The Perfect Relationship

Chapter 85: Yin Dong's Origins

Yin Chang was surprised. Didn't Yin Dong not have any siblings? How could he suddenly have a younger brother?

"These are things my little brother told me," said Xing Jianan as he lit a cigarette and slowly explained.

Yin Dong was raised by his adoptive parents because when his younger brother, Shao Rong, was born, their father died shortly after. Yin Dong's mother, a widow, couldn't afford to raise both of them and was heartless enough to send Yin Dong to live with a childless family in the same village. The family was afraid that the widow would regret her decision, so they moved to the city with Yin Dong and changed his name, completely cutting off all contact with the widow.

Yin Dong had a memory of being abandoned by his biological mother as a child, so he wasn't very outgoing and wasn't very close to his adoptive family. At the age of sixteen, he went to study acting in another city and rarely communicated with his family. Two years ago, when Yin Dong's adoptive mother was on her deathbed, she called him to her side and urged him to let go of the past and go see his biological mother.

But when Yin Dong went to look for her, he found out that she had already passed away. His younger brother had also suffered a tragic event, and Yin Dong was grieving for both of them. When he heard that he had a nephew living elsewhere, Yin Dong hired people to search for the boy's whereabouts.

Xing Jianan's little brother had heard about this and took the initiative to contact Yin Dong's people to inquire about it. He made several inquiries and confirmed Yin Dong's relationship with Shao Rong before dropping his guard and letting Yin Dong come to Haicheng to find Xing Jianan.

Although surprised, Yao Manhuai and Yin Chang didn't have doubts about this narration.

Yes, Yin Dong's "mother" had passed away two and a half years ago, and he had very little contact with his family. All the details checked out.

But they never expected that Shao Junling's background could be linked to such a big secret.

Even if this were revealed now, it would be a big breaking news story.

Xing Jianan flicked his ash and continued, "At first, Yin Dong sent his people to find me. I wasn't sure if I could trust him, so I met him in person... I'm the kind of person who believes in my intuition when I meet people. After meeting him, I felt he was trustworthy and told him where Shao Jun was. But he's a big star, and his identity is very sensitive. Once Shao Jun is associated with him, he might be followed by reporters. He was worried that the reporters might easily uncover this and all our efforts would be in vain."

Yin Chang suddenly understood why Yin Dong had gone to great lengths to conceal Shao Junling's true background.

He wasn't trying to maintain his own reputation, but to completely erase the dark past of Shao Junling, and prevent him from bearing the burden of unjust guilt and prejudice towards him. He wanted him to start a new life with a new identity.

Not just Yin Dong, Xing Jianan and the police officer who took him out of Shixi village were just ordinary people, but they had such kindness towards a criminal's child...

Yin Chang couldn't help but admire them. "Is that why you cancelled your phone number?" he asked Xing Jianan.

"Yes, Yin Dong wanted this matter to be known only to him, his private assistant, me and my little brother. I even applied to transfer to a different position. Although someone else helped take Shao Junling to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register, saying he was a vagrant found by a passerby, I made it up, and the reporters would still be able to find me if they wanted to."

Yao Manhuai sighed. No wonder they couldn't find any clues before.

Yin Chang suddenly asked, "Uncle Xing, did Shao Junling really wander around?"

Xing Jianan nodded, "Yes, after his parents died, no one took care of him. He stayed with a clerk in the village committee for a while, but the clerk was tough on him, so he ran away and lived on the streets for a month, eating leftover and rotten food from garbage cans. The experience traumatized him, and he became unsociable and bit everyone he met, causing the villagers to think he was crazy and avoid him like a plague. The incident was reported several times, and the authorities decided to send him to a mental hospital in town. But my little brother couldn't stand it and brought him home for a few days, then he called me for help. I was working at the Huating Town Police Station at that time, and there was a welfare home nearby. As long as the local Civil Affairs Bureau registered him as an unknown orphan, he could be sent there."

Listening to this story, Yin Chang felt suffocated.

"…Did you give him the name Shao Junling?" If it was just a random name given by the Civil Affairs Bureau, why did it happen to be the same surname as Shao, with two identical characters?

Xing Jianan smiled bitterly. "Yes, that boy had a reaction to the name 'Shao Jun.' Although he was only five years old at the time, he still had memories of what had happened, so we changed his identity and environment for him without changing his name. If we had just changed his name, it might have caused him identity confusion."

Yao Manhuai asked, "Is there still a chance for the paparazzi to find evidence Shao Junling was Shao Jun?"

"As for the paparazzi, they never came to me. As for my little brother..." Xing Jianan paused, then looked at them both. "I heard that their family has moved to Hushi City now. If the reporters only go to Shixi Village, they won't find them. If you're worried, I can make a call and ask." 

At this point, Yao Manhuai just wanted to feel completely at ease.

Xing Jianan didn't hesitate and dialed the man's number in front of them. He asked, "Ah Huang, has anyone been asking about Shao Jun recently? ... Oh, okay, nothing else... Oh!? Okay, got it." Giving a nod to Yao Manhuai and Yin Chang, Xing Jianan continued to chat with the other person for a few more minutes before saying, "Understood... Alright, bye."

Xing Jianan looked at Yao Manhuai and said, "He said no one has come to him, and that he took Yin Dong's money to cancel Shao Jun's hukou in his original hometown. Shao Jun has been missing from Shixi town for over four years, and do you know what that means?" He pointed his cigarette-encased finger at the table. "After four years, the court can declare a missing person dead. 'Shao Jun' has completely disappeared from this world. As long as my brothers and I don't disclose it, no one can prove that Shao Junling is Shao Jun. Looking like him and being the same age aren't evidence, just speculation. If someone comes out and spreads it, it's just rumors. Besides, Shao Junling is still a minor, so it's illegal to disclose his privacy."

Yao Manhuai breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this from Xing Jianan.

"However, I heard that Yin Dong planned to take Shao Jun overseas, and I didn't ask how he negotiated with people after he went to the welfare institution." Xing Jianan shook his head. "Your circle is too chaotic."

Yin Chang knew that Xing Jianan canceled his phone number after telling Yin Dong about Shao Junling's whereabouts. So he explained, "My father had been interacting with Shao Junling for over half a year in a father-son relationship. I heard that at first, Shao Junling was reluctant to accept his parenting..."

"I see," Xing Jianan finished his cigarette and threw it away. "He was probably scared of Yin Dong at first."

"Why was he scared?" Yin Chang was confused.

Xing Jianan said, "I saw Shao Rong's photo, and he looks a lot like Yin Dong. But Shao Rong had a tendency for domestic abuse, so Shao Junling probably has a psychological shadow toward his biological father. Naturally, he would be afraid of Yin Dong as well."

But no matter how scared and resistant he was, Yin Dong ultimately used his gentleness to win him over and open his heart.

"It's just you," Xing Jianan pointed at him and wondered. "You don't look like your father or Shao Jun at all."

Yin Chang: "..."

"I've watched your show, and you're pretty good to him. He's doing well now, which means it was good for me to have done what I did back then." Xing Jianan put away his lighter and cigarette box, "Alright, everything that needs to be said has been said. I'm just a small citizen. If there's nothing else, you don't have to come to me anymore. It's best for both of us if we pretend I don't exist."

Yin Chang and Yao Manhuai sincerely thanked Xing Jianan and left the teahouse.

On the way back, Yao Manhuai brought up how they should deal with paparazzi blackmail.

"Well, since Xing Jianan said so, we don't need to go to Shixi village ourselves. Going there will only make us more vulnerable and make the paparazzi think they have real evidence, which will make them even bolder in their demands," Yao Manhuai said.

"What should we do next? If we ignore it, the paparazzi might come up with some unfounded news that could harm Shao Junling..." Shao Junling was now active on Weibo. A few days ago, a netizen left a sincere comment on Yin Chang's Weibo saying they liked the two brothers, and Shao Junling showed this to him on his phone. "Just now, the detective said Shao Junling remembers his identity. If he sees this news online, he'll be upset."

Yao Manhuai turned her head and looked at him. "Do you not want Shao Junling to know that you found out his true identity?"

Yin Chang nodded. "Yes, I don't want him to have the burden."

Yao Manhuai asked him again, "But now that you know he's not your father's illegitimate child, do you still plan to share your wealth with him?"

Yin Chang was taken aback and nodded. "Well, since my father decided to adopt him, I believe I should share my inheritance with him."

However, when he had first learned of Shao Junling's true identity, Yin Chang had had mixed feelings.

After he had mistaken Shao Junling as Yin Dong's illegitimate child, he had felt depressed and wronged by his father's betrayal. 

Furthermore, Shao Junling had heard him talk about this more than once, yet he had never revealed the truth.

Thinking back, Yin Chang felt like Shao Junling had been holding out on him. 

But Xing Jianan's words today gave Yin Chang a glimpse of the trauma of his past experiences. Perhaps that was why he hadn't ever spoken up about it. What else was weighing him down?

Just then, Yao Manhuai suddenly said, "I think we should invite them out and talk to them."