Translator: Prakriti Bhatta

He regarded the Xia family as a cage throughout his life. He was a trapped beast in that cage who did not have his own freedom. He only had one blood sister that he really treasured. The age difference between the two was ten years. But their relationship was excellent.

He took care of her when she was growing up very carefully, for fear that she would be married to a dude casually picked by the Xia family. But when his sister was fifteen years old, she cried and told him that she was pregnant.

What’s more outrageous was that she had willingly done it.

She concealed the person’s name very carefully. Xia Ming spent a lot of hard work to find out the name of that person, Han Shihao.

Yin Minglu’s stepfather.

A middle-aged man over forty-five years old, a beast dressed as a gentleman, also known as “Sly Fox” in the business world. It was the name given by his admired predecessor. This person was rich, famous, and well-established. He was born tall and handsome. The greasiness, huge belly, etc. common to middle-aged people showed no signs in him. He always remained arrogant and ”charming”. Otherwise, he would not have attracted a minor girl to pounce on him in the name of love, not fearing anything.

It was said that his wife had passed away many years ago and his stepson, unfortunately, had jumped off the building and died. Han Shihao had not married in the following ten years. He had a huge reputation in the business world. Many erotic scandals in private only added a little more charm to this man, he never took any relationships seriously.

Not a single one!

His sister was also one of the victims of his erotic incident. When everyone heard about it, they laughed at most saying that Boss Han was infinitely attractive. But as the girl involved in the incident, after that, she became a laughing stock and had to hide her face everywhere.

The other party showed no sign of taking responsibility of a girl that he had impregnated. He used every sweet word possible before his success, but after a few days of playing with her, she was ignored.

In this way, his sister was destroyed. She was just two months pregnant when she jumped from the top of the building.

She was ruined at the age where she was just starting to bloom. She was only fifteen years old. Obviously, she had a bright future ahead but she left him like this.

This death was so familiar. The grieving Xia Ming didn’t react at first. It wasn’t until a few years later that he finally understood the real truth behind the suicide of Han Shihao’s stepson from his friend’s words. He was shocked and speechless for a while.

It turned out that the child was just like his sister and was a victim.

Long before the show was even broadcasted, he knew before the majority of netizens that the kid Yin Minglu was not like what they had said. Although he had some problems with being spoiled and pampered, he was not bad in nature and was a good kid.

That child might not have been smart, but he was definitely a kind and innocent person. When Xia Ming had first arrived at this place, everything seemed indifferent to him. Yin Minglu was the first person to treat him warmly. Unfortunately, he had once sneered at this kindness.

He also gradually recalled and finally realized that when the three-month-long program was about to end, facing the relatives who had come to take him, why was the little boy with innocent face begging him for help with red eyes. His eyes were full of unspeakable pleadings.

His voice sounded like a machine that was about to be destroyed, but it couldn’t say anything.

In his previous life, he was only a fifteen-year-old boy. He didn’t understand the thousands of words in Yin Minglu’s eyes and his indirect distress signal.

After understanding later, the two flowers had withered at their best age.

He poured himself a glass of wine fiercely, crying and hating himself for being arrogant for being smart but ignoring the feelings of people around him. He couldn’t even see the earnest call of a weak young boy.

Those hands that were stretched out to him… If he had taken a step forward and held that helpless hands, even if he had asked a single question, maybe that tragedy could have been avoided? Just like this, if he had been less involved in that lingering but hopeless love triangle and had cared more for his adolescent sister, stopping her when she had just first met that man, or teaching her warmly when she was just immersed in love, telling her that love is not the whole life, maybe……maybe that tragedy could have been avoided as well.

But that tragedies had already occurred, what’s more? It occurred twice! Moreover, the subjects had all sent out signals in front of him, but they were all ignored by him.

Whenever he thinks of this, Xia Ming’s heart is filled with endless guilt and regret, and his blood gradually gets cold. When he had broken free from the trap of his family in the future, he, in the upper-class society for many years became a business giant that turned the whole market up and down.

He was very successful in his career. He accumulated enough capital at a young age to allow him to live more recklessly than anyone else in the second half of his life. He ruined that cheap and bastard old man and continued the legacy of the Yin family that had no heir anymore. Recovering the Yin family business was dedicated to that little kid.

But overall, his life was a failure. He couldn’t get love when he was young and he couldn’t save a single person. When he was young, he ruined his one and only blood relative and was left with countless regrets.

So now that he is reborn, he intends to redeem these regrets and tragedies. This time he will not just watch his companion and sister die like that.

Now that all these tragedies have not occurred yet, he has enough time to treat the boy well. This time, he will pay attention to his words, give him a good ending. He’ll let him always have a smile on his face. Whenever he’ll think of that kid, he wants to remember his smile and his carefree attitude.

……….

After the city’s boys introduced themselves to each other, although their relationship was still a bit polite, it wasn’t that unfamiliar. At noon, the Luo family cooked a table of good dishes, which was regarded as a formal welcome reception banquet for these young people.

It was said to be a banquet, but it was just two more plates of vegetables with meat as the substitute for usual fried potatoes.

During the dinner, as the city’s guest who came here first, Yuan Feng complained about his bitter experience here to the new companion ignoring Luo Cuihua’s twisted expressions. He disliked the Luo family and this broken place that was good for nothing. Carrying a little sense of superiority, he frankly told his little buddies about his survival experience and laziness of the past few days.

Xia Ming smiled slightly and nodded cheerfully.

The dining table was very lively, but his eyes remained on the child who was immersed in the meal.

The other party was eating happily. He was at the age of twelve. He had a delicate and lovely face and looked great. Obviously, he has been able to adapt well these days.

He looks very obedient. When he concentrates on eating, his long eyelashes are like two small brushes, going up and down. He looked extremely cute. He was focusing on eating as if the food in front of him was not some ordinary home cooking, but something that was hard to find in the world. He really cherished those foods.

His chopsticks that were holding vegetables went back and forth on the dinner plate in front of Xia Ming. That little face appeared in his sight from time to time.

Xia Ming gradually became fascinated.

He didn’t know if it’s because of his young age but the young boy’s stature has not yet fully grown and the hands holding the chopsticks were so small that both his face and body revealed fascinating and indisputable both male and female features. He thought….. maybe this was the reason that man had done that……….?

And these were the aspects he hadn’t paid much attention to in his previous life. Thinking of this, Xia Ming couldn’t help but squeeze his chopsticks tightly and felt a choking in his throat. That unspeakable emotion made his eyes sore. He could only take a few mouthfuls of rice numbly, but couldn’t eat it.

A deep sorrow almost overwhelmed him.

Seeing that the little arm couldn’t reach the dinner plate further, he unconsciously served food to the other party, in exchange for a cute smile, “Thank you, brother.” the cute little guy thanked him.

His gloomy mood instantly brightened a lot. He couldn’t help but smile.

When Yin Minglu put down the bowls and chopsticks, he also noticed earlier than anyone else, “Minglu, why do you eat so little? You are so thin, eat more.”

He couldn’t help but persuade.

“???” The people on the table looked at the bowl of rice and the bowl of soup in front of the little guy. The rice had been added twice, and the soup had been drunk. The others looked at their bowls again and fell silent in unison. They didn’t know where the child was eating less.

Xia Ming’s concern for Yin Minglu could be seen by anyone with eyes. To be honest, all of them were a little frightened by Xia Ming’s caring attitude towards Yin Minglu. They wondered whether this child Xia Ming had his eyes on the kid Yin Minglu or was there really someone who was born to care for this younger kid[YML]?

This was too much love without any limit.

Yuan Feng couldn’t see it anymore. He spat out, “Does your Xia family owe the Yin family millions of debts? What is going on with your sudden display of affection?” It was okay if he had only served Yin Minglu the food but he even measured how much he ate!!! What a crooked guy!!! He didn’t notice that his tone sounded like he was…… jealous.

Xia Ming explained: “My mother and Aunt Lin were old friends. Before this trip, Aunt Lin specially asked me to take care of Minglu. In case he doesn’t understand things, I should teach him.”

Aunt Lin naturally, was Lin Shuwu. Xia Ming’s words could also be regarded as an explanation of why he cared too much about Yin Minglu.

Others realized it but only Yin Minglu knew that there was no such thing.

In the original plot, the relationship between the original owner and Xia Ming was like that of strangers.

Although Lin Shuwu and mother Xia were both small and well-known rich wives in the circle, they had no communication with each other, let alone asking Mother Xia’s child to take care of her own child.

Thinking of this, Yin Minglu’s eyes flickered. He felt that Xia Ming was a little weird. From the performance during the meal, Xia Ming’s attitude towards him and Luo Cuihua was very strange. Obviously, they were meeting for the first time, but he seemed to have a full-level goodwill value. Xia Ming looked like he was feeling guilty for something and was trying to make up for that with that kindness.

Why was this? Why was Xia Ming trying to apologize to the original owner?

Yin Minglu tried to remember from his memory but was temporarily unable to figure it out. But he still reacted like how a child would react hearing about his mother.

Everyone could only see the child’s dark eyes that seemed to have deep messages inside. When he suddenly heard about his mother, the extremely dazzling light suddenly burst out from his eyes. It’s like he suddenly saw the most cherished toy in the shop window. He couldn’t restrain the extreme love in his heart but was afraid that his actions would break the toy, so he could only approach it cautiously.

Just at this moment, the child tilted his head and said softly and uncertainly: “Mo…… mom?”

Xia Ming showed a very friendly smile. He leaned down slightly, opened his arms, and said, “Yes. Your mother also praised you as a good child and she asked me to take good care of you. Minglu…. call me gege[1] once, okay?”

Sure enough, using the mother as a base, the innocent child believed him without hesitation and took the initiative to devote himself to him. He embraced him and yelled obediently, “Gege.”

Hugged by the child’s warm and soft body, Xia Ming stiffened and then slowly hugged him back.

From his perspective, the face of the child in his arms was covered with reliance and trust like a tired bird that was finally at home. The child’s soft hair rubbed against his chin. This real touch made him close his eyes slightly and he almost shed hot tears. His lips were attached to the side of the boy’s hair, and he whispered: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, in this life I will never let down your trust……

Those words were small whispers, almost no one could hear them.

But where no one noticed, the young boy’s ears seemed to have sensed something. He moved slightly and quickly returned to calm.

At the same time, with the arrival of the third city boy Xia Ming, the first phase of this season has also officially begun to be broadcast.

Footnotes:

[1] The Chinese form of ”Oppa” or elder brother.

Thank you guys for reading. Please feel free to comment your thoughts. ?