Shen Zhiqiu walked out of the household registration office with her new household register in hand. When she opened the first page and saw the three characters “Ye Zhiqiu,” she couldn’t help but smile.
From today onward, she would officially take on the surname Ye, cutting all ties with Shen Daqiang!
“Uncle He.”
Ye Zhiqiu was on her way to find Shen Xiang when she ran into He Weijun. Seeing the anger on his face, she quickly deduced the reason: “Did you just meet with Wang Fengqin?”
“It was her after all! Back then, when she approached us to strike up a conversation, I already felt something was off.”
“Even with the evidence right in front of her, she still refused to tell the truth, just kept crying about how wronged she was.”
He Weijun was seething: “How dare she play the victim! If it weren’t for her, your Aunt Gao Xiu wouldn’t have been left with chronic health problems, and what happened later wouldn’t have occurred.”
“Before she passed, she held my hand and kept murmuring about that child, begging me to find him and bring him home.”
Mentioning his late wife, He Weijun couldn’t hide his grief. Ye Zhiqiu comforted him softly: “Uncle He, don’t let anger consume you. Someone like her isn’t worth ruining your health over. The evidence is undeniable—she can’t refuse to admit it. The law will give you justice.”
“Big Sis.”
Shen Xiang snapped out of his daze, his first instinct to seek out Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu quickly stepped to the side, blocking He Weijun from view: “Uncle He, I haven’t told Xiao Xiang yet.”
“I’ll leave now.” He Weijun couldn’t help but glance at Shen Xiang before turning and hurrying away.
But Shen Xiang had already caught a clear look at He Weijun’s face. It was as if he’d been struck by lightning—he stood frozen in place, utterly stunned.
“Xiao Xiang?”
Ye Zhiqiu walked over to Shen Xiang and waved a hand in front of his eyes to bring him back to reality.
“Big Sis, who was that just now?” Shen Xiang grabbed Ye Zhiqiu’s arm, pointing in the direction He Weijun had gone, his expression panicked: “Tell me, who is he?!”
Feeling Shen Xiang trembling all over, Ye Zhiqiu pulled him into a hug, gently patting his back: “Xiao Xiang, don’t be afraid. It’s okay. Remember what I told you? No matter what happens, you’ll always be my brother. That will never change.”
“Big Sis, is this some kind of mistake?”
Shen Xiang pushed Ye Zhiqiu away, tears welling in his eyes, his expression pleading. He shook his head repeatedly: “It has to be a mistake, right? I heard the officer say that my mom took that child sixteen years ago, but I’m only fifteen.”
“Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding—my mom would never take someone else’s child!”
Ye Zhiqiu reached up to wipe Shen Xiang’s tears: “Xiao Xiang, the police wouldn’t make such claims without evidence. And you’re not fifteen—you’re sixteen.”
“The man you just saw is your biological father. He’s been searching for you all these years.”
“I found out about this while investigating Wang Fengqin. I was planning to tell you once we got home.”
She had assumed He Weijun would go to the police station to file a report, never expecting him to come straight to the district bureau.
Though Shen Xiang wasn’t the best student, he was sharp. Putting together the officer’s words and He Weijun’s appearance, he’d already guessed the truth.
“Xiao Xiang, let’s go home first.”
After returning to Fu’an Alley with Ye Zhiqiu, Shen Xiang locked himself in his room.
By evening, Ye Zhiqiu knocked on his door with a bowl of zhajiang noodles: “Xiao Xiang, it’s me. Can you open the door?”
Shen Xiang obeyed, opening the door and standing aside with his head lowered.
Ye Zhiqiu set the bowl on the table, guiding him to sit down and placing chopsticks in his hand: “Food is fuel. No matter what happens, you can’t skip meals.”
“After you eat, if you have any questions or anything you want to talk about, we’ll have a good, long talk.”
Shen Xiang quietly finished the entire bowl.
Ye Zhiqiu moved the dishes aside and sat down next to him: “Xiao Xiang.”
“Big Sis, can you take me to see him tomorrow? And… I think I should move out.”
Shen Xiang forced a smile: “It’s not right for me to stay here anymore.”
“Honestly, I shouldn’t have come in the first place. But I shamelessly thought that since we still shared the same surname, it’d be okay.”
Ye Zhiqiu handed him the household register, explaining that she had already changed her surname.
“Xiao Xiang, relationships between people aren’t just about blood. Sharing blood doesn’t guarantee family bonds, and not sharing blood doesn’t mean you can’t be family.”
“No matter what surnames we have in the future, it won’t erase over a decade of being siblings.”
Ye Zhiqiu looked Shen Xiang in the eye: “Unless one day you don’t want me as your big sister anymore, I’ll never stop seeing you as my brother.”
“Big Sis!”
Shen Xiang couldn’t hold back any longer. He threw himself into Ye Zhiqiu’s arms and burst into tears.
“Xiao Xiang, I know this is painful, and it’s hard to accept right now.”
“But in the long run, this is a good thing for your life.”
“Just based on how Shen Daqiang and Wang Fengqin kept you out of school and let you get into fights every day, they don’t deserve to be called parents.”
“Parents should set a good example, teach their kids right from wrong—not stand by when they make mistakes and let them keep going down the wrong path.”
“What usually happens when you fight? Either you get hurt, or the other person does. Sometimes both. And when tempers flare, people do things they can’t take back.”
“If you’re the one hurt, your life could be ruined. If you hurt someone else, that’s a crime—and your life could still be ruined.”
“Xiao Xiang, remember what I’m telling you: from now on, don’t pick fights for no reason.”
Ye Zhiqiu ruffled Shen Xiang’s hair. He straightened up, wiping his tears, and nodded earnestly: “Big Sis, I remember everything you’ve ever told me.”
Before this, his mother had often complained that he never listened to her—only to his big sister—calling him an ungrateful wretch.
But she never understood that his sister’s words made sense, while hers never did.
His second sister was even worse—rambling endlessly without ever getting to the point. Of course, he tuned her out.
“Big Sis… I actually wondered before if I was really Dad’s son.” Shen Xiang let out a bitter laugh, revealing the secret he’d buried deep in his heart.
He looked nothing like Shen Daqiang. His father and his so-called friends never let him forget it, and over time, their words sank in.
Once doubt takes root, it grows.
He’d often secretly compared himself to Shen Daqiang, and the more he did, the less alike they seemed.
“But I never imagined… she wasn’t my real mom either.”
Shen Xiang looked at Ye Zhiqiu: “Big Sis, have you met my birth mother? What was she like? Was she… like her?”
“Xiao Xiang, your birth mother has already passed away. As for what kind of person she was, you can ask Uncle He about that later. But I imagine she was a good person—nothing like Wang Fengqin.”
Ye Zhiqiu clasped Shen Xiang’s hands: “Xiao Xiang, are you sure you want to meet Uncle He tomorrow?”
