Late at night, Chu Jianshu sat in a chair in his study, his computer screen displaying a paternity test result that had been sent directly to him.
Even if you're 70-80% sure in your heart, when you actually receive confirmation from the paternity test, it's like a huge stone that was half-suspended in the air suddenly falling to the ground.
With a long sigh of relief, Chu Jianshu was overjoyed that his hesitation of the past few days had been dispelled and he couldn't help but stand up and walk around twice.
She thought she would never see her youngest son again, but he was found again.
He thought his wife would be overjoyed if she heard the news.
That child is so beautiful, inheriting the best features of both parents. If raised properly, he will definitely be a very beautiful child.
However, the image of that child's frail appearance suddenly came to mind; it was the first time he had been so close to that child.
Poor development, dry and yellow hair, thin and short stature, scars on his arms from domestic violence, an overly quiet personality, and the way he looked at his elders—all of these things immediately dampened Chu Jianshu's spirits.
The situation was worse than he had imagined.
She had thought that even if she were abducted, at least she would have a better life if she ended up in the home of a boy she liked.
But the reality was completely the opposite, even worse than his worst expectations.
His wife suffered from mental illness after losing her child, but after adopting Chu Yigui, she found emotional support and gradually improved. She now seems much better.
If you knew your child was going through a difficult time in places you couldn't see...
Chu Jianshu's cell phone rang: "Hello, Wenqiu."
"Chairman Chu, the information about the child you asked me to look up has just been compiled. Do you want to receive it now?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the phone, clearly audible in the study late at night. It was Chu Jianshu's assistant, Song Wenqiu.
"Wenqiu." Chu Jianshu took a deep breath, put the phone on speakerphone on the table, and said with a hint of joy, "I did a paternity test with that child today, and it's him."
Song Wenqiu paused for a moment, then immediately said, "Congratulations, Chairman Chu. Your wife will be very happy."
"I'm very happy too." The refined middle-aged man expressed his joy in a restrained manner, unable to resist sharing it with his friend who had been by his side for so long.
"Shall I now report to you the information about your youngest son, Wanqiu?" Song Wenqiu had changed her form of address.
"Okay, send it to me." Chu Jianshu had asked Song Wenqiu to find the information a long time ago, and unexpectedly, good news came at the same time.
Chu Jianshu opened the document on the computer. The document was not long, but every sentence accurately summarized Wan Qiu's life.
Song Wenqiu said from the other side, "Wanqiu is fourteen years old this year. When she was five, she was taken to the countryside by a woman named Wan Xiaohua. Wan Xiaohua is a mental patient. Her husband died early and she has a daughter named Ning Qiaozhen. The villagers only thought that Wanqiu was Ning Qiaozhen's child born outside, so no one suspected anything."
As Chu Jianshu looked at the documents and listened to Song Wenqiu's voice, his joyful thoughts gradually subsided.
"When Wan Qiu was eleven years old, Wan Xiaohua drowned in the village river. Wan Qiu was raised by Ning Qiaozhen, who is thirty-nine years old this year. She does not have a proper job and currently lives in an old house in the urban village, which is rented. She lives with her distant relative Ning Hai. According to the investigation, Ning Qiaozhen and Ning Hai are in a romantic relationship."
Distant relatives? Chu Jianshu's brows furrowed involuntarily.
Although I had prepared myself mentally, it was only when I truly understood that I realized how difficult it was for Wanqiu to accept his living environment.
"Wan Qiu did not attend school while being raised by Wan Xiaohua. He started school after being raised by Ning Qiaozhen at the age of eleven. He is now in sixth grade. Because he is older than his peers, has a withdrawn personality, doesn't like to talk, has few friends in his class, and his academic performance is among the worst in the grade. His school teachers say that he seems to have some intellectual problems and have suggested that he undergo examinations, but..."
However, Ning Qiaozhen clearly did not care about Wan Qiu's health and did not conduct any related examinations.
Otherwise, they should have been able to find Wan Qiu's information much earlier. Given Chu Jianshu's status and position in the medical field, he had been urging the hospital to pay more attention to children of the same age.
Chu Jianshu's fingernails dug into his palms involuntarily. The more he learned about it, the harder it was for him to accept.
The information on the computer seemed to be writing down his mistakes towards Wan Qiu in every word. Chu Jianshu finally closed his eyes, feeling terrible.
"Yi Gui, what are you doing standing at the door?" Suddenly, the voice of the family's servant rang out from outside the door. Chu Jianshu opened his eyes abruptly and looked at the door in surprise.
"Yi Gui?" Chu Jianshu immediately opened the door and saw Chu Yi Gui holding a cup of tea at the door.
In the dim light of the corridor in the dead of night, the young man turned to look at Chu Jianshu. He was tall and slender, with short hair that fell softly to partially obscure his slightly sharp eyebrows and eyes, making him look as gentle as possible. He had excellent looks and outstanding temperament. Even his relaxed posture revealed his unique and good manners, making him a pleasing sight.
"Father, congratulations on finding him." The boy's voice, which had already changed, was melodious, like a cello playing beautifully in the night. There was not a trace of jealousy or resentment in his voice; it was as calm as a windless lake, clear and serene.
“Yi Gui, even if Wan Qiu comes back, you will still be our child.” Chu Jianshu put down the teacup in Chu Yi Gui’s hand and handed the tray to the servant.
The maid was very surprised to hear this shocking secret. She glanced at Chu Yigui with some worry, then helplessly carried the tray away.
Chu Yigui was an adopted child, the same age as Wan Qiu. He was adopted to comfort his mentally unstable wife. The child was obedient, sensible, and handsome. He was a perfect child and was always well-liked by them.
“I know, Father, you don’t need to worry. Father and Mother have always been very good to me.” Chu Yigui thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Wanqiu… between him and me, who is the older brother and who is the younger brother?”
“Wanqiu is older than you; you are the younger brother,” Chu Jianshu said with a smile. “He may just look younger than you.”
“It’s my brother,” Chu Yigui said with a smile.
"Don't worry too much, you and Wanqiu are both our children," Chu Jianshu couldn't help but say again.
Chu Yigui smiled and shook her head: "It's really nothing, I'm very happy too."
Chu Jianshu hesitated for a moment. The shortcoming of Chu Yigui was that he was too close to the requirements of a 'good child', making it difficult to grasp his true thoughts.
"When should we tell Mother about this?" Seeing Chu Jianshu's hesitation, Chu Yigui took the initiative to change the subject.
“I’m also thinking about it. The current situation might not be suitable for telling your mother.” Chu Jianshu couldn’t imagine how his wife, with her volatile temper, would react if she knew about Wan Qiu’s current condition.
Chu Yigui stared at Chu Jianshu and said, "Perhaps it's better to tell Mom directly."
"Hmm?" Chu Jianshu looked up.
“Losing your brother is painful for your mother, and she has been in a bad mood because of it. If she finds out that you are intentionally hiding the news about your brother, she will probably be even angrier,” Chu Yigui advised earnestly. “This should be a good thing, not something that makes her angry.”
Hearing Chu Yigui call Wanqiu "brother" so naturally, Chu Jianshu unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"That child is having a very hard time, I'm afraid she will..."
“That’s something Mom should know and decide,” Chu Yigui replied earnestly. “I believe Mom will be rational.”
Looking at the child in front of him, Chu Jianshu found him to be impeccable in both intelligence and emotional intelligence, even showing signs of surpassing his two older brothers.
"Yi Gui, you are a good child." Chu Jianshu's voice contained a faint sigh.
"Quickly tell Mom the good news," Chu Yigui urged calmly. "Mom will definitely rush back."
Chu Jianshu couldn't help but smile helplessly as he thought of his wife, who was currently abroad and might return in a flurry of activity.
Chu Yigui watched without saying anything more, remaining quietly silent.
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