32.

Happiness and relief came too suddenly to him.

Chen Kai failed to see the confusion in the little boy's eyes and the flicker of hope before it was covered once more. He brought the child into a tight but comforting hug.

"It's really you Vance. It's really you."

~~~~~~~

The voice. The appearance. It's all new and strange. But... his name. This person knows his name. How?

Why is this person mimicking his older brother?

He's not Vincent.

The child calls him Chen Kai.

This doesn't make sense.

Distance. He must put this person at a distance.

Focusing the little energy he retained from earlier to his hands, 'XiaoYan' pushed at Chen Kai's chest to form a safe distance. He frowned when the man only took one step backward. Upon instinct, he untangled his legs from his meditative posture and assumed a low striking pose. His small body was stiff from laying in bed for too long. He grits his teeth when he feels the muscle pain.