“Hello, Mr. Qin. I’m Zhang Shun, Assistant to Chairman Shen of the Shen Group.”
Few people introduced their boss when introducing themselves. Qin Kun understood Zhang Shun’s meaning almost instantly.
“Was it your family who lost a child?”
Zhang Shun nodded repeatedly. With the child no longer present, there were no more reservations in his speech.
“The Shen family has never given up looking for the young master,” he explained, mentioning that Shen Minyan had gone to Hong Kong because he was afraid they might think the Shen family didn’t care. “My main purpose in coming this time is to confirm some details about how you adopted the child back then. If possible, it would be best to provide Youyou’s DNA.”
Reclaiming a child was usually that simple: both sides confirmed the details, then performed a paternity test. Su Siwen’s heart skipped a beat. It felt as though Youyou would be taken away by this man at any second. Qin Kun sensed his distress and grasped his hand firmly.
“If the Shen family is so wealthy, why did they abandon the child back then?” Qin Kun’s expression turned serious.
Three years ago, Zhang Shun hadn’t yet been Shen Yan’s right-hand man. The secret of the Shen family’s young master being stolen right after birth was something he didn’t know the inside story of. He had only heard that not long after the young master was stolen, Chairman Shen and his wife had a falling out and divorced. Now, the two young masters lived with their respective parents.
“No, it wasn’t abandonment. The child was stolen,” Zhang Shun stood up, his voice growing agitated.
Su Siwen and Qin Kun exchanged a glance. The emotions in their eyes were complex.
“Madam was already over forty when she was pregnant with the young master. Both families protected him like the apple of their eye. How could they possibly abandon him?”
“Then why?” Qin Kun was deeply puzzled.
Back then, they had found the child in a trash bin in an urban village in Beicheng. In such cold weather, the little toddler had worn only a thin onesie, wrapped in a thin little blanket. Any later, and he probably wouldn’t have survived. Zhang Shun relayed some of the information that had been made public in the news at the time. Until Youyou’s paternity test results came out, he couldn’t divulge all the details of the Shen family’s private affairs.
Both sides reached an impasse. Zhang Shun felt helpless; all he could do was keep sending messages to Hong Kong, urging Chairman Shen to arrive quickly. After all, he was the young master’s biological father. Although they weren’t completely certain, based on Youyou’s appearance and age alone, a DNA test would clarify everything.
Next door.
Yang Yang, having finished his homework, took Youyou’s little hand, and they ran out together. Hearing the commotion, Grandma Yang ran out from the neighboring kitchen.
“You brat! Where are you taking your little brother to fool around again?”
Yang Yang, sturdy and bold, stuck his head out to reply, “Grandma, we’re just right outside!”
“A rainbow! It’s a rainbow!”
As soon as they stepped out, they heard a group of children cheering in the street. Su Youli looked up. A colorful rainbow bridge hung in the sky. “Wow!”
He jumped up and clapped, the slightly curly hair on his head bouncing with his movements. After watching the rainbow from their perches on stone posts, the children formed a circle to play marbles.
“Youyou, you sit here and watch me shoot, okay?” Yang Yang put the glass marbles in his shirt pocket, first settling his little brother on a clean stone post.
The stone post was a bit high, but sitting there gave Youyou a clear view of the game, allowing him to feel the fun without having to get down in the dirt.
“Youyou, aren’t you playing? My dad gave me pocket money yesterday. I’ll buy you some marbles,” one boy said, about to get up and pull Youyou’s hand toward the small shop.
Yang Yang, who was crouched with his bottom in the air and focused on the center marble, immediately jumped up.
“Youyou isn’t playing this! The ground is dirty, and he’ll get dirty too. You can’t pull him!”
“Why not? Youyou isn’t even your real brother!”
From the day Su Youli and his daddies had arrived on Yunshui Street, all the children knew the Su family had an exceptionally beautiful child. Su Youli’s skin was as white as if it had been soaked in milk; his eyes were round and large, his eyelashes long and curly, and his hair was naturally wavy. Most importantly, he was incredibly obedient, following Yang Yang around like a little accessory.
Who wouldn’t want such an obedient little brother? But no matter how others tried to curry favor, Su Youli wouldn’t play with them. When Yang Yang was at kindergarten, Youyou preferred to stay in the garden with Yuanzi rather than come out.
Since marbles were out, several children started playing a game they called “Snatch Youyou.”
Youyou sat quietly on the stone post Yang Yang had cleaned for him, watching as Yang Yang spread his arms to protect him.
“Haha, I got Youyou!”
Yang Yang couldn’t guard the rear. Someone took advantage of the gap and pulled the little boy away.
“Brother Yang Yang!” Youyou, held by the arms by the other children, looked back at Yang Yang with a pitiful, wronged expression.
His brother had been snatched. Yang Yang let out a yell, put his hands on his hips, charged over, and rammed his head into the other child’s stomach.
“Ouch!”
Yang Yang was four years old—not very old, but sturdier than kids his age, like a little bull calf. The collision knocked the other child over instantly.
“Waaaahhhh, I’m telling my dad…” The child ran home crying, glancing back unwillingly at the little one hiding behind Yang Yang.
“Brother Yang Yang,” the little one tugged at Yang Yang’s hand, worried he might get beaten by Uncle Yang when he got home. He often heard the sounds of Yang Yang being chased and scolded. Kun Kun had once said that Yang Yang had to have a serving of “bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork” (a spanking) every couple of days.
Youyou licked his lips. “Kun Kun, I want to eat bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork too.”
Both his daddies had laughed heartily at that, saying he was a good baby and didn’t need to eat “that.” Soon, the crying child returned, this time with a tall older brother beside him. Youyou was scared, the tip of his nose turning red. “Brother, let’s go home quickly.”
Yang Yang wiped the stone post clean and placed him back on it. “Youyou, don’t be afraid.”
“Yang Yang, did you push my brother?”
Young children were naturally afraid of older kids, especially Li Dong, who looked intimidating. But Yang Yang, fearing nothing, looked up. “Yeah, I pushed him. So what?”
Li Dong bent down to twist his ear. He didn’t use much force, but he threatened, “Apologize to my brother right now, or I’ll throw you in the river.”
There was a river running alongside Yunshui Street. Parents always warned their children not to play near the bank for fear of being dragged in.
“No, don’t throw Brother Yang Yang into the river. Please, please don’t!”
The little one, who had been sitting obediently, sprang up with eyes brimming with tears and hugged Yang Yang tightly. Li Dong crouched down to coax him. “Brother was just joking with Yang Yang. Don’t cry.”
But Youyou was too young to understand the joke. He only knew the river water was cold; last year, a child had fallen in and almost hadn’t made it out. Brother Yang Yang was his best friend, and he had to protect him. Once he started, he was not easy to console. Completely immersed in his sorrow, Youyou cried until his cheeks were bright red and big tears fell like rain.
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