A man and a woman got out of a jeep and headed straight toward Lin Jingwan.
The woman looked to be in her early forties. She was dressed in a tasteful wool coat and carried herself with an air of elegance. At a glance, it was obvious that she had lived in a government compound for many years and was someone who had seen the world.
Her eyes were red-rimmed as she walked forward, calling out repeatedly, “Haitang! Little Haitang!”
She hurried over and crouched down in front of Lin Luoluo.
“Haitang, my good little Haitang! Grandma has finally found you. Grandma has missed you so much!”
Lin Jingwan: “…”
Feeling the child in her arms stiffen, she gently patted her back.
This was just ridiculous!
What kind of grandmother could mistake her own granddaughter for someone else?!
The wrongly identified Lin Luoluo blinked her big, round eyes at the woman who was reaching out to hug her. She opened her mouth, wanting to tell the woman that she had mistaken her for someone else. But when she caught Hanhan nodding at her, she ultimately remained silent and let the woman hold her.
At this moment, an elderly man of around sixty stepped forward. His features were refined and dignified, and he carried the calm, steady bearing of a senior scientific researcher.
He looked at Lin Jingwan, his eyes filled with sincere gratitude.
“You must be Comrade Lin, right? Thank you for saving our Haitang.
“The child was abducted three years ago. Our entire family has worried about her day and night. All these years, we could only look at her photographs to ease our longing.”
He did not look toward Lin Luoluo. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the small figure in Lin Jingwan’s arms.
“My name is Jin Ping. I’m Jin Haitang’s grandfather. That is the child’s grandmother, An Huizhen.”
Grandmother? Lin Jingwan wondered inwardly. Could she be her paternal grandmother?
Hearing this, An Huizhen quickly added, “Comrade Lin, thank you so much! I work at the First Machinery Plant. If you ever run into any difficulties in the future, you can come to me anytime.”
“It was nothing. I only did what I could. You don’t need to mention it. Just make sure you take good care of the child from now on.”
“Yes, yes! We definitely will. We’ll take good care of little Haitang.”
With that, An Huizhen reached out and gently stroked Luoluo’s smiling face.
“My darling, how did you get so thin? Come home with Grandma. Grandma has prepared chicken, duck, fish, meat, all kinds of pastries everything you could possibly want.”
“Ahem!”
Lin Jingwan lightly cleared her throat, interrupting the touching reunion.
“Luoluo, come here.”
The moment she spoke, An Huizhen’s body stiffened.
“Okay, Big Sis!”
Lin Luoluo struggled out of An Huizhen’s arms and quickly ran back to Lin Jingwan’s side.
Lin Jingwan calmly said, “Auntie An… she isn’t the little Haitang you’re looking for.”
An Huizhen’s expression immediately became awkward. She hurriedly tried to explain, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… It’s been too long since I’ve seen the child. I was dazed for a moment and mistook her for Haitang.”
Lin Jingwan gently patted little Haitang’s back and comforted her in a soft voice.
“Little Haitang, don’t be afraid. Your grandpa and grandma have come to take you home.
“Your father couldn’t come today because he had something to attend to, but you’ll be able to see him once you get home.”
From beginning to end, Old Master Jin’s eyes had remained fixed on the little Haitang in Lin Jingwan’s arms. Once he confirmed what he had suspected, his heart ached.
The little girl was thin and frail, and the scars visible on her arms made his heart ache even more, filling him with guilt and sorrow.
He softened his voice and said gently, “Little Haitang, I’m your Grandpa.”
Little Haitang timidly turned her little face, but she did not look at the grandparents standing before her.
Instead, she raised her head and stared intently at Lin Jingwan, her eyes filled with reluctance and attachment.
Seeing this, Li Zhaoye took out a pen and paper, wrote down his address, and tucked it into little Haitang’s palm.
“If you miss Big Sis in the future, just bring this address and come find us.”
Old Master Jin could also see that the child was struggling emotionally. He gently comforted her.
“Little Haitang, Sister Lin just returned to the capital, and she still has many things to take care of. Go home with Grandpa for now. In a few days, Grandpa will bring you back to visit her and play. How does that sound?”
Little Haitang remained silent, tears as big as beans continuously rolling down her cheeks.
Jin Ping did not urge her. He patiently waited for her to calm down.
After a long while, little Haitang slowly loosened her tightly clenched fists. She raised her arms, taking the initiative to ask him to hold her.
Jin Ping immediately reached out and gathered the child into his arms.
“Come on, Grandpa will carry you!”
Seeing this, An Huizhen wanted to take the child from him.
“Old Jin, let me carry her!”
But little Haitang instinctively shrank further into Jin Ping’s arms, clearly avoiding her.
Old Master Jin immediately blocked her without making a fuss.
“I’ll carry her. Take out the things we prepared.”
“Okay!”
An Huizhen took an envelope from her handbag and handed it to Lin Jingwan.
“Comrade Lin, this is just a small token of our gratitude. Please, you must accept it.”
Old Master Jin added from the side, “Inside is my work address and office telephone number. I work at the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, at the Academy of Mechanical Sciences. If you ever need anything in the future, contact me anytime.”
Lin Jingwan weighed the heavy envelope in her hand, then glanced at the impressive jeep parked nearby. She was curious about what exactly the First Academy of Mechanical Sciences did. Judging from their bearing, it was clearly no ordinary institution.
Still, curiosity was curiosity. She certainly wasn’t going to refuse their goodwill when it had been placed directly in her hands.
She immediately nodded and thanked him.
“Thank you, Old Master Jin.”
She then turned to little Haitang, whose eyes were red, and gently reminded her,
“Little Haitang, make sure you eat well from now on. Once you’ve grown stronger and healthier, come find Big Sis and play with Luoluo and the others. Do you remember the address I gave you?”
Little Haitang nodded vigorously.
She gazed at Lin Jingwan reluctantly, then looked at Hanhan and Luoluo. Tears once again welled up and spilled down her cheeks.
In the end, Old Master Jin carried the reluctant little Haitang into the jeep.
The little girl clung to the car window, her tear-filled eyes looking back as she gazed at them longingly.
After the Jin family left, three jeeps remained parked where they were.
Then, someone stepped out of the middle vehicle first.
The man was tall and upright, about 1.8 meters in height. He wore a neat, plain work uniform and a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, giving him a refined and quiet appearance.
His facial features bore some resemblance to Li Zhaoye’s, as though he were a leaner version of him. However, the expression in his eyes was completely different.
He walked straight toward Li Zhaoye, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.
“Third Brother, you’ve finally returned. This must be my sister-in-law, right?”
Li Zhaoye introduced him.
“Wanwan, this is my second brother, Li Zhaolin.”
Lin Jingwan discreetly sized up the man before her. What a smiling fox who had hidden all his sharp edges.
Even his glasses couldn’t conceal those slightly upturned eyes.
He appeared gentle and harmless on the surface, but his mind was clearly full of twists and turns.
She secretly glanced at Li Zhaoye beside her.
Her own man was still more to her liking. His brows and eyes were open and straightforward, his manner frank and magnanimous, like a powerful leopard roaming freely in the wild.
“Second Brother, nice to meet you. I’m Lin Jingwan.”
She greeted him openly and gracefully, then turned slightly and pointed toward the two children beside her.
“This is my second younger brother, Lin Yihan, and my third younger sister, Lin Luoluo.”
Hanhan raised his little face and looked at Li Zhaolin. For some inexplicable reason, he was drawn to the man’s hidden aura.
That depth concealed beneath his seemingly ordinary appearance made Hanhan feel an inexplicable sense of affinity.
The corners of his lips unconsciously lifted into a genuine smile.
Lin Jingwan couldn’t help but freeze for a moment when she saw it.
Hanhan was naturally reserved. Although he usually appeared cheerful and seemed to smile often, his smiles rarely reached his eyes.
But today, he was smiling like this.
Could it be that people of the same kind really are drawn to one another?