BDBE 80

Chapter 80 Blood Ties

Shen Wanchao and Zhou Hui were the only two who went together to Xiaoli City this time.

Zhou Hui drove, and Shen Wanchao sat in the passenger seat while gazing out the window. 

Before Dong Dapeng suddenly brought it up, Shen Wanchao had never imagined that the matter would involve Lin Anyi’s biological parents. 

Without intentional searches, most children in orphanages would never see their biological parents again. Especially Omegas who voluntarily sent their children there for “survival difficulties,” although no written document would call this behavior “abandonment,” everyone knew the truth. Therefore, anyone with even a little shame wouldn’t suddenly come knocking on their door after more than ten years. 

The implication in Dong Dapeng’s words made it hard for Shen Wanchao not to imagine him as a selfish and difficult person to deal with. 

Thinking about this gave Shen Wanchao a headache, and his thoughts flew around chaotically. He began to imagine what unreasonable demands the other party might make. 

He might demand Lin Anyi to acknowledge him, or use this to blackmail them for money, or even ​unauthorized copy​take advantage of the situation to push his luck again and again… 

Could it be that the other party had suddenly encountered some difficulties, and, remembering that the child he had abandoned was now grown up and capable of earning money, had reappeared just to force the child to support him? 

Shen Wanchao rubbed his forehead. 

Money was a minor matter; he only hoped this wouldn’t hurt Lin Anyi. 

If possible, Shen Wanchao didn’t want Lin Anyi’s biological father to be a scoundrel. No matter how good someone might seem, how good could they really be if they abandoned a child? 

His hand was suddenly grabbed. Shen Wanchao turned around to see Zhou Hui smiling at him. 

“Worried that Xiao Yi’s biological father might be a problem?” Zhou Hui asked. 

“Yes,” Shen Wanchao sighed, “It would be easier to handle anyone else, but it’s his biological father.”

“Blood ties are ultimately an unbreakable bond.” 

Zhou Hui pondered for a moment, then comforted him, “You must already have an idea, so don’t worry too much. We’re here today to resolve this matter.” 

Shen Wanchao grasped Zhou Hui’s hand in return. 

The Alpha’s palm was firm and warm, and it had a calming effect. 

… 

Starlight Orphanage was exactly the same as when they last visited, except for the flourishing banyan tree at the entrance. Its branches and leaves had grown even more lush and green in the abundant heat and moisture of midsummer, resembling a sturdy house sheltering all life beneath its shade. 

Their timing was perfect; as soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Director Li inspecting the various classrooms. 

Director Li was surprised by their sudden appearance, but quickly regained his cheerful demeanor and invited the two to his office. 

“I didn’t expect you to come; it’s a pleasant surprise.” [stolen content]Director Li placed a teacup in front of Shen Wanchao, “How is Xiao Yi doing lately?” 

Shen Wanchao smiled. He picked up his teacup, and took a sip. Zhou Hui patiently exchanged a few pleasantries with Director Li,

“This child has always been well-behaved, so I have no worries,” Director Li said with a pleased expression. He then changed the subject, “By the way, you must have something to discuss here, right?” 

Shen Wanchao nodded and exchanged a glance with Zhou Hui. 

At this point, Director Li still saw him as just a high school student, so Shen Wanchao was happy to take a break and leave the conversation entirely to Zhou Hui. 

Zhou Hui readily accepted the task Shen Wanchao had given him and said to Director Li, “Indeed, we want to inquire about Lin Anyi’s biological father.” 

Director Li’s teacup, which he had been holding to his lips, suddenly stopped. 

Zhou Hui continued, “To be honest, we didn’t want to bring up the past, but someone mentioned Lin Anyi’s biological father to us and hinted that he might come looking for him.”

“But we have absolutely no idea what kind of person unauthorized copyhe is. For the sake of our child’s mental and physical well-being, we have no choice but to make more plans.” 

Director Li put down his teacup, and clasped his hands in front of him with a thoughtful expression.

“Xiao Yi is also a child you’ve watched grow up.” Zhou Hui tentatively pressed, “We just hope you can reveal all the information you know about him, anything at all. We’ll handle the rest ourselves.” 

Director Li looked up at Zhou Hui sitting opposite him. The Alpha wore a formulaic smile, no different from his approachable and humble demeanor during their first meeting. 

However, Director Li, now in his seventies, could tell that the Alpha was feigning friendliness.

Director Li had no doubt that even if he said nothing, the man before him had the ability to find out everything he wanted through other channels, it would just take a little more effort. 

Director Li felt no displeasure about being pressured by a junior who was younger than his own son. 

On the contrary, it showed that they truly cared about Lin Anyi. 

So, without further hesitation, [Read on]Director Li spoke again: “Would you like to see him?” 

Shen Wanchao and Zhou Hui were both stunned. 

Zhou Hui gave Shen Wanchao a look, and Shen Wanchao nodded slightly. 

“Alright.” Zhou Hui looked back at Director Li, “Please arrange it for us.”

Director Li shook his head: “I don’t know how to contact him, so I can’t make arrangements for you immediately.” 

Shen Wanchao couldn’t help but ask, “Then…” 

“Actually, that person came to the orphanage yesterday.” Director Li gestured to Shen Wanchao to calm down. “I have a feeling he’ll come again in the next couple of days, and I’ll convey your message to him then.” 

“But what if he doesn’t come?” Shen Wanchao immediately questioned; he disliked the uncertainty.

“If he doesn’t come, I’ll tell you everything I know about unauthorized copyhim in a week. With that information, you should be able to find him.” Director Li made a promise. 

Even after leaving the director’s office, Shen Wanchao’s frown didn’t soften. 

Getting information from the other party was certainly good, but Director Li’s statement that he had visited the orphanage meant that Dong Dapeng’s words were true, and he was indeed trying to find Lin Anyi’s whereabouts. 

Zhou Hui reached out and pressed his thumb against Shen Wanchao’s brow, before gently smoothing away his furrowed brow. 

“Don’t worry too much. Director Li is a principled man; he wouldn’t tell him about Xiao Yi. He won’t find Xiao Yi before we find him,” Zhou Hui assured.

Shen Wanchao relaxed slightly and exhaled: “Let’s go. We have no other choice but to wait.” 

The two left the orphanage and drove to a hotel in the city. 

… 

“Lin Anyi, Lin Anyi!”

A pen suddenly appeared within Lin Anyi’s line of sight. 

Lin Anyi was abruptly awakened from his daydreams. He looked blankly at the person who called him: “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Mingchen looked at him amusedly and said, “I saw you were daydreaming while doing your homework. What were you thinking about? Have you finished your English test? Let me copy it.” 

Lin Anyi covered his English test paper, and refused any misbehavior: “Do it yourself.” 

“Ha!” Zhou Mingchen, unable to get his homework, slumped back in his chair and muttered, “It’s a perfectly good summer vacation, but we can only stay at home doing homework. It’s so boring. My dad and my father are so disloyal. They abandoned us to go out and play!”

Lin Anyi wasn’t interested in going out to play and started working on his test again, “If you finish your homework sooner, you can play to your heart’s content.” 

Zhou Mingchen chuckled and leaned closer, “If I don’t do my homework at all, wouldn’t I be able to play to my heart’s content even more?” 

Lin Anyi: “…” 

A moment of silence followed. 

Zhou Mingchen quickly reverted to his old ways. He grabbed Lin Anyi’s right hand that was holding the pen. 

Startled, Lin Anyi tried to pull his hand away, but Zhou Mingchen held it firmly, “Forget it, stop writing. My dad’s not home anyway, why be so obedient? Come on, let’s play games.” 

Lin Anyi was a beat too slow to react and was dragged out by Zhou Mingchen. 

Just as they entered the living room, the door opened from the outside, and Zhou Ruolin walked in, followed by Aunt Liu, who carried a bag of snacks in her left hand and a large bag of groceries in her right. 

Zhou Mingchen was surprised and went over to greet him, “Grandpa, what brings you here?” 

Zhou Ruolin, while changing his shoes, replied, “Your parents couldn’t make it back today, so they asked me to come and look after you two little brats.” 

Zhou Mingchen, who had thought he could finally enjoy stolen contenta rare evening of freedom without his parents, pouted, “Oh, is that so…” 

Zhou Ruolin tapped his head, “You little rascal, aren’t you happy to see me?” 

“Oh! Of course not, I welcome you with open arms and feet!” Zhou Mingchen quickly tried to be charming, “What are we having for dinner tonight?” 

Zhou Ruolin was both amused and annoyed; he waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, you two play, Aunt Liu and I will go prepare dinner for you.” 

“Okay! Thank you, Grandpa, thank you for your hard work~” 

Zhou Mingchen quickly put his arm around Lin Anyi’s shoulder and dragged him to the television. 

Lin Anyi was a little embarrassed; he had wanted to greet Zhou Ruolin too, but he had missed the best opportunity. 

He hadn’t been in this family long, and even though everyone was friendly, he still couldn’t integrate into the family. 

Luckily, Zhou Mingchen was there. 

The two sat down on the sofa, and Zhou Mingchen chose a cooperative adventure game for two. 

The game’s plot revolved around two stray kittens separated from their mother, working together to overcome all the hardships and obstacles along the way, experiencing a series of beautiful, sci-fi, and supernatural stories, ultimately returning to their mother’s side. 

During the cutscenes, Zhou Mingchen felt a little bored and secretly glanced at Lin Anyi beside him. 

He noticed that he was engrossed on watching the game, and his bright brown eyes reflected the scene of the two kittens snuggling under their mother’s belly in the game. 

Zhou Mingchen suddenly felt a tickle in his throat. He wanted to say something, but without thinking, he blurted out, “Have you thought about changing your surname?” 

His abrupt question startled Lin Anyi. “What?” 

Zhou Mingchen awkwardly scratched the back of his head, “I just wanted to say, maybe changing your surname to take Dad’s or Papa’s would make us seem more like a family.” 

Lin Anyi hadn’t considered this question. He lowered his eyes, lost in thought. 

Zhou Ruolin, who had just come out of the kitchen, heard Zhou Mingchen’s words. He quickly went over to try and smooth things over, only to hear Zhou Mingchen say: 

“I’ve never known why your surname is Lin. Is it because the director of your orphanage is surnamed Lin?” 

Lin Anyi thought for a moment and slowly replied, “No, the director’s surname is Li. Many children have the surname Li.” 

“Then why don’t you have the surname Li?” Zhou Mingchen suddenly thought of something, “Could it be that you…” 

The surname of his biological parents? 

At this point, Zhou Mingchen realized how offensive his thoughtless question had been. He regretted it so much he wanted to swallow his tongue. 

“Just pretend I didn’t say anything…” Zhou Mingchen retreated.

“I’ve had this surname since I can remember.” Lin Anyi looked up; his expression was neither angry nor sad. “Logically speaking, it’s probably the name ​Read on​left to me by the person who gave birth to me.” 

Zhou Mingchen shut his mouth. 

Since that was the case, it was normal that Lin Anyi didn’t want to change his surname; he really shouldn’t have brought it up with him. 

Zhou Ruolin, who had been eavesdropping, held his breath. Seeing that Lin Anyi’s emotions were relatively stable, he was about to try and change the subject. 

This time, Lin Anyi interrupted him. 

Lin Anyi, holding a game controller, rested his chin on the back of his hand. He smiled at the embarrassed Zhou Mingchen, and said, “What are you embarrassed about? There’s nothing I can’t say about this.” 

“Changing my surname is fine.” Lin Anyi’s smile grew wider. “If I took the Shen surname, my given name would sound pretty nice.”

The warm evening sun streamed in through the tall floor-to-ceiling windows that almost covered the entire wall, casting a golden silhouette on Lin Anyi, who sat with his back to the light. His smile was even more dazzling than the sunlight. 

Zhou Mingchen was momentarily stunned.