Chapter 7: The Real Heir in a Fake Young Master Heartthrob Novel

Mother Gu saw Shen Yijing eating breakfast and waved at Jiujiu, hoping he would come over to her.

“Come here, I’ll help you get it down.”

But Jiujiu only had eyes for his dad. He ignored everyone else as if he didn’t hear them and chirped twice as he approached his father.

Shen Yijing reached out to help him take down a slice of bread. Seeing that Jiujiu seemed a bit uncomfortable and was trembling, he gently said:

“Be careful.”

On the other side, Mother Gu wasn’t surprised by this. After all, she knew how close the two of them were. But she was a bit taken aback when she saw Jiujiu’s body trembling.

“He actually has a neck?”

Both Jiujiu and Shen Yijing instinctively turned to look at her. Only then did Mother Gu realize she had said something inappropriate. She cleared her throat awkwardly and used a knife to cut a slice of bread into small pieces, placing them in front of Jiujiu’s original seat.

Probably because Jiujiu was so small and round, with thick feathers around his neck, he looked just like a fluffy ball.

Jiujiu sat down in front of his dad in a huff. How could he not have a neck?

“Mom, don’t say things like that. Jiujiu will get upset.”

Mother Gu looked at Jiujiu, who was now sitting on the table, and smiled as she nodded.

“Alright, alright, I promise I won’t say that again.”

He was only palm-sized, but his temper wasn’t small at all.

After eating his fill, Jiujiu felt lazy today and didn’t want to go out with his dad. He burrowed into his dad’s bed, used his little wings to pull the blanket over himself, and prepared to take a nap.

He used to be able to sleep for hundreds of years at a time. Now, he could barely manage a few hours.

Before leaving with his mother, Shen Yijing made a point to come back and check on him. He tiptoed to the bedside and made sure Jiujiu was sound asleep.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Jiujiu kicked the blanket twice with his claws. He thought he could dramatically kick it off and make a grand appearance, but in reality, only a small bump showed under the blanket.

“Jiujiu, do you want to come with me?”

“Jiujiu wants to sleep. Daddy, remember to bring me a donut. I want a big one.”

“What if it gets stuck around your neck again?”

“If Daddy feeds me, it won’t.”

Jiujiu propped his head up with his wings and looked up at his dad.

Shen Yijing thought about it and agreed. He rubbed Jiujiu’s head and reassured him:

“Then be good and wait for me to come back.”

As soon as Shen Yijing let go, Jiujiu quickly snuggled back under the covers. After a moment’s thought, he lazily stretched out a claw and waved it, a half-hearted goodbye to his dad.

After all, he was craving the donut his dad promised. Under the eaves, even a chick had to wave goodbye.

Mother Gu had been patiently waiting downstairs. When she saw Shen Yijing come down, she teased with a smile:

“Is Jiujiu really that important to you? Look at you, you have to check in with him about everything.”

Even with her and his father, he wasn’t this attentive and considerate.

Mother Gu wasn’t truly jealous of a little yellow chick, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit sour when she thought about it.

She couldn’t help but wonder—if this child had grown up with them, would he be closer to them?

“Back then, everyone thought I was dirty, said I was a filthy kid who picked up trash. Only Jiujiu liked to snuggle up to me and kept me company.”

“I didn’t have any friends. I only had Jiujiu.”

Shen Yijing didn’t feel that his past was all that bitter. In fact, he was grateful that he had picked up a plastic bottle that day—and found his little one.

“I see… then Jiujiu really is a good boy.”

Every time this topic came up, it felt heavy. Mother Gu wanted to know what her child had gone through, but she was afraid that asking would reopen old wounds.

Whenever Shen Yijing brought it up on his own, it always made her heart ache.

“Jiujiu is really smart. Every time I fed him, he’d only take one peck and say he was full. But I think he just wanted to save the rest for me.”

Especially back then, when no one was willing to help him, and his parents treated him so poorly.

There were even more incredible things Shen Yijing didn’t mention, in order to protect Jiujiu.

Jiujiu was so tiny, and his skin so delicate, that every time he plucked out his feathers, the spot would bleed.

But for Shen Yijing, he was still willing to do it.

“He’s very thoughtful. No wonder you like him so much.”

Mother Gu loved buying new clothes for her son and would even specially instruct the tailor to make a matching outfit for Jiujiu using the same fabric.

“Jiujiu doesn’t like this color.”

When Mother Gu held up a green outfit and compared it against herself, Shen Yijing took a step back.

“Alright, we’ll pick another one.”

After buying clothes, Mother Gu took him to a concert. Shen Yijing didn’t really understand this kind of music, but he overheard someone nearby mention that there would be a magic show at the same venue next week.

“Can we come back next week, Mom?”

Mother Gu rarely heard Shen Yijing directly ask her for something, especially something so trivial. So she nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. As long as you want to.”

“I want to bring Jiujiu too. He’ll definitely love it.”

“Sure, no problem. But you have to talk to him in advance. He mustn’t chirp during the show.”

“Jiujiu won’t chirp.”

On the way home from the concert, Shen Yijing suddenly remembered the promise he made to Jiujiu before leaving. He turned around and went a long way to buy a donut.

“I thought you didn’t like sweet things.”

“Jiujiu loves them.”

Shen Yijing stared at the donut in the box, thinking how lucky it was that Jiujiu wasn’t an ordinary chick—he could eat anything.

“I happened to hear the chef say that strawberries are in season, so I asked the nanny to buy some when she went grocery shopping. Today, I’m going to make you a strawberry cake.”

Mrs. Gu didn’t know why, but perhaps she had been influenced by her son. The first thing that came to her mind when she said this was that if Jiujiu heard the news, he would definitely be so happy he’d jump for joy.

“Thank you, Mom.”

After getting home, Shen Yijing went upstairs with a donut in hand. When he lifted the blanket, he saw that Jiujiu was still sleeping.

Both little claws were raised high, with his soft-looking butt sticking out, making Shen Yijing recall the sensation he had accidentally felt in his pocket before.

Hearing Jiujiu snoring in his sleep, Shen Yijing squatted down and gently rubbed his butt with his fingertip.

The feathers there was especially soft, and since Jiujiu had pulled out two of the stiffer feathers earlier, the yellow fluff felt quite nice.

“Daddy, don’t you know you’re not supposed to touch a tiger’s butt?”

Jiujiu suddenly spoke, startling Shen Yijing into instinctively pulling his hand back.

“But Jiujiu isn’t a tiger, so it’s okay. Go ahead and touch it. Just remember to give me the donut afterward.”

As he spoke, Jiujiu raised his claws even higher to make it easier for his dad.

While Shen Yijing was still frozen in place, Jiujiu kept staring at him, as if wondering why he hadn’t started touching yet.

“Jiujiu, it’s a good thing you look like a chicken.”

Lying there, Jiujiu had already smelled the sweet scent of the donut, so he wasn’t angry at being called a chicken. Instead, he asked curiously:

“Why?”

“If you were another animal, this action would seem a bit… strange.”

Shen Yijing thought about it carefully as he spoke. Actually, if it were Jiujiu, whether he looked like a kitten or a puppy, it wouldn’t be too hard to accept.

He broke the donut in half and only handed one piece to Jiujiu.

Given how Jiujiu had pecked a hole in the bread and worn it on his head that morning, Shen Yijing held onto the donut until Jiujiu had finished eating.

“Daddy, can we go out and play for a while?”

“Sure.”

Downstairs, Mrs. Gu had already put on her apron and had the nanny prepare the tools for making the strawberry cake. While washing the strawberries, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her.

She quickly dried her hands and turned around to see Jiujiu lying on her son’s head. Just the sight of it was quite adorable.

“Jiujiu, do you want to try a fresh strawberry?”

“Chirp chirp chirp~”

After chirping in agreement, Jiujiu climbed up, kicked off his dad’s head with his claws, and flapped his wings to fly over.

Mrs. Gu held a freshly washed strawberry in her hand and brought it to Jiujiu, carefully removing the green stem at the back.

“Be careful.”

With food as a lure, Jiujiu became the most well-behaved little one. Even while eating, he didn’t forget to chirp in response.

Seeing this, Mrs. Gu’s smile deepened. What a polite little one.

While she was making the cake, she told Shen Yijing and Jiujiu to go outside and play. There were plenty of playground facilities in the backyard, all prepared by her husband during her pregnancy.

Jiujiu sat on the swing but couldn’t get it to move, so he scooted over and let his dad sit beside him.

“Daddy, don’t you like strawberries? Why didn’t you eat any?”

Mrs. Gu had just offered him one earlier, but Shen Yijing had declined. Now, facing Jiujiu’s curious beady eyes, he replied:

“Because you eat too fast. If I ate one, you’d feel tempted.”

“Jiujiu, Jiujiu…”

He wanted to argue, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he would indeed feel tempted. So he sulkily hugged his wings.

Why not just share a bite with him?

Back in the kitchen, before the strawberry cake was even finished, Mrs. Gu heard the maid walk in.

“Madam, Mrs. Huo from next door is here. She says she has something to ask you.”

“Hm? Let her in, and prepare some tea.”

Mrs. Gu washed her hands clean, took off her apron, and walked into the living room, only to see Mrs. Huo’s daughter with tears streaming down her face, leaving her a bit puzzled.

“What happened?”

The two families didn’t live far apart, and Mrs. Gu had previously had a good relationship with Mrs. Huo.

Huo Sitong was a girl she had watched grow up, about the same age as her own son.

Back when they hadn’t discovered that Gu Qian wasn’t their biological child, the two families often interacted.

“You know how my daughter is—she’s close with Gu Qian, so she keeps asking me when he’s coming back. I told her, you really are heartless. After raising a child for so many years, you just cast him aside?”

Mrs. Gu’s expression turned completely cold upon hearing that.

“That’s not my child. What’s wrong with not keeping him?”

“Well, it’s not like your family can’t afford it. Why not just raise both kids together? They could help each other when they grow up.”

After hearing Mrs. Huo’s words, Mrs. Gu almost laughed.

Even in the current situation, she often felt troubled that her child wasn’t close to her. It would take a long time for her child to truly see her as his biological mother without any reservations.

Not to mention, if she hadn’t sent Gu Qian back to his biological parents, it would have left a lifelong knot in her own child’s heart.

“You’re not wrong. Your family’s conditions are no worse than mine. If your daughter really misses him, why don’t you adopt Gu Qian yourself?”

“As it happens, his parents are both in prison. He’s probably been sent to an orphanage by now. The adoption process shouldn’t be too difficult.”

After saying this, Mrs. Gu stood up just as the maid brought over the freshly brewed tea.

“No need for the tea. Pour it out.”

After today’s incident, her relationship with Mrs. Huo was likely completely severed. Fortunately, Mrs. Gu didn’t feel bad about it.

A friend like that, the longer you associate with them, the more likely a few careless words could leave a scar in her child’s heart.

No matter how close a friend is, they’re still an outsider—not as important as her own child.

Mrs. Huo’s face turned slightly pale with anger at what Mrs. Gu said. She had only meant to offer a bit of advice.

Gu Qian’s biological parents had actually gone to prison for committing crimes—how could she possibly feel at ease keeping a child like that around?

“Let’s go.”

But Huo Sitong wasn’t very willing to obey. When her mother told her to leave, she nearly threw a tantrum on the floor.

Jiujiu, the little chubby bird, was still young and full of curiosity. Upon hearing the commotion, he wanted to see which child was crying.

When he poked his head out to look, his father’s hand firmly pressed him back down, forcing him to stare at his dad instead.

“What’s going on?”

“Didn’t you say you were tired of standing?”

Given how Jiujiu looked right now, even if he didn’t say anything, Shen Yijing would suspect he was exhausted.

His body was too round, and his claws were too small and delicate.

“Oh right! Daddy, look, there’s a naughty kid crying. Carry me over to see!”

“Okay.”

At the doorway, Shen Yijing heard Mrs. Huo call out her daughter’s name while scolding her. Curious, he glanced at the little girl lying on the ground.

So this was the female lead in the story who constantly mocked his father? How pitiful—so young, yet already so poor at judging people.

In the story, Huo Sitong grew up as childhood sweethearts with Gu Qian and was his official love interest.

After Gu’s father and mother learned the truth that Gu Qian wasn’t their biological child, they began to focus more on their real son.

Huo Sitong felt Gu Qian had been wronged, so whenever she got the chance, she would step on his father to elevate Gu Qian.

“Why are you here? Tired from playing? There’s freshly squeezed juice—go try some.”

Mrs. Gu came over to greet Shen Yijing and Jiujiu, leading them into the kitchen while instructing the nanny to escort Mrs. Huo and her daughter out.

Some things weren’t suitable for Shen Yijing to hear.

After taking a sip of juice, Shen Yijing held the cup out to Jiujiu. The little bird leaned in and took a sip, but the next second, his claws slipped and his head fell straight into the cup.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Among everyone there, Shen Yijing reacted the fastest and quickly pulled Jiujiu out.

Once out, the chubby bird shook his head and coughed, while Shen Yijing gently patted his back.

“Take him for a bath. The juice is a bit sticky. After the bath, he can have some strawberry cake.”

Mrs. Gu reminded them. When Jiujiu was drinking while standing on her son’s shoulder, she already had a bad feeling.

“Okay.”

Jiujiu was held up by his father’s hand, eyes wide open, instinctively trying to struggle a bit.

“Daddy, can you just wipe me with a tissue? I don’t need a bath, right?”

He never really liked baths. The feeling of wet feathers made Jiujiu feel like all his fluff had disappeared.

“No, this part needs to be washed. Otherwise, your feathers will stick together.”

Shen Yijing walked into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. While waiting for the cold water in the pipes to run out, he stared at Jiujiu for a while.

All of this had started after they arrived at this house. Back where they were before, Jiujiu had never been like this.

“Daddy, why are you staring at Jiujiu?”

Jiujiu tilted his head curiously, and that familiar gesture immediately made Shen Yijing realize something was off.

“Jiujiu, have you noticed that you’ve gotten a lot fatter?”

Before, Jiujiu just looked a little plump, but now, after only a short time in this house, he had eaten so much he was practically a ball.

“Jiujiu is not fat!”

He meant to sound more assertive, but Jiujiu lacked confidence—after all, he had just fallen into the cup because of his weight.

Most of the time, Shen Yijing would go along with whatever Jiujiu wanted. But after spending so much time with his mom, he had picked up quite a bit of knowledge.

Often, obesity didn’t just mean limited mobility—it also came with many health issues.

So this time, Shen Yijing was especially firm. He adjusted Jiujiu’s lazy sitting posture and asked seriously:

“Jiujiu, do you want to eat less or exercise more?”

“Do I have to choose one?”

Jiujiu drooped his head, clearly unhappy as he asked.

“Yes, you have to choose one.”

“Jiujiu wants to eat more… and… and not exercise.”

After saying that, he cautiously glanced at his father’s expression. It was really hard being a chubby little bird.

His dad could’ve said something earlier—now that he was already this round, talking about exercise just made Jiujiu want to roll his eyes and flop down pretending to be dead.

“Jiujiu!”

“Okay, okay, Jiujiu will exercise more.”

After eating the strawberry cake, he would start exercising.

Once the hot water was ready, Shen Yijing looked at Jiujiu, still holding onto a sliver of hope—maybe Jiujiu just looked round because of his fluffy feathers?

When he visited an aunt with his mom, her cat had looked really fat, but after a bath, it seemed much slimmer.

Soaked in the water, Jiujiu’s two little claws came into play, paddling hard to stay afloat.

Once fully wet, it became even more obvious. Shen Yijing kept a straight face as he bathed him.

Well, his little one was just plain fat. It had nothing to do with fluffy feathers.

After washing him clean and drying his feathers with a towel, Jiujiu already felt exhausted just from all that.

Thinking about how his dad was going to make him run later, he plopped down in Shen Yijing’s palm.

Life was hard—Jiujiu sighed.

Mrs. Gu had previously studied how to make cakes, and this time, not only did it look good, but it also tasted great. Jiujiu, just a little bird, ate an entire slice.

“Yijing, where are you going?”

After finishing the cake, Shen Yijing wiped his mouth, then helped Jiujiu clean his beak. He stood up and started walking outside, when he heard Mother Gu’s voice behind him.

“Mom, I’m taking Jiujiu out for some exercise.”

Mother Gu looked at Jiujiu for a moment and agreed that it was probably time for him to lose some weight.

“Alright, be careful not to catch a cold.”

Out on the steps, Jiujiu struggled to run with his short little legs. After two laps, he vaguely figured out a way to slack off.

As long as Dad wasn’t watching him closely, he could sneak in a little flight, flapping his wings to go faster.

“Daddy, I really can’t run anymore.”

Not even twenty minutes had passed before Jiujiu found a clean spot and lay down.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but after running a few laps, he realized he was really heavy. Not only did his claws hurt, even his wings were starting to ache.

“Do you want to fly a bit more instead?”

Shen Yijing squatted in front of him and gently poked his wing. Jiujiu, who was sitting there, immediately flopped down.

“Daddy, do you have another bird outside?”

“No.”

“If you don’t want to lose Jiujiu, we’d better go back and rest.”

Seeing how exhausted Jiujiu was, Shen Yijing didn’t push him any feathersther. He picked him up and placed him in his palm, feeling the rise and fall of his body from heavy breathing.

“You actually lay down on the steps—now you’ll need another bath tonight.”

“Jiujiu wants a hot bath.”

The chubby little bird lying there lifted his head with difficulty and emphasized this to his dad.

“Alright, a hot bath it is.”

At dinner that evening, Jiujiu was too tired to come down. While at the table, Mother Gu brought it up, and Father Gu found it amusing too.

“I remember Jiujiu doesn’t have the best temper. What made him willing to go running?”

Shen Yijing kept his head down and quietly ate his rice. In truth, Jiujiu was quite obedient in front of him.

“He listens to Yijing.”

“He really should get more exercise. From a distance, if no one told me that was Jiujiu, I’d think it was a little round ball.”

After saying that, Father Gu brought up another matter.

“Yijing, Dad wants to ask you—would you be willing to change your last name? I’m not trying to pressure you, just asking for your opinion.”

“I don’t want to change it.”

“That’s fine, then we won’t change it. The paperwork will be done soon, and then you can start school.”

Father Gu understood that Shen Yijing was old enough to remember many things and had already formed a sense of identity with his name.

After all, it was just a surname—it didn’t mean much. Changing it wouldn’t alter the fact that he was their child.

As it happened, Mother Gu’s surname was also Shen. So when explaining to others, they could simply say that Shen Yijing took his mother’s surname.

“Our son said he wants to see a magic show next week.”

“Sure, what time? I’ll have my secretary clear my schedule. We’ll all go together as a family.”

After speaking, Father Gu added:

“Jiujiu’s coming too. If he falls asleep, we’ll carry him in a little basket.”