Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Song Yanyan's POV:

My mind whirled as I struggled to process Huang Jiang's staggering revelation. This grizzled old man was claiming to be my actual blood grandfather? After a lifetime of assuming the Songs were my only biological family?

A kaleidoscope of emotions roiled within me - shock, anger, confusion all vying for dominance. But beneath it burned a smoldering sense of betrayal, one that threatened to raze everything I thought I knew to ashes.

"So let me get this straight," I rasped, struggling to keep my tone mordantly nonchalant rather than betray the roiling turmoil inside. "You're telling me Chen Xinyi - that miserable, entitled harpy who's played mother for seventeen years - isn't even my real mom?"

I barked out a laugh utterly devoid of mirth, anger and hurt lacerating my next words.

"And here I just thought she was a world-class bitch. Never could've imagined the old bat was actually capable of something so...so goddamn diabolical."

Wu Ling looked scandalized by my crude dismissal of maternal bonds, but I was too rocked to my core to give a damn about social niceties. Huang Jiang simply regarded me with that inscrutable stare, as if measuring how deeply this revelation cut.

"I cannot fathom the depth of Chen Xinyi's depravity," he said at last, voice low and tinged with what seemed like self-recrimination. "For her crimes extend far beyond the devastation inflicted upon my daughter's life and your own."

A tremor ran through me at those words, dredging up the ugly, jagged memories I'd thought safely buried years ago.

"That soulless snake didn't just buy me off the damn black market," I spat, fighting to keep bitterness from clogging my throat. "She damn well made sure her shiny new designer accessory stayed ideally obedient too."

Huang Jiang's eyes narrowed infinitesimally at my implication, but Wu Haoyu was the one who voiced the horrified realization.

"You were...abused? By that woman?"

I let out a hollow, mirthless laugh, memories of drunkenly slurred insults and cracks of bamboo rods ghosting through my mind's eye.

"Among other delightful parental pastimes, yeah," I said with forced lightness, masking the shudder that threatened to wrack my frame. "Let's just say Mommy Dearest wasn't exactly a candidate for the Mother of the Year award, shall we?"

An oppressive silence fell over the room as my feigned casualness clashed with the unspoken gravity of my experience. Then Huang Jiang exhaled a ragged breath, suddenly looking every year of his considerable age and more.

"The sheer depth of torment you've endured at the hands of that vile pretender...it stains my soul, Yanyan. That you are my own kin only compounds the failure and tragedy."

I bristled instinctively at that, hackles raised. "Save the pity party, Gramps," I bit out, almost desperate to deflect from the sickening truths laid bare. "I stopped being anyone's victim a long damn time ago."

But Huang Jiang was having none of my habitual deflections, not this time. Leaning forward, he captured my gaze with an intensity that bored straight through my defenses.

"You've suffered immeasurably at the hands of deceivers and defilers for too long, child," he said, quiet but unyielding. "It's well past time the truth - and your rightful legacy - was restored, no matter how belated or arduous the road."

I searched his craggy features, saw the naked determination and protectiveness warring with sorrow there. And in that moment, a hairline fracture spider-webbed through the iron-clad cynicism keeping toxic truths at bay within me.

This irascible old coot...might just be the only blood relative in this cesspool of lies who actually gave a solitary damn about me.

The realization left me blindsided in a way few things ever had before. Throat constricted, I could only hold his leonine stare as unspoken understanding shimmered in the weighted silence between us - a grandson's first rawly vulnerable glimpse into the heritage that should've been his from the start.

It was both vindicating and utterly terrifying all at once.

I felt like my world had been upended as Huang Jiang revealed his stunning claim. The Songs - the only family I'd ever known - weren't actually my blood relatives at all.

Wu Haoyu watched me carefully, likely expecting an emotional outburst. But I wasn't one for melodramatics over things beyond my control.

Waving a nonchalant hand, I forced a unbothered tone. "Well, I'll be damned. Who would've thought the prim and proper Madam Song was such a accomplished con artist too?"

Wu Ling's eyes widened at my flippant reaction, seeming almost scandalized. But the ghost of an approving smirk played over Huang Jiang's lips, recognizing my irreverent humor as a coping mechanism.

"Indeed, the extent of Chen Xinyi's deception is almost incomprehensible," he rumbled, shaking his head grimly. "To betray her own husband and supposed child in such a way..."

Wu Haoyu cleared his throat, endeavoring to restart on a more positive note.

"As unforgivable as her actions are, we must look forward now. With confirmation of your legitimate lineage, we can finally welcome you back into the fold as the rightful Huang heir."

I regarded him doubtfully, huffing out a wry chuckle.

"Taking the rags-to-riches fairytale a bit literally, aren't we? I'm just a normal city kid here."

"You are the heir to an esteemed legacy and birthright," Wu Haoyu stated firmly. "No criminal act can invalidate that immutable fact of your heritage."

While their proclamations sounded grand, part of me still balked at the sheer unexpectedness of it all.

"Sure, if you say so," I replied with an arched brow. "Just seems pretty out of the blue is all."

Huang Jiang chuckled, seeming to recognize my dubiousness as natural in light of the circumstances.

"I comprehend this must feel nigh unbelievable, child. But have no doubts - you are my blood, the last surviving Huang. And I intend to finally welcome you into the embrace of your rightful familial heritage."

His words rang with certainty and an underlying warmth that gave me pause. Wu Ling and Wu Haoyu exchanged a look, appearing to tacitly accept the old man's declaration.

Perhaps sensing my lingering uncertainty, Huang Jiang continued with a reassuring tone.

"Do not be overly daunted just yet. This is but the first step in restoring you to your proper place in the world you were so grievously robbed of until now. We shall take the process of your reintegration into the family at a comfortable pace."

I searched his craggy features, finding only sincerity and determination there. While the magnitude of his claims still felt overwhelming, something about his plainspoken fortitude instilled a tentative sense of reassurance.

This old man - my supposed blood relative - seemed to genuinely wish to embrace me, the Huang heir he'd been searching for. No obvious angles or ulterior motives, just...a homecoming of sorts.

The reality of it all still felt immensely surreal. But I found myself cautiously inclining to hear them out, to potentially start an entirely new chapter separate from the Songs.

So with an exhale and a lopsided smile, I gave a small nod of acquiescence.

"Well...I can't say I understand everything going on just yet. But I'm listening, Gramps. For now, at least."

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