The moment Yan Xun saw Chu Tingyun handing over his phone, he knew there was no need for further explanation.
Sure enough, the next second after Professor Ye received the phone, the entire space fell into a minute-long silence.
During this time, both he and Chu Tingyun witnessed the process of Ye Cunshan and Xie Fengjun’s expressions shifting from confusion to shock, then to daze, and finally to disbelief, all without any dialogue or background noise.
In short, their emotions were rich, their expressions vivid, and their feelings progressed step by step, with great layers of depth, making it suitable for a Beijing Film Academy textbook.
“You…”
Professor Ye, who had been telling his wife that this was a leader who greatly valued Yan Xun, was now directly confronted with the marriage certificate up close.
“You and Yan Xun…”
This was overwhelming for Professor Ye, and his heart was struggling to cope. Xie Fengjun next to him couldn’t help but zoom in with her fingers and scrutinize the photos on the marriage certificate more closely.
At this point, Yan Xun explained:
“Sorry, Professor Ye, I previously thought this meeting was a business discussion and wanted to make it seem more formal, so I said I was Chu Tingyun’s personal assistant. But actually…”
He paused, reaching out to hold Chu Tingyun’s hand, and corrected earnestly.
“We’ve been married for three years.”
“……”
Another piece of solid evidence.
Professor Ye looked at Yan Xun, then at Chu Tingyun, and was silent for a long time, as if his brain was buffering.
“Ah, it’s okay.”
It was Xie Fengjun who first responded, handing the phone back to Chu Tingyun, and couldn’t help but look at him more closely, sincerely saying, “You two are quite a match.”
After all, Yan Xun had always aspired to find the most handsome partner when he was young, and although the gender was different from what she had imagined, in other aspects, it was quite fitting.
“Thank you.”
Such a compliment made President Chu very pleased.
In the end, no matter what romantic story the parents might have imagined about the assistant and the CEO, Yan Xun and Chu Tingyun still legally spent the night in the same room.
When only Chu Tingyun remained by his side, Yan Xun seemed to finally shed his invisible protective shell. He collapsed onto the sofa as if all his strength had been drained, unable to even stand.
Chu Tingyun sat beside him quietly, accompanying him for a while before asking:
“Why didn’t you mention the jade pendant?”
From the time Xie Fengjun appeared until now, they had had enough time to discuss the jade pendant, but Yan Xun hadn’t mentioned it at all.
“I just… hadn’t figured it out.”
Yan Xun raised his arm over his eyes, speaking softly.
There had been other parents who lost their child and came to him, saying their child also wore a jade Guanyin, so they were ecstatic to see Yan Xun.
But later, the paternity test revealed they had the wrong person.
“Anyway, we’re doing the paternity test tomorrow, right?”
That would be the most conclusive evidence.
Chu Tingyun said nothing, just gently rubbed Yan Xun’s hair.
He always thought Yan Xun was an exceptionally strong person, despite his young age, having experienced so much misfortune. But Yan Xun always managed to get back up, continue working, and live on, as if nothing could bring him down.
But now, Chu Tingyun was starting to realize that this might not be entirely true.
Yan Xun also had moments of great vulnerability and sadness, but he had always wrapped himself up so well and hidden this side from Chu Tingyun.
“Then let’s rest.”
Chu Tingyun didn’t ask any more questions.
However, that night, instead of him holding Yan Xun to sleep, it was the latter who proactively held him.
That night, none of the four slept well; in fact, Ye Cunshan and his wife hardly slept, watching the dawn break outside the window.
This scene was not unfamiliar to them, but in the past, it had been filled with despair. Today, however, it was full of hope.
The next morning, according to their agreement, Yan Xun went out to buy breakfast.
Today, Xie Fengjun didn’t insistently talk to Yan Xun. Instead, she ate the breakfast he bought with great care.
The four of them left at 7 a.m. and arrived at the destination around 8 a.m.
Chu Tingyun knew about this particular paternity testing agency because of Jiang Shenghai. Once, for some unknown reason, Jiang Shenghai had insisted on taking Jiang Yuheng for a paternity test, and Chen Wanqing had cried and threatened to jump off a building.
In the end, it was done, and the result was indeed that they were biological father and son.
…Thinking about those two made Chu Tingyun frown in distaste and not want to think about it further. However, this testing agency was quite good, with proper qualifications, professional equipment, and importantly, fast results.
This time, Yan Xun did the paternity test with Xie Fengjun.
After sampling, besides eating and using the bathroom, the parents insisted on waiting in the rest room.
Yan Xun didn’t stay there, feeling a bit suffocated. So, he and Chu Tingyun wandered around nearby, finding some things to pass the time.
Unexpectedly, in the late afternoon, they unexpectedly ran into a familiar face by the roadside.
An unwelcome familiar face.
“What a coincidence, Ge.”
Jiang Yuheng, with one hand in his pocket, greeted them with a smile and a wave.
Chu Tingyun felt this was truly unlucky and directly wanted to turn and leave.
However, the next second, Jiang Yuheng, still smiling, stopped Yan Xun, as if kindly reminding him:
“Yan-ge, did you drop something?”
“……?”
Yan Xun frowned and followed Jiang Yuheng’s gaze, noticing a small camera bag in the grass by the roadside.
It looked somewhat familiar…
Yan Xun picked it up and discovered it was indeed Li Rong’s camera—the same person who, a few days ago at the café, had told him that his adoptive father’s death might not have been an accident.
He opened the camera and found that the memory card was shattered.
This was a threat.
At that moment, Yan Xun felt as if his entire body was bristling. He stared at the young man before him with cold, angry eyes.
“Jiang Yuheng, what do you mean by this?”
“Ah? I don’t mean anything. I just happened to see it and thought it might be something you lost.”
Jiang Yuheng shrugged.
“Don’t worry, I’m just passing by; I’m leaving now.”
He waved his hand, said nothing more, and, as he turned to leave, glanced at the paternity testing agency before walking away without looking back.
Yan Xun didn’t chase after him but immediately called Li Rong, only to be answered by a police officer.
The officer said that Li Rong was under criminal detention for photographing an inappropriate image of a woman and suspected of s*xual assault, and it wasn’t convenient to take calls at the moment. They also asked Yan Xun if he knew about Li Rong’s background.
“……Sorry, I don’t know.”
Yan Xun hung up.
Throughout the entire process, Chu Tingyun was silent, just watching him as if waiting for an explanation.
“……Let’s find a place to talk.”
They found a quiet tea house.
This time, Yan Xun didn’t hide anything but told Chu Tingyun the whole truth. This included the incident with his adoptive father, what Li Rong had told Yan Xun before, and even some suspicions that Yan Xun had not dared to share with Chu Tingyun.
“So the person you mentioned meeting from middle school was Li Rong? And the anonymous tip-off about the Chen family came from you?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think the key documents about the Chen family’s tip-off were obtained through some improper means from me?”
“Yes.”
Given these explosive revelations, Chu Tingyun’s reaction was quite different from what Yan Xun had expected.
Because he just thought for a moment and then said:
“Oh.”
Yan Xun: “……?”
He had expected Chu Tingyun to be angry, to rage, or even to feel betrayed and want a divorce.
But instead…… there was such calmness.
Chu Tingyun didn’t react much because he had already guessed a bit. His computer had a special program that recorded any tampering.
After Yan Xun left the company that day, Chu Tingyun quickly noticed, but there was no tampering with confidential files. He had only accessed some old project details of the Jiang family from the company intranet. Although these were confidential, they were not valuable.
If Yan Xun had intended to retaliate by betraying Jiang’s business secrets, it would not be limited to just checking these things secretly.
Later, when the Chen family was reported, Chu Tingyun had some vague suspicions. That’s why he always felt Yan Xun’s accident wasn’t simple.
But he hadn’t found Yan Xun’s motive for doing this, plus…
“I’ve probably seen those tip-off materials. Some were within my access, but most of the remaining materials didn’t come from me.”
Chu Tingyun felt that Yan Xun might not be the tip-off person. It seemed that Yan Xun had obtained them through some other means.
Unfortunately, this alone wasn’t enough. So now that the He family had stepped in, the Chen family had quickly recovered. Although they had shed some skin, they had managed to get through the crisis.
“Tsk, you’re still too young, Yan Xun.”
Chu Tingyun lightly tapped the table.
“Even though you’ve found the critical point, you haven’t struck hard enough.”
“……”
Yan Xun didn’t speak.
He turned his head to look out the window and, from the corner of his eye, suddenly saw a red Hummer driving past flamboyantly.
What Yan Xun didn’t know was that Jiang Yuheng, who had just left, was now sitting inside that Hummer.
“Cousin Tengxiao.”
Jiang Yuheng called out obediently to the man sitting beside him.
“Mm.”
Chen Tengxiao responded casually.
The two cousins resembled each other somewhat, but Jiang Yuheng was younger, with softer features and a slimmer build. Chen Tengxiao, on the other hand, was more rugged, with heavy brows and a somewhat fierce look.
“Did you see him?”
“Mm, he seems to be doing quite well recently. He might soon have a pair of highly educated parents.”
This was not hard to find out. Yan Xun was adopted, and today he had specifically gone to a paternity testing agency with a couple, so it was easy to guess the inside story.
“Ha…”
Chen Tengxiao didn’t care much, flicking the ash off his cigarette with a gloomy look.
“He was really lucky last time, nothing happened.”
Jiang Yuheng raised an eyebrow and said,
“But he doesn’t remember, and Li Rong has been dealt with. There shouldn’t be any more problems now, right?”
Jiang Yuheng already knew about the discord between Yan Xun and Chu Tingyun and that there had been talks of divorce. He had initially thought it was just Chu Tingyun putting on an act at the wedding, but recent investigations revealed Yan Xun had amnesia.
No wonder he seemed to know nothing when Jiang Yuheng spoke to him at the hot pot restaurant.
“Should be?”
Chen Tengxiao took a heavy drag from his cigarette.
“Then he should remember one day.”
Now that the He family was helping, even though the Chen family had temporarily escaped danger and cleaned up most of the traces they had left behind, Yan Xun still had one crucial piece of information.
It could be fatal.
It was like a sword of Damocles hanging over Chen Tengxiao’s head, causing him great anxiety.
“This…”
Jiang Yuheng feigned frustration and tapped his forehead.
“But Chu Tingyun is now watching him like a hawk, which is problematic.”
“Hmph…”
Chen Tengxiao looked at him with disdain.
“Jiang Yuheng, it doesn’t matter if you treat Chen Kui like a pawn, but if you want to use me as your gun, you’re still too immature.”
Jiang Shenghai clearly wanted to leave the family fortune to his eldest son. Even though Jiang Yuheng now had a branch company, he had little influence within the group.
But if Chu Tingyun were out of the picture, Jiang Shenghai would have no choice but to make his younger son the heir, given he only had two sons.
“Hahaha…”
When exposed, Jiang Yuheng wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, he laughed and continued:
“Who else is just a useless firewood stick? Only Cousin Tengxiao, you’re the real gun.”
“……Little brat!”
Chen Tengxiao scolded him with a smile.
Although Jiang Yuheng’s intentions were clear, Chen Tengxiao still had to help him because, once Jiang Shenghai died and Chu Tingyun took over Jiang’s Group, it would be problematic.
The person named Chu was already at odds with them. When the Chen family was reported, the first thing he did was withdraw investment, even if it meant a loss to himself, just to make sure they didn’t have it easy. Plus, Chu Tingyun had married Yan Xun. These two were now enemies upon enemies.
If Chu Tingyun came to power…
Chen Tengxiao took a drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaling. The green light from the roadside signals reflected in his eyes, as if poisoned.
“Don’t rush, let’s first deal with the immediate trouble.”
…Immediate trouble?
Jiang Yuheng pondered and then knowingly smiled at Chen Tengxiao.
As they spoke, the red Hummer had already climbed onto the neon-lit overpass. The sky had completely darkened, and the bustling city had become even more colorful.
At 9 p.m., Yan Xun and Chu Tingyun returned to the testing agency. They waited anxiously with Ye Cunshan and his wife until around 11 p.m.
Finally, the final results of the paternity test were out.
The two thin reports were handed to Yan Xun, still warm from printing.
The final conclusion read: Based on the available information and DNA analysis, it supports that Xie Fengjun is Yan Xun’s biological mother.
…So she really is his mother.
So he should have grown up beside her.
Yan Xun’s brain was still slowly processing this information when Xie Fengjun, already excited, embraced him tightly, crying uncontrollably.
—
“I knew you were my Yan Yan.”
“You definitely are…”
“Mom finally found you, finally…”
A soft sound was heard, only Yan Xun himself could hear.
At the moment when Xie Fengjun held him, it felt like an invisible barrier was shattered by this mother.
This time, Yan Xun didn’t stand still or deliberately keep his distance. He let go of the report and reached out to embrace Xie Fengjun, initially holding her loosely, then gradually tightening his grip.
It felt like he was really holding his mother, as if he were also holding onto the child from many years ago who couldn’t wait for her at the welfare home.
This time, it was real…
Finally, it was real.
Chu Tingyun did not participate in this excessively emotional reunion scene. He pondered for a moment, then couldn’t help but reach for the red string around his neck and hung the small Guanyin statue outside.
At this point, Professor Ye was already in tears, planning to go to his wife and child. But he suddenly caught sight of Chu Tingyun from the corner of his eye and was immediately stunned.
He looked at Chu Tingyun, his eyes red and unable to speak.
“You, you this pendant…”
“What’s wrong, Uncle Ye?”
Chu Tingyun smiled, no longer calling him Professor Ye.
Ye Cunshan: “…”
He originally thought it was lost long ago. Now it seemed it should have been given by his son as a token of their relationship.
So the old father held back for a long time and finally said dryly,
“It’s nothing… It looks good on you and can also ward off evil spirits and disasters.”
“Thank you.”
Chu Tingyun smiled, then thought for a moment and added.
“But Uncle Ye, we’re in a new socialist era now; superstitions are to be avoided.”
Ye Cunshan: “…”
He certainly didn’t believe in that!
In short, the nearly nineteen-year-long search for family finally came to a close in tears of happiness.
They were finally ready to leave.
Xie Fengjun took a long time to slowly stop crying. She tightly held her son’s hand, afraid that he would disappear again.
As they walked out of the institution, Yan Xun held his mother on his left and Chu Tingyun on his right, while the old father stayed close to his wife.
The autumn wind in the capital was strong, especially at night. Even slightly thinner people could almost be blown away.
Xie Fengjun couldn’t help but adjust Yan Xun’s clothes.
“It’s too windy. Wear more next time; don’t catch a cold.”
Before she could say more, Yan Xun’s peripheral vision suddenly noticed a shadow quickly falling from above.
Bang!
A flowerpot fell from the wind without warning, shattering into pieces on the ground.
At this moment, Yan Xun had already pushed Chu Tingyun down to the ground. When he heard Xie Fengjun anxiously calling his name, he only then realized that his neck was aching.
He wasn’t hit by the flowerpot, but the flying debris had cut his neck and the back of his head, and when he touched it, it was all blood.
“Yan Xun? Yan Xun!”
They were all calling his name.
Yan Xun saw Xie Fengjun’s anxious, bloodshot eyes, then saw Ye Cunshan who was calling out. Finally, he looked down at Chu Tingyun in front of him.
Yan Xun felt a sharp ringing in his ears, as if their voices were separated by a layer of water, muffled and unclear.
Recovering memories seemed to happen in an instant. A torrent of fragmented memories overwhelmed Yan Xun, making him feel dizzy.
He seemed to see Xie Fengjun from many years ago, teaching him poetry line by line.
And Ye Cunshan from many years ago, rescuing people from the sea, like a fearless hero. Then, someone covered his mouth and nose with a cloth, and from then on, he never saw them again.
Someone tried to take his small Guanyin statue, but the string was too strong to break, so the person had to give up for now. Yan Xun cried continuously until his voice was hoarse. Not long after, he fell ill, and someone force-fed him many white pills.
So, Yan Xun gradually forgot many things. When he opened his eyes again, an unfamiliar man told him, “I’m your father.”
And so, Ye Chengyi became Yan Xun, and his life turned from a broad and smooth river into a winding creek, constantly colliding and moving forward.
After the college entrance examination, Yan Xun received an admission notice from Capital University, which was finally a good thing. However, his good friend Zhou Ze’s parents divorced.
The situation was very ugly. Zhou Ze’s father had transferred assets in advance, and although his mother successfully divorced, she was left impoverished overnight.
Zhou Ze chose to live with his mother and could only study abroad in Australia due to financial reasons. On the day he left, Yan Xun specially rushed back to see him off.
Zhou Ze cried bitterly as he hugged him, saying, “Friends walk together for a lifetime, those days…”
Before he could sing the second line, Yan Xun coldly pushed him into the security check area. Zhou Ze walked away with his backpack, looking back three times.
Yan Xun watched his figure disappear and then returned to school alone.
Studying, part-time jobs, competitions, and working hard to earn money.
During his university years, Senior Sister Jingshu took great care of him, helping him collect a lot of important information, introducing him to very capable graduate students, and impressive professors.
So one day, Senior Sister Jingshu came to him, her eyes red, and asked if he could pretend to be her boyfriend for a while. He didn’t need to do anything else, just occasionally have dinner together and hang out in the library.
Yan Xun did not refuse and agreed.
During college, Yan Xun hardly took any breaks, but the competition prize money, school subsidies, and part-time earnings were still not enough. In order to pay for his brother’s medical expenses, Yan Xun had the idea of starting a business.
However, it was not smooth, facing repeated setbacks and mockery. One night, he was even forcibly kissed by a man.
Yan Xun didn’t tell anyone about this humiliating incident. Every night, he dreamed of that day, of that man he had bound up.
The man had messy black hair, his whole face soaked with milk from the sheets, and his cold blue eyes stared at him, saying word by word…
“I remember you.”
So Yan Xun, who always had nightmares, couldn’t sleep well. Senior Sister Jingshu then invited him to dinner. As her public boyfriend, Yan Xun had to make some time to accompany her, so he quickly agreed.
However, Senior Sister Jingshu seemed a bit embarrassed and asked him in advance.
“By the way, my brother will also be there. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all.”
It was just a meal. Yan Xun didn’t like socializing, but if needed, he could get along well with others.
However, he hadn’t heard much about Senior Sister Jingshu’s brother before, but he didn’t think much of it. He thought since Senior Sister Jingshu was so kind, her brother should be a gentle and kind person too.
It was winter, and the first snow fell in the capital.
Yan Xun met with the senior sister at the school gate, only to unexpectedly encounter someone he never wanted to see again in his life.
The man standing in the snow had black hair and blue eyes, with several snowflakes on his thick lashes. They quickly melted into tiny droplets of water.
When he saw Yan Xun, he even smiled gently.
Setting aside prejudice, at that moment, when Chu Tingyun smiled, he looked so stunning it seemed unreal.
“Xiao Xun, this is my brother Chu Tingyun.”
Next to them, Jiang Jingshu introduced them with a smile,
“Brother, this is Yan Xun, my uh… boyfriend.”
Hearing the word “boyfriend,” Chu Tingyun’s eyebrows raised slightly.
The winter wind in the capital was extremely cold, but Yan Xun felt at that moment that his anger was burning through his entire body, as if he had returned to that night when he was drunk and this man had stripped him and forcibly kissed him.
“He is… your brother?!”
Yan Xun couldn’t help but ask, turning to confirm with the senior sister.
“Are you blood relatives?”
“Of course we are.”
When Jiang Jingshu said this, she seemed a bit uneasy. She knew Chu Tingyun didn’t like their mother and was now in front of Yan Xun, so she didn’t elaborate on their complex family situation.
But she really didn’t expect Chu Tingyun to personally come to school to pick her up today. Jingshu was greatly flattered and just wanted to get along well with him. So she pulled her fake boyfriend’s sleeve,
“Xiao Xun, don’t be so reserved. Just call him ‘ge’ like I do.”
Yan Xun: “…”
Ge?
Who wants to call such a perverted brother who kisses people without consent!
So, in the end, Yan Xun turned his head, not giving the senior sister any face, and coldly said:
“M-Mr. Chu.”
Not even a “hello”!
