Chapter 44

The two crossed the street and walked to a Middle Eastern restaurant on the opposite side.

Yang Yunran didn’t want Jiang Yi to feel inferior. How could such a handsome guy have issues in that area? It was really heartbreaking. So Yang Yunran showed his trust in him: “It will definitely work out. How has the recent treatment been? The therapy cycle should be almost over.”

Jiang Yi just responded with an “Hmm,” but in truth, he hadn’t gone for treatment at all.

Yang Yunran intended to ask about the details of psychological therapy, but Jiang Yi changed the topic: “I’m going to New York in a few days.”

Yang Yunran asked, “What for?”

“An academic conference,” Jiang Yi listed a series of conference names, “Cell Biology Congress.”

Yang Yunran didn’t quite understand the significance, but it sounded impressive, so he praised him, “You’re amazing! You’re already attending academic conferences! In another ten years, are you going to win a Nobel Prize?”

Jiang Yi remained noncommittal.

Maybe it wouldn’t even take ten years.

Whenever academic conferences were mentioned, Yang Yunran would think of Professor Chen who attended the same conference in Hangzhou.

It had been so long… Why hadn’t Professor Chen contacted him yet?

Yang Yunran found it strange. A conference shouldn’t take more than half a month.

While he was in the restroom, he called Professor Chen. Professor Chen said, “Courier? I’m back, found it, but why is it so strange? A plastic bag and a piece of toilet paper?”

Yang Yunran said, “Inside is wrapped a few strands of hair, Uncle! That’s the hair of the person I accompanied to study abroad. I suspect he’s my father’s illegitimate child outside. Can you help me check?”

Professor Chen chuckled helplessly, “What? Hair from a study companion? I thought it was something surprising…”

Yang Yunran urged him to look quickly. From the phone came Professor Chen’s voice rummaging around, “Why can’t I find the hair? Yang Yang, are you sure you sent it?”

“I did!” Yang Yunran insisted. “Uncle, please look again.”

“I’ve looked, looked three times, nothing. Oh, wait! I know, maybe it was inspected and discarded by customs? Since you wrapped it in paper, it was probably inspected, and the hair got lost.”

“…That’s possible.”

Yang Yunran hadn’t considered that Professor Chen had already taken it for testing and kept it from him.

So he said, “Then I’ll send two more strands. Luckily, I have some here. Last time I plucked five from him… Or Uncle, could you send me my dad’s hair so I can test it!”

Professor Chen was momentarily speechless and cautiously said, “Baby, isn’t that unnecessary?”

“It is!! What if he really is my dad’s illegitimate child?”

“If he is… what do you plan to do?”

Yang Yunran thought for a moment about how to respond normally.

He said, “If he really is my father’s illegitimate child, I’ll ask my dad what’s going on.”

Professor Chen sighed, “By doing this, what about your mom? Your family will fall apart. You’ll be hurt too.”

“I won’t. Neither will they,” Yang Yunran said quietly. “It won’t fall apart.”

What he didn’t say was that only then would this family be complete. He would be the redundant one.

Yang Yunran had been on the phone for a long time and hung up when Jiang Yi came to find him.

Jiang Yi asked, “Who were you talking to? Twelve minutes.”

“With my uncle,” Yang Yunran said. “I went to the bathroom. Why were you timing me?”

“I was worried you’d run off with someone.”

“I was worried you’d run off with someone too.”

“I won’t,” Jiang Yi said.

“Then I definitely won’t either. Let’s eat; the bread is getting cold.”

The next day, Yang Yunran made a courier appointment and sent the hair again, unaware that Professor Chen had already contacted Zhao Youmo himself.

“Mr. Zhao, I’m Professor Chen from the Beijing Institute of Biological Sciences, specializing in genetics and data analysis. Our institute is researching a new DNA matching system to help kidnapped orphans find their biological parents. I obtained information about you from the police. When would it be convenient for you to return to China to provide a new sample?”

Just off work and feeling exhausted, Zhao Youmo sat up in bed.

He glanced at the number; it was from Beijing, not Myanmar.

“I might not be able to return to China recently,” Zhao Youmo said. “Shouldn’t the police have my sample?”

“It’s been over ten years since your last collection, and the records are no longer available,” Professor Chen said. “We need to collect a new biological sample from you, such as nails or hair.”

“Why suddenly ask for a collection? Is there… some clue about my parents…”

“We’ve expanded our database and want to collect more biological samples. Perhaps after this large-scale collection, we can find your biological parents.”

Zhao Youmo and Mo couldn’t leave their work here and go back to China—it was too far and too expensive. Zhao said, “Then I’ll send it to you.”

Professor Chen said, “The research is in a confidential stage, so please refrain from disclosing it to others…”

“I understand.”

Professor Chen continued, “By the way, you were found by the police when you were three years old. I want to ask again, do you really have no memory of your biological parents?”

“I don’t.” Zhao Youmo affirmed, “I can’t remember.”

Professor Chen pondered for a moment, then said goodbye and hung up.

This incident had been too long ago; Professor Chen had only found birth records from Renxin Hospital. He arranged for his subordinates to investigate one by one for over a month, but they only managed to collect partial samples.

If the child had been swapped, then the parents who had experienced the child’s disappearance were likely Yang Yunran’s biological parents.

But all of this was just speculation; Professor Chen couldn’t confirm it. He picked up the landline and called the cooperating hospital’s medical students, “When you collected samples from those newborns, did you encounter any cases where children went missing from a young age?”

They searched their records and replied, “Professor, there were no cases of children going missing, only some who died in accidents or car crashes.”

Professor Chen instructed, “Double-check again. This time, ask the parents on the list if their child went missing.”

Yang Yunran had no idea that Professor Chen was investigating these matters.

He was busy writing papers, though Jiang Yi’s help saved him a lot of effort, and his progress far exceeded that of his peers.

But he still had to write songs, do live broadcasts, and consider signing contracts. A person’s energy is limited. The assistant he hired took on two inexplicable advertisements without telling him until after receiving payment, which annoyed Yang Yunran.

Yang Yunran didn’t use that assistant again. He became busy once more. In addition, Zhou Kai was still contacting him, saying, “Teacher Ye Ye, if there’s anything in the contract that you’re not satisfied with, we can discuss it further.”

Yang Yunran showed the contract to the lawyer, who said there were no traps in the wording. Yang Yunran said, “Lawyer Lu, please help me revise a few clauses. I’ll send it directly to this company and see if it’s acceptable. First, I’ll only sign for songs, not for myself. I won’t agree to any activities I don’t like. The album and music authorization split of 37% is fine, 46% for ads is okay, and 46% for concerts is also fine. But for all contracts bearing my name, I must review them all and my consent is necessary. I demand the absolute right to be informed!”

Yang Yunran had previous experiences of being taken advantage of, so he ensured the contract was entirely beneficial to him. However, capitalists weren’t necessarily benevolent, and whether they would agree was uncertain.

The lawyer quickly had the contract revised and sent back to him. Yang Yunran transferred fifty thousand as a token of appreciation: “You’ve been helping me review contracts during this period; consider this a consulting fee.”

Lawyer Lu was the legal advisor for the Yang Liming Group, and assisting Yang Yunran with the contract revisions was purely a favor. Yang Yunran didn’t need to pay, as the firm received an annual four million agency fee from the group.

Thus, Yang Yunran’s payment was a move completely unexpected by the opposing lawyer.

Perhaps Young Master Yang didn’t mind the money, and the lawyer took the transfer without much thought.

After sending the contract to Zhou Kai, Yang Yunran calculated his income and expenses at home, figuring out how to sustain his expensive prosthetic eyes, which needed replacement every two years.

However, no matter how he calculated, it was a bit of a stretch. If there were advances in technology in the future and he couldn’t afford it, what would happen? Especially since Professor Chen had been so kind to him; the two pairs of prosthetic eyes would cost around ten million, and he hadn’t received them yet…

“I rely on selling song licenses, live streaming tips, and ads, but it’s not enough…”

He could only take limited ads; one endorsement was enough. Yang Yunran didn’t want to become a host selling goods through links in live broadcasts because he inherently valued integrity. He saw himself as a “musician,” a “singer,” not “that guy selling toilet paper.”

His anxiety was evident on his face.

Jiang Yi saw it when she returned home from the lab with groceries.

After Jiang Yi washed the vegetables and dried her hands, she approached him, asking, “What’s troubling you? Is it about your thesis?”

Yang Yunran sighed while sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

Of course, he couldn’t tell Jiang Yi that he might soon no longer be wealthy. Instead, he said, “I’m just thinking… should I sign a contract with that company?”

Jiang Yi bent down and tousled his hair. “What would happen if you did sign? And what if you didn’t? What’s bothering you?”

“If I sign, maybe… I won’t be as free anymore, have to be more obedient, and can’t do everything as I please. But I could earn more money.” Based on Yang Yunran’s personal experience, earning several times more than now was feasible, and with increased fame, more collaborations would follow.

Jiang Yi asked, “And if you don’t sign?”

Yang Yunran replied, “If I don’t… then things stay as they are now. I can casually write songs, sing online, sell a couple of packs of toilet paper…”

Jiang Yi looked him in the eyes. “You don’t want to sell toilet paper.”

Yang Yunran nodded. “Right, I don’t want to sell toilet paper. I want to hold concerts.”

Jiang Yi already knew his inner answer. “Then sign the contract, but make sure a lawyer checks it thoroughly.”

“I’ve already had a lawyer…” Yang Yunran stretched out his hand wearily, wanting to hug her. Jiang Yi bent down and embraced him, her hand resting on his lower back, gently stroking.

Yang Yunran’s gaze fell on the electronic contract displayed on his computer screen. “I’ve revised many clauses, but they haven’t responded yet.”

After carefully reviewing the contract on the computer screen, Zhou Kai sent it to Mr. Lin. “I’ve convinced Yang Yunran, but he proposed some amendments. Mr. Lin, please review them.”

After Mr. Lin finished reading, he replied, “It’s clear Ye Ye wants his opinions respected. He has no issues with the profit split.”

Zhou Kai said, “After all, he’s a super-rich second generation. Making a few million more each year, enough to buy a couple of cars probably doesn’t concern him.”

Mr. Lin said, “It only cost a million to settle. I have no issues with the contract. Tell him to go ahead and sign.”

Zhou Kai hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes, it was settled for just a million. I’ll handle the personal account.”

Lin: “Well, his boyfriend is quite greedy. Anyway, as long as he signs with me, that’s all that matters. Whether he wants to show his face or not doesn’t matter. The value of his talent is evident, and we won’t lose out on this contract.”

The contracts from both sides progressed quickly. Yang Yunran’s account was taken over, and soon Wanyan Entertainment gave him his first taste of success—a contract for two custom movie theme songs.

Together, these contracts amounted to nearly three million. The company didn’t take a single cent, which was already the price for a well-known singer. Yang Yunran was required to deliver studio versions of the songs by the end of the year.

Yang Yunran didn’t hesitate long before signing, although the styles for the two songs were quite different. One was for a romantic comedy, requiring a sweet song, something Yang Yunran could currently manage.

The other song was a youthful, heart-wrenching breakup song. He was shown the script, and the pressure on Yang Yunran was substantial.

Write a breakup song? How could he, who was currently in such a sweet romance, manage that?!

Whatever, making money was more important! If worst came to worst, he could hype up his past successes! Despite his young age, he had already released many albums, whereas Lin had over a hundred and eighty works. Even Ye Ye’s alter ego had only sung around twelve songs.

That night, Jiang Yi stayed over at Yang Yunran’s place.

Because he was leaving for New York the next day, Yang Yunran didn’t want him to go. He said he didn’t want to be separated for a week, held him tight, and fell asleep in his arms.

Jiang Yi carried him to bed, intending to leave after packing his bags at home and seeing Yang Yunran one last time before heading to the airport tomorrow.

However, because of the warmth and satisfaction of holding him close, Jiang Yi couldn’t bear to let go.

He was going to be away for almost a week.

Jiang Yi looked down at Yang Yunran’s peacefully sleeping face and felt that Professor Chen hadn’t been wrong—Yunran really was like a baby. Who wouldn’t find an adult like him adorable?

Even though he couldn’t say it out loud, he agreed in his heart. He held him for a long time, afraid of waking him up, and dared not move. Eventually, Jiang Yi fell asleep in this position on his bed.

Yang Yunran only discovered it when he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. In the dimness, half-asleep, he felt someone on the bed and was a bit confused. Leaning over Jiang Yi, he turned on the night light. Jiang Yi furrowed his brows slightly and opened his eyes.

Yang Yunran: “Jiang Yi…?” He quickly turned off the light. “Did I wake you up? I got up to use the bathroom and felt someone there. Why are you… here?”

Jiang Yi, still half-asleep, in a low, husky voice: “You fell asleep and held onto me, not letting go. I just fell asleep too. I’m sorry.” He was about to get out from under Yang Yunran’s covers. “Then I’ll go to the sofa.”

But Yang Yunran hugged his waist affectionately, feeling the taste of sleeping in each other’s arms. He murmured, “If you go to the sofa now, don’t climb into my bed in the future.”

Jiang Yi didn’t move.

In the darkness, neither could see the other’s expression. Yang Yunran was still drowsy, his hand lightly exploring under Jiang Yi’s clothes, feeling his warm and muscular waist.

Jiang Yi, half-awake, responded slightly, moving his hand to rest on top of Yang Yunran’s hand. He looked at him with eyes half-open, but Yang Yunran paid him no mind, falling asleep on his own. His breathing quickly became steady, his ear against his chest, his cheek very soft.

Jiang Yi was wide awake, devoid of sleepiness.