Inside the Wen family,
The faltering sunlight quietly climbed on the translucent marble floor. On the coffee table in the living room, there was a vase with a bouquet of drooping and lackluster lilies. In the silent tranquility of the room, the sunlight was just right. However, at this overly quiet moment, a sharp and hoarse shout suddenly came from the direction of the study on the second floor.
“Impossible? I’ve raised him for twenty-three years, and now that I’m making such a small request, you dare to say I’m unreasonable!!!”
The study door was half-closed, and Mr. Wen sat behind the desk, frowning as he watched his wife, who was not far away, with an agitated expression. He seemed to want to console his wife, who always became extremely tense whenever this issue was brought up. He calmly said, “Don’t get so worked up. Let’s sit down and talk about it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. This is my decision!” Mrs. Wen Xu Lu said firmly and resolutely.
Hearing this, his brow furrowed even deeper. He calmly said, “Xiao Lu, since we both know that he’s not our biological son, we have no obligation to ask him to sacrifice his entire life’s happiness for the success of the Wen family. If our child doesn’t come back, we may not owe him anything, but… if our child does come back, we will not let him get involved with Wen’s family. Making such a hasty decision now, isn’t it too impulsive?”
Mrs. Wen, who usually appeared composed in the workplace, was initially stunned. Then, she put on a desolate smile as she said, “Impulsive? Wen Qingzhuang, you’re talking to me about his life, and you’re telling me I’m impulsive!”
“Do you know how our son has lived for these twenty-three years? Do you know if he eats well or dresses warmly every day? Do you know if he gets sick without anyone to accompany him? Do you know if he’s been beaten by his foster parents? All of these… Do you know?!” When she uttered the last sentence, Xu Lu’s entire expression twisted in near-collapse.
She shed tears, her trembling lips unable to be still, and her voice hoarse as she said, “All these years, whenever I see him, I think of… my baby, I think of… the way he obediently lay in my arms when he was born…”
Xu Lu raised her arm as if she were cradling that fragile little child in the curve of her arm, just like when she was pregnant for ten months, constantly wondering if her child would misbehave when he grew up and if her child would seek comfort in her arms when he was wronged, what the scene would be like when her child would call her “mom” for the first time… Thinking about those beautiful fantasies, her expression was filled with unprecedented tenderness.
However, in the next second, that tenderness on her face was completely overtaken by a ruthless expression. Her child was gone. The child she had only held once after giving birth in the delivery room, the child who was so fragile that the slightest touch could have been fatal, was gone due to a careless mistake.
He was so small, so small that if he accidentally fell to the ground, or if he got sick unintentionally, or if they forgot to vaccinate him once, his life would be in danger.
He was her flesh and blood, her child who she had given everything to bring into this world. But… but… but…
Gritting her teeth tightly, her face contorted, she shouted angrily at the man not far away, “I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead now if he’s in good condition or bad! My child, my child!!!”
As she turned her head, she saw the trophies arranged nearby due to ‘necessity,’ and remembered how she saw Wen Yichuan come back with a smile, presenting them with one beautiful and shining trophy after another.
At this moment, she rushed forward as if she had gone mad and overturned all the trophies with her hand.
Amidst the crashing sounds, numerous trophies fell to the ground, creating one crack after another, inflicting one wound after another.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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With a single sentence, Mr. Wen behind the desk fell silent. Seeing his beloved wife in such a state of breakdown and anguish, he walked over to her and lifted his hand, comforting her trembling back as he had done for years.
Feeling consolation from her husband, Xu Lu tightly grasped onto his clothes, crying in his arms to the point of almost fainting.
“My child, my child, where is he after all these twenty-three years? Where is he… sob…”
Noticing the increasing pain and despair of his wife in his embrace, Wen Qingzhuang closed his eyes with weariness and pain. He knew these were the things not related to that child.
For example, the mistake of swapping the babies at birth, the resentment and hatred directed at Wen Yichuan by Mrs. Wen over the past twenty years, their indifference and retaliation during these years towards him, and even the fact that he was expelled from this home to make Mrs. Wen less sad every day…
But in this world, some things were not simply a matter of right or wrong, black or white.
He also wished to have no resentment toward that outstanding child. Over the years, he had even thought of accepting Wen Yichuan as his own son, after repeated disappointments of not finding his own child. However, whenever he saw Wen Yichuan’s excellence, his confidence in front of the camera, and how his outstanding achievements influenced countless parents to choose the Wen family, a question would inevitably arise in his mind.
If their own child had grown up in the same environment, would he be even more outstanding than Wen Yichuan?
If their own child was experiencing hunger and hardship, even living at the bottom of society, being abused by foster parents, then why did Wen Yichuan deserve to enjoy all the convenience and glory brought by the Wen family?
Countless emotions conflicted within him, and countless possibilities surfaced, but he could never completely let go of his resentment toward that child. Even though he knew very well that he was also a victim of this mistake.
Many times, people are selfish.
Because they could only see the pain of their own fresh wounds, but could never see the old wounds of others slowly rotting and despaired.
Feeling the heartbreaking cries and overwhelming sadness of his wife, Wen Qingzhuang opened his mouth, closed his eyes, and finally said, “I… I promise you.”
If he had to choose between the two in this decision, he would still choose the woman in his arms, the one he loved. Even though he knew rationally that their choice would become a tremendous mistake in the future, humans were ultimately creatures governed by emotions.
…
After a long day outside, when Gu Weizhou returned home and was preparing for his life as a gardener nurturing the flowers of the motherland, his phone suddenly rang.
The caller was his mother.
His heart trembled slightly, and Gu Weizhou cautiously answered the call, “Hello, Mom…”
“I’ve told you not to call me Mom!” The cold and icy words interrupted Gu Weizhou’s unfinished sentence.
On the other end, Gu Weizhou’s expression became desolate, and he bit his lip with sadness. He lowered his gaze and said, “I’m sorry, it’s been a while, and I… forgot.”
Facing the voice of disappointment coming from the other end, Xu Lu’s icy expression remained unchanged on her face as she said, “Next Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m., table number 10 at Summer Restaurant. Dress formally and don’t embarrass Wen’s family in public.”
Gu Weizhou was taken aback. “This…”
“Just go if I tell you to go. Why do you have so much to say?” After saying this in an impatient command tone, she ended the call abruptly.
Hearing the continuous beeping sound from the receiver, Gu Weizhou sighed sadly. [Indeed, I’m just an adopted child.]
[You’re wrong. They didn’t adopt you, at most, they mistakenly took you in.]
Gu Weizhou felt a stab in his heart and looked at the setting sun in the sky. [If I call them now and come out to them, what do you think will happen?]
[No need to guess, they would definitely beat you mercilessly.]
After three seconds of silence. [Then I’ll wait until I’ve had enough fun before telling them. It would be too unfair to be beaten to death right now.]
After a pause, Gu Weizhou continued, [What if their biological son also comes out of the closet?]
[No need to guess, they would still beat you mercilessly.]
Gu Weizhou: … ▼_▼
Currently, the development of Wen’s family in W City has reached saturation. The ambitious couple wants to expand into City A, but it is extremely difficult to enter a new city and develop the market individually due to various factors.
After all, different cultural habits could lead to different solutions and failures, not to mention the obstacles from the local established enterprises. After all, no one likes others to share their own cake. Roughly speaking, to establish a solid foothold and fully develop, it would take nearly ten years.
Of course, there is a way to save these nearly ten years, and the best, fastest, and most reliable method is through a commercial marriage.
Wen Yichuan is the nominal successor of the Wen family, and this commercial marriage naturally sacrifices his personal happiness.
Thanks to Wen Yichuan’s reputation, when a well-established enterprise in City A heard about the news leaked from the Wen family, they directly approached Xu Lu and expressed their strong interest in Wen Yichuan’s future. They wanted to establish a connection with the Wen family. Faced with this offer of cooperation and social climbing, how could Xu Lu refuse?
Actually, if Wen Yichuan was still the same as before, this arranged marriage would be nothing to him. For Wen Yichuan, who had been desperate for his parents’ approval since he was a child, sacrificing a lifetime of happiness was just a small matter. The most important thing was to make his parents happy.
But now that Wen Yichuan had changed and become Gu Weizhou and Gu Weizhou only had eyes for handsome men with eight-pack abs, as for women, well, heh.
Forced to go on a blind date with a woman after a week, Gu Weizhou felt completely listless. He didn’t even have the motivation to prepare his gardener’s tools. He absentmindedly grabbed his keys and left the house.
After tidying up the dormitory, Yan Jingze casually bought something to eat and filled his stomach. He didn’t have much money on hand, so naturally, he opted for cheap food that could satisfy his hunger. Living a life of drinking cold water with steamed buns was something he had become accustomed to over the years.
Although W University is currently on vacation, there are still many students on campus, thanks to the presence of Wen Yichuan. After all, he was graduating this year, and if people don’t take a few more glances, they might not have a chance to see him in the future.
The day was nearing its end, and after finishing his meal, Yan Jingze had planned to stay quiet for a while and think about where to work part-time in a couple of days. But faced with the campus road, crowded with students and noisy conversations, he, who likes to be quiet, frowned and eventually shifted his gaze in a different direction.
He found himself on a path that not many people ventured into. Yan Jingze didn’t really know where it led, but he could only sense that he was straying further away as he walked. Eventually, he arrived at a small side gate to the south of W University campus.
Unlike the grand main gate and several prominent side gates, this small side gate was adjacent to a narrow and inconspicuous path, completely contrasting with the modern and refined city atmosphere. What separated these two worlds was a small iron gate chained shut.
Years of wind and being locked up had left the chain with patches of rust, and now exposed to the humid air it seemed as if it were an abandoned old man at the edge of the world, ignored by everyone.
Yan Jingze was actually quite satisfied with stumbling upon this desolate place. Just as he was thinking of finding a quiet and secluded spot to stay for a while, he unintentionally caught sight of a white silhouette in the nearby withered grass.
Slightly startled, he quickly fixed his gaze on it.
Is it him…?!
😭😭😭Thanks for the update…. Another long soulless day to spend before the next update.
Ahhh, I want to witness the abuse soon hshshs
Thank you for your translation! … in most switched-at-birth novels the parents either spoil their mistaken child to death or treat them terribly. Is there a middle option?
Ikr. In this case its ironic that the parents are just as scum as their actual child. When they knew n couldnt love him anymore they shouldve given him away to a family that would care about him. Though the new family would prob be less well off they’d at least not neglect him since they’d want the child. Reading about the mother’s breakdown made me feel so sry for of wen.
i cant help but feel aggrieved for the og.. (╥﹏╥) there’s no point in them wondering how their real son would’ve grown up because the switch has already happened… they should not resent wen yichuan for his achievements 😢 he worked hard too.. it’s normal for them to be upset but wen yichuan always tried his best 🥲 ah, why cant they just treat both of their children well 😭 og is not at fault.. thank you for the update!
Thank you for your translation 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
hhh i binged all the chapters late at night and now that there arent any im forced to sleep ;-;