Yu Xiang marched aggressively toward the two of them, quickly drawing Yan Sheng’s attention.
Recognizing who had arrived, the boy’s eyes instantly lit up, and he waved enthusiastically from afar:
“Uncle! Are you here to sign my paper?”
Without answering, Yu Xiang strode over to Yan Sheng, grabbed him, pulled him behind his back, glared down at the man in yellow, and sharply demanded:
“Who are you? What are you trying to do following Sheng-sheng?”
Yan Sheng paused mid-motion in pulling out his test paper, hurriedly scrambled out from behind Yu Xiang, and opened his mouth to explain, only to be yanked right back by Yu Xiang.
Hearing this, the man in yellow looked down at his clearly branded uniform, then raised his head to stare speechlessly at Yu Xiang. “What do you think I am trying to do following him?”
“Hah, stubborn to the end!” Yu Xiang sneered, shoved Yan Sheng’s protruding head back behind him once more, and pulled out his phone. “Since you refuse to talk here, we can talk at the police station!”
“Huh?”
The man was dumbfounded, and Yan Sheng was even more startled, hurriedly grabbing Yu Xiang’s sleeve.
“No! Don’t call the police! Uncle, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have asked you and the delivery brother to sign for me. I was just scared Dad would get mad. Sob…”
Hearing Yan Sheng’s sobs, Yu Xiang immediately forgot all about calling the police. He wrapped his arms around the boy’s shoulders and offered hurried comfort:
“Alright, alright, no police! Uncle won’t call the police. The delivery brother you mentioned is… him?”
Yu Xiang looked toward the man in yellow, who silently turned around to reveal four bold characters printed across his back:
Youtuan Delivery.
Naturally, the Second Young Master Yu, who completely lacked the basic life common sense of an ordinary person, had no clue what a delivery worker showing up here implied.
“If you’re a delivery worker, why aren’t you out delivering things instead of following a child around?”
The delivery guy looked at the “child” who was actually slightly taller than himself with a face full of helplessness. “Mister, is it possible that I am currently working? And that my job description is escorting this kid to school?”
Yu Xiang froze, turned his head, and asked Yan Sheng, “Is that true, Sheng-sheng?”
Wiping away his tears, Yan Sheng let out a choked affirmation. “Dad can’t wake up in the morning. The delivery brother is always the one who takes me to school.”
Yan Hui really did seem to be a chronic morning-sleeper. Back in high school, the catalyst for his friendship with Chen Wenzhe was being caught and forced to stand as a penalty by the head director for being late in the morning, forging a revolutionary camaraderie out of standing outside together time and time again.
With an expression full of awkwardness, Yu Xiang cleared his throat. “Ahem. My apologies, I had a misunderstanding. Yan Sheng’s father is a friend of mine, and I acted out of a moment of panic.”
Not expecting the man before him, who radiated an aura of high-born elegance, to own up and apologize so readily, the delivery guy looked surprised before waving his hand with a smile.
“No worries, no worries, completely understandable. Kids are precious these days, so it’s a good thing when adults pay close attention. But Sheng-sheng, we have to get going, or we’re going to be late.”
Seeing the delivery guy pull Yan Sheng along to leave, Yu Xiang quickly reached out to wrap an arm around Yan Sheng’s shoulders.
“I’ll take Sheng-sheng today, my car is right over there.”
“No way!” The delivery guy tugged Yan Sheng back. “My job is to take Sheng-sheng to school and send proof-of-completion photos back to my employer. If you take him and I fail to finish my job, my pay gets docked!”
Yu Xiang hooked his arm around Yan Sheng’s shoulder and pulled him back. “How much is this order paying you? I’ll pay it to you.”
“This isn’t about the money, it’s about professional integrity!” The delivery guy pulled him back.
“I’ll pay you double!” Yu Xiang yanked him back.
“Triple won’t work either!”
“Ten times!”
“Enough!” Yan Sheng shouted loudly to interrupt the two of them. Tears still stained his cheeks, but his expression couldn’t hide his utter disdain for adult intelligence. “Can’t you both take me?”
Yu Xiang and the delivery guy exchanged a glance and silently let go.
The three of them piled into the private car arranged for Yu Xiang by the hotel. The delivery guy took the front passenger seat, while Yu Xiang and Yan Sheng sat together in the back.
As the vehicle started moving, the delivery guy stared into the rear-view mirror, squirmed awkwardly for a moment, and asked, “Um, that tenfold salary you mentioned just now, is that still counting?”
Yu Xiang glanced at him and pulled out his phone. “It counts. But with one added condition: do not tell Sheng-sheng’s dad about what happened today. I’ll scan your code.”
“Huh? Aren’t you guys friends? Why… No problem, boss! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t say a word!”
Having handled the delivery guy, Yu Xiang turned back to Yan Sheng.
“Sheng-sheng, I can help you sign your test paper, but you cannot tell your dad that you saw me today, okay?”
Thinking his chances of getting a signature were dead and buried, Yan Sheng found a sudden ray of hope and nodded eagerly. “Okay! I promise I won’t tell Dad!”
Watching the boy make a zipping motion across his lips, Yu Xiang couldn’t help raising a hand to ruffle the child’s hair, his eyes filled with fondness.
“Good boy, hand me the test paper.”
Yan Sheng happily pulled out the test sheet. Yu Xiang slid out the folding back-of-seat tray table, laid the paper flat, and then asked casually just before putting pen to paper:
“Should I sign your mom’s name?”
“Sign Dad’s. I don’t know what Mom’s name is.”
Yu Xiang’s pen tip paused, and he looked at Yan Sheng in astonishment. “How can that be? Doesn’t your mom live with you guys?”
Yan Sheng shook his head. “No, Dad says Mom went to a very far place and can’t come back for the time being.”
Yu Xiang raised an eyebrow slightly. “A very far place? Exactly where?”
“I don’t know. Dad says Mom is very busy, flying all over the world with no fixed address, so there’s no way to write her letters.”
“Is that so?” Holding the fountain pen between his index and middle fingers, Yu Xiang tapped his thumb against it over and over. “Haven’t you ever asked for your mom’s name?”
“I did, but Dad wouldn’t say.” Fiddling with his school bag strap, Yan Sheng lowered his head and muttered softly, “I think he and Mom probably got divorced.”
The pen abruptly stopped tapping. “Why do you say that?”
“Otherwise, why wouldn’t Mom come to see me?”
Yan Sheng looked up at Yu Xiang, his eyes welling with faint tears.
“Dad says Mom loves me very much, but aside from her birthday gifts sent back every year, I don’t even know what she looks like, and there aren’t any photos of her at home. They definitely got divorced. That’s why Mom doesn’t come to see me.”
Looking into Yan Sheng’s wet eyes, Yu Xiang’s fingers stiffened slightly. The pen slipped from between his fingertips, landing with a soft click.
After a moment of silence, he raised a hand to wrap it around Yan Sheng’s shoulder.
“Of course not. Didn’t your dad say so? Your mom loves you very much, she just can’t come see you due to certain circumstances. You might doubt other people, but can’t you trust what your dad says?”
“I trust him.” Yan Sheng rubbed his nose. “Dad promised me he would never lie to me.”
“There you go,” Yu Xiang tweaked the corner of his lips. “So, did your dad ever say he and your mom got divorced?”
Yan Sheng shook his head, the light gradually returning to his eyes. “No.”
“So,” Yu Xiang lowered his gaze to the test paper, his voice gentle, “once your mom finishes her busy work, she’ll definitely come to see you and stay with you. All you have to do is wait patiently.”
With that, he picked up the pen and wrote the two characters “Yan Hui” right beside the bright red score.
“All done.”
“Thank you, Uncle!” The child’s emotions came and went quickly. He had been crying just a moment ago, but now he was happily cradling the test paper with delight.
Watching Yan Sheng fold the paper and tuck it into his school bag, Yu Xiang hesitated for a moment before asking, “Sheng-sheng, has your dad ever talked to you about your mom?”
Yan Sheng clutched his school bag and nodded.
“He talked about her. Dad said Mom is very tall, one meter eighty, and exceptionally pretty, even better-looking than the stars on TV. She can ride motorcycles, drive race cars, pilot speedboats and airplanes. There isn’t a single type of vehicle she can’t handle!”
The more Yan Sheng talked, the more excited he became, his eyes shining brightly.
“Mom can’t cook and doesn’t do housework either, but that’s okay, Dad does all that! She’s very smart, her math is even better than Dad’s, and Dad says I take after Mom in that regard!”
Finished speaking, he pulled a folder out of his bag. Neatly tucked inside was a test paper. It was none other than the perfect-score math test signed by Yan Hui.
“Look, I keep all my math test papers. When Mom comes back, I’m going to show them all to her!”
“Yeah, that’s wonderful.” Yu Xiang offered a dry compliment, a storm of complicated emotions churning in his chest.
Fortunately, the school arrived quickly, bringing Yan Sheng’s lecture on his mother to an end. He shouldered his backpack, hopped out of the car, and turned around to wave at Yu Xiang.
“Thank you, Uncle, goodbye!”
“Bye-bye.” Yu Xiang leaned against the car door and waved back, watching Yan Sheng and the delivery guy walk toward the school gates. The corners of his lips, which had been lifted in a smile, slowly flattened and fell.
Height 180, rides motorcycles, drives race cars, and can pilot speedboats and airplanes. Did Yan Hui find himself a female superhero?
And why did all of that sound so familiar?
Confirming that Yan Sheng had entered the school and that the delivery guy had finished his job and left, Yu Xiang got back into the car. Resting his elbow on the window frame, he stared at the primary school receding in the rearview mirror.
Did Sheng-sheng’s mom actually pass away, or did she get divorced from Yan Hui?
A phrase like “Mom went to a very far place” sounded a lot like a polite excuse to hide the truth of a death. But since birthday gifts were mailed back every year, it proved the person was still around.
Since the person was still around yet refused to visit the child, divorce was the only logical explanation.
Yet if they divorced, why not tell Sheng-sheng? Leaving the child to suffer and grieve amidst suspicions rather than telling him the truth didn’t sound like Yan Hui’s character.
Unless… they had never been legally married in the first place. Having a child out of wedlock meant there was no divorce to speak of, which was why the two of them had cut ties.
It was true that he loved his child, but it was equally true that he had his own life to live and couldn’t care for an out-of-wedlock child.
All things considered, it was for the best.
Yu Xiang pulled at the corner of his lips, but he couldn’t force a smile no matter what.
That woman had appeared out of nowhere, accompanied Yan Hui through that period of disillusionment and despair, watched the two of them gradually grow close, and then…
His nails dug into his palms as Yu Xiang lowered his gaze.
Her existence had soothed the heart Yan Hui had broken. After all, if there hadn’t been genuine love, what woman would willingly have a child out of wedlock? And why would Yan Hui willingly shoulder the heavy burden of raising a child?
And that woman was somewhat similar to him.
Yan Hui had been hurt by him, only to have his wounds smoothed over by a woman somewhat reminiscent of him. That feeling was like he had been completely replaced.
No wonder Yan Hui had brushed off that night’s events as ancient history. To him, it truly was.
Yan Hui had moved on long ago, while he alone remained trapped in the past.
Returning to the hotel, Yu Xiang dialed Yang Kexin’s number.
“Help me buy the house next door to Yan Hui’s. Price doesn’t matter. Make it quick.”
Since no one was truly irreplaceable, this time around, he would be the one staying by their father-and-son duo’s side. He would occupy the most advantageous position and fill the void left by that woman.
No matter the ultimate outcome, and regardless of what identity he had to take on, he would never leave them, never leave Yan Hui, ever again.