During break, there weren't many people in the hallway.
Most were seizing the opportunity to practice piano.
With not enough pianos to go around, even watching others play helped reinforce the music in their minds.
Wen Qiaozhe preferred a 'play when playing, study when studying' lifestyle. When he bumped into Ji Yanyi during break, he thought they were kindred spirits, but it turned out Ji Yanyi simply couldn't play well.
But what could he do? When you click with someone, you click. And friends worth making should be made.
So even after learning that their fathers didn't get along, their friendship remained unaffected.
Because their feelings for their fathers were just that—lukewarm.
Wen Qiaozhe generously shared a steamed bun. "Has your dad been home lately?"
Ji Yanyi had eaten a bowl of noodles, but after a class, he was hungry again. The bun was his favorite flavor—bamboo shoot—and still warm.
"No."
"People say your parents are getting a divorce?"
Ji Yanyi had heard such rumors no less than eight hundred times growing up. His dad either didn't come home or left soon after.
"No way. They've lived like this for a long time."
But Wen Qiaozhe felt this time might be real. "You remember when your dad was in a car accident and hospitalized, right?"
"Of course."
It was a sudden emergency. His abdomen was pierced by a railing, causing heavy bleeding. His forehead hit something, and he was in a coma in the ICU for days.
All Ji Yanyi could see was blinding red. Even now, thinking about it made his chest ache.
Wen Qiaozhe said, "That's when they took your blood and your dad found out you weren't his biological child."
Back then, Ji Yanyi's father was rushed to the hospital covered in blood. The emergency doctor was Wen Qiaozhe's father. During the blood transfusion, they urgently tested Ji Yanyi's blood and discovered they weren't father and son.
He didn't understand the specifics, only that type A blood parents couldn't produce a type B blood son.
The gossip spread like wildfire in the hospital.
From the fact that Ji Yanyi's father hadn't been home since, it was clear he knew the truth.
Wen Qiaozhe was anxious for his friend's family. Then he paused, shocked. "Wait... why aren't you surprised at all?"
"Because I already knew."
Ji Yanyi had been upset for a while when he first learned he wasn't his parents' biological child.
But now, his mother was treating him well again.
"Mom already brought back their biological son."
Mom and dad's biological son?
Although Wen Qiaozhe understood every word, the combination baffled him. So Ji Yanyi wasn't his dad's biological child, nor his mom's?
Were the two babies switched at birth?
"Do you need to call your dad and explain?"
Ji Yanyi frowned. "No way."
Compared to his mother's change in attitude after discovering the truth, his father's response was to just ignore it?
Ji Yanyi turned away, his eyes stinging.
He thought, this was just awful.
Then his tone turned defiant and serious. "If he doesn't trust Mom and suspects her, then he doesn't have to come back."
He and Mom wouldn't miss him anyway.
—
At the long street alley, the gold bars given by Grandma had all been used here.
Bo Xin walked into a shop with sparse customers. She touched a coat—it was good quality, but the style was too outdated.
These days, as people grew wealthier, they demanded more from clothes than just warmth. Gradually, these old styles no longer appealed to the rich.
And that included her.
"Ma'am, anything you're looking for?"
Bo Xin turned around, her stunning, star-like face instantly catching the shop owner's attention. "Sister Bo."
Bo Xin nodded. "I'm here to collect the rent."
It was due a while ago, but she'd been busy.
The owner looked uncomfortable. She probably dreaded seeing Bo Xin's face the most. Not because she was ugly—on the contrary, she was very beautiful—but because she couldn't afford the rent.
Recently, the Hong Kong style had become popular. The owner was too old to understand it and felt the quality couldn't match hers. Plus, her regular customers supported her, so she managed to get by.
But now, even those regulars weren't coming.
Her business barely sustained itself. Gradually, she couldn't even afford to restock.