Several children nearby leaned over to see Chu Yigui and Wan Qiu leaning against each other, and pointed at them one by one with a smile.
"Wow, Brother Chu is still acting like a spoiled brat at such an old age!"
Chu Yigui was not embarrassed at all, and he jokingly said, "After all, this brother is also my brother."
The children laughed and played, and playfully tried to learn how to lean on each other.
Chu Yigui turned his head and said to Wan Qiu: "Brother, I have something to do and need to leave for a while. You wait here for me."
"Yeah." Wan Qiu responded.
Chu Yigui moved closer to Wan Qiu, as if he was holding a warm hot water bottle, dispelling the coldness of winter.
Even the smell is warm.
Chu Yigui stood up and left Wan Qiu, the air separating them.
Chu Yi returned to the door.
Standing in front of the dean, he looked back at Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu was also looking at him.
Then he looked away and followed the dean.
It was still bright outside. Chu Yigui walked in the corridor which was slightly colder than the room, looking out the window.
There was still snow piled up in the simple courtyard outside the window, and the children's play facilities were clean, having been swept and played on.
Chu Yigui raised his head and looked at the headlight tied to the top of a long pole, which did not light up during the day.
This lamp looks a bit too simple and plain during the day.
It is different from the sun-like visual effect of emitting bright yellow light at night.
The director's destination was the reception room in the other corner of the orphanage.
Chu Yigui walked past the slightly old door frame and met the man who was said to be very sincere.
The man was slightly tall, with broad shoulders, gray hair, and wore a pair of rimless glasses.
The long black trench coat hung quietly, and a plaid scarf hung beside his hand.
Even the gray hair and wrinkles around his eyes could not hide his excellent appearance when he was young.
Unlike Chu Jianshu, he looks more bookish.
"You are... Chu Yigui, right?"
Even without asking, both parties can get their own answers.
When we look at each other, we can find similarities with ourselves that we see in the mirror every day.
"Hello, my name is Ran Yongrui." Ran Yongrui said his name.
Chu Yigui's fingertips trembled slightly, and finally he showed a decent smile: "Hello, Mr. Ran, I am Chu Yigui."
The dean quietly closed the door and sighed as he stood at the door.
"Please take a seat, Mr. Ran."
Chu Yigui asked Ran Yongrui, who had been waiting, to sit on the sofa in the reception room.
Ran Yongrui sat down in response, his eyes following Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui found the teacup in the reception room with ease, brewed some tea and placed it in front of Ran Yongrui.
"Please forgive me that the orphanage can't provide very good tea."
Ran Yongrui looked at Chu Yigui's familiar movements and just said, "Thank you."
He was looking at Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui was also looking at him, even though he didn't seem to have much interest in Ran Yongrui.
"This is the meeting room, which is usually used for parents who visit the orphanage and are interested in adopting a child."
Chu Yigui sat in front of Ran Yongrui.
Ran Yongrui nodded.
White mist was rising from the tea and there was a slight silence in the air.
"Although I think we should do another paternity test, but after seeing you, I think this is just a confirmation step." Ran Yongrui sighed.
Chu Yigui just smiled and said, "It looks like I may have inherited your looks."
Chu Yigui's answer without hesitation made Ran Yongrui a little unsure.
Ran Yongrui asked: "What kind of family is the one that adopted you now?"
Chu Yigui replied: "It is a very wealthy family, and there is nothing wrong with their material conditions."
Ran Yongrui caught Chu Yigui's words and asked, "Is it bad for you mentally?"
However, Chu Yigui shook his head: "This is a family that is gradually improving. I have gained a lot here."
As Ran Yongrui listened, he inexplicably felt that there seemed to be a subtle sense of alienation in Chu Yigui's tone.
"I heard from the dean that you have excellent academic performance in school and have always been ranked first in the grade."
Chu Yigui nodded.
"Are you having any difficulty in your studies?"
Chu Yigui smiled and said, "Yes, but my parents will hire the best tutors for me, and any difficulties can be solved quickly."
Ran Yongrui's smile finally revealed a bit of bitterness: "It sounds like a very good family. You look very healthy and your complexion is also very good. You must have been treated very well by your family."
"Yes." Chu Yigui responded.
"……Yeah?"
There seemed to be something hidden in Ran Yongrui's sigh.
It was like knowing what the gift in the box was, but still opening it with anticipation and joy, and seeing something that was exactly what I expected.
"What kind of person is your father now?"
However, this time, Ran Yongrui's question was not answered.
He saw Chu Yigui smiling and refusing: "Sorry, this is not something that can be summed up in one or two sentences. I'm afraid it's hard to tell you simply."
Ran Yongrui's expression paused.
Ran Yongrui picked up the teacup. The temperature of the cup was quite high, and even when holding the handle he could feel the burning sensation on the wall of the cup.
The bitter tea seemed to have a bit of dampness and was not as refreshing as it should be.
"Is there anything you are curious about me?" Ran Yongrui asked.
Chu Yigui did not ask immediately.
And Ran Yongrui noticed Chu Yigui's hesitation.
He placed the teacup on the table, then withdrew his hand and clenched it nervously.
"Why did you abandon me in the first place?"
When hearing this question, Ran Yongrui felt a little happy.
If they still care, it proves that the fate between them should not be severed.
"I didn't know you were born." Ran Yongrui looked a little strange, but he continued, "I did something wrong before, and I don't know much about what happened afterwards."
Chu Yigui asked calmly, "You mean, the person you made a mistake with deliberately gave birth to me and then abandoned me?"
There was a subtle sense of stagnation on Ran Yongrui's face.
Chu Yigui observed Ran Yongrui carefully, but said: "This matter sounds illogical."
Ran Yongrui sighed: "Immature people always do some incredible things."
"It seems that this immature person also refers to yourself."
There was no fluctuation in Chu Yigui's tone, and he continued to ask without even hesitation.
"Then why do you know me now?"
Ran Yongrui tightened his fingers, but finally loosened them: "I found out by chance."
However, Chu Yigui did not ask what kind of accident it was and seemed not interested.
"Mr. Ran, are you coming to me now because you want me to return to your family?" Chu Yigui asked.
Chu Yigui sat upright, just as his etiquette teacher had taught him.
Excellent upbringing, perfect academic performance, and excellent appearance.
This is a child worthy of praise in the eyes of anyone.
When he heard the dean's praise for Chu Yigui, Ran Yongrui was thinking about what this child looked like.
Unlike ordinary teachers who would give empty compliments to their students, Chu Yigui's actions left a deep impression in the memory of the director of the orphanage.
Hearing the dean's examples was enough for Ran Yongrui to have a very high opinion of Chu Yigui.
And when he saw Chu Yigui, it was as if the vague perfect child in his heart was pasted onto his face, creating a complete image.
"Do I have this chance?" Ran Yongrui did not hide his hope that Chu Yi would return.
"You said that I made a mistake, so she must not be your wife now." Chu Yigui pointed out this sentence directly, "Even... cheating on you during marriage?"
"No... I hadn't married my current wife at that time," said Ran Yongrui.
Chu Yigui narrowed his eyes and said, "So it was during the engagement period?"
Ran Yongrui did not refute this time.
Chu Yigui continued, "Will it affect the relationship between you and your wife if you let me go back?"
Ran Yongrui took a barely noticeable breath and exhaled quietly.
"You are... a very smart child, more than I thought, and very much like me."
Ran Yongrui lowered his eyes, seeming to be lost in memories.
In the end, I could only smile helplessly.
"My wife is willing to take you in. I have her permission. She is willing to be your mother, if you are willing..."
Ran Yongrui was already a little anxious to get the answer that Chu Yigui was willing to go back with him.
"Don't you and your wife have children? Don't you need the children's consent?" Chu Yigui asked another question slowly.
Ran Yongrui's relatively steady expression finally showed some fluctuations.
Like a drop of water falling into the sea, creating an undetectable ripple.
Ran Yongrui closed his eyes, as if he was suppressing something.
When Ran Yongrui opened his eyes again, the bloodshot in his eyes could not be suppressed as perfectly as his emotions.
"My child left me because of an accident."
Chu Yigui understood and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Ran Yongrui took a deep breath: "I have accepted this matter."
"Don't you and your wife plan to have another child?" Chu Yigui asked.
"yes."
Chu Yigui nodded: "My suggestion is that you can adopt another child. I was born by mistake. If I enter your family now, your wife will have a grudge."
Ran Yongrui shook his head: "Blood relationship is very important."
Chu Yigui's eyelashes trembled slightly and he turned his head away.
Vaguely, he seemed to still feel the slight weight of his brother on his shoulder.
Chu Yigui came back to his senses, looked at Ran Yongrui and said, "Blood ties are not as important as you think."
Ran Yongrui said: "You are still too young."
"So do you want your wife to have her husband's illegitimate child call her mother for the next half of her life?" Chu Yigui asked.
This time, Ran Yongrui remained silent for a long time.
"She understands." Ran Yongrui said finally.
"Is it what you want to do to let the one you love suffer injustice?" Chu Yigui lowered his eyes and did not look at the person in front of him.
Ran Yongrui pursed his lips, but finally just said: "You are still young."
This time, Chu Yigui did not respond.
This silence was more like dead silence, and Ran Yongrui also felt a little uncomfortable.
"I don't have anything else to ask." Chu Yigui said.
"You can ask more questions about what interests you."
Ran Yongrui noticed that Chu Yigui seemed to want to end the topic, so he immediately interrupted Chu Yigui.
"I'm a university professor and I have some connections. You're a good student and I can give you a lot of guidance for your future."
Ran Yongrui tried to introduce himself.
“I’ve been a professor for many years and I still keep in touch with many of my outstanding students.”
"Is that so..." Chu Yigui murmured.
This man, who probably spent his entire life in school, still retains the innocence and self-identity that only exists in school.
"My parents are very wealthy now, and money can solve most of my problems."
Ran Yongrui frowned: "But I heard that it's just a merchant family. The family atmosphere has a great influence on your upbringing and shaping."
Chu Yigui said: "If you regard family as a resource, then there is no difference between good and bad resources."
Ran Yongrui noticed that Chu Yigui seemed a little unmoved.
"But your current family already has three biological children, right? You are an adopted child, so I'm afraid you won't inherit any property, nor will you get all the love from your parents."
Chu Yigui's smile faded.
He stared at Ran Yongrui.
"As long as you come home, you will be our only child." Ran Yongrui did not stop, "My wife and I will love you very much, and only you."
I don't know when the tea stopped steaming.
The tea fragrance that originally filled the small space dissipated, leaving behind a faint smell of decay on the slightly old furniture.
Chu Yigui sat quietly opposite Ran Yongrui.
He just lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Ran Yongrui sighed: "I..."
"I have a brother." However, this time, Chu Yigui interrupted Ran Yongrui.
Ran Yongrui nodded and responded, "I know you have three brothers in that family. It's a very complicated big family."
Chu Yigui narrowed his eyes, and this subtle movement reminded Ran Yongrui of what his wife had once said.
——'Every time you are unhappy, you squint your eyes.'
"My brother doesn't speak as politely and logically as you, Mr. Ran. Sometimes he even has difficulty expressing himself."
Ran Yongrui didn't understand what Chu Yigui said.
However, Chu Yigui raised his eyes and said to Ran Yongrui seriously: "But I like every word he said."
Ran Yongrui's expression was a little subtle.
This means that he speaks unpleasantly and he doesn't like it.
Ran Yongrui held his forehead with a headache and sighed: "I'm sorry, it's the first time I see you today, I'm so excited."
"Then let's stop here today." Chu Yigui said, about to stand up.
However, Ran Yongrui immediately asked: "Can you cooperate with me to do a paternity test?"
"Do you think this is necessary?" Chu Yigui asked.
Ran Yongrui nodded.
"Okay." Chu Yigui said.
Until Chu Yigui left the reception room, Ran Yongrui still sat in his seat, feeling frustrated.
When facing Chu Yigui, he felt that he was completely different from the students he had faced before.
He doesn't look like a child who is still growing up in a tender and immature environment.
He is a very unique and independent teenager with his own thoughts.
During the entire conversation, he was like a bystander.
Calmly watching a light comedy called Ran Yongrui.
Is he thinking too much?
Ran Yongrui rubbed his eyebrows.
Chu Yigui left the reception room and walked in the quiet corridor.
The dean, who had been waiting in the office, immediately stood up and walked to the door after seeing Chu Yigui.
"Xiao Chu, how did the talk go?"
Chu Yigui turned his head and said calmly: "Mr. Ran said he is not ready yet."
The dean's expression was a little subtle: "Ah, is that so? Sure enough, I am a little excited to see you for the first time."
Chu Yigui did not comment.
The dean sighed, "He always behaves very seriously and has come here many times. I think he is a nice person. He also comes to teach our children. I heard that he is a university professor. He is a very good person."
Chu Yigui nodded, but did not express any opinion.
"Teachers usually have good personalities. It is said that teaching is about educating people. Anyone who can become a professor must have his own unique qualities." The dean smiled at Chu Yigui, "No wonder you are so outstanding."
Chu Yigui was very calm, neither refutating nor denying.
"It's good to meet each other. After all, they are our biological children. In this world, you always want to know what people with the same blood as you are like." The dean sighed.
However, the dean was muttering something, but she found that Chu Yigui seemed to have never answered her since then.
She looked at Chu Yigui and found that he was just smiling.
It seems that he does not make any comments on anything around him.
I have been a quiet child since childhood and always seem to be a good listener.
Even now, when it comes to matters that concern him, he just listens.
"But you have a good family now, and you have a good relationship with your brother, right?" the dean changed the subject.
And this time, Chu Yigui answered: "Yes."
"No matter what, it all depends on your choice. If you don't want to go back, no one can stop you."
The dean held Chu Yigui's hands with both hands.
The boy who is growing up healthily, to the point where it is difficult to tell his exact age, has thick palms that give him a sense of security.
"Thank you, Dean." Chu Yigui said.
The dean let go of Chu Yigui's hand.
With a smile.
"Go ahead. Your brother has probably been waiting for a long time and will be worried about you."
"Then I'll be leaving first, Dean."
The dean looked at Chu Yigui's back as he left.
The boy has a straight back and handsome appearance. He is the most unique child she has seen since she opened this orphanage.
"Dean." The deep middle-aged male voice behind him interrupted the dean's memories.
Ran Yongrui stood beside him at some point.
The dean immediately turned around and greeted, "Mr. Ran, how does it feel to meet you for the first time?"
There was some regret in Ran Yongrui's eyes behind his glasses: "He is better than I thought."
When the dean heard Chu Yigui being praised, he did not hide his pride.
"This child is really outstanding. He was adopted several times before, but was brought back for similar reasons."
Ran Yongrui heard about this for the first time and asked, "What's the reason?"
"I heard from the adoptive parents who brought Chu Yi back that this child is too smart and too quiet, so it's a bit difficult to get along with him. Although I don't think so."
The dean did not have that much time to pay attention to a child. In her memory, Chu Yigui was a child who often helped her and reduced a lot of chores.
"His excellence is innate. Or rather, it's not excellence, but outstanding." Ran Yongrui smiled.
"Yes, and his current adoptive parents have always been very good to him. He actually lives quite well in that home."
The dean's words only received a nod from Ran Yongrui.
"It would be great if he could acknowledge that I am his father. Blood relationship would give him a different feeling."
The dean sighed helplessly: "You didn't intend to lose him in the first place, who could have known it would turn out like this."
"Is there anything I can do to make him happier? For example, does he have any hobbies or something? It's a pity that I couldn't prepare a gift for him today." Ran Yongrui asked, tilting his head.
Although Ran Yongrui is a serious person, he is willing to interact seriously with the children, which moved the dean.
"Xiao Chu he..." The dean wanted to say something, but the words were suddenly stuck in his throat.
What does Chu Yigui like?
The dean recalled Chu Yigui, but found that she had never really noticed Chu Yigui's preference for certain things.
All the children got something that would make them happy, and Chu Yigui would also show his happiness.
But the dean still remembers some small things that happened when Chu Yigui was a child.
At that time, everyone was given marshmallows brought by the sister who came here to volunteer.
It was just that one of the kids fell while playing and his marshmallow fell on the ground, getting it dirty.
Chu Yigui gave his marshmallow to the other party.
It's just a small thing.
At the time, the dean only thought that this was a caring memory and proof that Chu Yigui cared about other children.
But think about it carefully...
She didn't seem to notice Chu Yigui's disappointed expression at that time.
"Dean?" Ran Yongrui's voice interrupted the dean's memories.
"Well, maybe you can ask him." The dean subconsciously chose a vague statement.
She has too many children, and each one requires her more careful attention.
It's normal that she can't clearly know the preferences of each child.
"Is that so?" Ran Yongrui was actually not a strong man. Even though he was very tall, he was thin.
Therefore, Ran Yongrui's serious face always looks a little harsh.
"But if you're talking about someone you like," the dean said with a smile, "then you definitely like my brother."
Ran Yongrui's expression paused, and he thought of the only "brother" mentioned in their conversation.
"Is that brother his brother at home?" Ran Yongrui asked.
"Yeah, I'm here today too. I think he's playing games with the kids right now."
Ran Yongrui turned his eyes and looked towards the room where the children's cheerful laughter came from, and asked: "Can I go see him?"
"You..." The dean wanted to refuse, but considering Ran Yongrui's special situation, he still said, "You can stand at the door and watch. Please be gentle."
Ran Yongrui raised the corners of his mouth, but his eyes behind the lenses did not look smiling: "I see, thank you for your reminder."
The dean watched Ran Yongrui leave.
The father and son look alike, and they also look alike from behind.
But for some reason, the dean felt that this similarity made the two of them even more different.
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