Chapter 16: 16. Was it not a lie back then?

Outside Shanghai Stadium, it was already crowded with people; there were reporters, family members of those on the cruise ship, their friends, and countless onlookers.

This was a major event, and with such a lively scene, anyone with the time and leisure naturally didn't want to miss out on the excitement.

When Zhang Sicheng and his family arrived, they saw this scene. Before they could even react, a reporter ran over and asked, "Excuse me, are you here to pick someone up?"

This was Zhang Sicheng's first time being interviewed by a reporter, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

The reporter was sharp-eyed; seeing Zhang Sicheng's whole family, young and old, all turned out, he guessed they probably weren't just here to watch the spectacle.

"Sorry, we aren't accepting interviews. Please make way." At this moment, Liu Lu stepped forward.

She had seen many big scenes at the hospital—medical disputes, fights, reporter interviews, all sorts of things—so she could manage to handle this.

Liu Lu then signaled for Zhang Sicheng and the others to move forward. Fortunately, there was security management here, and the onlookers were consciously not crowding in, so it wasn't too chaotic, and Zhang Sicheng and his family quickly made their way inside.

Checking the time, Zhang Sicheng took a deep breath and took out the prepared pickup sign, on which the name Zhang Ran was written.

Then the family just waited quietly for Zhang Ran.

Meng He and his family had arrived very early, counting among the first batch, but because Meng He was considered a somewhat well-known entrepreneur, he didn't show his face too early.

When the time was about right, Meng He put on a mask and walked inside.

Meng He was not a celebrity, so just wearing a mask was enough for no one to recognize him.

"Dad, it looks like there's someone else over there picking up Uncle Zhang," Meng Mingxuan suddenly said, pointing ahead.

Meng He was stunned, then turned his head to look. He saw the pickup sign with Zhang Ran's name on it, and at the same time, he saw Zhang Sicheng's profile.

"Hmm?" Meng He was momentarily frozen, but upon closer inspection, he discovered the differences; not only were there differences in their features, but there was also a significant gap in their temperament.

Even so, Meng He still thought of something. He tugged at Lin Meizhi and pointed toward Zhang Sicheng, saying, "Wife, look at that person. Doesn't he look like Brother Zhang when he was young?"

"What do you mean 'when he was young'? Brother Zhang hasn't changed at all now." Lin Meizhi habitually retorted first, then she also saw Zhang Sicheng, who happened to turn his face at that moment.

Lin Meizhi was instantly stunned, because Zhang Sicheng's face was at least fifty or sixty percent similar to Zhang Ran's. If it were any other time, she might not have noticed, but at this moment, Zhang Sicheng was holding a pickup sign with Zhang Ran's name on it.

This left her no choice but to think more about it. Meng He was clearly thinking the same thing as her, and he said with some suspicion, "Do you think what Brother Zhang told us back then was true? Did he really have a partner back then?"

Lin Meizhi and Meng He exchanged a glance, then said, "Stop guessing. If we want to know, why don't we just go ask?"

Meng He thought that made sense, and then their family of four came before Zhang Sicheng and his group.

Zhang Sicheng also noticed the Meng family. Seeing them heading straight for him, he looked at them with some confusion.

Meng He took off his mask and took the initiative to reach out, saying, "Hello, little brother. My name is Meng He. May I ask how to address you?"

Zhang Sicheng also reached out and shook hands with Meng He, saying, "My name is Zhang Sicheng. What can I do for you?"

Upon hearing Zhang Sicheng's self-introduction, Meng He and Lin Meizhi looked at each other.

Meng He did not answer Zhang Sicheng's question; he wanted to confirm again. He pointed to the pickup sign in Zhang Sicheng's hand and asked, "May I ask what your relationship is to Zhang Ran?"

Zhang Sicheng frowned and likewise did not answer Meng He's question. Meng He, feeling helpless, could only take out a photo of himself and Zhang Ran, then proactively said, "I am a good brother of Zhang Ran's, and I'm here to pick up Zhang Ran this time. I don't know if we are here to pick up the same person."

Zhang Sicheng was startled when he saw the photo in Meng He's hand, then he reacted. However, he wasn't too surprised by this; after all, it wasn't hard to accept that Zhang Ran could have one or two friends who still remembered him to this day.

Zhang Sicheng didn't hide anything at this moment and said directly, "If there are no accidents, I should be his son. At the very least, that's what my mother said."

Zhang Siyan, Liu Lu, and the others also looked at the Meng family.

Upon hearing Zhang Sicheng's introduction, Meng He was immediately delighted. "Haha, it must be him! Look at how much you look like Brother Zhang. By the way, where is your mother? I thought Brother Zhang was just talking nonsense back then; I didn't expect he really had found a partner."

Hearing Meng He mention his mother, Zhang Sicheng's eyes dimmed. "My mother has already passed away."

"I'm sorry," Meng He apologized.

"It's fine," Zhang Sicheng smiled reluctantly.

"And who are these people?" Meng He changed the subject.

Zhang Sicheng introduced them: "This is my wife, Liu Lu; this is my younger sister, Zhang Siyan—we are twins; this is my son, Zhang Xiaotao; and this is my niece, Susu."

Meng He greeted them one by one with a very kind attitude. Zhang Siyan and the others also responded with smiles; after all, according to Meng He's words, he counted as an elder.

Afterward, Meng He also introduced his own family to them. Meng Zixuan and Meng Mingxuan also greeted Zhang Sicheng and the others.

"Look, I didn't bring any gifts when I came. Uh, if you don't mind, I'll give you this watch," Meng He suddenly said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

One should give some gifts when meeting a younger generation for the first time.

Lin Meizhi also reacted and hurriedly tried to take off the necklace she was wearing around her neck, but she was quickly stopped by Zhang Sicheng and the others.

"No, please don't. You are too kind; we cannot accept it," Zhang Sicheng hurriedly refused.

The watch on Meng He's wrist and the necklace on Lin Meizhi's neck were clearly not cheap items. Although Zhang Sicheng didn't know how much they were worth, he certainly couldn't afford them.

Meng He thought for a moment and said, "That's fine, I'll owe you this meeting gift for now. In a couple of days, Uncle Meng will prepare a proper gift for you."

He had started calling himself 'Uncle' now, but given his age, Zhang Sicheng found nothing unacceptable about it. Even if he weren't his father's brother or friend, just as an ordinary person, he would still need to call him 'Uncle' when meeting him.

"They should be coming out soon," after the two sides chatted for a while, Meng He checked the time and said.

It was almost ten o'clock; it should be soon.

Just as Meng He finished speaking, a group of people walked in first, followed by another group of people wearing the same clothes, looking uneasy and bewildered as they followed along.