Chapter 17

Yang Yunran was only sad for a short while, unable to control his emotions. He reminded himself that Jiang Yi only seemed perfect and matched his preferences, but in reality, he wasn’t a perfect human being.

He was just a scumbag from a novel who starts something and then abandons it, someone who prefers wealth over poverty.

But even with these thoughts, Yang Yunran was still very sad. He wrinkled his nose to hold back tears, wiped his face, and looked up at Jiang Yi: “I’m not crying. I don’t like you anymore now. I hope you won’t regret it.”

Jiang Yi was speechless, especially when he saw Yang Yunran’s red-rimmed eyes. His heart ached, and he didn’t feel the relief he had expected from rejecting Yang Yunran’s pursuit.

Instead, he felt an increasing sense of unresolved anxiety and heartache. He wanted to tell him that they could still be “brothers” as before, but he couldn’t say it.

Then Yang Yunran stood up, his voice foggy, and began to instruct him: “This is Tylenol’s acetaminophen, take it every four to six hours. There’s also a cough suppressant; take some if you feel like coughing is unbearable. I’m a bit worried about you being home alone while you’re sick, so I’ll text you every four hours to check your temperature. If you don’t reply, I’ll contact your roommate.”

After saying this, Yang Yunran no longer looked at him. He lowered his head and organized the medicine and thermometer, placing them on Jiang Yi’s bedside table, filling a cup with water, and setting it on the nightstand.

Without looking back, he left.

Jiang Yi’s lips moved slightly.

Afterward, Yang Yunran found Jiang Yi’s Saudi roommate, Faisal, and exchanged contact information with him, saying, “Faisal, if you’re not going out today, could you please help me check on Evan’s condition? Thank you.”

Faisal agreed. Yang Yunran went downstairs and left without contacting Jimmy, instead taking a cab straight home.

Zhao Youmo happened to be coming back from walking his dog and saw Yang Yunran’s slightly pale face. Concerned, he asked, “What’s wrong with you? Roy, you don’t look well. Are you sick?”

“No…” Yang Yunran shook his head, squatted down to pet the dog, and asked, “What about you? How’s your offer?”

“Still… still hasn’t come through,” Zhao Youmo paused and said. “I got two or three offers, but not the ones I wanted. My undergraduate degree is from a second-tier non-elite school. Even though my GPA is high, it’s still very difficult to get into Harvard…”

Yang Yunran buried his head and said, “Then I’ll ask my uncle for help, and see if he can find someone to write you a recommendation letter.”

Zhao Youmo: “??!!”

He was incredulous, his mouth agape: “This, this… that’s too…”

“Really? Can you really do that? Thank you so much,” Zhao Youmo said.

Yang Yunran nodded. “It’s a small matter. I have to ask my uncle first. It might not work out, so don’t thank me just yet.”

Zhao Youmo replied, “No, it’s fine! Thank you, really, thank you.” He bowed to express his gratitude, but Yang Yunran, looking rather sad, didn’t notice.

Zhao Youmo asked, “Are you… okay? You seem upset.”

Yang Yunran responded, “No, I’m fine. How’s your dating situation? Have you confirmed any relationships?” He looked up at Zhao Youmo as he spoke.

Zhao Youmo shook his head. “I’ve been on a few dates… but nothing’s confirmed yet.”

Yang Yunran looked at Zhao Youmo and remembered from the novel that Jiang Yi would end up with this young man. Jiang Yi would not like him. Since he hadn’t finished the novel, he didn’t know who Zhao Youmo’s official partner was. Would it be Jiang Yi?

Yang Yunran’s expression grew sadder. Zhao Youmo was very handsome, with determined eyes and lips that made him look resolute and strong-willed. He was outstanding and smart and would inherit Yang Liming’s business in the future.

So, Jiang Yi liked this type?

Yang Yunran looked at him with a mix of daze and sadness. Zhao Youmo squatted down and said, “If you’re not feeling well, I can go out with you for a walk. How about we walk the dog together?”

Yang Yunran refused. “I want to be alone for a while. You should go home and study. I’ll do my best to help you with the recommendation letter.”

Yang Yunran waited until the evening, calling Professor Chen just as he was getting up.

He was straightforward: “My friend Zhao Youmo is an excellent student. He wants to apply for a graduate program at Harvard, but his first degree is from an average school. Uncle, do you know anyone who could help write a recommendation letter? It’s very important…”

“Zhao Youmo?” Professor Chen immediately remembered. “Is that the one you mentioned…?”

“Yes, the boy who looks like Dad.”

“Oh, him…” Professor Chen thought for a moment and agreed. He hesitated, having spoken less with Yang Yunran recently because the DNA test results for Yang Yunran and his sister Chen Fangzhou had come in.

The results were chilling!

Yang Yunran was not Chen Fangzhou’s biological child!

So who was Yang Yunran? Chen Fangzhou had definitely been pregnant and given birth all those years ago; there was no doubt about that.

Professor Chen has been busy investigating this matter over the past few days. He visited his sister’s house, subtly questioning her. Chen Fangzhou remembered the birth clearly: “The baby was premature. What was the name of that hospital again? Let me think…”

“… It seems to be benevolence. Birth certificate? Brother, why are you looking at this?” Chen Fangzhou asked.

Professor Chen replied, “The baby’s eye issue, I need to look at these documents, and also the preserved umbilical cord blood.”

Chen Fangzhou instructed the housekeeper to find the documents. “The umbilical cord blood is stored in a facility. I need my ID to retrieve it. I can call and have the blood bank deliver it. Brother, has there been a breakthrough in stem cell regeneration technology?”

Professor Chen responded, “It’s still in the research phase, but it will definitely be achievable in a few years. Do you have any photos from when the baby was younger? I’d like to see them.”

In the photos, young Yang Yunran looked almost identical to how he did now, his features were as if they were carved from the same mold. Even in his infancy, one could see the attractive features that he would grow into. He didn’t resemble Yang Liming and Chen Fangzhou, but he was exceptionally good-looking.

Since young Yang Yunran and the current Yang Yunran are the same person, how could the DNA not match?

This exceeded Professor Chen’s understanding of chromosomes as a biologist unless the child had been switched—

When did the swap happen?

Professor Chen didn’t know how to tell him; it was impossible to inform Yang Yunran of this matter. So, he casually asked him a couple of questions about his studies and quickly ended the call.

At ten in the evening, Yang Yunran sent a message to Jiang Yi:

“Has your fever gone down? How are you feeling now?”

Jiang Yi replied ten minutes later: “It’s gone down.”

Yang Yunran: “Show me the thermometer.”

Jiang Yi waited until his temperature dropped from 38°C to 37.2°C and then took a photo for Yang Yunran. His fever hadn’t completely subsided, but he didn’t want Yang Yunran to worry anymore.

His roommate had checked on him twice, and Jiang Yi, feeling groggy from the fever, stared at the words on his phone screen.

Yang Yunran replied: “Okay.”

Jiang Yi glanced at the time; it was 10:30 PM.

Jiang Yi typed: “Aren’t you sleeping?”

But Yang Yunran didn’t respond.

Half an hour later, still no response.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Yi woke up, restless. He measured his temperature, which had returned to normal.

He checked his phone for messages; Yang Yunran still hadn’t replied. Jiang Yi was a bit concerned about this but couldn’t find any reason to send a message to Yang Yunran.

Yang Yunran was no longer acting like he had in the past few days, where even if Jiang Yi didn’t respond, he would still send emojis, and morning and evening greetings, saying he missed him and wanted to come over for dinner.

Jiang Yi tossed his phone aside, hitting the headboard with the back of his head, producing a dull thud.

The next day, Jiang Yi had mostly recovered. He didn’t rush to the gym but went to the lab to check on his culture.

That entire day, Yang Yunran didn’t send him any messages, as if he had vanished from the world.

On the third day, the fourth day… for an entire week, it was the same.

Jiang Yi, worried that Yang Yunran might not be eating properly, sent him a message inviting him to lunch, but Yang Yunran didn’t reply.

Yang Yunran was busy attending classes and completing group assignments, and after class, he went to Chinatown with Jimmy. They passed by “Peach Garden.”

Jimmy said, “This place is pretty good. Want to eat here?”

Yang Yunran stared at the sign for a while. “Sure.”

The two of them entered the small restaurant. It was just about mealtime, and the place was already packed, but they didn’t have to wait for a table.

Yang Yunran started ordering food. Because his tastes remained unchanged, he unconsciously ordered the same dishes as last time.

He only realized this after he had finished ordering. Stunned for a moment, he handed the menu to Jimmy. “You order.”

Jimmy asked, “Do you want rice or fried rice?”

Yang Yunran replied, “Fried rice.”

Last time, Jiang Yi had ordered white rice, and he didn’t want the exact same dishes to appear before him again.

At the same time, in the lab building.

Ken and the other two members of the research team wanted to eat Chinese food prepared by Jiang Yi, but today Jiang Yi hadn’t brought anything. Jiang Yi was a PhD student at MIT, but he was also the postdoctoral advisor for the research team, which was quite rare since PhD students were the least experienced in the entire lab.

However, Jiang Yi had been in the lab for three years, and their supervisor, William, repeatedly recognized his academic talent and abilities, providing him with research resources.

The group decided to go for Chinese food and persuaded Jiang Yi, who hadn’t brought lunch, to join them. “Evan, it’s the weekend tomorrow. Don’t stay in the lab eating cookies!! Let’s go to Chinatown together!!”

It was about a three-mile drive, taking about ten minutes.

They found Peach Farm on Google and took Jiang Yi there, asking him, “What does Peach Farm mean in Chinese? How do you read the sign with those three characters?”

“Xiao Taoyuan, seafood restaurant,” Jiang Yi replied flatly, then bent over to enter the restaurant. Amid the small entrance and bustling atmosphere, Yang Yunran and Jimmy were sitting opposite each other at a small table, with several seafood dishes and two bottles of beer.

Jiang Yi paused, almost wanting to back out.

Ken, Alex, and Bella had already found a spot and called out to Jiang Yi, “Evan, help us translate the menu! Tell us what’s good.”

Jiang Yi murmured, “There’s English on the menu.”

Jiang Yi looked at Yang Yunran’s back. He was wearing a cute outfit, seemingly from a niche brand. The off-white jacket had a plush bear with a brown and red bow tie embroidered on the back.

Yang Yunran seemed to hear something and suddenly turned his head to look. Seeing that it was Jiang Yi, he quickly averted his gaze, coughed, and picked up his bowl.

“Hey?” Jimmy leaned over and whispered to Yang Yunran, “Isn’t that your ex-boyfriend who likes to act all high and mighty?”

Yang Yunran: “…”

Yang Yunran: “Why do you give people such nicknames? It’s very rude.”

Jimmy didn’t seem to realize the problem. When Yang Yunran had broken up with Jiang Yi, Jimmy was quite happy, ready to introduce someone new to him. But Yang Yunran had refused: “I’m not in the mood to meet anyone new unless he’s more handsome, smarter, and taller than my ex.”

Honestly, Jimmy had been looking for a long time but couldn’t find anyone suitable. There were more handsome guys than Jiang Yi, but after a closer look at their profiles, they all turned out to be idiots! Jiang Yi was a smart guy who had everything: looks, brains, and was about to graduate from MIT with a PhD at twenty-seven.

Now, seeing Jiang Yi sitting at the next table, Jimmy couldn’t help but exclaim, “Hey!”

He called out, “Roy, hey, isn’t that your boyfriend?”

Yang Yunran couldn’t lift his head in embarrassment.

He quickly used his bowl and chopsticks to cover his face. “What are you talking about? Keep your voice down!”

Jiang Yi had already looked over. His seemingly calm gaze fell on the two of them, lingering on Yang Yunran’s side profile. It looked like his hair had grown a bit longer, and his ears were awkwardly turning red.

Jimmy, with a cheeky grin, said to Jiang Yi, “Oh, I forgot, you’re not anymore. Sorry about that, ex-husband.”