Chapter 8

After replying to Xu Heng, Jiang Sixun locked his phone and set it aside. Casually, he asked Shang Zhiyi, “What time are you going over tomorrow? I can give you a ride.”

Shang Zhiyi looked up from the screen, realizing that her boss wasn’t on a call.

He suddenly looked over at her, as if waiting for an answer.

“Jiang, were you talking to me?”

Jiang Sixun nodded, “Yeah.”

Shang Zhiyi was sure Luna had told her the business trip was scheduled for Monday, so she was confused. “Where? Is it to meet with a client?” Maybe Luna had forgotten to inform her about a Saturday meeting.

Jiang Sixun suddenly wasn’t sure if Xu Heng’s family gathering had included her. If not, inviting her would make things awkward.

If Xu Heng’s family had invited her, they would’ve arranged a driver to pick her up.

Without saying more, he decided to drop it. “Never mind, I’ll go with Luna. It’s your first week; you should get some rest.”

So, it was a client meeting. Shang Zhiyi quickly said, “It’s fine. I’m not too tired from work.”

Jiang Sixun didn’t argue further and gestured for her to keep reviewing the materials.

Shang Zhiyi didn’t insist on going either and quietly immersed herself in the documents.

Before 5 o’clock, he let her leave early.

Shang Zhiyi glanced up, wanting to say she hadn’t finished reviewing, but when she saw him closing his laptop and preparing to leave, she held her words back.

Jiang Sixun walked around his desk and glanced at her screen. She’d only gone through about two-thirds of the material.

“You can finish it on the plane Monday. There’s plenty of time,” he said.

He stood right next to her, his fresh scent overwhelming her senses. His presence made her feel somewhat pressured, with his height adding to the intensity.

“Alright. I’ll head out, then.”

Jiang Sixun asked one more question, showing some concern: “How are things with Xu Heng’s family?”

Shang Zhiyi responded honestly, “Still getting to know them.”

“No rush, take your time. If you want to learn more about your parents or your brother, feel free to ask me.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said, feeling grateful.

As she left his office, Shang Zhiyi took a deep breath.

Some household items were running low, so she headed straight to the supermarket after leaving work.

On her way to the store, she received a call from Shang Tongxu, asking what time she’d be done with work.

Shang Tongxu had just returned from a nearby city. Xu Heng wasn’t very welcoming, and his wife had booked a flight in a fit of frustration to go on a trip.

She was returning on Sunday, but Shang Tongxu couldn’t leave without checking on his foster daughter first.

“Let me join you at the supermarket. You won’t be able to carry everything on your own.”

They agreed to meet up, grabbed a bite to eat, and then went shopping.

Strolling and chatting leisurely, it was almost 8 p.m. before they reached home.

Downstairs from her shared apartment, Xu Heng had been waiting in his car for almost three hours, hoping to surprise his daughter.

He was becoming quietly anxious, which He Yi’an noticed. “Why don’t you call Zhiyi and ask where she is? We can go pick her up.”

Xu Heng was full of patience for his daughter. “Let’s wait a little longer. It’s Friday, so maybe Zhiyi went out with friends. I don’t want to interrupt.”

He leaned back in his seat, gazing up at the apartment building where his daughter lived.

If she hadn’t been switched at birth, he would never have allowed her to live somewhere like this.

He Yi’an observed his silence. “What are you thinking about?”

“It’s hard to explain.” Xu Heng rubbed his nose. “Nothing much,” he said, then closed his eyes for a quick rest.

“Go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you when Zhiyi gets back,” He Yi’an said, draping his suit jacket over him.

Xu Heng rested his eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. His mind kept drifting to imagined scenes of Zhiyi growing up, vivid because he was picturing Xu Ningwei’s childhood, yet Zhiyi’s face remained blurry. He couldn’t quite recall what she looked like when she was one or two years old, calling out “Mom” and “Dad.”

After about half an hour, just as he was thinking about how they celebrated Zhiyi’s 10th birthday, He Yi’an gently patted his hand. “Wake up, Zhiyi’s back.”

Xu Heng’s eyes flew open. Before he could fully see, he was already reaching for the car door, but He Yi’an quickly pulled him back.

Confused, he looked at her, and she silently gestured toward the outside.

Xu Heng looked more closely and saw his daughter walking arm in arm with Shang Tongxu. Both of them carried shopping bags, and Shang Tongxu seemed to be giving her advice as they headed toward the apartment building.

He Yi’an let go of him and said, “Wait a bit longer.”

There wasn’t much to talk about if they went over now.

Xu Heng watched the harmonious father-daughter pair walk away. “Zhiyi hasn’t called me ‘Dad’ yet.”

He Yi’an sensed the sadness in his words and reassured him, “She’s not close to us yet. After more time, she’ll be as affectionate with you as she is with him.”

Xu Heng gave a self-deprecating smile and didn’t respond.

At that moment, a message came through on He Yi’an’s phone. It was from her secretary: [Ms. He, I’ve arranged meetings with Zhiyi’s elementary school homeroom teacher, her middle school class advisor, and the school’s vice-principal. They are the people who know Zhiyi the best. They all happen to be in New York right now. Other teachers are either back home or traveling for summer vacation, but I can arrange more meetings if needed.]

The secretary also provided the time and place for the meeting scheduled for the next afternoon.

He Yi’an instructed: [Sponsor a few projects at their school under my name.]

Secretary: [I’ll arrange it right away and send you the options for approval.]

He Yi’an: [Thank you.]

Meanwhile, Shang Tongxu, after putting down the groceries, didn’t linger long as he had to return to his hotel. He reminded Zhiyi to lock the door before hurrying downstairs.

Earlier, he had been so focused on talking to his daughter that he hadn’t noticed the two black cars parked by the side of the road. They seemed a bit out of place, and he glanced at them as he passed by, but thought nothing more of it.

When the two figures disappeared around the corner, Xu Xiangyi got out of the car and checked the time. It was already past nine. He didn’t want to go upstairs unannounced, so he called Shang Zhiyi.

“Zhiyi, your mom and I are downstairs. Is your roommate resting? Is it okay for us to come up?”

Shang Zhiyi was momentarily stunned but quickly replied, “My roommate isn’t home.”

Xu Xiangyi told her not to come down to greet them and hung up. He and his wife then made their way upstairs.

Shang Zhiyi, surprised by the unexpected visit, stood frozen for a moment before putting down her phone. She hurried to tidy up the living room, arranging the throw pillows neatly and carrying the newly bought items to the kitchen.

When the doorbell rang, she took a few seconds to compose herself before opening the door.

The moment they came face to face, all the emotions she had been bottling up surged to the surface, but she found it hard to say anything.

Xu Xiangyi gently asked, “Have you had dinner?”

“I have.”

Shang Zhiyi invited them in, poured them some water, and went to the kitchen to wash some fruit. Thankfully, she had bought fruit earlier at the supermarket; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been anything to offer them.

He Yi’an peeked into the kitchen and said warmly, “Zhiyi, you don’t need to go to any trouble.” She placed five or six women’s shopping bags on the sofa. She had picked out a few work outfits for her daughter.

Xu Xiangyi surveyed the rental apartment. The only compliment he could muster was that it was clean and tidy. The place was small, cramped, and lacked good lighting. Altogether, it was smaller than Xu Ningwei’s walk-in closet.

“Zhiyi, which room is yours?”

Shang Zhiyi turned off the tap and replied, “The one on your right.”

Xu Xiangyi stood in the doorway of the bedroom and took a glance inside. It was small but cozy, though a bit too cramped. A suitcase stood beside the desk, likely because there was no other place to store it.

He Yi’an, wanting to know more about her daughter, asked from the kitchen, “Mind if I take a look around your room? Is there anything you’d like to put away?”

She smiled and added, “You young people always have something private you don’t want your parents to know.”

“No, feel free to look around.”

He Yi’an was most interested in the simple bookshelf. The books and small decorations on it revealed her daughter’s interests.

She turned to her husband, “Come take a look.”

He Yi’an picked up one of Shang Zhiyi’s textbooks from the desk and flipped through it. The margins were filled with notes, and the bookmark was an old ticket stub from an F1 Grand Prix.

Xu Xiangyi didn’t care about these small details. He glanced around the room a few more times, estimating the square footage. It wasn’t even as big as one of their bathroom counters.

His gaze swept over the bookshelf and landed on a boarding pass. He picked it up — it was for the flight Shang Zhiyi had taken to New York recently. The seat number indicated it was an economy-class ticket.

He Yi’an had only read a few pages of the book when she noticed how quiet her husband had become. She turned to look at him and saw the boarding pass in his hand.

She opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t find the right words.

Xu Xiangyi remained silent, gently placing the boarding pass back where he had found it.

Shang Zhiyi finished washing the fruit, and they all returned to the living room to sit.

He Yi’an took the shopping bags from the sofa. She had chosen the sizes by eye. “I bought you a few work outfits while I was out shopping the other day. It’s not your usual style, but I think they’ll look good on you. I made the decision to buy them, so when you have time, try them on and see if they fit.”

After she finished speaking, she felt unsure whether her daughter would accept the clothes.

Shang Zhiyi looked at He Yi’an. No one had ever cared about her clothing preferences before. She didn’t refuse the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you, Mom.”

The word she hadn’t been able to say outside the office the other day finally came out.

She cared about He Yi’an, so how could she not care?

But their mother-daughter bond was too shallow.

That word, “Mom,” pierced He Yi’an’s heart like a needle, making her voice turn hoarse with emotion. “There’s no need to be so polite with your mother.” She took a moment to steady herself. “If anything doesn’t fit after you try it on, we can go together this weekend to exchange it.”

Xu Xiangyi had been waiting for her to call him “Dad,” but even by the time they left, she hadn’t.

Maybe the right moment just hadn’t come, he consoled himself.

Shang Zhiyi offered to walk them downstairs, but Xu Xiangyi wouldn’t allow it. He stopped her at the elevator. “We had planned for the three of us to have dinner together tonight. My fault for wanting to surprise you and not calling ahead.”

Shang Zhiyi suddenly thought of the two cars she’d seen parked by the road when she came back. “Did you wait a long time for me downstairs?”

Xu Xiangyi smiled and deflected the question. “We were busy working in the car, so it didn’t really feel like waiting. What about tomorrow night or the day after? Do you have time?”

Shang Zhiyi thought for a moment before nodding. “The day after tomorrow works.”

The elevator arrived, and the doors slowly opened. She waved goodbye. “Take care.”

Suddenly feeling reluctant to leave, He Yi’an stepped forward. “Give your mom a hug.”

They were about the same height, and He Yi’an wrapped her arms around her daughter.

Shang Zhiyi was instantly enveloped in the pleasant scent of perfume. She wanted to return the hug, but just like the last time, it was over too quickly. Before she could react, He Yi’an had already let go.

Back in the car downstairs, Xu Xiangyi glanced one more time at the apartment building, resisting the urge to smoke.

He Yi’an was still relishing the moment when her daughter called her “Mom,” a word that should have been spoken when she was just one year old, but had come nineteen years too late.

“We should…”

“Zhiyi flew…”

Both of them broke the silence at the same time.

He Yi’an said, “You go first.”

“Zhiyi had just been discharged from the hospital the day she flew back. Her body was still recovering, and I keep thinking about how she spent over twenty hours on a plane…”

Why had she bought an economy-class ticket? She probably didn’t feel comfortable spending Shang Tongxu’s money on a more expensive business-class ticket.

It had only been ten days since they learned about the mix-up, but it felt like an eternity to Xu Xiangyi.

He had lived half his life, but he had never felt time drag on so painfully.

“We have a home here, yet she can’t come back to it. Zhiyi is the type who won’t spend our money unless she feels a real connection with us. Without officially bringing her home, how can I ask her to come for dinner? And after dinner? Do we just send her back here? But this is her home.

“Yi’an,” he looked at his wife, “I’m sorry. I want to bring Zhiyi home as soon as possible. We’ve already missed twenty years with her, and I’m not young anymore. I don’t have many more twenty years to spend with her. Since I promised Ningwei, we’ll give her another month to adjust, but I plan to bring Zhiyi home in August.”

He Yi’an squeezed her husband’s hand. “How can you say sorry to me? She’s my daughter too. I was just about to tell you that we should bring Zhiyi home.”

Upstairs, by the window, Shang Zhiyi leaned out after opening it, watching the two cars downstairs drive off ten minutes later.

She took out the clothes they had brought for her. The styles and colors were unlike anything she had ever tried before, and the sizes for the tops and bottoms varied. She had never worn these high-end brands, but when she tried them on, they all surprisingly fit.

She carefully hung them up on hangers and put them away in her closet.

Her roommate wasn’t coming back tonight, so after taking a shower, she turned off the lights and went to bed.

But as she lay in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, she got up and started packing for her business trip next week. Standing in front of her closet, Shang Zhiyi unexpectedly thought of her boss’s dark purple shirt. To avoid clashing with his wardrobe again, she decided to stay away from bright colors when picking her outfits, especially purple and red.

—

The next day at 11:30 a.m., Jiang Sixun arrived at Xu Xiangyi’s mansion in Manhattan. Xu Heng was already there, his black SUV parked in the driveway.

Inside, the living room only had Xu Xiangyi and his son.

Xu Xiangyi warmly greeted, “Sixun, have a seat,” pointing to the sofa beside him.

Xu Heng sat lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed, casually flipping through a magazine. Hearing the greeting, he looked up and glanced behind Jiang Sixun. Seeing no one there, he returned to reading his magazine.

Xu Xiangyi’s second sentence was, “How is Zhiyi adjusting with you?”

“Not bad,” Jiang Sixun replied without hesitation, picking up a cup of tea. “Next week, Zhiyi will be traveling with me to London for a business trip.”

“Sixun’s here?” He Yi’an’s voice interrupted their conversation.

Descending the spiral staircase from the second floor were He Yi’an and Xu Ningwei.

Xu Ningwei sat down next to her father. “Trying on clothes is exhausting.”

It was her fifth outfit change. After the concert that night, guests seated in her section would have the chance to take photos with the singer backstage. To prepare for her photo op with her idol, she had tried on four haute couture dresses but wasn’t satisfied with any of them.

Her mother had said the outfit she was currently wearing was the most suitable — not the most stunning, but the best for photos, understated yet elegant.

“Dad, do you want to come with me to the concert? It’s going to be epic.”

Xu Xiangyi smiled. “I can’t appreciate it like you young people do.”

At that moment, the butler arrived to announce that dinner was ready. The chef had prepared a table full of dishes tailored to each person’s tastes.

Xu Heng said to the butler, “Not everyone’s here yet.”

The butler was confused. Wasn’t dinner for five?

No one had told her there would be any other guests.

Xu Ningwei, on the other hand, stared intently at her brother. Had they invited Shang Zhiyi back as well today?

As everyone’s curious eyes turned to him, Xu Heng closed his magazine. “Didn’t invite Zhiyi?”

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Xu Xiangyi stood up and said, “Let’s eat.”

He didn’t answer.

Xu Ningwei let out a sigh of relief and linked arms with He Yi’an as they headed to the dining room.

He Yi’an glanced at her husband’s back, suppressing the sadness welling up inside her.

Jiang Sixun and Xu Heng followed behind them. Jiang Sixun quietly asked, “Do you really not know she wasn’t invited, or are you pretending?”

Xu Heng didn’t answer but instead asked, “Did it hit my dad hard?”

Jiang Sixun replied, “More than you can imagine.”

Xu Heng responded, “I learned this skill of piercing my parents’ hearts from you.”

Jiang Sixun: “…”

The table was filled with delicacies, but Xu Xiangyi barely tasted any of it, struggling to swallow each bite.

During the meal, the conversation was entirely focused on that night’s concert. Whenever Xu Ningwei was home, the topic of conversation generally revolved around her.

Xu Ningwei turned to Xu Heng and asked, “Brother, can we go a little earlier?”

Xu Heng raised his eyes. “Why so early?”

“I want to check out the mall nearby. It’s been a while since I’ve gone shopping.”

Xu Heng was used to indulging his younger sister’s requests. “Alright.”

After a brief rest following the meal, Xu Ningwei went back to her room to get her bag and put on some jewelry.

Xu Xiangyi handed Jiang Sixun a cigarette. Jiang Sixun didn’t smoke often, but he accepted it, and the two of them headed outside to the garden.

Without saying much, Jiang Sixun broke the silence. “I’ll take good care of Zhiyi.”

Xu Xiangyi lit his cigarette but didn’t say much, giving Jiang Sixun a firm pat on the shoulder. Everything was understood without words.

Jiang Sixun seemed like he wanted to say something more but held back.

As smoke filled the air, Xu Xiangyi remained silent.

When they finished their cigarettes, Xu Ningwei had finished getting ready.

Before getting into the car, Xu Heng asked Jiang Sixun, “What’s Zhiyi’s English name?”

Jiang Sixun told him, then added another question, “If you were Uncle Xu, how would you choose?”

Xu Heng replied, “My opinion doesn’t carry much weight.” He was naturally indifferent, and emotional depth never factored into his decisions. “If it were me, I’d leave my hard-earned wealth to whoever I was willing to give it to.”

Jiang Sixun nodded, and the two of them got into their respective cars.

Soon after, Xu Ningwei came downstairs, opened the back door of her brother’s car, and got in.

The two cars drove away from the mansion, heading toward the mall where she often shopped.

Jiang Sixun had no interest in shopping, so he stayed in the car to wait for them.

Xu Heng accompanied his sister around half of the mall, but eventually, he grew tired and swiped his card to buy her about ten dresses at once before leaving.

Xu Ningwei left her mailing address and then chased after him. “Wait for me, brother.” She grabbed his arm and pleaded, “When I take pictures with my idol, make sure you take lots of good ones. Don’t just snap carelessly; you have to make sure I look pretty.”

Xu Heng regretted not bringing a photographer along.

As they exited the mall parking lot, the setting sun bathed the city in a golden glow as it slowly descended.

“Tonight, tens of thousands of people are here for the concert. Even though the parking lot is still a kilometer away from the venue, the roads are already completely jammed.

Jiang Sixun, feeling uninterested, gazed out of the car window. Suddenly, his eyes paused on something in the crowd. He grabbed his phone and found a number, dialing it.

The streets were bustling, and the ringing almost ended before the other side picked up.

Jiang Sixun rolled down the car window and asked over the phone, ‘Are you here for the concert?’

Shang Zhiyi’s first instinct was to turn and look for him. Just as their eyes met, a black SUV completely blocked her view of Jiang Sixun’s car, so she could no longer see him.

‘Yes. Are you here for the concert too, Mr. Jiang?’

Jiang Sixun replied, ‘Mm.’ He then asked what kind of ticket she had.

Shang Zhiyi told him, ‘Stadium seat.’

She didn’t ask what ticket he had, knowing it definitely wasn’t an ordinary one.

Soon after, the SUV moved away from his car, and she could once again see his rear window.

The car was moving slowly, no faster than her walking pace.

The two of them were separated by the crowd and a fence.

Looking at her from inside the car, Jiang Sixun spoke into the phone, ‘Wait for me at the ticket gate.’