The 99th Divorce

Chapter 2057: Bait and switch

The family had intended to adopt Zhang Meifang.

However, they ended up adopting He Yuncun instead.

His grandmother would never lie to the family, so there was only one possibility – she had been cheated.

According to He Junsheng, Zhang Meifang had gone missing long ago.

So when his grandmother came to adopt Zhang Meifang, the orphanage replaced her with He Yuncun.

Why did they do that?

The head warden began sweating when he heard that.

He started to panic and looked uneasy. “You’re...”

“My name is Shen Luo’an.” Shen Luo’an handed him his name card.

The head warden broke into a nervous sweat as he held the white card in his hand.

“Back then, my grandmother brought home a girl named Zhang Meifang from this orphanage.”

Shen Luo’an studied the head warden’s expression as he spoke. “My grandmother identified her as my long-lost sister, who had gone missing for more than a decade. She adopted her on the basis of her astrological sign, which was compatible with ours. Yet, we later discovered through a matching test that she was not even remotely related to our family.”

The head warden glanced at him. “Maybe it was a mistake.”

“Yes, we thought the same, too,” Shen Luo’an replied softly. “But when Manting awoke from a coma after getting hit by a car two years ago in an accident, she was only able to recall events in her life before she turned 12 and insisted that her name is He Yuncun. What happened to Zhang Meifang?”

The head warden grew even more nervous with every passing second.

When He Junsheng saw how distressed the head warden looked, he sighed and confessed, “Warden, I... I told him that Meifang went missing when she was 14 years old.”

The head warden glared at him in utter disbelief. “You...”

He Junsheng lowered his head guiltily. “I forgot about it. I’m sorry.”

The head warden sighed and set Shen Luo’an’s name card down. He said sadly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Shen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Meifang had disappeared by the time your grandmother came to adopt her. She came looking for Meifang with her date of birth.” The head warden appeared pensive. “The orphanage was poor back then. Your grandmother offered us 100,000 yuan as a token of gratitude in return for raising her long-lost granddaughter if we could find the girl.”

“So you lied to my grandmother?” Shen Luo’an frowned. “Was the date of birth provided by my grandmother compatible with Meifang’s?”

The head warden nodded. “Yes. I admit, I had made a mistake. I was desperate for the money and I thought your family could afford a better life for Yuncun, so I let Yuncun go to your house as Meifang.”

He glanced at Shen Manting as he spoke.

Shen Manting’s eyes were already welling up with tears. “What happened to Meifang?”

“I don’t know.” The head warden shook his head. “Back in those days, young girls her age were commonly kidnapped and traded off.”

...

Shen Manting had been in a downcast mood ever since leaving the orphanage.

She was excited during the trip to the orphanage, looking out the window and glancing around in anticipation.

Yet, she didn’t utter a single word on the way back.

She looked at Shen Luo’an and asked, “Honey, is it possible that Meifang is your sister?”

Shen Luo’an glanced at Shen Manting and nodded.

“Does that mean I’m longer Shen Manting?” Shen Manting stared at Shen Luo’an. “Meifang should be the real Shen Manting, while I’m an imposter. I feel like a character in a television drama where children were switched at birth. Meifang truly belongs to the Shen family. I’m nothing but an imposter.”

Shen Luo’an chuckled. “What are you talking about? I accept you for who you are. You’re no imposter.”