Nancheng, midsummer in July.
Before Bai Huan was sent back to his biological parents, he set the house on fire.
It was a long story. Bai Huan was the youngest son of the Bai family, a distinguished family of lawyers. He was exceptionally good-looking, with red lips, white teeth, a beautiful face, and a perfectly proportioned figure. Unfortunately, he had a ruthless, vicious streak and would resort to underhanded tricks at the slightest disagreement. He looked like a delicate mimosa, but was actually as poisonous as a deadly vine.
With a personality like that, as long as he had wealth and powerful connections behind him, he could naturally do whatever he pleased and sail through life without a care.
But misfortune could strike at any moment.
Bai Huan was informed that not a drop of Bai family blood flowed through his veins.
He was a fake young master. An impostor.
Bai Huan was as proud as a peacock. From the moment he learned that he wasn't his parents' biological son, he refused to set foot outside his room.
Quite a few people came by his door. Some were passing by and gossiping, while others had come to check on him. There were far fewer people genuinely concerned about him than those who simply wanted to watch the drama unfold. Bai Huan refused to see any of them.
At first, Bai Huan spent entire days online. The subject of real and fake young masters had always been a hot topic on the internet. Some argued that the children were innocent, while others insisted that those who benefited from the mistake were hardly blameless, and that anyone who occupied someone else's rightful place would eventually come to a bad end.
Bai Huan thought that if he were the real young master, he would certainly agree with the latter.
Unfortunately, he was the fake one, so he had no choice but to support the former.
Neither his father, Bai Mushan, nor his mother, Cheng Yueqing, appeared that day.
Bai Huan assumed they were enjoying a happy reunion with their biological son. In a fit of spite, he smashed many of the gifts Bai Mushan and Cheng Yueqing had bought him over the years. Then he lay amid the scattered fragments, feeling as though his own body had shattered into pieces along with them.
It wasn't until the following day that Bai Huan finally couldn't bear it anymore. He picked up his phone and began composing a WeChat message to Cheng Yueqing.
Mom...
He couldn't bring himself to send it.
He deleted the word and typed something else.
Auntie...
He still couldn't send it.
By then, Bai Huan was sobbing so uncontrollably that he couldn't even hold his phone.
In the end, he sent nothing.
If a counterfeit was the first to jump forward and announce itself, everyone would know it was a counterfeit.
He had no idea what to do, but for now, he was determined to maintain his swanlike dignity.
He drifted in and out of sleep for several days.
When he finally woke again, he heard voices nearby.
He kept his eyes closed and began identifying the speakers from what they were saying.
Now that they thought he was "asleep," everyone treated him like a piece of furniture and spoke without restraint.
Bai Huan knew this might be his last chance to hear what they truly thought.
If they decided to continue raising him, they would say, "Taimi, in our hearts, you're no different from our biological children."
If they intended to send him back to his biological parents, they would say, "Taimi, this will always be your home. Remember to come back and visit often."
"How could you tell Taimi he isn't your biological son? He's so proud. He won't be able to take it."
It was his second brother, Bai Xing.
Bai Huan had expected him to say something like that.
Before the truth about their identities came to light, Bai Huan and Bai Xing had been "twins." They were closer to each other than anyone else in the family.
"He had to find out eventually."
Their father, Bai Mushan, was a man whose eyes seemed to hold a thousand mountains. He had always been sparing with his words.
Mom will definitely be the last one to speak, Bai Huan thought.
And indeed, that was what happened.
Cheng Yueqing sounded as though she had been crying.
"We've raised him for eighteen years! We've treasured him like our own flesh and blood. And now that it's come to this, I thought we could keep both children. Who would have expected that couple to insist on taking Taimi back?"
"Since they're the ones who gave birth to him, it's only reasonable for them to want to raise him now," Bai Mushan said.
"How is that reasonable?!"
Cheng Yueqing stood up and paced a few steps in agitation.
"We've raised him for eighteen years! Eighteen years! Even if he were a little dog, we'd have grown attached to him after all that time. Don't you understand?"
Cheng Yueqing was an elegant, noblewoman. Although she had given birth to three children, time had treated her exceptionally kindly.
Faced with such a woman, Bai Mushan couldn't help softening his expression. He raised a hand and gently patted her shoulder and back.
At that moment, a little white dog quietly squeezed through the gap in the door.
"Xiao He? What are you doing here?"
Bai Xing spotted it and called out loudly.
Cheng Yueqing hurriedly told him to lower his voice so he wouldn't disturb Taimi's rest.
Bai Xing tiptoed over, scooped up Xiao He after the dog jumped onto the bed, and rubbed his cheek against its little head.
"Xiao He, did you know Taimi was leaving? Did you come especially to see him off?"
Bai Huan's eyelids trembled.
Had his second brother already accepted it so readily?
The boy lying on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.
Xiao He was the first to notice that he was awake. The Pomeranian wriggled free of Bai Xing's arms, leaped onto the bed, and enthusiastically began licking the boy's face.
"Oh, Bai Xing, Mom told you to..."
Cheng Yueqing had risen to catch Xiao He and take it away, but she abruptly froze.
At some point, the person on the bed had woken up.
"Mom."
Bai Huan sat up with Xiao He in his arms and leaned against the headboard. He looked listless, without a trace of energy.
"It's all right. I'm already awake."
He saw Cheng Yueqing struggling to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile.
Unable to bear looking at her, he lowered his eyes and pretended to groom Xiao He's fur. His fingers moved back and forth across the little dog's back, again and again.
Until he could no longer hold back his tears.
One by one, they spilled from the corners of his eyes, rolled down the bridge of his nose, and fell onto the pale blue bedsheet.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door.
It was Bai Huan's maid, A Xiu.
"Sir, Madam, Mr. Chen and Ms. Wang have arrived with the young master."
Bai Huan had so many questions.
Who was Mr. Chen?
Who was Ms. Wang?
And wasn't he the young master?
But before Bai Huan could ask anything, everyone in the room got to their feet and hurried out.
Everyone except the dog.
"Woof!"
Xiao He sat beside Bai Huan, wagging its tail vigorously.
Bai Huan bent down and hugged Xiao He tightly.
"Xiao He, you're all I have left."
"Taimi, this is your second older brother. Go on, call him Brother."
"Taimi, these are your biological parents. Call them Mom and Dad."
Holding the dog in his arms, Bai Huan stood on the second floor and looked down at the shabbily dressed middle-aged couple standing by the front entrance.
He didn't care who they were, so naturally, he couldn't be bothered to examine their appearances.
His gaze quickly shifted to the person standing behind them.
The rightful occupant of the nest he had stolen.
The other boy was about his age, but taller and sturdier. He had the same slightly curly black hair as Bai Xing, small eyes, and a pair of bright, light-amber irises that gleamed with mischief and liveliness.
At that moment, Bai Xing stood beside his real brother.
The two looked as though they had been cast from the same mold.
Bai Huan suddenly understood.
No wonder he and Bai Xing had supposedly been "twins," yet didn't resemble each other in the slightest.
Seeing that Bai Huan remained silent and unresponsive, Cheng Yueqing gave the couple an awkward smile. Then she gathered her skirt and hurried up the stairs.
She seized Bai Huan by the wrist and pulled him downstairs.
"Taimi, come on. Go down and say hello to them."
Bai Huan let himself be dragged to the entrance.
The middle-aged woman standing before him examined him carefully for a while, then covered her mouth, turned her head away, and began shedding tears.
The man beside her stared at the boy without looking away, his eyes filled with heartache.
Bai Huan looked at each of them in turn before lowering his head and stroking Xiao He's little head.
"Have you come to take me home?"
After a long silence, Bai Huan finally spoke without raising his head.
There was no joy on his face at being reunited with his biological parents.
Only humiliation and fear.
Before Cheng Yueqing could answer, his biological mother nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, that's right! We've already agreed with your... your adoptive parents. We're taking you home today!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Cheng Yueqing sharply contradicted her.
"We never agreed to let you take Taimi away today! We agreed that he would leave with you only after his eldest brother returned from abroad and our whole family had a chance to reunite!"
Bai Huan's biological father spoke up as well, although his tone was considerably gentler.
"But Bai Huan isn't your biological child. He's ours. How can you still call yourselves one family?"
"Mr. Chen, I don't appreciate what you're saying. You..."
Cheng Yueqing was about to continue, but Bai Mushan pulled her behind him.
He smiled.
"How about this? It's almost lunchtime anyway. We won't wait for Mingzhen. Let's all have lunch together, and afterward, you can take Bai Huan home. How does that sound?"
Only then did Mr. Chen and Ms. Wang smile.
They began talking about how much they had missed Bai Huan.
The two men walked toward the living room with their hands on each other's shoulders, while the two women linked arms. The four adults entered in pairs and took their seats one after another.
Bai Xing followed to attend to them.
With no one blocking the entrance anymore, the sunlight outside poured freely onto Bai Huan's face as he remained standing in the doorway.
It was like strips of flowing golden cloth, slowly winding tighter and tighter around his head and face.
Bai Huan couldn't help narrowing his eyes.
His gaze settled once more on the real young master, who hadn't followed the others.
"What's your name?"
The other boy spoke first.
Even his voice resembled Bai Xing's.
"Bai Huan. Huan as in huanran yixin, making a fresh start."
"I heard them calling you Taimi just now. Which tai is that?" the other boy asked.
"The tai from the line 'Moss flowers are as tiny as grains of rice.' Taimi. My eldest brother gave me that nickname when I was little."
"Is this your puppy?"
"Mm."
Bai Huan lowered his head again and said quietly, "But now it's yours."
The other boy didn't respond to that.
Instead, he extended his hand.
"My name is Bai Chen."
Bai Huan abruptly raised his eyes.
Bai Xing. Bai Chen.
Xingchen.
Stars.
He silently repeated the names to himself.
His face began to burn as though it had been set on fire.
He hurriedly asked, "When was your name changed?"
"Last month," Bai Chen replied.
"They were hardly ever home last month. They said they had some big cases and were terribly busy."
Bai Huan discreetly wiped all the sweat from his palms onto Xiao He's bottom.
The dog's fur became clumped into little strands.
Bai Chen said, "I wouldn't know about that."
"Come inside."
Bai Huan stepped back a couple of paces.
He turned, uncertain whether he should head toward the living room or go back upstairs.
Then he remembered that this house would soon no longer be his home.
He changed direction and went to sit beside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Not far away, the four adults were chatting.
Their conversation, initially solemn and heavy, gradually filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
Bai Huan sank into the sofa and stared out at the garden, where flowers and trees bloomed in splendid profusion.
Butterflies fluttered among the sea of flowers.
Farther away, a gardener was perched in a tree, busy pruning branches.
And farther still were the boy's tears, shimmering in the air like bubbles.
He took out his phone and called his eldest brother, Bai Mingzhen, who was far away in the United States.
After three rings, someone answered.
But it was his assistant.
"Attorney Bai is busy. If you have something to tell him, Young Master, you can leave a message. I'll pass it on later."
"Then tell him I don't want the planner anymore. I won't have any use for it."
The assistant sounded somewhat troubled.
"But the planner has already been purchased. Attorney Bai will have someone deliver it to you as soon as he returns."
"I said I don't want it, so I don't want it."
Bai Huan curled his index finger and used it to wipe away a tear.
Two hours later, the two families sat together around one table, enjoying a lively lunch.
There was chicken, duck, and fresh fish, all prepared in the homestyle flavours of Nancheng. Several small dishes from Mr. Chen and Ms. Wang's hometown had also been included.
Fruit juices were served according to the preferences of the three boys.
No alcohol was served, since Mr. Chen would be driving later.
Normally, whenever the family ate together, Bai Huan sat beside Cheng Yueqing.
This time, as usual, he went to sit in his customary chair.
But Cheng Yueqing gently nudged him aside.
"Taimi, go sit next to your mother."
Bai Huan felt a sharp ache in his chest.
He bit his lower lip and said nothing.
He simply dragged away the chair he had been about to sit on.
When Bai Xing saw this, alarm bells immediately rang in his head.
Oh, no. The little brat was about to lose it.
He quickly stood up to smooth things over, brought another chair over, and said with a cheerful laugh, "That chair has his beloved Bei Bei on it. Little Brother Chen, we'll get you a special throne of your own too!"
After speaking, he stole a glance at Bai Huan.
Just in time to catch the latter glaring at him.
Seated between Mr. Chen and Ms. Wang, Bai Huan absentmindedly fiddled with his chopsticks.
He ate a mouthful of shredded bamboo shoots, two shrimp, and then began drinking soup.
Throughout the meal, he listened to the conversations around the table.
Whenever someone addressed him directly, he gave a few perfunctory murmurs of acknowledgment.
From their conversation, Bai Huan learned that Mr. Chen's full name was Chen Yuanyuan, and Ms. Wang's was Wang Caiyi.
The two had known and loved each other since they were young. They were a gentle, affectionate couple whose love had flowed steadily through the years.
Three years after their marriage, Wang Caiyi became pregnant and gave birth to him.
At the time, their financial circumstances had been reasonably comfortable.
Bai Mushan and Cheng Yueqing, meanwhile, had certain personal reasons for avoiding extravagance and attracting attention.
As a result, both women had given birth at the same maternity hospital.
The two babies were born one after the other, and their mothers stayed in adjacent private rooms.
During the newborns' routine daily baths, one parent believed a nurse was handling their baby too roughly and caused an uproar.
The entire place descended into chaos.
And amid that confusion, the two babies were accidentally switched.
The truth had finally come to light because, some time earlier, Chen Yuanyuan had repeatedly dreamed of his deceased mother.
In his dreams, she insisted that his son wasn't of the Chen family's bloodline.
Chen Yuanyuan had a relatively undemanding job, so to put his late mother's spirit at ease, he went for a paternity test.
And wouldn't you know it?
The son he had raised for almost eighteen years really wasn't his biological child.
After that, it took considerable effort to track down the Bai family.
Cheng Yueqing had always been fiercely protective of her own.
She initially took Chen Yuanyuan and Wang Caiyi for a pair of scammers who had come knocking on their door.
She even threatened to call the police and have the pair thrown into prison.
Bai Mushan, however, noticed that the couple conducted themselves properly and didn't seem like swindlers.
He arranged for someone to receive them and examined the hospital records from all those years ago.
The records raised his suspicions, so he also arranged for testing.
And wouldn't you know it?
The son he had raised for almost eighteen years really wasn't a biological member of the Bai family.
Bai Huan listened to the adults chatting happily.
They sounded like kindred spirits who regretted not meeting sooner, as though they had found fellow sufferers who understood their plight.
Meanwhile, he poked at a piece of taro at the bottom of his bowl and kept glancing at Bai Chen, who sat diagonally across from him.
Amid the crisp clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the cheerful laughter of his family, Bai Huan began to feel a little embarrassed.
He had been staring at Bai Chen all this time, wondering whether the other boy felt the same way he did.
Unfortunately, Bai Chen kept his head lowered and concentrated on eating.
Bai Huan had no choice but to look away.
"Young Master."
A Xiu approached with a telephone.
"It's the Eldest Young Master. He's asking for you."
Bai Huan glanced over his shoulder and said softly, "I'm eating. Please tell Eldest Brother I'll call him back later."
After A Xiu hung up, Bai Mushan's phone rang.
He made an apologetic gesture and got up to answer it off to one side.
He hadn't gone far, so everyone could still see his expression and hear what he was saying.
No one knew what the person on the other end had said, but the muscles in Bai Mushan's face twitched.
"Whether he changes his name isn't up to our family to decide. His parents want their biological son to return to his ancestral family and bear their name. What business is that of yours?"
Bai Huan heard him too.
He ignored the panicked, sorrowful look in Cheng Yueqing's eyes and turned toward Wang Caiyi.
With an expression of perfect sweetness and obedience, he asked politely,
"May I ask what name you've prepared for me?"
In the Chen family, the man was the one who made the decisions.
Wang Caiyi didn't answer.
Instead, Chen Yuanyuan replied with confidence and pride.
"Chen Jingen."