Can I still be saved? [Transmigration] - Chapter 20

After Su Yunjing and Fu Hanzhou left, Song Wenqian finally spoke. “This is really a family matter, and as an outsider, I probably shouldn’t interfere…”

“But Hanzhou is a good kid, and he’s close with our family. I see him as one of my own.”

“I know. And I’m deeply grateful,” Shen Nianyun replied with composed politeness. “But this isn’t the best place to talk. If you’re not too busy, would you mind finding somewhere we can sit down and chat?”

To be honest, he was eager to speak with someone familiar with Fu Hanzhou, to understand his son better, the one he’d never met before.

“Let’s go to my office,” the orphanage director quickly chimed in.

Song Wenqian’s biggest concern at the moment was going home to cook dinner.

But when compared to the biological father suddenly showing up for Fu Hanzhou, dinner plans felt trivial.

“Alright, let’s go,” she said, pushing her bike toward the orphanage.

Shen Nianyun glanced at his assistant, who hurriedly stepped forward to take the bike from Song Wenqian.

“Allow me. You’re pregnant, after all, please take care of yourself.”

His attentiveness startled her a bit. These people really weren’t like anyone from their small county town.

Where exactly did Hanzhou’s father come from? she wondered.

When they got home, Su Yunjing noticed Fu Hanzhou’s small hands were icy cold. He immediately pulled him over to the radiator.

He asked gently, “Was that man just now… your father?”

“I don’t have a father,” Fu Hanzhou replied calmly, but as he lowered his gaze, there was a flash of suppressed hostility in his eyes.

“Did he mistake you for someone else, or… do you just not want to acknowledge him?” Su Yunjing asked, though he already knew the answer.

His black scarf had slipped onto the radiator. Fu Hanzhou quietly pinched a corner of it and slowly tightened his grip.

“He abandoned me. So I don’t have a father.”

I only have you, Fu Hanzhou said in his heart.

In truth, Shen Nianyun hadn’t completely abandoned Fu Hanzhou. Years ago, he had tried to bring him home, but it was Fu Hanyan’s mother who took him away.

Still, that didn’t mean Shen Nianyun had been a good father.

Fu Hanzhou was already seven when he remembered to look for him. It wasn’t until Shen Nianyun lost his wife and child that he remembered his other son.

Even if he wasn’t heartless, he had certainly failed as a parent.

However, Shen Nianyun was Fu Hanzhou’s only realistic option now.

The Su family couldn’t adopt him. Either he would be adopted by someone else or stay in that under-resourced orphanage forever.

That’s why Su Yunjing hoped he would go with Shen Nianyun.

“Is that what your mom told you? That your dad abandoned you?” Su Yunjing asked thoughtfully.

“You know… it’s never good to believe only one side of the story.”

“You should talk to him. Ask what really happened. Don’t you want to know why your parents split up?”

Fu Hanzhou didn’t want to know.

But he picked up on what Su Yunjing was really saying.

“You want me to go with him?” he asked, eyes downcast and voice muffled.

“Well… if I were an adult, I’d definitely want to adopt you myself,” Su Yunjing admitted helplessly. “But I’m too young.”

He hoped the little cool cub would be warmly dressed, well fed, and receive a proper education.

A faint light flickered in Fu Hanzhou’s eyes, like tiny shards of ice catching the sun. “You really thought about adopting me?”

“Of course.” Su Yunjing ruffled his hair with a sigh. “But it’s useless to say these now. We are still young and can’t make decisions on some things.”

“No matter what, he’s your father. That has to be better than being adopted by strangers.”

Fu Hanzhou dropped his head again.

Looking at the delicate curve of his pale neck, Su Yunjing felt a pang in his chest.

“I know you don’t want to go back with him. partly because you can’t bear to leave me. But we can still talk every day. During summer and winter breaks, you can come visit me.”

Su Yunjing reminded him how convenient transportation was these days.

Not just within the country, even flying overseas only took a few hours.

Fu Hanzhou didn’t speak all the time, he frowned, as if thinking about something.

…

After speaking with Shen Nianyun, Song Wenqian’s impression of him was actually quite good.

He was eloquent, clearly well-educated, and most importantly, he didn’t carry that arrogant air some wealthy people had.

He insisted on treating the Su couple to dinner as thanks for taking care of Hanzhou over the past few months.

And it wasn’t just any meal; his assistant booked the best restaurant in town.

Naturally, the two boys were brought along as well.

Su Yunjing had expected Fu Hanzhou to refuse to go but surprisingly, he didn’t.

However, during the meal, Fu Hanzhou completely ignored Shen Nianyun, which left the man visibly awkward.

After dinner, Shen Nianyun hesitated before asking, “I’ve booked a hotel room. Hanzhou, are you coming back with me, or going home with them?”

Sensing the tension, Song Wenqian stepped in to smooth things over. “Let him come back with us.”

The orphanage’s living conditions were rough. They barely had working radiators.

After all, Shen Nianyun was Fu Hanzhou’s biological father, and he did not want his son to suffer. He was about to agree when he heard Fu Hanzhou unexpectedly say something.

“I’ll go back to the hotel with you.”

Everyone turned to stare at Fu Hanzhou, including Su Yunjing.

‘That was… fast.’

Even Shen Nianyun, usually unreadable, showed a rare flicker of joy.

He reached out to take Fu Hanzhou’s hand, but Fu Hanzhou avoided him without a word.

Instead, he turned to Su Yunjing and said, “Go home. Be careful on the way.”

The warm orange light of the private dining room cast shifting shadows across his face.

Staring at Fu Hanzhou’s calm, composed expression, Su Yunjing suddenly felt unfamiliar with him.

He was just a seven-year-old boy, but Su Yunjing couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

“…Okay,” he finally said, nodding.

On the way back, Song Wenqian said to Lu Tao, “Bl00d ties really are something. Hanzhou looked like he didn’t like his dad at all but in the end, he went with him without hesitation.”

Lu Tao could hear the sourness in her voice and chuckled. “What are you jealous of? He’s his actual father.”

Song Wenqian raised her delicate brow. “So what? Hanzhou’s practically half my son. He’s engaged to the one in my belly, remember?”

Lu Tao scolded with a smile. “Have some shame? You haven’t given birth yet, and you already have a son-in-law?”

As they bickered, Su Yunjing stared silently out the window.

To be honest, his feelings were complicated.

It was a good thing that father and son had reconciled but still, it felt like the child he’d raised so carefully had been taken away from him.

…

The next day, Su Yunjing went to school as usual.

On his way past the orphanage, he looked over out of habit. The space behind the iron gate was empty.

Whenever Fu Hanzhou didn’t sleep over, he would always stand there to watch Su Yunjing leave for school.

Seeing no one there today left him feeling a little strange.

But then he thought, at least little cool cub would now be properly cared for. That was a relief.

Once he accepted that Fu Hanzhou was leaving, most of the sadness dissipated, only a bit of reluctance remained.

That afternoon, Song Wenqian picked Su Yunjing up from school and told him that Fu Hanzhou had agreed to go with Shen Nianyun.

So tonight, she was planning to invite the two of them over for dinner at home.

Knowing that Fu Hanzhou loved fish, she went out of her way to get a Qingjiang fish.

Qingjiang fish had few bones but cost ten times more than regular carp, which shows how much she valued this dinner.

She made a table full of her best dishes to celebrate the reunion of father and son.

Shen Nianyun brought gifts. The gift was not very expensive, but he was very considerate in the way he spoke.

“The boys are so close. I hope both our families can stay in touch and not let them lose contact.”

He was elegant and refined, without the arrogance of the rich.

The Su couple genuinely liked him. Whether or not the two families would stay in touch, just hearing someone speak like that left a good impression.

Dinner was cheerful, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly.

While the adults chatted, the two boys quietly ate their food.

Fu Hanzhou didn’t have much of an appetite. He only ate when Su Yunjing served him something; otherwise, he just picked at his rice.

After dinner, Fu Hanzhou said he wanted to sleep over. He was flying out with Shen Nianyun the next morning.

Shen Nianyun didn’t want to trouble anyone, but couldn’t say no to Fu Hanzhou, so he agreed.

Since Fu Hanzhou hadn’t eaten much during dinner, Su Yunjing sneaked into the kitchen and came back with half a sausage.

“Hungry?” Su Yunjing asked. “Want some more?”

Looking at the sausage in Su Yunjing’s hand, Fu Hanzhou suddenly recalled those days when Su Yunjing used to sneak food to him.

It had only been a month or so, but it already felt like a lifetime had passed.

He pressed his lips together and took the sausage.

He lowered his head, his hair falling over his eyes, hiding the delicate features of his face. The line of his jaw and nose looked soft and gentle.

Seeing he was feeling down, Su Yunjing sat beside him.

“I know we’re going to be apart, but it’s not like we won’t see each other again. Most importantly, you found your family, you should be happy…”

Before he could finish, Fu Hanzhou stuffed a piece of sausage into his mouth.

Su Yunjing: “…”

Okay. Still tastes pretty good.

He took a bite.

Fu Hanzhou, despite being a neat little clean freak, didn’t mind sharing. He bit into the sausage, directly over Su Yunjing’s teeth marks.

Su Yunjing pulled out two pouches of yogurt, gave one to Fu Hanzhou, and drank the other himself.

“He’s actually not a bad guy. Now that you’re going with him, you should try to get along. If anything’s bothering you, talk to him. Don’t keep it all bottled up.”

Su Yunjing knew Fu Hanzhou still had some resentment toward Shen Nianyun.

That kind of emotional knot wouldn’t be untied in a day or two, but as long as Fu Hanzhou was willing to open his heart, Su Yunjing believed their relationship would slowly improve.

Fu Hanzhou didn’t enjoy hearing all this, but still responded with a polite “Mm.”

“This is for you.” Fu Hanzhou took out the latest model of smartphone.

“Your dad bought it?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if he bought it for you, then you should keep it. Give me the old one, I’ll use that to call you from now on.”

“You’ve already given me that phone. It’s mine,” Fu Hanzhou frowned slightly and said.

Su Yunjing: “…Alright then.”

Thinking of how wealthy Shen Nianyun was, Su Yunjing figured they wouldn’t short a phone, so he didn’t argue further.