CH 61

From the age of 5, Lin Yuheng and Lin Yuxing lived in that welfare institution.

Since their father occasionally sent clothes, the brothers were not considered orphans with both parents deceased. Therefore, they didn’t meet the adoption requirements.

It wasn’t until they turned 8 that the police brought the news of their father’s death due to overwork.

Since then, many families wanted to adopt them, but they all wanted just one child, and they chose Lin Yuheng. Not for any other reason, but because Lin Yuheng appeared smarter and healthier.

Lin Yuxing, on the other hand, was short and always seemed malnourished. He would easily burst into tears and turn pale at the sight of a stranger.

Fortunately, he had his brother’s protection most of the time, so he wasn’t bullied too harshly by the other children in the welfare institution.

Thus, when Lin Yuxing found out that he might be separated from his brother, he couldn’t sleep peacefully at night, hiding in the blanket to secretly wipe his tears.

As days went by, Lin Yuxing became thinner and clung to Lin Yuheng more.

Lin Yuheng felt sorry for him and, to prevent him from feeling too sad, took the initiative to make a deal: “Star, we made a promise. Unless someone is willing to adopt us together, we won’t go anywhere.”

He actually stuck to his words.

Lin Yuheng rejected every family that wanted to adopt him.

His family consisted of Lin Yuxing alone, and that was enough for him.

But this time, Qu Lingnian’s arrival changed everything.

After going through the welfare institution’s review and with the director’s approval, he took the two brothers out to play for a limited three hours.

It was during that time when Lin Yuheng saw a whole new world.

Qu Lingnian was wealthy and knowledgeable. He was different from any other father in any other family; he was more like a gentle teacher, telling Lin Yuheng about things he had never known before.

For the first time, he felt a connection with Qu Lingnian, a wavering feeling towards him as a potential adoptive parent.

Lin Yuheng was looking forward to the future described by Qu Lingnian, reminding his little brother to behave well. However, Lin Yuxing never took his brother’s words to heart at all.

In Lin Yuheng’s mind, his little brother had probably missed the chance again, and Qu Lingnian wouldn’t want to adopt them after all.

But to his surprise, when they returned to the welfare institution, Qu Lingnian did something unexpected – he held Lin Yuxing’s hand, not his.

At that moment, Lin Yuheng was shocked, confused, and couldn’t believe it.

For the first time, he felt jealousy towards his little brother, although the feeling disappeared in an instant.

In theory, families with Qu Lingnian’s conditions would adopt children from a better welfare institution. But he chose to come to a small place like L City, and specifically selected the less remarkable younger brother to adopt.

Qu Lingnian’s answer was simple, “I have a connection with this child.”

As he said this, his eyes never left Lin Yuxing’s eyes for a second.

The hot afternoon felt like being inside a steamer.

Lin Yuheng sat in a corner, holding a dry twig in his hand, folding and unfolding it. Unlike Lin Yuxing, he had no interest in poking ants or playing with mud.

The long days at the welfare home left him feeling bored and dull. He gazed at the azure sky, almost being blinded by the sun.

He lowered his head, his emotions complex.

In the corridor behind him, two figures slowly appeared. One was the head of the orphanage, and the other was a recent volunteer.

Lin Yuheng didn’t bother to get up and greet them; he continued to fold the twig in his hand.

He overheard the head of the orphanage and the volunteer discussing the afternoon snacks for the kids, which were milk and chocolate bread sent by Mr. Qu Lingnian. The head of the orphanage reminded the volunteer to mark which children were lactose intolerant or allergic to chocolate before distributing the snacks.

Listening to their conversation made Lin Yuheng feel uneasy.

The head of the orphanage sighed, “Actually, Mr. Qu sending these things over doesn’t help much. He might as well adopt the two brothers together. Little Xingxing is a stubborn child; once he decides he wants to be with Yuheng, he won’t let go. I tried to persuade him, but I’m afraid of hurting him by being too insistent.”

The volunteer asked, “Mr. Qu seems well-off. If he continues like this, won’t Little Xingxing be unwilling to leave, and the adoption plan will fail?”

“Mr. Qu comes from a good family, and he is indeed a good person. It wouldn’t be a bad thing for Little Xingxing to live with him.”

The volunteer, familiar with the children from helping out frequently, sighed, “Speaking of which, Mr. Qu is quite strange. Why did he choose Little Xingxing? Usually, people would choose someone more sensible like Yuheng. Little Xingxing sometimes lacks the ability to take care of himself and relies on Yuheng.”

The head of the orphanage replied, “Actually, when I found out he chose Little Xingxing, it relieved me. I know that Yuheng wouldn’t be lacking in prospective adoptive families. If Little Xingxing can go to Mr. Qu’s family, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

The volunteer shook his head sadly, and the two figures gradually moved away, their voices fading.

Lin Yuheng folded the twig into a bundle and sat there for a while, lost in thought.

The scorching sun subsided slightly, and unexpected dark clouds covered the sky.

Soon, a summer thunderstorm would arrive.

Hastily, Lin Yuheng rushed back to the dormitory and brought the clothes he and Lin Yuxing had hung outside on the balcony inside. Other children noticed and began to do the same.

That day was Sunday, and they had free activities.

The rain came pouring down quickly.

After folding the clothes, Lin Yuheng sat on his bed, lost in thought. His usual tough exterior seemed to have vanished, leaving him silent. A few minutes later, he looked up and noticed that his brother was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Yuheng immediately realized that his foolish little brother must be waiting for him to make up and reconcile. Sometimes, Lin Yuheng really thought that Lin Yuxing was both foolish and stubborn, but he couldn’t help but spoil him.

He rushed to the kitchen.

The door was closed, with a sign hanging on it saying “Do Not Enter” because the lock was always broken.

Usually, the cook, Aunt Zhang, would temporarily leave and not trust the kids to enter, so she put up the sign. As long as the children saw the sign, they wouldn’t go into the kitchen.

Lin Yuheng was no exception.

However, he heard slight noises coming from inside the kitchen.

“Xingxing!”

He pushed open the door, only to find not Lin Yuxing but the alpha boy who slept on Lin Yuxing’s bed. He held a partially eaten corn cob in his left hand and was stuffing the sour plum candies from the stool into his pocket with his right hand.

Judging by his skillful manner, he had likely been stealing food from the kitchen.

On the stove, a large pot of corn was being stewed.

Because the boy took the corn without permission, the pot had shifted and was now on the stove.

Lin Yuheng didn’t notice this and snatched the candies from the boy’s hand, saying, “These are Xingxing’s candies, don’t touch them!”

The candies scattered on the floor.

The boy was taken aback and then glared at Lin Yuheng angrily. They were never on good terms, and this time, their disagreement was over a few candies.

The boy, a year older than them, was leaving with an adoptive family the next day. He naturally wasn’t afraid of Lin Yuheng. “Are your names written on them?”

“Even if they’re not, they’re not yours either.”

Infuriated, the boy threw the cob of corn at Lin Yuheng. Lin Yuheng didn’t move and crouched down to pick up the candies from the floor.

The boy, feeling ignored, intentionally said, “Hey, I heard your little brother is going to live with a rich person soon. You are going to get left behind, right? Maybe because you act like a mad dog, no one wants you?”

…

The last word of the boy disappeared into Lin Yuheng’s fist.

He pinned the boy to the ground, tightly gripping his hair, and said, “What did you say? Say it again?! You’re asking for trouble.”

Meanwhile, Aunt Zhang led Lin Yuxing back from outside.

A heavy rain washed away the summer heat, and Lin Yuxing held a small basket of potatoes, happily looking up at Aunt Zhang, who also held a basket of potatoes. He asked, “Aunt Zhang, can you give me an extra potato tonight?”

Aunt Zhang, a local villager in her sixties, had recently started working as a cook in the welfare home to earn money to repay her son’s debts.

She imitated Lin Yuxing’s speech and smiled as she looked at him, asking, “Why do you want an extra potato?”

“I made my brother angry, and I want to give him one to make up.” Lin Yuxing added, “I’ll even give him my own.”

“Oh dear, what should we do? Aunt Zhang is making potato stew with pork ribs for dinner tonight.”

“Then just give me an extra spoonful, please? I want to make things right with him.” Lin Yuxing’s shiny eyes were adorable, pleading.

How could Aunt Zhang refuse Lin Yuxing’s request? She agreed, “Alright, alright, seeing how hard you’ve been helping me, I’ll secretly give you both some more.”

Before Aunt Zhang finished her sentence, the basket in Lin Yuxing’s hand suddenly fell to the ground, and a few small potatoes rolled out.

Accompanied by a shout of “Brother!” Lin Yuxing rushed into the kitchen and jumped into the fray. He and his brother Lin Yuheng fought with the other Alpha boy.

Aunt Zhang, being older, was anxious and unable to separate them, so she turned around and hurriedly called the director. The three kids collided with the stove, causing the pot to tilt and spill.

Lin Yuxing looked up and quickly realized that the pot was about to fall. He tried to pull Lin Yuheng away, saying, “Brother, the pot is going to fall!”

But Lin Yuheng and the other boy were locked in a heated fight and didn’t listen.

Lin Yuxing yelled in desperation, but it was in vain.

Helplessly, he didn’t manage to move away.

The moment the pot tumbled from the stove, Lin Yuxing instinctively protected his brother, and they both ended up getting scalded.

Hot water and corn spilled all over the three kids, and a white mist rose up.

The world seemed to suddenly go silent.

Lin Yuheng turned his head and saw Lin Yuxing writhing in pain.

He murmured, “Xingxing…”

After that, the sound of an ambulance echoed back and forth. Lin Yuheng could only hear it, and it became an enduring echo in his ears.

The three kids were taken to the county hospital together.

Lin Yuheng had burns on his legs, while the Alpha boy had burns on his arms.

Lin Yuxing was the most severely injured, with burns not only on his back but also on his glands.

Aunt Zhang and the director accompanied the children to the hospital. She anxiously explained to the director repeatedly, “I did put up a sign on the door. I was going to the storeroom to get some potatoes, and I took little Xingxing, who was still in the kitchen, with me. The children started fighting inside, and I couldn’t stop them. Director, I… I…” Her throat choked with tears, fearing that she would be held responsible and have to compensate.

She repeated her explanations over and over again.

But the director had no patience for that.

“Enough! The most important thing now is the children. Xingxing has injuries to his glands, and he’s in the emergency room. What’s the use of telling me all this now?” The director replied sternly.

Aunt Zhang began sobbing softly.

Lin Yuheng sat quietly on the side, the noise assaulting his ears.

After a long time, he looked up and saw that the hospital corridor was so long that even an 8-year-old child couldn’t see its end.

Lin Yuheng stood up like a wooden chicken, facing fear in slow motion. He lowered his head, hugged his shoulders, and dug his nails into his arms.

Finally, the next month, Lin Yuxing was discharged from the hospital.

Qiu Lingnian had visited him once, bringing many toys and snacks, but he didn’t plan to take him away.

The original intention of every adoptive family was to have a healthy child. They had no blood ties with the children in the welfare home, so they wouldn’t develop too many emotional attachments in their brief encounters.

Qiu Lingnian looked sadly at Lin Yuxing’s absent gaze, silent for a long time, and then turned his gaze to Lin Yuheng, who stood beside the bed.

This time, Qiu Lingnian held Lin Yuheng’s hand, like choosing an item.

…………………………

Saying this, Liao Yan seemed to be trapped in a long-lasting nightmare.

He struggled countless times in his dreams, regretted countless times, and hated himself countless times.

“The things that happened later, Xingxing should have told you.” Liao Yan closed his eyes, the memories weighing heavily on his heart. “I heartlessly abandoned him and went abroad with my adoptive father, changing my name.”

Gu Zhongyi’s expression was complicated, but he didn’t speak.

In this silence, Liao Yan felt like he was on the gallows, facing fear slowly. He lowered his head and hugged his shoulders.

Gu Zhongyi finally asked, “Why?”

“…”

“Just because Qiu Lingnian had a good family background and was knowledgeable enough to teach you the piano?” That reason was too absurd. Gu Zhongyi didn’t believe that Liao Yan would leave his bedridden younger brother for such a shallow reason.

If Qiu Xing was really like that, why would Lin Yuxing keep thinking about him?

“If you left Xingxing just because of these reasons, you wouldn’t have come back to find him after returning to the country, let alone stop him from dying in this world.”

When facing people other than Lin Yuxing, Gu Zhongyi was always logical and analyzed every aspect thoroughly.

He wouldn’t tolerate any deception: “Qiu Xing, this isn’t your true reason.”