After submitting his volunteer application to the Sunshine Orphanage, Xie Ruan became accustomed to checking his phone often, worried he might miss their response.
To He Jinqing, it looked like he was hopelessly addicted to the internet.
“Look at your son,” He Jinqing nudged Chen Wei with his elbow, sneering. “With him glued to his phone every day, will you still be able to rely on him when you’re old?”
Chen Wei followed his gaze, seeing Xie Ruan absorbed in his phone without even glancing her way. She pursed her lips.
“That’s why I told you to treat Chenchen better,” He Jinqing said, smugly sipping his tea, continuing his daily lecture to Chen Wei. “You made him his favorite sweet and sour lotus root tonight, but does he even appreciate it?”
Worried Xie Ruan might overhear, he turned up the TV volume and continued, “Instead of helping you out during the holidays, he’s out all day, nowhere to be seen, and when he finally comes back in the evening, he doesn’t even think to talk to you or show you any care. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Chen Wei still said nothing, though her expression subtly shifted.
She felt both disappointed and powerless.
All these years, she’d been trying to balance the relationship between Xie Ruan and her new husband, exhausting herself. Why couldn’t he just try to understand her a bit?
He knew how hard it was for a blended family, yet he remained immature. He didn’t study well, didn’t help with chores, nothing to speak of—really…
Chen Wei sighed, “He’s still young.”
Maybe once he grew a bit older, he’d become more understanding.
“Young?” He Jinqing laughed as if he’d heard a joke. “He’ll be eighteen soon, and you still think he’s young? When I was eighteen, I was already out earning a living for my family.”
“Well…” Chen Wei glanced at He Jinqing’s expression, hesitating, “Maybe we could give him a little less allowance next semester? Maybe a hundred less each month?”
She wasn’t trying to be harsh on Xie Ruan, but she thought this might help him recognize his mistakes.
With that thought, any guilt she’d felt disappeared.
He Jinqing didn’t say yes or no, but from the way the corners of his mouth lifted, it was clear he was quite pleased.
Every cent saved on that “stray” was another cent for his own son; nothing could make him happier.
The whole neighborhood could practically hear the calculations he was making in his head, but he didn’t notice his son He Chen sitting nearby, frowning at the TV.
“It’s up to you; I’m fine either way,” He Jinqing said, looking as righteous as ever, spouting fine words. “I’m not going to meddle in his education, so if anything goes wrong, no one can blame me as the stepfather.”
Chen Wei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a gentle smile. “I know you; you’ve done enough.”
He Jinqing immediately felt a wave of satisfaction.
The greatest achievement of his life was marrying Chen Wei. Although she’d been married before and came with a “baggage,” she was so easy to fool. Just a few words, and she’d hand over her money, and she was still beautiful, too.
“Let me tell you, you really need to manage Xie Ruan. Who knows who he takes after? Fighting, lying—there’s nothing he wouldn’t do. If this keeps up, he’ll end up in jail, and we don’t want him dragging down our Chenchen, especially if he wants to become a civil servant someday—”
Suddenly, the lively sound of the TV went silent.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only He Jinqing’s loud voice echoing in the air.
Xie Ruan looked up from his phone and gazed over. Though he didn’t say a word, He Jinqing could clearly see the mockery and disdain in his eyes.
Face flushed red, the fat on He Jinqing’s face quivered as he struggled with his embarrassment.
“This d*mn TV!” He Jinqing got up angrily. “Where did you buy it? Call customer service! I—”
Mid-rant, he noticed the remote control in He Chen’s hand and froze.
He hadn’t expected this act from his own son, and the realization hit him so hard he nearly passed out. Losing control for once, he slapped He Chen hard on the back. “You little ungrateful white eyed wolf!”
He just couldn’t understand why his son liked that “cheap” brother of his so much. Ever since he was little, he’d always tagged along after his brother and wouldn’t let anyone say a bad word about him. The worst part was, his brother didn’t even want to bother with him!
“Enough.” Seeing tears well up in his youngest son’s eyes, Chen Wei’s heart ached. She grabbed He Jinqing and pulled him towards their bedroom. “Why did you hit him? It was just a coincidence.”
As they passed by Xie Ruan, she met her eldest son’s clear gaze, her face turning red with embarrassment, and she hurried her pace.
The air in the living room instantly felt fresher once they were gone.
Suddenly, Xie Ruan’s phone buzzed.
He looked down; it was an unknown number.
After a moment’s thought, he went to the balcony to answer it. “Hello?”
A young man’s voice came through, “Is this Xie Ruan?”
“Yes, who’s this?”
“Right, well,” the man’s voice lightened when he confirmed he’d reached the right person, “I’m from the Volunteer Association. You applied to volunteer at Sunshine Orphanage, right?”
Xie Ruan’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I did.”
He hadn’t expected such a quick response. He’d only applied yesterday and was already hearing back.
What he didn’t know was that, with the New Year approaching, everyone was busy. Some were meeting up with friends or helping prepare for the holiday at home, and very few people were volunteering. Now that they’d finally found someone, they had to make the most of it.
“We’ve got everything arranged. Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m., meet us at the entrance of Sunshine Orphanage. Is that okay for you?”
“No problem.”
After thinking for a moment, Xie Ruan asked, “Should I bring anything?”
It was clear he was a bit inexperienced. The man on the other end laughed and said, “No need; just come as you are. There’s no heavy work—mostly just cleaning. It’s pretty easy.”
“Alright.”
He’d waited so long for this day.
After hanging up, he was just about to go back to his room to figure out the details for tomorrow when he noticed the lone figure on the couch.
In his rage, He Jinqing had truly hit hard. The child’s eyes were red, but he stubbornly refused to cry. Who knows where he got that resilience from.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Xie Ruan walked over and ruffled his hair. “Want to come to my room and play some games?”
The unexpected offer almost knocked He Chen over with joy, his big eyes lighting up. “C-can I?”
His brother rarely acknowledged him, but clearly, he’d chosen the right side!
He Chen clenched his little fist internally. Even though his dad had hit him, well…
He’d still do it again next time!
“Of course you can.” Xie Ruan opened the door to his room and beckoned him over. “Come on, don’t just stand there.”
He Chen dashed into the room like a little cannonball, closing the door behind him as if afraid his brother might change his mind.
Xie Ruan couldn’t help but laugh, pulling out his phone and opening the game screen before handing it to He Chen. He then sat down at his desk to work on his plan.
Even though he’d mostly confirmed that Bo Jin’s future suicide was likely accidental, the visit to the orphanage was still necessary.
He’d always thought it strange that a bright, healthy child like Bo Jin hadn’t been adopted. He wanted to learn more; only by knowing more could he prepare for unexpected events before they happened.
Asking the children at the orphanage would be useless, since Bo Jin had been there years ago, and they wouldn’t remember him. And speaking with the head of the orphanage wasn’t an option either; assuming he could even get access, that person was sure to be vigilant. He didn’t want to end up spilling his own secrets.
That left only the orphanage staff.
Xie Ruan had done his research and knew that healthy children were rare in orphanages. Someone like Bo Jin would have left a lasting impression—hard to forget, even after so many years.
With his target in mind, Xie Ruan exhaled. Cleaning up wasn’t difficult; if there were enough volunteers, they’d likely be done by noon, or at worst, by the end of the day.
So tomorrow, he’d have to move fast.
Just as he was thinking about this, his phone suddenly rang. Xie Ruan looked over, but before he could answer, He Chen reflexively accepted the video call.
Bo Jin’s lazy voice came through the phone, “Kid, where’s your brother?”
He Chen dashed over to Xie Ruan, holding up the phone with a serious look on his face to show Xie Ruan’s face to the camera.
Bo Jin raised his brows. He’d always thought that kids He Chen’s age were annoying, but this one seemed so well-behaved he couldn’t help but tease him, “Not gonna say hello? You don’t know who I am, do you? Let me tell you, we’re about to become family. I’m your older brother’s…”
Xie Ruan, unable to listen anymore, snatched the phone and cut him off. “Shut up!”
Talking nonsense in front of kids—what if he led him astray?
“So fierce,” Bo Jin didn’t get angry at being told off. He hadn’t actually meant to say anything serious anyway, so he followed along and changed the topic. “Why didn’t you start streaming tonight?”
Xie Ruan instinctively checked the time and realized he’d missed his streaming schedule. He scratched his head in embarrassment. “I forgot.”
The call from the Volunteer Association had gotten him so excited he’d completely forgotten he needed to study.
“Slacking off, huh, Little Xie,” Bo Jin tapped his finger on the table. “How old are you to still be playing around with kids until you forget the time? Are you a kid yourself?”
The word “kid” sounded innocent, but coming from Bo Jin, it felt oddly mocking. A faint blush crept onto Xie Ruan’s cheeks as he tried to defend himself, “Don’t make things up. I didn’t.”
“Really?” Bo Jin looked at He Chen, who was eavesdropping with his ears perked. “Little brother, did your older brother lie?”
He Chen, fiercely protective of his brother, immediately replied loudly, “No!”
Xie Ruan suddenly looked as if he’d been given a powerful trump card, lifting his chin as he stared at Bo Jin.
Bo Jin glanced at the two of them and couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Although He Chen didn’t really resemble Xie Ruan, whose looks were hard to match, He Chen resembled their father and was more delicate. Still, the two of them had similar expressions and body language—clearly siblings.
Suddenly interested, Bo Jin said to Xie Ruan, “Next time you go out, bring your little brother along.”
Bo Jin understood that if their relationship were strained, there was no way Xie Ruan would have let He Chen into his room, let alone use his phone. Since they were still spending time together this late, it showed that their relationship hadn’t been affected by their parents’ attitudes.
This kid was probably the only one at home that Xie Ruan could talk to.
Before Xie Ruan could reply, He Chen had already perked up, unable to contain his excitement. “Really?” He turned to Xie Ruan, his eyes sparkling. “Can I, brother?”
Feeling a headache, Xie Ruan didn’t dislike He Chen, but he didn’t know how to interact with him, much less take him out. What if something happened? Bo Jin was definitely giving him a challenge.
Not wanting to reject He Chen in front of him, he vaguely replied, “We’ll see.”
He Chen was sharp enough to understand that this was basically a refusal. His eyes lost their spark, and he lowered his head dejectedly.
“Don’t be like that,” Bo Jin, noticing, laughed. “Sun Haoxiang has a younger brother about the same age as yours. They could be good company for each other.”
Bo Jin wasn’t fond of children and generally avoided them, but he didn’t want to see Xie Ruan isolated in his own home, with no one to talk to. Getting close to the kid wouldn’t hurt.
It was the first time Xie Ruan had heard that Sun Haoxiang had a brother, and he was curious yet intrigued. “He has a brother? Alright then. But whoever suggested it has to be in charge.”
“No problem.”
“Oh, by the way,” Xie Ruan suddenly remembered something. “I have an appointment the day after tomorrow, so I might be out all day. Don’t wait for me.”
“What’s up?”
“Visiting some relatives,” Xie Ruan fibbed.
He couldn’t tell Bo Jin the truth, so he brushed it off.
Bo Jin raised an eyebrow. “Visiting relatives before New Year’s? Okay, give me a call when you’re back.”
“What for?” For a second, Xie Ruan thought Bo Jin had seen through him. Why was he following up so closely?
Noticing his wary expression, Bo Jin couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you think? You’ll come back and stream and do your homework.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
He was at a loss for words. “You…”
He could hardly find the words to describe Bo Jin. Was this guy crazy? Or had his homeroom teacher possessed him? Even Sun Fuan didn’t keep this close an eye on him!
“What about me?” Bo Jin rested his chin on one hand, eyeing him with amusement. “Are you finally seeing my true nature?”
Xie Ruan nodded vigorously. Absolutely, he thought—he had never realized Bo Jin had such a knack for being a tyrant before.
Bo Jin glanced at He Chen, feeling free to tease since the little guy wouldn’t understand the subtext. “No choice—I’m just an unkind husband.”
At first, Xie Ruan didn’t get it, but when he met Bo Jin’s playful gaze, his face turned a deep shade of red.
From the other end, He Chen’s confused voice asked, “Brother, why is your face so red?”
He paused, then added, “Is it because the heater’s turned up too high?”
Then came Xie Ruan’s teeth-gritting voice, “I’m not, shut up!”
“Yes, you are! Just look…”
The video call abruptly ended, hung up instantly.
Bo Jin looked at the screen, imagining Xie Ruan blushing and flustered as he frantically cut the call. He couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
Little Xie was just too easy to tease.
