Chapter 563: Chapter 561: She is a ray of light in his life

An imposing figure clad in a business waistcoat sat in the business van, with tassel lapel pins on his chest shining a chilly radiance in the light.

The man had a cigarette pinched between his fingertips, unlit, his features as sharply defined as if carved by a knife, his face handsomely rugged. Every inch of him radiated an unmistakable noble air, a gravitas and poise that years had only deepened, impossible to overlook.

It was the former President, Gong Xiao.

Gong Xiao cast a bland, emotionless glance in Ming Yao’s direction, his overwhelming presence making her feel as though her soul had been laid bare.

“Miss Ming, please come and sit,” Gong Xiao’s voice was deep and magnetic, reminiscent of a well-aged fine wine.

Though his tone was ordinary, it carried an unchallengeable authority.

His entire being could not conceal the mighty aura of one long used to power.

Ming Yao bent slightly and got into the vehicle.

Gong Xiao looked up at the driver in front, “To the restaurant.”

After instructing the driver, Gong Xiao turned to Ming Yao, his deep features calm and unpretentious, “Miss Ming, don’t be afraid. I’m seeking a quiet place where we can talk alone.”

He had already told the driver to go to the restaurant, what could Ming Yao possibly say?

Clearly, Gong Xiao knew about her renewed contact with Gu Siting.

She had a faint idea of why he sought her out.

Ming Yao was glad she hadn’t been easily swayed by Gu Siting!

The drive from the office to the restaurant Gong Xiao had mentioned took about half an hour.

After disembarking, Gong Xiao and Ming Yao entered the restaurant, one after the other.

They had only just gone in when Song Yulan arrived, leading Little Orange by the hand.

The restaurant, a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, was a members-only establishment serving delicious food, including the cake that Little Orange had been longing for.

“Grandma, mommy is up ahead!”

Following the direction of Little Orange’s pointing finger, Song Yulan inevitably spotted Ming Yao’s figure.

At the same time, she also caught sight of a tall and upright silhouette.

Gong Xiao!

A bad feeling welled up in Song Yulan’s heart.

She quickened her pace with Little Orange in tow.

“Yaoyao!”

Just as Ming Yao was about to follow Gong Xiao into a private room, Song Yulan called out to her.

Ming Yao turned around and saw Song Yulan with Little Orange, a hint of surprise on her face.

“Aunt Lhan?”

Song Yulan handed Little Orange over to Ming Yao, “Yaoyao, you go ahead and take Little Orange to eat. I’ll have a few words with Mr. Gong.”

This was Song Yulan’s first time confronting Gong Xiao after regaining her composure.

“Aunt Lhan…” Ming Yao knew what had happened to Song Yulan in the past, and she was somewhat concerned.

Song Yulan shook her head, “Don’t worry, Aunt Lhan will be fine.”

Seeing Song Yulan’s firm stance, Ming Yao had no choice but to lead Little Orange to the main hall.

Song Yulan went into the private room and closed the door behind her.

Gong Xiao took a few steps, then sensing something amiss, turned back.

Song Yulan had always been a beauty, thin as a rake when she was trapped in that cave, but after years of convalescence, she had steadily regained her health. Moreover, with Gu Siting’s regular gifts of luxurious skincare products and the preparation of rare Chinese medicines, her complexion was rosy and translucent, her skin tight and her features delicately beautiful, not at all typical of a woman her age.

Her personality differed from Song Yuzhi’s, preferring to keep a low profile, possessing a classical and serene disposition.

Today, her face was lightly made up, dressed in a dark green, embroidered cheongsam with a stand-up collar and fastened buttons, her slender neck peeking through, her frame delicate and graceful, yet with curves in all the right places.

In the moment he saw Song Yulan, a complexity flickered in Gong Xiao’s deep eyes.

He had only learned of the events of that year at the same moment he discovered Siting’s identity.

The woman before him was indeed the birth mother of Siting!

His leg had been injured by an explosion, and after the past was revealed, Huo Shuyin asked for a divorce!

His union with Huo Shuyin had been one of alliance, with little love to speak of, and coupled with the deception she had perpetrated for years, he had signed the divorce papers without hesitation when she proposed it.

After Siting became President, he had asked to meet his birth mother but was rebuffed by Siting!

To Gong Xiao, he and Song Yulan were fundamentally strangers.

Yet they found themselves intricately bound by a son born out of a ploy by others!

“You are Ms. Song?”

Gong Xiao knew that Song Yulan had suffered much. While he was also a victim in the past events, his heart harbored sympathy for this woman.

Had she not been entangled in those conflicts, she wouldn’t have had to endure such hardship.

Song Yulan carried an air of softness, dignity, and tranquility, yet her eyes, while facing Gong Xiao, were filled with piercing sharpness.