Rekindled Hearts: The Tycoon’s Reluctant Love
Chapter 324 - Chapter 324 Chapter 323 A Recording Revealing the Past

Chapter 324: Chapter 323: A Recording, Revealing the Past Chapter 324: Chapter 323: A Recording, Revealing the Past Old Madam Ming’s expression faltered for a moment.

Then, she sighed.

She knew she would have to clarify things with Ming Yao sooner or later.

Old Madam Ming walked to a cabinet and took out an album from a drawer.

The album contained photos of Ming Yao’s mother, Ming Ying, from childhood to adulthood.

Ming Yao bore a striking resemblance to Ming Ying, as if they were carved from the same mold.

Old Madam Ming looked at the pictures of Ming Ying, her cloudy eyes brimming with tears.

“Your mother was smart and beautiful from a young age. Whenever I took her out, everyone praised me for having such a wonderful daughter.”

“Compared to Ming Guoan, she really did spare me a lot of worry. At school, she was always first in her class, and she was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.”

“She even became fascinated with opera singing. I was afraid she wouldn’t get into university, but she ended up being the top student in Li City to be admitted to Capital City University.”

“She also had a great talent for business. Many times, when the company faced crises, it was her decisions that saved it. I thought with her intelligence, she would eventually find a man who would treat her well.”

“But she fell because of a man.”

As she spoke, Old Madam Ming’s tears began to flow.

Ming Yao took out a tissue and gently wiped away the old lady’s tears.

After regaining some composure, Old Madam Ming said, “In her university years, she had a boyfriend. She said she wanted to bring him over for the New Year. But that year, she didn’t come back.”

“She said she had to participate in a research activity at school and didn’t have time to come home. I believed her until after the New Year had passed, and she still hadn’t returned. Feeling uneasy, Ming Guoan and I went to the university to look for her.”

“The principal told us she had been suspended because she hadn’t been attending classes for a long time. I was stunned.”

“I tried calling her, but her phone was always off.”

“Ming Guoan and I filed a police report, and we stayed in the capital for a month, but the police couldn’t find her!”

“The police told us to return to Li City and wait for news. Three months later, they said they had found a body in the Artificial Lake behind Yichun Courtyard.”

“I immediately went to the capital. When your mother’s body was pulled out, she was naked and covered with wounds. The police told me that she was prostituting in Yichun Courtyard, had given birth to a child, and had postpartum depression. She jumped into the lake and died by suicide!”

“I didn’t believe it, so I consulted a medical examiner, and the autopsy confirmed that she died by suicide.”

“I went to Yichun Courtyard, and they claimed your mother went there voluntarily, even showing me an agreement she allegedly signed to enter Yichun Courtyard–”

“Not long after your mother’s death, Yichun Courtyard left you with me. The moment I saw you, I knew you were her daughter because you looked exactly like her as a child!”

“The matter of your mother made quite a stir in the capital, and her reputation was not good. Fearing it would affect you, I decided to raise you under Ming Guoan’s name!”

Upon hearing the old lady’s account, Ming Yao’s heart suddenly clenched with pain.

Perhaps this was the bond of blood being thicker than water.

“Grandma, was my mother actually a twin when she gave birth?”

Old Madam Ming shook her head, “I’m not sure. When the madam from Yichun Courtyard left you with me, she didn’t mention that your mother had twins.”

Old Madam Ming didn’t know if Ming Yao would despise Ming Ying after hearing all this. She carefully said, “Ming Yao, having heard about your mother, does it make you feel ashamed of her?”

Ming Yao bit her lip before shaking her head, “Grandma, we can’t judge by appearances. My mom was once so outstanding and capable of making money; why would she go to Yichun Courtyard? Also, didn’t she say she wanted to bring her boyfriend home? Where did her boyfriend go?”

Old Madam Ming had always worried that telling Ming Yao about her mother would be something she couldn’t accept, but she didn’t expect that Ming Yao would be able to think from her mother’s perspective.

Even Ming Guoan always felt ashamed of Ming Ying and didn’t want to acknowledge such a sister.

Not to mention that Ming Yao had never met Ming Ying since she was little–

The fact that Ming Yao was so sensible and logical brought Old Madam Ming considerable relief.

Old Madam Ming hugged Ming Yao into her arms and gently patted her back, “I later looked into it, and it turns out your mother’s boyfriend was apparently the Fourth Young Master of the Nangong Family. I took you to the Nangong Family once, but they refused to recognize you and even threw me out! I’ve also investigated your mother’s death, but I couldn’t find anything!”

Ming Yao’s brows were tightly knit. “Grandma, there wasn’t a single trace left behind? What about mom’s belongings?”

Old Madam Ming took Ming Yao to the basement of the villa.

She opened one of the rooms, where the belongings of Ming Ying that she had brought back from Capital City were stored.

“A backpack, ID card, wallet, cell phone, a diary, that’s all there is.”

Ming Yao picked up the diary and glanced at it.

It recorded Ming Ying’s daily life in college. Between the lines, one could tell she was in love, exuding the happiness of a young woman.

The diary stopped abruptly halfway through.

On the blank pages, there must have been tears, for there were traces of water stains.

Ming Yao discovered that a page had been torn out from the middle of the diary.

Putting down the diary, Ming Yao picked up a ring.

“Is this also one of mom’s belongings?”

Old Madam Ming nodded, “She wore it until her death.”

Ming Yao looked closely at the ring; it was a very ordinary-looking diamond ring.

Just as Ming Yao was about to put it down, the diamond suddenly fell onto the floor.

Perhaps it was because it had been stored in the basement for a long time.

Ming Yao picked up the diamond and discovered a tiny black object inside it.

Ming Yao took it out and looked at it.

It was actually a chip.

“What is this?” Old Madam Ming had never seen this object before and was somewhat puzzled.

“I don’t know either, I’ll go get the computer.”

Ming Yao quickly went upstairs and brought back a laptop.

The chip contained a recording.

Because the chip had been water-damaged, there was just a hissing noise at the beginning.

Ming Yao tried to adjust it.

After nearly two hours, it still couldn’t be fully restored.

Intermittent, heart-wrenching cries from a woman came through, “All you Nangong Family people are beasts; you will not die a good death, I hate you, may a curse be upon you for generations to come… Ah…”

What followed was the sound of someone falling into the water.

After that, there was only the hissing noise of static.

Upon hearing the recording, both Ming Yao and Old Madam Ming were stunned.

From this recording, it can be deduced that Ming Ying did not commit suicide by jumping into the lake; she was pushed!

Old Madam Ming was filled with both anger and sorrow, her chest heaving violently, “My Yingying was murdered! I’m going to the police!”

Ming Yao held onto Old Madam Ming, calming down her emotions, “Grandma, please be calm. It’s been over twenty years, and just this recording won’t be enough to bring the real culprit to justice!”

Besides, her mother’s entrance into Yichun Courtyard was unusual from the start, being forced to entertain clients while pregnant and having her reputation thoroughly destroyed. What did it all imply?

It implied that there was a puppet master in the shadows.

Ming Yao felt it was related to the Nangong Family.

Ming Yao held Old Madam Ming’s hand and asked with furrowed brows, “Grandma, do you know anything about the Nangong Family?”