Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 421 - 422: Long-Lost Siblings?

Chapter 421: Chapter 422: Long-Lost Siblings?

"Sorry, I don’t have any men’s slippers at my place, so you’ll just have to make do with these," offered Feng Kexin, handing Song Xiaodong a pair of dainty women’s slippers.

Song Xiaodong cracked a slight smile and said, "No need, I don’t think my feet smell or anything. If you don’t mind, I’ll just go without. Wearing your slippers might make you uncomfortable anyway."

"Well, ..." Feng Kexin felt a bit awkward and replied, "Okay then, just come in like that."

Feng Kexin’s home was a small apartment with just a living room and a bedroom, plus a small kitchen and balcony. It was simple but very tidy and clean.

After a quick glance around, Song Xiaodong asked, "Is this your place?"

"I rent it. I usually live at school, but I stay here over the weekends. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thanks. I just wanted to have a look at your round token." As he spoke, Song Xiaodong took out his own round token.

Feng Kexin quickly fetched her round token, and the two exchanged them to look them over carefully.

After a moment, they exchanged glances. Feng Kexin said, "These two round tokens are exactly the same, they must come from the same place."

Song Xiaodong nodded and handed Feng Kexin’s token back to her, saying, "Indeed, they’re mostly the same, but there are still some subtle differences."

"Differences?" Feng Kexin examined the two round tokens closely in surprise, then exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, there are differences! There’s a tiny number on the dragon’s head. Mine has a four, and yours has a one."

Song Xiaodong nodded and replied, "Right, I might have just taken it to be a stroke on the dragon’s body, but now it seems to be some kind of code. Mine probably represents one, and yours four."

"A code? So, you’re saying there might be at least two more people like us, with the numbers two and three?" Feng Kexin looked at Song Xiaodong in astonishment.

Song Xiaodong gave a wry smile and responded, "It would seem so, based on these round tokens."

Looking at Song Xiaodong, Feng Kexin’s mouth twitched as she said, "So, you mean, we might have been fostered out deliberately by someone?"

Song Xiaodong took a deep breath and then nodded, "That’s highly possible. If it were just ordinary fostering, we wouldn’t have these round tokens. I assume at some point someone will come looking for us."

"Isn’t this a bit... far-fetched? I’ve never felt that I had a special upbringing. Both my parents are ordinary people, and the most they’ve done is earn a little money through their business. The way I was raised doesn’t differ from anyone else’s—I went to all the usual schools and cram classes. Actually, apart from being a bit prettier, I’m no different from others," Feng Kexin said.

After some thought, Song Xiaodong remarked, "That’s true, I feel the same way. I joined the army of my own accord, and it was my own efforts that got me transferred to other departments within the military. None of that had anything to do with being groomed."

Feng Kexin immediately said, "So what does this mean then? Could it be that something terrible happened to our families, perhaps a grave danger, and we were sent away to preserve our lives? They only wanted to assure our survival, not thinking too much beyond that."

"That is indeed possible," Song Xiaodong nodded, showing agreement with Feng Kexin’s analysis.

"Wait..." Feng Kexin stared at Song Xiaodong and then said anxiously, "Are you suggesting we might be long-lost... siblings?"

Song Xiaodong’s face darkened, but the idea seemed quite plausible. He grinned and said, "Now that you mention it, I’m starting to believe it too, but... "

"But what?" Feng Kexin looked at Song Xiaodong expectantly.

Song Xiaodong pointed to his face and then at Feng Kexin and said, "Look at you, with your stunning beauty that could overthrow cities and kingdoms, while I just look too ordinary. Do we look like siblings to you?"

Feng Kexin turned her head, picked up her phone, and said, "Let’s take a photo together for comparison. That will be more conclusive."

Song Xiaodong cooperated as they posed cheek to cheek while Feng Kexin took several photos.

"Send it to me as well. I want to have a good look too," Song Xiaodong was curious.

After Feng Kexin sent the photos to Song Xiaodong, they both examined the phone, and Feng Kexin said, "Did you notice, our noses look similar?"

"Do they?" Song Xiaodong looked at the photo skeptically.

Feng Kexin pointed out, "Look at the bridges of our noses; neither is particularly high, and the tips are the same. See, they’re exactly alike, aren’t they?"

Perhaps due to suggestion, Song Xiaodong started to feel that his nose did indeed resemble hers.

"And look at our eyebrows," continued Feng Kexin. "The corners of both our eyebrows tilt slightly upwards. I’ve plucked mine, but they must have been just like yours before. Let me show you some of my old photos."

As she spoke, Feng Kexin flipped through her photos and quickly sent a couple to Song Xiaodong.

After looking at them, Song Xiaodong truly felt their eyebrows were alike.

"Doesn’t this mean we might really be siblings?" Feng Kexin said excitedly to Song Xiaodong.

Song Xiaodong cracked a smile and replied, "It’s very possible, though there’s no way to prove it."

"Why don’t we take a DNA test? That would prove it, wouldn’t it?" Feng Kexin said eagerly.

Song Xiaodong pondered, "Well, if we do that, at most it could prove if we have the same mother. If there’s a father involved, all three of us would need testing to truly prove we’re siblings. If we’re cousins or something, the test won’t show it. Same goes if we are half-siblings with the same father."

"Oh... I see. Should we do it?" Feng Kexin asked.

"I don’t think it’s necessary for now. I doubt we’re full siblings—at that time, it was the era of the strict one-child policy. Most families only had one. I’m number one; you’re number four. It’s unlikely our family would have four children. I think it’s more probable that we are cousins."

After considering this, Feng Kexin said, "Oh, that does make sense."

Song Xiaodong offered a small smile and continued, "But all our conjectures are based on our initial assumption that our families encountered some misfortune and sent us away for our safety. If that isn’t true, then we might not be related at all."

A look of disappointment suddenly appeared on Feng Kexin’s face. "That’s true, but wait—since there are some resemblances, isn’t it more likely that we’re related by blood? So, based on this theory, I feel there’s an eighty percent chance of it being true."

"That... makes sense," replied Song Xiaodong, smiling.

"Then... can I start calling you... brother?" Feng Kexin asked tentatively, her eyes filled with an intense longing and hope.