Chapter 1: The Adopted Son Turned Out to Be Her White Moonlight and Her Son!

1996.
February 4.

Lin Jianxue died from complications related to AIDS.

That day happened to be Lichun—the beginning of spring.

In a sanatorium on the outskirts of Beijing, the spring chill still lingered. Lin Jianxue lay on her hospital bed, barely breathing.

“Nurse, I’m not going to make it. Can you help me make a call? I want Jiang Chen to come see me.”

“Jiang Chen is my son. He’s a student at Jingda University, the president of the student council.”

“It’s a short ride, only an hour…”

The nurse cast a disdainful glance at the dying woman on the bed.

This woman had AIDS.

Now that the complications were taking her life, it was no surprise. She must’ve been promiscuous to catch such a filthy disease. No wonder neither her husband nor her son had visited her after she was admitted. Likely too ashamed of her.

None of the nurses wanted to care for her either. The only reason this older nurse agreed was because she couldn’t find better work.

Even in daily care, she was rough and impatient.

Now seeing Lin Jianxue on the verge of death, she finally showed a rare moment of pity. “Fine, I’ll make the call. But if he doesn’t answer, that’s not my problem.”

A while later, the old nurse returned with the landline phone.

But it wasn’t Jiang Chen who answered—it was Jiang Yuning.

Jiang Yuning was Jiang Chen’s aunt, the younger sister of Lin Jianxue’s ex-husband, Jiang Yubai.

“Hello? Lin Jianxue, what do you want with Jiang Chen?”

Lin Jianxue pleaded, “I’m dying, Yuning. Can you ask Jiang Chen to come see me? I miss him so much…”

She had been married to Jiang Yubai for years, but never had children. The doctor said she was born with a cold womb and poor blood circulation—conception was nearly impossible. So Jiang Yubai suggested they adopt a relative’s orphaned child from the countryside.

From that moment on, Lin Jianxue poured her whole heart into raising Jiang Chen as if he were her own. Even during the divorce, she gave up all assets just to gain custody of him.

She spent every last cent on tutors, food, clothes—never letting the boy suffer.

Right after Jiang Chen got into Jingda, Lin Jianxue inexplicably contracted AIDS. Jiang Chen contacted Jiang Yubai—now a wealthy businessman—to try and get help for her treatment.

Once father and son reconnected, their bond rekindled. Jiang Chen began to visit less and less.

Whenever she called, he brushed her off, claiming he was too busy with school.

Last week, sensing the end was near, she begged him to visit. Instead, he scolded her harshly—accused her of irresponsibility for wanting him to risk infection.

When she tried to explain, he lashed out with worse insults, accusing her of sleeping around and bringing shame to his name.

Her heart, once full of love for him, had already been crushed by his cruelty.

But even so, as she lay dying, she clung to one last hope—that the boy she raised would come see her one last time.

Jiang Yuning said coldly, “Since you’re dying anyway, let me tell you the truth.”

“…What?”

Her voice was laced with unease. Something felt off.

Jiang Yuning spoke smugly, “Jiang Chen isn’t your son. He’s mine—and Yubai’s. And he’s known this for a long time. That’s why he’ll never come see you!”

“Thank you, Lin Jianxue, for raising my son all these years. Today is both my engagement to Yubai and the day his company goes public. Finally, the three of us can live as a real family.”

Lin Jianxue’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her hand clenched the phone, knuckles pale: “What nonsense are you spouting? Aren’t you and Jiang Yubai siblings?”

Jiang Yubai’s mother had worked as a maid in her family home. Every summer and winter break, he would come by to help.

Eventually, they fell in love.

She even helped arrange a job for his “sister” Jiang Yuning.

Sometimes, Jiang Yubai even brought Yuning along on their dates.

Jiang Yuning laughed. “You’re so stupid. Yubai and I were never siblings. We just come from the same village and happen to share a surname. We grew up together. He married you for me—because I wanted a city household registration.”

“You were just a stepping stone for us to climb higher.”

Lin Jianxue was shaking with fury. Her voice rasped: “You… you two—!”

Perhaps sensing her rising anger, Jiang Yuning sounded even more pleased.

“Do you want to know why you couldn’t get pregnant? It wasn’t just your condition. Yubai was drugging your tea, making your body too weak to conceive. In fact, after I got pregnant with Jiang Chen, he secretly got a vasectomy!”

“He told me, ‘I only want children with you. No one else is worthy of bearing my child.’”

“Oh, and don’t you wonder how you got AIDS?”

“It was Jiang Chen who injected you—with infected blood, on Yubai’s orders. He was hesitant at first, but once we showed him the DNA test proving I’m his real mother, and promised him the company’s future, he agreed.”

“We are the real family. You, Lin Jianxue, are nothing but a joke. Today is the company’s grand opening—just die quietly and don’t ruin our celebration.”

Jiang Yuning clearly had been waiting years to spill all of this. She sounded thoroughly satisfied.

As she spoke, a calm male voice interrupted in the background.

It was Jiang Chen.

“Mom, who are you talking to? Dad’s asking for you. It’s time for the opening ceremony.”

“I’m coming,” Jiang Yuning replied. Then, almost deliberately, she added, “Chen’er, Lin Jianxue called. She wants to see you.”

“She again?” Jiang Chen’s voice was full of contempt. “That bitch is still bothering me? She’s disgusting.”

Beep beep beep—

Jiang Yuning hung up.

Lin Jianxue lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She had only married once—how had her life ended up like this?

—

No sorrow is greater than a heart that’s died.

Lin Jianxue lay motionless. Her body felt colder by the second.

She was about to die.

The old nurse had stepped out, planning to call someone to collect the body once it was over.

Just then, a young man’s voice came from outside the door.

“Is Ms. Lin Jianxue here?”

The director of the sanatorium responded flatteringly, “She’s right inside. What business do you have with her?”

Creak.

The door opened.

A refined-looking young man entered.

He walked up to her, sat by her bedside, and gently held her cold hand without hesitation. “Auntie Lin, I’m Fu Yansheng, adopted son of Fu Zhewei. My father’s downstairs—his legs aren’t in great shape, so he didn’t come up. He asked me to check on you and see if there’s anything we can help with.”

Fu Zhewei…

He was her high school classmate, a childhood acquaintance from the same residential compound.

But they were never close.

Fu Zhewei had always been a troublemaker. When they shared a desk, she focused on studies while he spent every day getting into fights—and copying her homework afterward.

Later, the Fu family fell into political trouble and was sent to the countryside for reform. Whatever little bond they had faded completely.

Rumor had it Fu Zhewei’s wild nature got him beaten badly there. His parents had even died from the hard labor.

Only he returned when they were politically rehabilitated.

After the reforms, he sold the family house and moved to Hong Kong. She never heard from him again.

“…Why would he come see me?” Lin Jianxue asked weakly.

It had been over twenty years.

The young man smiled kindly. “My father just returned from Hong Kong. When he heard what happened to you, he pulled a lot of strings to find this place. He’s done well financially. If there’s anything you need, we’ll help however we can.”

Listening to his sincere voice, a tear rolled from the corner of Lin Jianxue’s eye.

In her final moments, it wasn’t family, but someone she barely knew, who came to her aid.

“…After I die… please bury me with my parents…”

“Thank you…”

“Tell… Fu Zhewei… if there’s another life… I’ll repay his kindness…”

Her voice grew fainter and fainter. She slowly closed her eyes.

Darkness consumed her.

“Jianxue, Jianxue.”

She heard Jiang Yubai’s voice in her ears.

“My mom made you and your mother some chicken soup. Get up and have some.”

Lin Jianxue opened her eyes slowly. She sat up in bed and saw Jiang Yubai entering the room, carrying a bowl of chicken soup. He set it gently by the bedside.