Only after her death did I realize that she was the white moonlight of a billionaire CEO.

Chapter 160 'Longevity Island' Research Institute

Night had already fallen when we arrived in Maple Leaf Town.

Jiang Xinghe and his group had no choice but to stay at the only guesthouse in the town.

The hotel's decor is quite old, and the combination of Chinese and Western styles looks neither traditional nor modern, but it is relatively clean.

After checking in, Chu Ying drove around for a bit, asked the locals for recommendations, and found a restaurant with a good reputation.

Chu Ying ordered the dishes and asked Jiang Xinghe to drive the two elders over for dinner.

Zhou Zhiwei couldn't get used to the local cuisine, so Chu Ying instructed the kitchen to cook a seafood porridge. The seafood porridge was barely palatable, but it was still inferior to the porridge made at home.

Zhou Zhiwei had little appetite and only ate a couple of bites before stopping.

Seeing this, Jiang Xinghe hurriedly ate a bowl of rice and ran backstage to borrow the kitchen from the boss, where he personally cooked a pot of seafood porridge for Zhou Zhiwei.

He carried the seafood porridge back to the hotel, ladled a bowl of it into a small bowl, and handed it to Zhou Zhiwei.

Looking at the steaming, fragrant seafood porridge on the table, Zhou Zhiwei couldn't hide her surprise. "Xinghe, did you make this?"

Jiang Xinghe nodded, "Yes, I found a tutorial video online and tried making it. Madam, please give it a try."

Zhou Zhiwei felt extremely pleased and said with a smile, "When we get back to Nanyang, cook a pot of seafood porridge like this for Lancheng, and I guarantee it will move him to tears."

Jiang Xinghe scratched his head sheepishly.

As the eldest grandson of the Jiang family, Jiang Xinghe has never received love from his family in his entire life.

Even knowing that his maternal grandfather was still alive, Jiang Xinghe dared not expect to gain his grandfather's approval or affection.

Zhou Zhiwei held the porridge, tasted two grains, and praised, "This tastes good, it's just like the porridge from Southeast Asia."

Jiang Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief. "Madam, please drink more."

"it is good."

After Zhou Zhiwei had finished eating, Jiang Xinghe asked her, "Madam, what kind of person is Mr. Lancheng?"

"Are you worried that Lancheng won't accept you?" Zhou Zhiwei easily saw through Jiang Xinghe's thoughts.

Jiang Xinghe smiled shyly, "...It's understandable to worry, after all, I am Jiang Zhulang's son."

If his parents had truly loved each other and had given birth to him, he wouldn't be so anxious.

But ironically, he was the child born from Jiang Zhulang's scheme against Chu Xingchen.

Jiang Xinghe couldn't help but smile bitterly. He said, "Putting myself in their shoes, if my daughter were separated from me and then tricked by others into giving birth to a grandson, I would find it very difficult to accept that grandson."

Therefore, even if Mr. Lancheng refused to accept him, Jiang Xinghe could understand.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiwei felt a pang of sympathy for Jiang Xinghe.

“Jiang Zhulang is indeed a bad person, but you are a good child. Lancheng is a reasonable person. If he knew what kind of life you were living in the Jiang family, he would definitely feel sorry for you.”

"Don't worry, he will accept you and will even help you seek justice from the Jiang family."

"Believe me."

Seeing that Zhou Zhiwei wasn't lying to comfort himself, Jiang Xinghe felt a little more at ease.

"Old lady."

Jiang Xinghe lowered his head, nervously licked his lips, and apologized softly: "I'm sorry, I deliberately played that recording in the car today because I wanted to use the prestige of the two elders to help me deal with the Jiang family."

"I know."

Zhou Zhiwei was resourceful and shrewd when he was young, so how could he not see through Jiang Xinghe's little tricks?

"Xinghe, I know what you're thinking. I'm not angry because you've really suffered these hardships."

“Your fifth grandfather and I are doing this willingly to help you seek justice; you don’t need to feel sorry.”

Setting down her spoon, Zhou Zhiwei placed the empty bowl on the table and smiled, "Consider this bowl of porridge your apology to me."

“I will accept your apology and help you with your business, so don’t feel guilty.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinghe completely let go of his worries.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you something," Zhou Zhiwei asked Jiang Xinghe, "Are you two close to Li Xi?"

"We have a very good relationship."

Seeing that Zhou Zhiwei was quite interested in Li Xi, Jiang Xinghe guessed what the old man was thinking.

"Madam, do you feel a strong connection with Li Xi?"

Zhou Zhiwei hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

After a moment, the old man sighed softly, "The moment I saw that child, my heart started pounding uncontrollably. I wondered if Mengbao was guiding me..."

"I know this sounds far-fetched, but I really..."

Zhou Zhiwei did not continue speaking.

She knew that the possibility of Li Xi being her granddaughter was extremely slim, but what if it was?

"Anyway, it's still early. Xinghe, if you're free, tell me about that child."

"...good."

Jiang Xinghe told Zhou Zhiwei everything he knew about Li Xi, down to the smallest detail.

"You mean, that child has been bullied by the Xie family since he was 10 years old?"

"Ah."

"Damn it!" Zhou Zhiwei gritted her teeth and cursed, "The Xie family really deserves to die."

Jiang Xinghe also found the Xie family despicable. "However, the entire Xie family suffered retribution. Xie Mingzong was imprisoned, Xie Jiaoyue was murdered for her many evil deeds, and Xie Xingyun was crippled and taken abroad by my sister to recuperate..."

"As for Zhang Xiang, it is said that she has also become a crazy woman and was sent to a mental hospital by her brothers. Her later life will not be easy."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiwei snorted coldly and said, "Xie Mingzong is in prison now, but he will be released sooner or later."

"He should cherish the peaceful years he has spent in prison."

Once he gets out of prison, he will face a life of hellish torment.

“And then there’s Xie Xingyun…” Zhou Zhiwei smiled mysteriously and said, “He’s only badly disabled? There are many people in this world who are more pitiful than those who are disabled.”

"Aren't those paralyzed people who are bedridden and need to be taken care of in every aspect of their lives, such as eating, drinking, and toileting, more pitiful than those who have had their limbs amputated?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinghe's heart skipped a beat.

"Madam, you..."

Is she planning to wipe out the Xie family completely?

"Madam, I know what you're thinking, but Li Xi shouldn't be your granddaughter. There aren't that many coincidences in this world..."

“I know what I’m doing.” Zhou Zhiwei interrupted Jiang Xinghe’s advice and said, “I like Li Xi. Even if she’s not my granddaughter, she’s a junior I feel a connection with.”

“I can’t stand seeing her being bullied. If I didn’t know about these things, I would have let it go, but now that I do, I have to do something about it. Is there a problem with that?”

Jiang Xinghe: "...No problem."

Zhou Zhiwei pouted and said, "If Li Xiruo really is my granddaughter, I'll find out and give any dog ​​that barks at her on the street a good beating, not just the Xie family who bullied her!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinghe's eyelids twitched, and he thought to himself: These Southeast Asians are indeed domineering and unreasonable.

*

The following morning, Jiang Xinghe took the Fifth Master and his wife to see their elderly great-aunt.

My great-aunt is over seventy years old, still sharp of hearing and sight, and in good health. She is still running a tofu business.

When Jiang Xinghe and the others arrived, Auntie had just finished selling tofu and was riding her tricycle back to the courtyard.

Seeing the well-dressed and distinguished Fifth Master couple, the great-aunt felt a little intimidated.

What deity has her good-for-nothing son offended this time?

Standing behind the two elderly people, Jiang Xinghe came over in time and greeted them, "Grandma, it's me, Xinghe."

Jiang Xinghe handed the gift to the old lady and explained with a smile, "Great-aunt, I've found my mother's relatives. These two are my mother's uncle and aunt. They want to ask you about the story of how my maternal grandparents found my mother."

Upon hearing this, the old man was overjoyed. "Xinghe, you really helped your mother find her relatives?"

"Ok!"

Upon learning that the two elders were relatives of Chu Xingchen's maternal family, the old man finally felt relieved.

"Come inside and talk."

The old man opened the courtyard gate.

The yard was piled high with the cardboard boxes and styrofoam boxes she had collected, which she would haul away to sell every few days to earn some living expenses.

After parking the tricycle against the wall, the old man opened the front door and said to Jiang Xinghe, "Xinghe, could you help me move a few chairs into the yard?"

"There's a lot of stuff inside, so let's sit in the yard and talk."

The elderly woman lives alone. She has to make tofu to earn money for her grandchildren's tuition and also sell recyclables to buy her blood pressure medication.

The two-bedroom apartment was filled with clutter and no one could sit inside; the only open space was in the yard.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ying followed Jiang Xinghe into the house to move stools.

Fifth Jue and Zhou Zhiwei didn't mind at all, and sat down on the hard wooden stool.

Zhou Zhiwei wore a dark blue cheongsam made of high-quality fabric, with a black cashmere coat over it. Her white hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore pearl earrings. Every gesture she made exuded a natural and elegant demeanor.

Jiang Xinghe's great-aunt had worked hard all her life, and although she was thirty years younger than Zhou Zhiwei, she looked much older.

When faced with Zhou Zhiwei, the great-aunt felt ashamed of herself.

The old man awkwardly rubbed his rough black cloth trousers with his hands and said to Jiang Xinghe, "Xinghe, go to the small shop at the entrance of the alley and buy a few bottles of mineral water to serve the guests."

"These two guests are obviously important people. My family uses tap water and boiled water, so they probably wouldn't be used to it."

Just as Jiang Xinghe was about to say no, Zhou Zhiwei spoke up: "Big sister, don't be nervous, and don't be so polite."

"We apologize for our abrupt visit today and for causing you trouble, elder sister."

"My husband and I just wanted to ask you about something. We'll leave after a while."

As soon as Zhou Zhiwei spoke, the old man lowered his head even further.

After a long silence, the old man finally said, "Ask whatever you want."

Zhou Zhiwei glanced at Jiang Xinghe.

Jiang Xinghe placed the small stool next to his great-aunt, plopped down on it, and asked the old woman, "Great-aunt, do you remember where my grandparents found my mother back then?"

Nodding, my great-aunt said, "I remember. Your maternal grandfather used to be in the business of selling honeycomb briquettes. He often went to Kaizhou to transport coal. Your mother was picked up by him from a small grove of trees in Kaizhou."

"Kaizhou?" This was an unexpected answer.

Zhou Zhiwei and Fifth Jue exchanged a glance.

Fifth Jue frowned and said, "Of the eighteen cities in the Eastern Continent, Kaizhou ranks eighteenth."

Jiang Xinghe told Zhou Zhiwei, "Kaizhou and Dongzhou City are very far apart; it takes three hours and forty minutes by high-speed rail."

"By the way, Li Xi's hometown is in Kaizhou."

After saying that, Jiang Xinghe was stunned.

Zhou Zhiwei's eyes also brightened slightly, "Is Li Xi's hometown Kaizhou?"

Fifth Jue signaled Jiang Xinghe to continue asking the old man for clues.

Suppressing his thoughts, Jiang Xinghe continued to ask the old woman, "Great-aunt, when Grandpa found my mother, was there anyone else with her?"

"I don't know," Great Aunt shook her head and said, "When your mother was brought back, she had a high fever and when she woke up, she knew nothing."

"I don't know my name, where I came from, or how old I am..."

"Because they couldn't find out her origins, your maternal grandparents discussed it and decided to adopt her."

"Oh, right!" Great-Auntie remembered a little detail and told everyone, "When Stardust had a fever, she kept muttering something..."

"What are you chanting?" Jiang Xinghe quickly asked.

It's been so long that even my great-aunt can't quite remember.

Her eyes darted around frantically, and after racking her brains for a while, she suddenly realized and said, "She kept chanting... Kalanchoe?"

"Yes! This is it!"

Great-aunt remembered everything. She said, "Xingchen had a high fever at the time, and she was clutching a towel with a small red flower embroidered on it."

"It looks like a kalanchoe."

*

at night.

Fifth Jue sat at the hotel desk, wearing glasses and carefully reading the information sent by Luo Wen.

Zhou Zhi squinted, leaning back on the sofa beside her as if dozing, listening to Fifth Jue share information with her—

“There used to be a textile factory in Kaizhou called the Longevity Flower Factory. This factory later opened a sterile medical device production line. 22 years ago, the factory suddenly went bankrupt.”

Zhou Zhiwei slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and shrewd. "A textile factory producing medical devices? That's against the rules."

“That’s definitely against the rules,” Fifth Jue said. “According to the information, their factory’s medical devices are not sold to the public, but are being purchased unilaterally by a company called Longevity Biopharmaceutical.”

"Longevity Biopharmaceuticals?"

"I remember now!" Zhou Zhiwei suddenly gripped the armrest of the sofa tightly, looking excitedly at her husband, "Jue, do you still remember the Longevity Island incident?"

Fifth Sword Master raised an eyebrow slightly, "Are you talking about that research company from decades ago that claimed to have developed a way to prolong life and maintain eternal beauty?"

"Correct!"

Zhou Zhiwei said, "Their company is called Longevity Island."

"Because of the name, everyone thought the company was hidden on some overseas island called Longevity Island."

"Until 22 years ago, their internal employees betrayed them and exposed the company's crimes of using live people for experiments."

"The company urgently destroyed its experimental base and fled overnight with their research subjects. Only then did the outside world realize that Changshou Island Pharmaceutical Company had been hiding in a remote mountain valley in the interior!"

"The Longevity Island research base was destroyed 22 years ago, and the factory called Longevity Flower Textile Factory also went bankrupt 22 years ago. Do you think that company called Longevity Biopharmaceutical might be the infamous Longevity Island Research Institute?"

Otherwise, these coincidences cannot be explained.

Fifth Jue felt that his wife's analysis made a lot of sense. "Kaizhou has a complex terrain, mostly mountainous areas, so that's a possibility."

Fifth Jue immediately took out his phone and called his adopted son, "Luo Wen, find out where the original base of the Longevity Island Research Institute is."

"Longevity Island Research Institute?" Luo Wen was taken aback. "You mean the research institute that was exposed for using live subjects for experiments?"

"Correct."

"...I understand, Godfather."

“Oh, right.” Luo Wen remembered something and told Fifth Jue, “The information I sent you earlier was actually shared with me by Mr. Gu Huaizhou.”

"I don't know why, but he happened to have investigated that textile factory a while ago. When our people were investigating this matter, Mr. Gu Huaizhou found out about it and took the initiative to share this information with us."

"But please rest assured, all the information has been verified by our people and there is no falsification."

"Gu Huaizhou?" The young man's cold face flashed through Fifth Jue's mind. He was puzzled. "What is that kid investigating this factory for?"

"I don't know that either."

"Okay, I see."