Next, after sending the kids to school, only Bo Xin and Ji Xingzhi were left at home. The two had clashed last night, and the atmosphere was clearly tense. Ji Xingzhi, who had been on guard before, was now even more wary—he didn't even take off his jacket. They planned to eat out at noon, ordering stir-fried dishes directly at the restaurant. Bo Xin thoughtfully ordered a soup and three dishes she liked, then paid with Ji Xingzhi's wallet. The soup wasn't to Ji Xingzhi's taste either. Ji Xingzhi rested his head on one hand, his tone tinged with curiosity, "Aren't you embarrassed?" Bo Xin found it amusing. "What's there to be embarrassed about?" Ji Xingzhi shrugged nonchalantly. He hadn't had much appetite anyway—in the army, everything tasted the same to him. Bo Xin said, "Yuxu told me what you said yesterday." That was the conversation with Aunt Wang. When Yuxu recounted it, he was amazed at how you handled it—just talking nonsense. Ji Xingzhi thought, who could resist the curiosity of hearing about themselves from others? "Was it praise?" "He wanted me to align our stories." If the couple's stories didn't match, outsiders would gossip. Bo Xin had been worried that Ji Xingzhi might come back and say the wrong thing, so she had held back on specifics. But now that Ji Xingzhi had set his version, she would follow suit. And his approach was indeed appropriate. That way, no one could use the issue of real or fake children to drive a wedge between them. Bo Xin remembered the bleak ending of the original story. Her finger paused mid-motion. As for outsiders, even if they still didn't believe, it didn't matter. As long as they maintained this story, eventually people would forget, and what wasn't true would become true. After all, it was her reality now. "So that counts as praise, right? Praising me for handling it well." Bo Xin glanced up lightly. This man was thick-skinned. She let her gaze wander and drank a glass of orange juice before the dishes arrived. The current orange juice was far more authentic than what she'd had in the future—she could taste the fresh orange aroma. Through the window, Bo Xin spotted an unexpected person standing at the entrance of a department store, talking to passersby. Why was he here? "I'll go down for a moment." Ji Xingzhi sensed the shift. "Do you know someone?" So many things had happened recently that he wanted to get involved in anything unknown. His eyes showed eagerness. Bo Xin refused him. "You'd better stay put. Otherwise, someone might take our hard-won good spot." What was so good about this spot? The outside was noisy and chaotic, and waiters kept passing by inside. Was she just trying to keep him from going? Bo Xin went downstairs. The slender figure of the man was gentle yet had his own backbone, though it was unclear why he had come to this unfamiliar city. This was the man from the countryside who had taught Yuxu. If she remembered correctly, his surname was He. Bo Xin tapped his shoulder from behind. He had luggage piled at his feet, which seemed heavy, which was why he hadn't moved from the spot. He Yewan turned around. "Hello, do you know..." When he saw her face, he was pleasantly surprised. "Madame Bo Xin!" He Yewan marveled. Madame Bo's aura in the countryside had been extraordinary. At first, he thought all city people were the same, but he realized she was unique. Her presence brought a sense of reassurance, especially in this unfamiliar city where he had met someone he knew. Bo Xin's outstretched hand paused. "It's been so long—I thought you might have forgotten me. I was just wondering whether to reintroduce myself." He Yewan waved his hands nervously. "How could that be? I wouldn't forget the benefactor who gave me money to do what I wanted." Bo Xin smiled. Before she could speak, Ji Xingzhi's voice came from behind. "She meant you could reintroduce yourself." He Yewan's name contained an uncommon character, and he was low-key and unremarkable. Many people had mispronounced his name and forgotten it. But he hadn't expected Bo Xin to be among them. Slightly disappointed, he introduced himself. "My name is He Yewan." Bo Xin remembered it forever. She shot a glance at Ji Xingzhi, then warmly extended her hand. "Hello, Yewan." Ji Xingzhi instinctively covered the lower half of his face—a thinking gesture. Bo Xin had never called him so intimately from the start to now. For instance, when introducing him now, she said, "This is my husband, Ji Xingzhi." "Husband?" He Yewan was surprised. When Bo Xin had handled Yuxu's matter alone, he assumed she was divorced. He hadn't expected she had a husband. Busy with work? Even if work was busy, she shouldn't have had to handle matters concerning the child alone. He Yewan thought a lot, and his expression showed disapproval. Ji Xingzhi narrowed his eyes. "You seem to have a problem." He Yewan didn't want to say it outright. "No, not at all." Bo Xin felt the tension. She had told Ji Xingzhi to stay at the restaurant to hold the table—why had he followed? Noticing he hadn't packed up, she asked, "You're not going to eat there?" Ji Xingzhi explained, "I asked someone to watch the seat." Bo Xin sighed. "That won't work." At a popular restaurant, waitstaff don't remember seated customers and won't hold spots. It was peak time, and many people were waiting outside. If someone shamelessly sat down, the waitstaff would have to deal with the headache and ask the customers to take takeout. Bo Xin planned to go back and check if it was too late. She saw a man and a woman sitting at their table, with one of the dishes they had ordered already served. Ji Xingzhi moved to go over, but Bo Xin stopped him. "What are you going to do? Kick them out?" Sitting down when dishes were already served wasn't a good sign—they wouldn't settle things peacefully with just words. Ji Xingzhi shook his head. "I'm not about to cause a scene in public and end up in the station." Bo Xin thought again. "So, are you going to pay them off?" Ji Xingzhi paused, as if she had hit the mark. Bo Xin looked at him disdainfully. "Don't waste your money like that." Even if he had money, that wasn't the way to spend it. If money was the tool, the person on the receiving end would be happier. He Yewan, carrying large and small bags, found them. Bo Xin helped with a small one. "Let's just pack up and eat at home." Ji Xingzhi still didn't know the man's identity. His alarm bells rang, and he squinted suspiciously. "Do you mean he's coming home with us?" Bo Xin nodded. "What's wrong with that? Yuxu will be happy to see him." After all, he had helped Yuxu during the toughest times. Bo Xin moved closer to He Yewan. The flyer in his hand had a photo on it. Unlike later prints, this was on yellow or pink paper. The quality was poor and expensive. The printing technique was bad; Bo Xin squinted to barely make out the outline. "What about this child?" He Yewan had used the money Bo Xin gave him to help some children who wanted to study. But one family was special: the child had attended school for a year and had good grades, but after his younger brother went missing, he stayed home. He Yewan felt it was a pity and visited the home. He found the child was lame and carried pigweed, doing hard labor. In front of the family, the child said nothing, but secretly slipped a note into his hand. The child was too young at the time and had forgotten details. He only remembered his original surname and where he had been lost. So he came to the department store in the capital, hoping that the child's biological mother might be looking for him, just like Madame Bo was looking for her child. He handed out flyers, hoping someone might know. Bo Xin looked at the photo more carefully. The child was young, features not fully developed, yet she felt a faint familiarity. But for a twelve-year-old, she couldn't recall anyone matching. "Sorry, I don't think I can help this child either." He Yewan shook his head. "No choice. I'll have to go again tomorrow." Maybe the family had left this sad place, or they had given up looking. As long as that wasn't the case, mother and son could be reunited. That was what He Yewan thought. "Maybe we can exchange landline numbers so we can contact each other if there's news." Bo Xin had no objection. They exchanged contact information and put the note in their wallets. Ji Xingzhi leaned back in his chair, noticing the curve of He Yewan's lips. He crossed his arms and tilted his head the other way. After they finished eating, Bo Xin asked, "Where are you staying these days?" "I take the bus back and forth and sleep at the train station." Bo Xin took a deep breath. "Then I'll give you another five thousand. Go stay at a hotel." Afraid he wouldn't accept, she added, "Consider it spent on those children." Some children are smart and can feel it; others aren't and can't, and they're even abused by foster parents. So this was already a small amount. Bo Xin frowned, thinking of how Yuxu always looked troubled whenever trafficking was mentioned. She decided to write Yuxu's name as the donor on the document. She had the document in hand. Processing another copy would take only a moment, but she put it away for now. "This document can be signed after the name change." He Yewan was puzzled. "Name change?" "Yes, Yuxu is changing his surname to mine—Bo Yuxu." Bo Xin's lips moved as she repeated the name to herself. It sounded really nice. "When he comes back, if you call him that, he'll be very happy." — At school, during PE class. The first task was a 400-meter lap around the relatively clean and flat dirt track. Students from different classes mixed together. Ji Yanyi grabbed the parallel bars first, then hung upside down, his hands just able to touch the ground—something he couldn't do before. Jiang Yuxu only knew two people in his class; ties with others were superficial. He liked to stand by someone he trusted. Ji Yanyi pressed his hands to the ground, flipped upright, and stood up. His cheeks were rosy. He dusted off his hands. "Your turn." Jiang Yuxu thought it was too dangerous. "Not interested." "Not interested in this, not interested in that. Ji Yanyi put his hands on his hips. "It's PE class—show some enthusiasm." Jiang Yuxu hadn't slept well; dark circles hung under his eyes, and he really had no enthusiasm. It was all the fault of the culprit who had kept him awake, but that culprit didn't even realize they were the culprit, which made it even more infuriating. "I'm going to find the class monitor. At least it's quieter over there." The class monitor was a popular guy, imitated by many students. Being surrounded felt bad, so Jiang Yuxu retreated from the circle. But under the shade of a tree, only the class monitor sat by the roots. "Where did everyone go?" "Because I was spacing out and got bored, so they all left." The class monitor thought the students liked him because their parents liked him and told them to learn from him. But what they should learn was his grades, not his life. The class monitor was tired and fed up, so he decided to rest under a big tree. He turned to Jiang Yuxu. "What about you? Why are you here? Did Yanyi make you mad?" Jiang Yuxu didn't want to continue that topic, but the address made him think of something that seemed like nonsense. "Why do you call Yanyi so intimately?" Normally, among brothers, calling each other by the name wasn't a big deal. But the class monitor was just the class monitor, and from what Yanyi said, they had barely spoken. Yanyi even thought the class monitor disliked him, so this was strange. The class monitor leaned back, supporting himself with his hands on the ground. "Maybe because Yanyi's personality is very similar to my brother's?" He wasn't sure, but he really liked that kind of personality. Jiang Yuxu couldn't help asking, "How old is your brother?" The class monitor seemed to understand Yuxu's concern. "My brother is just similar in personality to Yanyi, not in brains or grades, so it's not relevant." Besides, he thought that no matter how old Yanyi got, he would always be this flighty, headache-inducing person. Sorry, but his answer had let his deskmate down. Jiang Yuxu started to imagine a smart Yanyi—seemed impossible. "I'd really like to meet him." The class monitor waved his hand. "You definitely can't. I can't even meet him." Without waiting to be asked, he continued, "My brother got lost when he was little. I was small then, and I don't have a deep impression of him. I only remember he liked to tell me to wait in one spot while he went to buy things—supposedly for me, but really to buy soda for himself." He was very flighty but also smart. How could he forget being used as a scapegoat like that? "After my brother got lost, my mom was sad every day. The only thing that helped was focusing on raising me." So he had way too many lessons. It was all his brother's fault for not sharing the burden. So all his life, he had been a scapegoat?! The class monitor sat up abruptly, then lay back against the tree. "So I'm only telling you this—don't tell anyone else." Jiang Yuxu was taken aback. "Why only me?" The class monitor recalled what his brother had said: 'I see you're young and have no say.' He adapted it: "I see you're new and have no friends." Jiang Yuxu: "..." He glanced away indifferently. Forget it. If it had been anyone else at any other time, he would have retaliated. After school, Jiang Yuxu walked with Ji Yanyi. Ji Yanyi held a stick and had Jiang Yuxu hold the other end while he walked backward. How clumsy. But strangely, Jiang Yuxu tolerated it today. At the entrance to their building, Jiang Yuxu dropped the stick first, then went upstairs and opened the door. "Mom, I'm home." Bo Xin poked her head out from the living room. "I thought it was Yanyi." It was Yuxu. "Only he calls me with reduplicated syllables, 'Mommy.'" Jiang Yuxu always called her only 'Mom,' because reduplication sounded like being spoiled. He paused for a moment, then lowered his head to change shoes. Bo Xin smiled and let him off, then brought the child to see He Yewan. "Look who's here?" He Yewan was very savvy and remembered the instructions, so he said directly, "Bo Yuxu, good evening." Bo Xin coughed. That unconscious greeting sounded like something a kindergarten teacher would say. Then the name made Yuxu's ears redden. This time it was clearly not just her fault; Bo Xin surrendered by gently rubbing his small earlobe, making him flinch. Of course, she shielded this from the other man. Bo Yuxu straightened up and finally asked about the matter. "Teacher He, why are you here?" Bo Xin explained the previous events. Yuxu, with strong comprehension, understood immediately. His heart skipped a beat. "Can I see that photo?" His voice was unusually serious, which surprised He Yewan. "What's wrong? Do you know the person?" Bo Yuxu thought about how to put it. "Maybe." He wouldn't have jumped to conclusions before, but having just heard about that today, it immediately connected in his mind. The photo was blurry. Bo Yuxu held it up to the light for a long time, his small brows furrowed so tightly they could kill a fly. Then he sighed in defeat. "...Mom, don't you think this person looks like the class monitor?" Bo Xin had been waiting for a long time, and that's what she got. But now that he mentioned the class monitor, the impression clicked in her mind. The class monitor had inherited his mother's beautiful, high-bridged nose. It was said that the class monitor's father was one-quarter British, so the whole family had more sculpted features, but not in a way that immediately screamed foreigner. That photo had the same feel. So the problem that had been troubling He Yewan was solved just by visiting her home. Bo Xin couldn't help reminding Yuxu, "Don't tell the class monitor directly?" "Why not?" It was such happy news. Bo Xin sighed. No matter how smart, he was still a kid. "Because we're not sure yet." Unlike Yuxu, who was just swapped and had records at the orphanage, this child had been trafficked and passed through unknown channels. How could they be certain he was that family's child? If they gave false hope and ended up being wrong, the result could be resentment. She barely met the class monitor's mother—maybe once every few years—but the children were different. Plus, the class monitor was Yuxu's only friend so far. Bo Xin felt she was being very cautious, even including the word 'so far.' She smiled wryly at the thought. "Since we have the clues, Teacher He, you're the one who knows the most. Go find a hotel and rest for the night. If you think of anything or need anything, call me anytime." He Yewan nodded and immediately left, since it was getting late and he needed to find a hotel. Even though he was the child's teacher, it was okay to have a meal together. But staying overnight was too much. He Yewan looked at the money in his hand, then glanced at the fourth floor, which looked like his own home, and smiled inexplicably. He thought that with good news this time, he could finally sleep well. — By last night, He Yewan probably hadn't come up with any ideas. Bo Xin planned to go to sleep. The phone was currently being used by Ji Xingzhi. He picked up the receiver and called He Mingqiao. Now he thought about it, Mingqiao was also surnamed He? How troublesome. Ji Xingzhi looked at the receiver, hesitated about whether to hang up, but then the call connected. The reason he had to make this call was that last night, while he wasn't home, He Mingqiao left a message asking him to call back. His tone had sounded serious, but Ji Xingzhi felt there was nothing he could do that Mingqiao couldn't handle himself—unless he was tired and found it particularly troublesome. In that case, handing it over to him would also be a trouble. Ji Xingzhi tapped the receiver in annoyance. "What's so urgent that you needed me to call back?" He Mingqiao was a bit frantic. He was enjoying his wife and children while dumping a pile of mess onto him. And now he got a tone of disdain when he called. "When are you coming back?" Ji Xingzhi didn't like giving a precise answer. "First tell me what's going on." He Mingqiao was exasperated. All the dirty tricks were being used on him. He grabbed his messy hair in frustration. The other party was a patient, and his family had a big crisis. Only the thought that the injured man was his dad kept He Mingqiao dealing with this big shot. He leaned back in his office chair and spun around. "Do you know that there are rumors here that you're dead? I held a funeral in secret to hide it, but I'm worried about the company's stock, so I haven't announced it." Ji Xingzhi was silent. The rumors had really gone wild. He sighed. "I can't come back." "Why?" He Mingqiao guessed everything—marital relationship, father-son relationship. Ji Xingzhi glanced inside the room; at this distance, he probably couldn't be heard. His relationship with his wife and his son had greatly improved. He thought everything was about to become harmonious, but then someone appeared who could change all those relationships drastically. How could he feel at ease enough to go back? Ji Xingzhi thought about the reasons but, because it was too long and complicated to explain, he just said, "Anyway, I can't come back." He Mingqiao felt thoroughly dismissed. He remembered that all the funds were in his hands now, so he didn't need to beg so softly. "If you don't come back, you probably won't be able to afford your living expenses next month." That was tens of thousands? Ji Xingzhi calculated the money he had, paused, and compromised. "Just prove I'm alive, that's fine. I'll figure out a way to get in the newspaper." Author's note: Next up: anti-trafficking hits the newspapers, hahaha. Dear angel readers, the story will be on the shelf on the 25th, so there will be no updates on the evening of the 24th or during the day on the 25th. The next update will be on the evening of the 25th at 11 PM. Equivalent to taking one day off.