Chapter 70: The Real and Fake Second Young Master

Chapter 70: The Real and Fake Second Young Master

Xie Guiluan was momentarily stunned, his lips tightening instantly. He didn’t know why Cen Junshan and Guan Xingxue had come and thought his relationship with Cen Wu had been discovered. No wonder Cen Wu hadn’t replied to his message.

However, before he could speak, Guan Xingxue turned to look at him, her eyes welling up with tears.

Guan Xingxue had woken up that morning, planning to go to the company with Cen Junshan. Before leaving, she saw a file folder on Cen Junshan’s desk in his study. She initially thought it was a contract, but upon opening it, she was stunned.

It contained several DNA test results.

The one on top was the DNA test between Xie Guiluan and herself, directly flipped to the final result page, showing a 99.9999637% probability of a biological mother-child relationship.

It confirmed she was the biological mother.

Guan Xingxue’s ears buzzed, her mind going blank for a moment. She flipped further, finding DNA tests between Cen Junshan, Cen Xiao, and Xie Guiluan, confirming them as the father and brother.

Meanwhile, Song Lingwei and Xie Guiluan showed no biological relationship. The last report was a DNA test between Cen Wu and Song Lingwei, proving a biological mother-son relationship.

"Cen Junshan..." Guan Xingxue held the DNA test, her voice trembling slightly, as she went out to find her husband.

Cen Junshan, suddenly called by his full name, felt a sudden panic and quickly approached with a smile, asking, "What's wrong?"

Guan Xingxue handed him the DNA test, and Cen Junshan’s expression darkened. They didn’t act hastily, first investigating Song Lingwei and Xie Guiluan.

They discovered that Guan Xingxue and Song Lingwei had given birth in the same hospital in a mountainous area on the same night.

Guan Xingxue had a difficult delivery and was unconscious for a long time. By the time she woke up, Song Lingwei had already left with her child. Guan Xingxue had never seen Song Lingwei before; otherwise, she would have recognized her.

It was possible that the babies had been switched.

Guan Xingxue’s eyes welled up with tears. She suddenly understood why Cen Wu had been so insistent on her meeting Xie Guiluan recently and why he had asked her to buy Xie Guiluan a pair of shoes.

On a stormy night, she had seen Xie Guiluan, the boy wearing only a pair of worn-out shoes and thin clothes. Song Lingwei hadn’t taken good care of him.

This DNA test must have been provided by Cen Wu.

Cen Wu was still in class, so Cen Junshan and Guan Xingxue didn’t rush to question him. They investigated everything thoroughly and then braved the snow late at night to go to the hospital, wanting to first ask Song Lingwei.

Back then, during the heavy rain in the mountainous area, the hospital was in chaos, and it was possible that the babies had simply been switched. Guan Xingxue wasn’t sure if Song Lingwei was aware of it.

Song Lingwei had taken her medicine and was about to sleep when she heard a knock on the hospital room door. She asked the caregiver to open it. The caregiver was also surprised and got up to walk towards the door, "Who could it be at this hour?"

The door opened, and Song Lingwei’s face turned pale. She had had many nightmares, dreaming that Guan Xingxue would suddenly find her, screaming and demanding to know why she had taken her child.

Perhaps she had dreamed it too many times, because when she actually saw Guan Xingxue, Song Lingwei was surprisingly calm.

Eighteen years had passed, and both she and Guan Xingxue were no longer young. Yet, lying on the hospital bed with a somewhat deformed belly, barely holding on to life, Song Lingwei saw that Guan Xingxue looked just the same as she had back then.

In fact, she had already sensed it. Her premonitions were always accurate. Back when she was giving birth, she had desperately wanted to go home, and in the mountainous area, she had encountered Guan Xingxue, which changed her child’s fate.

These past few days, she had again felt the urge to go home, sensing that the snow in Huaijing was heavy and unsettling.

Sure enough, Guan Xingxue had found her.

But Song Lingwei suddenly thought, as long as she didn’t admit it, it would be fine. She wouldn’t admit it, and it would just be a case of mistaken identity. What evidence did Guan Xingxue have to prove that she had stolen the child?

Guan Xingxue handed her the DNA test. Song Lingwei didn’t know many characters, so she quickly glanced over it, not really understanding much, and didn’t dare to look closely.

"What are you trying to say?" Song Lingwei tucked her hair behind her ear, her lips pale, her voice trembling as she preemptively said, "Xie Guiluan isn’t my child? Then where is my child?! Give my child back to me!"

She thought her poor acting skills could deceive Guan Xingxue.

Guan Xingxue looked at her, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears again. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, tears instantly streamed down her face. She said firmly, "You did it on purpose."

Song Lingwei denied it outright, even as they argued. Suddenly, Xie Guiluan pushed open the door to the hospital room.

Guan Xingxue's heart clenched instantly, and tears flowed uncontrollably. She didn’t even have the energy left to hate Song Lingwei.

For eighteen long years, from the moment Xie Guiluan was born, she had barely seen her own child. She didn't know if he was doing well, how much suffering he had endured, and she had never been able to care for him.

She was already fifty-four years old, and Cen Junshan was about to turn sixty. How many more eighteen years did they have left in their lives?

Cen Xiao was also there. He was closer to the Xie family than Guan Xingxue and the others. He knew that Xie Guiluan was treated even worse than a servant in the Xie family.

Whenever Xie Shangjing was in a bad mood, even at three in the morning, he would whip Xie Guiluan with a horsewhip, have him pinned to the ground, and then mercilessly kick him to the brink of death. Anyone could slap him or humiliate him by stepping on his head.

He had witnessed it many times at the club—Xie Shangjing making Xie Guiluan kneel beside him, then suddenly flying into a rage and slapping him.

The boy’s peach blossom eyes, so much like his mother’s, were dark and icy. He turned his head from the slap, showing no reaction.

It wasn't just Xie Shangjing; even Chu Zijian and the others could casually lay hands on him. A group of them would grab Xie Guiluan's hair, slap him, and laughingly take videos of his swollen, bleeding face.

Cen Xiao had passed by many times, not bothering to even glance at him. He didn’t know at the time that was his younger brother.

Cen Wu had always been frail since childhood, never able to win fights against other kids at school. Every time he came crying to Cen Xiao, it was Cen Xiao who helped him get revenge. He had promised Guan Xingxue that he would be his brother and protect him for life.

Cen Xiao's throat tightened, and he raised his hand to rub his reddened eyes. In the end, he hadn't kept that promise.

Xie Guiluan still didn't know what was happening. The hospital room was silent and tense until footsteps suddenly echoed in the hallway.

Cen Junshan had informed Xie Mingcheng, hoping he would come to the hospital. After hanging up the phone, a flash of malice crossed Xie Mingcheng's eyes. He called his secretary and headed to the hospital.

Xie Mingcheng's face was dark. He never expected Song Lingwei to cause such a huge mess for him. Then again, Xie Guiluan didn't resemble Song Lingwei at all—Cen Wu did.

Both were nothing but beautiful wastes.

He had initially been willing to acknowledge Xie Guiluan to use him and Song Lingwei to humiliate Zhou Li, so he hadn't done a paternity test at first. He didn't care whether Xie Guiluan was his son or not.

But Xie Guiluan's academic performance was excellent, even better than Xie Shangjing's. Xie Mingcheng had always been a proud man, and since Xie Guiluan was so outstanding, of course, he was his son. He had no doubts.

What was the point of a paternity test?

Who would have thought Song Lingwei would be so bold as to steal a child from the Cen family, even deceiving him for over a decade with this child? He had truly underestimated this woman.

Cen Junshan and he had only been acquaintances on the surface, but Xie Mingcheng wasn't yet confident he could take down the Cen family in one move. He needed that superficial relationship, but now he had completely offended the Cen family.

Once the Cen family found out how poorly Xie Guiluan had been treated in the Xie family, they would surely come after him.

Xie Mingcheng's chest burned with suppressed rage. He strode into the hospital room, not even bothering to speak, and walked straight to the bedside, raising his hand in a furious attempt to slap Song Lingwei.

But Xie Guiluan firmly grabbed his wrist.

Xie Guiluan was slightly taller than him, his dark, cold peach blossom eyes looking down at him with indifference.

Song Lingwei's face was pale. She hadn't been crying, but as she stared at Xie Guiluan's back, tears suddenly fell.

Xie Guiluan had been shielding her since he was three or four years old, stopping Chen Weiguo from hitting her. Back then, Xie Guiluan was small, his thin frame easily knocked aside by Chen Weiguo's slap.

Now, Xie Guiluan had grown up. The young man’s tall, straight back was her only shelter and redemption in this life.

She had raised Xie Guiluan, holding him through the night whenever he was sick, teaching him to call her mother, and depending on each other for so many years. In this world, Xie Guiluan loved her more than anyone else.

"Fool," Xie Mingcheng sneered, shook off Xie Guiluan's hand, his lips twisted into a sarcastic smirk as he pointed at Xie Guiluan, "I told you long ago, not everyone can be called a mother. Didn't you realize you're not her biological child?!"

"Xie Mingcheng!" Cen Junshan frowned and spoke sharply.

Xie Mingcheng turned around, spreading his hands with a hint of exaggerated madness, "What's the matter, Chairman Cen, got any bright ideas?"

Xie Guiluan frowned, only then noticing the paternity test results on the hospital bed. Guan Xingxue had even sent someone to the hospital where she gave birth years ago, taking photos of the receipts signed by her and Song Lingwei, proving they gave birth on the same night.

Xie Guiluan turned to look at Song Lingwei, who kept crying, lowering her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Xiao Lan..." Guan Xingxue's eyes reddened, her voice turned hoarse, unsure how to address Xie Guiluan.

Xie Guiluan's cold, dark eyes rose, he crumpled up the paternity test report, suddenly threw it on the bed, and strode out of the room.

Guan Xingxue panicked and wanted to follow, but her emotions were too intense, and she wasn't steady on her feet. Cen Junshan supported her, while Cen Xiao stopped her, saying, "I'll go after him."

Then he quickly followed Xie Guiluan out of the ward.

Only then did Song Lingwei begin to feel afraid. Xie Mingcheng had murderous intentions towards her, and the Cen family must also hate her. What should she do alone here?

"Xie Guiluan..." Song Lingwei's voice trembled, she cried out in panic towards the ward door, "Xie Guiluan! Xie Guiluan!!!"

Xie Guiluan did not look back.

This time, no one was there to protect her.

Song Lingwei continued to scream hysterically, Guan Xingxue suddenly couldn't bear it anymore, her eyes red, she raised her hand and slapped Song Lingwei hard.

Song Lingwei's hair was disheveled by the slap, her crying stopped abruptly, but tears flowed more fiercely, silently streaming down her face.

Xie Guiluan heard Song Lingwei's cries, but he ignored them. He sent another message to Cen Wu, who didn't reply, so he called directly.

But the other end was the busy signal of a turned-off phone.

Cen Xiao finally caught up with Xie Guiluan in the hospital lobby, he stopped Xie Guiluan. Although they were brothers by blood, they had never lived together for eighteen years.

Facing Xie Guiluan, he didn't know how to start.

"I know it's hard for you to accept all at once," Cen Xiao paused, speaking cautiously, "Let's go home first..."

Xie Guiluan's voice was hoarse, interrupting him, "He's gone."

Cen Xiao was stunned, realizing he was talking about Cen Wu, he comforted Xie Guiluan, "He hasn't left, he's at school, I drove him there this morning."

Only now did he understand why Cen Wu was so good to Xie Guiluan but didn't admit to being in a relationship with him. Cen Wu had long known he wasn't the biological child of the Cen family, feeling guilty for taking Xie Guiluan's parents, hence wanting to compensate him.

Cen Wu didn't have any overly intimate actions with Xie Guiluan, it must be that Xie Guiluan liked Cen Wu and was pursuing him.

But they weren't together.

"He's gone." Xie Guiluan's face was pale and sharp, his voice hoarse, staring intently at Cen Xiao, stubbornly repeating, "He's gone."

Cen Xiao had no choice but to call the school, only to find out that Cen Wu had asked Meng Liangping for sick leave halfway through morning study and left the school.

Xie Guiluan pushed him away and walked out of the hospital. The snow was heavy that night, the sky a dull red without a moon. He obstinately sent another message to Cen Wu.

"Where are you."

"I'm back, aren't you coming to pick me up?"

"It's too cold, don't come out. Tell me where you are, and I'll come find you, okay?"

He tapped the little cat icon again; this time, no one was there to see him, and no one reassured him with "I will always be here."

Cen Wu didn't lie to him. Cen Wu truly didn't like him; his kindness was merely an apology.

Xie Guiluan clenched his phone, his knuckles red from the biting night wind, but he paid no mind. He hailed a taxi and headed to the airport.

He searched along the entrance, checked every international flight that day, but Cen Wu wasn't at the airport either.

He went to the school, the bar, even the cybercafe called Whale Sea. He stopped people on the road to ask, scoured every place he had been with Cen Wu, but couldn't find him.

Finally, he went to Lu Wang's house. It was already past three in the morning, and Lu Wang was startled when he saw him.

Xie Guiluan's shoulders were blanketed with a thick layer of snow, his boots filled with it, his knuckles swollen and red from the cold, his eyes rimmed with redness. He looked utterly disheveled as he grabbed Lu Wang and asked if Cen Wu was there.

"You... what's wrong with you?" Lu Wang stammered, frightened. He quickly shook his head and said, "He's not here."

Xie Guiluan released him, turned, and trudged back into the snow.

"What's wrong with you?" Lu Wang sensed something was amiss, reached out to grab him, and asked anxiously, "Did you two have a fight?"

Xie Guiluan suddenly stopped, his lips quivering from the cold. He said to Lu Wang, "Do you have Cen Xiao's number?"

Lu Wang quickly handed him his phone.

Xie Guiluan called Cen Xiao, asking him to keep Xie Shangjing in check. He feared that if Xie Shangjing discovered he had fallen in love with his own brother, he might lash out in fury and seek revenge on Cen Wu.

It didn't matter if he couldn't find Cen Wu. Cen Wu must have hidden himself well. But he was terrified Xie Shangjing would find Cen Wu before he did.

"Okay," Cen Xiao responded. "I know. I've already sent someone to keep an eye on the Xie family. You—"

Before he could finish, Xie Guiluan hung up.

Xie Mingcheng knew a falling-out with the Cen family was inevitable, so he decided to go all out, even daring to berate Xie Guiluan in front of Cen Junshan. The talks had gone nowhere that night, so Guan Xingxue and Cen Junshan returned home first.

Cen Xiao received a call from Xie Guiluan using Lu Wang's phone and drove to pick him up. He followed the road from Lu Wang's house and finally spotted Xie Guiluan near the entrance of No. 1 High School.

Xie Guiluan's phone was nearly frozen and out of battery. He sat on the school entrance steps, calling Cen Wu repeatedly, but received no answer. On the last call, the phone suddenly vibrated.

Xie Guiluan's eyelashes were dusted with snow. He thought Cen Wu had finally answered. He knew Cen Wu wouldn't abandon him. His lips, stiff from the cold, moved, and his voice came out hoarse. "...Hello?"

But no one spoke on the other end. He thought his ears were too frozen to hear. He pressed the phone to his ear again, but still, there was no sound from Cen Wu.

When he pulled the phone away, he realized the screen had gone black. It had just been the phone vibrating as it ran out of battery.

After waiting for him to finish the call, Cen Xiao, with slightly red eyes, reached out to help him up and said, "I've sent people to look for him. Let's go home first; maybe he'll be back by the time we arrive."

Xie Guiluan clenched his phone, sat for a few more minutes, then stood up. His lips were dark and purple from the cold, his ears bright red. He had fallen in the snow, the back of his hand bleeding, his legs stiff and nearly immobile.

He staggered, the snow on him cascading to the ground. Cen Xiao reached out to support him, helping him walk.

As soon as Guan Xingxue and the others got home, they hurried to Cen Wu's room, only to find that he had taken nothing—no bank card, not even a single piece of clothing. He had left of his own accord.

"He has no money on him," Guan Xingxue said, wiping her tears as she turned to Cen Junshan. "Where could he go?"

Her thoughts were a jumble. Cen Junshan told her to get some sleep, but she couldn’t. As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind would wander.

At one moment, she seemed to see Cen Wu without any money, in the freezing winter with snow falling, hiding in a dark place, his hands red from the cold. She cautiously approached him, wanting to tell him to show his mother, but before she could grab his hand, Cen Wu ran away again. Then, she thought about Xie Guiluan, who still hadn’t returned home, and wondered if Cen Xiao had found him.

Tonight, the temperature was nearly minus thirty degrees Celsius. Xie Guiluan had been outside for over six hours. When Cen Xiao drove him home, he was already running a high fever. Cen Junshan quickly called a doctor to see him.

Guan Xingxue asked Cen Xiao to take Xie Guiluan to her room to sleep.

Xie Guiluan was a light sleeper and wasn’t used to having someone next to him. After the doctor inserted the IV needle, Guan Xingxue noticed he wasn’t sleeping soundly, so she sat on a sofa farther away to keep him company.

She was also exhausted from the night and almost dozed off, but she suddenly woke up and realized Xie Guiluan wasn’t in bed.

Guan Xingxue panicked and went out to look for him. Cen Xiao held her and pointed to Cen Wu’s bedroom.

When Guan Xingxue walked over, she found Xie Guiluan lying on Cen Wu’s bed, curled up, holding Cen Wu’s teddy bear, covered with Cen Wu’s blanket, and deeply asleep.

Xie Guiluan had a dream. He dreamed of the first time he met Cen Wu at the horse ranch, then Cen Wu took him home. Late at night, they sat together in the car. He pretended to be asleep, but Cen Wu thought he was really sleeping and quietly leaned over to look at the wound on his face.

He couldn’t help but frown slightly. Cen Wu thought he was in pain and sleeping restlessly, so he gently patted the back of his hand where the driver couldn’t see, comforting him softly like a child, saying, "It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt."

Then he dreamed of crocheting those gloves for Cen Wu, and Cen Wu treasured them, reluctant to wear them.

His mind was hazy, and he dreamed of walking on a particularly dark road, with no light, nothing at all. He walked alone for a long time, and then suddenly, a hand took hold of his.

He didn’t know whose hand it was, but the moment it held his, he felt the urge to cry, wanting to follow that person.

So he turned around and let the other person lead him, walking back along the path he had come. Gradually, moonlight appeared above, and the ground beneath his feet was clean snow. He looked up, and the boy with curved eyebrows smiled at him, finally letting go of his wrist.

Xie Guiluan held onto him again, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Why didn’t you take me with you? I want to go with you."

"What are you talking about?" Cen Wu seemed not to understand, but his eyes were still gentle. He waved goodbye and said, "Xie Guiluan, don’t be unhappy."

Xie Guiluan’s face was pale. In his sleep, he curled up tighter, holding Cen Wu’s teddy bear firmly.

Guan Xingxue’s eyes welled up with tears. She pulled the blanket up a little and reached out to touch his burning forehead.

Xie Guiluan stood alone on the moonlit road. Cen Wu had left at some point, but a warm hand took hold of his. He hoped it was Cen Wu.

So he followed the person forward a few steps. He didn’t want to go home. By his side, his soul found peace.

Guan Xingxue waited until Xie Guiluan was completely asleep before leaving. Xie Guiluan rarely got sick, but when he did, it was severe. He had a recurring high fever for three days. He stayed in Cen Wu’s bedroom, holding the teddy bear, not saying a word to Guan Xingxue or the others.

He kept his phone nearby, afraid Cen Wu might contact him. Cen Wu was timid, afraid of the dark and ghosts. He didn’t know how Cen Wu could live alone. He was afraid Cen Wu would be frightened when he wasn’t around.

He crocheted a pair of gloves for the teddy bear and put them on, then held it in his arms, sending a message to Cen Wu.

"I miss you so much."

"Don’t you want me anymore?"

Finally, on the evening of the third day, Cen Xiao found out that Cen Wu hadn’t left Huaijing. He had secretly rented an apartment. Cen Wu was good at hiding. He hadn’t left the country or even Huaijing, which made it harder to track him. Otherwise, as soon as he bought a ticket, Cen Xiao could have immediately located him.

Cen Xiao gave the address to Xie Guiluan. Xie Guiluan’s eyes widened in shock. He set the teddy bear aside. He had lost a lot of weight, looking gaunt. He slipped on his down jacket and headed out.

But after only a few steps, he turned back to grab his scarf. Cen Wu had told him to take good care of himself, and he wanted to listen to him.

Cen Xiao wanted to go with him, but Xie Guiluan was resistant to their company. Knowing Xie Guiluan was definitely going to find Cen Wu, Cen Xiao didn’t follow, leaving his own phone number with him instead.

Xie Guiluan arrived at Cen Wu’s building a little past eight in the evening. It was still snowing heavily. He looked up and saw the warm glow of light in Cen Wu’s apartment.

He didn't go up; he just waited downstairs.

Cen Wu had picked up some food earlier. He hadn't left the house these past few days. Before, he'd always stuck close to Xie Guiluan, worried something might happen to him. Even if he didn't want to go out, he would force himself to.

Now, with no real reason to go out, he started pulling back again, feeling nervous at the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

He had no idea how Xie Guiluan was holding up.

In the original story, Xie Guiluan stayed quiet for just a few seconds before accepting the mix-up with the kids. He cut ties with Song Lingwei and went with Cen Junshan and Guan Xingxue back to the Cen family.

Of course, Xie Guiluan had no feelings for Cen Junshan and the others; he only wanted to use the Cen family's power for revenge.

He even seemed unfazed, still scoring first in the province in the college entrance exam half a month later. He always bounced back, like nothing could take him down.

Cen Wu thought Xie Guiluan was a little closer to Guan Xingxue and the others this time around, so it should be easier for him to adjust.

But he still couldn't relax, afraid to go too far, worried that Xie Guiluan might be bullied. Xie Guiluan would surely be unhappy again, and without him around, he didn't know if anyone would comfort him.

It felt awful, like he'd left his own puppy behind, but he really couldn't stay with the Cen family.

Cen Wu made some instant noodles, ate them, and waited till after 3 a.m., when the streets were likely empty. He put on his hood and mustered the courage to go downstairs to throw out the trash.

In the cold winter night, with heavy snow and wind, he looked up and caught a glimpse of a dark, shadowy figure not far away.

Cen Wu was startled, almost ready to turn and run.

However, as the light blurred by the snow and wind shone down, he realized it was Xie Guiluan. He was momentarily stunned. Xie Guiluan was covered in snow, having waited for who knows how long.

Xie Guiluan's face was ghostly pale, his eyes bloodshot. He looked up at Cen Wu, and tears started streaming down.