BDBE 17
Chapter 17 Questioning
“How did you know?”
The words that he said made Zhou Hui instantly regret them, but it was too late.
Zhou Hui guessed why Shen Wanchao knew, and his regret faded, replaced by a knowing smile.
His phone was unlocked with facial recognition; only his own and Shen Wanchao’s faces could unlock it.
Humans would question the plausibility of someone suddenly becoming younger, so even if the truth were right in front of them, they could easily be deceived by the ingrained belief that “humans cannot reverse aging.”
But pure technology focuses only on the facts themselves, allowing it to see through the fog and make a calm and accurate judgment.
His phone determined that Shen Chao and Shen Wanchao’s faces were similar enough to be the same person, thus unlocking the phone.
Therefore, Shen Wanchao could see the contents of the phone, including his chat history with Wen Hua and the draft of the divorce agreement.
A few days ago, Zhou Hui noticed the file had already been downloaded before he even opened it, but he only hesitated for a moment and didn’t think much of it.
Now, Shen Wanchao finally couldn’t hold back any longer, even going so far as to use an inappropriate identity to question him.
With the logical chain closed, Zhou Hui believed he had deduced the truth and found a major flaw in Shen Wanchao’s story.
He quickly accepted the fact that “Shen Wanchao had become younger.”
Although he couldn’t figure out the reasons behind it yet, as long as Shen Wanchao was in front of him now, and not in a distant foreign country, nothing else mattered.
However, Shen Wanchao certainly wouldn’t admit it; he would probably give a seemingly reasonable excuse.
And as expected, Shen Wanchao said without changing his expression, “I heard it from Zhou Mingchen.”
This wasn’t exactly a lie. Since Zhou Mingchen brought up the topic of their divorce at the convenience store, Zhou Hui must have said something to him, or at least shown some signs, making him feel that their marriage might be on the verge of collapse.
Zhou Hui smiled slightly, gestured for him to sit down, and spoke with an air of composure, as if he were truly his elder.
Shen Wanchao rolled his eyes from an angle out of sight.
After sitting down, Zhou Hui slowly asked him, “What did Zhou Mingchen tell you?”
Shen Wanchao leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, “He just said he thinks you two will get a divorce.”
He wouldn’t tell Zhou Hui that Zhou Mingchen said he planned to stay with him if they divorced; he couldn’t afford to lose face.
Zhou Hui didn’t insist further, but instead asked, “What do you want to ask me?”
On the top floor, after the rain, the night wind was cool, ruffling the stray hairs on Shen Wanchao’s forehead and carrying away his hesitation.
The young man’s voice was clear as water, gentle yet melancholic in the night.
“Why do you want a divorce?”
…
Huo and Yu were stunned for a full 3.7 seconds.
Huo Tingsong looked at Zhou Mingchen with almost earnest eyes, he sincerely advised, “Chen’er, you can’t say things like that carelessly. One of them is your father, and the other is your uncle.”
After saying this, Huo Tingsong paused.
Strictly speaking, these two, whether by law or blood, were indeed in a relationship where they could freely marry. Damn!
Yu Tianqing held up two fingers to indicate, “And they’re twenty years apart, right?”
Zhou Mingchen’s face grew increasingly grim, his hand holding the glass beverage bottle turned white from the force. “I knew you two would think that way. At first, even I had some doubts about them. But that’s not what I meant. What I meant was…”
Zhou Mingchen frowned, unsure how to express his feelings accurately.
He sensed that the atmosphere between Shen Chao and Zhou Hui was different from others, but atmosphere was something that can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words.
Paradoxically, Zhou Mingchen didn’t believe there was anything between the two of them. Aside from the fact that Shen Chao spent most of his time at school with him, even when they went home at night, except for mealtimes, his father and Shen Chao stayed in separate rooms. Their occasional interactions were perfectly normal.
Zhou Mingchen rubbed his head and wailed, “It’s all that guy’s fault for looking so much like my dad!”
He attributed it to this; the resemblance meant that if Shen Chao acted even slightly like his dad, the déjà vu was strong enough to create an illusion.
Huo Tingsong agreed, “I think so too. It’s definitely your imagination. Observe him more closely; you can’t jump to conclusions about these things.”
Yu Tianqing didn’t have any better words to comfort his good friend, so he could only add another bowl of rice to his friend’s bowl, “Since things have come to this, have another bowl.”
In the end, Zhou Mingchen’s troubles weren’t resolved; instead, they were amplified, and became a shared pain for all three.
After finishing their meal, Zhou Mingchen sighed, Yu Tianqing burped, and Huo Tingsong paid the bill.
The three planned to go into town together first, then split up and go home separately. To be fair, they set their destination at the school gate.
It was almost ten o’clock when they arrived. All the shops around the school were closed, and apart from the streetlights, it was dark and quiet. As Zhou Mingchen and the others got out of the car, a chilly wind blew over. Although it was early spring, the night was still cold.
Yu Tianqing followed Zhou Mingchen out of the car, and his prominent nose almost bumped into the back of the head of the person in front of him.
“Why aren’t you moving?”
At this moment, Zhou Mingchen’s gaze was fixed on a figure walking towards them about ten meters ahead.
The person was of medium height, a little over 1.7 meters, thinner than his peers, and dressed in a baggy school uniform. He looked as thin as a piece of paper that could be blown away by the night wind. Slightly long bangs obscured his eyes. He was expressionless, and exuded an indescribable gloom.
It was Lin Anyi from Class 4 of the second year of high school.
Lin Anyi clearly saw Zhou Mingchen too, but his gaze only lingered on the Alpha for a moment before falling back down. He then pulled out his earphones and put them on.
For some reason, Zhou Mingchen felt annoyed seeing him like this, so without thinking, he walked over.
“Good student, only going home after self-study at this hour?” Zhou Mingchen’s tone was full of mockery. “No wonder teachers and parents like you.”
Lin Anyi sighed and walked away. He lowered his head as he attempted to avoid Zhou Mingchen.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Mingchen directly ripped off his earphones, leaving him with no excuse to pretend he was deaf.
Lin Anyi glared at the unreasonable fellow in front of him: “A good dog doesn’t block the way, please move aside.”
Instead of getting angry, Zhou Mingchen laughed, “I really should invite my dad to see you baring your fangs as if you’re about to bite, so he’ll know that what he rescued wasn’t some pitiful little thing, but a treacherous wolf who would wag its tail and beg for a hot meal.”
Lin Anyi chuckled, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at Zhou Mingchen: “So what are you so anxious about? You want to beg for Dad’s love, but you can’t bring yourself to. Seeing that I can do what you want without any burden and get what you dream of, you’re so anxious that you’re taking it all out on me?”
Zhou Mingchen frowned and warned in a low voice, “You don’t deserve to call him Dad.”
“Why don’t I deserve it?” Lin Anyi’s smile was somewhat twisted. “He personally acknowledged me at the family dinner. Don’t you remember, brother?”
“You bastard!” Zhou Mingchen was furious. He grabbed Lin Anyi’s collar, seemingly about to hit him.
“Damn it!” Huo Tingsong and Yu Tianqing rushed forward to stop him when they saw that things were getting out of hand.
Fortunately, Zhou Mingchen regained his senses in the next second and didn’t do anything too outrageous.
Lin Anyi was pushed away by Zhou Mingchen and staggered back a few steps before he could barely stand. He looked at Zhou Mingchen surrounded by his friends, and sneered disdainfully.
Huo Tingsong stepped between the two. He turned toward Lin Anyi, and said kindly, “It’s getting late, I’ll help you call a taxi, you should go home early.”
Lin Anyi had already put his headphones back on; he ignored Huo Tingsong, and walked away.
Zhou Mingchen’s voice rang out again, echoing clearly in the quiet, narrow street late at night:
“My dad’s overflowing love for you is good for you, so be grateful and accept it. Remember to act good in front of him, don’t let him know your true colors, after all, there’s no other sucker like him in the world!”
The wired headphones he bought for twenty-five yuan were of such poor quality that they couldn’t block out any outside noise.
Every word of Zhou Mingchen’s words reached Lin Anyi’s ears, but he seemed completely oblivious as he calmly walked around the corner.
Lin Anyi returned to a small two-bedroom apartment, less than fifty square meters in size.
The house was impeccable, almost to the point of lacking any sense of life. Aside from a desk lamp, there were no other decorations on the tables, and the kitchen was completely untouched by the smell of cooking since the owner ate all his meals in the cafeteria.
Therefore, an envelope on the coffee table stood out conspicuously.
Lin Anyi walked over, picked up the envelope, and opened it. Inside was a wad of cash; without counting, he knew it was two thousand yuan, his living expenses for next month.
A note on the envelope read: “If there is any shortfall, please contact me.”
Just like before.
Lin Anyi took the money out of the envelope and put it back into the drawer next to the desk, where several identical envelopes lay.
Lin Anyi suddenly smiled as he looked at the envelopes in the drawer. The moonlight from the window shone on his face, casting an indistinct shadow.
Dad?
He wouldn’t covet something that wasn’t his just because of a title. Things were good enough as they were. He could continue his studies and receive a comfortable allowance; this was all he wanted, and he was content.
“Only a true biological child like Zhou Mingchen would dare to demand everything so shamelessly.”
Lin Anyi’s lips curled into a mocking smile, it was unclear whether he was laughing at others or at himself.
Then, “Bang!”, he closed the drawer.
…
Shen Wanchao tidied his hair, slightly disheveled by the night wind, and returned to his room.
He hadn’t been able to resist asking Zhou Hui the question that had been nagging at him for the past few days: why did he want a divorce?
He had expected Zhou Hui to give some specific reason, such as incompatibility, accusations of his shortcomings in the marriage, or even a frank admission of having a new lover…
But Zhou Hui simply stood up, reached out and ruffled his hair, “I did think about it before, but now… it’s cold outside, let’s go inside.”
He still could feel the warmth of his hand on his hair. Shen Wanchao sighed inwardly; he knew he wouldn’t get an answer from Zhou Hui.
Because Zhou Hui had already guessed his true identity.
In fact, when Shen Wanchao decided to ask Zhou Hui directly, he knew he would most likely be exposed. The question itself was a form of admission that he wasn’t “Shen Chao.”
From the beginning, Shen Wanchao hadn’t intended to completely hide it from Zhou Hui, after all, no one knew what he looked like at 18 better than Zhou Hui.
But what could Zhou Hui do even if he knew?
It wouldn’t hinder what he wanted to do; on the contrary, many things would become more convenient.
And as long as he stubbornly refused to admit it, he could see Zhou Hui’s anxious and helpless expression.
Although it was unethical, it was quite interesting.
Who told him to be photographed in such ambiguous ways and even plan to divorce him?
Shen Wanchao brushed a strand of hair from his head with a smiling face.
***
Author’s Note:
The human eye perceives that the two Shens only share a five or six-point resemblance because time can create differences in areas other than facial features, such as facial fat content, the depth of eye sockets, clothing style, hairstyle… Everyone has surely experienced the same person looking completely different with different makeup and styling, because people focus on the overall picture.
However, facial recognition simply looks at the proportions and shapes of facial features, and I’m not particularly knowledgeable about the specifics. But what I’m certain of is that current facial recognition technology is accurate enough to distinguish even twins with a high probability, and it’s unlikely to fail to recognize them due to changes in makeup.
Therefore, Shen could unlock Zhou Hui’s phone, but in his son’s eyes, he didn’t resemble his father to the same degree.
That’s roughly it!
Corrections are welcome!
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