Chapter 20: A New Family, A New Name

Song Wenbin hadn’t anticipated that simply asking for a name would bring the child to the brink of tears. The soft little one, with reddened eyes, looked on the verge of weeping, a sight few could endure.

Song Wenbin, for one, certainly couldn’t. He quickly began to coax, “Alright, alright, Xiang Chen it is. Xu Xiang Chen. Your uncle will register your household, and that will be your name.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Chen didn’t mind the surname change; he had wanted to change it for a long time. So, even with his eyes still red, a smile blossomed on his face.

Song Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief, patting Xiang Chen’s head. “From now on, you’ll follow your uncle and your brother…”

Xiang Chen nodded innocently. He felt a strong affinity for this man with a military bearing, and since this person had helped him, he was willing to be an obedient child.

Song Wenbin was about to add a few more words when a rumbling sound suddenly broke the silence. Song Wenbin froze, his gaze shifting to the source of the noise.

Xiang Chen instantly turned as red as a tomato, his chubby face flushed deep crimson, and his eyes, glistening with moisture, held a hint of grievance.

And why wouldn’t he feel wronged? His growling stomach had just exposed him, and now he’d lost face in front of others. While Xiang Chen might be young, even little ones cared about their dignity.

Xu Hengzhou, however, had no such qualms. He found Xiang Chen amusing, no matter the expression, always managing to make him laugh.

Thus, he bent over, chuckling in front of Xiang Chen, making the child’s eyes redden even further.

Song Wenbin cleared his throat, suppressing the laughter that threatened to erupt from his own throat. Mindful of Xiang Chen’s dignity, he quickly said, “I completely forgot, you haven’t eaten yet.

There’s nothing at home, so I’ll go to the mess hall and get you some food.” With that, he turned, intending to leave.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Chen forgot about his burning, embarrassed cheeks. He tugged at Song Wenbin’s sleeve, pleading, “Uncle, can you go check on Xiaohua? I’m afraid they’ll hit her…”

He knew his request might be pushing his luck, but he was genuinely worried about that little girl. She had spoken up for him earlier, and he couldn’t imagine how Cai Zhen would deal with her once the door closed. And Chen Fen, having been publicly shamed, likely wouldn’t go easy on Chen Xiaohua either.

Song Wenbin considered this for a moment, then asked, “The little girl who spoke up for you?”

Xiang Chen nodded. “Yes, her. She’s very good and sensible, she takes care of her little sister, and she’s always been kind to me…”

“Alright.” Song Wenbin knelt down and gently stroked Xiang Chen’s head. “Your uncle will go check on her. I won’t let them bully Xiaohua.”

Xiang Chen’s heart eased, and he instinctively pressed his lips together, forming a small smile. He had been taken away, escaping his misery, but Chen Xiaohua, who had helped him, was still in the Chen family.

If she suffered because of him, how could Xiang Chen not feel guilty?

***

As Song Wenbin went out to get food for Xiang Chen, he noticed several neighbors still gathered in the corridor, chatting. They all greeted him as he passed.

Song Wenbin exchanged a few words with them, then, under their curious gazes, knocked on Chen Guoliang’s door.

Cai Zhen opened the door, her expression already sour. Seeing that it was Song Wenbin, her face darkened even further.

“Director Song, do you need anything else?” Cai Zhen forced a smile, mindful of Song Wenbin’s status.

Leveraging his height, Song Wenbin subtly surveyed the small, cramped space of Chen Guoliang’s home.

Chen Guoliang was nowhere to be seen, and a curtain was drawn, suggesting he had gone into the inner room.

Two older girls were present: one was squatting by the dining table, eating steamed buns, while the other stood with a dark expression in the corner. Beside her was a smaller girl, likely the Xiaohua his little nephew had asked him to check on.

The little girl in the corner, whose face couldn’t be clearly seen, could be heard emitting soft sobs.

Song Wenbin’s face hardened as he turned to Cai Zhen. “My nephew’s head—you hit him, didn’t you?”

A flicker of panic crossed Cai Zhen’s eyes, and she hastily explained, “Director Song, this is all a misunderstanding…”

“I don’t care about misunderstandings,” Song Wenbin declared, adopting a confrontational stance. “I’m fond of children, and I detest families who hit them. My nephew is one thing, but if I ever find out you’re doing something like this again, I’ll call the public security directly!”

Song Wenbin’s words were carefully considered. Chen Xiaohua was Chen Guoliang’s biological child, so he couldn’t directly interfere in their family affairs.

If he simply told them not to bully the girl, the Chen family would resent him, and more likely than not, they would not only disregard his words but also vent their anger on Chen Xiaohua.

Therefore, Song Wenbin adopted a challenging posture, first mentioning Xiang Chen. This would make Cai Zhen believe he was seeking retribution for Xiang Chen and looking for leverage against their family, thus making them hesitant to hit the children casually.

As expected, Cai Zhen chuckled awkwardly. “Look at what you’re saying, we never hit our children. Those were just accidents.”

Song Wenbin cast a glance towards Chen Xiaohua. “What’s wrong with that child? Isn’t she crying?”

“She’s hungry, hungry,” Cai Zhen quickly explained. “The child didn’t eat enough, so she’s crying and fussing…”

Despite her words, Cai Zhen secretly glared at Chen Fen, signaling her to stop bullying Chen Xiaohua.

Chen Fen reluctantly moved aside, even giving Chen Xiaohua a shove.

Seeing that his primary objective was achieved and that saying more would be counterproductive, Song Wenbin added, “I’ll send the money and provisions over later. From now on, my child has no connection to your family.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Cai Zhen nodded repeatedly. As Song Wenbin prepared to leave, she called out to him, stammering, “Director Song, Dabao—no, your nephew is wearing our family’s clothes and shoes, isn’t he…?”

Unaware that Xiang Chen was only wearing a pair of Chen Xiaohua’s shoes, Song Wenbin frowned. “I’ll send them over tonight.”

Only then did Cai Zhen smile in satisfaction, happily seeing Song Wenbin off.

As soon as the door closed, Chen Fen grumbled discontentedly, “Mom, are we just going to let it go? And that little b*tch, I’m going to tear her mouth apart.”

Chen Xiaohua, still squatting in the corner, flinched. Chen Fen had literally been tearing at her mouth, pulling at the corners of her lips until the little girl was in too much pain to cry properly.

Chen Guoliang and Cai Zhen, angry that she had spoken up for an outsider, hadn’t intervened in Chen Fen’s torment. If Song Wenbin hadn’t arrived, Chen Fen would have continued to abuse her.

“Shut up,” Cai Zhen snapped, then pressed her ear to the door, afraid Song Wenbin might still be outside and hear them.

Once she was certain there was no sound from outside, Cai Zhen coaxed Chen Fen, “What else can we do? He’s the factory director! Besides…”

She glanced at the tightly drawn curtain and lowered her voice. “It’s probably for the best that the little thing is gone. Your mom will have a biological little brother for you now.”

Chen Fen didn’t want any brother; she wished her mother would never have another child. But she knew this wasn’t the time to speak her mind, so she pretended to agree. “Right, a biological little brother. Who needs that wild child?”

Cai Zhen had always disliked Xiang Chen. She had only kept him out of necessity, so she was actually quite pleased to see him go.

Moreover, the money and provisions used to ‘buy’ Xiang Chen had originally come from Old Lady Chen. Although they had repaid the money, the grain had yet to be returned.

Once Director Song brought it, they would keep the provisions. So much cornmeal—she could keep half and send the other half to her maiden family. How perfect!

Cai Zhen’s mind buzzed with calculations. She had even planned what to do with the clothes Xiang Chen was wearing. Good fabric, not a single patch.

If she gave it to her eldest brother’s son, Junjun, wouldn’t her sister-in-law be eternally grateful? And then, when her mother-in-law gave her extra allowances, she’d have nothing to say.

The only thing Cai Zhen regretted was the unfortunate timing of Director Song witnessing that scene. Otherwise, with such a significant connection, they might have even been able to form a family tie with Director Song.

If only she had known that ‘little thing’ had a factory director uncle, she would have treated him better. By now, they might have even recognized him as a godson or something. Ah, what a pity.

***

Separated by a wall, Xu Hengzhou was explaining to Xiang Chen on the Song family’s side how Song Wenbin came into the picture and how their new identities were established.

Xiang Chen listened, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, filled with profound admiration for Xu Hengzhou. The Male God was indeed worthy of his title; he could even sell human traffickers, find an uncle for himself, and bring Xiang Chen along for the ride.

“Lost in thought?” Xu Hengzhou, seeing his foolish, open-mouthed expression, chuckled and playfully flicked his nose.

Xiang Chen instinctively covered his nose with his hand, muttering muffledly, “You can’t flick it, or it’ll become a flat nose.”

“Little fool.” Xu Hengzhou scoffed. Seeing Xiang Chen covering his nose to prevent him from touching it, he reached out and ruffled his hair instead.

Xiang Chen only had two hands; he could protect one spot but not the other. He could only helplessly allow Xu Hengzhou to pat and ruffle him, as if he were a large toy.

“So, you’re my older brother now, right?” he asked Xu Hengzhou, tilting his small face upwards, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

To say Xiang Chen had no feelings for Xu Hengzhou would be a lie; otherwise, he wouldn’t have confessed his feelings back then.

However, given their current situation, he had no mind for such thoughts. Xu Hengzhou had already done him a great service by securing his identity, and Xiang Chen wasn’t that greedy.

Still, the thought of being close to the person he admired and loved filled his heart with joy.

Xu Hengzhou was about to mock him, saying he wasn’t so stupid as to have a brother like him, but seeing the anticipation in Xiang Chen’s eyes, he swallowed his words. He lowered his head and asked, “What else? Do you want to be my older brother?”

“No, no!” Xiang Chen was overjoyed. “You’re my brother, my older brother!”

Xiang Chen wasn’t exactly an only child. His stepmother had brought a son, a year older than him, into their family, and later gave birth to his father’s much younger son. So, he technically had both an older and a younger brother.

Initially, Xiang Chen had tried to get along with his new older brother, but that child shared his mother’s duplicitous nature.

In front of Xiang Chen’s father, he would act humble and like a good older brother. But behind his father’s back, he would bully Xiang Chen, call him motherless, and steal his things.

Xiang Chen was young then, naive, and foolishly confronted him directly. His father, however, was swayed by the mother and son’s facade, believing Xiang Chen was the troublemaker and refusing to believe his words.

Xiang Chen was furious. Later, when that person provoked him again, he directly fought him. Xiang Chen ended up with a scar on his head, but he also left the other person limping for several months, which he considered a form of revenge.

After that, Xiang Chen was taken in by his maternal grandparents. He grew increasingly disappointed with his father and no longer considered that family his own.

So, in essence, Xiang Chen was still an only child. Xu Hengzhou’s willingness to be his older brother was like a childhood wish that he had long given up on, suddenly coming true. The surprise was simply doubled!

“Brother, brother, brother, brother…” Xiang Chen circled Xu Hengzhou, laughing and calling out to him, like a playful puppy.

Xu Hengzhou was infected by his cheerful demeanor and laughed. “Are you a little chick? Cackling non-stop.”

Xiang Chen wasn’t offended by the teasing. He looked at Xu Hengzhou with crescent-shaped eyes, radiating pure happiness.

“Such a silly boy.” Xu Hengzhou couldn’t help but smile. “Do you remember what you said?”

“What did I say?” Xiang Chen asked.

Xu Hengzhou replied, “To be my little brother, listen to me, give me all the good food and fun things, and carry my school bag.”

Xiang Chen was speechless.

‘Can I take it back now?!’