Chapter 127
Shen Yisi managed to compose himself rather quickly, returning to normal in short order. However, Father Shen and Mother Shen seemed trapped in an indescribable mood. Eventually, it was Shen Yisi who cleared his throat lightly and picked up the conversation. “Shen Xili? Is that the child who stood next to you at the award ceremony?”
“Yes,” Shen Shuyu replied, looking at Shen Yisi with a smile. “To be honest, the first time I saw him, I thought he looked just like you, Brother.”
Beside him, Mother Shen placed some food into Shen Shuyu’s bowl. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is that so? How much does he resemble your brother?”
“Very much so,” Shen Shuyu said. “He’s also very capable. He helped me many times during the Survival War. He’s a good person.”
Mother Shen lowered her gaze. “He’s a good person… that’s good.”
Shen Shuyu continued, “Actually, I didn’t like him much at first, but my opinion changed later. I realized he hasn’t had an easy life.”
Mother Shen lifted her head to look at Shen Shuyu, her tone slightly urgent. “Why do you say that?”
Shen Yisi cleared his throat again. Only then did Mother Shen snap out of it. She lowered her head, put some greens into her mouth, and tried to mask her overly concerned demeanor.
Shen Shuyu said, “During the Survival War, we got separated from our teammates, and he chatted with me about his past.”
At the mention of the past, Mother Shen couldn’t hold back. “How was his life before?”
“Not good,” Shen Shuyu gave a light shrug. “He said he was picked up by a grandmother who scavenged for recyclables. But one year, their planet suffered from a war, and his grandmother died. After that, he started wandering…”
Shen Shuyu slowly recounted everything Shen Xili had told him during the Survival War. Naturally, he noticed Mother Shen’s mood becoming increasingly despondent.
He turned his head to look at her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Mother Shen wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief. “It’s nothing. Mom just feels that… he really hasn’t had it easy.”
She glanced at Father Shen, let out a long sigh, and said, “I’m full. You eat more, baby. I’m going upstairs to rest.”
Shen Shuyu nodded. “Okay, Mom. Rest well.”
Mother Shen nodded, left the dining table, and walked upstairs without pausing.
Father Shen spoke up then. “I’ll go up and check on your mother.”
Shen Shuyu gave a hum of acknowledgment. He looked across at Shen Yisi, only to find his brother looking back at him, wearing an expression like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Shen Shuyu tilted his head. “What’s wrong, Brother?”
Shen Yisi shook his head. “Nothing.”
Although Father Shen had brought up the topic, Shen Yisi had a nagging feeling that Shen Shuyu had brought up Shen Xili on purpose.
But meeting Shen Shuyu’s gaze, he dismissed the thought.
Shen Shuyu didn’t know about the situation with Shen Xili, so he couldn’t have done it intentionally.
The family of four, each harboring their own secrets.
On the second floor, Mother Shen collapsed into Father Shen’s arms, unable to hold back her sobbing any longer.
Father Shen sighed, stroking her back soothingly. “Alright now. If Little Fish comes up and hears this, he’ll ask why you’re crying.”
Mother Shen pulled away from his embrace. “I just didn’t expect him to have suffered so much.”
Father Shen murmured in agreement. “Yes, I didn’t expect him to endure so much hardship either. But his character is good; he didn’t go astray.”
They had originally planned to travel around the interstellar system, but Shen Yisi had brought them two paternity reports that dealt them a heavy blow. The well-behaved Omega son they had raised for twenty years was not their biological child.
This news was a bombshell for the Shen family. To figure out what had happened, the three of them investigated for nearly half a month before finally finding the nurse who had taken care of Mother Shen and the baby back then.
The nurse admitted that someone had given her a large sum of money to switch Shen Xili and Shen Shuyu. At the time, she was in desperate need of money and, in a moment of greed, she agreed.
Shen Xili was supposed to have been left outside to freeze to death, but she couldn’t bear to do it. Instead, she took him to her hometown and left him on a path frequented by an old woman who collected scraps. Everyone around knew that the old woman had lost her husband and son and made a living picking through trash, but she was a kind soul. This was the nurse’s way of atoning for her sin.
Mother Shen said, “Why doesn’t he want to acknowledge us? He’s suffered so much, yet he isn’t willing to come back and let us take good care of him.”
Father Shen sighed. “Let’s give him a little more time.”
Their return this time was precisely for this matter. Originally, Father Shen and Mother Shen only wanted to take a secret look at Shen Xili and then slowly figure out a solution. They hadn’t expected Shen Xili to be so vigilant; he discovered them.
Mother Shen had been emotionally unstable recently because of this. Half-pushed by circumstances, she confessed the truth to Shen Xili.
Unexpectedly, Shen Xili didn’t have a big reaction. Instead, he comforted Mother Shen, telling her to go back and rest, and to give him some time.
As soon as that was done, they encountered Shen Shuyu fainting in front of them. There had simply been too many incidents lately.
Father Shen sighed. Now there was another problem: how to make Shen Shuyu accept that the parents he had called Mom and Dad for twenty years weren’t his biological parents.
They had asked the nurse about Shen Shuyu’s origins as well. She said Shen Shuyu was indeed born on the same day as Shen Xili, but he was born secretly in a hospital restroom. His biological parents’ whereabouts were unknown; he was an abandoned infant.
Father Shen said, “Compose yourself. Wait until this afternoon, and we will talk to Little Fish.”
It was better to speak of this sooner rather than later, to give Shen Shuyu time to mentally prepare.
Given their family’s conditions, raising another child was effortless. And since Shen Shuyu had been obedient since childhood, if they gave him a little time, he would understand.
In the living room, Shen Shuyu didn’t know what the adults upstairs were discussing. He was curled up on the sofa looking at photos Wen Jiafei had sent. Wen Jiafei had taken the little orange cat home. The kitten adapted quickly to its new environment, doing parkour beside Wen Yue, making her laugh heartily.
Looking at the kitten in the photos and videos, Shen Shuyu’s heart softened.
He was just preparing to message Wen Jiafei to say he would visit tomorrow—after all, he hadn’t visited since Wen Yue was discharged—when a message from Wen Jiafei popped up first.
[Wen Jiafei: Are you feeling better?]
Everyone knew about his fainting spell. After waking up yesterday, he had replied to some messages, but although he hadn’t seen one from Wen Jiafei, Shen Shuyu understood. Wen Jiafei wasn’t someone who expressed himself much, so he hadn’t minded.
He hadn’t expected Wen Jiafei to ask actively today.
Shen Shuyu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow slightly. He deleted the draft he had just typed and composed a new one.
[Shen Shuyu: I’m recovered. Nothing serious, don’t worry.]
[Wen Jiafei: Mn.]
Shen Shuyu wanted to mention visiting tomorrow, but just then, Father Shen came downstairs. “Little Fish, come upstairs for a moment.”
Shen Shuyu glanced up and abandoned his message. “Okay, Dad.”
To the side, Shen Yisi, who had been reading a financial newspaper, looked up at Father Shen. Finally, he stood up and dismissed the servants to the separate quarters to rest.
Noticing this move, Shen Shuyu understood clearly in his heart. They were likely going to tell him about Shen Xili.
He pursed his lips. Although he had guessed this day would come, now that it was actually here, he still felt a bit unhappy. But if Shen Xili could return, perhaps he wouldn’t end up like he did in the dream.
Shen Shuyu walked step by step toward the study. Father Shen and Mother Shen were already sitting on the sofa. Mother Shen’s eyes were still red; it looked like she had barely managed to calm down.
Shen Shuyu took a slow, deep breath and feigned a relaxed tone. “Mom, Dad, what’s up?”
“Sit first,” Father Shen said. “Wait for your brother to come up.”
Shen Shuyu nodded and obediently sat on the single sofa opposite them. A few minutes later, Shen Yisi came up as well.
Father Shen gave him a look. Shen Yisi closed the door securely and sat on the sofa too.
The four of them sat in silence. Shen Shuyu smiled and asked, “Why is no one talking?”
Father Shen and Mother Shen exchanged a glance. Father Shen sighed and said, “Little Fish, there is something we need to tell you today.”
Shen Shuyu nodded. “Okay.”
Just as Father Shen was about to speak, Shen Yisi cut in first. “Little Fish, we will always be a family.”
Shen Shuyu only smiled. “Of course.”
Although he hadn’t fully thought through how to face the situation that would follow, it was good that the Shen parents found their biological child early and that Shen Xili could return to the family sooner.
Besides, whether in the past or now, he was fundamentally an outsider.
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