbed Mu Tingfeng’s sleeve. She enunciated each word carefully. “If… If Lu Shu really isn’t his daughter, then he’ll definitely come looking for me after this, looking for my so-called friend.”

Mu Tingfeng was startled. When he thought of this possibility, his expression couldn’t help but turn a little solemn. “If that’s really the case, what are you going to do?”

“What else can I do?” Zhao Youlin smiled bitterly. “The owner of the necklace died almost three years ago. Even if I had incredible abilities, how can I bring people back from the dead?”

Mu Tingfeng was stunned again, but he quickly understood what Zhao Youlin meant.

The Zhao Youlin that Lu Xiangtian wanted to find, the Zhao Youlin who was related to him by blood, had already died a few years ago. Even if Zhao Youlin told Lu Xiangtian now that she was the owner of the necklace and the little girl in the photo inside the necklace, there was no way to prove it, was there?

However, if she was vague or said that they didn’t know where the person was, Lu Xiangtian wouldn’t let them go.

Mu Tingfeng’s breathing stopped again. He subconsciously reached out and put his arm around Zhao Youlin’s shoulder. He comforted her in a low voice, “Maybe things aren’t as bad as it looks. Maybe all of this is just a coincidence. Let’s not overthink it.”

Zhao Youlin replied softly, “Okay.”

After that, the two of them did not say anything more, but they both knew that this was just a brief moment of self-deception.

If it was true, Zhao Youlin could not escape Lu Xiangtian’s interrogation. Lu Xiangtian was not someone who would let things go easily. This could be seen from the fact that he had repeatedly asked Zhao Youlin for the necklace.

Regardless of the case, Zhao Youlin would not be able to escape Lu Xiangtian’s accusation. If Lu Shu turned out to be the real deal, she would definitely be charged with sowing discord between the father and daughter. Hostilities would only increase.

Zhao Youlin’s heart was still as messy as cotton. She could not tell if she wanted this to be true or not.

However, she was not the only one who was confused.

After Lu Xiangtian heard what Zhao Youlin said, he could not deny that his heart was also in a mess.

On the way back to the Lu family, his mind was in a mess. Zhao Youlin’s words kept flashing through his mind. Then, he began to recall all the things that had happened since he found Lu Shu.

Humans were paranoid creatures. It only took a single seed to spread doubt. If not kept in check, that growth could quickly spiral out of control.

Even if it was truly not the case, the doubt would forever be there.

Lu Xiangtian remembered how happy he was when he first heard about the child. He did not think much about it and ran to Lu Shu’s house without asking for any confirmation.

Lu Xiangtian still remembered the first time he met Lu Shu. Lu Shu had been wary and suspicious of him, as well as surprised and cautious when she found out why he was there.

Later, he took her back. In order to make both of them feel at ease, they had a paternity test.

Yes, a paternity test! At that time, their paternity test had been as clear as day. How could it not be the case?

Lu Xiangtian seemed to have found reassurance in that official paper, and he became excited.

But soon, another voice came from the bottom of his heart. A small voice with a hint of temptation and malice urged him, “What if… What if you’re wrong? What if what Ms. Zhao said is true, and your so-called daughter has been lying to you all this time, and everything you have now is fake. Then, what should you do?