C17 Their Background!

"I'll take a closer look later, but this one is definitely real." Huangfu Ling handed her the genuine ring and put away the fake one. He was surprised she could tell the difference just by looking; he had put a lot of effort into crafting a high-quality replica that was almost impossible to distinguish without special equipment.

"Thank you." Xia Nannan accepted the ring. Such a large diamond must have cost a fortune; she'd have to work for years to afford something like this.

"I need to discuss something personal with Zheng Yizhou. Maybe you should head back," Huangfu Ling suggested, eyeing Xia Nannan. With her natural talent for jewelry, she could really make a name for herself in the industry if she had the right resources.

"Alright, I'll leave then." Xia Nannan stood up tactfully. It was surprising that someone like Zheng Yizhou even had friends; life sure is unfair.

"Go to that house. Grandpa wants us to move back there. I've already asked Elder Ji to send my luggage over. Take my car; the driver will take you," Zheng Yizhou added. Xia Nannan ignored him and walked away.

"Wow, she actually ignored you. Zheng Yizhou, even you get the cold shoulder sometimes," Huangfu Ling said, suddenly admiring Xia Nannan. She dared to challenge Zheng Yizhou and even brushed him off. She might be the first to do so.

"Get lost," Zheng Yizhou muttered, his face turning red. Why did he always end up on the losing side with Xia Nannan? Ever since meeting her, he felt like he was constantly on edge, his emotions all over the place.

"I asked my mom, and she said Mr. Deng only had one granddaughter, Deng Yu'er. But the information you gave me says otherwise." Zheng Yizhou had just witnessed Xia Nannan's talent, which reminded him of the deceased woman from the Deng family.

"Could it be that Xia Nannan fabricated her identity to live a wealthy life? I heard the child that woman gave birth to died long ago, and there was even a body. I've seen this kind of thing before—using our profession to create a fake identity, claiming a dead relative is alive, and bribing the hospital. It's quite the elaborate scheme," Huangfu Ling remarked, recalling similar situations from the past.

"Maybe, but keep looking into it for me," Yizhou said, rubbing his temples. Could Nannan really be that kind of person?

Nannan found herself awkwardly sitting alone in the living room of the Zheng family home. Mrs. Zheng was chatting away with Yu'er, going on and on about Yizhou, as if she was deliberately speaking for Nannan's benefit.

"Nannan, you're pregnant and still wearing high heels? Aren't you worried about a miscarriage?" Yu'er suddenly remarked, noticing the high heels Nannan had just taken off. How did she not trip? What a shame.

"Exactly, if you fell and hurt our family's future, you'd be in big trouble," Mrs. Zheng chimed in, clearly looking for trouble. Seeing Nannan remain silent only encouraged them to push further.

"You haven't even acknowledged me yet, so the child has nothing to do with you," Nannan retorted. She hadn't paid attention to these small details, hoping they hadn't grown suspicious.

"Is that how you speak to your elders? Talking back to me, no manners at all. Clearly, you haven't had a proper education," Mrs. Zheng snapped, shocked at Nannan's audacity.

"Well, it seems your words aren't exactly brimming with refinement either. I graduated from Columbia. May I ask which school you graduated from, ma'am?" Nannan replied sarcastically. She had always been top of her class and had even secured a full scholarship to Columbia.

"You..." Mrs. Zheng was speechless with anger. She and Yu'er had attended prestigious high schools where money mattered more than grades. Columbia wasn't a place money could buy; they lacked the academic credentials.

"So what if you went to a good college? You still weren't raised right. Kids from poor families just lack class," Yu'er countered. It was true her education didn't compare, but she hadn't expected this woman to have such impressive grades. Columbia was one of the top universities in the world.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to drag family into insults?" Nannan glared at her. She hated when people talked about her parents, especially since it was this woman who caused her mother's death.

"What's all the commotion? Nannan, come here for a moment." Grandpa Zheng came downstairs, gently scolding them. He could hear the noise from upstairs.

"Grandpa," Nannan quickly went over to support him, realizing he must have heard the argument.

"Yu'er, you should head back for now, and you, calm down. We're all family here." Grandpa Zheng sat down slowly, his age making his movements a bit sluggish.

Yu'er looked at Zheng's mother with a hint of grievance, hoping she'd speak up for her, but Zheng's mother remained silent.

"It's nothing serious. Yu'er can be a bit headstrong." Grandpa Zheng had watched Yu'er grow up, so he had some affection for her.

"It's fine," Nannan shook her head, showing she didn't mind.

"That's good. Yu'er has liked Yizhou since they were kids, so she might be a bit hostile towards you, but she's not a bad person at heart." Grandpa Zheng nodded approvingly. The more he looked at Nannan, the more satisfied he was with her, appreciating her poise and intelligence.

"I'll check when Yizhou will be back," Zheng's mother said coldly as she went upstairs. With Old Master Zheng here, she couldn't do anything, so she preferred to stay out of sight.

Before long, Yizhou returned, and Huangfu Ling was with him.

"Hi, Grandpa! You're looking younger every day!" Huangfu Ling approached and gave Grandpa Zheng a hug, showing their familiarity.

"You're here! Stay for dinner; the more, the merrier." Grandpa Zheng beamed at Huangfu Ling, clearly pleased by the compliment. Who doesn't like being told they look young?

"Sure, but only if there are good dishes. I won't eat if there aren't any," Huangfu Ling teased, seeming even more favored than Zheng's own grandson, Yizhou.

"How could there not be any good dishes? Do you think I'm that stingy?" The two of them were chatting away, thoroughly enjoying their conversation.

"By the way, Grandpa, you must know about that scandal with the Deng family's daughter-in-law back in the day, right? Does Mr. Deng only have that one granddaughter, Yu'er?" Huangfu Ling asked Mr. Zheng, as if casually bringing it up, but it made Mr. Zheng uneasy.

"Yes, just Yu'er. Why do you ask?" Mr. Zheng's face suddenly turned serious, and his smile faded.

Xia Nannan watched Huangfu Ling closely. Had he discovered something? It couldn't be possible. Her mother had bribed the hospital to use abandoned bodies to fake her death. No one could have found out.

"Oh, it's nothing. There are just some nasty rumors going around. Someone might be pretending to be that little girl from the Deng family who passed away. After all, when they found the body, it was so decomposed from the water that only one item was left to identify her. Since that girl is already gone, it's probably just people talking nonsense."

Huangfu Ling smiled, but Mr. Zheng's expression was off. Was there more to the story?