On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

Si Yehan stood in front of the carved wooden door of the Si family's old house and took a deep breath. He clutched Nian Nian's photo tightly in his hand. He wanted to confess this secret to his grandmother.

The sunlight filtered through the sycamore trees in the courtyard, casting mottled shadows at his feet, just like his complicated mood at the moment.

"Young Master, the old lady is already waiting for you in the tea room." The butler respectfully opened the sliding door.

Inside the tea room, Grandma Si knelt on a futon, brewing tea. Eighty years old, her back straight, her silver hair meticulously tied back. Time had carved wrinkles into her face, but it couldn't conceal her innate majesty.

"Grandma." Si Yehan sat down across from her, his voice deeper than usual.

Grandma Si looked up at him, her sharp eyes seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts: "Yehan, you have been uneasy recently. Is there a problem with the company?"

"It's not about the company." Si Yehan pushed the photo towards his grandmother. "I think you should meet this person."

Grandma Si put on her reading glasses. When she saw the little girl with pigtails and a bright smile in the photo, her fingers trembled noticeably: "Who is this child..."

"Her name is Nian Nian, she's six years old." Si Yehan's Adam's apple rolled. "She's Gu Wan and my daughter."

The teacup slipped from Grandma Si's hand and rolled around on the couch, soaking the rim with tea. The old woman was oblivious, staring intently at the photo: "Gu Wan? The Gu Wan who died six years ago? Is she still alive?"

"Yes, she's not only alive, but also..." Si Yehan chose his words carefully, "but she's now Nangong Wan of the Nangong family. Gu Wan's identity was cancelled six years ago."

Grandma Si's face turned pale in an instant: "Nangong...Nangong Xuan's daughter?"

Si Yehan nodded. Seeing his grandmother's reaction, his doubts deepened. What role did the Si family play in Nangong Jue's death twenty years ago?

"I want to remarry Gu Wan and give Nian Nian a complete family." Si Yehan looked directly into his grandmother's eyes, "but she won't agree unless the truth behind Nangong Jue's death is revealed."

Grandma Si slowly took off her glasses and wiped the lenses with a silk handkerchief. She did this for a full minute before she spoke. "Before his death, your grandfather Si Yan said that the Si family had a clear conscience regarding Nangong Jue's affairs. But if you insist on investigating..." She sighed, "Go ahead. For Nian Nian's sake, this child shouldn't bear the grudges of our generation."

It was already dark when Si Yehan left the old house. He drove to the Si family villa, where Gu Wan and Nian Nian were still waiting for him.

On the way, he kept thinking about his grandmother's unusual reaction and her last meaningful words: "Some truths may not be good to know."

In the villa courtyard, Si Yehan spotted Gu Wan and Nian Nian playing together. Six years had passed, but time hadn't left any trace on Gu Wan's face. Her pale purple dress set off her skin's rosy white. Meanwhile, Nian Nian, in a pink miniskirt, struggled to climb the slide, her stubborn demeanor reminiscent of her mother.

"Dad!" Nian Nian spotted him with her sharp eyes, immediately gave up the slide, and ran towards him with her arms open.

Si Yehan bent down to catch his daughter, lifted her high, and spun her around, causing the little girl to giggle. Gu Wan approached, her smile a bit forced. "You're back so soon?"

"I want to have dinner with you guys." Si Yehan put Nian Nian down and took out a box of chocolates from his pocket. "Can you go into the house with the servant first? Dad and Mom need to talk."

After the nanny left with Nian Nian, the atmosphere between them suddenly became tense. Gu Wan—Nangong Wan—folded her arms, a habit she used when on guard.

"I went to see Grandma," Si Yehan said directly, "and told her about Nian Nian."

Gu Wan looked up suddenly, a trace of panic flashing in his eyes: "Why...what did she say?"

"She said she supported me in finding out the truth for Nian Nian." Si Yehan stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "Wan Wan, I will definitely find out what happened back then."

"Yehan, I'm afraid..." Gu Wan smiled bitterly, "Since I returned to the Nangong family, I finally knew who I was. Grandpa died in such an unclear way, and all the evidence that framed the Nangong family pointed to the Si family!"

"Evidence can be fabricated." Si Yehan held her trembling hand. "My grandfather, Si Yan, lived an upright life. He couldn't possibly..."

"Impossible?" Gu Wan pulled back her hand, tears in her eyes. "Is it impossible to kill a competitor for commercial gain? But do you know how much of the Nangong family's assets the Si Group swallowed up after the Nangong family fell?"

Si Yehan fell silent. This was the point he couldn't refute. Twenty years ago, when he was only a few years old, he had indeed witnessed the rapid expansion of the Si Group, and that was when the Nangong family was falling apart.

"Isn't there still three months left?" He finally said with difficulty, "If I can't find evidence to prove the Si family's innocence after three months, I... I respect any decision you make."

Gu Wan looked at the direction where Nian Nian left in the distance, and said in a voice so soft that it was almost inaudible: "What about Nian Nian?"

"No matter what the outcome, she's our child." Si Yehan's voice cracked. "But Wanwan, believe me, I will find out the truth. Not for the Si family, but for us, so that Nian Nian can have a complete family."

The night breeze blew, gently lifting Nangong Wan's skirt. She turned to look at Si Yehan. Under the moonlight, that face, once so familiar to her, still made her heart beat faster.

"Okay." She finally relented, "But until then, I'm still Nangong Wan, not Gu Wan. Our relationship...can't be made public."

Si Yehan nodded, controlling his emotions and gently hugging her: "I promise you."

Gu Wan nodded slightly: "Ye Han, if... if it is finally proven that the Si family is really..."

"Then I will personally apologize to the Nangong family," Si Yehan said firmly, "but before that, please trust me."

Gu Wan's body stiffened for a moment, "Okay."

He must uncover the truth, not only to clear his family's name, but also to redeem the only love of his life and their innocent daughter. No matter what stands in his way, he will clear it all.

The next day, Si Yehan stood in front of the French window in the president's office of the Si Group. His slender fingers tapped lightly on the glass, and the amber whiskey swayed slightly in the glass.

Outside the window, the lights of Haishi twinkled like stars, but his eyes were deeper than the night.

"Nangong family..." He murmured softly the name that lost its aristocratic glory overnight more than 20 years ago, his brows unconsciously furrowed.

Spread out on the desk was a thick account book, its pages yellowed and the corners showing obvious signs of wear. This was the oldest surviving account book in the Si family, but Si Yehan knew it was far from the whole truth.

"Mr. Si, here's the information you requested." Special Assistant Wu knocked on the door and walked in, placing a stack of documents on the table.

Si Yehan turned around, his tall figure outlined by his black suit, his features sharp as a knife under the light. "What did you find out?"

"As you expected, there are indeed problems with the accounts from twenty years ago." Wu Te pushed up his glasses. "After comparing the bank records of several key transactions from that year, there are discrepancies between them and the records in our Si family account books. In particular, the flow of 500 million in funds three months before the Nangong Group's bankruptcy..."

"It's been tampered with," Si Yehan interrupted coldly, tapping his finger hard on the account book. "This account book has been updated too many times, and the original record has long been obscured."

He walked over to the desk and picked up the top photo. It was a photo of a business reception from over twenty years ago. The young Si Yan toasted with several business leaders, including Mu Zhengde, the old man of the Mu family who was then the financial director of the Si family, and of course, the framed Nangong Jue.

"To uncover the truth, we must find the original account book." Si Yehan's voice was low and firm, "And he's the only one who knows where the account book is."

Special Assistant Wu followed Si Yehan's gaze and looked at Mu Zhengde in the photo.