ABOES 20: Paternity Test

The phone rang again and again, and just as it was about to be disconnected, Ye Xinian finally picked up and tapped the record button the moment he answered.

“Aiya, child, why are you only picking up now?” came Mother Ye’s complaining voice. “Why is it every time I call, it’s like this?”

Ye Xinian masked his emotions and replied in a steady voice, “I was busy.”

“Busy with what?” Mother Ye said, clearly dissatisfied. “What could you possibly be so busy with?”

Ye Xinian didn’t answer. Instead, he asked directly, “Did you call because something happened?”

There was a pause before Mother Ye replied, “Actually… It’s nothing serious. Your dad got a scam call today, and I wanted to check if you got one too.”

Ye Xinian’s eyes darkened, but he replied calmly, “A scam call? What did the scammer say?”

Mother Ye cleared her throat. “It wasn’t much. Just someone claiming to be from the police department, going on about some nonsense. Anyway, just be careful and don’t fall for it.”

Ye Xinian instantly realized: it must’ve been the Haishi Public Security Bureau calling his father. And the reason Mother Ye was now calling him was obvious— She was probing him.

They had sold him to Xia Huaiming for a million yuan as easily as flipping a switch. Now that he had become a celebrity and could potentially earn much more in the future, how could they possibly be willing to let go of such a money tree?

Thinking of this, Ye Xinian’s eyes flashed with coldness. “I haven’t gotten any scam calls. Is there anything else? If not, I have to get back to work.”

Mother Ye clearly relaxed a bit upon hearing that, but she still griped, “What work? Can’t even spare a minute to talk to your mother?”

Irritated, Ye Xinian frowned. “I’m hanging up.”

“Hey, wait!” Mother Ye panicked. “I haven’t finished talking!”

Ye Xinian gave a low hum, signaling that he was still listening.

Afraid he’d hang up again, Mother Ye rushed to say, “It’s like this. Didn’t you say recently you were going to wire us some money? It’s been days now, and we haven’t seen a cent.”

She added, “Sigh, you don’t know how tight things are for your dad and me. Your brother enrolled in an Olympiad math class this summer and even went to a summer camp, it’s costing us a fortune. And now your dad is working overtime every day just to earn a little extra…”

Ye Xinian’s voice remained unchanged. “That’s good. Overtime means more income.”

The light remark immediately blocked anything Mother Ye was about to say.

She choked for a moment, then said angrily, “Are you really that clueless, or are you pretending? I’m asking when you’re going to send the money. Can you really bear to watch your dad slaving away in this summer heat? I—”

“What’s there to feel bad about?” Ye Xinian interrupted with a cold laugh. “Didn’t you already get a million from Xia Huaiming? You spent it all already?”

Over two years of college, Ye Xinian’s part-time income—after setting aside what he owed Yu Jun and his own tuition and living expenses—had mostly gone to those two.

Even if those part-time earnings couldn’t cover the so-called “cost” of raising him, surely the one million from Xia Huaiming had paid that debt in full.

On the other end of the line, Mother Ye’s face changed instantly. “How do you know about that?”

As how it happened, Ye Xinian only found out thanks to Song Jing.

That night, amidst all the filthy sounds in the room, he clearly caught two sentences—

Song Jing, giggling. “Why do you have to marry Ye Xinian? Wouldn’t it be better to marry me?”

Xia Huaiming had just chuckled. “Are you kidding? Homecooked is never as exciting as the forbidden. Besides, I paid a million for Ye Xinian. I haven’t even had a proper taste yet, how could I just throw him away?”

Recalling this, Ye Xinian’s lips curled into a mocking smirk.

At the time, he even doubted himself, wondering if he would wrongly accuse those two.

But looking back now, it was clear: there was no way a family like the Ye family could’ve matched the Xia family. If not for that deal, why else would Xia Huaiming marry him?

He hadn’t wanted to believe it, because some part of him still held out hope for his adoptive parents.

But he hadn’t realized then… they weren’t even his biological parents.

“You really did sell me for a good price, huh?” Ye Xinian said coldly and hung up.

To prevent her from calling again, he blocked both of their numbers.

After that, Ye Xinian stared at the call log on his phone, finger hovering over the number from the previous night.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to hit “Call.”

His childhood family had left scars that ran too deep.

So when he was reborn, Ye Xinian had vowed, this life, he’d live for himself.

But fate was playing a cruel joke.

The people who had hurt him… weren’t even his real parents.

And now, his real parents—

He didn’t know what kind of people they were. He didn’t know why they’d kept searching for him for seventeen years.

Maybe, like Yu Jun said, they truly did love him.

And maybe… that was enough.

Ye Xinian finally made his decision and dialed the number for the Haishi police.

The call was answered quickly, and to his surprise, it was the same officer from the night before. Before Ye Xinian could even say who he was, the officer greeted him excitedly. “Is this Ye Xinian?”

Ye Xinian paused for a beat, then smiled faintly. “Yes, it’s me.”

“So, have you decided when you’ll come in?” the officer asked.

Ye Xinian hesitated briefly, then said, “I have one request. If you can agree to it, I can come in tomorrow.”

The officer, clearly pleased he was willing to cooperate, said warmly, “Tell me your request. As long as it’s within our power, we’ll do our best.”

“I… I don’t want to meet the Chi family right now. Would it be possible… to avoid them for now?”

This wasn’t an unusual request. The officer understood immediately. “It’s completely normal to have concerns before the results come in. Don’t worry, I’ll speak with the Chi family. You can come in at a separate time.”

Ye Xinian was deeply grateful. “Thank you so much.”

After confirming the time, he finally hung up, feeling as though a heavy weight had lifted from his chest.