ABOES 32: Family Reunion

Ye Xinian turned around and saw a woman standing not far away.

She was wearing a fitted dress and looked quite young. His gaze slowly moved upward until it met her reddened eyes. At a closer look, he found her features oddly familiar.

At first, Ye Xinian couldn’t be sure who she was, but the moment he saw Chi Xiwen standing beside her, he instantly realized her identity.

Tan Yao, his biological mother.

His heart suddenly began racing. He’s so nervous he couldn’t help but take a small step back.

Tan Yao noticed the movement and bit her lip, not daring to come closer.

Chi Xiwen was looking at him too. His lips moved as if wanting to say something, but in the end, like Tan Yao, he only softly called out, “Xinian.”

Xie Yi and Chu Wen had gotten out of the car together and arrived just in time to witness this scene.

Xie Yi paused when she saw Chi Xiwen. She was about to greet him but quickly picked up on something unusual.

Chu Wen was even more confused. He was just a minor artist at the company, but even he recognized Chi Xiwen. Why on earth was the company president at the police station?

Just as Chu Wen hesitated on whether to say hello, Xie Yi tugged on his arm and whispered, “Let’s go in first.”

Their thoughtfulness and quiet retreat gave Ye Xinian a moment to breathe and slightly ease his tension.

Tan Yao stared at him for a few seconds. She wanted to speak, but as soon as the words reached her lips, tears fell from her eyes.

Ye Xinian stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do.

Originally, the Chi family had planned to visit Ye Xinian at his apartment, but before they even got there, Officer Wang had called them.

That was when they found out Ye Xinian’s adoptive parents had taken a group of people to his apartment to stir up trouble.

They were furious. Chi Xiwen was especially livid, grabbing his phone and ready to call the company’s security team.

But Chi Ling stayed calm. He stopped Chi Xiwen, asked Officer Wang about Xinian’s condition, and after confirming he was safe and that the police were en route, he had their driver rerouted to the police station.

If before they had only suspected Ye Xinian didn’t have it easy, now they were almost certain of it.

Tan Yao pulled out her phone and opened the livestream.

The moment she entered, she heard Ye Xinian’s words. “Who among our neighbors doesn’t know I grew up begging for food door to door?”

The three people in the car fell silent.

Tan Yao’s tears started falling uncontrollably, landing on the phone screen.

“Begging…” Her voice trembled. “They wouldn’t even give him a hot meal?”

No one answered. The air in the car grew suffocating. The livestream continued. With every word Ye Xinian said, their faces grew darker.

When Tan Yao heard him mention “basement,” her tears broke loose.

“A basement…?” she whispered, covering her mouth. “How could they let him live in a basement?”

Chi Xiwen buried his face in his hands. He wanted to speak, but no words came out.

It felt like a stone lodged in all their throats.

Then the stream cut off.

Tan Yao’s eyes were swollen from crying.

Chi Ling handed her a tissue.

After a while, he quietly said, “Don’t cry. Don’t worry. They’ll pay for what they did.”

No one said anything else during the ride. Only Tan Yao’s quiet sobs echoed in the car.

Once they arrived, Chi Ling immediately went to find Officer Wang and contacted the company’s legal team.

Chi Xiwen stayed behind. Tan Yao wanted to wait for Ye Xinian at the entrance, so he stood beside her under the burning sun.

The summer heat was intense, and before long, both were drenched in sweat.

Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long. A line of police cars pulled up.

It was the first time Tan Yao had seen Ye Xinian up close. The moment their eyes met, seeing so much of herself in him, her barely composed emotions shattered again.

“Xinian,” she said after gathering herself. “I’m—”

“You little bastard! You think you’re all grown up now, huh? You ungrateful brat!”

A furious male voice cut her off.

Ye Xinian’s adoptive father and mother were being escorted by police. When his adoptive father saw him, he exploded with rage, cursing loudly.

“I wasn’t good to you? And now you have the guts to call the cops on me, you little shit?! You wanna see what I’ll do to you—”

Bang—

Before he could finish, his body flew backward from a kick, slamming into the stairs with a loud crack of bone.

He howled in pain.

The sudden outburst stunned the nearby officers, who didn’t have time to react before another couple of kicks landed hard on the man.

The beatings left him crumpled on the ground.

“What are you doing?!” Mother Ye shouted, trying to rush forward. But she froze the moment she met Chi Ling’s furious eyes.

A chill ran down her spine.

Chi Ling’s gaze remained icy as he looked her over. “I don’t hit women. But if you curse my son again—” He cracked his knuckles and chuckled coldly. “I can’t hit you, but others can.”

There was too much meaning in that line. Mother Ye took a moment to understand what he meant. She pointed a trembling finger at him. “You… you are—?”

Chi Ling didn’t answer.

But at that moment, she realized why Ye Xinian had been so calm calling the police. He already knew he wasn’t their biological child. He had already found his real family!

Which meant… the police call they got before had been real too. What else had the police found out?

Ye Xinian had accused them of child trafficking… Would they really go to prison?

Her face turned ghostly pale.

Her mind spun in panic. No—they couldn’t admit to anything. They had to say they adopted him. As long as the police had no hard evidence, they’d be fine.

Father Ye, who’d been lying on the ground, was dragged up by the police. Officer Wang looked at the bruises on his face and considered saying something, but in the end, he stayed silent.

If someone had stolen and abused his child for years, he’d beat the hell out of them too. Maybe even worse than Chi Ling did.

Still mouthing off, the adoptive father tried again.

“You fucking hit me? You think I won’t fight back?”

Chi Ling’s expression darkened and stepped forward again but Chi Xiwen held him back.

“Dad, forget it.”

“Oh? Scared now?” the man sneered. “Come on, hit me again if you dare. Think the cops won’t side with me? He’s my son, what’s it to you?!”

Chi Ling’s face went cold. “Who said he’s your son?”

The man blinked in confusion, having missed the earlier conversation. “What do you mean?”

Officer Wang stepped in. “That’s enough. Let’s get them inside first.”

The two were led away without further struggle.

Officer Wang turned to the four still at the entrance. “Let’s all go in.”

Chi Ling finally turned to Ye Xinian.

He looked almost identical to Chi Xiwen, as if carved from the same mold.

Meeting Ye Xinian’s eyes, his own gaze softened. A smile formed, gentle and apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Xinian,” he said, voice slightly trembling. “We let you suffer all these years.”

Ye Xinian’s throat tightened. His jaw clenched, and before he could stop it, tears fell. He lowered his head in panic to hide it.

That was when he realized, maybe he wasn’t as strong as he thought.

Tan Yao couldn’t hold back anymore. She stepped forward and reached for his hand, but halfway through, changed it to gently tugging on his sleeve.

“I’m sorry, Xinian. It’s our fault…” Her voice cracked with sobs. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry… it’s my fault…”

“If only I had found you sooner… I’m really sorry…”

Chi Xiwen’s eyes were red too, but he smiled and said softly, “Xinian, come with us inside.”

He gently rested his hand on Ye Xinian’s shoulder. Ye Xinian didn’t resist. He simply wiped away his tears and nodded faintly.

Chi Xiwen’s heart stirred, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on his brother’s shoulder.

Chi Ling, walking a step behind, caught the scene.

And for the first time in years, the man who rarely smiled, allowed a warm, gentle smile to appear on his face.

How wonderful.