Chapter 12

Meng Shengsheng, carrying her backpack, went downstairs, found a bicycle, unlocked it, and pedaled away.

Today’s classes were scheduled from eight in the morning until twelve oh five at noon, followed by a two-hour break, and then classes resumed at two o’clock. Wang Chuanze had already left to fly south for a commercial shoot. She hadn’t returned to the rented room at night these past few days.

Afternoon classes stretched from two to six, and then two more sessions were scheduled from seven to nine in the evening—every moment packed, leaving no room for rest.

Meng Shengsheng remarked that the tuition fees were truly well spent.

She listened attentively; many concepts that had confused her outside of class now became clear. Sometimes, a term might differ, but the meaning remained universally understood—like when one calls it a tomato and another a “番茄,” everyone knows the object but can’t communicate effectively because of differing labels.

During breaks, Meng Shengsheng took the opportunity to ask all the questions she had accumulated, and several instructors began to take notice of her.

At half past nine that evening, Meng Shengsheng bought a bag of small bread rolls from the convenience store and returned to the dormitory, where she received a call from Wang Chuanze.

“My uncle called to say Grandma had an accidental fall and was hospitalized.”

She had to go see her. Meng Shengsheng remembered Wang Chuanze mentioning how his maternal grandparents had always treated him well. Concerned that his father’s remarriage might not be kind to him, they even suggested he live with them at the Shen family home. But the boy, worried that staying too long might upset his uncle and aunt due to gossip, declined. The elders thought the child was still attached to his father, so after a few attempts, they stopped insisting.

Wang Chuanze drove to the hospital and bought a bouquet of sunflowers from the flower shop at the entrance.

Just then, doctors in white coats were doing their rounds. Speaking to the family at the bedside, one said, “There’s nothing serious. Elderly bones aren’t as strong as young ones; we must be careful. A few days of good rest and she should be discharged. If you’re worried, she can be transferred to our hospital’s care ward, where specialized staff will look after her.”

Wang Chuanze entered, first greeting the two uncles by the bedside, then turning to look at the elderly woman in the bed. “Grandma…”

Yao Qiuyun held his hand tightly. “Xiaoze’s here. I’m fine, I told them not to disturb your work, so why did they still notify you?”

Wang Chuanze placed the flowers in the vase by the bed. “My work isn’t that busy. I’m on leave these days. Is Grandma feeling any discomfort?”

Yao Qiuyun shook her head, her eyes fixed on Wang Chuanze’s gaze—it was so alike, just like her own daughter who had passed away long ago, even before she did.

“There’s nothing wrong with me. You young people should focus on work and play, don’t worry about an old woman like me. There’s a caregiver here; I don’t need anyone to watch over me. Don’t be like your mother—always worrying about others, thinking for others all her life, and she left us too soon…”

Shen Zhiyi spoke up, “Mom, enough. Xiaoze finally made it here; talk about something else.”

“I can’t even mention my daughter? So cruel. She left so suddenly, didn’t even leave a single photo for me or her father…” Tears welled in her eyes.

Old age and illness brought sorrow, and seeing him reminded her of her deceased daughter. Such grief was bad for her health, so Wang Chuanze quickly changed the subject.

Yao Qiuyun was pleased to hear that Wang Chuanze had a girlfriend. “…You’re in love now? You’re already twenty-one—it’s about time. Where is she from? How did you two meet?”

Wang Chuanze showed Yao Qiuyun a photo of Meng Shengsheng on his phone. “She’s still studying and busy for now. When the holidays come, I’ll bring her to meet Grandma and Grandpa.”

Yao Qiuyun looked happily at the beautiful girl on the screen. “She’s lovely, just right for my grandson…”

Shen Zhiyi and Shen Zhijun relaxed, relieved to have calmed their mother. At her age, she really couldn’t endure too much sadness.

The elderly woman grew tired after talking for a while, so Wang Chuanze, sensing Grandma needed rest, left the ward with his two uncles.

Shen Zhiyi draped a hand over Wang Chuanze’s shoulder. “Have you decided to pursue this path?” His nephew was doing well at university, studying a good major. He worried that because of his disagreement with his father, the boy might neglect his future and regret it later.

Wang Chuanze nodded. “I really like this industry. I want to be a film actor. I enjoy portraying someone else’s life on the big screen, experiencing a journey unknown to me.”

That had also been the dream of the boy who had quietly passed away.

Shen Zhijun said nothing more. As the only surviving child of his sister, of course he cherished him. “If you encounter any difficulties, come to your uncle. I’ll help you find a way.”

Shen Zhiyi patted his shoulder. “Alright, we’re here for your grandmother. You go focus on your work.”

Then he added, “If you’re serious, bring that girl home with you for New Year’s during winter break.”

Wang Chuanze waved his hand, said goodbye to the two uncles, and left.

Just as he stepped out of the hospital, he received a transfer of 100,000 yuan—his two uncles each sent 50,000, with a message telling him to buy gifts for that girl.

Meng Shengsheng received the notification of the transfer and messaged him. Wang Chuanze explained it was pocket money from the uncles. No further replies came, likely because she was busy; these messages were sent in brief moments of free time.

He wanted to fly straight to Beijing City but recalled Grandma’s words. The two elderly had no photos of their daughter at home—it was no wonder they missed her.

Flipping through his memories, Wang Chuanze remembered the original owner kept photo albums of him and his mother at home. From Wang Chuanze’s perspective, it would be better to place his mother’s photos at the grandparents’ house rather than where the three of them lived.

Since the Wang family home was still in the city, he decided to go back for a visit.

Upon entering the residential complex, he found he couldn’t get through the gate.

Wang Chuanze was stunned. Had they moved? Impossible. His stepmother wouldn’t stoop to such a disgraceful act. It must have been his half-brother.

After some trouble, he found the property management and locksmith, finally gaining entry. He was mentally prepared. Upstairs, his old room had indeed been completely changed—it was now a storage room cluttered with all kinds of junk: various courier boxes, some opened, some unopened, skateboards, basketballs, rollerblades…

Wang Chuanze closed his eyes briefly; anger surged instantly. This family was infuriating! How could they be so shameless? They lived in a villa with only five people—the father and stepmother shared a room, and each of the three children had their own. There was a nanny’s room at the corner downstairs, and several other rooms were vacant. There was plenty of space to put things properly, so why treat his room like a garbage dump?

At that moment, he realized his stepmother was no good. Wang Chuanze narrowed his eyes, a cold gleam flashing within.

The original owner was a teenager. In his memory, the stepmother treated him less well than her own children, but when he quarreled with his father, she would step in to mediate and persuade his father—a fairly decent person.

Wang Chuanze reviewed his memories but saw no difference. However, having encountered all sorts of people, he knew that no matter how well someone hid their true nature, he could usually discern their character if he wanted to.

If this stepmother were truly good, why hadn’t the father and son’s relationship improved? Instead, it deteriorated with each passing day. Considering her words, Wang Chuanze guessed that whenever father and son argued, she stoked the fire behind the scenes. Once they clashed, she would play the virtuous peacemaker, so the boy never saw her true colors.

He found a photo album in the drawer, untouched.

Flipping through, Wang Chuanze saw pictures of the original owner as a child with his mother, joyful in her embrace.

He noticed the jade bracelets and several necklaces his mother wore—he recalled seeing some of those pieces on his stepmother as well.

Wang Chuanze sighed. The boy’s birth mother had died too young; he never realized that the stepmother had taken possession of his mother’s belongings. Just because he hadn’t claimed certain items before didn’t mean they belonged to her.

He didn’t immediately retrieve the jewelry from Xi Man’s room but contacted his two uncles by phone and returned to the Shen family home.

Wang Chuanze sorted through the dowry his mother had brought into the Wang family. He discovered that there was more than just one or two sets; all the jewelry Shen Qujing had brought in was worth at least tens of millions.

Shen Qujing died too early; at that time, the child was too young to handle matters. By the time he grew up, those possessions had long fallen into others’ hands.

Looking at the photos and documents in his hands, Wang Chuanze knew he had to get these things back.

By then, he had a rough idea of what kind of person his stepmother was. He downloaded the X QuickPay app, checked all the bank cards under his name, and reviewed the transactions. Besides the two cards he regularly used, there was indeed another card he had never noticed.

Wang Chuanze went to the bank and called the Shen family, finally clarifying the situation.

The original owner had no idea where the living expenses came from. He had been using a card issued after he turned eighteen. After signing with a company, the company gave him a salary card.

All the money in the commonly used card over the years had come from his maternal grandparents and two uncles as holiday pocket money—each time they sent tens of thousands. They never told the original owner, probably thinking it unnecessary since he was well-behaved, ate at the school cafeteria, and never wasted money. A few thousand a year was far more than he needed, so he assumed the money came from his father.

After printing the bank statements and examining them carefully, all the money in the familiar card came only from his uncles and grandparents. Apart from that, he had another bank card he never knew about and had never held.

This was the truth Wang Chuanze uncovered.