Chapter 2739 - 2675: Is She Still Alive?

It’s her.

It’s really her.

Red Bean is the artist Qingshuang.

She is Shi Xiaoching.

She is her mother.

It’s really her!

Jiang Xiao’s nose felt sour, she felt like she was about to shed tears uncontrollably.

But she wasn’t used to crying in front of strangers, so she forcibly pushed back the tears.

At this moment, what she wanted to do most was to immediately call Jiang Liu and tell him that this Qingshuang at Luofeng Institute was really his Shi Xiaoching!

"Director Gao, are you sure? Why did it take so long to recognize?"

Gao Shan said, "Because Red Bean looks quite different from when she was fifteen. In this portrait, she’s with two braids, and her face is like an apple, smiling so beautifully. The Red Bean I know is already in her thirties, she wears her hair in a matronly bun every day, dressed in loose coarse cloth, her face has grown much thinner, and she always has a stern expression without a smile."

Gao Shan looked at the portrait, reminiscing, "Especially Red Bean’s eyes, you wouldn’t know that they are lifeless like dead water, lacking any radiance. I had to look closely to be sure."

The more Jiang Xiao listened, the more heartbroken she felt.

So, has Shi Xiaoching been living unhappily all along?

Very reclusive? Out of place with everyone?

She put away the portrait.

Took out a bottle of water from the bag and drank a few gulps, which calmed her down a bit.

"Director Gao, can you tell me more about Red Bean? No, can you first tell me about the big fire at Luofeng Institute two and a half years ago, I heard several people died, was Red Bean among them?"

As she asked this question, Jiang Xiao’s heart grew tense again.

She feared Gao Shan would give a definite answer.

She really didn’t want to hear that after just finding out about Shi Xiaoching, she had already passed away.

Gao Shan sighed.

"That’s why I was cautious before, because I was afraid strangers might come to investigate the cause of the fire and how those people burned to death."

"Is she still alive?" Jiang Xiao didn’t pay attention to what he just said, she only wanted to confirm this.

Is Shi Xiaoching still alive?

Gao Shan shook his head, "I don’t know."

"Don’t know? Weren’t you still the mayor then? You should have the list of those who died in the fire, shouldn’t you know if Red Bean’s name is on it?"

At this point, Jiang Xiao’s voice was raised.

How could he not know?

Gao Shan said, "Because after the fire happened, a team of people—I don’t know where they came from—went to put out the fire, and those bodies were carried out by them. At that time, they wouldn’t let others approach, Chun Hong said she would report the matter herself."

"And then? Didn’t anyone verify who the deceased were?"

"Do you remember what I said before? Most of the people Chun Hong found were homeless, so they didn’t have family, no one came to inquire about them, not even those few children because they were orphans too."

The townsfolk only knew that several people died, but nobody pursued who the deceased actually were.

After the fire, all the remaining children and staff were transferred elsewhere, whereabouts unknown.

"So, how did I hear that you were dismissed after the fire?" Jiang Xiao asked directly.

Gao Shan smiled bitterly.

"You know about this too? You’ve been to Linchang Town, haven’t you?"

"Yes, your address was obtained from your nephew."

"Shu Sheng?" Gao Shan said, "That you got my address from him is quite something, though he knows where I am, he’s never been in contact."