After surviving my ordeal, I learned that the school beauty had given birth to twins for me.

Chapter 97 Sunset Red Nursing Home, Zhang Guilan

"I'm not mistaken." Shen Yu tenderly pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back.

"When I first met your aunt and uncle, I could tell that you weren't related to them by blood at all. They were just too good to you, so good that I couldn't bear to reveal this secret, afraid that you would be sad, afraid that you would feel like an unwanted child."

"At that time, I just found it strange. I didn't know who your biological parents were, or why they would abandon you. It wasn't until Jiang Manli targeted you time and time again that I became suspicious."

A complete stranger couldn't possibly be so ruthless. I followed this lead and found Liu Qingxuan, then Liu Wanhua, and finally the Jiang family.

"The moment I saw Jiang Zhenbang at the banquet, I knew for sure that there was an unbreakable blood bond between you and him. He is your biological father, without a doubt."

Jiang Xinlan leaned against Shen Yu's chest, her body ice-cold, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She couldn't believe it; after living for twenty-six years, she wasn't her parents' biological daughter. The strange man who stared at her with such a complex expression at the banquet was actually her biological father.

"Then... what about Jiang Manli?" she asked, her voice choked with emotion. "Who is she? Why is she in the Jiang family?"

"She is Liu Wanhua's daughter." Shen Yu's voice turned colder.

"Twenty-six years ago, your biological mother, Shen Jiao, gave birth to you at the First Hospital of Beijing. Liu Wanhua was jealous that Shen Jiao married Jiang Zhenbang and that she gave birth to the only heir of the Jiang family. So she joined forces with Liu Qingxuan, bribed people at the hospital, and switched you with Jiang Manli when you were born."

"Jiang Zhenbang didn't know the children had been switched. He had a very deep affection for your mother, Shen Jiao. After Shen Jiao died in childbirth, he didn't remarry for more than 20 years. He always kept a photo of Shen Jiao in his study. Over the years, he has also been exceptionally loving and doting on Jiang Manli..."

"Jiang Manli is like the cuckoo that usurped the nest; she feels extremely guilty about everything she stole, which is why she keeps causing you trouble..."

Jiang Xinlan's mind was in complete confusion as she listened to these words. So this was the source of all Jiang Manli's malice towards her.

It turns out that her life was stolen, and she suffered for more than 20 years in Jiangcheng. Meanwhile, the person who stole her life was enjoying the wealthy life that should have been hers, and even tried to kill her time and time again.

Overwhelmed by resentment and anger, she buried her face in Shen Yu's chest and wept uncontrollably.

"How could this happen... How could this happen... How could they be so heartless... I am a life too... How could they just throw me away like that..."

"I know, I know you've been wronged." Shen Yu hugged her tightly, his heart aching for her. He gently wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, that you've suffered so much."

"Then... does anyone still know about what happened back then?" Jiang Xinlan looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes." Shen Yu nodded.

"I've found out. The head nurse who delivered you was named Zhang Guilan. She was the one who personally handed you over to Liu Wanhua. She's still alive and lives in the Sunset Red Nursing Home in the suburbs of Beijing. Liu Qingxuan thought she was long dead, but she's still alive."

"If you want to know all the details from back then, and how exactly they switched the children, I can take you to see her right now. She knows the whole truth."

Jiang Xinlan bit her lip, tears streaming down her face.

After a long silence, she nodded. "Okay, I want to go to the nursing home now. I want to figure all this out."

Shen Yu gently cupped her face and tenderly wiped away her tears: "Okay, I'll take you there, don't cry, be good."

After driving for more than an hour, we finally arrived at the Sunset Red Nursing Home, located in the suburbs of Beijing.

The environment here is tranquil and shady with green trees. The single rooms have private balconies and gardens. It is one of the most expensive private nursing homes in Beijing.

Clearly, Liu Qingxuan went to great lengths to silence her back then.

"Mr. Shen, Ms. Jiang, Zhang Guilan lives in Room 201, Building 3." The director of the nursing home personally came out to greet them, with a respectful attitude.

Zheng Zangfeng had made prior arrangements to reserve the entire floor for peace and quiet.

Shen Yu nodded, took Jiang Xinlan's hand, and followed the dean into Building No. 3.

The door to room 201 was ajar, and the sound of Peking Opera from a radio could be heard coming from inside.

The dean knocked on the door, but there was no response. She pushed the door open and said with a smile, "Grandma Zhang, we have two guests who have come to see you."

Inside the room, an elderly woman with gray hair sat in a wicker chair by the window, clutching a string of shiny Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared at the sycamore tree outside the window, muttering to herself as if she were counting something.

Upon hearing the sound, she slowly turned her head, her face expressionless, her eyes vacant like those of a hollowed-out puppet.

"Who are you? I don't know you." She spoke slowly, her voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against wood, with a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth, looking like a typical case of dementia.

The dean sighed helplessly: "Grandma Zhang has had Alzheimer's for almost five years. She can't remember anything, and she doesn't even recognize her own son when he comes to visit. If you want to ask about her past, you've probably made a wasted trip."

Jiang Xinlan looked at the hunched and frail old woman in front of her, feeling a mix of emotions.

This is the woman who, twenty-six years ago, personally switched the lives of two babies, leaving her at the entrance of the orphanage in the chilly early spring, where she almost froze to death on the steps.

Shen Yu did not speak, but stood quietly in place, his gaze sharp as a knife, looking Zhang Guilan up and down.

After a moment, he waved his hand and said to the director, "You can go out now. We'd like to speak with Grandma Zhang alone for a few minutes."

The dean paused for a moment, then quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, I'll be right at the door. Call me if you need anything." With that, he tiptoed out and closed the door behind him.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the soft strains of opera music coming from the radio.

Shen Yu took two steps forward, looking down at Zhang Guilan. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that pierced the heart:

"Stop pretending, Zhang Guilan. We're here about Shen Jiao's childbirth at the Beijing First Hospital's Obstetrics and Gynecology Department twenty-six years ago."

Zhang Guilan's body trembled almost imperceptibly, the prayer beads in her hand spun rapidly until her knuckles turned white, but her face remained blank and dazed.

"What Shen Jiao? I don't know her... I don't remember anything... You guys should leave... Don't disturb my chanting..."

"Reciting Buddhist prayers?" Shen Yu chuckled and flicked his finger, sending a barely perceptible burst of spiritual energy onto the prayer beads in her hand.

The Buddhist prayer beads, which had been worn for over twenty years, snapped instantly, and the black wooden beads shattered and scattered all over the ground.