Chapter 70 – The Rebellious Adopted Son (End)

The old hen that Old Wang’s mother brought from the countryside was already releasing a rich aroma as it simmered in the clay pot.

Xie Hui’s cooking skills were top-notch. Besides stewing the chicken soup, he casually stir-fried two seasonal vegetables and arranged them neatly on plates at the table.

Just then, Xie Ting came out of his room. After washing his hands, he took the initiative to serve the rice.

Such a simple meal carried the warmth of home. Xie Ting only put down his chopsticks after finishing two full bowls.

“Dad, I’ll do the dishes.”

After eating, Xie Ting leaned back on the sofa, and when he heard the sound of dishes being cleaned, he quickly got up, ran over, and snatched them out of his father’s hands.

He hummed while washing the dishes. From the window, he could see a cicada resting silently on the big tree outside.

The afternoon sun lit the treetops in a calm, peaceful way.

“You go take a nap. I’ll head out and order the flowers first. Tomorrow… I’ll take you to visit your dad and grandpa.”

Looking back, the original client’s decision wasn’t wrong. Kids say things when they gather, and even a casual joke could’ve hurt Xie Ting deeply.

Rather than letting others say Xie Ting was a parentless orphan, it was better to let them believe he was the client’s biological child.

Even without a mother, his father loved him dearly.

Back then, in order to keep it secret, the client always took time off alone to visit his grave on the anniversary of his death.

After Xie Ting learned he wasn’t Xie Hui’s biological son, Xie Hui started bringing him along every year to visit his father’s grave.

Now that summer had come, Xie Ting had indeed developed the habit of napping at noon. But the moment he heard his dad mention ordering flowers, he immediately got up to change shoes.

“Dad, I’ll go with you.”

“Sure.”

Xie Ting’s grandfather and father were buried in the same cemetery, so it was convenient to visit them together.

They carried the flowers to the gravestone and carefully wiped off the dust.

That photo attached to the urn years ago, which they had laughed about together, was the same as the one on the gravestone now.

The man in the formal uniform saluting the camera had still been quite young when he died. Though the photo had faded over the years, the determination in his eyes was still clear as ever.

Walking through this cemetery, there wasn’t a trace of eeriness—only a sense of peace.

This time, they ran into a few of Xie Ting’s father’s old comrades, all carrying flowers too.

Ever since Xie Ting got his first crew cut, he had stuck with it. His appearance now closely resembled the man in the photo—clearly father and son.

After laying down the flowers, the men chatted with Xie Hui for a long while. Standing nearby, Xie Ting instinctively straightened his posture the moment he heard his name mentioned.

“If Brother Xie could see how outstanding his son has turned out, he’d be at peace.”

One of them sighed as they were about to part.

“Yeah, this kid’s grades are excellent now. He’s definitely going places.”

Like any proud parent, Xie Hui was more than happy to hear others praising his child and smiled as he bid them farewell.

In the taxi on the way home, Xie Ting remembered how his father had praised him in front of those men and asked with a smile:

“Dad, do you really think I’ll be successful in the future?”

Seeing his son seeking reassurance was rare, so Xie Hui met his gaze seriously and nodded.

“Yes. People who work hard don’t have bad luck.”

“I’ll work even harder.”

Having just left the cemetery, Xie Ting felt a wave of pressure watching the trees blur past the window.

He wanted to fulfill the dreams his father hadn’t lived to complete. And the more mature he became, the more he understood just how far away that goal was.

It was hard—not just regular hard, but the kind that made ordinary people want to give up just thinking about it.

After getting out of the cab, Xie Hui decided to buy ingredients for dinner. As they walked along the sidewalk with groceries in hand, he noticed Xie Ting seemed a bit out of it and said:

“Do you know what ‘leaving it to fate’ means?”

“Huh? Like, doing nothing and letting the heavens decide?”

Xie Ting wasn’t sure why his dad was asking, but he still gave it some thought and answered.

“It means doing everything you can, putting in your full effort, and then leaving the rest to fate.”

From Xie Hui’s perspective, as long as his son performed steadily, getting into that university wasn’t a problem.

Not to mention, Xie Ting also had the status of being the child of a martyr, which would give him bonus points during college entrance exams. His father had died early, and his medals formed a whole row.

“What if I don’t make it? Dad, I’ve seen a lot of really talented people who didn’t get in.”

Now that he had said it, Xie Ting just let all the bottled-up emotion pour out.

Except for that rebellious period when he clashed with his dad, he had always turned to him when facing problems.

“Then retake the exam next year. As long as you’re not afraid of the hard work.”

“You’re right. If I fail, I’ll just retake it.”

The university wasn’t going anywhere. If not this year, then next year.

By dinner, the boy had returned to his usual cheerful self and even insisted on doing the dishes.

Time flew by, and the year of Xie Ting’s college entrance exam arrived. Although he talked big about not being nervous, Xie Hui couldn’t sleep at all the night before the results were released.

Tossing and turning, he eventually gave up and started chatting with the client in the system space.

“Don’t you think it was that kid’s fault? I mean, you didn’t do anything wrong. Everything in that original timeline… was caused by him.”

Xie Hui wasn’t saying that Xie Ting didn’t deserve saving—he was just curious about how the client had managed to let go of everything so completely.

In the original memories, the boy smashed things, cursed him as the one who caused his father’s death, and even said if it weren’t for him, his life wouldn’t have ended up this way.

These words were like blades, stabbing straight into the softest part of the client’s heart, making it bleed profusely.

Unlike the talkative emperor from the last world, this client barely spoke unless Xie Hui initiated conversation. He simply stared silently at the electronic screen.

“He’s a child. In my heart, he’ll always be a child. When a child makes a mistake, can a father really just cast him aside…”

“It was my lack of foresight. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I’m too rigid by nature and didn’t know how to communicate with him.”

“Xie Ting… maybe he did make mistakes too. But I’m his father. He calls me ‘Dad’.”

Just the single word ‘Dad’ carried countless emotions behind it.

After hearing the client’s answer, Xie Hui nodded and asked no more.

Having experienced several worlds, he had become especially sensitive to things like this. Wasn’t it because of that one word, that one form of address, that he willingly gave away all the rewards he earned?

No matter how many missions Xie Hui had executed flawlessly, no matter how rich his point balance was, it didn’t change the fact that at his core, he was a stingy person.

When the system said it needed two points to erase evidence, Xie Hui even cursed at it, saying it might as well go rob someone.

Unable to sleep due to nerves, Xie Hui simply walked to the edge of the bed and stared out the window at the moon.

The night was quiet. Xie Hui stood there for a long time, carefully reflecting on every detail since arriving in this world.

It wasn’t until the alarm he had set earlier went off at midnight that he suddenly turned and headed toward the living room.

Just as he opened his door, he saw the door to the next room open as well—Xie Ting had also come out.

Here, the exam results were released right after midnight. Xie Ting sat down in front of the computer in the study and opened the official website for checking scores.

The site lagged for a long while and wouldn’t load—after all, there were plenty of others trying to check their scores at the same time. Xie Ting grew so anxious that sweat formed on his forehead.

He had come to the computer before midnight, but even by half-past twelve, he still hadn’t gotten in. It was only after a long wait, when the site finally stopped lagging, that the results loaded—and Xie Ting nearly jumped up in excitement.

Struggling to suppress the joy bubbling in his chest, Xie Ting turned to calmly urge his father to go back to his room and rest.

Once his father closed the door, Xie Ting returned to his room, leaped onto the bed, buried his face into the soft pillow, and grinned like a fool from the village.

He had thought he would care a lot about whether he could get into that school or not, but now that the results were out, all his self-doubt had vanished, leaving only excitement.

These results were the best reward for his hard work over the past three years.

…

Even after being urged to rest by his son, Xie Hui couldn’t sleep. He walked to the bedside again and resumed staring at the moon.

In the quiet of the night, this was the fastest way he knew to calm himself down.

But tonight, his emotions were still in a heightened state. When standing became tiring, he pulled over a stool and continued to sit and think.

He wanted to calm down, but couldn’t. So he just sat there—and ended up witnessing the sunrise in the city.

Downstairs, the breakfast shop started bustling around 3:30 a.m. It was a small couple-run place, and the couple would occasionally bicker while working.

By around five, sanitation workers began appearing one after another, and people started buying buns from the breakfast shop.

When the steamer lid was lifted, the steam spread out, and the smell of buns filled the air. After sitting there the entire night, Xie Hui suddenly felt a bit hungry and decided to go downstairs and buy breakfast.

Just as he opened the door to leave, the front door of the apartment was pushed open from outside, and in walked Xie Ting carrying breakfast.

After closing the door and changing shoes, Xie Ting turned around and unexpectedly locked eyes with his father standing at the bedroom door. He froze for a moment before grinning.

“Dad, you’re up this early?”

“Yeah.”

Xie Hui went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Afterward, he sat at the dining table. The buns were still warm, and even through the plastic bag, they were a bit hot to the touch.

After the results came out, Xie Ting filled in the application for the school he had dreamed of attending since middle school. Less than a month later, the admission letter arrived.

Only when that letter was in his hands did the cloud he’d been floating on finally turn into solid ground.

He was already a grown young man, but when he opened that delivery package and saw the admission letter, he was so emotional he nearly cried.

“Go buy some alcohol. I’ll go buy groceries. Tonight, I’ll call over your uncles. We’ll celebrate properly!”

This school wasn’t just Xie Ting’s father’s dream—it was something their whole group had considered a regret. After retiring, seeing the child get into the school they once aimed for… Even though dinner was supposed to be in the evening, they all started showing up at Xie Ting’s place by mid-afternoon.

“Aiya, this kid really is Xie-ge’s son. What a promising boy! Unlike my own.”

Xie Ting’s admission letter was passed from one uncle to another. Finally, the oldest one walked up and playfully punched his shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

“Good kid! Hahaha, young people really are something else.”

They exchanged glances and burst out laughing—genuine laughter, full of joy and pride for him.

That evening, the eight of them gathered to eat, drink, and reminisce about the old days. The gathering went late into the night, and every last one of them ended up drinking until they passed out.

Xie Ting, the only one who had just come of age and hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, picked up his father’s phone and called each uncle’s wife.

He thought those aunts might be annoyed to find their husbands drunk, but each of them was quite pleasant.

When they came to pick them up, they did scold their husbands a bit for drinking too much—but not a trace of anger was directed at Xie Ting. Every single aunt had prepared a red envelope for him, handing them to Xie Hui to congratulate him on getting into a good university.

It was such a joyous occasion—it had to be properly celebrated. Afterward, Xie Hui took Xie Ting to the cemetery, bringing the admission letter along so his father and grandfather could see it too.

After visiting the cemetery, they returned to their hometown so that Xie Ting’s mother and grandmother could also know that this child had made something of himself.

When Xie Ting was being sent off to university, Xie Hui handed him a bankbook containing the pension and miscellaneous savings from his own father over the years.

“Dad?”

Xie Ting was stunned when he saw the number on the account. Even though he heard his dad say this money was left by his biological father, it still felt unbelievable.

“Dad, I can’t take this money. I’ve already spent quite a bit growing up, how is it right for you to give me this too?”

Xie Hui stuffed the bankbook into his bag. Seeing the boy still wanting to refuse, he pressed down on his hand.

“You call me dad, so it’s only right that I take care of you.”

“Come on now, don’t be late.”

After getting on the bus, Xie Ting sat by the window. Through the glass, he saw his father waiting outside and gave him a salute as proper as he could manage.

Standing by the bus window, Xie Hui saw the gesture and returned the salute with a standard stance.

Only when the bus started moving and disappeared from view did Xie Hui turn around and leave.

That evening, when he got home and found himself alone in the now-empty house, he unexpectedly felt a little lonely.

Later on, Xie Ting followed in his father’s footsteps—he even did better than his father had in his time.

As time passed, their communication became less frequent. Due to the nature of Xie Ting’s job, Xie Hui never blamed him.

Xie Hui eventually retired. With a decent monthly pension and not much to do at home, he heard Old Wang from next door mention a temple in another city that was said to be very spiritual.

So, he and Old Wang, who had also retired, went to that city together. With his aging bones, he struggled up the temple steps and got a safety talisman for Xie Ting.

Whether it was useful or not, he mailed it to Xie Ting as a way to ease his own heart—a blessing in its purest form.

When Xie Ting returned from his first mission, he called his father—and cried on the phone.

He said he wouldn’t take a single step back, but he was truly afraid of dying, afraid of never seeing his father again, afraid no one would be there to take care of his dad in old age.

“Do you regret it?”

Xie Hui was sitting in the courtyard, steeping tea and sunbathing when he asked, catching a moment between his son’s sobs and nose-wiping.

“No, Dad. I just worry that if something happens to me, no one will be there to look after you.”

“Actually, Dad, I stopped resenting you a long time ago. Now that I stand here myself, I understand you even more. If I were in my dad’s shoes back then, I’d have made the same decision.”

Xie Ting’s voice still carried a touch of youth, not fully mature. In Xie Hui’s eyes, he was still just a child.

“Dad, if—just if—if I really end up like my dad, I’d want to be with my dad and grandpa, all in the same place.”

When Xie Hui heard his son say that, it felt like a wad of cotton was stuffed tightly in his throat.

After a while with no response from his dad, Xie Ting called out again, this time with a teary voice: “Dad…”

Xie Hui turned away from the phone and coughed once, trying to keep his tone calm as he responded.

“Alright.”

…

Fortunately, nothing happened to the child. He even met someone he loved, got married, and had a child.

It was just a pity that when his son turned one, Xie Ting couldn’t attend the birthday banquet due to work.

Xie Ting’s wife had a gentle temperament and fully understood her husband’s career. She and her father-in-law prepared the banquet together.

They invited relatives and friends over, and after the meal came the traditional “Zhua Zhou” ceremony.

On a red cloth, many items were placed. The most eye-catching was a medal—that was the first medal Xie Ting had ever received.

Back when he got married, Xie Hui used all the savings he’d accumulated over the years to buy them a house. All of Xie Ting’s medals had been carefully stored in a drawer.

When Xie Ting brought home his first medal, Xie Hui solemnly made room in that drawer, pushing the older medals forward to leave space just for his son.

That was the medal placed among the items for the Zhua Zhou. Xie Ting had specifically called to request it.

On his first birthday, this little guy was much sturdier than Xie Ting had been at the same age. The clothes were so thick he still stumbled a bit when walking.

When placed on the ground, he crawled toward the red cloth and grabbed the medal with his chubby hand.

Clutching it tightly in his palm, he grinned wide, showing off his baby teeth, then used the floor for balance and wobbled his way over to his grandpa.

As Xie Hui scooped him up into his arms, the little one mumbled with his soft, milky voice:

“Like Dada…”

“Big… hewooo…”

(Arc End)