ABOES 44: Going Somewhere

Just as the Chi family was getting ready to leave, Officer Wang hurried over. “Mr. Chi, wait a moment!”

The whole family stopped. Chi Ling asked, “Is there something else, Officer Wang?”

Officer Wang lifted the form in his hand and smiled. “Didn’t Yunxing say he wanted to change his name? He can now change it.”

Chi Yunxing’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Officer Wang nodded. “The policy’s changed. You don’t need to go back to transfer your household registration anymore. We can do it all here in the system, and update your name at the same time.”

“That’s great!” Tan Yao beamed and tugged Chi Yunxing’s hand. “Come on, Yunxing, let’s go change your name.”

“Mm.” Chi Yunxing nodded firmly.

Filling out the application and having the officers process it took just half an hour. He couldn’t get the updated ID card immediately, but he did receive a temporary one.

Staring at the new name on his ID, Chi Yunxing suddenly felt a sting in his eyes.

Chi Xiwen noticed and gave him a pat on the shoulder, pulling him into a half-hug with a grin. “Our little Yunxing is just like he was as a kid.”

Chi Yunxing blinked. “Huh?”

Chi Xiwen smirked. “Still a crybaby.”

Chi Ling and Tan Yao couldn’t hold back their laughter.

Chi Yunxing didn’t get mad at the teasing, he just blushed a bit with ears tinged red. He brushed off Chi Xiwen’s arm from his shoulder and took a small step to the side.

Chi Xiwen chuckled, chest vibrating with laughter, and leaned closer on purpose. “What’s this? Yunxing’s shy now?”

Chi Yunxing turned his head away, ignoring him.

Chi Xiwen kept at it. “Come on, haven’t I seen every version of you when you were little?”

“You are so annoying!” Tan Yao shot Chi Xiwen a glare, hurried over to take Chi Yunxing’s hand, and started walking off. “Let’s go, don’t bother with your brother. He’s just—”

Her voice faded as she led him away, but whatever she was saying about Chi Xiwen clearly wasn’t flattering. Not that he minded, he just smiled wider.

—

That evening, Tan Yao wanted Chi Yunxing to stay home and rest, but he insisted on going back to the hospital. After all, his grandma would be transferred to the sterile ward in a few days, and once she was in there, he wouldn’t be able to see her until after the surgery.

Tan Yao couldn’t persuade him and eventually gave up.

At the hospital, Chi Yunxing showed his updated ID card to Grandma Chi.

She was overjoyed and even showed it off to the nurse who had come to do rounds.

The nurse had gotten familiar with Chi Yunxing over the past few days. When she saw the card, she asked excitedly, “Wow, so is Ye Xinian going to be your stage name now?”

Chi Yunxing paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s all Chi Yunxing now.”

The nurse nodded in understanding, gave a few more reminders, and then left.

Thanks to the nurse’s question, Chi Yunxing realized he had completely forgotten something.

He pulled out his phone and opened Weibo.

When Yu Jun had spoken up for him, Xie Yi had asked if he wanted to post a response. He had agreed but hadn’t written much, just reassured everyone that he was doing well and thanked Yu Jun.

After that, he had been in the hospital and hadn’t touched Weibo.

Now, as soon as he opened the app, his phone started buzzing nonstop with notifications, mentions, and messages. He hadn’t been online for days, and fans were worried, flooding his inbox with questions.

Seeing their concern, Chi Yunxing felt a warm glow in his chest and couldn’t help but smile.

After thinking for a moment, he opened his camera, took a quick selfie, checked it over, and returned to Weibo.

He changed his username, then posted:

@ChiYunxing: Hello, everyone. From now on, it’s Chi Yunxing. Please take care of me going forward. [photo]

Thanks to the previous string of trending topics, his follower count had passed two million. In under thirty seconds, his post had already racked up tens of thousands of likes and shares.

Fans, who hadn’t seen him online in ages, were relieved to finally hear from him.

【Waaaah it’s Xinian!!!】

【Wait no—it’s Yunxing now!】

【OMG! Why the name change?】

【Did our baby find his real family?】

Chi Yunxing replied to one comment: 【Yep XD】

The fans were overjoyed.

【Aww, that’s amazing!】

【Hugging our Yunxing! So glad you found your family, I’m crying!】

【You changed your name so quickly, it must mean your family treats you really well!】

【Finally free from those horrible people. So happy for you!】

【Yunxing is such a pretty name!】

Feeling good, Chi Yunxing responded to another comment:

【It’s not a new name. This was always my real name.】

That made fans even more emotional.

【Hugging Yunxing】

【Damn those traffickers!】

【It’s okay now. You’ve got a family who loves and spoils you—and we’ll always be here too!】

【Okay this might not be the time, but Yunxing please post more selfies! You’re too handsome. I’m drooling.jpg】

【Same, girl. He’s so good-looking I’m obsessed.】

—

It’s rare for celebrities to change their stage names, but Chi Yunxing’s situation was unique. When netizens saw the change, their first thought was, “Good for him,” and they flooded in with supportive reposts.

As the buzz grew, media accounts also reposted it, and by nightfall, hashtags like #YeXinianNameChange and #ChiYunxing were trending.

Duan Zhiyan was on his way home from filming when he saw the post. The car was dark, the screen’s light flickering in his eyes like stars.

He smiled faintly and opened Chi Yunxing’s selfie.

After staring for a long moment, he held down on the photo and saved it. Then, he shared the post.

@DuanZhiyan: Hello, Yunxing.

He You, sitting nearby, noticed his smile and asked, “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

Duan Zhiyan hummed and said, “Yunxing transferred his household registration and officially changed his name.”

Chi Xiwen had texted him earlier in the day about it.

He You smiled too. “That’s great news,” Then he paused and asked, “What about his adoptive parents? What did the lawyer say?”

Duan Zhiyan’s expression darkened, his tone laced with disgust. “Our laws only allow three years.”

He You muttered, “They got off too easy.”

Duan Zhiyan nodded, but then added, “But the others won’t be so lucky.”

He You paused, then realized who he meant: Xia Huaiming and Song Jing.

“Any news from Auntie’s side?”

Duan Zhiyan’s eyes narrowed, a chill rising in their depths. “Yeah. We found evidence of financial fraud in their company. And it’s tied to a homicide case.”

He You froze. “A homicide?!”

Duan Zhiyan nodded. “Should be any day now. It’s close.”

—

The next morning, Chi Yunxing noticed that Duan Zhiyan had shared his post.

He smiled, then typed out a reply. When he got to the last two words, he felt a strange emotion—because typing was definitely easier than saying them out loud.

【Thank you, Zhiyan Ge.】

After sending the reply, he remembered what Xie Yi had suggested yesterday.

Should he really ask Duan Zhiyan for acting guidance?

He looked over at the script he’d already read dozens of times and felt torn.

Sure, they’d been close when they were kids but that was before he could even remember. Now, they weren’t that close and Duan Zhiyan was a huge star. Would he even have time to teach someone like him?

While he hesitated, Duan Zhiyan suddenly called.

They’d exchanged numbers when Duan Zhiyan visited the hospital. Not knowing why he was calling, Chi Yunxing still answered.

“Hello?”

The man on the other end chuckled softly, then said, “Not calling me ‘ge’ anymore?”

Heat rushed straight to Chi Yunxing’s face. He didn’t need a mirror to know he was bright red.

“I…” He choked up after one syllable.

Duan Zhiyan didn’t tease him further. He asked with a smile, “Yunxing, are you still at the hospital?”

Chi Yunxing, still flushed, replied, “Yeah.”

Duan Zhiyan said, “I’ll come pick you up. I want to take you to see something interesting.”

Chi Yunxing blinked. “What?”

“A live arrest.”