After all, both girls were very pretty, and neither had any features that resembled Fan Tian's.
Tian Tian found it a little strange. Even half siblings with the same father should have looked somewhat alike, right?
Why did Fan Tian and Fan Qing look as though you couldn't find a connection between them with an eight-foot pole?
But she hadn't come on the day Tian Tian married Fan Tian, so their relationship probably wasn't very good.
"Hello."
Tian Tian held out her hand to Fan Qing. Fan Tian scoffed lightly. "This sister of mine has always had her eyes on top of her head. She won't shake-"
Fan Qing took Tian Tian's hand. Not only that, she asked, "Are you out for a meal with him too?"
"No, the photography company told me to come pick up our wedding video. My friends wanted to watch it too, so we arranged to meet at this restaurant."
[The wedding video!!!]
Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?
Fan Qing immediately said regretfully, "I had something to do when you married my brother and couldn't make it. I felt so disappointed for ages afterward. I really didn't want to miss my brother's wedding, so..."
Fan Qing asked with exceptional sincerity, "Could I watch the wedding video?"
At the thought that disaster was about to befall Fan Tian, Fan Qing called him "my brother" over and over without the slightest discomfort.
Tian Tian glanced at Fan Tian. His relationship with his sister didn't seem that bad?
Also, Tian Tian looked at Lin Tingyue and Fan Qing again. Where had that voice in her head just come from?
"Sister-in-law, may I?"
Fan Qing's gaze melted Tian Tian's heart. Without waiting for Fan Tian's agreement, she said, "Sure. You and your friend are young girls, so you can give me some suggestions."
"Great!"
Fan Qing called over a waitress and asked her to bring everything they had ordered to that table, then grabbed Lin Tingyue and raced over, as though afraid Tian Tian and Fan Tian would change their minds.
Fan Tian: "..."
Whenever Fan Qing was this enthusiastic, bad luck was sure to befall him. What was she up to today?
Watching Fan Qing walk away, Tian Tian smiled and said, "Your sister's pretty cute."
Fan Tian twitched the corner of his mouth and followed Tian Tian over.
Once the main characters arrived, they started playing the video. Tian Tian had brought her own laptop.
This was only a commemorative version, a little over twenty minutes long. Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue stared without blinking, afraid of missing the most important frame!
Fan Tian thought, Did Fan Qing find something out?
Even if she did, it was useless. I had it all deleted.
Finally!
They reached the part where everyone urged Fan Tian to hug Tian Tian!
Pointing at the segment that had just played, Fan Qing said, "I've loved beautiful, romantic love ever since I was little. Could you slow this part down for me?"
[Hahahaha, why do I get the feeling Qingqing's so black-bellied?]
Everyone jumped in fright. Only Fan Tian folded his arms impatiently.
Fan Qing held her hands in front of her chest and looked at Tian Tian. "Sister-in-law..."
"Sure," Tian Tian said.
Following Fan Qing's request, Tian Tian's friend dragged the progress bar back and set it to slow motion.
Caught you!
Fan
Qing pressed pause and asked, "Brother, what are you doing here?"
In the paused image, two hands were clasped together. A closer look revealed that they belonged to the best man and the groom.
Why was there still a frame left!
Fan Tian was so guilty that his gaze began darting around. He lied with his eyes wide open. "The best man's been my close buddy since childhood. It's only natural for us to be a little affectionate."
[Mm-hmm, affectionate enough to sleep in the same bed, affectionate enough for contact beyond negative distance, right?]
[You two really are so affectionate.]
[And why didn't the people staring at this video and editing it frame by frame notice? Naturally, because Fan Tian had already tipped them off.]
Tian Tian froze in disbelief. Fan Tian really had found the photography company. When he learned she wanted a recording, he had stepped forward and told her to leave everything to him. Tian Tian had been very satisfied, thinking they were particularly professional.
So there had been a reason behind everything?
[That editor practically edited themselves into a workplace injury. As for why they missed this bit, maybe even the editor never imagined that Fan Tian's love for the best man would be so great it spilled over.]
[Showing off their love anytime, anywhere, as though they'd die if they didn't. Tsk, tsk, tsk.]
Tian Tian already couldn't stand seeing this single frame, and this was actually after the cuts?
Having heard this, Tian Tian finally reached the end of her patience. She raised her hand and slapped Fan Tian.
Stunned by the slap, Fan Tian covered his face. "Why did you hit me?"
There was no longer any love for Tian Tian in his eyes, only unconcealable fury.
"You bastard! You're that intimate with your own best man, and you're asking why Tian Tian hit you?"
Tian Tian's friends were all furious. They had picked so carefully for their sister, only to choose an utterly invincible scumbag. Who could stand that? They immediately pounced, some grabbing his hair, others slapping his face.
Only after the restaurant owner called the police did the one-sided beating stop.
Lin Tingyue, Fan Qing, and the two people from the next table all accompanied the police to the station to give statements as witnesses.
Upon learning that Lin Tingyue was at the police station, Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong rushed over. Fan Qing and Fan Tian's father, as well as Fan Tian's mother, also came to the station.
Everyone else was fine; only Fan Tian was still being held inside. Fan Wei and Tang Xiao walked straight past Fan Qing to ask the police about Fan Tian.
Fan Qing rolled her eyes.
Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong gathered around Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue. Bai Yaxin looked them both over again and again, only breathing a sigh of relief after finding them uninjured. "As long as you're okay. As long as you're okay."
Fan Qing stared at Fan Wei's back, her gaze somewhat dark.
Seeing this, Lin Tingyue took Fan Qing's hand.
The hand holding Fan Qing's was warm, as though giving her boundless strength. When Fan Qing turned, she saw Lin Tingyue smiling at her.
What was so great about them?
She had Yueyue, and Auntie Bai cared about her too.
She could discard everyone who didn't care about her. Fan Qing smiled at Lin Tingyue.
"Since everything's fine, let's head back," Bai Yaxin said.
As they walked down the steps, a man passed them.
"Honey, are you okay?" the man asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. I was just cooperating with the police and giving a statement. Look at you, running here. You're covered in sweat."
The woman took a tissue from her bag and wiped the sweat from the man's forehead.
She was the woman from the next table. She had come for a meal alone, only to encounter a fight.
Fan Qing murmured, "Why does this man look a little familiar?"
Lin Tingyue sucked in a breath.
[Isn't this the best man from the wedding video?]
The woman's hand stiffened.
As it happened, Fan Wei and Tang Xiao came out looking utterly lost.
Wu Hai was a little surprised to see Tang Xiao. Just as he was about to turn around, Tang Xiao spotted him too.
"Wu Hai, what are you doing here?" Tang Xiao asked.
Fan Qing thought, No way. These people all know each other?
Was this melon really this juicy?
Wu Hai had no choice but to meet Tang Xiao's gaze and reluctantly call out, "Mom."
Wu Hai's wife, Qiao Mei, frowned. "This is your mom? Didn't you say your mom died ages ago?"
"Meimei, let me explain..."
Before Wu Hai could finish, Tang Xiao interrupted him, her expression ugly. "You said your mom was dead?"
Tang Xiao immediately slapped Wu Hai. "I'm still alive, and you're already cursing me like this! You learned it all from that damned father of yours."
Covering his face, Wu Hai said, "You're not my mom, and I don't have a dad either. I've considered you both dead for years."
There were already plenty of people at the police station, and at the sight, not one of them could move their feet.
[Wow, this is amazing. So Wu Hai is Tang Xiao's son with her ex-husband. After Tang Xiao divorced her ex-husband, she met Fan Wei. They fell in love at first sight, regretting that they hadn't met sooner. Fan Wei wanted to marry Tang Xiao, and naturally she was delighted. But she worried that Fan Wei wouldn't want her if she brought Wu Hai along, so she hardened her heart and abandoned Wu Hai.]
[Who would've thought Fan Wei would go back on his word and marry Qingqing's mom? Tang Xiao drew water with a bamboo basket and came up empty. She left for a distant place, then reunited with Fan Wei as soon as she returned to City A this year. This time, Fan Wei was determined to marry Tang Xiao, and Tang Xiao actually agreed...]
[So unhinged.]
[Wait, if Wu Hai and Fan Tian are both Tang Xiao's sons, doesn't that make them... incestuous brothers???]
[Oh, good, good.]
Fan Qing: ?
She had the illusion that the dust was just about to settle, only for her to be forced to eat a couple more bites of melon.
[Tang Xiao just found Fan Tian and planned to conspire with him to swindle money. But this relationship of theirs...]
Even Lin Tingyue, a veteran of the melon fields, furrowed her brows at what she saw.
[Fan Tian is actually Tang Xiao's lover. Huh, Fan Tian's actually bisexual?]
[So now a lover's been completely remodeled into an illegitimate son to swindle money, and while swindling money, he's also committing marriage fraud, and while committing marriage fraud, he's hooked up with his nominal mother's biological son?]
[Looks like incest, but he's actually the young stepdad?]
Fan Qing: ...
She felt so dizzy. Why was she seeing stars in broad daylight?
[Sigh, Qingqing's clearly so smart. Why doesn't her dad think to get a DNA test?]
Chapter 33
Hearing this, Fan Qing rolled her eyes.
Her dad had been so utterly bewitched by Tang Xiao back then that the moment Fan Qing suggested a DNA test, Fan Tian and Tang Xiao had both opened fire on her.
Tears streaming down her face, Tang Xiao had said, "Fan Wei, how could I lie to you about something like this? Since your daughter suspects A-Tian and me, we'd better leave."
Fan Tian had immediately agreed that they should leave and taken Tang Xiao's arm, preparing to go. Seeing this, Fan Wei had naturally chosen to defend the "mother and son."