The congee, dotted with bits of green vegetables, slowly spread across the floor, sticky and steaming, looking rather unappetizing.
The servants rushed over with cleaning tools, occasionally sneaking glances at Mother Shen.
Goodness, she had worked for the Shen family for nearly five years and had never seen her lose composure like this.
What had just happened between these two?
Shen Xingyun was also surprised. His mother, known for her beauty and grace, was famous in their social circle, yet here she was in a state of disarray.
Did he say something shocking?
Frowning, he tried to recall but couldn’t think of anything noteworthy.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she forced a smile, quickly making an excuse. “Your sudden voice startled me.”
Would his mom really be startled by something so small? He instinctively sensed she was lying.
His mother had earned a reputation as an “Iron Lady” in the business world, hardly one to be scared so easily.
So what had caused this reaction?
Before he could think it through, his mother spoke again. “Did I hear your friend mention an orphanage?”
She gestured to the servant, who had come to serve her another bowl of congee, to step back and, feigning casualness, asked, “Are you thinking about doing charity work?”
She sipped her coffee, regaining her usual calm demeanor. “That’s a good thing. Our company donates funds for charity every year. Which orphanage? I’ll have someone make sure it gets some extra attention.”
“No,” Shen Xingyun scoffed, not interested in those pretenses.
Charity in name, self-interest in essence.
Did they really think all those bigwigs were philanthropists? Most of them just wanted the tax breaks and good publicity.
“I see,” his mother said with a faint smile, watching him closely, not missing a single expression. “Then why are you so interested in the orphanage?”
Hearing this, Shen Xingyun’s face grew a little unnatural, and he muttered, “It’s nothing.”
What else could he say?
Was he supposed to admit he was interested because of an ex-boyfriend? The one he’d looked down on before but now couldn’t get over?
Too embarrassing—he couldn’t say it.
But his reaction caused his mother to misunderstand, and her heart sank. She had no more interest in the conversation. After a few brief words, she returned to her room and picked up her phone to call Father Shen. “Old Shen, something’s happened…”
Elsewhere, Xie Ruan had joined the Volunteer Association members and, after being given a yellow vest, was finally able to enter the orphanage.
This orphanage had well-equipped facilities.
Slides, seesaws, rainbow bridges—they had it all. They even had cute toy cars, indicating they’d received donations.
But the peeling paint on the building walls showed the place had been around for a long time.
Today, there were five volunteers in total, including Xie Ruan. Their task was as expected—to clean up so the children could celebrate the New Year in a tidy environment.
The one meeting them wasn’t the director but a woman named Aunt Feng, who handled day-to-day affairs at the orphanage. She looked to be around sixty, with neatly combed hair and a capable demeanor.
“The hall and rooms need a good cleaning,” she said, quickly settling into work mode, likely accustomed to working with volunteers. She pointed to a row of half-open doors, “Some rooms are a bit dirtier and may need a few more people.”
There were few healthy children in the orphanage; most suffered from incurable conditions like polio, heart disease, or cerebral palsy.
Those who could care for themselves were alright, but those bedridden and unable to do so were left with rooms that were hard to keep clean, no matter how diligent the staff was.
After explaining this, Aunt Feng didn’t join in on the task distribution but stepped aside to have a word with a nearby staff member.
Before long, the staff came over, pushing a food cart. Aunt Feng greeted them and followed the staff into a room.
As the door fully opened, Xie Ruan could clearly see that it was filled with disabled children.
A little girl with a waxen face sat limply on a bed, her arms absent, and her large head tilted to one side. Sensing Xie Ruan’s gaze, she shied away nervously, only to look back a moment later with a shy smile.
Another girl sat across from her, clutching a Rubik’s Cube but not playing with it. She occasionally peered out with curious, wide eyes; her left leg was missing a portion…
Xie Ruan’s heart clenched.
Even though he didn’t come to the orphanage solely for volunteer work, he was still deeply moved by the scene before him.
The other volunteers, initially discussing their tasks, gradually quieted down as well.
“I’ll start with this room,” Xie Ruan broke the silence.
The team leader was surprised.
He’d brought many volunteers here before, and while everyone had good intentions, good intentions and reality are two different things.
In messy conditions, most people inevitably felt a little averse to the work.
He hadn’t expected a handsome young man like Xie Ruan, someone who seemed to attract a lot of attention, to volunteer for the tougher, dirtier tasks.
“Alright.” The leader patted his shoulder and pointed him in a direction. “Just start cleaning from here; we’ll head to the other end and meet you later.”
Thinking for a moment, he added, “How about I send someone else to help you?”
“No need,” Xie Ruan quickly declined.
The room was already narrow, and two volunteers plus orphanage staff would be too cramped. Besides, he wanted a chance to see if he could talk to Aunt Feng without others around.
“Alright then.”
When Xie Ruan entered the room, Aunt Feng was feeding the armless little girl some fruit puree. Noticing him, she greeted him with a smile, “Here already?”
She had noticed this young man from the start.
He was simply too striking.
At seventeen or eighteen, he was clean-cut and fresh, like a thriving young bamboo, instantly setting him apart from others.
“Hello, Aunt Feng, my name is Xie Ruan, and I’ll be cleaning this room.”
He wasn’t particularly good with elders, but his looks worked to his advantage. Hardly any woman could ignore such a handsome young man—nor could the aunties and grandmothers!
“Ah, hello, hello, Little Xie,” Aunt Feng said warmly. Seeing him move to the window, she set down the fruit puree bowl and started clearing the table to make room for him.
She struck up a conversation, “You’re still a student, right?”
“You’ve got a good eye!” Xie Ruan gave her a thumbs up. “I’m in my second year of high school.” He paused, adding casually, “I go to Shijia High School nearby.”
After speaking, he subtly observed Aunt Feng’s reaction.
According to the Volunteer Association leader, Aunt Feng had worked at the orphanage for many years. This meant she likely knew Bo Jin and might know about his past.
Sure enough, Aunt Feng’s expression turned a bit complex at the mention of Shijia High School. “Shijia, yes… Shijia is a good school.”
Climbing onto the window ledge to clean, Xie Ruan asked offhandedly, “You know our school? Do you know anyone who studies there?”
Aunt Feng hesitated, then quickly denied, “No, I’ve just heard of it.” She brushed back her hair, as if to cover something up. “There aren’t many schools around here, you know.”
Unbeknownst to her, her reaction had already given her away.
Xie Ruan was now sure that Aunt Feng knew Bo Jin. As for why she denied it, he could guess.
She probably didn’t want to risk Bo Jin’s time in the orphanage being known and potentially causing him trouble with classmates.
Xie Ruan didn’t push further or reveal his identity. It would be suspicious if someone claiming to be Bo Jin’s classmate suddenly came asking about his childhood.
After feeding fruit to the children, Aunt Feng didn’t leave but stayed to help Xie Ruan.
Seeing the opportunity, Xie Ruan glanced at the small playground outside and brought up a new topic. “Aunt Feng, this playground here is really nice—it looks even better than the one by my house’s kindergarten.”
“Right?” Aunt Feng rinsed a rag and handed it to him, unable to hide a proud smile. “It was built just a couple of years ago.” Her tone carried a hint of pride. “It was donated by a child who grew up here.”
“Really?” Xie Ruan was genuinely surprised. “That’s amazing.”
He didn’t know much about construction, but a playground like this would cost at least a million. For someone from an orphanage to earn such a sum and then generously donate it was more than impressive.
“Yes, that child was smart from a young age,” Aunt Feng said, unable to stop once she started, like a parent bragging about their child. “He was good-looking too—everyone who met him liked him.”
Curious, Xie Ruan asked, “What’s he doing now?”
Aunt Feng, lost in her storytelling, replied with a smile, “He’s still studying.”
Seeing Xie Ruan’s astonished look, her sense of pride grew. “Oh, I don’t really understand, but I think he’s researching something like facial recognition—something you young folks probably know about.”
Facial recognition.
Xie Ruan’s hand paused mid-clean. If he wasn’t mistaken, Bo Jin was indeed working on that privately.
Smart, good-looking, working on facial recognition…
Could he assume that the person Aunt Feng mentioned, who had donated the playground, was Bo Jin?
“I understand,” Xie Ruan suppressed the excitement in his heart, steadied himself, and said with a smile, “That’s impressive; a lot of high-tech companies here are working on that.”
Aunt Feng’s smile was filled with satisfaction.
Xie Ruan glanced at the children in the room, who were eavesdropping on their conversation, then hopped down from the windowsill, picked up the basin where he’d rinsed the cloth several times, and asked Aunt Feng, “Aunt Feng, where’s the water room? I’d like to get fresh water.”
Fond of his good looks and enjoying their chat, Aunt Feng responded warmly, “It’s down at the other end of the hall, a bit far. I’ll show you the way.”
“Thank you, Aunt Feng.”
“No need to be so polite, child.”
They passed through the lobby, greeting two volunteers mopping the floor, and then encountered a group of strangers.
Aunt Feng didn’t handle visitor reception, so after a brief glance, she led Xie Ruan around them. As they passed, he vaguely caught the word “adoption.”
Something clicked, and he softly asked Aunt Feng, “Are there still people coming to adopt children, even this close to the New Year?”
It wasn’t a secret, so Aunt Feng answered honestly, “This just happens to be a coincidence; we don’t get many people coming to adopt children.”
“Then…” Xie Ruan considered his words, then asked, “Do the children want to be adopted?”
“Of course, they do.” Aunt Feng led him into the water room and turned on the tap for him. “Our orphanage has limited resources. Before we received that donation, we could barely keep the children fed. No matter how much we care, we aunties and grandmothers can’t replace a child’s parents.”
The topic was heavy, so Xie Ruan changed the subject with admiration, “The donor is truly remarkable. I wish I could make money like that.”
Aunt Feng laughed at his words. “Why are you worried about earning money at such a young age? Your priority now is to study.”
“Well, he’s still studying too,” Xie Ruan feigned a little competitiveness. “Is he much older than me?”
His youthful spirit was endearing, and Aunt Feng smiled indulgently. “How old are you? Are you eighteen yet?”
Xie Ruan shook his head. “Not yet, I’ll turn eighteen around the New Year.”
“He’s two years older than you.” As she saw him finish washing the cloth, Aunt Feng turned off the tap, teasing, “He’s nineteen.”
Nineteen.
Xie Ruan looked down, his feelings complicated—so it really was Bo Jin.
He had never imagined this side of Bo Jin.
“What’s wrong, feeling a bit down?” Aunt Feng chuckled at his expression, thinking how young he still was.
At Xie Ruan’s age, he should be calling her “Granny Feng” like the children. Her grandson was already ten. But since the volunteer leader had called her Aunt Feng, the young volunteers had followed suit.
“Don’t overthink it. Your focus should be to get a good score on the college entrance exams in two years.”
“I know.” Xie Ruan calmed himself and smiled at Aunt Feng. “It’s just that he’s amazing.”
“Isn’t he?” Aunt Feng closed the water room door behind her. “In all my years, he’s the brightest child I’ve ever met.” Thinking of Bo Jin’s past, she said with regret, “Anything he saw, he’d remember it right away. Such a pity, though, growing up in our orphanage—”
Had he been raised in a different family, not necessarily wealthy but even modestly well-off, his accomplishments would be immeasurable.
“He…” Xie Ruan’s fingers trembled as he finally voiced the question that had been nagging him, “Such an outstanding child—was he never adopted?”
Aunt Feng stopped walking, silent for a long time.
How could he not have been? Handsome, healthy young boys are never short of prospective adoptive parents; Bo Jin had been adopted at only six months old.
Recalling this, a smoldering anger rose in Aunt Feng’s heart. Since Xie Ruan didn’t know Bo Jin’s identity, she let her feelings flow. “That family was wealthy and treated the child well at first. But soon, the woman got pregnant, and they started neglecting him.”
Just thinking of it made Aunt Feng’s anger flare. If it hadn’t been for fear of causing trouble for Bo Jin, she would have long exposed the Shen family’s disgusting actions to everyone.
Philanthropists, caring entrepreneurs—what nonsense!
She had never seen anything so heartless!
Preferring their biological child was understandable; that’s human nature. But if they didn’t want Bo Jin, they could have returned him—at least he’d have a meal at the orphanage.
But the heartless Shen family, fearing he might compete with their biological son for the inheritance, didn’t want to return him either, worried it would hurt their reputation. Instead, they deliberately starved him, a little more each day, for six months until he became ill.
Outwardly, they made quite a show, sending him to the hospital, taking leave from work to “care for him,” each one of them crying their “heartfelt” tears for everyone to see.
They claimed the child couldn’t adjust to his new home, that they’d tried everything, and reluctantly returned him “for his own good.”
Both she and the director believed them, thinking they had done their best. Fate had simply separated them, so they took Bo Jin back without a word.
Afterward, this couple even brought gifts a few times, putting on an air that fooled everyone.
Aunt Feng let out a cold laugh.
But traces of one’s deeds remain.
No one had expected Bo Jin to have hyperthymesia—he remembered everything clearly from the age of one. Everything they said and did was etched in his mind, and he told her and the director everything once he could express himself clearly.
When they first learned the truth, she and the director could have stormed the Shen household with kitchen knives in hand, ready to tear those two apart.
But what good would that have done? The harm had already been done.
With Bo Jin’s condition, he couldn’t forget things. As a child, he always believed the Shen couple were his parents, making it impossible for him to bond with anyone else, leaving him unadoptable and stuck in the orphanage.
Aunt Feng remembered clearly; back then, the Shen family had named him Shen Xingyun.
Even after all these years, he still responded to that name.
There was once a time when the Shen couple, who had come to visit, overheard them calling him by that name. They tactfully hinted that the name had been chosen by a master and could only be used for their son.
After that, the director stopped calling him Xingyun and instead used a nickname. When he was a little older, he chose the name Bo Jin for himself, finally settling on his new identity.
“What a tragedy,” Aunt Feng sighed. She kept Bo Jin’s hyperthymesia and the Shen family’s identity a secret, but shared the rest with Xie Ruan.
Xie Ruan clenched his fists so tightly that he nearly bit through his teeth.
So that was why someone like Bo Jin hadn’t been adopted. Unbelievable.
D*mn it! Those adoptive parents were truly heartless!
Abused as a baby… How much pain had Bo Jin endured?
Xie Ruan felt his heart ache as if it might break. His chest felt tight, suffocating, and he had a murderous urge rising within him, forgetting to hide his feelings in front of Aunt Feng. “Who are those monsters?”
Fortunately, Aunt Feng had seen this reaction before. It was the typical response upon hearing the story, though Xie Ruan’s reaction was stronger. She didn’t suspect anything and simply stayed silent.
People of lower social standing have their own wisdom. What good would it do to say more? The Shen family may not be significant nationwide, but to people like them, they were untouchable giants.
Xie Ruan understood, took a deep breath, and slowly forced down his raging anger.
The bitterness was hard to swallow, like broken teeth swallowed with blood. But Xie Ruan remembered it all, vowing to settle the score one day.
From that moment on, he drifted in a haze. If it hadn’t been for a sense of duty to finish his tasks, he might have left right then to find Bo Jin. Thankfully, he held back, though he barely spoke and buried himself in his work.
Affected by his mood, the others worked faster, and they finished by just after noon.
They ate lunch at the orphanage and spent the afternoon playing with the children before saying goodbye to Aunt Feng and leaving.
By then, evening had fallen, and the emotions Xie Ruan had been holding back all day reached a boiling point. He couldn’t care about manners anymore; without a word, he dashed off as soon as they left the front gate.
The team leader had intended to invite him to dinner, as he had been invaluable today, but before he could say anything, Xie Ruan had vanished, leaving the leader with no choice but to drop the idea.
At that moment, Bo Jin was at home, bored, playing a game. Xie Ruan had family obligations today, so they couldn’t video chat, which took half the fun out of it.
“Let’s see who’s the next unlucky one.” He stretched out his long legs and, catching a glimpse of a fleeting figure in the top-left corner of the screen, smirked. “Gotcha.”
He aimed, fired, and—bang—a direct hit.
Bo Jin moved forward, finishing off the opponent, achieving a six-kill streak and securing the team’s victory.
His teammate messaged him excitedly to play another game, but Bo Jin declined, tossing the mouse aside in boredom. His chat interface still showed yesterday’s messages, and after a moment’s hesitation, he decided not to message Xie Ruan.
He’d heard that checking your phone often during family visits would get you scolded by the elders.
Bo Jin massaged his brow, wondering how he’d developed such a nagging habit.
Tch, he thought. I wonder what Little Xie is up to. That brat, went out once and forgot to even message me. Needs a little discipline.
He sighed and was about to open his group chat with Sun Haoxiang and the others for entertainment.
Somehow, they always had something to talk about; ever since the holiday started, they’d been blasting a thousand messages a day.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
At first, Bo Jin thought he had misheard. After all, he never had visitors except the monthly utility checks by the building management.
But the knocking continued after a moment.
Bo Jin tilted his head, listening carefully, and confirmed that it was indeed his door.
How strange. Probably the building management again, he thought.
He walked over and casually opened the door. “Who—”
His words stopped mid-sentence.
Xie Ruan’s bangs were slightly damp, and he was still catching his breath, clearly having run all the way. The moment he saw Bo Jin, he launched himself forward like a missile, wrapping his arms around him.
Bo Jin staggered back a step, then quickly returned the embrace.
The sound of the boy’s breathing was close, a reminder that this moment was real and not some imagined dream.
Bo Jin lowered his head slightly.
Just a moment ago, he had thought of Xie Ruan as far away and out of reach, and now, he was in his arms.
