Chapter 68 – The Rebellious Adopted Son (3)

Xie Hui reached out to pull him up, then gave his shoulder a light punch. He smiled at him before responding.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

Inside the system space, the client who had been watching heard that one word — “Dad” — and this grown man’s eyes turned red with emotion.

“Let’s go already. If we stay any longer, I’m worried that old guy will come chase us away with a stick.”

Xie Ting casually wiped his tears with the back of his hand, then stood up and trudged toward the path downhill.

Climbing up had just been exhausting, but going downhill meant staying fully alert — one wrong step, and he might tumble headfirst into injury.

Seeing how his legs trembled with every step, Xie Hui walked over and asked,

“How about I carry you down?”

That sentence instantly pulled Xie Ting back to his childhood. This man had always treated him like a precious treasure. Other kids went to and from school on their own, but he was always picked up. The moment he said he was tired, he’d be carried on his dad’s back.

When he looked unhappy, this man would even lift him up high to cheer him up. That childish game and the memory of the man’s firm muscles lifting him had stayed deeply imprinted in Xie Ting’s mind.

It was a sense of strength — the kind that came from a father.

“Dad, I’m not five or six anymore. You can’t just carry me around like that.”

“I can walk down on my own. Grandpa could do it back then — I definitely can too.”

Climbing snow mountains and crossing marshlands used to just be abstract words to Xie Ting. But now that Xie Hui had brought him here, he could truly feel the hardship behind those words.

He had climbed a snow mountain that had since become a tourist spot. His grandfather had crossed it by eating roots, gnawing on bark, and wearing straw shoes. In comparison, the suffering he had just endured didn’t even amount to one ten-thousandth of what his grandfather had gone through.

By the time they got down the mountain, night had completely fallen. Every cell in Xie Ting’s body screamed for rest — he felt like collapsing right there on the ground.

But once they got in a taxi, he caught a glimpse of his own multi-colored hair in the reflection of the window, resting on his dad’s shoulder. Irritated, he ruffled his hair.

“Dad, let’s go find a barbershop first.”

Xie Hui had already been displeased by that hair for a while. Now that the kid brought it up himself, he told the driver to change course and found a decent barbershop.

Most barbershops stayed open late. As they walked in, a staff member greeted them with a warm smile.

“Yo, handsome! That hairstyle’s pretty cool — it’s the trendiest look this year, huh?”

Hearing the compliment made Xie Ting’s face and ears flush. He waved awkwardly and sat in the chair.

“What kind of style would you like, handsome?”

Xie Ting turned his head instinctively after hearing that, glancing at the man standing by the door, a hint of pleading in his eyes.

Just as he looked ready to panic, Xie Hui hung up his phone and walked over, sitting beside him in the empty chair. He lowered his voice.

“What kind of cut do you want?”

The boy no longer looked anything like the rebellious troublemaker from before — sitting there awkwardly, unsure of how to talk to the stylist.

When his dad sat down, Xie Ting inexplicably felt calm again.

Honestly, he hadn’t really decided on a style — he just instinctively didn’t want that flashy, rainbow mess on his head anymore.

His gaze settled on his dad, and then he turned to the stylist and said,

“Buzz cut.”

The stylist clearly looked surprised, staring at him with a bit of regret.

“You sure? I think the style you have now suits you better.”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright, but just so we’re clear, you asked for this buzz cut. If it turns out bad, don’t come blaming me.”

“Okay.”

A complicated hairstyle would’ve taken time, but shaving a buzz cut was quick. After it was done, he got a hair wash too.

Looking at his reflection with the same hairstyle as his dad, Xie Ting found his posture straightening unconsciously.

The hotel was nearby, so they walked back. The streetlights cast a warm yellow glow on the greenery, and the two of them walked side by side on the pedestrian path.

Xie Ting glanced at the man who was still taller than him and, the more he thought about it, the more he felt unjustly guilty for him.

He had always been consumed by his own grievances, never considering whether it was right to unload all his negative emotions onto his dad.

This man had raised him for so many years — he probably never imagined he’d end up with such an ungrateful brat.

Ever since coming down from that snowy mountain, it felt like someone had clocked Xie Ting hard on the head — he suddenly woke up.

Wasn’t it just because his dad cared, that he dared to be reckless, rebellious, and self-destructive to hurt him?

If it had been someone who didn’t care, that person wouldn’t have flinched even if Xie Ting died in front of him.

“Why the sudden urge to shave it all off? Didn’t you always say I looked bad with this haircut?” Xie Hui, sensing the heavy silence, took the initiative to start a conversation.

“I think it actually looks pretty good now.”

There was a special kind of charm to it. With this buzz cut, he felt like he carried a bit more righteousness.

On the walk back to the hotel, even though his legs were so sore it felt like they weren’t his, Xie Ting still tried to mimic the upright marching steps he’d seen on TV.

…

Originally, Xie Hui planned to head back early. Although his superiors had approved his leave, it wasn’t right to be away too long.

He was only granted this time off because of who Xie Ting’s father was — he couldn’t abuse that goodwill.

But unexpectedly, the next day, Xie Ting couldn’t even get out of bed. He had to support himself on the walls just to go to the bathroom, too exhausted to even eat.

After several days of rest, when he could finally walk properly again, Xie Hui brought him home.

On the plane, Xie Ting was talking with his dad, asking him to sign him up for a tutoring class — he wanted to make up for all the lessons he’d missed.

His grandfather had crossed snowy mountains and treacherous marshes — a true hero. His dad had risked his life to ensure his comrades could live — another hero.

As their descendant, he couldn’t go around with flashy rainbow hair, wasting time as some good-for-nothing delinquent.

Xie Hui saw that the kid had calmed down, so he spoke up jokingly:

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Not planning to go back to the factory for the free meals and housing?”

At the mention of that, Xie Ting’s face flushed red. He raised a hand to cover his face—what on earth had he been thinking back then?

“Dad, if you bring that up again… you might as well just kill me…”

Seeing that Xie Ting was so embarrassed his ears were burning, Xie Hui kindly didn’t keep teasing him. Instead, he started seriously thinking about which local tutoring classes were good.

The lessons missed in junior high were important—they were the foundation. Without a solid foundation, the house couldn’t be built high.

Xie Ting turned his head to look at the clouds outside the window, feeling more relaxed than he ever had before. He squinted and curled his lips into a smile.

No way was he going into a factory. He was going to study hard. So many people like Grandpa had worked so hard back then just to secure the peace they had now.

If he didn’t work hard, Xie Ting was afraid his grandfather would show up in the middle of the night to knock on his head and scold him for being an unfilial grandson.

When they got home, they ran into several familiar neighbors in the residential complex. The housing prices here had been heavily discounted for retired or transferred military personnel, so most of the residents were familiar faces, and they’d all watched Xie Ting grow up.

As a child, he had been obedient and polite, but recently he’d turned into a little punk—it was such a shame to everyone who saw it.

Now, seeing him with a buzz cut, looking a bit like his dad, they couldn’t help but praise him a little.

Xie Ting was so overwhelmed by the compliments he couldn’t lift his head. Once home, he quickly went into the kitchen and started cleaning the kettle to boil water.

“Xie Hui, my wife made some mung bean soup. When we heard you two were coming back today, she told me to bring some over for Xie Ting to try.”

Hearing the voice outside, Xie Ting instinctively walked out of the kitchen.

Uncle Wang stood there holding a bowl of mung bean soup. He stared at the buzz-cut youth, frozen in place for a moment before snapping out of it, his eyes suddenly stinging.

“Xie Ting, huh? So this is Xie Ting? The kid’s grown up so much…”

Back then, Xie Ting’s father had been outstanding and cheerful—nobody had disliked him. They’d spent years together in the army, and the bond between them was no different from that of blood brothers.

Seeing Xie Ting now, Uncle Wang was reminded of all those moments from the past. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gave Xie Ting a smile, his voice choked with emotion.

“This kid… sorry you had to see him like that.”

Xie Hui had managed to keep the truth from Xie Ting for all these years, and the rest of them had helped. Otherwise, there was no way the kid could have remained in the dark for so long.

Back when Xie Hui brought the boy over, they had gathered for a meal. Drunk at the table, Xie Hui had said he owed that child for life.

He was afraid that if the boy knew he wasn’t his biological father, he’d feel insecure or get mocked by others. So he wanted to let the child believe he was his real dad and only tell him the truth when he was older.

At the time, Xie Hui had said that even if the boy hated him when he grew up, he’d take it.

Xie Ting’s father had rarely come home, and the kid hadn’t formed any memories by age two. Everything had gone smoothly—until the secret was suddenly exposed and everything blew up.

At first, even Uncle Wang had felt some resentment toward Xie Hui. But so many years had passed, and he’d seen for himself how Xie Hui treated Xie Ting.

He may not have been the boy’s biological father, but he was better than many real ones.

Over the years, all of Xie Ting’s father’s compensation and honors had been stored by Xie Hui in a passbook. Not a single penny had been touched.

Yet when it came to food, clothing, and everything else for the boy, nothing had ever been lacking.

“This child, you…”

Uncle Wang opened his mouth, unsure what to say. Just now, he’d wanted to tell the boy that if his father could see him now, he’d probably be proud.

But remembering all the recent turmoil in the Xie family, he worried that something he said might accidentally poke at a sore spot.

“Uncle Wang, have some water first. I remember Auntie’s mung bean soup was delicious. When I was a kid, I almost refused to leave your house because of it.”

Xie Ting poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Uncle Wang, smiling at him.

There was no sign of the rebellious and defiant attitude from before. He was well-behaved, and there was an uprightness to him—it really reminded Uncle Wang of what Xie Ting’s father had looked like when they first met.

Just then, Xie Hui came out of a locked room in the house, carrying a few packed boxes and placing them in the living room. Once everything was moved out, he finally noticed Uncle Wang sitting there.

“Old Wang, when did you get here?”

“Just now,” Old Wang replied casually. As he looked at the items stacked at the top of the box, a strange wave of emotion surged within him.

“You’ve really kept all these things so carefully?”