Chapter 22: Reborn

After finishing breakfast, Qi Mu, full of energy, said, “Let’s go. He’s probably already in the classroom.”

Xu Xiaoming didn’t waste any time, quickly leaping up and grabbing the edge of the wall with both hands. With a push of his legs, he scrambled up. The wall wasn’t high, and as a seasoned pro, he scaled it smoothly and naturally.

Qi Mu followed suit, but just as he was stabilizing himself on the wall, Xu Xiaoming, who had already climbed over, let out a blood-curdling scream: “Ahhh!”

Qi Mu, who was usually fearless but had a slight fear of ghosts, couldn’t handle the scream. Startled, he didn’t have time to scold anyone, and because his hands were slippery from some butter, he missed his grip and started to topple sideways.

This is it, my butt is done for!

“Watch out.” A familiar yet slightly unfamiliar voice called out, and then Qi Mu found himself caught, avoiding the embarrassment of kissing the ground.

Qi Mu was overjoyed and looked up to see the person he had been longing for day and night.

Yin Xiuzhu!

Qi Mu exclaimed in surprise, “You’re back! Why are you here? Were you waiting for me? Did you miss me? Do you think I’ve grown taller?”

He fired off a series of questions, leaving the boy holding him momentarily stunned.

The initially restrained arms gently holding him suddenly tightened, unable to suppress the overwhelming longing that surged like a tidal wave. Yin Xiuzhu couldn’t utter a single word.

Qi Mu was extremely excited and, without saying a word, gave Yin Xiuzhu a big hug: “Alright, it’s good that you’re back. Don’t cry.”

Yin Xiuzhu couldn’t hold back any longer and hugged him tightly.

Their posture was quite peculiar. Qi Mu’s gesture was a brotherly shoulder hug, but Yin Xiuzhu’s arms encircled his waist as if he wanted to embed Qi Mu entirely into his embrace.

Xu Xiaoming, watching them, felt a sudden shiver. He didn’t dare to make a sound, and quietly moved a bit farther away, scrutinizing Yin Xiuzhu.

After a year of not seeing each other, Yin Xiuzhu seemed to have changed a lot, yet somehow remained the same.

The feeling of change hit Xu Xiaoming when he first climbed over the wall: the person standing before him was tall, with profound features, and the way he stood quietly there was not like a boy who hadn’t yet shed his youthful innocence but rather like a calm and composed adult. Especially in that instant when their eyes met, Xu Xiaoming felt like he was completely seen through as if all his sneaky, petty misdeeds hidden in his heart were laid bare.

That ghostly scream was mostly out of guilt.

But now, watching Yin Xiuzhu embracing Qi Mu, he felt that Yin Xiuzhu hadn’t changed at all, still so dependent on Qi Mu, as if hiding behind Qi Mu could shield him from all disasters.

No… it was different now. He wasn’t hiding behind Qi Mu but rather protecting him.

When Xu Xiaoming came to his senses, the person was already gone. He stared blankly for a moment before angrily muttering, “Ahhh, that guy who forgets friends for the sake of beauty!” Then he paused, puzzled. Forgetting friends for beauty? Who’s the beauty and who’s the friend? They’re both friends. Ah, no wonder his Chinese grades are so poor with idioms used like this.

Qi Mu, however, had no interest in Xu Xiaoming or any of his concerns; his mind was entirely focused on Yin Xiuzhu.

“How’s your mother’s health? Has she been getting any better this year?” Qi Mu asked Yin Xiuzhu.

Yin Xiuzhu looked at him steadily and replied, “She still needs to continue her treatment.”

Qi Mu asked, “Does she need you to stay there with her?”

Yin Xiuzhu said, “Not much use, and I can’t keep delaying my studies.”

“Right,” Qi Mu reassured him, “Don’t worry, the first-year courses aren’t difficult. If you have trouble catching up, I can help you with some tutoring.”

Yin Xiuzhu’s lips curved up slightly: “I could use some help. How about after school?”

Qi Mu immediately regretted offering to help. He’s hardly qualified to tutor anyone. Everyone in the class, except Xu Xiaoming, is more competent than him! But having finally been in school a year longer than Yin Xiuzhu and finally having the chance to tutor him, Qi Mu didn’t want to miss the opportunity: “Alright… alright then!” If he had known, he would have studied harder and become a top student this year!

Before long, they arrived at the teaching building. Yin Xiuzhu said softly, “You go ahead; I still need to go to the academic affairs office to pick up something.”

Qi Mu eagerly said, “I’ll go with you.”

Yin Xiuzhu’s eyes seemed glued to him, not shifting at all. “You should be in class right now.”

Oh right… Qi Mu had completely forgotten! If he went back to the classroom now, he’d only be able to stand at the back for a period, but if he went to the academic affairs office, he might end up being chewed out by the homeroom teacher for an hour.

Qi Mu withdrew his neck slightly, “You go ahead, I’ll head back to the classroom first.”

“Okay.” Yin Xiuzhu remained where he was, not moving. “You go on, I’m not in a hurry.”

Qi Mu couldn’t wait any longer. He hurriedly went upstairs, eager to catch up with Xu Xiaoming in the back row of the classroom.

At that moment, when the school was silent with no one around, Yin Xiuzhu’s gaze was no longer restrained. All his longing and affection poured out like a small spotlight, closely chasing the gradually disappearing figure.

He had seen him. After enduring countless days and nights of yearning, he had finally seen him.

He endured this year just to return to his side with a better demeanor, standing beside him in a way that befits him more.

For Qi Mu, this year was boring and uneventful, but for Yin Xiuzhu, it was a time of upheaval.

Qi Dashan investigated the old, buried matters of the Yin family—although it was somewhat troublesome, no wall in this world doesn’t have a crack. If you want to find out, you eventually will.

As Yin Xiuzhu had suspected, Yin Zhenggong had a twin brother named Yin Zhengquan.

Yin Xiuzhu’s grandparents had a strained relationship and lived apart for many years. Yin Zhenggong stayed in the country, while Yin Zhengquan moved abroad with his mother. Despite being twins, they rarely met.

When Yin Xiuzhu’s grandfather passed away, Yin Xiuzhu’s grandmother, who held half of the company’s shares, brought Yin Zhengquan back, and things became contentious.

Yin Zhenggong had no feelings for his mother or his twin brother, and their relationship was extremely tense, escalating into open conflict.
Some details were beyond Qi Dashan’s reach, but he was particularly puzzled by the fact that Yu Daiyun was Yin Zhenggong’s fiancée. They had dated in university, and due to their comparable family backgrounds, they soon got engaged.

It was also because of the Yu family’s presence that Yin Zhenggong wasn’t swallowed up by his mother and brother returning from abroad.

Given this, it seemed that Yin Zhenggong and Yu Daiyun were deeply in love. How could they end up in such a state after marriage, even questioning Yin Xiuzhu’s lineage?

The reasons behind these events were impossible to uncover, but the outcome was clear.

Yin Zhengquan and his mother died in a helicopter crash, allowing Yin Zhenggong to inherit everything smoothly and become the undisputed leader.

Since then, Yu Daiyun’s mental state has become unstable. She often locked herself in her room and, in moments of losing control, even started inflicting in self-harm.

By then, Yin Xiuzhu had already been born. Logically, he should have been Yin Zhenggong’s child, but Yin Zhenggong was highly suspicious of this. The reasons were known only to him and Yu Daiyun.

Yin Zhengquan probably knew the truth as well, but he was already dead.

The genetic similarity between identical twins is extremely high, and with the technology at the time, it was impossible to determine which twin was Yin Xiuzhu’s biological father.

Thus began Yin Xiuzhu’s nightmarish childhood.

Qi Dashan, upon investigating these past events, truly felt sorry for Yin Xiuzhu. He had long suspected that Yin Xiuzhu had endured great hardships, but he never imagined it was this severe.

His mother was a madwoman who wanted to kill him, his father was rarely at home, and the servants in the house, taking advantage of his inability to speak, treated the young master with disdain. When they were angry, they would beat and scold him. A one- or two-year-old child, unable to articulate or even cry out, would be punished without the courage to even shed tears.

At four years old, if Yin Xiuzhu had not met Qi Mu, it was truly unimaginable what kind of person he would have grown into.

When Qi Dashan recounted these past events to Yin Xiuzhu, his expression remained calm. He only said, “Please, Uncle Qi, ask my dad to do another paternity test.”

Qi Dashan understood: “Don’t worry, it’s already arranged.”

This was not a difficult task. All it took was to send a letter to Yin Zhenggong, stating that “advancements in paternity testing technology now allow for 100% accuracy.”

Keeping Yin Xiuzhu around for so long was clearly a sign of Yin Zhenggong’s indecision. Once there was an opportunity to confirm, he would certainly want to be sure.

As expected, when Yin Xiuzhu was about to start middle school, Yin Zhenggong returned with great excitement.

He hugged Yin Xiuzhu and, in an unusually gentle tone, said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

Yin Xiuzhu naturally responded with a mix of joy and nervousness, showing a demeanor of both happiness and anxiety.

Yin Zhenggong spent three days with him, during which Yin Xiuzhu threw up every night.

“Father?” The most ironic word in the world.

Yin Xiuzhu’s obedience made Yin Zhenggong feel deeply guilty, but he had work to do and couldn’t stay with him indefinitely.

Taking advantage of his guilt, Yin Xiuzhu took the opportunity to suggest, “It’s not a solution for Mom to be this way. Could you take her to see a doctor?”

Yin Zhenggong’s expression was complex, and it took him a while to respond, “I will arrange for her to receive treatment.”

Yin Xiuzhu continued, “I’ll go with her. If she has to go to some unfamiliar place abroad, she’ll be scared on her own.”

Originally, Yin Zhenggong hadn’t planned to send Yu Daiyun abroad, but hearing Yin Xiuzhu’s suggestion, he was tempted: it would indeed be much simpler if she were out of the country, away from gossip and complications.

Yin Xiuzhu added, “Mom is very afraid of unfamiliar situations. Having me with her will make things much better.”

Yin Zhenggong expressed concern, “But what about your studies…”

Yin Xiuzhu smiled and said, “Teacher Xu once gave me a set of practice questions and said that I could directly advance to the second year of middle school without any issues.”

Yin Zhenggong was taken aback, feeling both guilty and proud. “That’s great. You’re very outstanding.”

Yin Xiuzhu looked up at him and asked, “So, can I go with Mom?”

“Alright.” Yin Zhenggong sighed, “You’ve really had a tough time these years.”

Yin Xiuzhu lowered his eyes and replied, “It’s fine. I was always very happy to see you come back.”

Yin Zhenggong felt even more guilty, wanting to make it up to him—though he knew that not everything could be repaired yet.

Yin Xiuzhu took a leave of absence from school to accompany Yu Daiyun abroad for treatment.

The treatment process was fraught with difficulties. The doctors were distressed; every time they felt Yu Daiyun’s condition was stabilizing, there would inevitably be a sudden flare-up, causing previous treatments to fail and making the situation increasingly unmanageable.

The doctors were deeply sympathetic towards Yin Xiuzhu, moved by the considerate youth who devoted himself to accompanying his mother.

Despite his mother’s harsh words, her abuse, and even her throwing things at him, he bore it all without complaint, taking care of her diligently. To outsiders, it was heart-wrenching to witness.

Yet, as long as Yin Xiuzhu was present, Yu Daiyun’s condition could never stabilize.

After a year, Yin Xiuzhu’s perseverance led to Yu Daiyun being confined to a nursing home for the remainder of her life.

He no longer wanted to face this madwoman and didn’t care about her past sufferings. He only wished to break free from the shackles and distance himself from the abyss known as “mother.”

A year later, he returned, transformed and renewed.