"Who are you calling mama and sister?" Qi Yan looked at the boy with displeasure.
"You're my sister, right? My name is Qi Yang. My mom said dad doesn't want us anymore. She has no money and can't afford to raise me, so she sent me here to find you all."
At nine years old, it was impossible for the boy to be completely ignorant. He knew his father had made a mistake and been arrested. He also knew his father had a special status, so from the beginning, he understood his own identity wasn't exactly honorable.
At school, his classmates would say he had no father. He desperately wanted to tell them his father's name, but his mother reminded him daily never to reveal it. If he did, she warned, he really would have no father.
Until this morning, when his mother looked at her phone, then hurriedly packed her bags and his. She brought him here, telling him she was in trouble and couldn't manage anymore. She couldn't afford to raise him and told him to find the Qi family, who would take care of him.
"What's your name?" Qi's mother had a bad feeling.
"Qi Yang. My dad is the Deputy Mayor, Qi Shengwu." Tears still lingered in the boy's eyes.
Qi's mother fainted on the spot.
"Mom! Mom!" Qi Yan called out anxiously, pulling out her phone to dial 120 for emergency services.
"Sister, what's wrong with her?" the boy asked.
"Get out! I'm not your sister. Go wherever you came from!"
The woman's gaze looked as if it could devour the boy whole. He stumbled back several steps in fright.
Qi Yan kept calling to the woman lying on the ground. In that moment, she was truly scared. Her mother had always been the one who loved her most. Now, the two people she depended on most were gone – one arrested, one collapsed.
The ambulance arrived shortly. Qi's mother had suffered severe shock, resulting in a brief loss of consciousness.
Her husband's arrest and the overnight loss of their vast fortune had already been a massive blow. Now, to suddenly learn that her husband had a nine-year-old love child outside their marriage – it would be a fatal shock to any woman.
In the bustling hospital, Qi Yan felt utterly helpless. She had followed the ambulance here, and her mother was now undergoing emergency treatment inside.
Sitting outside, she felt incredibly desolate. She had just called their former relatives, but not a single one was willing to answer.
All she heard from her phone was: "Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Beep beep beep."
Back at the compound, Qi Yang sat crying at the bottom of the stairs.
Qi Ji and Xue Jingrui happened to be returning to the old house.
Seeing the child crying so bitterly, Qi Ji approached and asked, "Little one, why are you crying?"
"My dad and mom don't want me anymore."
"Where's your home?"
"My home isn't here."
Qi Ji and Xue Jingrui exchanged a glance. Xue Jingrui then asked, "Who's your father?"
"My dad is called Qi Shengwu. I'm Qi Yang. My dad and mom both don't want me anymore."
Hearing this, Xue Jingrui was stunned. He had known the Qi family for so many years, how could he not know they had a son? Had he missed some crucial information?
"Where's your mom?"
"My mom left."
"What about your sister?"
"My sister left too."
"What should we do, Brother Jingrui? He's just a child. He's innocent of the adults' mistakes."
"I don't know. Maybe we should take him back and let my dad handle it. After all, Qi Shengwu used to be his colleague."
"It's hot outside. Come inside with us first."
Xue Jingrui and Qi Ji led Qi Yang to the door and knocked.
Ye Rong answered.
"Oh, Qi Ji, you're here! Mom has missed you so much."
Ye Rong had just grabbed Qi Ji's hand when she noticed the boy behind them.
"Who's this?"
Ye Rong looked at the boy, then at her own son. She didn't recall ever seeing this child before.
"Where's dad?" Xue Jingrui asked.
"Wait, Jingrui, what's going on here? This isn't your father's love child, is it? No, impossible, impossible."
Ye Rong waved her hand, talking to herself. Then she turned and hurried up the stairs, shouting, "Old Xue! Come down here quick! Tell me, have you done anything to betray me?"
Qi Ji watched her imaginative mother-in-law and found her quite adorable.
"Brother Jingrui, why don't you explain to mom? She's misunderstanding."
"Do you think there's any chance to explain?" Xue Jingrui looked at Qi Ji.
Qi Ji thought about it and realized he was right. Her mother-in-law was efficient and fiery in her actions, with a quick temper. She wouldn't wait for Xue Jingrui's explanation.
"What's the matter, Old Ye? Weren't you calling me 'husband' just this morning? How quickly things change!" Xue Kai hurriedly came out of the study, glasses in hand.
"Have you done anything to betray me?" Ye Rong asked again.
"I haven't been forcing you to drink any health tonics lately. I haven't done anything to betray you."
"Dad," Xue Jingrui called from downstairs.
"Oh, my son and daughter-in-law are here!" Xue Kai hurried down the stairs.
"Who's this?" Xue Kai looked at the boy behind Xue Jingrui and Qi Ji, his eyes full of questions.
Ye Rong finally relaxed. As she had guessed, he wouldn't have the guts.
"Who is he, Old Ye? You didn't suspect I had a love child outside, did you? Let me tell you, I, Xue Kai, am not only loyal to the country and the party, but I'm also loyal to you. I've never done anything to betray you. If I did such a thing, I'd be disciplined!"
"Ahem." Ye Rong felt a bit embarrassed. Their son and daughter-in-law were still here, not to mention the child. At their age, weren't they ashamed?
Xue Kai glanced at his son and daughter-in-law, cleared his throat, and his expression instantly became serious.
"Ahem, who is this?" Xue Kai asked.
At first, Xue Jingrui had been wondering why he didn't know Qi Shengwu had such a big son. But after his parents' little scene, he seemed to understand – this child might be Qi Shengwu's illegitimate son.
"His father is Qi Shengwu."
Hearing this, Xue Kai and Ye Rong were also stunned. They lived nearby and had known Qi Shengwu for so many years, yet they never knew he had a son. This could only mean the boy was an illegitimate child.
"Why did you bring someone else's love child into our home?"
"He was crying outside our gate, saying his parents didn't want him anymore. I was worried it would look bad, and it's hot outside, so I brought him in. I'm leaving it to you to handle."
Ye Rong went to pour some water and brought glasses for Qi Ji, Xue Jingrui, and the boy.
Xue Kai was also worried. Qi Shengwu had already been taken away, yet he still left a troublesome situation behind. The boy could have cried anywhere, but he chose to do it right at Xue Kai's doorstep.
"Is your father Qi Shengwu?" Xue Kai asked.
"Yes, my father is Qi Shengwu," the boy replied, taking a sip of water. His face was streaked with tears.
"How old are you?"
"I'm nine years old."
"Who's your mother?"
"My mother is called Liu Xian'er."
Ye Rong glanced at Xue Kai, who took a drink of water. This situation was indeed quite thorny.
"What should we do, Dad? How should we handle him?" Ye Rong asked.
"How would I know? He's not my son. You brought him here, so you figure it out," Xue Kai replied.
