529: Is it really such a coincidence?

To plant a subtle hint in Zhang Xiuying's mind, Ye Su intentionally didn't pull back his phone, keeping Yan Ran's photo pointed toward her.

The accumulation of several coincidences led Zhang Xiuying to look at the beautiful woman on Ye Su's screen once more.

This time, Zhang Xiuying scrutinized Yan Ran's photo seriously, and finally understood why Ye Su said she looked somewhat like the woman in the photo.

The distance between their eyes, their eye shapes, and the shape of their noses—their facial features had a very high degree of similarity.

It was only the difference in skin condition and complexion that made the gap in their overall attractiveness seem quite large.

Similar facial features, the same birth date, and even the mole on the arm matched... Could she really be this person's long-lost younger sister?

If that were true, it would explain why her family had treated her and her younger brother so differently since childhood—to the point of practically bleeding her dry to provide for him.

She used to think her family just preferred boys over girls, but now it seemed the truth might be something else entirely.

But a second later, Zhang Xiuying sighed and shook her head.

How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

She had just been about to commit suicide when someone suddenly appeared, not only saving her but also happening to know her long-lost elder sister?

Zhang Xiuying felt that this coincidence was even more unlikely than her physical traits matching someone else's sister.

Every change in expression on Zhang Xiuying's face was caught by Ye Su.

Sensing that her resolve was wavering, Ye Su struck while the iron was hot and asked:

"My name is Ye Su. I don't know your name yet?"

"Oh," Zhang Xiuying replied. "My name is Zhang Xiuying. Zhang as in 'bow and long'."

"Xiuying, right? Can I ask when your birthday is? When I see my friend later, I'll definitely mention that I met someone who looks just like her."

Zhang Xiuying hesitated for a moment before telling the truth: "I just happen to be born in '94, on the 18th day of the 10th lunar month."

"No way!" Ye Su's surprised expression was both exaggerated and stiff. "That's too much of a coincidence! You look like her, and even your birthday is the same as her sister's. This is fate!"

Zhang Xiuying gave a forced smile. "Yeah..."

Feeling the timing was right, Ye Su asked one last question: "On your right arm, you wouldn't happen to have a mole there too, would you?"

"Yes." Zhang Xiuying nodded silently and then extended her right arm. "I do have a mole here."

With the groundwork laid, Ye Su stopped acting entirely: "Holy crap, every piece of information matches! You couldn't be my friend's long-lost sister, could you?"

Deep down, Zhang Xiuying secretly hoped she wasn't the daughter of Yu Manzhu and her husband, but she still denied it verbally:

"That's probably impossible. How could there be such a coincidence?"

Despite Zhang Xiuying's denial, Ye Su remained persistent:

"What's impossible about it? Maybe it's Providence, arranging for us to meet under these circumstances so I could recognize your identity."

Fortunately, Zhang Xiuying had lived in Yang County for thirty years and was influenced by local traditional superstitions; she naturally had a bit of faith in things like 'Providence' and 'Heaven'.

After Ye Su's words, Zhang Xiuying really began to wonder if Heaven itself couldn't stand her life experiences anymore and had arranged for Ye Su to appear to help her reunite with her biological sister.

"How about this?" Ye Su seized the opportunity to seal the deal.

"My friend is in Guangzhou. Just give me a few strands of hair. I'll mail them to her this morning so she can do a DNA test and see if this is a coincidence or Providence."

After saying that, Ye Su made a joke: "Don't worry, I'm not trying to scam you out of an appraisal fee. My friend is a wealthy woman; she'll definitely cover the cost of the test."

Zhang Xiuying waved her hands repeatedly. "I didn't suspect you were a scammer."

The idea of someone skipping sleep in the middle of the night just to save her and scam her for a small testing fee seemed impossible to Zhang Xiuying.

Furthermore, based on Ye Su's appearance and Charm, Zhang Xiuying believed he wasn't a fraud.

"It's just a few strands of hair, it doesn't matter if I give them to you. I'm just worried this is a misunderstanding and your friend will have worked for nothing."

"It doesn't matter. A bit of wasted effort is better than missing the chance for you two to recognize each other."

Since Ye Su had put it that way, Zhang Xiuying couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

It was just a few hairs; what did it matter if she gave them to him?

Thinking this, Zhang Xiuying moved to pull out a few hairs for Ye Su.

Actually, she didn't even need to pull.

Due to anxiety and other reasons, her hair loss was quite serious. She only needed to run her hand through her hair to get several fallen strands.

"Is this okay?"

"Yes."

Ye Su was about to take them when he realized his hands were sweaty and didn't know if it would affect the DNA test, so he asked:

"Do you have any tissues on you to wrap the hair in, or should I go buy a pack and come back?"

"I have tissues."

Zhang Xiuying pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, took one out, wrapped the hair carefully, and then handed it to Ye Su.

Although she felt the probability of being the woman's sister was extremely slim—about the same as winning the lottery—

What if?

That 'what if' became Zhang Xiuying's only hope now, sustaining a flicker of expectation for her life.

"Let's add each other as friends. I'll send the express delivery to Guangzhou; it'll arrive by Tuesday. At the latest, the results will be out by Tuesday night. Whatever the result, I'll let you know."

"Okay."

After they added each other and Ye Su put away his phone and the tissue-wrapped hair, he took the initiative to ask:

"Although I'm not sure why you did what you did just now, if you don't mind, you can talk to me. I might not be able to solve other problems, but if it's about money, I can help a little."

Ye Su's words left Zhang Xiuying with mixed emotions.

She could hear that Ye Su meant if she needed money, he could lend it to her first, hoping she wouldn't give up on her life so easily.

Even a stranger she had just met was willing to show her kindness. In contrast, her so-called 'family' had never cared about her, only about whether she could earn money for the house... "It's not a money problem... well... actually, it kind of is a money problem..."

The natural affinity Ye Su radiated, combined with Zhang Xiuying's desperate need for someone to talk to, led her to open her heart and recount the grievances of all these years.

Ye Su acted as a proper listener, silently listening to Zhang Xiuying describe the hardships she had endured since being sent to her adoptive parents' home.

Originally, Ye Su had been a bit conflicted about the sister-recognition matter, worried that her family life was happy and her adoptive parents cared for her deeply.

Telling her out of the blue that she wasn't the biological daughter of the couple she had called Mom and Dad for thirty years might have caused trouble for her family.

But now, hearing Zhang Xiuying's story, Ye Su no longer felt any psychological burden, believing that what he was doing was not wrong at all.

He decided to help her find her true family.