Chapter 6: The Real Heir in a Fake Young Master Heartthrob Novel

Jiujiu anxiously stomped his little claw. Why was the reaction so slow? Daddy wasn’t in a hurry, but Jiujiu was.

“If I go back with you, what do you plan to do with the other child?”

Shen Yijing understood what the chubby little Jiujiu meant, but he still wanted to clarify things before giving an answer.

He admitted he wasn’t magnanimous and couldn’t stay calm after learning the truth. If they didn’t sort it out beforehand, going back with her would only bring more trouble.

“He’ll be like you, returning to his biological parents. Is that okay?”

Gu Qian was raised by her own hands. For Gu Mother to say she had no feelings at all would be impossible. After all, they had lived together as mother and son for so many years.

If this family had treated her child well, then taking care of both children wouldn’t have been out of the question.

Partly because she couldn’t bear to let go, and partly because her family indeed had the means.

But with everything they had done—none of it seemed like something a decent person would do.

How could she continue to treat the child of her enemy so kindly without any resentment? And she wasn’t foolish enough to think that just because Shen Yijing was young, he would be kind and generous.

If she wanted to keep Gu Qian, it would be equivalent to cutting off any hope of reconciliation with her own biological child.

The child might be innocent, but with parents like that, and after letting her own son suffer for so many years, in Gu Mother’s eyes, Gu Qian was guilty too.

“Okay.”

Shen Yijing nodded lightly and agreed.

He was willing to go with this couple, and he wanted to give his little one a better life—not one where he had to flutter his wings just to get an extra bite of sweet potato.

“Really? Child, are you really willing?”

Gu Mother asked with trembling lips, reaching out to pat Shen Yijing’s head, but accidentally knocked Jiujiu over in the process.

The chubby little bird was forced to roll over and stood with wings akimbo, clearly upset.

Shen Yijing quickly bent down and placed him in his palm, gently stroking his head to soothe him, but Jiujiu still refused to look at him.

“Hmph!”

Seeing this, Gu Mother realized that even a bird held a higher place in his heart than she did as his mother. To say she wasn’t hurt would be a lie.

But thinking carefully, she didn’t even have the right to feel hurt now.

“He’s very cute. You’ve raised him well.”

Shen Yijing, who had been unsure how to communicate, brightened slightly at these words. Like most fathers, once he started talking about his child, he couldn’t stop.

“Yes, and he’s very well-behaved, just a little greedy. Such a tiny belly can hold so much food.”

Shen Yijing had always known his little one could eat a lot. Before, due to their circumstances, he only let him have a taste each time, worried he might go hungry.

Jiujiu lightly tapped his father’s palm with his claw. Watch your words—he was right here! So what if he could eat? Family shame shouldn’t be aired in public!

“Really? Then he’s truly well-behaved. Mommy’s cooking is pretty good. When we go back, I’ll make him delicious food every day.”

“He likes strawberries, but I asked the lady at the fruit shop, and she said one strawberry costs three yuan. It’s too expensive—I couldn’t afford it.”

Gu Mother sniffled and forced a smile in front of the child.

“When we get home, Mommy will make you both strawberry cake.”

After saying that, she thought of Gu Qian. Every time he ate strawberries, he only ate the sweetest part and tossed the rest to his pet. Sometimes he even complained the strawberries weren’t fresh or sweet enough.

But Shen Yijing couldn’t even bring himself to buy a single one.

“Can Jiujiu eat whipped cream?”

Shen Yijing was a bit unsure. He remembered that some animals couldn’t eat human food, and in severe cases, it could be fatal.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Jiujiu’s fluffy head bobbed up and down like a pecking chick. He didn’t know what whipped cream was, but it sounded delicious. If it was tasty, of course he could eat it.

Because Gu Father and the others had come in a hurry, they could only stay at a hotel. So for the next two days, Shen Yijing continued to stay with Teacher Wu.

While he was at school, Gu Mother was discharged from the hospital. She personally brought Gu Qian to Shen Mother.

“Attempted murder. Our Gu family will provide the victim with free legal aid and hire the best lawyer for him. I hope your husband enjoys his time in prison.”

It was already late autumn, and the weather was getting colder. Gu Mother, in poor health, wore a thick coat and looked pale.

From the bag she carried to the accessories she wore, it was clear she came from a distinguished background.

Shen Mother, thinking that her child had grown up in such an environment, felt both comforted and inexplicably uneasy.

Her nails dug into her palms as she lowered her head and replied:

“It was wrong of us to treat Shen Yijing poorly, but you’ve seen our family’s situation. Can you really bear to let that child live with us?”

If they hadn’t mistreated her child, Gu Mother wouldn’t have had the heart.

But now, she only felt she hadn’t done enough.

“What’s so hard to bear? He was born from your womb—that’s his fate. Oh, by the way, our technical experts have arrived. They’re helping the victim recover the video footage from his phone.”

“I hope you’re not an accomplice.”

Although Gu Mother said this, in her heart she was already certain that the woman before her couldn’t have been completely uninvolved in her husband’s crime.

At that moment, Officer Tan walked over, followed by two young officers, who handcuffed Shen Mother.

“What are you doing? What do you think you’re doing?”

“We have evidence proving that you’re also involved in the crime.”

The man who came to collect the debt had no choice—his wife was seriously ill and needed the money. But Shen Father refused to repay him.

Knowing Shen Father’s character, he had borrowed a smartphone to record the confrontation. The phone was damaged during the argument, and he had been trying to recover the footage ever since.

Today, with the help of the technical team, all the video files were successfully restored.

“What about my child? What will happen to my child?”

Mother Shen stared at Gu Qian, who was sitting there. They had only just reunited, and now they were about to be separated again. If she were taken away too, who would be left to care for this child?

Father Gu helped his wife straighten her coat and glared at the woman who was acting like a lunatic.

“If both parents are criminals, the child will probably be sent to an orphanage.”

At that moment, Gu Qian tugged at Father Gu’s clothes, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes and asked in a choked voice:

“Daddy, Mommy, are you abandoning me?”

Father Gu pulled his hand away, crouched down in front of him, and gave the child’s head one last affectionate rub.

“Your biological parents are over there. They haven’t abandoned you.”

After saying this, Father Gu left with his wife. They were not Gu Qian’s parents, so that question wasn’t theirs to answer.

Standing at the entrance of the police station, Mother Gu tilted her head up toward the sunlight, feeling for once that this small city was quite peaceful.

“When is your assistant coming? Have him bring five sets of the gifts from home. I heard from the police that Yijing’s teacher treated him very well, and so did his classmates.”

“If it weren’t for them, who knows how much more our son would have suffered. We must remember this kindness and repay it, so that Yijing won’t keep it on his mind. Even if he comes home with us, he won’t feel at ease otherwise.”

Father Gu nodded silently beside her, committing her words to memory.

People like Teacher Wu and the shop owner who helped Shen Yijing that day came from well-off families, so the gifts chosen were luxurious and expensive.

For the classmates in the class, Mother Gu decided to give each child imported stationery from abroad.

Most of Shen Yijing’s neighbors were not well-off, so Father Gu personally delivered red envelopes to thank them for taking care of Shen Yijing.

Shen Yijing specifically mentioned the man who collected recyclables. When he first started picking up trash, no one wanted to buy from him, and he only made a few yuan a day. Everyone thought he was just a foolish child.

Only that man would buy even items worth just a few cents, and occasionally let him stay for a meal.

When Mother Gu and the others had settled everything and were ready to take Shen Yijing home, they brought along a delicate little basket.

Jiujiu, who had been nestled in Dad’s coat pocket, immediately poked his head out when he saw the basket. There were too many people around for him to fly, so he could only stare longingly at Dad.

“Chirp chirp chirp~”

Shen Yijing didn’t put Jiujiu in the basket. Instead, he took the basket from his mother’s hand, placed it beside his pocket, and let Jiujiu climb in on his own, then held it tightly in his arms.

When Jiujiu saw Dad leaning in to kiss him, he playfully nipped his nose with his beak. As Shen Yijing widened his eyes in surprise, Jiujiu rolled around happily in the basket.

The overly excited little fluffball bumped his head on the edge of the basket and clutched his head with his wings in pain.

“Chirp…”

Shen Yijing quickly came to comfort him, gently rubbing his fluffy head and murmuring softly:

“It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt.”

Jiujiu was the kind of bird who became even more spoiled when comforted. It hadn’t hurt that much at first, but once Dad started soothing him, tears welled up in his eyes. Chirping as he flapped his wings, he tried to show Dad just how much it hurt.

Never mind that he was the one who bit first and then rolled around in excitement—he was determined to tell Dad all about it.

He no longer wanted to stay in the fancy little basket. He insisted that Dad hold him, and even the slightest delay in the comforting strokes of his fingers was unacceptable.

Mother Gu watched their interaction from the side. Although she felt that Shen Yijing’s attitude toward Jiujiu was unlike that of a typical pet owner, she chose to respect it.

“Tired? Do you want to let him lie down for a bit?”

Seeing that Shen Yijing had been holding Jiujiu for a long time, she asked gently.

Jiujiu immediately turned around and pointed his butt at Mother Gu, covering his ears with his wings.

No lying down—he wanted to be held by Dad.

“Not tired. I need to comfort him.”

About five minutes later, Jiujiu noticed that Dad had been staring at him the whole time. Reflecting on his behavior, he realized he had indeed been a bit unreasonable. He turned around and burrowed back into Dad’s coat pocket.

Without Jiujiu to lighten the mood, the atmosphere in the car turned a bit awkward. Mother Gu looked at Shen Yijing’s profile and tried to make conversation.

“This little chick… he seems to have quite a temper?”

“He’s not a chick. He’s Jiujiu. He has a very good temper. He’s just upset today because he bumped his head.”

Shen Yijing didn’t like people calling Jiujiu a chick. Even though he himself thought Jiujiu looked like a baby chick, Jiujiu didn’t like the nickname.

“Alright, Mommy was wrong.”

The car ride was long, and Shen Yijing began to feel sleepy. He leaned back and drifted off.

Once he was well-rested, Jiujiu climbed out, grabbed the strap of Dad’s shirt with his wings, and climbed up to sit on Shen Yijing’s shoulder. Basking in the warm sunlight streaming in, he lazily swung his little claws.

Mother Gu watched this scene and wanted to take Jiujiu for a moment, worried he might disturb Shen Yijing’s rest.

But before she could move, Shen Yijing tilted his head slightly in his sleep and unconsciously nuzzled Jiujiu with the side of his face.

Jiujiu wrapped his wings around Dad’s face and nuzzled back with equal enthusiasm.

Their interaction was so natural and in sync that Mother Gu suppressed the thought she had just had.

When they finally arrived home, Shen Yijing stood at the gate of the courtyard. A dedicated guard opened the iron gate for them. The European-style garden was exquisitely beautiful.

“This is your home. Do you like it?”

Before Shen Yijing could answer, Jiujiu chirped first:

“Chirp chirp~”

“Mm, I like it.”

If his little one liked it, then so did he.

Of course Mother Gu could see what he meant. Smiling, she held his hand and led him inside, introducing him to the layout of the house.

Before they returned, she had already called the housekeeper and had all of Gu Qian’s belongings cleared out, preparing a brand-new room.

“Let me show you your bedroom. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, just let me know.”

Shen Yijing followed her into the room. After looking around, he sat down on a stool, took Jiujiu out, and placed him on the table to explore on his own.

“Thank you, I really like it. This room is so big. The place I used to live in… was even smaller than that.”

Mother Gu glanced in the direction he pointed—it was the bathroom that came with every bedroom.

Before they returned, she had gone to see the place where her son used to live.

That cluttered space couldn’t even be called a proper bedroom. The window was broken and never repaired. Thinking about how her son had lived in such an environment for so many years made her heart ache.

“You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart. See that little cradle? It’s for Jiujiu. Can we put it beside your bed?”

Jiujiu hopped into the cradle and lay down. No one knew what material it was made of, but it was soft and comfortable. Once inside, he didn’t want to come out.

“Sure.”

Shen Yijing understood that his mother probably meant for Jiujiu to sleep in the cradle, but that was unlikely.

At most, Jiujiu would treat the cradle as a toy. When it came time to sleep, he still preferred curling up beside Shen Yijing’s pillow.

“You stay in the room for a bit. I’ll come get you when it’s time to eat.”

“Okay.”

After Mother Gu left, Shen Yijing took another careful look around the bedroom. He walked over to the bed, sat down, and picked up Jiujiu from the cradle.

“Daddy, I really like this place.”

The jade bed his father had prepared for him was very comfortable and could even heat up automatically, but it still couldn’t compare to how soft this was.

“I like it too.”

Perhaps because he had grown up in a complicated environment, Shen Yijing was often very sensitive to other people’s emotions. He could feel how much Mother Gu cared for him and how cautious she was around him.

And since the other child hadn’t come over, he didn’t feel much resentment in his heart.

Even so, Shen Yijing still wasn’t quite used to being too close to Mother Gu. He knew she was his biological mother, but he couldn’t help feeling a little awkward inside.

After the truth of the case was uncovered, there were still some complicated procedures to go through, such as Shen Yijing’s household registration and the transfer process for his new school.

Until the official notice came through, Shen Yijing had to stay at home.

Father Gu intended for Shen Yijing to repeat a year, since the curriculum and knowledge from the two places were different.

After asking Shen Yijing for his opinion and confirming that he was willing, they began making arrangements.

Both Father Gu and Mother Gu were doing their best in their own ways to help Shen Yijing integrate into the family more quickly.

There were chrysanthemums growing in the backyard, and they were in full bloom. Jiujiu loved lying at the base of the flowers, waiting for the wind to blow the petals down onto him.

Every time Shen Yijing came looking for him, he would see Jiujiu shake the petals off quickly and fly over to him.

“Daddy, I saw there are fish in that pond.”

Jiujiu pointed with his wing at the koi in the pond, then gulped in what he thought was a subtle way—but it was actually very obvious.

“You want to eat them?”

“Yeah! Daddy, catch one for me.”

Shen Yijing felt it wasn’t really appropriate, but when he saw the hopeful look in Jiujiu’s eyes, he couldn’t bear to disappoint him.

“I’ll catch one for you.”

This time, when Mother Gu came home, she saw a servant approaching with a troubled expression and asked:

“What’s wrong?”

“Young master… he… he caught the fish that sir was raising in the backyard.”

Ever since Shen Yijing returned, Mother Gu had thought he was a very well-behaved child. But she wasn’t satisfied—she always felt it was because he hadn’t truly accepted them as family yet.

Now that he had finally caused a little trouble, Mother Gu wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she smiled and walked over after setting her things down.

“Can we grill it? Use less chili, and no scallions or garlic.”

In the kitchen, Shen Yijing placed the fish he had worked so hard to catch in front of the chef, looked up, and asked if he could help prepare it.

Jiujiu, sitting beside him, flapped his little wings and added:

“Add some cilantro!”

Shen Yijing repeated what Jiujiu said.

“And add a little cilantro.”

“Uh… we’ll have to wait until sir gets back to decide.”

“Grill it the way Yijing said,” Mother Gu instructed.

Only then did the chef dare to pick up the fish and start preparing it.

“You actually managed to catch a fish? That’s amazing. Your clothes are a bit wet—go change into something dry, or you’ll catch a cold.”

“Okay.”

That evening, when Father Gu came home and heard his wife mention the incident, he wasn’t angry either. His reaction was much the same as hers.

“That big fish? Yijing actually caught it? I need to call a few of my old friends and tell them about this.”

When he started catching the fish, Shen Yijing had already prepared himself to be scolded. He never expected that after they found out, they would actually praise him.

Jiujiu buried his head into the fish’s belly and pecked away feathersiously, swallowing a fish bigger than his own body whole, leaving only a neatly arranged pile of fish bones on the plate.

Full and lazy, Jiujiu lay there motionless. Luckily, he was a phoenix, and his stomach was bigger than it looked—otherwise, he might not have been able to finish the fish his daddy worked so hard to catch.

After dinner, Shen Yijing sat on the living room carpet playing with toys, while Jiujiu lay nearby digesting.

Every now and then, he would chirp to call his daddy over to rub his belly.

Father Gu sat on the sofa and called one of his good friends. After some polite small talk, he got to the point.

“Hey, you remember that big old fish I had in the backyard? This kid—he’s only six or seven—and he actually managed to catch it.”

Hearing that he was being talked about, Shen Yijing’s ears turned red. His hand, rubbing Jiujiu’s belly, pressed a little too hard, and the next second he heard an indignant chirp.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

The weather was getting colder, and there weren’t many classes left at school. Some troublesome procedures still hadn’t been completed, so Shen Yijing probably wouldn’t be able to enroll until next year.

Mother Gu enjoyed taking him out, getting him new clothes and a new hairstyle.

She used to blame herself for never considering that possibility, but now, thinking back, she realized the clues had been there for a long time.

Take Gu Qian, for example—he didn’t resemble either of them at all. At the time, she had comforted herself, thinking that it wasn’t unusual for a child not to look like their parents.

“Is this your child? He’s really handsome.”

Hearing her friend’s compliment, Mother Gu smiled and nodded.

Wearing his new clothes, Shen Yijing looked a little uncomfortable and awkwardly tried to tug at them.

He had never worn this kind of outfit before. Initially, he didn’t want to try it on, but the shop lady had made some alterations.

Jiujiu’s claws and wings could stick out through holes in the pockets, and his head could peek out too.

They even used the leftover fabric to make a little bowtie for Jiujiu, pinned to his chest.

That previous incident—while not known to everyone in their circle—was known to quite a few.

Mother Gu had no intention of throwing a party to clarify things. It was undeniable that the environment had a huge influence on a person, and Shen Yijing did seem less outstanding than Gu Qian.

Given that kind of past and the dramatic circumstances, the two would inevitably be compared. That was a scene Mother Gu didn’t want to see.

So she planned to teach Yijing slowly, taking him out from time to time, letting people around her know that he was her child—that would be enough.

On the way home, Mother Gu thought about what her friend had mentioned and placed her hand on Shen Yijing’s head to measure.

“How about I order some milk for you? Drinking it will help you grow taller.”

“Chirp chirp chirp.”

Whenever it came to food or drink, Jiujiu was always more enthusiastic than Shen Yijing.

At first, Mother Gu had been worried that the boy cared too much about Jiujiu, but now she was grateful to have such a lively and food-loving pet.

Because of Jiujiu, Shen Yijing always considered his feelings in every situation, and would often agree to her requests as a result.

Mother Gu figured Jiujiu’s tiny stomach couldn’t finish a whole bottle, so she only ordered one and asked the chef to heat it in two portions.

One small bottle, and another large cup. After finishing his share, Jiujiu glanced at his dad and chirped, signaling with his eyes.

“Jiujiu wants more.”

Having been home for a while now, Shen Yijing already knew that only he could understand what Jiujiu was saying, so he wasn’t surprised.

He poured the milk from his own cup into Jiujiu’s little bottle.

Even during that short moment, Jiujiu grew impatient, flapping his wings and tapping the table to hurry him along.

“Can Jiujiu really finish a whole bottle? I’ll order two tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Shen Yijing was sure Jiujiu could finish it. Judging by the way Jiujiu lifted his head, he clearly thought so too.

Breakfast included not just milk, but also a piece of bread. When Mother Gu thought such a tiny Jiujiu wouldn’t be able to eat it, Shen Yijing handed another piece over and placed it on the plate in front of him.

Jiujiu liked to peck from the middle. After pecking a hole through it, he kept eating for a while.

It wasn’t until he noticed everyone staring at him that he realized something was off.

“Daddy, why are you looking at me?”

Just as he asked, Jiujiu tried to take another bite but couldn’t reach. Looking closely, he realized he had somehow looped the bread with the hole around his neck—it was pretty heavy.

He hurried over to his dad for help, chirping urgently. His little legs moved so fast they almost left afterimages, but he was running too fast and took a hard tumble. He quickly got up and kept running.

Chirp chirp chirp—save Jiujiu!