The Sickly Villain Only Wants to Survive

92

Xia Yang booked a flight back to A City that very night.

On the way to E City airport, he couldn't help but scroll through the online comments. The more he read, the more agitated and panicked he felt.

"The world is full of surprises; an illegitimate child has occupied someone else's life for over a decade. Come out and apologize!"

"If you won't apologize, you should at least have the decency to pack your bags and leave, right? Is the illegitimate child gone yet?"

"People should have self-awareness. One's fate is what it is; a life stolen will eventually have to be returned."

"Is there really anything wrong with being an illegitimate child? It's not like they chose to be born; isn't it the irresponsible parents who are at fault?"

"..."

The public discourse on the switched-at-birth scandal was still heating up, and discussions about illegitimate children were becoming even more intense.

As Xia Yang saw the unavoidable term "illegitimate child" on his phone, he could hardly imagine the kind of predicament he would face if the truth about him were to be exposed.

He couldn't possibly be an illegitimate child!

He must not be an illegitimate child!

Arriving home at the Xia family villa at ten o'clock, he found the front door wide open.

Eager to enter, he hadn't even begun to look for anyone when he first heard his father's furious roar.

"You've lost your mind! What do you want, woman? Are you trying to make a name for your son? After all these years, you still don't realize that he's not really your son? Have you ever cared about him? You've hardly even looked at him! Now you stand here, acting like you have a deep mother-son bond with a complete stranger? What are you trying to accomplish? Do you want shares? Let me tell you, you're delusional. Do you really think you can bring me down with just a few words?"

Xia Weiyi was seething in the living room.

Xiang Shuyi showed no emotion toward his anger; she looked up calmly and smiled. "Xia Weiyi, do you really think what you did over a decade ago was so flawless?"

Xia Weiyi's expression darkened. "What do you mean?"

Xiang Shuyi lowered her head, examining her neatly trimmed nails. "You're greedy and arrogant, unable to make sacrifices. You refuse to give even a sliver of benefit to others, yet it seems you're not as heartless as I thought, given that the child survived."

Xia Weiyi stared at her. "You know?"

Xiang Shuyi smiled faintly but did not answer.

Perhaps there really was some special connection between mother and child. The moment she saw the switched child, she sensed that he wasn't hers.

Where had her son gone? She had never thought to search for him.

What would be the point of finding him? To let him grow up in a twisted family, perfectly molded into the version of himself that she despised?

Or maybe he was already lost, having left this world before he even understood what death or fear was?

She was too afraid to search; she knew her parents had married her into the Xia family for a reason. Even knowing about Xia Weiyi's actions, they would choose to remain quiet.

She feared even more that Xia Weiyi, desperate and cornered, would snuff out the last glimmer of hope for that child.

Her heart ached while she felt numb.