Looking across the entire circle of their generation, Old Master Li had, for decades, been the same as ever, a notoriously overbearing man whom everyone knew.
He had been formidable even in his youth. His methods were ruthless, his heart even more so. After holding power firmly in his grasp for several dozen years, it was only natural that he had cultivated a dictatorial temperament, one in which everyone around him was expected to obey his commands without question.
For such a man to have produced a son like Li Yang, equally fond of control yet increasingly shrewd and inscrutable with age, the discord between father and son had long been foreseeable.
Years ago, old friends would joke idly over tea: once Old Master Li grew older and handed over his authority, he would inevitably end up a lonely old man, being angered half to death by his son every few days. It would make for quite the spectacle.
They had not been wrong.
In fact, before the old master could willingly relinquish power himself, his position had already been seized by his son. Thus, he began his “golden years” earlier than expected, sitting in a wheelchair, so furious he could barely contain himself.
Among the elderly circle, this became a running joke.
The old tyrant cared most about face. For years, because he had no acknowledged heir and felt ashamed of “having no descendants to continue the line,” he had stopped proactively inviting others to gatherings.
Yet this year, after the New Year passed, things were completely different.
One day, without warning, he summoned all his old friends for a reunion, regardless of whether it was convenient for them. He gave it a lofty name, cherishing old friendships and treasuring each remaining day of life.
Nonsense.
Old Master Wang, seated at the banquet, thought to himself:
Everyone knew he simply wanted to show off his current life. Not only had he regained a grown grandson, he had also gained a newborn little grandson. Even his once estranged relationship with his son was gradually improving.
Strangely enough, last year Old Master Li had called him personally, complaining that his son had found himself a male daughter in law. Although he had not outright declared his disapproval, there had been clear dissatisfaction in his tone, criticizing the young man’s background and appearance.
Who would have thought that this very “male daughter in law,” whom Old Master Li had once described as meek as a rabbit, would bring such change to the Li household? Ever since his arrival, the atmosphere in the family had shifted. The constant quarrels had ceased. Life, somehow, felt warmer, more human.
Now, if anyone dared to imply that the male daughter in law was unworthy or unimpressive, Old Master Li would suspect that such a remark concealed ulterior motives. Surely it wasn’t simply about thinking his son’s spouse was ordinary.
To go from being a “lonely old widower” to this state, of course he wanted to flaunt it a little.
Old Master Wang did not possess such influence, so he chose simply to play along.
What he had not expected was that at tonight’s banquet, in addition to seeing the legendary family of three, Li Yang, Ran Fan and their child, he would also encounter Old Master Li’s eldest grandson.
This eldest grandson, Jiang Minyu, was strikingly handsome, renowned among the younger generation for his exceptional looks.
Equally well known was his strained relationship with Li Yang. Whenever he encountered his father outside, he never bothered with polite civility.
Old Master Wang had anticipated witnessing an undercurrent of tension, perhaps even a dramatic confrontation.
Yet nothing remarkable happened.
Jiang Minyu sat opposite Li Yang’s family of three, watching Li Yang cradle his half year old son without setting him down for even a moment. Throughout the entire meal, Jiang Minyu remained unusually quiet.
After the meal, unable to resist, Old Master Wang leaned closer to Old Master Li and spoke in a low voice:
“Oh dear, even I can hardly bear to watch this. I know you dote on your little grandson but you shouldn’t torment the eldest grandson like this. After all, the heart is made of flesh. I’ve heard your eldest grandson never enjoyed a bit of fatherly affection growing up.”
Old Master Li was holding his little grandson, teasing him playfully. At this point during family gatherings, Li Yang and Ran Fan would usually step outside for some air and a short walk, leaving him alone with the child.
At these words, Old Master Li turned his eyes sharply.
“What does that have to do with me? He’s the one who insists on coming.”
“He comes of his own accord?”
“Of course.”
“This isn’t even his first time?”
“Whenever Li Yang’s family comes, he comes too!”
Old Master Wang was bewildered and about to ask more when Jiang Minyu returned to the dining room after washing his hands.
Old Master Wang shifted his attention to the baby in Old Master Li’s arms.
The infant boy was being raised extremely well. His cheeks were plump and rounded, his eyes dark and bright yet upon closer inspection, there was little resemblance to the sharp features of the Li men.
It was not that he was unattractive. Rather, whether Old Master Li, Li Yang, or Jiang Minyu, all bore deep set eyes and high noses, their features angular and striking. The baby boy, by contrast, had soft lines and gentle contours. At first glance, he looked harmless, sweet and obedient, almost disarmingly so.
“What a pity,” Old Master Wang teased lightly. “Your favorite little darling looks the least like you.”
Before Old Master Li could respond, Jiang Minyu suddenly spoke from the side.
“Isn’t that cute?”
“Of course it’s cute. How could it not be?”
Jiang Minyu gave a subdued “Mm.”
It was as though he were a sensitive parent who suspected someone had subtly criticized his own child’s appearance, blurting out a defense, then falling silent again.
Old Master Wang had assumed Jiang Minyu would dislike this younger brother deeply. He had not even said anything negative about the baby yet Jiang Minyu had reacted as though “anxious” to defend him. The unexpected display left Old Master Wang somewhat baffled.
Soon, the gathering dispersed. The elders prepared to leave and Old Master Li personally rolled his wheelchair forward to see them off.
Unable to find anyone nearby to hand the baby to, he extended the child toward Jiang Minyu.
Jiang Minyu did not even have time to react.
The baby had already been placed in his arms.
In that abrupt, breathless instant, as though Heaven itself had arranged it, everyone in the house stepped outside.
Only Jiang Minyu and the baby in his arms remained.
His entire body turned rigid.
He had, instinctively, defended this child before, because the child carried Ran Fan’s gentleness. He had also forced his way into the Li family’s gatherings time and again simply for the chance to see Ran Fan once more yet from the day this child was born until now, he had never truly looked at him face to face. He had never properly examined him.
Let alone held him in his own arms.
And now, without warning, the crystallization of love between Ran Fan and his father had been placed directly before him. There was no avoiding it. No retreat.
The baby’s face was perfectly composed, there was the shared foundation of the Li family in his features, blended with Ran Fan’s warmth yet it also seemed to have carefully smoothed away the sharp distinctions that separated Li Yang’s and Jiang Minyu’s differing traits.
Jiang Minyu stared blankly at the infant.
The infant stared back at him.
Then the baby’s eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled, stretching out a small, open palm toward him.
That tiny hand touched Jiang Minyu’s cheek.
Soft.
The sensation pressed inward through skin and flesh, as though it possessed a life of its own.
Time passed. He did not know how long.
A familiar voice sounded near his ear.
“Why are you the only one here?”
Jiang Minyu turned.
Ran Fan had returned from outside and beside him was Li Yang.
Their honeymoon phase had long since passed yet they were still inseparable, like conjoined twins, wherever one went, the other followed.
“Is he a bit heavy? He’s grown so quickly. Let me take him.”
As he spoke, Ran Fan gently lifted the child from Jiang Minyu’s arms. His face carried a smile, his expression soft and composed. He did not avoid Jiang Minyu’s gaze in the slightest.
That refusal to avoid him was, for Jiang Minyu, an even more unbearable cruelty.
He quickly fell silent. Without greeting anyone, without saying a word, he had come quietly.
And he left just as quietly.
He had driven himself there.
In the end, he took a taxi home.
The pain surged like tidal waves, leaving him with no strength to resist.
He had already recognized the truth, that he had lost Ran Fan forever. He had already accepted that for the rest of his life, he would watch from the sidelines as Ran Fan and his father grew old together. He had even made peace with it.
And yet he could not stop himself from loving Ran Fan. Could not stop missing him. Again and again, he found himself wanting to catch a glimpse of him.
Outside the taxi window, the city lights flickered past in endless streams.
Jiang Minyu watched them recede, one by one, disappearing into the distance.
Without realizing it, he sank into memory.
He knew he shouldn’t.
But he could not stop.
He thought, what if,
What if he had never hurt Ran Fan? What if they had never broken up? What if, one day, he had made Ran Fan pregnant and they had welcomed a child of their own?
What would that child have looked like?
The answer had already formed when he held the baby in his arms.
It would probably have looked just like that child.
The baby had been born so perfectly balanced, so harmoniously composed that it almost felt like mockery. If someone claimed he were the child of Jiang Minyu and Ran Fan, there would surely be people who believed it without question.
Jiang Minyu wished, truly wished that the child had been his.
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Let’s break upChapter 2 · A hand landed on Ran Fan’s backChapter 3 · Jiang Wenyu’s biological fatherChapter 4 · Li Yang kissed him againChapter 5 · Could you come to the hospital?Chapter 6 · I hope you can give birthChapter 7 · Are you bothered by the fact that I am Jiang Wenyu’s biological father?Chapter 8 · Don’t you think I’m ordinary?Chapter 9 · Don’t consider it me going back on my wordChapter 10 · You are a truly remarkable personChapter 11 · Would you say you’re cold-hearted towards Ran Fan?Chapter 12 · Dr. Ran resigned several months ago.Chapter 13 · Can we meet up?Chapter 14 · You also know the child’s fatherChapter 15 · You are the most important to meChapter 16 · Extra 1Chapter 17 · Extra 2Chapter 18 · Extra 3