Beijing Colors Lingering

The morning sun was warm and gentle in the He family villa.

As soon as He's mother saw her daughter come home, she quickly asked, "Zhenzhen, have you had breakfast?"

"I've already eaten." He Zhenzhen pouted in dissatisfaction and sat down on the sofa angrily.

Seeing her daughter looking unhappy, Mrs. He quickly sat down next to her. "Zhenzhen, what's wrong?"

He Zhenzhen pouted and muttered, "Mom, I got drunk last night, why didn't you and Dad take me home?"

Mrs. He smiled gently: "Didn't I ask Xiao Yuan to take good care of you back then?"

He Zhenzhen leaned back on the sofa and complained, "Mom, are you and Dad really so comfortable leaving me with Qi Mingyuan? He's a man, and we're different genders."

Mother He: "We know Xiaoyuan's character, and you two were already betrothed as children and often spent time together, so how could anything happen?"

He Zhenzhen suddenly fell silent. The fact that she and Qi Mingyuan were betrothed since childhood was an engagement arranged by her grandfather and Grandpa Qi years ago, but she had never acknowledged it.

He Zhenzhen scratched her hair in frustration and muttered with dissatisfaction, "Mom, what era are we living in? Arrangements made by our elders when we're children don't count at all, okay?"

Mother He said earnestly, "You've never had a boyfriend, and Xiao Yuan has never dated a girlfriend either. Besides, he's been so good to you, and you two often play together. Why don't you just accept the arranged marriage with him? You can get engaged first, and then slowly cultivate your relationship."

Amidst her mother's nagging, He Zhenzhen sighed softly and emphasized weakly, "He and I are just friends. We can be good sisters or good brothers, but we can't be lovers."

Mrs. He smiled meaningfully, raised her hand and touched the top of her daughter's head, "You two are friends now, but who knows what will happen in the future? Xiao Yuan is a good match."

He Zhenzhen didn't say anything more, silently closing her eyes in protest.

Just then, Mr. He walked into the living room and overheard Mrs. He's words. He immediately chimed in, "Zhenzhen, your mother is right. You can consider getting engaged to Xiaoyuan. Both of your good friends already have fiancés. My dear daughter, you should try harder too!"

He Zhenzhen opened her eyes, sat up straight, stared at her father, snorted, and complained, "Dad, you promised not to let me get married through an arranged marriage, so why are you starting to pressure me into getting engaged to Qi Mingyuan?"

Mr. He chuckled and quickly corrected his daughter, "This isn't an arranged marriage. You two are childhood sweethearts and were betrothed as children, so isn't it normal for you to be together?"

“That’s not normal.” He Zhenzhen decisively refuted her father’s words, then stood up and walked towards the elevator.

I really don't know why her parents think so highly of Qi Mingyuan and always try to match them up.

Could Qi Mingyuan have cast a spell on her mother and father?

Or is she really a fake heiress, now only useful for a political marriage?

Mr. He glanced at his daughter's retreating figure, then sat down next to his wife and sighed, "I really don't know when our precious daughter will finally come to her senses?"

Mrs. He patted her husband on the shoulder and comforted him, "It should be soon. Last night, Xiao Yuan volunteered to take care of Zhenzhen and promised us that he would never do anything inappropriate."

Mr. He nodded upon hearing this and said nothing more.

At the banquet last night, He Zhenzhen got drunk and clung to Qi Mingyuan, so he offered to take care of her and planned to take her to the suite upstairs to rest.

He's parents could naturally sense that Qi Mingyuan liked their precious daughter, but they didn't understand why he didn't pursue her.

They realized that their daughter also liked Qi Mingyuan, but she herself hadn't noticed.

After considering it for a while, the two finally decided to agree to Qi Mingyuan's request. This was a chance for them, and maybe they would both finally understand.

Despite hearing Qi Mingyuan's assurance, He's parents still arranged for two waitresses and a female bodyguard to accompany them.

He Zhenzhen is their only daughter, and they absolutely cannot allow her to suffer even the slightest harm.

Qi Mingyuan had no objection to this, and He's mother and father's favorability towards him increased.

-

He Zhenzhen stayed at home until the afternoon before going out and driving to Shen Jinsui's studio.

One of her novels has also been signed by Nightingale Studio and is being adapted into a comic. She occasionally comes here to communicate with the illustrators about various details.

When He Zhenzhen entered Shen Jinsui's office, he was working on something.

She didn't disturb her best friend's work and quietly sat down on the sofa.

After a long while, Shen Jinsui finished her work and looked up at He Zhenzhen. Seeing her troubled and worried expression, she immediately asked, "Zhenzhen, what's wrong? Why do you look unhappy?"

He Zhenzhen pursed her lips, looked up at Shen Jinsui, and recounted everything that had happened last night and this morning.

Finally, she couldn't help but voice her guess: "Sui Sui, could I really be the fake heiress who was switched at birth? My parents are starting to pressure me into an arranged marriage. If I don't agree, will they kick me out of the He family? Then I'll be useless. Once the real heiress returns to the He family, I definitely won't be able to live the life of a rich, carefree woman anymore. Will you and Yun Shu still consider me a good friend?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Jinsui was stunned, then smiled helplessly. He Zhenzhen's idea was really too far-fetched.

After thinking for a moment, she spoke slowly: "I also saw you clinging to Qi Mingyuan after you got drunk last night. Your aunt and uncle probably want him to take good care of you."

Upon hearing Shen Jinsui's words, He Zhenzhen looked embarrassed and raised her hand to cover her face.

She swore to God that she would never drink alcohol again!

Shen Jinsui stood up and walked over, sitting down next to her. She then said, "Don't overthink it. There won't be any real or fake heiress issues. Don't worry, the hospital where you were born would never make such a basic mistake."

As far as Shen Jinsui knew, she and He Zhenzhen were born in the same hospital, which was the most high-end private maternity hospital in Beijing at the time.

Every ward and operating room entrance, as well as the outside of all other rooms and corridors, are covered by surveillance cameras with no blind spots. Furthermore, security personnel conduct rigorous checks at both the hospital's entrances and exits.

When they were born, in addition to medical staff, their own bodyguards were always guarding outside.

Finally, to ensure there are no unexpected errors, the hospital will conduct a paternity test to guarantee everything is in order.

With such strict procedures in place, it is absolutely impossible for a child to be switched at birth.

Upon hearing this, He Zhenzhen lowered her hands and seriously considered what Shen Jinsui had said. It seemed to make a lot of sense, so she didn't need to worry about this problem anymore.

"Ding!"

He Zhenzhen's phone vibrated. She unlocked it and saw a message from Qi Mingyuan.

Miss He, where are you playing now? I'll pick you up after get off work.

Seeing her staring at her phone screen, Shen Jinsui asked curiously, "Did Qi Mingyuan send you this message?"

"Yes, he asked me where I was." He Zhenzhen nodded slightly.

Shen Jinsui glanced at her watch, pondered for a few seconds, and suggested, "Then have Qi Mingyuan come over. Zhou Yancong is coming to pick me up later. I'll also call Yun Shu and your uncle, and we'll go out for dinner nearby tonight."

“Okay.” He Zhenzhen nodded in agreement and sent a message to Qi Mingyuan.