Stand-In Boyfriend Fu Zheng Ji

Chapter 491: Starting to Think

Zhang Ling watched as Li Xi was once again cleared from her sight.

She subconsciously let out a long breath.

That was a sign that she was relaxing.

At this moment, the old lady beside her smiled and reminded her:
"Lingling, your mind is in turmoil!"

Zhang Ling suddenly looked up at the old lady and exclaimed "Ah!"

She then mistakenly assumed that he meant she relaxed a bit in front of the old lady.

So, with a slightly puzzled and bitter smile, he explained:

"Isn't my mother trustworthy? That's why I can't relax in front of her."

The old lady shook her head, denying Zhang Ling's statement, and replied:
"I'm talking about you in front of Lee Hee."

Zhang Ling let out a soft "uh" as if she had been struck by a loud thunderclap.

It made her vision blur for a moment.

That's because Zhang Ling felt she had managed her emotions very well.

I never expected that Li Xi would see through it.

If it weren't for the old lady's kind reminder...

She might never know that her acting skills still need improvement.

She thought to herself, "No wonder Li Xi has so accurately hit the nail on the head several times just now."

A look of fear and unease immediately appeared on her face.

Seeing this, the old lady waved her hand, signaling Zhang Ling to relax and said:
"It's alright, it's alright. Lingling, you haven't forgotten, have you? You still have your mother by your side now."

"Yes! I still have you, Mom."

The old lady nodded and pulled Zhang Ling into her arms, continuing:

"Even if the sky falls, your mother will definitely help you put it back on. Besides, that girl is just Li Xi from the Li family in Wuchuan. There's no need to worry."

Zhang Ling confidently called out "Mom" to the old lady.

The old lady, however, maintained her smile but with a hint of seriousness as she added:
"Remember, Lingling, you are your mother's daughter. You will inherit the empire that your mother has built for you in the future."

"Ah, no, Mom, I don't..."

Before Zhang Ling could finish speaking, the old lady waved her hand, signaling her to stop talking.

Zhang Ling did realize that her behavior was somewhat abrupt.

With a face full of apology, he chose to keep quiet for the time being.

The old lady continued:

"I know what you're talking about. You should know that you are your mother's only daughter. If I don't give you the empire I've built, who will?"

"But……"

"There are no 'buts.' So from now on, when you're dealing with strangers, you can be flustered, but never reveal your true inner thoughts. Do you understand?"

Zhang Ling knew that what the old lady had just said was an elder's dedication and expectations for the younger generation.

But something's clearly not right.

Zhang Ling clearly remembered that the old lady asked to take her in as her goddaughter.

But the old lady's words were clearly directed at her own children.

So Zhang Ling said, seemingly understanding but not quite:
"Mom, I understand what you said. But what I don't understand is that I'm just your goddaughter. What you just said to me, is that really appropriate?"

The old lady first gave her a meaningful smile.

It felt like looking at your own daughter with overwhelming joy.

He then did not directly answer the question raised by Zhang Ling.

I just called her name several times.

She responded in her usual manner.

The back-and-forth exchange continued for several more cycles.

Zhang Ling could tell from the old lady's expression that she was thoroughly enjoying the process.

The doubts in my heart gradually dissipated, and I stopped asking further questions.

Furthermore, when Ning's mother appeared before them with Li Xiang, she lost even more desire to continue asking questions.

Zhang Ling felt that the question she wanted to ask was not suitable to be raised in front of Li Xiang at the moment.

The moment I saw Li Xiang.

The old lady approached Li Xiang with a happy smile.

One pair of hands tightly gripped another thick, strong hand, while the other kept calling Li Xiang "good son-in-law," leaving the bewildered Li Xiang like a puppet on a string.

In the blink of an eye, I was pulled to sit down on the sofa in the room's lounge area.

Li Xiang accepted a cup of tea handed to him by the old lady.

That's when I had the chance to speak.

He took a small sip of tea, placed the cup on the coffee table, and then asked in a respectful tone:

“Madam, I do have a fiancée. And my fiancée is Zhang Ling, who is sitting next to you. I believe your daughter must be of very high status, and it is not something a commoner like me could aspire to. I hope you will not be too kind to me.”

"To climb the social ladder?"

The old lady glanced meaningfully at Zhang Ling beside her and said with a smile:
"Haha, Lingling, did you hear that? This silly boy said you're way too good for him. I thought about it and it seems like he really is. How about I take charge and find you another good match?"

The old lady could tell that Li Xiang had mistakenly thought that what she had just said was a test from Zhang Ling.

That's why the answer was so cautious.

It's clear that Li Xiang truly loves Zhang Ling.

Because Li wanted to know her background.

She did not bow down to him because of his powerful background.

He remained steadfast in his love for Zhang Ling.

This dedication alone is worthy of praise.

Listening to the old lady's words and seeing Li Xiang casting a puzzled look at her, Zhang Ling felt a pang of sympathy for Li Xiang.

I sympathize with him because he was bullied by the old lady.

With a hint of embarrassment, she spoke on behalf of the old lady to Li Xiang:
"Oh dear, you're usually such a clever person. How come you still don't understand what the old lady is saying?"

Li Xiang asked, his face full of grievance:
"Understand what?"

Zhang Ling said with a look of disappointment and frustration:
"You were incredibly stupid today!"

Li Xiang asked again weakly, "What's wrong with me?"

Zhang Ling gave up on further reminders and simply explained directly:
"Because just now, the old lady recognized me as her daughter."

There was even a hint of pride mixed in his words.

Li Xiang was stunned for a moment because the news was so shocking.

Then, with a sudden realization, he shouted, "So that's how it is!"

Did Li Xiang really just realize the relationship between Zhang Ling and the old lady?
Not also!

However, Zhang Ling found it difficult to accept the facts as stated by Zhang Ling from the very beginning.

Even if Zhang Ling dictated it.

Li Xiang still felt that the answer was too magical and unbelievable.

How can it be?

A person of the old lady's social standing would never casually adopt a daughter.

They have now acknowledged Zhang Ling as their daughter.

Then there must be something about Zhang Ling that forced the old lady to acknowledge her daughter.

What is it?

Li Xiang looked Zhang Ling over with great interest several times.

They were trying to find some clues from Zhang Ling.

Suddenly, when he put the old lady's and Zhang Ling's images into the same photo frame, he noticed something amiss.

It turns out that the mother and daughter look at least 70% alike.

If Li Xiang hadn't already known that Zhang Ling's mother had died in childbirth...

This time we met.

He would very likely mistake the old lady for Zhang Ling's mother. So, he suddenly had a bold and outrageous guess.

That is, Zhang Ling's mother did not die in childbirth.

She simply had to pretend to have died in childbirth and disappear from public view for some reason.

Therefore, the old lady's sudden acceptance of Zhang Ling today can be explained.

Even if it can be explained.

However, this incident still had a devastating impact on Li Xiang.

I vaguely remember Zhang Ling mentioning that her father claimed her mother died in childbirth.

She also personally witnessed the death certificate the doctor issued to her mother.

Nevertheless, this led Li Xiang to question whether Zhang Ling's biological mother had actually died in childbirth.

This is not to question whether Zhang Ling lied to her.

They even firmly believed that Zhang Ling had indeed seen her mother's death certificate.

But what can that proof prove?

Because to those in power, so-called proof is nothing more than a piece of paper.

It doesn't prove anything.

The only thing that can be proven is that the events described on paper actually happened.

And that piece of paper exists only to complete a certain necessary process.

For example, Li Xiang has personally witnessed the real Li Xiang doing similar things more than once.

For Li Xiang (or Zhang Ling), that piece of paper did not require completing any specific process.

So what can paper that has lost its value prove?
The answer is definitely that it proves nothing.

Through rational analysis, it was concluded that the old lady and Zhang Ling were mother and daughter.

At least 70-80% of the time, it's definitely true.

However, Li Xiang's analysis was so logical and reasonable.

He still didn't have enough courage to reveal his deductions to the old lady.

If the prediction is accurate.

So the old lady must have had unspeakable reasons for faking her death and avoiding the world back then.

He, an outsider who wasn't involved, exposed this matter.

On the one hand, it's possible that the old lady isn't ready to acknowledge Zhang Ling yet.

That's why they chose to use the method of adopting godparents to repair and rebuild the mother-daughter relationship.

If things go wrong, you might directly offend the old lady and bring trouble upon yourself—that's a small matter.

It could also cause Zhang Ling to completely disappear from his social circle;
On the other hand, it is also possible that the mother and daughter have already recognized each other.

However, obstacles from society and both families have not been overcome.

Or perhaps Zhang Ling is temporarily unable to accept the old lady as her mother emotionally.

Currently, they are only presented as godparents.

This can be considered a formality in accepting the old lady.

His exposure will most likely cause the mother-daughter relationship between them to completely collapse.

So even if he can still maintain his relationship with Zhang Ling, the fact that they are biological mother and daughter will inevitably create an indelible rift between them.

Therefore, the consequences of either situation would be unbearable for him.

The sensitive old lady seemed to be able to hear Li Xiang's inner thoughts.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered:
“I know what you’re thinking right now. If you’re smart, then you should suppress what you’re thinking for now. Otherwise, I will definitely tell Lingling everything about your relationship with the new patriarch of the Li family.”

Li Xiang's disguise skills were clearly far superior to Zhang Ling's.

He flawlessly feigned innocence and retorted:

"Auntie, what are you saying? I understand each word individually, but I don't understand it when they're put together."

If the old lady hadn't noticed that one of Li Xiang's little fingers trembled slightly on one hand, she would have been fine.

For a fleeting moment, he genuinely believed that Li Xiang hadn't understood his threat and warning.

It was this finger that twitched unintentionally for a moment, confirming to the old lady that the Li Xiang in front of her was the same Li Xiang who had been pursuing her daughter.

So she deliberately exclaimed with a look of astonishment, "Don't you understand?"

Then, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, he looked at Zhang Ling and continued:

"Alright. Since you don't understand, then I need to ask Zhang Ling. I'm sure my Lingling can understand."

Zhang Linggang began to suspect the mysterious relationship between her mother and Li Xiang.

Upon hearing what her mother was going to ask her?
This piqued my interest, and I quickly pressed for more information:
"What, what, Mom, what do you want to ask me?"

Li Xiang could tell that the old lady was serious.

Clearly anxious, he quickly stepped in front of the old lady to stop her, saying:
"No, no, Auntie, I understand, I understand, okay? Alright, Auntie, I'll do whatever you want me to do, is that alright now?"

Zhang Ling sensed something was off about what Li Xiang was saying.

So, with a hint of displeasure, he questioned:
"Li Xiang, did your mother force you to do something you didn't want to do? To make you talk like that!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiang had just explained by saying "No."

The old lady then pulled Li Xiang aside, and calmly smiled as she waved to Zhang Ling, explaining:
“How can you force a future son-in-law to do something he doesn’t want to do? Lingling, you must have misunderstood.”

Zhang Ling, suspicious, wanted a definite answer from Li Xiang and asked:
"Am I wrong?"

Li Xiang glanced at the old lady before nodding in response:
"That's right, you must have seen it wrong."

The old lady then explained:
"As for me, I just want to see Xiaodou as soon as possible. I wanted to ask Li Xiang to book another plane ticket so we could go pick up Xiaodou together. Lingling, do you think this request is like Mom forcing Li Xiang?"

Li Xiang wanted to expose and deny the old lady's words from the bottom of his heart.

But he couldn't find a better reason to explain what he had just said wrong.

After a brief and intense internal struggle, I finally agreed.

Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Ling interrupted him and questioned him:
Is Li Xiang really like that?

Li Xiang nodded and said:

"But the matter of buying plane tickets seems to be beyond my control. I need to call my secretary to confirm this. Zhang Ling, don't you think so?"

Li Xianggang's words were clearly somewhat unprofessional.

It's important to know that companies like Li Xiang's typically have connections with various airlines.

As long as they need it.

Even though there were less than five minutes left before the plane took off.

They can buy the tickets they want with just one phone call.

Zhang Ling knew about this.

I don't understand why Li Xiang would give such an amateurish answer.

Could it be that Li Xiang was unwilling to buy a plane ticket for his mother to go pick up Xiaodouzi together?

Think of this.

Zhang Ling's expression gradually turned ugly.

Seeing this made Li Xiang instantly realize that he might have said something wrong.

This is based on Li Xiang's current understanding.

I simply can't figure out where I went wrong.

One can only guess that Zhang Ling misunderstood him as not caring about the matter at all.

So he hurriedly picked up his phone and called the secretariat of Zhihua Technology.

After receiving confirmation from the secretariat that the plane tickets could be purchased.

Li Xiang then smiled and said, as if to take credit, "It's done."

But in Zhang Ling's eyes, Li Xiang's behavior just now was exactly like that of a clown in a circus.

How ridiculous!

Perhaps it's because she has her mother's powerful background.

Previously, she was unaware of the various strange phenomena that had occurred to Li Xiang.

I always subconsciously ignore it.

Now, I'm unconsciously starting to seriously think about why Li Xiang is behaving in these strange ways.