Song Jianbai looked up and saw Chu Xingyan sitting on the sofa looking right at him, then broke into a smile. “You’re awake?”
“Yeah.” Chu Xingyan gave an awkward response, then lifted the blanket and got off the sofa.
He took a trip to the bathroom, coming out with a tissue still in hand to wipe his hands.
After throwing it into the trash can, he walked over to help out.
The meal for the two of them was not overly complicated.
Just two dishes and a soup.
Song Jianbai noticed that while eating, Chu Xingyan really liked to steal glances at him.
After all, the two of them were not very familiar with each other, and given that Chu Xingyan was a teenager in his adolescent years, he was naturally bound to be a bit sensitive.
Thinking of this, Song Jianbai felt that he truly needed to have a proper talk with him.
At the very least, Song Jianbai wanted to understand Chu Xingyan.
After finishing the meal, Chu Xingyan felt too embarrassed to just sit around, so he accompanied Song Jianbai to clean up the kitchen.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Song Jianbai asked Chu Xingyan whether he wanted to take a leave of absence from school.
Upon hearing this, Chu Xingyan’s hand movements paused slightly.
Taking a year off from school was something he genuinely had not considered.
He thought for a moment, then spoke up. “Uncle, actually, I am not my parents’ biological son.”
Even though he felt that his uncle already knew.
After all, those relatives had kicked up such a huge fuss back then.
The people on his father’s side were unwilling to take him in.
While his maternal uncle and aunts were busy fighting over the inheritance.
Originally, he felt that he was not incapable of taking care of himself.
He had actually thought of many possibilities, but he had never imagined that this unreliable uncle would come to fetch him.
As for his parents’ belongings, there really wasn’t much.
His uncle had no desire to fight over the property, yet still took him away as a burden, so the relatives from both sides of his parents’ families had very easily let his uncle take him.
“I know.” Song Jianbai placed the bowls into the sink before answering.
In the book, Chu Xingyan also lived together with his uncle.
Of course, it was likely because the original owner owed the male lead’s adoptive parents a considerable amount of money, so the custody eventually fell to the original owner.
If the original owner refused to raise him, he would have to pay back tens of thousands of yuan.
Therefore, the original owner had no choice but to take over and care for Chu Xingyan.
“But I am your uncle, and your parents never stopped loving you just because you were not their biological child. If they didn’t love you, they wouldn’t have kept you with them in the first place,” Song Jianbai explained.
Although Chu Xingyan’s adoptive parents could not be considered flawless, they were very normal parents.
They wanted their child to succeed.
Actually, the idea that a child’s success brings glory to a parent’s face was a sentiment Song Jianbai himself shared.
It wasn’t just about having his own face adorned with glory; it was also the feeling that this child was truly his junior, so capable and so well-equipped to take care of himself.
That way, when the elder eventually passed away, they wouldn’t carry any lingering worries in their heart.
Of course, purely terrible parents were not uncommon either.
It was just that those kinds of parents were not Chu Xingyan’s parents.
Therefore, Song Jianbai hoped that Chu Xingyan wouldn’t hold too much resentment toward his adoptive parents.
At the very least, his adoptive parents had truly loved him sincerely.
At this point, Song Jianbai added another sentence. “I am not saying these things to pressure you, but to let you know that no matter what, you must always love yourself first, understand?”
After saying this, Song Jianbai wasn’t even sure if saying such words right then was appropriate.
Yet since the words were already out, he certainly couldn’t take them back.
Listening to Song Jianbai’s words, Chu Xingyan fell silent.
Actually, he was well aware of such things.
It was just that he couldn’t accept the fact that even when his parents were clearly in the wrong most of the time, they were still unwilling to lower their heads.
He didn’t understand why.
Clearly, they were a family.
Song Jianbai did not receive an immediate answer from Chu Xingyan, nor did he rush him.
“I called and asked for leave on your behalf. Tomorrow, you can just stay at home and think things through carefully. I don’t want to dictate your future. If you are unsatisfied with your situation in the future, you might end up thinking, ‘If only my uncle hadn’t interfered with my life back then.’ I don’t want you to have those kinds of thoughts later on.”
Song Jianbai spoke gently, signaling to Chu Xingyan not to rush.
As he picked up a paper towel to dry his hands, Chu Xingyan couldn’t help asking, “What if a dozen years from now, I regret that you didn’t discipline me strictly?”
Hearing this question, Song Jianbai simply smiled.
“So, are you going to deny the possibility that the path you choose yourself might turn out better?” Song Jianbai asked him.
In order to save his two younger sisters, Song Jianbai had tried many methods.
Yet in the end, the only thing that could truly change them was their own choices.
He had known beforehand that if an adult could accurately provide children with answers, that would naturally be ideal.
However, since adults hadn’t even found the exact answers for their own lives, they naturally had no way of handing those answers over to children.
Besides, would the answer to his own life be suitable for a child anyway?
Listening to Song Jianbai’s words, Chu Xingyan was very surprised.
Because usually, in moments like this, adults would just step in and say, “Since you’re afraid, just listen to me.”
This made Chu Xingyan feel all the more that his uncle was truly different from the adults he knew.
“No,” Chu Xingyan hurriedly denied.
He didn’t want to deny his own thoughts.
It was just that his uncle’s words always made him want to say something in response.
“Actually, adults are just like that. Even if they regret their past choices, they won’t admit regret unless they are driven into a dead end.” After saying this, whether thinking of something suddenly, Song Jianbai let out a sudden chuckle.
This left Chu Xingyan feeling somewhat puzzled.
What was so funny about saying something like that?
Actually, the moment Song Jianbai said those words, he thought of Fu Yi.
Since this was an angsty romance novel, the male lead was precisely the type who believed he wouldn’t regret anything he did.
Yet once the female lead died, he completely lost his mind.
It really fit the trope perfectly.
“So I don’t want you to reach a dead end before you start regretting things.” Song Jianbai reached out and ruffled Chu Xingyan’s hair. Even as the protagonist, he shouldn’t have to endure so much hardship.
With that, Song Jianbai looked at his own hand and added, “Go wash your hair later.”
Hearing this, Chu Xingyan gave his own head a light pat.
He didn’t think his uncle’s hand was dirty at all, but he agreed anyway.
Actually, Chu Xingyan didn’t understand what his uncle had experienced over the past few years to have changed so much.
Yet Chu Xingyan didn’t dare to ask.
He was afraid that asking might reopen some old wounds.
Even though he was indeed rebellious, he simply couldn’t bring himself to utter any hateful words toward his uncle.
Still, Song Jianbai remained somewhat unclear on how exactly he was supposed to make Chu Xingyan change.
Because he didn’t feel like Chu Xingyan was the type to get tangled in a toxic romance with someone else.
Or perhaps Chu Xingyan would be the one to dump the other person first.
And then when the other person came looking for him, he wouldn’t love them properly.
Yet no matter how Song Jianbai looked at it, he couldn’t see Chu Xingyan as that kind of person.
Then again, it made sense; Chu Xingyan hadn’t yet been subjected to the devastation inflicted by his biological father, stepmother, and older stepbrother.
Right now, he was just a little rebellious.
If he was pulled back in time, things would still turn out quite well.
Early the next morning, when Song Jianbai got up, he discovered that Chu Xingyan was already awake.
“Why are you up so early?” Song Jianbai asked, somewhat surprised.
Didn’t he say he requested leave for him today?
He should have just slept in.
“I am not that fragile, and I don’t want to take a leave of absence,” Chu Xingyan replied.
His mental resilience really wasn’t that weak.
Seeing him like this, Song Jianbai stopped trying to persuade him otherwise.
He made breakfast for him, ate together, and conveniently drove him to school afterward.
“What do you want to eat tonight?” Song Jianbai asked as he watched Chu Xingyan prepare to get out of the car.
Chu Xingyan paused for a moment, then replied, “Anything is fine.”
And as Song Jianbai’s car disappeared down the road, Chu Xingyan finally realized that from now on, he could actually come home every single day.
(Banhaia Novel, much joy)