Shen Ruozhen moved his steps and faced Mrs. Chu. He noticed a bag with a Red Cross logo on the bed and asked, "What is that?"
Mrs. Chu had been to the hospital. She did not intend to hide it and said, "I was in New Zealand when you were injured and hospitalized. I have not seen the physical examination report. I asked the doctor to make some new ones."
Shen Ruozhen understood that these test results were evidence. He said, "Lawyer Lei told you everything."
Mrs. Chu showed an expression that was almost confused. If time could go back to the day of the banquet, she was not sure whether she wanted Lawyer Lei to tell her or would rather be kept in the dark.
The strange name was like a spell. Mrs. Chu repeated it in her mind thousands of times, even the horizontal, vertical, left, and right strokes were repeated until she knew them by heart. But when she said it out loud, it was clumsy: "Lawyer Lei said the last name is Shen."
Shen Ruozhen replied word by word: "Yes, Shen Ruozhen."
Mrs. Chu stared at him in shock and said incoherently, "I think Lawyer Lei made a mistake. I don't believe it. How could you have another name? Even if your last name is not Chu, you should have the same last name as me, Yang. What's the point? You are my son. Are you... my son?"
In modern society, such things are absurd but not difficult to verify. In such a big villa, you can find a strand of Shen Ruozhen's hair and a used tableware and do a paternity test.
Mrs. Chu went to the hospital for several days in a row, but regretted it every time. She did not do an appraisal, but turned to the attending physician to ask questions and printed out a bunch of irrelevant examination reports.
Shen Ruozhen asked: "Why didn't you do it?"
Mrs. Chu said vaguely: "Why should I take a DNA test with the child who has always regarded me as his mother?"
Shen Ruozhen asked: "Then why are you asking me again?"
Mrs. Chu was trying to cover up her mistake. As long as the child said he was "Chu Shichen", she would believe him. But when the other party said "Shen Ruozhen" just now, she knew that her hope was dashed.
Having spent more than four hundred days together as mother and son, from being unfamiliar to being intimate, Shen Ruozhen didn't know what expression or tone to use to confess her feelings.
He might have looked funny, or even hateful, and it was a relief that the lie was over, but he felt as if a heavy stone was weighing on his body.
Finally, Shen Ruozhen said: "I am not your son, I am not Chu Shichen."
Mrs. Chu raised her hands to cover her mouth and nose, tears streaming down her face: "Where is Xiaochen?"
Shen Ruozhen said with difficulty: "The yacht exploded in early spring last year, and Chu Shichen was already dead."
Mrs. Chu suddenly loosened her other hand, and the photo frame rolled down and fell to the floor. The thin glass cracked, distorting the mischievous smile of "Chu Shichen" in the photo.
Shen Ruozhen confessed: "Chu Shichen got drunk at the party and was unable to escape after the fire broke out, so he was killed by Alan. The mastermind behind the whole thing was Xiang Xingzhao."
Mrs. Chu burst into tears: "No..."
Shen Ruozhen walked closer and half-knelt in front of Mrs. Chu. He dropped his bag, picked up the photo frame, and reached out to try to smooth out the crack. He felt pain at his fingertips and blood suddenly spread into the crack in the glass.
Mrs. Chu subconsciously grabbed his hand and murmured, "It's cut, does it hurt?"
This little bit of physical pain is not even a fraction of the pain a mother feels when she loses her son. Shen Ruozhen said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."
Mrs. Chu recalled that in the hospital ward last year, Shen Ruozhen woke up and said more than once that he was not Chu Shichen and that he did not know her. It turned out that he was not talking nonsense, but was telling the truth.
There was a noise downstairs. Aunt Tang and Sister Xiu took half a day off and went out. Chu Shihui came back from school, her footsteps getting closer, and she appeared at the door following the light.
Shen Ruozhen stood up, his fingers still bleeding, and he clenched them in his palms.
"Mom, why are you crying?" Chu Shihui looked around in surprise, "Brother, what happened?"
Shen Ruozhen slid his Adam's apple: "I'm not your brother."
Chu Shihui was stunned: "What are you talking about? Did you have a fight?"
Mrs. Chu's face was wet: "Who are you, and where are you from?"
Shen Ruozhen said: "I don't know how everything happened. The ship I was on sank, I fell into the sea and lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was in the Chu family's ward."
"It's also a ship, and it's also on the sea." Mrs. Chu was a little dazed. "What month and date, which company and which ship, where are you going?"
Shen Ruozhen just felt powerless: "I don't know."
Mrs. Chu asked, "How many passengers died with you? Are there any still alive?"
Shen Ruozhen still said: "I don't know."
"Where is your home?" Mrs. Chu asked, "Where are your parents?"
Shen Ruozhen felt like there was something stuck in his throat: "I have no home anymore, my parents are no longer alive."
Mrs. Chu couldn't get any information, and she said anxiously: "How can I trust you...Are you still lying?"
Shen Ruozhen came to this time and space, and this day was destined to come. His life origin and past events were all obliterated in the changing times, and there was no way to explain it.
His answer was pale and sad: "... I don't."
Mrs. Chu cried, "So you have been pretending to be Xiaochen all this time."
Shen Ruozhen admitted: "I am a despicable thief."
Chu Shihui could no longer hold back her doubts and asked anxiously, "What are you talking about? What do you mean by pretending? Brother, how can you be a thief?!"
Shen Ruozhen said: "In fact, even if I hadn't been exposed today, I would have confessed."
The truth was revealed because of the kidnapper's confession. This incident reminded Shen Ruozhen that Uncle Qi would be sentenced heavily only if he could uncover the yacht accident and determine the truth behind "Chu Shichen's" death.
Alan, Uncle Qi, Xiang Xingzhao, no one can be left behind, Shen Ruozhen must seek justice for Chu Shichen.
And the prerequisite is that he must admit that this "Chu Shichen" is fake.
Shen Ruozhen opened the bag and took out a piece of white paper. He would first give it to Mrs. Chu and then go to the police to testify.
Mrs. Chu took it and saw traces of ink on the back of the paper. When she unfolded it, she found a self-introduction written in vigorous handwriting.
In order to find a place to stay and survive, he stole Chu Shichen's name and impersonated Chu Shichen's identity for his own selfish reasons.
I have lived in the Chu family for one year and three months. I am grateful for the shelter and care of the family. Even though I know my job is humble, I have held a high position and enjoyed the warmth of my loved ones.
I once thought that the highest good is like water, but today it is actually as obvious as day.
They lived together day and night, and Ruo Zhen had no ill intentions at all. He regarded Mrs. Chu as his mother and Miss Chu as his sister. However, he could not make excuses for the lies and did not dare to ask for forgiveness.
I have confessed today and am willing to accept all punishment measures to make amends for my crimes and comfort the Chu family's relatives in their grief.
Signed in deep red, with seal from Shen Ruozhen.
Mrs. Chu lay on the bed and cried, crying for her dead child and the mother-son relationship she had experienced over the past year. Things that seem too good to be true will eventually be exposed.
Shen Ruozhen tried his best to keep his voice steady and said, "The apology is minor. I have nothing else to say."
Chu Shihui stood aside in astonishment, blinking and then crying: "Brother..."
Shen Ruozhen said: "I will leave as soon as possible, and leave it to you to deal with later."
He took a step back, turned and walked out of the room. The crying continued behind him. He turned into his bedroom, closed the door, leaned against the door and stared at the darkness in the room.
Shen Ruozhen took out his cell phone, pressed the shortcut key to dial the number, and the call was quickly connected.
Xiang Mingzhang called him: "Ruozhen?"
Shen Ruozhen's face was calm, but he was devastated inside: "I..."
Xiang Mingzhang immediately figured out what was going on and asked, "Are you at home?"
With his teeth clenched tightly, Shen Ruozhen could only let out a sigh.
Xiang Mingzhang didn't ask any more questions and said, "Wait for me, I'll pick you up right away."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Ruozhen turned on the light. He didn't have the face to stay in this house any longer, for fear that he would bring greater stimulation to Mrs. Chu and Chu Shihui.
But he was worried, so he held the phone in both hands to send a message to Aunt Tang. The sticky blood from his fingertips smeared the screen. He made many typos and broke out in a sweat after sending a few messages.
Shen Ruozhen went to pack his luggage. He put away "Chu Shichen"'s documents one by one. He didn't have many things. Almost all of his clothes, shoes and socks were bought for him by Mrs. Chu, and the small incense burner was bought for him by Aunt Tang.
In fact, the only thing he had was the pipa given to him by Xiang Mingzhang.
Half an hour later, the sound of engines downstairs came closer and closer.
Shen Ruozhen came out of the bedroom carrying the violin case. There was still crying sound coming from the other bedroom. He couldn't bear to listen and walked down the stairs quickly.
Chu Shihui hurriedly chased after him and grabbed Shen Ruozhen's arm from behind, as if to emphasize: "Chu Shichen, where are you going?!"
Shen Ruozhen said: "Xiao Hui, take good care of your mother."
Chu Shihui yelled, "Can you please stop joking? Go tell her that you are Chu Shichen!"
At the gate, Xiang Mingzhang was extremely anxious. Aunt Tang and Sister Xiu just came back. As soon as the door opened, he rushed into the villa and saw the brother and sister in a stalemate on the stairs.
Mrs. Chu walked out of the room holding the autobiography, her face full of tears.
Xiang Mingzhang understood everything. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up: "Aunt, blame me."
Mrs. Chu said: "You knew Xiaochen was dead a long time ago."
"Yes." Xiang Mingzhang said, "I was the target of the yacht explosion last year, and Chu Shichen was implicated."
Mrs. Chu's heart was broken. She finally understood what Xiang Mingzhang meant by "compensation": "It turns out that what you compensated was Xiaochen's life."
Xiang Mingzhang said guiltily: "I'm sorry, aunt, I know nothing I do can make up for the pain of losing my son. You can blame me however you want, but Chu Shichen's death has nothing to do with him."
Mrs. Chu said, "You also knew long ago that he was not Xiaochen?"
"I know that if he is guilty, I am an accomplice." Xiang Mingzhang said, "He was wrong to deceive you, but he helped the Chu family solve their problems and did everything a son and brother could do. Yisi is where he is today because of his dedication and efforts. You know better than an outsider like me."
Mrs. Chu choked up and said, "But he is not Xiaochen..."
Xiang Mingzhang felt sad: "He is just an orphan now, with no background and no family. He was rescued by accident on the night of the accident and saved his life. In order to survive, he pretended to be Chu Shichen, but everything he planned for more than a year was not for himself."
Mrs. Chu fell down on the stairs, covering her face and crying. Chu Shihui let go of her hand, ran up and fell beside Mrs. Chu.
Shen Ruozhen had expected that the longer he stayed in the Chu family, the more embarrassing it would be when he left. The sadder they were, the more ashamed he would feel.
He forced himself not to look back, and walked down the last two steps with his eyes downcast. Sister Xiu had already been stunned, and Aunt Tang rushed up to stop him: "What's going on?!"
Shen Ruozhen said: "Please take good care of them."
Xiang Mingzhang took the piano case, embraced Shen Ruozhen and left the Chu family.
As he stepped out of the door, Shen Ruozhen swayed in the wind. Unable to make it to the car, he turned around and fell into Xiang Mingzhang's arms.
Xiang Mingzhang was so distressed: "If you are sad, just cry, don't hold it in."
The plants in the courtyard, the walls, doors and windows, and the people in the house.
How should we define this past year or so
Shen Ruozhen's eyelashes were wet, half of them were stained on Xiang Mingzhang's collar, and the other half were frozen in his eye sockets.
He turned around and said goodbye, "I have no home again."
(End of this chapter)