Ning Wei placed a hand on the handle as soon as the car pulled over in front of the apartment building. She turned to Fu Ming Shi and nodded. "Brother Fu, thank you for the ride." Without waiting for the man to respond, Ning Wei stepped out of the vehicle. However, her movement halted when she heard Fu Ming Shi call her name. Ning Wei turned around and shot Fu Ming Shi an inquiring look.
"How long are you going to stay here?" Fu Ming Shi asked. "Should I wait for you?" It was getting late. Fu Ming Shi did not think that it would be easy or appropriate for Ning Wei to get a cab before returning to her place.
"Brother Fu, don't worry about me. I will be staying the night."
"Hey!" Fu Ming Shi was alarmed. He did not expect that Ning Wei had such a plan.
"I know." Ning Wei raised both hands to stop Fu Ming Shi from nagging her. "It'll be safe for me to stay here. My friend, Shuang'er, knew my secret. Besides, I'll be very careful." She pushed the door open and paused. "I'll text you when I get home next morning."
Fu Ming Shi pursed his lips. He was still not too happy with Ning Wei's plan, but the girl was quick to run off before he could give her some advice.
…
The front door swung open. In just a few seconds, Ning Wei found herself in Ling Shuang's embrace. The impact caused Ning Wei to stumble backwards a few steps.
Ning Wei lowered his gaze and saw the top of Ling Shuang's head. The corner of her lips began to twitch as she felt Ling Shuang's big breast rubbing against her body. They were very soft. When they were younger, Ning Wei was always jealous of Ling Shuang's good figure. Meanwhile, Ling Shuang was always jealous of her height.
"What took you so long?" Ling Shuang complained. She looked up to meet Ning Wei's eyes and pouted. "I have been waiting for you for ages."
Ning Wei patted Ling Shuang's head. "You're exaggerating." She walked away from Ling Shuang and headed straight into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water before turning to look at Ling Shuang again. "There was an accident on my way here." Ning Wei emptied her glass and placed it into the sink.
"Wei Wei, are you staying here tonight?" Ling Shuang asked. She was staring at Ning Wei with her puppy eyes. "It has been a while since you're staying over. Ever since you became popular, we haven't gotten to spend as much time together."
Ning Wei chuckled. "Mmm… don't worry. I'll be staying over tonight."
Ling Shuang cheered happily. "This is great. Wei Wei, I have a lot of things to tell you."
The two girls have been friends for a long time. They were schoolmates. Ling Shuang found out Ning Wei's secret in an accident. Instead of exposing her identity, Ling Shuang decided to help keep Ning Wei's secret. Since then, the two of them have been very close.
The two friends catch up for a while before Ning Wei brings up the reason she came over.
"Shuang'er, tell me what you find out," Ning Wei said. She has been anxious ever since Ling Shuang told her that she might have some clues about her family.
"Follow me." Ling Shuang tugged on Ning Wei's hand and dragged her into the study. She slid into the swiveling chair and reached for the mouse. After clicking the mouse a few times, the screen changed, and a photo of an elderly couple appeared. "I found the couple based on the information you gave me." Ling Shuang leaned on her chair and turned to Ning Wei. "They are the Yan couple. Mr. Yan Yi Mo and his wife, Mrs. Qiu Li."
Ning Wei leaned closer to observe the elders.
She was excited at the thought of finding the remaining members of her family. However, Ning Wei realized that she felt nothing while looking at the couple.
"I've looked it up," Ling Shuang continued. "The couple once had a daughter named Yan Ni."
Ning Wei's heart skipped a beat upon hearing her mother's name.
She could still remember the day she met her mother at the orphanage.
Her mother was so pretty. She was the prettiest woman Ning Wei had ever met. The smile on her face was especially gentle.
Ning Wei remembered the woman crouched down to her level and stretched her hand before introducing herself as Yan Ni, her mother.
It took Ning Xiao a while before she could warm up to that woman. Once they got along, her mother told her that she was bringing her back to the city. She did not expect that they would meet with an accident. Ning Wei's time with her mother was very short.
"The couple's daughter matched your mother's age. It was also reported that Miss Yan Ni passed away in a car accident," Ling Shuang continued. "I tried to find out more about the accident, but was unable to. Give me more time. I think I might be able to find more news. But!" Ling Shuang made a dramatic pause and smiled. "I have another thing for you." Ling Shuang clicked her finger on the mouse again, and another photo appeared on the screen.
Ning Wei's expression changed the moment she saw the photo.
"I managed to find a photo of the couple with Miss Yan Ni," Ling Shuang said. "Wei Wei, take a look at this. Do you–"
"That's not her," Ning Wei said before Ling Shuang could finish her sentence. She tore her gaze away from the computer. "Shuang'er, that's not my mother." A faint sigh escaped her lips. She could not help feeling disappointed, knowing that the people that Ling Shuang had found were not the people she had been looking for.
"Wei Wei, are you sure?" Ling Shuang asked. She had worked hard to find the people who matched the information Ning Wei had given. Ling Shuang hoped that Ning Wei could find her family again. As her friend, she wanted Ning Wei to be happy.
"I'm sure." Ning Wei nodded. "I might be young, but Shuang'er, I still remember how my mother looked. The woman in the photograph is not her."
Ling Shuang opened and closed her mouth a few times.
In the end, there was nothing she could say to Ning Wei.
"Don't be disappointed." Ning Wei patted her friend's shoulder again. "You have worked hard." She could tell that Ling Shuang was more disappointed than she was to know that the people in the photograph were not her family members. "Perhaps, the Yan couple had moved away to a different country," Ning Wei suggested.
The light in Ling Shuang's eyes lit up. "That's right! I haven't considered the possibilities." She turned with her swivelling chair and started typing on her keyboard again."I will try to broaden my search. Wei Wei, we will definitely find your family."
"Mhm… just take your time," Ning Wei said. "I am not in a hurry." The light in Ning Wei's eyes faded while Ling Shuang was busy with the computer. She was very hopeful that Ling Shuang might find her family. But it looks like these people were not the ones she was looking for.
"Wei Wei." Ling Shuang paused briefly. "It would be easier to look for your family if you had some information regarding your father."
Ning Wei froze.
It would have been easier if she had known about her father. But then, her mother had not said anything about her father before she passed away. Her time with her mother was too limited. She did not get to learn that much about her family.
Ning Wei had long assumed that there was never a man in her mother's life.