As soon as they arrived in Shanghai, Zhan stepped out of the station and stood by the roadside, looking around aimlessly.
Every taxi driver who approached him to ask where he was going received no clear answer...he simply stared at them, lost in thought.
The growing traffic and noise around him finally pulled him back to reality.
Slowly, he walked up to a taxi driver and mentioned the area he wanted to go to.
"Where exactly?" the driver asked.
"I'll recognize it when we get there," Zhan replied quietly.
He didn't argue about the fare. He simply got in, and they drove toward the neighborhood he had mentioned.
Not long into the journey, light rain began to fall. By the time they reached the area, it had grown heavier.
Zhan remembered hearing the name of the neighborhood the day he and his stepmother had come from Uncle Jincai's house...but he didn't know the exact street or location.
The driver kept circling the area with him, but eventually grew impatient. He parked the car and said, "Pay me and get down. You don't even know where you're going, yet you asked me to bring you here."
Zhan quietly stepped out and paid him from the envelope Yibo had given him. After returning his change, the driver drove off.
Tears filled Zhan's eyes.
He picked a direction and began walking.
But where would he even find his mother's house?
As the rain intensified, he found a small shelter and stood beneath it.
Minutes passed.
Then nearly half an hour.
The street emptied as people hurried indoors or into shops to escape the rain. The road looked almost deserted.
Only Zhan remained outside.
The cold began to creep into his body.
It rained for over an hour before finally easing into a light drizzle.
Exhausted, Zhan stepped out from the shelter and continued walking.
He hadn't gone far when he heard a voice behind him.
"Look at that boy...the one crying from styling his hair, Mama."
Zhan turned.
It was a woman with her daughter...the same people he had seen at the salon the day his mother took him there.
The woman lightly scolded her daughter for the comment, then looked at Zhan with concern.
"Are you alright?" she asked gently.
Zhan greeted her politely.
As she was about to leave, he quickly spoke.
"Please… I don't know the way to my house. Could you take me to that salon? The woman there knows my mother."
The woman stared at him in surprise. "You don't know your own house? Where are you coming from?"
"…From Beijing," Zhan said softly. "I forgot the way."
The woman's expression shifted to disbelief.
"That salon is quite far from here," she said. "And it's still raining… but come, let's take a taxi. I'll drop you there."
Zhan lowered his head slightly. "Thank you."
They took a taxi together.
As the woman had said, the distance was quite long.
When they arrived, they found the salon owner just about to close for the day because of the rain.
The woman explained Zhan's situation.
The salon owner frowned slightly. "His mother's house is far from here. Walking in this weather isn't possible."
The woman nodded. "Please help him get there by taxi. His mother will reimburse you."
The salon owner agreed.
After thanking the woman, Zhan followed the salon owner into another taxi.
When they finally arrived at the gate of his mother's house, Zhan felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He stared at the gate for a moment, almost as if confirming it was real.
He stepped out, smiling faintly.
"Thank you… I'll go get the money for you," he said.
Without waiting, he hurried inside.
The courtyard was empty because of the rain.
Zhan walked up to the main door and knocked gently.
The door opened.
Xixue stood there, asking, "Who is it?"
Then she froze.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Zhan?!"
Zhan threw himself into her arms.
"Mommy…"
She held him tightly, still stunned, and pulled him inside.
"Where are you coming from?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"…From Beijing," Zhan replied softly.
"With who?"
"…Alone."
Then he remembered.
"Mommy… please, can I get some money? The salon lady brought me here. I need to pay her...I don't know the way, so she helped me."
Xixue quickly grabbed some money and rushed outside.
She thanked the salon owner and paid both the fare for bringing Zhan and the return trip.
After that, she went back inside.
:
:
Mommy sat quietly, staring at Zhan as she wiped away the tears that refused to stop falling. Zhan had just finished telling her everything....from the day she left him at Yakumbo's place up until now, standing before her. The only thing he hid was what had truly happened between him and Yibo. He simply told her that he had been sent away because Lihua didn't like him.
Zhan wiped his own tears, his voice trembling.
"Mommy… why don't you want me to stay with you? Please don't send me away again. Let me stay with you… please."
He broke down completely, crying hard.
He had grown thinner, weaker. Seeing him like that made Xixue's heart ache deeply. Gathering her courage, she pulled him gently into her arms.
"It's not that I don't want you," she said softly. "The people in this house… they are not kind. That's why I took you to Yakumbo in the first place. But she betrayed me. I never imagined she would take you to such a place and leave you to suffer while I was alive. I even went to Beijing to check on you, but they told me she had already left. No one knew where she went. I searched for two days before coming back to Shanghai. I called her many times, but she never answered. I eventually gave up… All this time, I just hoped you were safe."
Her voice broke.
"And now this is what you went through… You've suffered so much. And the woman who kept you all this time....may she be rewarded for whatever kindness she showed you."
Zhan nodded faintly. "Thank you…"
Xixue stood up. "Let me go get you some food from the neighbors. I didn't cook today."
After she left the living room, Zhan leaned back weakly against the chair. He ate only a little of the rice she brought, drank some water, then went to the bathroom.
As he came out, Shafa spotted him and stared. She called out loudly for Hasue, who soon appeared.
"Look at that," Shafa said mockingly.
"Seems we have a guest today."
Zhan greeted them quietly.
Hasue laughed. "Well, well… a guest indeed."
They both walked away, still laughing.
Zhan sat on the carpet silently. In the kitchen, Mommy was cutting vegetables, clearly preparing to cook. She spoke without looking at him.
"Listen carefully, Zhan. Stay out of everyone's business in this house. Keep to yourself. No matter what they do or say, don't respond. Just endure it… for the sake of having a place to stay."
Zhan nodded quietly.
Xixue later stepped outside and made a call.
"I need to ask you a favor," she said.
"I'm listening," Her husband replied.
"Zhan is here. He'll stay for a few days since he's on break… if that's okay."
"Have you told Shafa and the others?"
She fell silent.
"Let them know," he said firmly. "I don't want any trouble in my house."
The call ended.
Xixue stared at her phone for a moment, her expression heavy. Since entering this marriage, she had never known peace. It felt like she was trapped, bound to a life she couldn't escape.
She went to Shafa's room and found her with Hasue.
"Good afternoon… Zhan arrived from Beijing. I just wanted to inform you."
Shafa glanced at her lazily. "Oh? Welcome then."
Hasue smirked. "Yes, welcome."
Xixue left without another word.
Later, when she returned to the living room, she found Zhan asleep on the chair. She gently woke him and led him to the bedroom to lie down properly.
Despite everything, one thing eased her mind....Zhan didn't look like someone who had been starved or severely mistreated. Just thinner… quieter.
Zhan tried his best to ignore everyone in the house, just as his Mommy had instructed. Even when Shafa and Hasue provoked him during his first week, he stayed silent.
Xixue too endured everything. No matter what they said or did, she never responded. She had become unusually quiet, almost unrecognizable.
But Shafa and Hasue ruled the house with authority. Everything had to go their way.
⏭ ⏭
Back in Beijing, by evening, Zhan's absence had been discovered.
At first, Mrs. Wang assumed Yibo had taken him out. She was even preparing to scold him. But when she called, he told her he knew nothing about it.
Panic set in immediately.
She questioned Baby and Shao, wondering if anything had happened. Lihua wasn't around, so she couldn't even suspect her.
As for Yibo, he already knew Zhan had left. He had gone to the clinic as usual, but when his mother kept calling in distress, he returned home, pretending he knew nothing.
Meanwhile in Shanghai, Xixue enrolled Zhan in lessons to keep him occupied.
But something about him worried her deeply...he had changed. He was no longer lively. He had grown quiet, withdrawn, almost like a shadow of himself.
He left for lessons in the morning and returned in the evening, barely speaking to anyone.
After about a month, a strange habit developed....Zhan would fall asleep anywhere, anytime.
During lessons, at home, even while doing simple tasks...he would suddenly drift off.
One day, Xixue returned to find him asleep over a pile of folded clothes.
She hit him lightly in frustration. "What's wrong with you, Zhan? Why are you always sleeping like this?"
He woke up startled, rubbing his eyes.
"Get up! I don't even want you folding clothes anymore. Every time I give you something to do, you fall asleep!"
Zhan quietly stood up and walked away, carrying a water container.
In the courtyard, Hasue had the radio blasting loudly, while Shafa was cooking in the kitchen. Both glared at him as he passed.
What annoyed them most was how both Xixue and Zhan ignored them completely.
Hasue scoffed. "He disappeared and now he's back like nothing happened."
Shafa stirred the soup on the fire. "Exactly. I've been meaning to ask why we're being lied to. If he's coming to stay, they should just say it. Why treat us like fools?"
Hasue nodded. "Let Fadi's Baba come back first. We'll hear the real story."
Zhan was crouched nearby when the strong smell of Shafa's soup filled the air.
His face twisted in discomfort.
Suddenly, his stomach churned violently.
He stood up quickly, trying to make it back to Xixue's room...but before he could, nausea hit him hard.
He dropped to his knees and began vomiting uncontrollably.
Shafa and Hasue fell silent mid-complaint, staring at him in shock.
Xixue rushed out as soon as she heard Zhan retching. She hurried to his side and held him, her voice filled with worry.
"Oh my… are you okay?"
Zhan couldn't respond. He looked completely drained, as if all his strength had left him at once. Mommy helped him rinse his mouth, then supported him back into the living room.
He lay weakly on the couch, breathing heavily.
"Mommy… I don't know what's wrong with me," he said faintly. "I'm always so weak…"
"It's alright," she said softly. "Maybe it's just malaria. Let your uncle come back, then we'll go to the hospital. I don't have any money on me right now."
Zhan closed his eyes, still trying to steady his breathing.
Mommy stood up to go clean the mess outside, but as she reached the doorway, she heard Hasue's voice.
"I'm telling you… it's like someone who's pregnant. Even the way he's vomiting is strange. If it were malaria, it wouldn't look like that."
Shafa added, "Exactly. I've been watching him. The other day he went to take his food in the kitchen, and the next thing he was asleep sitting down. This morning too, he sat with food in front of him and fell asleep. Is that normal?"
Mommy froze.
Her heart dropped.
For a moment, she just stood there, listening. Then suddenly, anger surged through her. She stormed into the living room, her eyes blazing....something she hadn't done in months.
"If you want to see something like that," she snapped, her voice shaking, "go and look at your own children or your relatives! Not mine! You have no kindness, no decency, wishing such evil on someone else's child. I won't accept it!"
Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.
Shafa jumped to her feet, furious.
"Watch your mouth!" she fired back. "No one is wishing anything bad on their own children. Who knows where you've been taking him? Or what kind of life you pushed him into..."
Mommy turned away, unable to listen any longer. She walked back into her room, tears streaming down her face.
She looked at Zhan...he had already fallen asleep.
Slowly, she sat down beside him, her heart heavy, silently wishing that all the cruel words spoken against her child would never come true.
Zhan slept until around nine. When Mommy finally woke him, she became even more worried at how hot his body felt.
She gently persuaded him to drink a little tea, then gave him some paracetamol and helped him lie down in the bedroom.
She returned to the living room, but her mind refused to settle.
Suddenly, Zhan rushed out of the room.
"What's wrong?" Mommy asked quickly, following him.
But before she could reach him, he had already gone outside and dropped to his knees, vomiting again in the courtyard.
Mommy stopped, watching helplessly.
The sound drew Hasue, then Shafa, who both peeked out to look.
Mommy quickly went to get water, knelt beside Zhan, and stayed with him until he finished. She helped him rinse his mouth and brought him back inside.
His body began to tremble.
"Mommy… cover me… I'm cold…" he whispered weakly.
She quickly wrapped him in a duvet.
Within moments, he fell asleep again.
Mommy returned to the living room, completely unsettled. She couldn't understand what was happening to him.
Later that evening, when Fadi's father came home, she waited about fifteen minutes before going to his section of the house.
She greeted him and stepped inside.
Shafa was there, serving him food while he watched the news.
Mommy sat down quietly.
"Please… if you can, I need some money," she said softly. "I want to take Zhan to the hospital. He hasn't been well since morning."
Shafa spoke before he could respond. "Yes, it's better she takes him. With all this vomiting and sleeping, it's not something to ignore."
Mommy remained silent, just looking at her.
"How much do you need?" he asked.
Shafa answered again, "Since the doctor knows you, even few thousands should be enough."
Mommy said nothing.
He stood up, went inside, and returned with few thousands. He handed it to her.
"Take this. It should cover transport too."
She accepted it respectfully. "Thank you… we're grateful."
Then she stood and left.
****
Early the next morning, Xixue prepared Zhan to go to the hospital. She forced him to drink some tea, but he couldn't keep it down...he vomited everything almost immediately.
He looked even weaker now, his body soft and drained from all the vomiting.
Mommy had to find a ride that came right to their door, because he could barely walk.
As they stepped out, Hasue, who was sweeping the courtyard, spoke loudly:
"Safe journey. May we never be put to shame in this life or the next."
Mommy didn't respond. She simply held Zhan and helped him into the ride, her heart heavy with worry.
Mommy said nothing to Hasue. Holding Zhan carefully, she led him out of the house.
This time, she took him to a different hospital....not the one they usually visited.
When they arrived, they were told to pay to open a file.
Mommy's heart sank immediately.
Zhan sat quietly, watching the nurse. Behind Mommy's chair, the envelope Yibo had given him was still tucked away...but he said nothing about it.
Mommy forced a small smile. "I'll be right back," she told the nurse.
Zhan looked up weakly. "Mommy… where are you going?"
"I'll be back soon," she replied, then hurried out.
She went to a friend nearby and borrowed some money. Thankfully, the woman trusted her and gave it without hesitation. Mommy rushed back to the hospital, paid, and they were finally allowed to see the doctor.
Mommy did most of the talking. Zhan was too weak to speak.
The doctor listened, then suddenly asked,
"Is he a special male? I mean enable to give birth? "
Mommy's heart skipped violently. She nodded her head.
"Alright," the doctor said. "We'll run some tests."
He didn't specify which one. He handed their file to a nurse and asked her to take them.
Back at the reception, the nurse told them the test would cost more thousands.
Mommy paid, her hands trembling slightly.
They waited.
Minutes passed.
Finally, the results came out, and they were asked to return to the doctor's office.
The doctor looked at Xixue carefully.
"Is he your son?"
Mommy nodded, her heart pounding.
He shook his head slowly.
"Then congratulation… he's a few weeks pregnant."
Mommy shot to her feet in shock.
"Pregnant?!"
The doctor nodded.
Zhan's eyes widened as he stared at him, completely stunned. His heart began to race, but his mind couldn't grasp what he had just heard
.
Mommy broke down instantly. Without another word, she turned and rushed out, crying.
Zhan quickly stood and followed her.
The doctor watched them leave, shaking his head quietly.
"Such a young boy…" he muttered under his breath.
Mommy didn't stop crying as she walked out of the hospital.
Zhan followed behind her, weak and confused. He still didn't fully understand what the doctor meant.
By the time Mommy hurried ahead toward home, Zhan had stopped walking for a moment, frozen in place.
Then slowly, like someone lost, he began moving again.
Strangely, the weakness in his body seemed to fade for a moment...but the confusion remained.
He walked all the way home in a daze.
When he arrived, Hasue and Shafa were sitting in the courtyard. They watched him silently as he passed them and went straight into Mommy's room.
Mommy was sitting on the floor, crying uncontrollably.
Zhan slowly sank to his knees.
That was when the tears finally came...hot, painful tears that wouldn't stop.
Through her sobs, Mommy spoke:
"So this is how you repay me? You want to disgrace me? You want to expose me to the world like this? Is this my reward for raising you?"
Zhan cried harder.
"Mommy… please forgive me…"
Mommy suddenly stood and slapped him hard. Before he could recover, she slapped him again...harder.
Zhan froze, unable to move.
Her eyes burned with anger and betrayal.
"You've ruined me. You've betrayed me. You've betrayed your late father!"
That broke him completely.
"I'm sorry… please, Mommy…" he sobbed.
"Who did this to you?!" she shouted. "Who got you pregnant?!"
Zhan shook his head desperately, crying.
"I… I don't know…"
That only made things worse.
Mommy hit him again and again until she was too exhausted to continue.
Still crying, she pointed toward the door.
"Get out. Leave my house. Go wherever you want! If you don't even know who did this to you, then I want nothing to do with you. You've destroyed my name. Staying here will ruin my marriage. Leave! I don't want to see you again!"
Zhan could only nod weakly, tears streaming down his face.
At that moment, Shafa and Hasue entered the room. They stood there, watching everything unfold. After a moment, they exchanged glances, laughed mockingly, and left.
Zhan slowly stood up.
Every part of his body ached.
Blood stained the corner of his lips, and he wiped it quietly.
He walked to the living room and picked up the envelope Yibo had given him. As he opened it, the money spilled out...and a folded piece of paper slipped to the ground.
He picked it up.
His hands trembled as he unfolded it and read:
"I don't have much to say. I know you'll never forget what happened between us....and neither will I. It's better for you to leave, because I'll never find peace as long as we live under the same roof. I'm asking for your forgiveness… not because I deserve it, but because I hope you can let go. I wish you a good life… and someone who will treat you well."
Zhan crumpled the paper in his hand.
A broken sob escaped his lips.
For a moment, he wished he could simply disappear… but he couldn't.
Slowly, he gathered the money back into the envelope, along with the letter.
Then he stood and walked out.
He didn't hear anything Shafa or Hasue said as he passed. His ears rang with silence.
He stepped out of the house… and kept walking.
He didn't know where he was going.
He just walked.
Eventually, he found himself at a motor park.
Voices called out different destinations.
People moved around him, but everything felt distant.
Then he heard one name.
Chongqing
Without thinking, he walked toward that vehicle and got in.
Within minutes, it filled up.
The engine started.
And just like that, Zhan left for a place he had never been before… a place where he knew no one at all.
💚💙❤🖤