He lured her deep into his trap, using both overt and covert methods to seduce her.

Song Zhi smiled as she gazed at the old lady in front of her, who was crying tears of joy. Involuntarily, she recalled the words her father had said to her at the hospital.

After a moment's hesitation, she slowly began to speak: "Grandma, about my mother..."

At this point, Song Zhi suddenly paused, as if she found it difficult to speak, but after only a moment, she took a deep breath and continued, "I know I am not Zhao Man's biological child."

Upon hearing this, the old lady's face froze for a moment, then she let out a heavy sigh.

"Who told you about this? Was it Zhao Man?"

The old lady asked with a puzzled look.

Song Zhi gently shook her head and answered truthfully, "It wasn't him, it was Dad. When I went to visit him at the hospital just now, he told me himself, and said I should come back and ask you. You know about this."

Upon hearing this, the old lady sighed heavily and slowly said, "Zhao Man is indeed not your biological mother. Your mother died in childbirth when you were born."

Song Zhi pursed her lips tightly and didn't say a word, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed the sadness and pain deep in her heart.

The old lady seemed to suddenly remember something important. She turned around and slowly walked unsteadily towards the bedroom.

Several minutes later, the old lady came out of the bedroom.

At this moment, she was carefully holding a photograph that looked quite old.

"Childish."

The old lady softly called Song Zhi's name, and then slowly walked up to Song Zhi.

Then, she stretched out her wrinkled and slightly withered hands and handed the precious photograph to Song Zhi.

Song Zhi slowly lowered her head, her gaze falling on the black and white photograph in the old lady's hand.

The people in the photo are clearly visible, a man and a woman standing side by side.

Song Zhi recognized the man at a glance; it was her father when he was young.

However, although Song Zhi had already guessed what was going on with the woman standing next to her father, she still couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart when she saw her with her own eyes.

Just as Song Zhi was about to ask, the old lady spoke first: "This is your mother."

The old lady's voice carried a hint of sadness and nostalgia.

Upon hearing this, Song Zhi's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She looked up at the old lady with expectant eyes and asked softly, "Grandma, could you tell me about my mother?"

The old lady nodded gently, a look of pity in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, as if trying to awaken long-forgotten memories, and then began to slowly recount the details about Song Zhi's mother...

The Song family were neighbors, and could be considered childhood sweethearts.

After graduating from high school, the two secretly began dating.

At that time, Song's mother's family was in poor financial condition, and the pressure of reality forced her to give up the opportunity to continue her studies and enter the workforce at an early age.

Song's father, through his own efforts, was admitted to his ideal university, and he did not separate from Song's mother just because he was a university student.

Song's mother worked in the city where Song's father went to university, and most of his living expenses during his time at university were supported by the wages that Song's mother worked hard to earn.

Fortunately, Song's father was diligent and studious, and not only did he excel in his studies, but he also had lofty ambitions.

After graduating from university, Song's father resolutely threw himself into the entrepreneurial wave and started a fairly large-scale electronics factory.

After years of unremitting struggle and hard work, the factory gradually got on the right track, business became more and more prosperous, and the business finally stabilized.

The two then got married.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Just one year after the marriage, Song's mother passed away due to complications during childbirth, leaving behind the infant Song Zhi.

This sudden blow plunged the entire family into immense grief.

Just as everyone was immersed in a sorrowful atmosphere, Zhao Man's woman appeared.

She was Song's father's junior from school. After hearing that Song's father's wife had passed away and his one-month-old child was left unattended, she offered to help take care of the young Song Zhi.

Considering that the child was still young and needed careful care, and that he was unable to attend to everything himself, Mr. Song hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.

As a result, the two had more and more contact, their feelings for each other grew stronger, and they soon got together and became husband and wife.

Recalling the past, the old lady couldn't help but sigh and said with emotion, "At first, Zhao Man was indeed a qualified mother. She even took the initiative to not have children first in order to take care of you. She raised you until you were five years old before considering having children. But I never expected that after your father's accident, Zhao Man's true colors would be exposed."

Your grandfather and I have considered taking you back to Fengcheng to raise you ourselves many times, but then we thought, if we take you away, everything the Song family owns will probably fall into that woman's hands and be squandered by her.

Fortunately, your father has regained consciousness, and he will get better soon.

With trembling hands, Song Zhi reached out and gently put her arms around the old lady's shoulders. Her voice was very soft: "Grandma, do you know where my mother's grave is?"

The old lady nodded slowly and said, "Child, Grandma knows."

Song Zhi's eyes lit up instantly, and she asked expectantly, "Then, can we go visit my mother first today?"

"Just a quick visit first, then we'll go to the hospital, okay, Grandma?"

The old lady smiled and replied, "Okay, Grandma will go with you, but we need to pack up and prepare all the dishes first."

So the grandfather and grandson got busy, carefully packing the prepared dishes into bags.

Once everything was in place, the two went out.

It was already evening when we arrived at the cemetery.

Looking at the small tombstone in front of her, Song Zhi's steps involuntarily slowed down.

Perhaps no one has ever been here; the area around the tombstone is overgrown with weeds.

Desolate and lonely.

With each step Song Zhi took closer to the grave where her mother was buried, her longing and sorrow grew heavier.

Finally, she slowly knelt down, placed the chrysanthemums in her hand in front of the tombstone, gazed at her mother's photo on the tombstone, her lips trembling slightly, and whispered in a voice so low that only she could hear, "Mom, it's me, Zhizhi..."

At this moment, Song Zhi's heart was like a surging sea, with a thousand words she wanted to express.

However, when she actually stood in front of her mother's gravestone, those words seemed to be tightly blocked in her throat by an invisible force, making her unable to utter a single word.

She took a deep breath and said softly, "I'm fine, my dad's fine too, don't worry..."

As Song Zhi spoke, she cleared away the weeds around the tombstone.