Chapter 62: No Matter What, the Choice Was Always His!

Mother... relapsed...

Each of those words pierced Lin Feng’s heart like a needle.

He felt no affection for them, nor could he clearly name the feelings swirling within him now. The only purpose that drove him was to ask them why they had sent him away in the first place.

He paused in silence, then typed out a message: “I have something to discuss with you. Send me your address.”

Very soon, Xia Qingqing sent back a location, along with a cheery message: “Big Brother Xiaofeng, what’s up?!”

Lin Feng didn’t reply. He hailed a cab at the factory gate, following the location to the County Hospital of Pingyang.

On the seventh floor of the inpatient wing, he stood outside a door. Rather than nervousness, he felt only calm.

He knew that as soon as he pushed open this door, all secrets of his past would be laid bare.

To be honest, the thought of finally uncovering the truth about his origins sent a strange thrill through his veins.

He shook his head, took a deep breath, and opened the door to the ward.

Inside was a single room. Xia Qingqing was sitting by the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, while on the bed lay a woman with a haggard face, her body little more than skin and bones—a silent testament to the years of suffering she had endured.

Lin Feng’s eyes flickered. The woman on the bed was so thin he could scarcely see any resemblance between them at all.

He even doubted, for a moment, whether this woman was truly his mother.

Hearing the door open, Xia Qingqing turned and, upon seeing Lin Feng, her face lit up with a radiant smile. “Big Brother Xiaofeng, you’re here?!”

She set down the bowl and leaned in to whisper into her mother’s ear, “Mom, the Big Brother Xiaofeng I told you about is here, just wait a moment!”

On the bed, Xia Cailian, her eyes dull and lifeless, struggled to turn her head toward the door.

As her gaze landed on Lin Feng, a gentle warmth flickered through her weary eyes.

“You must be Lin Feng?” she asked, her voice still bearing the grace and kindness of a genteel woman. Despite her frail appearance, there was an unmistakable touch of dignity about her.

Even Lin Feng was taken aback by her tone. He could scarcely believe that someone with such poise could come from a small county town.

He greeted her politely, bowing slightly. “Hello, Auntie. I’m Xia Qingqing’s colleague.”

His respectful demeanor drew a spark of approval to Xia Cailian’s eyes.

“Thank you for helping Qingqing out last time. This child is all alone in another city—I always worry about her. I’m grateful to have you,” Xia Cailian said with a gentle smile.

Then, as if something occurred to her, she glanced at Xia Qingqing, her eyes brightening. “If your brother were here, he’d surely have something to say to you! Really, sneaking out to drink in the middle of the night...”

The moment he heard this, Lin Feng was stunned.

Brother?

Hadn’t she said her brother went missing when he was young? Did they find him already?

No... Surely not—at a time like this, could there really be someone impersonating him?

He quickly asked, “Her brother?”

“Yes, he’s at home. He’s been busy with work and hasn't had a chance to meet you yet, but perhaps next time I can introduce you,” Xia Cailian continued, oblivious.

Beside her, Xia Qingqing’s face grew steadily paler.

She hurried to interject, “Mom, I have some work matters to discuss with Big Brother Xiaofeng. I’ll come back to feed you in a moment, okay?”

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Lin Feng toward the corner of the room.

Lin Feng was thoroughly confused now. He was standing right here—where had this brother suddenly appeared from?

He couldn’t hold back any longer. “Didn’t you say your brother went missing when he was little?”

Surprised that Lin Feng would take an interest in her family’s affairs, Xia Qingqing trusted him enough to be candid.

“Yes, my brother disappeared years ago and hasn’t come back. My mother’s mind hasn't been quite right ever since. Last time, I overslept on his birthday and she had an episode. She only came to herself the day before yesterday, but now she’s like this...” Xia Qingqing’s face was full of guilt. “The doctors said she misses him so much that she’s started to hallucinate, so she keeps thinking my brother has already come home...”

“I see...” Lin Feng finally breathed a little easier.

He thought as much—he’d only just learned the truth himself. Who would bother pretending to be him, an ordinary nobody?

Still, if she missed her son so much, why did she send him to the orphanage in the first place?

That thought made Lin Feng angry again.

He suppressed his irritation and asked, “May I speak with your mother?”

“Of course!” Xia Qingqing nodded immediately without hesitation. “The doctor said talking more would be good for her.”

“Alright.”

Lin Feng nodded and turned straight for the bedside.

Seeing them approach, Xia Cailian greeted them with a smile. “Finished your chat?”

Lin Feng took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, Auntie. I have a question I’d like to ask you.”

Xia Qingqing also came to the bedside, carefully scooping up a spoonful of rice soup and blowing on it.

“Go ahead,” Xia Cailian replied, her smile unwavering.

Lin Feng decided to be direct. “Auntie, I heard from Qingqing that her brother went missing when he was little. What happened?”

Xia Qingqing’s hand froze instantly!

She stared at Lin Feng in disbelief—was he really going to poke at such a painful wound right off the bat?

But Lin Feng’s face was serious, his eyes fixed intently on Xia Cailian. He had only one reason for this urgency: he wanted an answer, and if he didn’t like what he heard, he didn’t care about recognizing this family. After all, they’d never raised him, and only he knew his own history now.

The choice was his alone.

The air instantly grew tense; Xia Qingqing felt as though she could hardly breathe.

Yet Xia Cailian wasn’t angry. Instead, she answered with calm composure and a gentle smile, “You mean Qingqing’s brother? When he was born, he was very weak, had congenital anemia. So we left him with an old Chinese doctor to be raised. He’s only just recovered recently and come home.”

Given what Xia Qingqing had just told him about her mother’s delusions, Lin Feng understood that only half of what Xia Cailian said could be trusted.

But it did seem to fit together. The Xia family claimed he’d gone missing—and with his congenital anemia, perhaps the family that found him thought he was too frail to raise and sent him to the orphanage.

Lin Feng could now piece the whole story together.

Wait—congenital anemia? He’d never even known that about himself...

He raised an eyebrow, but despite all that, he still felt no affection for these women.

Seeing Xia Cailian’s current state, he decided against revealing any blood relation between himself and Xia Qingqing, so as not to distress her further.

For now, he alone knew the truth. No matter what happened, the power to choose was his—and he wouldn’t lose out.

He asked no more.

When Xia Qingqing noticed Lin Feng had fallen silent, his expression so grave, she quickly tried to lighten the mood with a smile. “Big Brother Xiaofeng, the doctor said my mom can leave the hospital tonight. Would you like to come to our house? I’ll cook for you myself, make you a delicious meal!”