“Dad, are you okay?” Shen Xingyun was panicked, too, but being young, he hadn’t been involved in the company’s affairs and didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of losing this project for the Shen family.
He glanced at his father, who looked devastated and deeply shaken, then bent down to pick up the phone.
The facial recognition unlocked the phone, and the screen, which had just gone dark, lit up again. Shen Xingyun instinctively looked at it, and in the company profile, a line of text quietly appeared—
Legal Representative: Bo Jin.
Shen Xingyun’s body stiffened as he stared at his father in disbelief.
Bo Jin… could it really be that Bo Jin?
How was that possible?
Bo Jin was just an ordinary high school student. Even if he was a top student, that was only within the school—outside, who would know him? How could he be the legal representative of a company?
Moreover, this company had just beaten theirs to win the project.
It must be a coincidence—a shared name.
Yet, despite trying to reassure himself, Shen Xingyun couldn’t stop his fingers from clenching. “Dad…” His lips moved, and he managed to force out a few difficult words, “Bo Jin… this Bo Jin, is it…”
He couldn’t finish the question and looked at his father expectantly, hoping for a denial.
But he was bound to be disappointed.
From the moment he saw the legal representative’s name, Father Shen knew this Bo Jin could be no one else but the child they had once adopted and then abandoned.
A flood of memories from more than a decade ago surged in. Father Shen vaguely recalled that the boy had been very smart—even as a toddler, he understood everything.
Anything he was told not to do, he never did.
He was always well-behaved, never caused any trouble—so different from their own clingy son.
And… recalling the recent investigation results, Father Shen clutched his head in regret. The report had mentioned that the funds for the orphanage’s recent renovations had come from Bo Jin, but he hadn’t thought to look further.
How could an orphan with no parents have had hundreds of thousands to donate unless he had some business outside?
What had he been thinking at the time? Father Shen slumped back on the sofa, looking completely defeated. He hadn’t wanted to acknowledge that the child he’d abandoned could be a genius, or to admit any regret, so he’d intentionally ignored the unusual details in the report.
He never imagined that such a small oversight would lead to such severe consequences.
If only he had looked into it, if only he had prepared…
Father Shen sat there in a daze, appearing ten years older overnight.
Seeing his father’s reaction, Shen Xingyun understood everything.
This Bo Jin was indeed the Bo Jin he knew.
“How could it be… how could it be?” He struggled even more than his father to accept the reality.
Remembering the superiority he’d once felt towards Bo Jin, Shen Xingyun felt as if he’d been slapped in the face from afar, the sting unbearable. He’d thought Bo Jin was just a bookworm, someone who would cry and beg to work for their company after graduation.
And yet?
Bo Jin had consistently ranked first in school, won gold medals in competitions, and even earned a college admission recommendation. Outside of school, he had a business that most could only dream of.
And him…
Shen Xingyun’s face burned. He had poor grades, no career—what did he have to compare with Bo Jin?
For the first time, Shen Xingyun truly realized the huge gap between himself and Bo Jin. His inflated confidence and pride popped like a balloon, deflating completely.
Meanwhile, Mother Shen, oblivious, was still holding onto her hopeful dreams.
“Xingyun, when are you going back to school?” She took a small mirror from her bag, touched up her lipstick gracefully, and asked the housemaid to prepare her some tea before settling down on the sofa. “I have a beauty appointment later; I could drop you off at school on the way?”
Decades of habit made her believe Father Shen’s earlier assurances without question, and she had reverted to her former self.
The living room was quiet; no one responded.
Mother Shen didn’t notice at first, absorbed in her makeup and replying to messages.
What a joke—her husband’s capabilities were well-known. He’d built the Shen Group from scratch; would he be shaken by such a minor setback?
She smiled as she brushed off her nosy, so-called friends, her tone as proud as ever, until they were left speechless. Only then did she put down her phone and look over.
One glance was all it took to be startled by the expressions on her husband and son’s faces.
Shen Xingyun didn’t need any explanation, but she had been married to Father Shen for many years. Even during the early days, when investors backed out, she’d never seen him look this distressed. What had happened?
Mother Shen suddenly had a bad feeling.
At first, she hadn’t thought much about it, but looking back, everything felt off. The atmosphere in the living room was so thick it was almost suffocating. She thought for a moment and finally remembered—today was the day they announced the bidding results.
And now, with her husband looking like this…
Mother Shen didn’t dare to think any further.
But some things have to be faced; wishing to escape doesn’t make them disappear.
Father Shen looked at his wife of several decades, and his eyes turned red. He covered his face, his muffled voice emerging between his fingers: “We lost the bid.”
Those simple words hit Mother Shen like a thunderbolt.
She wasn’t as clueless as Shen Xingyun; she knew exactly what this meant.
A fine of 7.9 billion—there was no way the Shen family could come up with that. Without the bid, who would lend them money at a time like this? The only option left would be to sell off all the company’s assets, just to barely plug this financial hole.
But what would they live on after that?
Mother Shen’s vision went black, and she collapsed onto the floor. She looked at Father Shen, murmuring in disbelief, “Didn’t you say everything was taken care of? How could this happen…”
Having passed through the initial shock, Father Shen’s composure began to return. He forced a bitter smile: “What good is taking care of connections when their technology is more advanced than ours.”
He handed the phone to Mother Shen. “Look—it’s a company founded by that child. Do you think this isn’t our karma? If we had treated him well back then…”
Before he could finish, Mother Shen cut him off with a shriek: “That little brat did it on purpose! This was all on purpose!”
Her refined face twisted with bitterness, giving her a cruel appearance. “If we hadn’t taken him in back then, who knows where he’d be now! I knew you can never fully raise someone else’s child—see? A wild thing like that has no gratitude!”
She shot to her feet. “I’m going to find him! This is our project—what right does he have to snatch it away!”
Without bothering to grab her bag, she turned and made for the door.
“Wait!” Father Shen quickly stopped her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She glared at him angrily. “You’re protecting him?”
“No.” Compared to his wife’s impulsiveness, Father Shen was much calmer. His gaze flickered, and he spoke patiently, “Going like this won’t work. He must have heard about us giving him up, so he already harbors resentment. If you go in with a scene, it’ll only make things worse.”
“Resentment?” Mother Shen’s eyes widened as if hearing something incomprehensible. “The act of giving birth is less than the act of raising him. We raised him for a whole year without asking him for any support; what right does he have to resent us?”
“Yes, that may be true,” Father Shen pulled her hand, making her sit back down on the sofa as he explained carefully, “but that attitude won’t do. We need to soften up a bit, understand?”
Shaking off his frustration, Father Shen began to scheme quickly. “Kids who grow up in orphanages lack love. Show him a little kindness, and he’ll give you his whole heart. Plus, he used to call us mom and dad.”
“After all, he was so young back then, barely remembers anything. If we talk to him nicely and mend things, maybe we’ll still have a chance at saving this project.”
Hearing this, Mother Shen’s anger subsided somewhat. She knew her husband had a point, but the thought of playing the role of a loving mother to some stranger’s child disgusted her to her core. Taking a deep breath, she finally said, “Alright, but you’re coming with me. I’m not sure I can hold my temper.”
Recalling the bidding result she had just seen, Mother Shen frowned in distaste. “Good thing we got rid of him when we did. After all these years, he still wants revenge—it shows what a petty person he is. If we’d kept him in the family, he’d definitely be competing with Xingyun.”
Earlier, Father Shen had felt a twinge of regret—Bo Jin had already built such a substantial business while still in high school, proving his talent. If they had kept him, everything now would be part of the Shen family’s assets.
Hearing his wife’s words, that hint of regret quickly disappeared, and he nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”
A kid with that much ambition—if he ever rose to challenge their son, Xingyun wouldn’t stand a chance, and all the family assets Shen Family had worked so hard to build could end up benefiting someone else.
With a sigh of regret, Father Shen patted his son’s shoulder but didn’t bother to comfort him further. He rushed upstairs to change, preparing to head to Shijia High School. Whatever the case, he needed to deal with the current mess first.
Meanwhile, Bo Jin had no idea he was about to face two unwelcome visitors. As soon as the bell rang, he pulled Xie Ruan towards the school gate. “I’ve already asked Uncle Wang to make some pumpkin porridge for you, with a few light side dishes—that’ll be your lunch.”
Last night, Sun Haoxiang had ordered lots of fried chicken, which made Xie Ruan feel unwell. After a rough night, he still felt a bit nauseous in the morning and barely ate anything.
The cafeteria food was mostly greasy and salty, and the few vegetable dishes weren’t very light either. Seeing Xie Ruan looking so down, Bo Jin had already asked Uncle Wang to prepare something in advance.
Xie Ruan nodded sheepishly, “Okay.”
The weather was chilly with the seasonal change, and Xie Ruan had caught a cold. Combined with too much fried food, his appetite hadn’t been great.
“Getting shy with me now?” Bo Jin chuckled, giving Xie Ruan’s head a playful rub. He teased shamelessly, “Really, Xie Little Ruan, we’ve been this close how many times now?”
“Who are you calling that?” Xie Ruan instinctively retorted, then glared at him. “Shut up!”
It hadn’t been that many times, honestly. The way he said it, it sounded like they’d done all kinds of things together.
And it wasn’t that he felt embarrassed for troubling Bo Jin—they’d been together long enough that he wouldn’t mind such a thing. It was more that he found it embarrassing to have gotten sick from overeating fried chicken.
Looking around, Xie Ruan suddenly felt like they were forgetting something. “Did we forget something?”
“Hmm?” Bo Jin played innocent, slipping an arm around Xie Ruan’s shoulders to distract him. “I don’t think so.”
Fortunately, Xie Ruan, unlike him, had some conscience and quickly remembered: “What about Sun Haoxiang and the others?”
Sun Haoxiang and his friends, who had been trailing behind with blank expressions, thought: “…”
How rare it was—they actually remembered them.
Xie Ruan stopped, laughing awkwardly, “Why are you guys walking so slowly? Hurry up!”
He Mingjie rolled his eyes. “You two were walking too fast.”
Fast enough to make it seem like they couldn’t wait to ditch them as the third wheel!
Bo Jin raised an eyebrow and replied with a classic line, “Not eating with enthusiasm shows a lack of commitment.”
Sun Haoxiang snorted, “I’m already full… from all the dog food.”
Bo Jin shot him a look from under his eyelids.
Sun Haoxiang, unfazed, stared right back.
What? Feeling guilty now?
Bo Jin: “Oh.”
Bo Jin: “No need to thank me.”
Sun Haoxiang: “???”
Sun Haoxiang: “Are you even human?!”
“Maybe not.”
Did Bo Jin actually back down? Impossible! That was not his style! Sun Haoxiang became instantly suspicious.
Sure enough, the next moment, Bo Jin casually remarked, “Or maybe I’m just the one feeding the dog.”
Sun Haoxiang: “…”
Sun Haoxiang burst out in anger, “Bo Jin!”
The group playfully bickered as they left the school gates, separating from the crowd and about to head into a narrow alley when someone suddenly approached them.
Mother Shen, dressed in a white sweater with light makeup, managed to soften her harsh demeanor, making her appear quite gentle. She looked at Bo Jin, her eyes red, as though she were a mother finally reunited with her long-lost child: “Little Bo, it really is you!”
