Chapter 107 I Want to Be Your Family
There are actually many ways to explain Xie Chen.
You could say He Fan was worried, or you could say He Fan had instructed him beforehand. As for the salary, it's even easier to explain; just say He Fan only trusts him.
But since Mu Yan asked him, Xie Chen didn't want to lie to him anymore.
“I am a former member of the Marine Corps of Country A, but I was no longer one when I met you on the ship. I didn’t save you because of orders from the Marine Corps. Time was of the essence, and I needed to gain the trust of the hostages as quickly as possible, so I’m sorry for lying to you. Although I had a reason, I did lie to you, and you can be angry.”
Although both were hired, his skills were worlds apart from those of the mercenaries. Mu Yan had actually suspected this a long time ago, but he was too nervous and scared at the time, and quickly put such doubts out of his mind.
Upon hearing the second half of his sentence, Mu Yan didn't understand why he was apologizing for such a thing, and quickly shook his head vigorously.
Xie Chen's deception was entirely without malice; it was simply the most efficient method available at the time and did not cause him any harm.
“He Fan is not my employer. He is actually my half-brother. His mother is also my adoptive mother, named He Qingyun, who is also from City A. Her original name was He Xiaomei. I don’t know… Have you ever heard of this name?”
Mu Yan first shook his head, then seemed to have thought of something, and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
He didn't know this person named He Xiaomei or He Qingyun, but his uncle's family, whom he hadn't contacted for a long time... were indeed surnamed He.
My uncle's family actually lived in another village not far away, but Lin Guojun had a very bad relationship with them and they hadn't had any contact for many years.
Mu Yan knew that their family name was He because Mu Yan had been admitted to University A, and they came to University A to ask him for money.
University A is a well-known tourist attraction, with visitors coming every day. The money the He family wants is an old, unresolved debt. Among Mu Yan's biological mother's dowry was a pair of quite valuable gold earrings, but Mu Yan doesn't know whether Lin Guojun pawned or gambled them away, or whether his mother took them with her when she left. It's impossible for him to come up with them.
When Mu Yan was found by them, he was almost stunned. Fortunately, he was having dinner with some of his roommates at the time. His uncle and aunt saw that there were many of them, so they only dared to make a scene and throw a tantrum, but did not dare to lay a hand on him.
Later, He Fan called the school security, and the security guards arrived quickly and kicked him out.
He is not a rare surname. Mu Yan had many classmates from A City with the surname He from junior high school to university. However, when it was mentioned in this context, Mu Yan almost instinctively realized what Xie Chen was about to say.
"She used to be married in City A and had a child, but she was young and impulsive at the time. When the child was just a month old, she left him after an argument because her husband was always gambling."
Xie Chen paused for a moment, seemingly giving Mu Yan time to process it.
“We checked the DNA in the gene bank, and that child should be you.”
Mu Yan's head seemed to make a very clear "buzz" sound. It was hard to describe his feelings when he heard those words. There was no surprise, no blame, and not even the grievance of being abandoned for many years that made him want to cry. He was simply very surprised.
My heart skipped a beat, or it suddenly started beating very fast, and my chest felt heavy and suffocating.
Mu Yan first thought that, judging from their clothes and appearance, neither He Fan nor Xie Chen seemed to be particularly short of money. He Qingyun must have been living a better life over there than she had with Lin Guojun all these years.
They should at least be able to eat their fill and stay warm, and have money to treat their illnesses.
She has a child and should be married by now. Xie Chen is an upright person, and He Fan is good at making people happy, so she shouldn't be lonely.
That's good... As long as she's doing well...
Then he inevitably thought of He Fan.
Does He Fan know about this?
Did he reject me that day because he already knew about it?
Did he suffer alone before finally deciding to end things completely with himself?
...
It was a long time before Mu Yan remembered himself.
Thinking back to my childhood, before I met Mu Juanhua, I was someone who was gossiped about, never had enough to eat, and even wearing patched clothes was a luxury.
He sat at the village entrance, waiting for his mother to pick him up every day, but no one ever came.
The person Xie Chen mentioned... He Qingyun, why didn't she come to pick me up?
Does she know that she is actually very easy to take care of? As long as he has food to eat and old clothes with patches to wear, he will be satisfied.
Feeling wronged only after the fact, Mu Yan subconsciously took a step back and slumped into a chair, his back aching against the backrest, but he didn't notice it at all.
"Mu Yan, are you alright?" Xie Chen's expression tightened, and he quickly bent down to support Mu Yan.
He knew that Mu Yan had a minor heart problem, an unstable heart rhythm, and would experience heart cramps when he was emotionally agitated.
There is no specific cure for this disease; recovery depends entirely on the patient's own emotional state.
Mu Yan stared blankly at him, as if she didn't understand what he was saying.
"I'm fine, I was just a little surprised... I feel better now."
Aside from speaking a little slowly, Mu Yan was no different from usual when he spoke. In fact, fearing that Xie Chen would worry, he even raised his face and smiled gently.
The more this happened, the more worried Xie Chen became.
Before he knew Mu Yan's personality, he hoped that the child He Qingyun had abandoned would be spoiled and willful, and would throw a tantrum and cry as soon as he saw him, questioning why He Qingyun had abandoned him in the first place.
It would be even better if we could ask He Qingyun for this or that. He Qingyun herself is not short of money, and she would love to compensate Mu Yan more, to make up for all the losses of the past twenty years, not to mention Xie Chen as well.
The more he learned about Mu Yan, the more his heart sank.
"Mu Yan, Aunt He and I... we are so sorry. We haven't been by your side all these years, leaving you to suffer so much alone. I know you have your own family now, and they treat you very well. Aunt He absolutely did not mean to disturb your life now; she knows she truly wronged you..."
Mu Yan shook her head, unusually interrupting Xie Chen: "She didn't... apologize to me."
He lowered his head, as if he were thinking, or as if he was trying to suppress some surging emotion.
For someone as polite as Mu Yan, interrupting others is a very rare thing. Xie Chen looked at him and gave a soft "hmm".
He Qingyun's ex-husband was a bastard; following him meant a predictable and miserable life. He Qingyun leaving was definitely the right thing to do. Xie Chen naturally thought the same thing in his heart.
But while he might think that way, he didn't want Mu Yan to think that way too.
Why make excuses for others when Mu Yan is the one who is most wronged?
"Lin Guojun... her first husband was a terrible person. He gambled, couldn't quit, and was lazy... she should have left him long ago, before I was even born..."
He suddenly found himself unable to continue.
It felt as if a huge rock had suddenly grown in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He clearly didn't want to cry.
He Qingyun should have left earlier, before she got pregnant with him, or before she gave birth to him, so she could have had an abortion.
She had just given birth to herself a little over a month before she passed away, and her body probably hadn't fully recovered yet. She must have suffered a lot.
Suddenly, Mu Yan was pulled into a broad, warm embrace. The surrounding light suddenly dimmed. Xie Chen smelled very nice, without any aggression. It was definitely not pheromones, but rather the smell of shower gel or washed clothes.
Why did he suddenly hug me? I'm not weak in the knees, nor am I about to fall off the rocking boat.
But Xie Chen's embrace was both dark and warm, as if no one would notice if he cried, Mu Yan thought for no reason.
"Do you want to cry?" Xie Chen was clumsy in this regard and almost never knew how to comfort people. He was afraid that his comfort would backfire, so he didn't dare to say anything. He just hugged Mu Yan and gently patted his back. "Cry it out, okay? I know you feel wronged."
Mu Yan's nonsensical idea that he shouldn't have been born really needs to be corrected, but even Xie Chen, who is not good at coaxing people, knows that he can't reason with people at this time.
Crying a lot will make you tired and hurt your eyes. But forcing yourself to hold back your tears is definitely not a good thing either.
Xie Chen carefully loosened his grip on Mu Yan and gently wiped away his tears with a soft handkerchief.
"Don't hold back your tears. If you keep holding them in..." Xie Chen couldn't think of any obvious consequences. Telling Mu Yan that she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't cry was like talking to a brick wall. After thinking for a while, he said something that was worse than not saying anything at all: "If you keep holding it in, you'll hiccup."
His words were as good as nothing; he regretted them as soon as they left his mouth.
Mu Yan still seemed unwilling to cry out loud, desperately trying to hold back her sobs in his arms.
Xie Chen didn't let go, but gently patted his back, repeating the same few words like he was coaxing a child to sleep, to make him cry.
What a perfectly good child... Who raised him to have such a selfless personality?
Although none of Xie Chen's younger siblings have normal personalities, they are all quite good to him, and none of them have such problems.
Xie Chen looked down at Mu Yan in his arms, and for the first time felt so helpless about something.
"I know you've had a tough time in the past. We found you too late; there's nothing we can do to change anything..."
"Mu Yan, listen to me. Your family and friends are very important to you. They are all happier because of you. There's nothing like what you said... I also want to be your family. If you're willing, can you treat me as your brother? No matter what happens in the future, I will face it with you."
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