Opening the double doors that led to reception area, Guo zhen first saw Ran, standing with his back straight, not a bone of servitude in his body, calmly answering the questions of the man seated on one of the chairs reserved for honorguests. Looking him up and down, he knew this man was not ordinary. His features bore a slight resemblance to his, and on his face, a look of slight interest but unmistakable impatience.
He was someone used to having things his way.
Su Yansheng and Guo entered the room as well. Looking at the grumpy man sitting on the chair, acting like he owned the place, he immediately moved to grab Guo zhen, but now realizing how handsy Yan could get, he had made sure to remove himself from grabbing distance.
"Use your words," Guo zhen had said.
"Oh," a bit deflated. But once he saw the man seated, he was instantly rejuvenated.
Learning his lesson now, he didn't reach out anymore, "Look, it's an older less cool version of you."
"Ah ah," pointing and counting, "there are three Guo zhens." He laughed at his joke alone.
"Less cool."
"Yeah," Yan replied, "he doesn't have your beautiful silver hair or your stunning red eyes, how can he be cool?"
"Hmmm."
Realizing that was all he was going to get, he turned back to pay attention to what was happening in the room. Not noticing Guo zhen staring at him.
Hearing the doors open, Ran turned to look at his boss, but seeing the look on his face, he knew he needed to shut up immediately. 'Was something new in the works?' he wondered.
The first person who spoke was Fang Rui, "Mr Li, this is the employee you were asking about." Moving to sit on the chair opposite the man.
Li Tianlong raised an eyebrow and figured that this person must be important so he smoothened his expression.
'Was he the son of the owner of the Escort agency?' No, it didn't matter, he came for more important things.
Lifting up the teacup that had been placed in front of him, he wanted to take a sip when he heard someone say, addressing the seated young man, "Boss, I've submitted the paperwork needed to approve the expenditure, it's on your table."
Li Tianlong almost spurted out the tea he had just swallowed. The years of corperate battles allowed him to salvage the situation, coughing and pretending nothing happened.
Ran, who had adopted the persona of a statue previously, finally had a crack on his face. "He just knew it, something was definitely going on."
Fang Rui, feeling like his life had been shortened by ten years from hearing his older brother call him boss, immediately stood up, pretending he had a call and took his leave, gesturing for the people left to continue.
'This brat,' Sitting on the sit Rui just vacated, Guo zhen looked his supposed father in the eye.
"You asked for me."
Annoyed at being talked to curtly, he dropped the teacup in his hand. This entire place rubbed off on him wrongly.
Raising his hand, a sealed file was placed in it by the person behind him. He then passed the package to the boy in front of him.
"You were recently in Jin city."
Not a question, okay.. "Yes I was."
"My wife and daughter were vacationing there and saw you when you went to deliver a package to Mr Edward's estate."
"They were staying on the estate as well, as he is a family friend."
Looking at him to continue, he remained silent, not opening the file he had been handed.
'This was definitely his son alright,' Li Tianlong sighed internally. He was like him, a man of few words. Unlike the sniveling mess at home.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he continued.
"My daughter saw you from the window, saw the uncanny resemblance and thought maybe I had another kid outside."
Guo zhen was still not sure where this was going. If this old man only came here to waste his time, he would dismiss him, he certainly had better things to do.
The secretary behind Li Tianlong caught the familiar look of impatience on Guo zhens face and had to raise his hand to cover his smile. They didn't need any test, he was convinced these two people were related.
"She found a way to obtain your dna and had it tested with hers. When she saw it was a match, she tested it against mine, and knowing I definitely didn't have any other child outside, we also tested it against my wife's. It was a match"
Li Tianlong took another sip of tea, trying to wet his lips. He wasn't sure when last he had to talk this much, and the rascal wasn't being co-operative either, letting him rattle all day long.
In reality, he hadn't said up to ten sentences yet.
"When this happened, there was only one other conclusion, so we tested our son, Li Wei's blood against ours and it wasn't a match."
"You were switched at birth."
"I see," Guo zhen said, finally opening the file to see the dna tests that had been performed. "And how did this switch happen exactly?"
Guo zhen wasn't sure when he had moved closer to Yansheng, watching his life play out like a trashy drama he always turned off when it was mistakenly played around him .
Then he felt Yansheng tremble beside him, wanting to make sure he was alright, why, he wasn't sure, but he turned to look at him, only to see him try to stifle a laugh that made him shake all over.
"What could be so funny now," at least he wasn't grabbing him. Until he felt Yansheng not able to hold back anymore and burst out laughing, crouching down and grabbing hold of his arm in the process to steady himself.
Guo zhen waited for the laugh to die down, only to have Yansheng look up at him with tears in his eyes from laughing, an unapologetic smile on his lips.
"How many fathers do you have now, Guo zhen?"
Realizing what he meant, the small fire of foodness he was beginning to carry for this troublemaker immediately died, drenched by an high waters of the sea.
He rudely removed the hand that had been holding him, causing Yansheng to stumble. Wanting to catch him, he stopped himself, standing up straight.
"Five."
"What?" Yansheng asked from his spot on the ground.
"Including this one, I have five."
Yansheng immediately burst into another round of laughter. Not at the number but at the fact that Guo zhen had actually answered his question.
"So cute," he thought.
Hearing him laugh, the tips of Guo zhens ears became red from embarrassment. He decided to move to another side of the room entirely.
Yansheng let him. He had teased him enough today, scratch that, he had teased him enough for now.
Hearing the question, a lost look crossed father Li's eyes, but he quickly recovered.
"I can tell you, but I have two questions first."
"Ask away."
"Is your hair dyed?"
A small laugh, "No it isn't."
"Are you wearing contacts?"
Sitting up, Guo zhen allowed this new father of his look at him properly, "No, all natural," he relaxed back into the chair.
Ran remained a permanent fixture in the room but no one said anything. Allowing him to remain.
"Your turn."
Sighing and suddenly getting exhausted from the memories resurfacing at the question, father Li gestured to his secretary to continue on his behalf.
"Hello Young Master, I'm secretary Fu. I will be answering your question." He gave a slight bow.
Guo zhen was not flustered by the display, earning him another point in Secretary Fu's books.
"Actuall, the Madame had been kidnapped when she was seven months pregnant with you. When this happened, she had also been given the Ebon Rot poison, guaranteed to kill her within three days to ensure that even if we rescued her or payed the ransom, she would definitely die. But miraculously, you had actually absorbed it in the womb, and allowed the madam to escape and survive for five days.
Unfortunately while we were searching for her, apparently so were the kidnappers. It was then later discovered one of them, madame Guo was also pregnant as well, and in the scuffle she had with us, she had been agitated to going into labor, while also seven months pregnant. Then we guessed that after the madam gave birth to you, she fainted from blood loss, not seeing what you looked like. Then you were swapped with the Guo baby."
"We are still currently looking for the Guo family to ask for clarifications on the situation, but we would definitely give the Young Master an explanation."
There was silence for about two minutes in the room.
"Hey, how tragic," Yansheng shouted from across the room at Guo zhen.
"Shut up!"
"Ei"
Guo zhen knew that Yansheng was just trying to cheer him up in his own way, so he didn't hold it against him. Watching him being fidgety, he shook his head.
"Come here."
A smile that could rival the stars instantly bloomed on Yanshengs face. He scurried over like a Fox. Yes, this was an adequate discription of the Runaways Rest Inn owner.
He was a Fox.
"And the poison, no one thought to check the baby for the poison?"
Secretary Fu bowed lower. "Actually we did, but the doctor then said that while in the womb, you had absorbed the poison and processed it, and it would only show as a physical defect or trait."
"When we checked Young Master Li, we saw that he had none of those defects that the doctor mentioned, but he was born extremely weak."
"At the time, we simply thought we were lucky and thanked the heavens there was nothing else wrong with him, proceeding to nurse him back to health."
Father Li gave a slight cough, trying to caution his secretary on what not to say, not wanting his son to feel too bad or neglected.
Secretary Fu took a step back, bowing at Father Li and Guo zhen in apology.
Waving his hand to stop the bow, he looked at Father Li with some distaste, "There's no need for all this, what has happened, has happened."
"It's good you think like that," Father Li replied, relaxing a bit.
Internally Guo zhen filled this response for later. It seemed this his cheap father had a lackluster attitude about him. Was there any point in acknowledging this people if it couldn't get him into the inner circle of Southside city?
"So, what do you want from me now?"
"For now, quit your job and go back to Southside city with me."
"I'm here to take you home."
What a joke, quit his job? Can he actually quit, he wondered in his mind. Also, the tone in which Father Li was using to talk to him, and his 'orders', he filed away as well.
"Is that all?"
"No," Father Li stood up, glancing at his watch. He had spent almost an hour here.
"When you get home, we would guide you on how to be a proper young master of a house of our standing."
"I see."
"Alright dad, let's go home."
"You called him dad so easily?" Yansheng asked skeptically.
Seeing a chance to finally get even, Guo zhen raised his hand, positioning his fingers to flick at Yanshengs forehead. A small smile on his lips and looking very righteous, "I've had practice." Then he looked away.
Su Yansheng almost greeted the floor again, 'Did this guy just make a joke???'
Someone help, his guest is rebelling!!