In scarcely a moment, Jiang Yuxu looked up at the blackboard again.
He was hated.
That was Ji Xingzhi's first reaction.
But no surprise; as a father, he had discovered it too late.
Ever since he felt the name Jiang Yuxu was familiar, he had desperately searched his memory, finally reaching that blankness from racking his brain, nearly thinking he had lost a chunk of memory from the crash.
Fortunately, he couldn't resist He Mingqiao's nagging and went for a follow-up at the hospital, where he remembered.
The child born together with Yanyi.
The name was given by Bo Xin, so she had mentioned it when he arrived.
The memory was too thin; even for him, the reason he could recall it was because of the bad impression left by his right eyelid twitching wildly at the time.
So, what was this now?
He Mingqiao: "Has Yanyi been switched with this child named Jiang Yuxu all along?"
Jiang Yuxu already had a vague guess, but when he actually saw the child, he could confirm this was his son.
Because this child looked too much like him.
He glanced at He Mingqiao and gave a slight nod.
He Mingqiao grabbed his already messy hair. In the afternoon, he had been sleeping in the office when Ji Xingzhi woke him up, watching the man quickly pack his things—clearly planning to go home.
Although he didn't understand why a trip to the hospital had made him suddenly willing to go home, he still dragged himself up to serve as driver for the four-hour trip instead of the weak man.
Now knowing this kind of thing, even he felt anxious for his brother.
Because of misunderstandings, he had missed the child's return from the countryside; because of misunderstandings, he had refused to send money home.
One thing after another was enough to make He Mingqiao kneel on a washboard at home.
"You… how about you go see your biological son now and apologize or something?"
After saying that, He Mingqiao himself felt it was unreliable. Ji Yanyi and Jiang Yuxu were in the same class now.
What would Yanyi think then?
Ji Xingzhi had hardly spoken throughout. Now he took another look inside the classroom. "Let's go. He doesn't want to see me."
Probably because of similar personalities, with just one look, he knew his biological son's resistance.
It seemed there was another place he needed to apologize to, even more than to the child.
Ji Xingzhi sighed deeply, shifting his posture uncomfortably.
He hadn't been back to this place for about three months. Life was unpredictable; when he left, he never expected to experience a car accident.
And all the subsequent events.
On the way here, He Mingqiao kept urging him to make a humble apology or a dramatic one, but Ji Xingzhi replied, "Your marital model doesn't apply to her and me."
They had always been a marriage of convenience.
Their previous relationship had relied entirely on the children.
Ji Xingzhi unlocked the door with his key. Entering the house, he found it dim at dusk. Habitually turning on the light, he saw the slippers paired on the shoe rack, and the toothbrushes in the bathroom—children's toothbrushes.
The household had changed drastically with an extra person.
He pressed his lips together, glancing around. The room was clearly empty.
Where could she be?
The sound of the lock turning was particularly crisp. Ji Xingzhi turned around and met Bo Xin's eyes.
Bo Xin hadn't expected that after simply going out to collect rent, such a big surprise would be waiting for her when she returned.
Because Sister He had made money from altering clothes, she quickly called to pay the rent. Besides the rent, she also gave her two new outfits as thanks.
Frankly, Sister He's learning had yielded good results; Bo Xin couldn't bring herself to say "no."
Bo Xin refocused on the man in front of her. From his expression, things were developing in the direction she wanted.
Ji Xingzhi: "I bought some food from a restaurant."
Bo Xin saw it—well packaged, delicious-looking and smelling, clearly expensive.
"Truly worthy of a rich man."
Ji Xingzhi's habitual retort "You're not bad either" twisted in his mouth a few times but ultimately remained unspoken.
He glanced at the refrigerator; it was empty, suggesting she mostly ate takeout too.
He pressed his lips together and pulled out a chair from under the table.
"...Sit down and eat."
"Sure."
Bo Xin hung her coat on the wall and slowly sat in the seat he had prepared. From the start, she had preferred to let Ji Xingzhi discover the truth himself.
Then he would reflect on his mistakes and end up like now, angry but not daring to speak out.