Chapter 263: False hope?
Liang Shin was confused. “What? Who?”
He tried to look in the direction at which his mother pointed, but the signal turned green at that exact moment, and the car drove away. It took a right turn, whereas they went straight ahead.
“Shin!” The woman exclaimed. “That girl looked really like me. I saw her.”
Liang Shin furrowed his brows. “Maybe. Many people look similar to each other. So?”
“N-no Shin. You don’t understand. You should have seen her. She didn’t look just a little similar. She looked almost exactly like me.” The woman recalled the girl’s features. The wavy hair, her jawline, her cheeks, and her dark brown eyes…
How is it possible? How can she look so much like me?
“Mom, you might be understanding. You didn’t fully see her. Maybe your eyes are playing tricks.” He said.
“No! Believe me. She looked like how I looked like when I was her age. It was unmistakable.” She looked at him and whispered. “Shin…do you think she is…”
Liang Shin widened his eyes in shock. He understood the rest of it and looked at her in disbelief.
“Mom, how can that be possible? It’s been twenty-two years. It cannot be her.” A trace of pain and sadness flashed in his gaze.
The woman shook her head. “But my heart says it. I know what I saw. I didn’t imagine it. And she looked like twenty-two too! Her age also fits.”
Her eyes rimmed in tears. She was clasping her hands together as her heart was racing in nervousness, disbelief, and shock of what she saw just now.
The striking similarity was just too impossible to ignore.
Liang Shin didn’t want her to be under any false hope. He had seen her desperately waiting for any kind of news regarding his long-lost little sister, but every time it was a failure.
Since she was disappeared the night she was born, his parents left no stone unturned to find her.
God knows how much they had searched for her, but all the results came empty-handed. But, she never lost hope.
And now, she saw someone who looked like her.
Liang Shin sighed. He didn’t want her to clutch any straws which would have no way forward. As much as he wanted to find her too, he found this possibility to be too thin.
“Shin. We should tell this to Zhu!” The woman was getting more and more sure of it.
“Mom, it was just a fleeting sight. You may have got it wrong. Also, don’t get me wrong, but medically speaking, since you always think about her, it is possible that it was an illusion to give you hope about her.”
She pursed her lips.
Am I wrong? Was my mind playing tricks on me?
But I’m sure…
Her mood dampened on that thought.
He sighed again. “Alright. I will check and see if I get to know something about her.”
She beamed. “Really?”
“En. But it’s going to be difficult. We don’t know anything about her, and perhaps you didn’t look at the car in which was either, right?”
She shook her head.
“But she was sitting with a man. I was focussing on her, so I didn’t see him either.” She felt useless. Finally, she got hope but had nothing to give any information.
“Let me try.”
LiangShin then turned serious and sternly said, “But, don’t tell Dad, okay? This must be between us. Until I get sure that there is some substance to this matter, we won’t tell him anything.”
She nodded. She didn’t want to see him heartbroken either if it all turned out to be a false trail.
But she only prayed that it didn’t.
‘God, please…this time…this time, please let me be right.’
—
Nana was awestruck when she saw the villa. The large gate was mesmerizing as she felt that she had stepped into another world altogether. The mansion totally looked like a royal palace. There was a large, beautiful garden passing through as their car made its way inside. It was filled and blooming with flowers, some of which she had never seen before.
They stepped inside the mansion, and a butler bowed respectfully.
“First young master, Lady Liu. Welcome.”
Nana smiled.
Jinhai nodded. “Get all our things in the room.”
“Yes, first young master.”
Jinhai pulled her waist. “Let’s go. I will show you around.”
The design language of the villa was modern contemporary. The flooring was finished in Lhasa marble. The interior and exterior of the villa were painted ivory. The chandeliers above gave a majestic feel to it.
The master bedroom opened to the scenic and breathtaking view of Paris far and wide. The Eiffel tower was the main highlight. The balcony opened to a massive swimming pool below.
The corridor was decorated with many historical and abstract paintings and art pieces.
“Do you like it?”
Nana looked dumbfounded. “I love it! I feel like settling down here.”
Jinhai hugged her from behind. “Then let’s settle here.” He rubbed his nose against her nape. “That way, we would always be alone and no one to interrupt our quality time. Isn’t it great?”
Nana rolled her eyes. The only thing that he always thought of was shamelessness.
“When was this villa built?”
“I had already bought it a month back. I knew we would be going on a holiday trip one day or the other, so I arranged to buy villas in different countries so that whatever place you choose, we would have a grand mansion for your welcome.”
Nana was aghast. “How many villas have you brought?”
Jinhai shrugged. “Around 11. There is still work going on in some other places too, so it is more than that. I chose the most popular destinations.”
Nana felt as if her head was spinning.
Eleven!? And still, counting? Just how much money does the Liu family have? What would be the total cost of all the villas put together?
The mere thought of the amount made her shudder.
“Tomorrow, we would visit the Notre Dame cathedral, Louvre and Garnier Palace, and then on the second day, we will be traveling on a beautiful Seine river cruise. If you want to visit any place first, then tell me.”
Nana shook her head. “This is fine.”
Jinhai smiled. “We have just arrived. You must be tired, so let’s get some rest.”
—
As a certain couple was happily enjoying their time in Paris, the twins were gloomily sitting at their desks in their high school. The truth about Serena still hurt them a lot.
The students were murmuring among themselves. Su Daiyu, from afar, was watching Yukito in silence. Her friend, who was sitting in front of her desk, was chatting with her, but Su Daiyu seemed to be absent-minded.
Then the homeroom teacher Mr. Wen came in.
He cleared his throat, and everybody got quiet.
“Students. There is one announcement I would like to make. Your fine arts teacher Mrs. Mo Shuren is expecting, and she would be on maternity leave from today. To take her place, a new teacher will be joining us. He is a talented, young gentleman who has completed his masters and doctorate in Fine arts and Design from XX University.”
The students gasped.
XX university was a reputed institution abroad. It was a dream University for many aspirants, but only a few could make it there. The competition was intense. In other words, every student who had passed out from XX University was a bonafide genius.
“He is only twenty but is an already established fashion designer. You must have surely heard about him.”
“Please give a warm welcome to your new Arts teacher, Mr. Liu Jing.”
Yukito was drinking water when he spit it out, widening his eyes. He started coughing violently.
Yukira also opened his mouth in a wide ‘O.’
They both just got the greatest shock of their lives, especially Yukito.
Yukira teasingly looked at his twin. “He is our brother Liu Jing, right? Oops, your suitor. I had no idea he would be teaching here. What a coincidence!”
Like hell, it is!
Jing entered the classroom, and as soon as Jing caught all the student’s sight, they were dumbstruck.
Isn’t he the same man who confessed to Yukito that day!? He is that Liu Jing, the fashion designer!?
‘Surely heard of him’ is an understatement teacher! We are his fans!
Everybody silently turned to look at Yukito.
He could only helplessly smile. Yukira snickered.
Even Su Daiyu was speechless.
Her idol…
Like many other girls, she was also his fan who had bought many of his creations. Her wardrobe was practically filled with his designs.
Did he come here to work to pursue Yukito?
They belonged to entirely different worlds. Just when and how did Yukito catch his eye?
Jing flashed a polite smile, but as soon as his eyes locked on to his love, his eyes brightened, and he gave a wide, cheeky grin.
Yukito’s eyebrow twitched.
Oh God, what turn would my high school life take now?