Chapter 33

When Yibo brought Zhan from Beijing to Shenzhen, Zhan knew he wasn't in his right mind. His thoughts were clouded, his mind fractured by distress, and he was so lost in turmoil that he couldn't even gauge the length of their journey.

As he entered Shenzhen, he had no idea what life had in store for him. If he were to be honest, at that moment, he felt as though everything in his life was unraveling. Even when Yibo had promised to help him escape from the disaster that had befallen him, Zhan had no confidence that such a thing was even possible.

But from the moment Yibo left him at that house, things began shifting in ways he hadn't anticipated. The marriage that tied him to Yibo and the time he had spent in that house before the chaos erupted—it was nothing like he had imagined. And the turmoil that followed, the gunshot wound he sustained in his leg, was something straight out of the worst scenarios he had feared.

Then came his stay at Zhao Min's house and his encounter with Guri. That was what truly changed everything. The warmth and care they showed him settled deep in his heart in a way he had never expected. Even after the ordeal of their kidnapping, his heart wasn't as shaken as he thought it would be. If anything, for the first time in his life, he felt like he had experienced a sense of peace, a brief moment where he belonged somewhere. Among Zhao Min's family, no one looked at him differently when he called them his own. It was a stark contrast to the life he had left behind, where in his own home, he could go days without being reminded that he was never truly one of them.

Zhan knew that everything he had gained was because of Yibo—the effort he put into protecting him, the unwavering support he had given. In just a short time, Yibo had come to mean as much to him as the man who had raised him since childhood. Both had shielded him in ways that, without them, he was certain he wouldn't have survived.

But now, something was about to change.

And he had no idea what it was.

By all logic, they had returned to Beijing, and Zhan knew that Zhao Min and the others were still away on their trip. Even Yibo had told him as much, mentioning that he wanted to wrap things up before they returned. Yibo had no idea when he'd be back in Shenzhen again once they left.

And so, Zhan's only concern in these next few days was figuring out how to return home, how his connection with Zhao Min's family would come to an end, and where life would take him next.

But ever since Shan Tunan called yesterday, everything had unraveled—like trying to tie something slippery, only for it to slip loose again. Zhan had no idea why Shan Tunan would suddenly ask for his full name. Until now, their interactions had been limited to polite greetings since Zhan arrived at the house, aside from the initial inquiry about his injured leg. And ever since that call, Yibo hadn't said much to him—just took the phone and stepped out of the kitchen to speak privately.

Less than thirty minutes later, Yibo returned and simply told him to get ready...they were leaving for Beijing the next day.

Both Zhan and Guri had stared at him, full of unanswered questions. And now, even as they traveled, Zhan still didn't have those answers.

The journey felt just like the last one—his mind weighed down by too many questions, with no clear destination in sight. On top of that, ever since they set out, Yibo had been on the phone with Guang, speaking in a language Zhan didn't understand. (Cantonese, maybe?)

Zhan adjusted his seat and tried to get comfortable, his mind replaying the last moments before they left. He could still see Guri's face when they said goodbye, Fa Lan even tearing up a little after Guri told them she had no idea when they would see him again.

The only small comfort was that Zhan had their phone number. Even if Yibo took the one he had given him, he would find another way to check in on them.

What puzzled him even more was that Guri hadn't been able to reach Zhao Min since yesterday. Instead, it was Shan Tunan who called her, instructing her to pack up her things and the children's belongings because a driver would come to take them to Zhao Min's family house... along with Ms. Er. Che. That was at least a relief. They wouldn't be left alone in the house.

Zhan didn't even know what city they were in when Yibo suddenly pulled over near a small marketplace and asked what he wanted to eat. He had no preference. At this point, he could eat anything as long as it would keep him together until they reached wherever they were going.

When Yibo returned, carrying food in plastic bags, Zhan turned to watch him approach. And for some reason, his chest tightened.

It felt like time had rewound to the day they first arrived.

Back then, right after Yibo had returned from buying food, he had asked a question that had led them to this very moment.

"Will you marry me, Zhan?"

Zhan swallowed hard, his mind shifting gears, trying to recall exactly what had happened between them. He forced himself to push the thought aside, knowing that now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Yibo opened the car door and slid inside, his cologne intensifying with the movement.

"I just bought you this. I know one never gets tired of eating rice," Yibo said, handing him one of the bags.

Zhan let out a small, involuntary smile and took the bag from him.

"Thank you. May the heavens reward you."

Yibo shut the car door, then turned back to look at him.

"I like that blessing of yours, Zhan. It makes me feel like you're calling for the universe to grant me heaven's."

With everything spinning in his mind, Zhan didn't even realize when a small smile escaped him as he toyed with the plastic bag in his hands.

"Then may the universe grant you the heavens as well."

"Amen. May we both receive it," Yibo replied.

"And everyone else, too," Zhan added.

This time, Yibo chuckled as he started the car. "Amen. But you do know, Zhan, that you're just saying this as a figure of speech, right?"

"And why is that?"

"Because not everyone makes it to heaven," Yibo answered.

Zhan didn't reply. Instead, he stared out of the window, watching the passing scenery. In that moment, he felt the urge to press Yibo for answers—to ask him again what was really going on. But back when they were about to leave, Yibo had already warned him that all his questions would be answered once they arrived. He had also made it clear that it wasn't his place to explain anything, which meant there was nothing Zhan could do about it. He knew Yibo wouldn't say anything more.

So, instead, he shifted the conversation.

"When we get to Beijing, are we going to Aunty first before you take me home?"

The word home carried a weight far greater than he intended. It wasn't just a question about their destination—he was searching for anything that could shed some light on his situation.

Yibo remained silent for a moment, as if debating whether to answer. But when he finally spoke, his response only unsettled Zhan further, scattering whatever fragments of clarity he had been trying to hold onto.

"We're going to both places. Just be patient—it won't take more than three hours now," Yibo replied.

🔹▫️🔸

They arrived in Beijing at around 5:45 p.m., just as dusk was beginning to settle over the city. By then, every nerve in Zhan's body had been stretched thin with anxiety. Everything looked unfamiliar to him, even though he had been here before. The entire city seemed different in his eyes.

It was a moment he had envisioned countless times since his life had changed. He had imagined what it would be like to return, had replayed the scenario over and over in his mind. But now that he was here, sitting in the car, his body felt weightless—almost as if he weren't really there. Like this was just another one of his dreams.

They hit traffic at various points along the way, adding to Zhan's growing unease. It wasn't until they reached the city center that the congestion finally eased.

That was when Yibo pulled out his phone and called Shan Tunan. They spoke in English, and although Zhan couldn't make out every detail, he understood enough to realize that Yibo was getting directions.

Directions that sent a wave of shock through him.

The car kept moving, the streets becoming more familiar. His heart pounded harder with every turn.

Then, as they reached a roundabout, Yibo took a turn—straight into Zhan's old neighborhood.

Zhan's wide, alarmed eyes snapped to him.

"Where are we going?" he demanded.

"Inside the neighborhood," Yibo answered without looking at him.

"You're taking me home?" Zhan's voice was laced with disbelief. "How do you even know where I live? How do you know this is my house?"

"Shan Fa...Gege told me," Yibo said simply. "And both he and Mother Zhao are waiting for us there."

:-*:-*:-*:-*:-*

There's a saying that the world is a small place—people use it when something unexpected happens or when they find something in a place they never imagined they would.

That very saying had been sitting heavily in Zhao Min's heart ever since she received confirmation that the boy she had left behind in her home in Shenzhen was the very same boy she had been searching for across cities, all the way to Beijing.

When Shan Tunan first suspected the truth, he didn't tell her right away. Instead, he simply suggested they return to their lodging for the night and figure out the next step in the morning. So, Hao and the others went back to their home while Zhao Min and Shan Tunan returned to their accommodation.

She didn't sleep that night. She knew he hadn't either. He had spent the whole time writing—something he always did whenever he was deep in thought, trying to make sense of things. She had known him long enough to understand that this was how he worked through difficult situations.

By morning, after they had prepared for the day, they set off for He Jun's house in the same taxi they had been using since arriving in the city. It was on the way there that Shan Tunan finally revealed his suspicions: that Yibo and Zhan—the two people they were searching for—might actually be the ones they had left behind in Shenzhen.

The moment Zhao Min heard this, her entire world spun. Her mind was overwhelmed by an emotion she hadn't felt since the death of Xiao Lei. Her thoughts scattered, unable to focus on anything else.

With trembling hands, she reached for her phone, desperate to call either Zhan or Yibo, but Shan Tunan quickly took it from her. He insisted that they needed to confirm everything first before making any direct contact. Somehow, she managed to hold herself together until they reached He Jun's house.

Once there, Shan Tunan gathered everyone in the household and started questioning them about Zhan. He even asked for a picture to verify his identity. But to their dismay, there wasn't a single photo of him in the house.

The matriarch of the home explained that all of Zhan's school pictures and personal belongings had been stored away in a box. Unfortunately, months ago, a fire had broken out in one of the rooms, destroying most of his things. Only a few books had been saved.

However, from the descriptions of his appearance and personality, Zhao Min was certain...it was him.

Determined to get concrete proof, Min and Kai rushed to his school, where they requested access to Zhan's records and retrieved his passport photo.

But before they could even return, Zhao Min's patience had run out. She pressured Shan Tunan to call Yibo right away and verify the name listed in Zhan's school records.

And just as she feared, the truth unraveled even before Min and Kai returned.

So, when they finally handed her Zhan's passport photo, it only confirmed what she already knew.

The moment her eyes landed on his face, everything broke inside her.

She cried...not knowing how to stop.

She cried for many reasons.

First, in gratitude that fate had revealed this truth to her before her death.

Second, for the relief that destiny had brought her lost son right to her doorstep.

And third, for the bitterness of all the lies and betrayal that had been spun around her for years...by Shi Lei and Qian...who had stolen away her own flesh and blood, deceiving her all this time.

And now that life was turning against them, they suddenly sought her forgiveness.

Or at least, Qian did.

As for Shi Lei...even now, even after confirming the truth, even as he lay on his hospital bed...he hadn't spoken a single word to her.

Zhao Min spent the night at He Jun's house because she felt that if she left, everything might change. She also noticed how the people in the house tiptoed around her. Mama, in particular, was visibly nervous whenever Zhao Min spoke, but she paid no attention to that. Her only wish was for morning to come quickly so Yibo and Zhan could arrive in Beijing, and everything could proceed as expected.

She called all her relatives and informed them of the situation. At first, they didn't believe her—they couldn't make sense of the story, especially her older brothers, who dismissed it as an attempt to manipulate her emotions. It wasn't until Shan Tunan stepped in and explained everything in detail that they began to understand the gravity of the situation.

Then there was Aunty Muxi, who had seen Zhan before and even remarked on his resemblance to their mother. Once she started recounting everything with excitement, their doubts vanished, and they finally grasped the truth.

Zhao Min told them that Guri and the others were already on their way to them, and she herself would be traveling the next day. Any further discussions could wait until she arrived.

At exactly six o'clock, Hao walked in, announcing that Zhan had arrived.

Zhao Min felt her chest tighten, a mixture of relief and anxiety washing over her. She wondered if she was about to see the same Zhan she had lived with all these years or if he would feel like a stranger.

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness... Oh, Zhan, Zhan... Life truly has its twists and turns... Welcome, welcome!"

Before she could even stand up, the courtyard was already filled with neighbors rushing in behind Zhan, their excited chatter echoing through the house. Despite the commotion, despite the overwhelming crowd, Zhao Min didn't hesitate. She rushed forward and pulled Zhan into a tight embrace.

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she held him, she can hear his heart pounding so hard in her chest as if the very ground beneath them was trembling.

▫️🔸🔹

The young woman sitting on the edge of the bed looked at Fen with a troubled expression.

"You know we all still live with our parents, so we have nowhere to take you." She sighed dramatically, making it clear that she had no intention of helping.

Fen adjusted her position, struggling to sit up straight. Tong, who was sitting nearby, quickly assisted her, knowing how weak she had become.

"I understand," Fen said. "I wasn't asking you to take me in—I just need help finding a place to stay. Even a small one, just for a year, until I recover."

Another woman, seated on a chair across from Fen, lifted her gaze from her phone and scoffed.

"A place to stay? Do you have any idea how expensive housing is right now, Fen? Where do you expect us to find that kind of money? Honestly, I don't even know what you were thinking."

The third girl, sitting quietly at the side, finally spoke up.

"And where exactly do you expect us to get that money from? You barely call us, and now, all of a sudden, you need something? I thought you would have saved up, considering how many new people you've been hanging around with."

The second girl nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Who knows? Maybe they have more money than we do. After all, you were always introducing them to the big shots."

Fen stared at them, feeling a lump forming in her throat. Their words stung, but not as much as the betrayal she had already endured. If she was angry at anything, it wasn't their dismissiveness—it was the humiliation she suffered the previous night at her friend house.

All because of a mistake.

A man had accidentally opened the wrong door, mistaking it for the bathroom. Inside, he had found her, weak and barely clothed, covered in the green herbal medicine that Tong had applied to her wounds.

That was all it took.

Without hesitation, he had packed his things and left, saying he would arrange another meeting point because he refused to stay in that house.

And her so-called best friend? Instead of standing by her, she had thrown her out, treating her with a level of cruelty Fen never expected from her.

It was that betrayal that hurt the most.

Not the words.

Not the rejection.

But the simple, cold fact that the people she had helped rise to success had abandoned her the moment she had nothing left to offer.

Fen clenched her fists, realizing that, despite everything she had built, despite all the wealth she once had, it had all vanished in an instant.

And the worst part?

She had never even seen it coming.

She nodded repeatedly, her mind weighed down by the harsh reality of life. Everything felt like an illusion—one moment, you had everything, and the next, it could all slip through your fingers. Her thoughts spiraled, each one more overwhelming than the last.

Among all her relatives, there was no one strong enough to support her now. That was the very reason she had gotten into this business in the first place—after her second marriage fell apart, she had nowhere to turn. She had no children, no grandchildren, and no one to truly rely on. And even after making money, she had distanced herself from her family. The few she kept close were struggling with small businesses, barely able to support themselves, let alone help her. So, where could she go now?

She briefly considered asking Tong to reach out to the people in her old neighborhood for help. She had always gotten along with them, but she knew it was pointless—whatever little they could gather wouldn't be enough to make a real difference.

Then, she thought about selling her house. But from the way Tong had described the aftermath of the fire, it was clear that even if a buyer appeared, it wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"Listen..."

One of the girls suddenly spoke, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Before we came here, we already talked it over. This is the best we can do for you... Honestly, Fen, we tried our best. Even we aren't making as much money as before, so please, from now on, don't call us again."

She placed a small bundle of cash beside Fen. Fen didn't need to count it; she could tell just from experience that it was about fifty thousand. Life truly was an illusion—she had once handed out this same amount without a second thought, yet now, it was being given to her as charity.

She wondered what to do next. Should she use what little she had left to find a place to stay? Or should she ask Tong to take her to a hospital instead?

"Please, let's leave now," one of the girls urged. "That medicine they apply to her is making me feel sick just from the smell."

Fen closed her eyes slowly as warm tears rolled down her cheeks.

🔸▫️🔹

"I'm sorry, Wu Jing... I just can't do it. My mother would never allow it."

Xu Liang sighed, running a hand down his face as he leaned back in his office chair. Across from him, Wu Jing sat at his desk, dressed elegantly as always, but her usual charm was dimmed by the exhaustion on her face.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean you can't? Explain it to me clearly, Xu Liang."

He adjusted his posture and let out a deep breath. "You already know my mother never approved of you, Wu Jing. The moment I told her we had separated, she was overjoyed. She said some things that even I found harsh, but... she's my mother. She insisted I remarry immediately. And—" he hesitated, glancing at her expression before continuing, "they've already found someone. Nioa, my aunt Cassia's daughter. You know her. Things have already progressed, and the wedding is set to happen in a month. So tell me, how can I possibly take you back now?"

With each word he spoke, it felt like a blade twisting deeper into Wu Jing's chest. And when he mentioned Nioa's name, a sharp pang of realization hit her. She had known this was coming. She knew that girl well—beautiful, unforgettable, and barely in her first year of college.

Her throat went dry as memories flooded back—an old family gathering where Xu Liang's mother had showered the girl with attention. Even back then, it had made Wu Jing uneasy. She had investigated, and when she was told that Nioa had already been promised to someone else, she had finally relaxed. But now, where did that promise stand?

And did they even care that Xu Liang wasn't in perfect health? Then again, she reminded herself, money could cover up any flaw. She herself had stayed with him for years because of it—why wouldn't Nioa?

But all of that wasn't even the worst part. The true pain came from how happy his mother had been to see her gone. Wu Jing had known she was never liked, but to be celebrated for leaving? That was a wound she hadn't expected to cut so deep.

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to sit up straight despite the dryness in her throat.

"Alright, Xu Liang. I understand," she said, her voice steady. "Now let's talk about my children. I was told that since I left, they've only been taken to my family's house once. We never discussed this, but I'm making it clear now—I won't let you keep them. Go ahead and have your wedding. I'll be sending someone to pick up my kids."

She explained directly while looking at him, and to her surprise, he simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Wu Jing, but my mother insists that the children should stay with me until Nioa arrives. She believes it's better for them to be with me rather than with you. And to be honest, I also prefer to keep my children with me."

Wu Jing stared at him for almost five seconds, repeating his words in her head. And the more she did, the more she grasped the sheer audacity behind every single one of them.

Seeing that she remained silent, he continued, "They're already getting along with Nioa. Can't you see? They've started bonding with her, so I can assure you there's nothing to worry about."

Without meaning to, Wu Jing let out a smile—a smile that quickly turned into laughter. It was almost comical. Now, everything was starting to make perfect sense. So he was getting married and planned to raise the children with his new wife. His life was moving forward seamlessly, just as it always had—perhaps even better. And now, she truly understood that it wasn't just his mother's decision; it was also what he wanted.

He was about to start a new chapter, completely at ease. When he had begged her not to leave him back then, when she had demanded a divorce, she never imagined things would change this drastically.

She had thought that losing her would at least affect him in some way. But now she was beginning to understand the power that money held in life—it could shield you from heartbreak, from regret, from any inconvenience at all.

But what Xu Liang didn't know was that no matter how much he tried to avoid it, he would feel the sting of loss. Because she now realized that he, his mother, and his entire family had only intended to humiliate her. And she would not sit back and let it happen.

She might feel like she had lost everything, but she would not lose her children—children that she alone had brought into this world. If only to ruin the happiness they thought they could build without her, she would do what she should have done years ago.

She straightened slightly in her seat, locking eyes with him.

"You, me, your mother, and everyone else in your family know exactly what kind of man you are, Xu Liang. We all know what you can and can't do. So let's stop lying to ourselves. Bao and the others are not your children. I conceived them without you. You have one week to conduct whatever tests you need to convince yourself. After that, I'm coming to take my children."

And the look of sheer panic in his eyes when she finished speaking? It was almost enough to shake even her resolve.

Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛