Justice

Compared to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, the things Liang An considered were quite different.

He didn't even have time to eat; his current goal was to pry open Wen Yiting's mouth. At the same time, his conversation with Wen Yiting could not arouse the suspicion of too many others. One reason was to ensure Wen Yiting's safety, and the other was to solidify his impression in the eyes of others.

Liang An was very cautious, and he had always been so. Thus, while Wen Yiting was anxious and hesitant about whether to actively seek out this police officer—whose movements were even more elusive than a criminal's—Liang An quietly walked over right on cue.

And he even "brought" along another uninvited guest.

Actually, this wasn't his original intention. After all, from a personal standpoint, Liang An had never been inclined to investigate alongside others. He only went with the flow when no improvisation was needed, simply to avoid unnecessary suspicion. However, Jiang Qiu was unusually assertive this time. Liang An didn't know if spending time with Zheng Xuansheng had given him new ideas.

In any case, Jiang Qiu didn't cause extra trouble or spoil the mood.

However, because Jiang Qiu adhered to what others had previously told him, he remained honest about treating himself as an invisible person, not uttering a single word. Liang An had no ground to refuse him, so he reluctantly tolerated this arrangement. Fortunately, Wen Yiting, the one actually being listened to, didn't mind at all.

After all, although it was a family matter, he had been suppressed by it for a long time. Even though he had strayed onto the wrong path, he still needed to explain his reckless actions.

"From a very long time ago, in my eyes, everyone was following him, sacrificing themselves for him. I was very curious about him, but we indeed never interacted. To say there was resentment... I can't say there wasn't," Wen Yiting took a deep breath. "What I said before wasn't a lie; it just lacked some specific details."

Zhao Yi was actually a very charismatic person, or as he boasted, he was quite a popular young man in his youth.

Not only did he have good looks, but his EQ was also very high. He handled Wang Chuyue's irritation in a timely manner. Upon closer inspection, he possessed a smooth-talking ability similar to Wen Yiting's, but by comparison, his tendency to "go with the wind" was much more casual. It seemed like casual banter, but it could subtly steer things in a better direction.

In addition, Liang An had also noticed another detail hidden in Zhao Yi's narrative: his life over the past few decades didn't sound wealthy, but it was indeed very free.

A bit too free.

Life is not easy for most people, and settling down briefly in various places is more like a fairy tale. To not be crushed by the pressures of life, to find a low-cost place to take root and secure a stable job to get by just like everyone else, only proved that Zhao Yi possessed extraordinary drive, giving him the confidence to rest anywhere.

Another possibility was that he was actually a hidden wealthy man. However, if he could remain so deeply concealed without revealing a thing—to the point that even his extremely radical son couldn't find a single clue during his investigation—then Liang An could only praise him for his seemingly non-existent yet profound capability.

"If you emphasize that you were only curious and not resentful, what is the reason for this? Then again, Zhao Yi previously mentioned that he might indeed have let someone down. Do you think he knows the situation and is just lying? Or..."

Hearing this, Wen Yiting tilted his head back slightly and let out a sigh.

"I indeed have no way to shift all the blame onto him, not only because he was completely unaware of the situation and didn't investigate even when there were clues. Frankly, I have never mentioned my biological mother."

"You said you were originally an orphan, raised by adoptive parents."

"That is the truth, I didn't lie." Wen Yiting nodded. "But it didn't quite follow the normal procedure. After all, before entering the orphanage, I was raised by my biological mother for a few years."

Liang An had already anticipated this and continued to ask, "So what about now?"

His biological father was completely unaware of his existence, he had ended up in an orphanage, and his biological mother had most likely met with some accident.

"Normally, it would be hard to imagine this kind of situation, and I've never told anyone else." Wen Yiting gave a bitter smile. "When I was young, my biological mother developed mental health issues. Afterward, her close friend took the initiative to care for me for a few months. But eventually, they truly lacked the strength and followed the procedure to transfer me to the welfare institute."

"Because of financial issues?"

"Mainly, at first, they thought she might be discharged after a while and could take me back." Wen Yiting's expression was complex. "But her illness grew progressively worse. I was four or five years old back then. At first, they could take me to visit her every week, but after two months, they didn't dare to anymore. In the last half year, even her friend stopped going. You probably can't imagine how terrifying it was to scare someone like that, right? When I first heard people talk about it, I thought it was a bit exaggerated, but when I visited later, I could understand it to some extent."

Hearing this, in a blind spot where Wen Yiting couldn't see because he bowed his head in shame, Liang An's expression turned slightly strange for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and continued to ask.

"So, is your mother still alive?"

Wen Yiting shook his head. "She passed away a year ago from a terminal illness. My feelings for her weren't deep; I only met her a few times during her final days. When my adoptive parents found out she was sick, they asked if I needed money for her surgery, but I could afford it myself. All the money she had saved when she was lucid had been spent on hospitalization, and I added tens of thousands more, but it only helped her live for another half a year."

"You seem to be very clear about the situation?" Liang An narrowed his eyes.

As a child raised in a welfare institute and an adoptive family, Wen Yiting's obsession with his biological parents seemed somewhat excessive. If he had left his biological mother at the age of four or five, his unusual obsession with Zhao Yi seemed somewhat baseless.

It must be known that a child starts forming memories, except for some exceptionally gifted geniuses, usually after the age of five.

Mainly, according to Wen Yiting's description, although his mother suffered from mental illness, she didn't seem to have caused him any physical harm or deep trauma. Otherwise, after growing up, he wouldn't have frequently visited this mother of whom he had almost no memory, let alone actively inquired about the progress of her illness and provided medical funds.

The remaining possibility was that it was all to find his biological father.

The truth wasn't much different.

"During that period, I indeed really wanted to know who my father was, so I used some connections to find that mental hospital," Wen Yiting narrated step-by-step, his grave gaze indicating he was carefully recalling. "But she still didn't recognize me, initially thinking I was just a new caregiver. I originally thought that if that was the case, she wouldn't remember she had a son, but she did."

"But?"

"I told her that 'Zhao Ting' had sent me to find her, and asked if she recognized the name." Wen Yiting took a deep breath. "That is my real name. She was extremely shocked when she heard it."

Liang An, of course, couldn't tell whether their bloodlines were similar or not, but he would observe the reactions of those around him.

That being the case, the visible facts now also proved that Zhao Yi and Wen Yiting did not share a high degree of facial similarity. In other words, Wen Yiting had originally thought his mother might recognize him based on their resemblance. Unfortunately, things didn't go as hoped, leading to utter disappointment and his subsequent roundabout actions.

Even though he had anticipated that his mother wouldn't recognize him, he had still opened his mouth with a sliver of hope. Only, the result this time was somewhat unexpected.

"Actually, that should be considered a bad move..." Wen Yiting rubbed his eyes. "If only I had been honest a bit sooner, perhaps I could have found Zhao Yi and let them meet. I wouldn't have been so conflicted, and maybe... the current situation wouldn't have happened."