Xiang Mingzhang brought Shen Ruozhen back to Bomanjia Apartment. A watch and a computer bag were thrown on the cabinet in the entrance hall. When Xiang Mingzhang received the call, he had just entered the door. As soon as he hung up, he grabbed the car keys and left.
Shen Ruozhen was in a daze. Xiang Mingzhang brought him a pair of slippers. He put them on and stood still after that.
Noticing that his finger was scratched on the way, Xiang Mingzhang ordered: "Go sit on the sofa and wait, take off your coat."
Shen Ruozhen did as he was told, walked to the living room and took off his suit jacket, revealing the white cuffs of his shirt, which made his hands look dirty with the coagulated black blood. He was always neat and clean, and rarely looked so slovenly, looking a mess both physically and mentally.
Xiang Mingzhang wrung out a hot towel and took the medicine box. He wiped Shen Ruozhen's hands clean, then used a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect the wound.
The whole hand was cold, and the glass had cut a long line on Shen Ruozhen's fingertips, but fortunately it wasn't deep. Xiang Mingzhang asked, "Does it hurt?"
Shen Ruozhen thought of Mrs. Chu. Her first reaction at that time was to care about him. He replied, "It doesn't hurt."
Xiang Mingzhang wrapped the wound with gauze, went to the restaurant to make a cup of honey water and brought it to Shen Ruozhen to warm his hands. He said, "This is honey from the Chu family's farm in New Zealand."
Shen Ruozhen took a sip and said, "I can't give it to you anymore."
Xiang Mingzhang knew that what he regretted was definitely not a few jars of honey. No matter what, he had come to this point in the end. He asked, "Did Mrs. Chu tell you directly today?"
"That's about right." Shen Ruozhen said, "Even if she doesn't ask me, I'm ready to confess."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "What was the reaction of Mrs. Chu and Miss Chu? Did they scold you?"
Shen Ruozhen shook his head. Instead of scolding them, he had deceived the Chu family for more than a year. When their lies were exposed, the mother and daughter didn't say a single harsh word, as if they were only left with sadness.
He said guiltily: "I would rather they scold me."
Xiang Mingzhang consoled her, "Your identity is fake, but your feelings and intentions are not. People are not plants. After more than a year of getting along, Mrs. Chu and Miss Chu will make their own judgments."
Shen Ruozhen didn't dare to ask for forgiveness. All he could do now was wait for Mrs. Chu and Miss Chu to calm down and announce their punishment.
No matter what the result is, he is willing to fulfill it.
After that, the Chu family couldn't go back, and Yisi probably didn't need to go either. Shen Ruozhen said to himself, "What should I do in the future?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "You are not the kind of person who would give up on yourself."
Shen Ruozhen said: "I just... feel empty inside."
Xiang Mingzhang looked at him: "Yisi doesn't need you, Xiang Yue will always have a place for you. Your aunt doesn't recognize you, but my mother is willing to treat you as her own. You left the Chu family, and there is a place for you in this big world. I will give you a home."
Shen Ruozhen's eyes turned red, and his heart, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed and recovered. He put down the cup, curled up slightly and lay down, resting his head on Xiang Mingzhang's legs.
As if that wasn’t enough, he turned over and buried his face in Xiang Mingzhang’s abdomen.
"What are you doing, Master Shen?" Xiang Mingzhang rubbed Shen Ruozhen's hair, "Are you acting like a spoiled child with me?"
Shen Ruozhen still didn't know how to act like a spoiled child. He was silent, and suddenly he let out a low "ah".
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "What is 'ah'?"
Shen Ruozhen was so confused at the time that he just remembered: "I only took the pipa you gave me, and forgot to take the balance bike you gave me."
"Luckily I forgot." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Otherwise I wouldn't have to pick it up, and you could just ride it away by yourself."
Shen Ruozhen felt sad but wanted to laugh. He pressed his forehead against Xiang Mingzhang's belly and said, "Your origin is unknown and it arouses suspicion. You'd be crazy if you did that."
Xiang Mingzhang pulled a coat from the side and put it on Shen Ruozhen. A thick satin bag fell out of his pocket, containing the retrieved seal.
He took it out and weighed it. The seal was carved delicately by the seal master. The bottom of the seal was stained with half-dried red clay. He asked, "Has it been printed?"
Shen Ruozhen said "hmm". His real name was printed on the self-introduction book that proved his identity, which was considered to have played a role.
Xiang Mingzhang lowered his hand, covering his forehead and ears. Shen Ruozhen hid under his warm palm and slowly closed his eyes.
After the emotional fluctuations, Shen Ruozhen slept very deeply and did not notice when Xiang Mingzhang carried him into the bedroom.
When he woke up, it was already dawn. His tie and belt were thrown on the couch at the foot of the bed. Shen Ruozhen had slept in his clothes all night, and his shirt and trousers had marks on them. He got out of bed and followed the sound of water to the bathroom.
Xiang Mingzhang had just gotten up, too. He stood in front of the mirror, holding a toothbrush in his mouth, and asked, "Do you feel okay?"
Shen Ruozhen leaned against the door frame: "Don't worry about me, are you going to work at Xiang Yue?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I can stay at home with you."
"I'm not a child." Shen Ruozhen has seen too many ups and downs, and will not be easily depressed. "I won't go to Yisi for the time being. I'll just take a vacation."
Xiang Mingzhang didn't care too much. Shen Ruozhen was a gentleman and had lived a fair and upright life. Although he had no choice, stealing the identity of "Chu Shichen" was the only thing that was not straightforward.
Now that the truth has been revealed, Shen Ruozhen's shame is no less than his sadness. Rather than having someone accompany him all the time, it would actually be more comfortable for him to resolve it alone.
After packing up his things, Xiang Mingzhang went out to work on time.
Shen Ruozhen took a shower, changed his clothes, and made the bed. Not long after, the driver came over and picked up Ling Tuaner from Manzhuang as instructed.
Xiang Mingzhang was thoughtful and thought that having a cat as a companion could help Shen Ruozhen relieve his boredom and reduce some of his random thoughts.
It was just that Ling Tuan'er came to the apartment for the first time, and she was eager to learn new things, so she climbed all over the house. Shen Ruozhen couldn't catch up with her or catch her, so the young master acted as her follower, following behind her for fear that she would break the vases and ornaments.
Fortunately, Lingtuaner had not been a wild cat for a long time and had been spoiled in Manzhuang. He was tired after a stroll and collapsed on the floor like a pure white fur mat.
After taking a breath, he contacted Zhou Kesen. His words were cautious during the call. He did not mention what happened in the Chu family. He only said that he was not feeling well and asked the other party to take care of the company.
After arranging the internal matters, Shen Ruozhen personally sent an email to the client. Although he was resting at home, he was not idle all morning.
After finishing the afternoon work, Ling Tuaner fell asleep in his arms. Shen Ruozhen picked up a book, but couldn't read many words, so he didn't make it difficult for himself. He put it aside and picked up his mobile phone.
The WeChat notification sounded. Chu Shihui didn’t know how long she hesitated, and finally sent a lonely name: Brother.
In a flash, the system prompted that the other party had withdrawn the message.
Shen Ruozhen pretended not to see it. He slid the screen upwards and browsed the chat history with Chu Shihui in reverse order.
Chu Shihui likes to send emoticons. Shen Ruozhen has silently saved more than a dozen of them. He has never used them because he is afraid of sending them to the wrong person and making a fool of himself.
When he first read the messages, he had just learned how to type and was very slow in replying. Chu Shihui was impatient and didn't even call him "brother". He was as aloof as a corporate CEO.
After Shen Ruozhen finished reading, he returned to the chat list and found Mrs. Chu. The note was "Mom". Most of the records were voice messages.
He hesitated and poked the most recent one. Mrs. Chu's gentle voice rang out in the room: "Xiaochen, you left early. Did you wear a coat when you left? It's going to rain today."
The content of Mrs. Chu's voice messages were all similar. She told him to put on more clothes and eat more, told him not to sit for too long and to rest, reminded him to drink less when he had social events, and asked him to take pictures when he was on a business trip.
When Mrs. Chu sees nice clothes while shopping, she will pick them out for him. Before he even wears them, she will send him a voice message saying that he will look very handsome in them.
Mrs. Chu was very proud of herself when she saw her children comparing themselves with others in the social circle. She said that things had changed and she could finally show off her son's ability.
Whether concerned, happy or complaining, every sentence Mrs. Chu spoke began with "Xiaochen" without exception.
Shen Ruozhen turned off his cell phone and hid under the sofa cushion. His breathing became heavy, disturbing Ling Tuaner's sweet dream. She opened her clear green cat eyes and looked at him.
The man and the cat stared at each other for a long time, and the cat jumped out of his arms and flew away. Shen Ruozhen raised his head casually. He didn't even hear the door open. Xiang Mingzhang was standing outside the study.
Shen Ruozhen stood up to greet him: "It's time to get off work."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "It's the first time someone is waiting for me at home. I'm not used to it."
Shen Ruozhen picked up the heavy bag, obviously he was taking some information home. He asked, "Boss Xiang, please give me some work to do."
Xiang Mingzhang turned around to change his clothes and said, "I'll give them all to you."
"You're really rude." Shen Ruozhen followed Xiang Mingzhang into the cloakroom and took out the documents from his bag. "Give them all to me. What are you doing—"
The first document was about the household registration system. Shen Ruozhen swallowed the last word and flipped through it quickly. It had clear rules and procedures, and it was a comprehensive list of proof that a "person" should have in society.
Xiang Mingzhang took off his tie, grabbed both ends of Shen Ruozhen's necktie, tied it behind his waist and pulled him closer, saying, "Let's see, we need to register President Shen."
Shen Ruozhen asked hopefully, "How to do it?"
Xiang Mingzhang has already read it once, and will consult in detail later. He said: "There are many situations for people without household registration, such as no parents, no birth certificate from an institution. If there is an adoptive parent, the person can be registered with the adoptive parent."
Shen Ruozhen seemed to understand, but he had just left the Chu family, so he looked a bit like a lonely wild goose waiting for a place to stay: "Then is there anyone willing to adopt me?"
As a young master who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and a bank president who had been tempered in turmoil for several years, Shen Ruozhen rarely looked so anxious.
Xiang Mingzhang looked at him and said, "My mother is willing. In fact, I would like to contact Old Lady Yao. If she agrees, maybe you can settle down in Ningbo."
Shen Ruozhen said: "I... can do anything."
Xiang Mingzhang teased him: "If my mother adopted you, you should call me brother instead."
Shen Ruozhen raised his eyebrows: "You are not a serious elder brother, I don't want you."
Wrapping the tie around his wrist a little more, Xiang Mingzhang directly put his arm around Shen Ruozhen's waist: "If I'm not serious, I'll let you be an illegal resident and lock you up at home every day until I get off work."
Shen Ruozhen exposed him: "You prefer me to go home with you after get off work."
Shen Ruozhen stayed in the apartment for two days and did not go out. His mood had calmed down and he did not feel too tormented. However, he would occasionally be stunned for a moment when he thought of the time he spent at the Chu family.
After all, he was just an ordinary man. He missed one thing that day. He did not tell the Chu family to build a tomb for Chu Shichen in Yuansi Cemetery. Although it was an inscriptionless tombstone and a hollow grave, he should have informed the Chu family.
After delaying for one night, on the morning of the third day, Shen Ruozhen decided to call Mrs. Chu.
Before he pressed the dial button, his cell phone rang and the caller ID showed the Chu family's landline number.
Was it Auntie Tang or Sister Xiu, who had forgotten to take something? Or was it Chu Shihui, who had recovered from the shock and called to call him a liar
Shen Ruozhen speculated for a while, but didn't dare to imagine that it was Mrs. Chu. He pressed the answer button and said softly, "Hello?"
It was Mrs. Chu who called and said, "It's me."
Shen Ruozhen held his breath, secretly judging Mrs. Chu's tone and trying to figure out her mood. He was so confused that he couldn't ask a single question. He even didn't know how to address her.
He could only wait. Mrs. Chu asked, "Is it convenient for me to meet you?"
Perhaps the verdict had been made, Shen Ruozhen thought of a place and replied, "Okay, can I choose the address?"
(End of this chapter)