Chapter 18: The Real Heir in a Fake Young Master Heartthrob Novel (Arc End)

The book Shen Yijing had been holding was now thrown to the ground in his panic.

He ran over, disregarding the burning leaves that were still aflame, and quickly dug through the half-burnt leaves with his hands to pull out Jiujiu.

Jiujiu, startled by the heat, hopped a bit. His claws stepped on his dad’s palm, and seeing the burn marks on Shen Yijing’s hand, he quickly tried to cover them with his soft feathers.

“Are you okay, Jiujiu?”

“Jiujiu is okay, Daddy, does your hand hurt?”

Shen Yijing looked at the little one already lying on his wound, then at the culprit, his eyes tinged with blood.

Usually a very gentle person, he couldn’t help but curse:

“Who are you? What are you doing here? Who told you to poke this bird’s nest? Do you have a problem?”

Gu Qian looked up at the man in a high school uniform, his lips twisted into a strange smile, and he replied in a hoarse voice:

“I’m cleaning. Bird droppings are hard to clean. What’s wrong with me poking it down?”

Jiujiu’s feathers had always been well-groomed, but now many parts had burn marks. Shen Yijing thought of his vain personality, took a deep breath, but still couldn’t suppress the anger in his heart.

The driver, seeing that the situation was developing somewhat unfavorably, quickly went back to tell the butler to call Mrs. Gu over.

Hearing the quarrel, Mrs. Gu walked over and saw a little one with singed feathers, and the wound on her son’s hand.

“Butler, quickly tell the driver to bring the car over. It’s so hot, what if the wound gets inflamed if it’s not cleaned quickly?”

After Grandma arrived, Jiujiu moved aside a bit, pointing his little wing at the most severe part of his dad’s wound, signaling Grandma to quickly look there.

“Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp chirp!”

Mrs. Gu walked to Shen Yijing’s side, took his wrist, and looked at it.

“How did it get burned like this?”

“He was poking the bird’s nest and poked Jiujiu down into the fire.”

Shen Yijing stroked the burnt part of Jiujiu’s feathers, his eyes already subtly red.

“Silly bird, why didn’t you fly when someone poked you down?”

“Jiujiu was sleeping at the time…”

He reluctantly argued a bit. How could a bird just woken up know how to fly? He had to lie down for a while until his morning grumpiness passed.

Mrs. Gu was an adult after all. Although she was also angry, she wasn’t as irrational as Shen Yijing.

The man who did all this didn’t even apologize and even turned to leave.

“Butler, make a call to report this. I remember that since last year, burning fallen leaves hasn’t been allowed.”

Burning fallen leaves has a great impact on the environment. The regulation prohibiting the burning of dead branches and fallen leaves began to be promoted nationwide from their city last year.

It wasn’t even late autumn yet, and most of the leaves were still green. He swept such a pile and specifically burned it under the tree. Mrs. Gu really found it hard to believe he wasn’t doing it on purpose.

When Gu Qian heard this, he instinctively wanted to run, but the bodyguards and the newly arrived driver quickly held him down.

When Mrs. Gu returned with Shen Yijing after getting his wound bandaged by the doctor, the butler said that the matter had been handled. A fine of 300 yuan, which should be a considerable lesson for a person dressed in ragged clothes like him.

“Madam, that person’s name is Gu Qian.”

Mrs. Gu, who had just returned from outside and was about to pour herself a glass of water, paused when she heard this.

Although it had been a long time ago, she found it very difficult to forget this name.

“How is he doing at the Huo family’s place?”

“He hung out with some people from outside school in junior high, and after finishing high school, Mrs. Huo arranged for him to clean the villa area. I asked this afternoon, things like animal droppings don’t result in deductions.”

The butler had worked here for many years. When he was helping the madam tend to some flowers in the back, Jiujiu would occasionally fly onto his shoulder and curiously look at him.

A few days ago, Jiujiu often brought back an ordinary bird. Mrs. Gu initially thought he had made a friend, but later, through speculation, she realized that Jiujiu had traded food with that bird for its nest.

That bird was probably planning to move. Jiujiu couldn’t build one himself, so he brought the bird back to freeload. After a week of eating, the bird left, and the owner of the nest became Jiujiu.

“That’s too much, he must have done it on purpose!”

The water Mrs. Gu had picked up now couldn’t be drunk at all. When she took Shen Yijing to the doctor, she was told that the burn on his hand was a bit severe and would definitely affect his studies and homework.

At such a crucial time in his senior year of high school, the more Mrs. Gu thought about it, the angrier she became.

The little one, who was so vain that he would parade in front of the mirror for a long time every time she made him new clothes, came back looking listless, not knowing whether he felt sorry for his dad or for his own singed feathers.

It was a pity that she had lost contact with Mrs. Huo ever since Mrs. Huo adopted Gu Qian, otherwise she would have gone to cause trouble for them.

Upstairs in the bedroom, Shen Yijing’s right hand was wrapped in a bandage, and a small Jiujiu was perched on the bandage.

“Why aren’t you staying at home?”

“I traded a lot of food with that little bird for its nest. It took a long time for it to agree.”

Jiujiu got tired of lying down and changed his position. He remembered that Emperor Dad said his blood could heal injuries quickly, but he was afraid of pain, and also afraid that in this ordinary world, it would turn his dad into a monster.

So he could only rub against his dad’s wound, hoping that this way, his dad could heal a little faster without exceeding normal limits.

“Traded with whom?”

“Jiujiu doesn’t know either. That bird was so noisy. Luckily, it has already moved, and my traded nest is gone, boohoo.”

When other birds in the villa area’s woods left before, Jiujiu had specifically gone to see them, but he disliked their nests for being too low, fearing that some mischievous child might poke him down.

He chose the highest one, but it was still poked through. Now he was a little phoenix without a nest again, and he had even caused his dad’s hand to get burned.

“Daddy, does it hurt?”

“It’s okay, not very painful.”

It was just a bit tiring to have a bird on the back of his hand. Although Jiujiu wasn’t big, he was round from eating.

“Daddy, do you still like a bald Jiujiu?”

Jiujiu had just seen his feathers, so ugly that he wanted to pluck them out one by one.

“I won’t get burned again in the future.”

Daddy said that when he grows up, fire will only make him stronger, and he can even transform fire into all things.

But not yet. Jiujiu was still small, still a little one who would get singed by any fire.

Shen Yijing saw his intention and used his other hand, which only had a slight burn, to tidy Jiujiu up.

“It’s said that a style like yours is the most popular hairstyle now, but… if it’s bald, won’t it look bad?”

The words ‘look bad’ instantly pierced Jiujiu’s sensitive and fragile little heart, and at the same time dispelled his idea of pulling out all the singed feathers while his dad wasn’t around.

Shen Yijing asked his mom for a few very thin rubber bands. His bandaged hand wasn’t very flexible, but he still tried hard to tie up little ponytails for him, hiding the burnt feathers inside.

“How long will this take to grow back?”

He originally thought his idea was good, but after tying them up, Shen Yijing realized that he really couldn’t do hair.

The originally cute and fluffy little one, who was only slightly singed, now looked like a little hedgehog with so many little ponytails tied up.

“Jiujiu will surely grow up well.”

After Dad finished tying it, Jiujiu admired himself in the mirror. Perhaps he was used to his fluffy look before, so now that he had a new hairstyle, there was a strange sense of novelty.

He looked left and right, thinking this look was pretty good, clearly a very cool bird.

The next day, Shen Yijing took Jiujiu to the countryside and collected many dead branches, fallen leaves, and grass.

Jiujiu thought Dad wanted to play with him, so he cooperated fully throughout. After returning home, Shen Yijing carefully recalled the bird nests he had seen before and, relying on his memory, built one for Jiujiu.

At first, Jiujiu helped by carrying leaves, but then he realized that Dad just casually put the leaves he brought aside. Annoyed, he flapped his wings and flew away.

Mid-flight, he turned his head to look at his dad. It was still not too late to win back his good boy. As long as Dad called out “Jiujiu,” he would immediately fly back!

Overconfident in his flying skills, he twisted his body when he looked back and fell directly, wobbling on the lawn until he finally stood steady.

Jiujiu, who had scurried back, sat beside his dad, determined that this time he would be firm and absolutely would not help his dad carry leaves again. Dad simply didn’t respect Jiujiu’s hard work!

It wasn’t until Shen Yijing had made the basic shape of a bird’s nest and was adding leaves to it that Jiujiu hung on his wrist with his wing.

“Wow, Dad, are you making a nest for Jiujiu?”

“Yes, I am. I’ll make a nest for you and put it in our garden, so you won’t have to go out anymore.”

Shen Yijing didn’t think his little one had done anything wrong in the previous incident. He hadn’t pushed other birds away or stolen anyone’s things.

He even carefully considered that mischievous children might poke bird nests, so he found a high place for the nest, but still couldn’t prevent someone from poking him.

After much thought, Shen Yijing felt most at ease only if it was in his own backyard.

“Yay, Dad is great.”

“Wow, how can Jiujiu have such an amazing dad?”

As Shen Yijing continued working, he kept hearing Jiujiu praise him, fearing that his work wouldn’t be sturdy enough. He even used glue in some places to connect parts.

In fact, after last night, Shen Yijing began to feel a little guilty.

When he was at home, Jiujiu was content just being with him, staying on the pillow.

But he had to live at school, leaving Jiujiu at home. He was, after all, a bird, and his nature surely made him wish for a little nest of his own.

After the bird’s nest was finished, Shen Yijing and Jiujiu together placed it on the most suitable branch.

“Dad, it’s a bit hard.”

Hearing this, Shen Yijing brought some soft fabric and let Jiujiu put it under the nest himself.

“You can sleep in this little nest when you’re bored, but remember to come home when the weather is bad, okay?”

Jiujiu, lying there very content, poked his head out and nodded at his dad.

“Got it, got it. Don’t worry, Jiujiu is a bird who knows to run home when it rains.”

…

Last night, Mother Gu mentioned that matter to her husband. After so many years, there was no affection left between her and Gu Qian, only a vague memory of such a person.

She learned from her husband that Gu Qian’s biological parents had died in prison due to extremely bad behavior and malicious provocation.

Although those who harmed them eventually received legal punishment, the two of them could indeed never return.

Gu Qian also knew this news. Mrs. Huo had remained very dissatisfied with him over the years and often provoked him.

She used various things from when he was still in the family to mock Gu Qian, making him think he was not the young master he once was.

Growing up in such an environment, Mother Gu was not surprised that his thinking was extreme, but that was not a reason for him to harm Jiujiu.

Jiujiu was a little one who never went out alone, and besides being raised by Yijing, he had no great enmity with him.

At that time, Gu Qian used the excuse of needing to clear a beehive to bring such a long pole in.

After this incident, Mother Gu also remembered that she had indeed often seen that man near her home before. Thinking about it carefully, she felt that he might have been scouting the place back then.

She just hadn’t expected that person to be Gu Qian.

“If he dares to do that to Jiujiu today, he’ll dare to do that to Yijing tomorrow. I trust their school’s management, but on the way home…”

Father Gu was actually as worried as his wife. He immediately decided to have two more bodyguards accompany the person picking Yijing up from school, even if it was just for peace of mind.

“How is Yijing’s hand injury?”

Hearing her husband ask this, Mother Gu remembered what the doctor had said and gently shook her head, replying:

“The doctor said it would take at least two weeks, and he’d need to go back for dressing changes. The leaves were all burning, and Jiujiu fell from that high place. Yijing didn’t use anything, he just used his bare hands to dig Jiujiu out.”

“You know how deep the bond between Yijing and Jiujiu is. Plus, you said the fire was big, so he must have been worried Jiujiu would get burned.”

Just as she finished speaking, Shen Yijing walked in from outside. Mother Gu was surprised not to see Jiujiu with him and asked curiously.

“Where’s Jiujiu?”

“I built a little nest for him in the yard, and he’s lying in it now.”

Mother Gu had heard from the housekeeper that morning that Shen Yijing went to the countryside to collect branches and fallen leaves. She initially thought it was for their homework, but she didn’t expect him to be making a nest for Jiujiu.

Shen Yijing’s hand injury healed in less than a week, but a faint scar remained on the right side of his right pinky finger.

In his final year of high school, he studied very hard. Even during occasional monthly breaks, he was mostly doing practice problems or reviewing.

When Dad was at school, Jiujiu would stay home obediently and not cause trouble. No matter how late it was when Dad came home, Jiujiu would accompany him while he did his homework.

When Shen Yijing got tired from studying, he would see a little one dozing off by the desk. He would poke Jiujiu’s paw with the other end of his pen.

Jiujiu looked up, confused, and shook his head to wake himself up. Because he was so sleepy, his little voice became slurred.

“What are you doing, Dad?”

“If you’re sleepy, go take a nap first. I can do my homework by myself.”

“No, Jiujiu wants to stay with Dad. Dad, hurry up and finish. When you’re done, we’ll go to sleep. Go, Dad!”

Shen Yijing looked at his stubborn expression, then at the few unfinished test papers. Just as he was about to persuade him again, there was a knock on the room door.

“Come in.”

When the door opened, Mother Gu came in carrying a plate of sliced fruit and two glasses of milk, one large and one small.

“Eat something first before you continue. It’s almost eleven. You can sleep and write tomorrow.”

“Mom, I’m almost done. You can feed the fruit to Jiujiu.”

“Chirp!”

An indignant Jiujiu slapped the test paper with his paw. Shen Yijing quickly put down his pen and surrendered.

“Okay, okay, I’ll eat too.”

Shen Yijing held a small fork in his left hand, speared a piece of fruit, and fed it to Jiujiu. He held a larger fork in his right hand and ate himself. After eating the fruit, he drank some milk.

“You should get some rest early, remember to take care of yourself.”

As she carried things out, Gu Mu didn’t forget to turn her head and remind him.

“I know, Mom.”

Shen Yijing wasn’t originally such a hard-working person, but the study atmosphere in their class was just like that; even when queuing for food, they would still be holding something to read.

Everyone around them was studying hard. If he didn’t work hard, he would feel out of place, and he was even more afraid that if he relaxed a little, he wouldn’t be able to catch up with them.

By the time Shen Yijing finished the test papers he brought back, Jiujiu was already drowsy. Hearing his dad call him to bed, his two paws wobbled as he walked, as if he had drunk too much.

Before the Gaokao (China’s National College Entrance Exam), the last time Jiujiu saw his dad, he rubbed himself around his dad’s right hand, which was holding a pen, several times.

Jiujiu himself didn’t believe in this kind of thing before. If everything required divine protection, then effort would be useless.

But now it was different. Gu Mu had gone to worship Buddha twice before the Gaokao, praying for her child’s academic success. Even Jiujiu started to believe.

“How long has it been since you bathed? Are you uncomfortable?”

When Jiujiu heard this, his action of rubbing against his dad stiffened, his beady eyes widened. What on earth was his dad talking about?!

As a clean little fella, he basically bathed every day. How could he be uncomfortable?

“Dad, you stick with Jiujiu more, Jiujiu will bless you to be the top science student!”

Shen Yijing couldn’t help but curve his lips when he heard this. He lowered his head and rubbed his nose against Jiujiu’s fur. Jiujiu felt this action was a little ticklish and kept trying to dodge.

“Oh, Dad, you’re rubbing the wrong place, you need to rub with your hand.”

“Alright, then I’ll trouble my Jiujiu to bless me more.”

Shen Yijing wasn’t as optimistic as Jiujiu. There were many people smarter or more hardworking than him. Being the top science student was not that easy to achieve; it would be good enough to get into his desired university.

He had already put in enough effort, and Shen Yijing could calmly accept whatever results he got next.

But in front of Jiujiu, he didn’t want to disappoint the expectation that Jiujiu had rubbed against his palm and wrist for almost an hour before he left.

The day the Gaokao ended, the weather was very nice. It wasn’t particularly hot yet, but walking in the sun would make you sweat slightly.

Shen Yijing turned around and stared at the building where the examination hall was located, silently bidding farewell to his youth. Then he immediately started thinking about what food to bring back for his little fella.

After graduation, there was a high school gathering. Most of the girls wore dresses that were not allowed in their senior year, and some even wore light makeup.

Shen Yijing just casually picked out a loose, comfortable outfit from his wardrobe that was suitable for tucking his little fella inside.

Someone at the party ordered fruit wine and beer. Shen Yijing casually picked up a glass of fruit wine.

Jiujiu, curious about the color, took a sip when his dad wasn’t paying attention.

He didn’t taste anything with the first sip. Listening to his dad chatting with friends, he leaned over again and gulped down nearly half a glass.

Jiujiu couldn’t tell if it tasted good or not anymore. His mind was completely preoccupied with why his dad suddenly had to stand on his head, making him unable to stand steadily.

Shen Yijing had just finished chatting with his friends. When he looked back, he saw that a lot of wine was missing from his glass. He instinctively turned his head to look at Jiujiu, whose head was sticking out of his clothes pocket, shaking at a strange frequency.

“Did you sneak a drink?”

“Jiujiu didn’t, Jiujiu isn’t that kind of person, oh no, not that kind of bird.”

Although he was confused, he at least knew that he should argue when he made a mistake.

Shen Yijing outwardly looked like he believed him, but in reality, he just planned to talk about it slowly after they got home.

As the party was about to end, the class monitor called them over to take a photo together.

Shen Yijing told Jiujiu to remember to stick his head out, and Jiujiu was so happy that he even pulled out his wings. When they finished taking photos and were about to disperse, Jiujiu suddenly let out a strange cry.

“Oh, Dad, someone’s molesting the little fella!”

The little fella, who had playfully run out after the photo, flew onto Shen Yijing’s friend’s hand.

Although they were friends, the friend had only heard Shen Yijing mention his Jiujiu, so he instinctively rubbed him twice.

Round Jiujiu’s back and butt looked very rubbable. The friend didn’t miss any spot.

The man standing next to Huo Sitong saw this scene and walked over to take a look. Jiujiu, who had been standing there obediently, only complaining, instantly jumped up.

He flew in front of that bad man who appeared out of nowhere and scratched his face with his claws, drawing blood.

Then he stumbled and flew towards his dad. The pain sobered Jiujiu up, and he started complaining to his dad that it was that bad man again trying to pull out his feathers.

Last time, Shen Yijing planned to settle the score later, but he learned that the man had already left that place. This time, finding an opportunity, he first placed Jiujiu on his friend’s hand, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and walked towards him.

“Are you f***ing sick? If you have any dissatisfaction, come at me. Why do you always bully my bird?”

Shen Yijing grabbed Gu Qian by the neck and lifted him directly.

Most young people have a lot of temper, not to mention Shen Yijing’s patience with him had long reached its limit. He landed a punch on Gu Qian’s face.

Gu Qian coughed twice and dodged to the side. Huo Sitong screamed in fright when she saw this scene, crying and pulling Gu Qian up.

“Shen Yijing, if you dare to lay a hand on him again, I’ll call the police!”

Jiujiu also quickly flew over and pecked at his dad’s clothes. The weight on his arm made Shen Yijing more rational. He stood up and kicked Gu Qian’s face.

As he tidied his clothes, he stared down at Gu Qian.

“I won’t lay a hand on you now. There will be plenty of time in the future, we’ll take it slow.”

Jiujiu kept whimpering and saying he was in pain on the way home. His feathers usually couldn’t be pulled out by ordinary people.

Although no feathers were lost, it didn’t stop Jiujiu from feeling pain.

When Shen Yijing got home, he mentioned this to his mother. Gu Mu thought for a moment before telling him why Gu Qian didn’t dare to lay a hand on him.

“The Huo family is doing business with your maternal grandfather. Your maternal grandfather said that if the child they adopted dares to lay a hand on you again, he will stop doing business with them. He’s not happy if the younger generation isn’t harmonious.”

He could protect Shen Yijing, but Jiujiu was just a bird, and outwardly he looked very much like the kind sold at kindergarten entrances, two newly hatched chicks for five yuan.

Gu Qian didn’t dare to lay a hand on Shen Yijing, so the only one he could bully was Jiujiu.

Jiujiu, who had secretly drunk half a glass of wine, was now sound asleep. When Shen Yijing placed him on the pillow, he softly cursed him as a “stupid bird.”

Shen Yijing went to his dream university. After receiving the admission letter, Gu Mu also took him back to that temple to fulfill their vow.

He could live in the dorms from his freshman year. His mother bought a house near the university, and occasionally she would bring some fresh ingredients when she passed by.

Shen Yijing had learned to cook and had made his little fella much rounder. The burnt feathers had finally grown back.

After entering university, the thing Shen Yijing loved to do most was to sit on the bench under the biggest tree on campus and read. Jiujiu would sit on his shoulder, craning his neck to look over as well.

Huo Sitong also went to university, in the same city as Shen Yijing.

In their second year, Shen Yijing heard that Gu Qian had used Huo Sitong’s accumulated New Year’s money to start a business. When the Huo family found out, they discovered that the two had already been in a relationship for a long time.

Although the adoption procedures for Gu Qian were not under Huo Sitong’s parents’ names, such an absurd matter still directly angered Huo Sitong’s father into the hospital.

After Shen Yijing learned about this, he inquired about the business Gu Qian was doing. He then turned around, asked his father for a startup fund for a business, and began his own venture.

Perhaps it was a bad habit developed from Jiujiu, but Shen Yijing also unconsciously started to stroke Jiujiu’s head before every business negotiation.

Gu Qian initially planned to do online shopping. At that time, smartphones were gradually becoming popular in their country, but the online shopping platform was still a blank slate, with no completely reliable and trustworthy platforms emerging.

The one he started had already achieved some results, and Huo Sitong’s parents’ opposition was not as intense as it had been initially.

But then Shen Yijing also started doing the same thing, and he even contacted his friends whom he had grown up with.

Families like theirs generally encouraged their children to start their own businesses after becoming adults.

Shen Yijing’s best friend also happened to be very interested in the logistics industry.

However, unlike Shen Yijing, who started little by little, he asked his father for money and directly bought a logistics company that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

When Gu’s father learned of his plan, he felt that this industry would be very promising in the future. He sent all the computer talents from his company to help Shen Yijing.

Shen Yijing started slowly from the very beginning. Because there were professionals building the platform, and coupled with a very complete logistics industry, he quickly squeezed out the small businesses, making it impossible for them to stand.

With a best-in-class comparison, others who wanted to make a name for themselves in this industry had to do even better. In the end, several good platforms did emerge.

Gu Qian had already tasted the sweetness of success, so it was certainly difficult for him to give up at that time. Just then, Huo Sitong became pregnant, and the two got married.

For their daughter’s sake, Huo’s father and mother had to continue helping Gu Qian, selling off many things.

But in the end, because Gu Qian himself was reluctant to invest capital, he declared bankruptcy after three years of persistence.

By then, Shen Yijing had already graduated from university and become a new star in the business world. Although equally excellent shopping platforms appeared later, none could replace his position.

The logistics company his friend started was also the fastest logistics line in the country. Merchants on the platform received discounts when using this logistics, which also made consumers trust it more.

Shen Yijing, sitting in his office, was looking at documents. Meanwhile, on a swing bed in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Jiujiu was sitting with his paws crossed, watching a popular melodramatic TV show.

When it was time to leave work, Shen Yijing walked over and picked up Jiujiu. Jiujiu suddenly spoke:

“Daddy, Jiujiu wants to eat strawberries.”

“I’ll go buy some later.”

“Jiujiu wants to eat strawberries that Daddy grew himself.”

“Is there a difference?”

Shen Yijing didn’t quite understand. Growing his own would take a long time, while buying them directly from the store meant he could eat them immediately. Why did his little one want him to grow them?

“The TV show says that a daddy who loves you will grow them himself, and a daddy who is perfunctory will give money.”

Jiujiu stood there, flapping his little wings as he spoke, feeling that what he said made perfect sense, and even wanted to applaud himself.

“Why don’t you watch animated shows with proper guidance? You watch these things all day. I didn’t say I’d give you money, I said I’d take you to buy them.”

“Well, that’s barely acceptable, I guess.”

Today happened to be Shen Yijing’s birthday. As the driver drove home, he happened to see a familiar family being evicted from that villa area.

Huo Sitong, holding a small boy’s hand, looked ashen. Gu Qian was hunched over, smoking a cigarette. Her elderly parents were carrying luggage, still cursing the creditors for being heartless.

Shen Yijing told the car to slow down. As they passed by, he rolled down the car window.

He did everything very obviously, clearly intending to target Gu Qian, just to retaliate against him for always bullying his little one.

When Jiujiu saw the annoying man who had wanted to burn him and pull out his precious feathers, he rummaged out a coin he had painstakingly gotten from his dad.

He pushed it with his wing, throwing it in front of the male protagonist of this world.

The coin made a soft clink on the ground, just like the coin thrown in front of the male protagonist’s father after he achieved success in the original plot.

In the original plot, Gu Qian was still mocking Shen Yijing, saying that even if he was the biological child of the Gu family, he still couldn’t make a name for himself.

Jiujiu felt this grudge needed to be repaid, so he chirped at Gu Qian for a long time.

After going through that period of youthful recklessness, Gu Qian was not unaware of Shen Yijing’s targeting of him.

Even if he realized it, he was still powerless, only able to fall into the future Shen Yijing had already arranged.

He lowered his head and said nothing. His son stepped forward, picked up the coin, and happily bounced twice.

“Wow, Mom, look.”

Shen Yijing closed the car window and told the driver to go home. Jiujiu, who hadn’t chirped enough, still wasn’t giving up and craned his neck to look.

At home, Gu’s mother had started decorating long ago. As soon as they pushed open the door, there was a strong birthday atmosphere. Although Shen Yijing was almost thirty, Gu’s mother still put a birthday hat on his head.

She then took a smaller one and put it on Jiujiu’s head.

After dividing the cake, Jiujiu saw the portion placed in front of him, got some cream on his wing, flew over, and was about to smear it on his dad’s nose.

Under his dad’s surprised gaze, he flew back arrogantly.

Shen Yijing knew his little one loved the fruit on the cake, so he specially used a fork to feed it to his mouth.

During dinner that night, Gu’s mother brought up an old topic again.

“You’re not young anymore, when do you plan to get married?”

Shen Yijing didn’t avoid the question this time. Instead, he put down his chopsticks and began to think about how he should tell his mother about this.

“Yijing, tell Mom honestly, do you have a girlfriend outside, but you’re afraid to tell Mom because our two families have too big a gap? I’m not a prejudiced person, just tell me properly.”

Shen Yijing, who was about to explain, turned to look at Jiujiu sitting next to him when he heard this. Jiujiu covered his face with his wing.

Why look at Jiujiu! He didn’t know about melodramatic TV shows back then either; he just got addicted to them by watching with Grandma.

“Mom, I’ll tell you honestly, no. I simply don’t have any thoughts about that. I think being free and single is pretty good.”

“Even if you get married, it won’t hinder anything. When the time comes, I’ll hire a nanny for the child, or I’ll take care of them myself. Don’t you trust me?”

Gu’s mother saw that all her friends’ children were married, but her own son hadn’t even had a relationship. She had been so anxious lately that she couldn’t sleep.

“Mom, I’ve always known how important you are to me. If I really get married, then the child must grow up in a good family. This is a father’s responsibility.”

“I’m sure I can’t be a good father, nor can I be responsible for a child’s future, Mom, I…”

Whenever Shen Yijing brought up similar topics, even if he didn’t mean to, Mother Gu couldn’t help but recall the time he got lost as a child.

She still remembered the first time they met; the child’s initial impression was like a stray animal on the street that had been bullied many times, thus wary of humans.

“Never mind, never mind, you’re already an adult. Mom was just asking, not saying you absolutely have to get married. If you don’t want to, then don’t for now.”

When Mother Gu said this, it was tantamount to a tacit compromise.

She blamed herself for not noticing anything amiss back then, and for not being able to give her child a complete childhood.

Recently, she had read an article about psychology, which roughly stated that children who had unhappy childhoods would become one of two extremes when they grew up.

Either they would desperately crave a family, or they would resist family. Her child was perhaps the latter.

“Mom… I’m sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? It’s normal for you young people to have different ideas. Besides, don’t you still have Jiujiu? He’s much livelier than most children.”

Jiujiu, who had been shrinking his head, looked up again when he heard this, staring at Grandma with a slightly confused little head.

He felt that Grandma might be praising him, but he hadn’t actually been praised.

After that time, Mother Gu never brought up the matter again, and began traveling around with her husband.

When old and new eras transitioned, Father Gu didn’t have the energy to continue innovating, so he chose to sell the company as soon as he noticed a slight trend, and instead bought other fixed assets.

Later, when they got older, they returned to their hometown to settle down. Father Gu passed away relatively early. At the funeral, Jiujiu also wore a piece of white cloth on his head, according to their local custom.

Two months after Father Gu’s funeral, when Shen Yijing and Jiujiu went back to visit his mother, her eyesight was already poor; she couldn’t see in slightly dim places.

This time, Mother Gu held his hand and talked a lot, until late into the night, rambling on about how it was fine even if Shen Yijing didn’t get married.

Less than a year after Father Gu passed away, Mother Gu also left. When her body was being prepared, there was still a smile on her face. When the bedside table drawer was pulled open, the red envelopes she had prepared for Jiujiu and Shen Yijing for Chinese New Year could still be seen.

After his parents passed away, Shen Yijing rarely returned to his hometown except for ancestral worship. When his mother was still alive, she often invited a young girl from his aunt’s family to stay at their home.

He discovered that his cousin had good talent, so he taught her hand-in-hand, intending to hand over the company to her.

After all rights and assets were transferred, Shen Yijing also grew old. Long ago, he had hired a designer to design a retirement courtyard for himself.

Jiujiu, however, was still the same as when he first started: needing to be groomed daily, needing clothes changed, and needing to lie in his nest for a while.

When white-haired Shen Yijing walked with a cane,

If he walked a little faster, Jiujiu would have to fly up to his height and chirp loudly, scolding “Daddy is stupid.”

Shen Yijing passed away in his sleep one night at the age of one hundred and five. When he vaguely sensed his time was near, he was still thinking about whether his little one would have no one to cut his bread for him the next morning.

The next day, the butler discovered something amiss, and his cousin’s son came to handle the funeral.

Before coming, he had heard his mother instruct him to take the bird back and take good care of it. Unexpectedly, just as the coffin was about to be closed, Jiujiu also squeezed inside.

Just like many times in his life, he was accustomed to burrowing into his daddy’s clothes pocket.

This time, the little one didn’t have to worry about anyone reaching in to touch his bottom. It was just that this pocket wasn’t as warm as before, and Daddy wasn’t willing to get up and call him “good boy” again.

Jiujiu thought he would fall into a long sleep, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in his expensive little bed. The scene before him scared him so much that his feathers bristled.

“Oh no, Daddy, help!”

(Arc End)