"Let's go with a hair sample. Do you need to pull it out right now?"
Yun Zijin didn't want to get her blood drawn, and she certainly didn't want a throat swab, so she opted for the hair sample.
Xia Zhengguang didn't have a preference. Whatever Yun Zijin chose was fine with him.
The doctor was very practiced. He quickly plucked the hair, secured the sample, and then said, "The results will be ready in half an hour at the earliest. Please wait."
Since it was their family's hospital, they naturally didn't have to wait in line for the test, and the results would be delivered immediately.
"Alright, I've cooperated with the paternity test like you asked. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
All Yun Zijin wanted was to go home, collapse onto her bed, and sleep for a solid day.
Xia Zhengguang watched Yun Zijin's retreating figure and opened his mouth to say something, but Xia Zhiyun stopped him.
"Dad, Zijin is still distant with us. Just think of it as childishness. Let's wait for the paternity test results before we say anything more."
In Xia Zhiyun's eyes, as long as the paternity test confirmed Yun Zijin was part of the Xia Family, it was only a matter of time before she returned.
After all, the Xia Family could provide her with resources she could never obtain on her own in her entire life.
"For now, don't tell your mother or your sister about this. We'll wait for the results."
His wife treated Jiao Jiao as the apple of her eye. If she found out Xia Jiajiao wasn't their biological daughter, there was no telling how devastated she would be.
And then there was Jiao Jiao. She was the child they had raised for twenty-one years. Their bond was deep; it wasn't something they could sever so easily.
'Hopefully, after Yun Zijin returns to the Xia Family, the two sisters can get along peacefully.'
Xia Zhengguang's hopes were high, but he never stopped to consider whether Yun Zijin even wanted to return to the Xia Family, or if Xia Jiajiao would be willing to coexist peacefully with her.
Meanwhile, after leaving Kangde Hospital, Yun Zijin took a taxi straight back to her rented apartment.
Yun Zijin called her landlady, an elderly woman, to explain that she had saved up and bought a house. She would be moving her things out over the course of the month and wouldn't be renewing the lease.
Although the landlady was sad to see her go, she sincerely wished Yun Zijin a successful career and all the best for the future.
She then immediately transferred the 2,000-yuan security deposit back to Yun Zijin.
Yun Zijin happily accepted the money, then headed straight for the kitchen to start making dinner.
Since she had work the next day, Yun Zijin washed up and went to bed early.
She slept soundly through the night.
＊＊＊＊＊＊
[Task Issued: Host must spend ¥4,000,000.00 before 00:00:00 tonight. Task Reward: To be unlocked.]
At 6:00 a.m., Yun Zijin was woken by the voice of the Randomly Spend system. When she saw that the day's spending task had increased to four million yuan, she felt completely numb.
Fortunately, the deadline was midnight, so she could just take a trip to Jinsheng Mall after work.
'The most important things right now are breakfast and work!'
Now that she had money, Yun Zijin switched to taking the subway to work.
As for a taxi? That was out of the question. Taking a taxi during the morning rush hour would just mean getting stuck in traffic.
After finishing breakfast at home, Yun Zijin jogged to the subway entrance. She followed the flow of people into the station, figured out which platform she needed, and then was swept into a train car with the crowd.
During Dijing's morning rush hour, a packed subway was the norm. Yun Zijin felt like she was being flattened into a pancake.
When she finally managed to exit the station, Yun Zijin let out a sigh of relief.
After catching her breath for a moment, she walked toward the Dingsi Building, where her company was located. She queued for the elevator up to the 20th floor and clocked in, starting another day at the office.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Yun Zijin had just sat down at her desk when the general manager appeared at the department entrance. "Yun Zijin, come to my office for a moment."
Yun Zijin, completely baffled, glanced at Sang Ying beside her. 'What's going on?'
Sang Ying returned a look that said, 'How should I know!'
Though she was full of questions, she couldn't exactly refuse a summons from the general manager.
When she reached the general manager's office, Yun Zijin raised her hand and knocked.
"Come in."
She opened the door and saw Xia Zhiyun sitting on the sofa. The general manager was nowhere in sight.
She didn't need to guess; it was obvious Xia Zhiyun had used the general manager's name to summon her.
"You're certainly well-connected, Mr. Xia."
'First he found my apartment, and now my workplace. What is he trying to do?'
"If I could find you, it's only natural I did my research. Here are the results. Take a look."
Yun Zijin knew it was the DNA paternity test report for her and Xia Zhengguang.
She picked up the file folder from the table and opened it. She quickly found the line stating a 99.99% probability of a paternal genetic match.
"I see the results. But as I've said, I don't want to return to the Xia Family. My life is fine as it is. Your appearance isn't something I'm happy about."
'I'm not that little girl who longed for her parents anymore. I can live perfectly well on my own.'
Xia Zhiyun wasn't sure how to describe his feelings. Of course he wanted Yun Zijin to return to the Xia Family and for them to be a complete family again.
But Yun Zijin clearly felt differently. She didn't even want to acknowledge them as family.
"You are my sister. That is an indisputable fact. The blood of the Xia family cannot be left to wander in the outside world.
I'll assume you just haven't adjusted to your new identity yet. I expect you to sort out your feelings within a week and come back to the Xia family with me."
Although Xia Zhiyun's heart ached for the suffering Yun Zijin had endured over the years, he was also the heir to the Xia Group.
He was used to being in the upper echelons of society. Dealing with someone who defied him was novel the first time, but by the second time, it was simply irritating.
Xia Zhiyun gave Yun Zijin no chance to refuse. He turned and left the general manager's office, leaving her standing there alone.
"Um… Little Yun?"
Yun Zijin snapped out of her daze and saw that the general manager had returned to his office. She suddenly felt a little awkward.
"I'm sorry, sir. I was just lost in thought. I'll get going now."
Yun Zijin quickly left the general manager's office and returned to her desk.
Yun Zijin really didn't want to go back to the Xia Family, but Xia Zhiyun's stance was unyielding. With her current nouveau riche status—owning just a villa and four million in savings—she was no match for them.
'I have to find a way out of this.'
"What's wrong? You've seemed distracted ever since you got back from the general manager's office. Did something happen?"
Sang Ying noticed Yun Zijin didn't look well and came over to ask during a lull.
"It's nothing. I'm just trying to figure some things out and got a little lost in thought. You should get back to work, Sister Ying. Don't worry about me."
When she finally made it to the end of the workday, Yun Zijin said goodbye to Sang Ying in front of their office building and headed straight for Jinsheng Mall across the street.
However, Yun Zijin didn't head for the luxury goods floors. Instead, she went to the food court on the 12th floor.
Before starting her shopping spree, she had to treat her stomach first!
With money in her pocket, Yun Zijin walked with a newfound confidence.
She ended up choosing a Chinese restaurant with warm, inviting decor.
Once the food arrived, it was time for the usual ritual: letting her social media feed "eat" first.
Yun Zijin snapped a series of photos, making sure she had enough for a nine-image grid post, before finally putting her phone down and digging in.