1197 Consider It
Tang Hebe felt like whenever she met Raelle, their dynamic kept changing. Once, she got so irked by just the name Raelle and now, she could even joke around with her so comfortably. She thought it was uncomfortable around Raelle, but the truth was, the more she met Raelle, the more she understood how easy it was to get along with her.
At least, there was no need for pretense.
"Did you find out everything related to Chi Xirui?" asked Tang Hebe.
"Firstly, her real name was Genevieve D'Amico," told Raelle. "It's not that she lied to you about her names. Her Chinese name was Chi Xirui and her nickname was Jennie. So, in the end, no matter what name you choose to call her with is right. However, her birth name sure is Genevieve."
"What else?"
Raelle didn't keep her in suspense and shared all the information without hiding any details at all. She didn't think there was a need to hide anything from Tang Hebe. They had to let her know of the dangers since she was Justin's guardian. She had the right to know and Raelle won't deprive her of that right.
By the time, she finished telling everything, Tang Hebe was sweating badly. It couldn't be helped. She didn't think there were so many twists and turns involved with that kind sister who helped her out of her depression back then. Neither did she expect she was running for her life and so many dangers surrounded her. Who would have thought that?
However, after all of that, Tang Hebe's attention was stuck on something else.
"Xiang Ziyang?" she repeated softly. "You're saying that's Justin's birth name?"
"Yes," answered Raelle. "Why?"
"The name sounds familiar," answered Tang Hebe. She looked up at Raelle and asked, "Do you think I forgot something very important after the accident? What if I knew all of this? What if I was supposed to bring Justin to his father? And I just forgot about it all? Or maybe I never intended to bring him to his father?"
"I have never met someone who has so much self-doubt," commented Raelle. "You can stop thinking. Don't stress your little mind. What if it malfunctioned again and you ended up at the hospital? This isn't the time for a hospital visit."
Tang Hebe narrowed her eyes at her, "I'm serious here, Raelle. Don't you have any doubts here?"
"No," answered Raelle. "Okay, I accept that there is a high probability that you forgot something important. However, one thing is for sure. You knew nothing about Justin's father. Chi Xirui wouldn't make such an elaborate plan to make you reach out to me if she had already told you about Justin's father. And if she did, you wouldn't take so long to come and look for me either."
Tang Hebe clenched her fists, "Your trust in me is giving me goosebumps right now."
"Feelings go both ways. If you have trust in my words, I need to reciprocate. Otherwise, wouldn't it be too chilling? That's not wiser for human relationships."
Tang Hebe stood up and went to get some water for herself again. She had already finished the water that Raelle offered to her when she cried. Now, she was feeling thirsty again. She took cold water from the refrigerator so that she could stay a bit sober and her mind would be more active.
She couldn't be so dazed when talking to Raelle Xiang. Who knew when this woman would dig a pit for you and make you want to jump in willingly? Well, that wasn't an exaggeration. Tang Hebe believed that Raelle Xiang was very much capable of it. So, it was always wiser to stay sober and alert in her presence so as not to fall for any of her tricks.
Raelle saw Tang Hebe drinking water like a restless kid. She couldn't understand how this was a mature woman. She was supposed to swallow but she was actually keeping the water in her mouth with her cheeks puffed out. It actually made Raelle want to poke that cheek.
"Are you lost again? Why are you so slow?"
Tang Hebe gave her a look and swallowed the water. Then she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I need some breaks. You know some time to buffer."
"Your processor is the worst."
"Tsk," Tang Hebe tsked at that. "You can't possibly be here just to tell me about this, right? What else should I know?"
"We would like Justin to recognize his ancestors," told Raelle. "And we'd like to know what you think about that.
Tang Hebe was surprised. Well, not shocked that they wanted Justin to recognize his roots but she was shocked that Raelle was here to ask for her opinion. That was truly surprising.
"And if I say no?"
"Then I'll have to use other means."
Tang Hebe snorted, "So, in the end, I have no other option than to agree, right?"
"No, there are options. You either agree when I am being nice or you'll have to agree when I'm not being so nice."
"There is a difference."
"Big difference. I promise you, you wouldn't wanna experience that difference. You just said earlier, things that can be solved with words should not be dragged to the point of force."
"I'm pretty sure those weren't exactly my words."
"But the meaning was the same. Now, who asked you to be poor with your language skills?"
Tang Hebe gave her a forced smile, "Well, who can be better than you when it comes to speaking? Eloquence. I can't learn it from you. I'm really no match."
"I know," Raelle agreed with those words and added, "Anyway, I'm putting forward this request right now. I'll give you the time to consider it thoroughly before coming to any conclusion. But I'll make it clear to you that this matter is extremely important to my family."
Tang Hebe was so stunned by her words that she didn't react for a good minute.