Chapter 29

After one night, the forum posts that leaked personal info and spread rumors were deleted one by one by the moderators, which triggered widespread dissatisfaction and protests—everyone loves watching drama.

【How come so many posts got deleted overnight? Did the moderators get bribed?】

【It’s about personal privacy invasion. Deleting is normal.】

【Why didn’t the moderators intervene before? That speculation last night—can it really be true? That he’s a secret heir from a rich family who did well on the college entrance exam and got recognized.】

【The secret heir theory was debunked. Didn’t someone find news about the Shen family CEO? Real-life version of the switched-at-birth rich kid.】

【Whoa, why did the posts get deleted so fast? I only saw something about exam scores. Are the moderators living on the forum?】

【Crazy. Doubting his exam scores are fake—if they don’t delete that, who else? Should ban them permanently.】

【He’s the real heir, then who’s the fake one?】

【Shen Zeyu, Xie Huai’s high school classmate. Now the three of them are in the same major—pretty lively.】

Back when the switched-at-birth case happened, the Shen family used all their resources to locate Qi Xu in Qi family village, far away in M City. But not long after, someone found out and leaked the news.

Shen Zhuohai had no choice but to issue a public statement. Although he didn’t reveal the children’s names, in today’s internet age—and with Shen Zeyu having social media—it was easy for people to connect the dots.

Everyone in the upper circles knew about the real and fake heirs. Now that Qi Xu had become famous at Q University, this matter could no longer be hidden; it quickly spread until the entire school knew about the “real and fake Monkey Kings” among the freshmen.

During this time, the forum saw more posts guiding public opinion—phrases like Qi Xu and Shen Zeyu get along well, and both kids were innocent victims of what happened back then.

The topic of the real and fake heir was sensitive. People instinctively blamed the fake heir first—after all, it was true that he had taken someone else’s place.

Just like in the previous life, the Shen family didn’t want to put Shen Zeyu under the spotlight and be publicly condemned.

The purpose of these posts was to clear Shen Zeyu’s name and make his situation less embarrassing, crafting an image of innocence.

What made Qi Xu laugh was that they even tried to gain public sympathy by talking about the kids’ biological parents.

The Shen couple’s good public image was well known—they had a harmonious family and a loving marriage. On the other hand, the other side was a single-parent family with strict rules but also a strong fatherly love.

In short, both sides had no lack of family care, surrounded by love for 18 years.

Reading this statement while resting in the car made Qi Xu laugh so hard he almost spit out the herbal medicine he had just taken.

Old Gao thoughtfully handed over a car trash bin and a bottle of water.

Xie Huai frowned slightly. “Looks like the herbal medicine is really working. You used to value your nap time more than your life, yet you still found time to browse the forum.”

Qi Xu took the trash bin and set it by his feet, unscrewed the bottle cap, and took a sip.

“It’s definitely working. Should I film a video for Old Xu so he knows? Then he won’t have to come once a week.”

Xie Huai said firmly, “At least until military training is over.”

Qi Xu did the math—there weren’t many days left.

He changed the subject. “You had those rumor posts deleted, right?”

Xie Huai replied with a grunt, saying nothing more—completely unlike the selfless ‘Lei Feng’ figure Qi Xu had in his head.

Wasn’t he pretty enthusiastic about that a few times before?

Qi Xu guessed it had to do with the last time he mentioned “childhood sweetheart” in front of him. That petty guy had been holding a grudge.

If it’s not childhood sweetheart, then not childhood sweetheart. Call it “little green plum” instead.

Forget it. Qi Xu wisely avoided mentioning Shen Zeyu in front of Xie Huai, fearing he’d get off the car silently, keep a sulky face all night, and scare Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie into not even daring to breathe, then go to bed early to chat on his phone.

As for how the bad mood was dispelled—next day Qi Xu bought him a bottle of non-allergenic grape juice.

The dark clouds finally parted. Li Yan jokingly called him “the guy who could be pacified with a bottle of juice.”

With nothing more to say, Qi Xu quickly ended the topic.

“Thanks.”

Then Qi Xu saw Xie Huai immediately pull out his phone, tap a few times, and hand it over to him.

“Say it again, I’m recording.”

Qi Xu: “…”

Under Qi Xu’s speechless look, Xie Huai finally showed a faint smile.

“Not even willing to meet a small request, no sincerity at all.”

Qi Xu hadn’t thanked Xie Huai for the good deeds before, even though they were minor, it was better than nothing—what harm could another thank you do?

“Thanks,” Qi Xu said patiently.

It wasn’t perfectly polished or formal—this was Qi Xu’s signature style: lazy, a little drawn-out, just slightly careless, like a phrase spoken out of sudden kindness.

Xie Huai looked at his phone screen to check if it was recording. “Looks like I didn’t press the button. Say it again.”

Qi Xu warned, “Xie Huai, don’t push your luck.”

“Oh.” Xie Huai calmly put away his phone and hit the pause button. A beep sounded. “Must’ve been mistaken. Hearing you say ‘thank you’ is harder than climbing to the sky. Definitely worth keeping.”

—

Three weeks of military training ended with reluctant goodbyes and countless group photos. After the award ceremony, the weekend came, and then the official opening ceremony of the school year.

After working hard for more than half a month, finally some real rest. Ditch the fatigues, and sleep for two whole days and nights. This weekend, Li Yan didn’t plan to step foot outside the dorm.

No matter what the others did, Qi Xu would probably be sleeping too…

Back in the dorm, Li Yan watched curiously as Qi Xu packed his things. “Xu-ge, where are you going?”

After the award ceremony, Qi Xu hadn’t gone to the cafeteria with them. He’d returned to the dorm, taken a shower, hair half-dry, and was now packing quietly.

“Got some things to take care of. Probably won’t be back this weekend.”

Last night, Zeng Yun and Shen Fengkai had called him one after another. They said it’d been so long since he came home, his father missed him, his mother missed him—everything to get him to return.

But those were just excuses. Qi Xu didn’t know why exactly, but it probably wasn’t anything good.

Li Yan was about to say something when the bathroom door on the balcony opened. Xie Huai appeared, a towel draped over his head, then walked into the dorm and tossed a gray bath towel onto Qi Xu’s head.

“Dry your hair.”

Li Yan blurted out, “You two showered together?”

Xie Huai paused mid-drying, but Qi Xu immediately spoke up into the mic, “Turn on the faucet and rinse your head. What are you thinking? The place is so tiny, can’t even turn around without bumping the wall. How could it fit two people?”

Li Yan muttered, “But you came out of the bathroom back to back, and forgot your towel. Looks like it, doesn’t it?”

Then he asked Xie Huai, “Huai-ge, are you going home this weekend too?”

Xie Huai noticed Qi Xu had finished packing and the beaded bracelet he hadn’t worn for over half a month was back on his wrist. “Got some things to handle, so yeah, going home for a bit.”

Qi Xu glanced at him. “The Shen family?”

Xie Huai asked back, “You didn’t know?”

Qi Xu said, “What am I supposed to know?”

The knocking on the dorm door broke the silence. Li Yan went to open it.

Shen Zeyu stood there, smiling at the dorm. “Second brother, the car is here.”

Qi Xu didn’t say anything else, grabbed his bag, and left.

Shen Zeyu was about to follow him to the door but suddenly the door slammed shut—Qi Xu didn’t come out.

Shen Zeyu hadn’t expected Qi Xu to publicly snub him like that. His fists clenched and trembled. Even if they couldn’t stand each other, they should at least pretend to get along outside. But Qi Xu couldn’t even be bothered to pretend.

The dorm hallway was crowded with people. When Shen Zeyu knocked on Qi Xu’s door, many heads peeked out, eager to watch the drama unfold.

He didn’t want to be treated like a monkey, so he turned around in frustration and headed downstairs.

If Shen Zeyu had seen what happened behind the door of Dorm 314, he would have been even angrier—because it wasn’t him who closed the door, but Xie Huai who slammed it shut with a flip of his hand.

Xie Huai pressed his back against the door, staring straight at Qi Xu. “The Shen family plans to hold a grand banquet for you, officially announcing your identity to the public.”

As he spoke, he kept an eye on Qi Xu’s reaction. “The event will be held at a hotel owned by the Shen family. There will be a lot of reporters there. They didn’t tell you in advance because they might have feared you’d refuse to attend. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

Whether it was returning to the Shen family’s old residence or going anywhere else, no one in the Shen family had the power to take him away against his will.

Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie didn’t fully understand Qi Xu’s background, but after reading the posts on the forum over the past few days, they were almost certain that Qi Xu was the real heir who had been switched at birth.

The two of them had no intention of getting involved in matters beyond their understanding and quietly returned to their seats.

In his previous life, none of this had happened. After being acknowledged by the Shen family, Qi Xu was known only within elite circles. To the outside world, there was only Shen Zeyu—the young master. Qi Xu’s name never appeared at all.

There were even rumors, after he became Vice President of the Shen Corporation, that he was Shen Zhuohai’s illegitimate son.

“Not going? That means we’ll miss all the drama,” Qi Xu said with a casual smile, as if he didn’t care at all. “Xu Yichen and the others will probably show up too. Haven’t seen them in a while—I kind of miss them.”

Whether it would be a spectacle or a farce remained to be seen. After a pause, Xie Huai stepped aside and opened the dorm room door for Qi Xu.

Qi Xu turned to Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie. “Have a good weekend.”

Shen Zeyu had been waiting in the car for a while. Qi Xu glanced at him, then opened the door on the opposite side and got in.

They arrived at the Shen family estate a little after seven. The kitchen staff was busy preparing dinner. When they saw the car pull up, the housekeepers rushed out to open the door.

Zeng Yun hadn’t seen either of her sons in a long time. She immediately grabbed both of their hands, fussing over them, saying how they’d both gotten tanned and thinner, and insisting they needed to be properly nourished.

Shen Zeyu had always been skilled at winning over adults. He gave Zeng Yun a warm hug.

Zeng Yun let go of Qi Xu’s hand and embraced her younger son tightly.

Since the school year started, the younger one had kept in close contact with them. Not long ago, he had casually mentioned the forum drama at school. Thankfully, they’d intervened in time to control the narrative before it could spiral.

Zeng Yun looked at Qi Xu, and a pang of guilt welled up inside her. In truth, he was the one they hadn’t seen in a long while.

Since returning to the old house and starting school, she had only spoken to Qi Xu twice by phone—and each time, the calls were hurried and awkward.

It had only been two months, yet Zeng Yun felt her son had changed. Perhaps it was due to being disciplined by the old man at the family home, but she saw a quiet steadiness in Qi Xu that wasn’t there before.

Standing next to her proud eldest son, Qi Xu held his own—so much so that one might forget he was just a college freshman.

Shen Zhuohai noticed the change too. It made both parents wonder: if only this child were closer to them, more obedient and warm—perhaps their family of five could truly be happy together.

Qi Xu didn’t interrupt their mother-son bonding moment. He set his shoulder bag on the sofa and calmly walked to the fridge to grab a bottle of mineral water.

Zeng Yun opened her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat.

Having had almost no interaction with Qi Xu in the past two months, their relationship had returned to the awkward distance of strangers. The atmosphere was stiff and uncomfortable.

“Qi Xu, why are you drinking cold water instead of soup?” Shen Fengkai said, annoyed at his younger brother for being difficult the moment he walked through the door. “Go talk to Mom. She hasn’t seen you in a long time.”

Qi Xu ignored him, took the water bottle, and returned to the sofa, answering their questions in a perfunctory manner.

It was the usual routine: they ask, he answers—never volunteering anything himself. Zeng Yun felt again how far this child was from her.

Qi Xu waited to see when they would finally bring up the banquet. It wasn’t until they were sitting at the dinner table that Shen Zhuohai took out two property deeds.

“These are your father’s gifts to you both for starting college—apartments near campus. Now that you’re in college, it’s only right to have your own space. Your dorm has a curfew, and if something comes up, you’ll have a place to stay off-campus.”

It was a thoughtful gift. One had to admit—it showed some care.

Shen Zeyu didn’t take the deed. He tilted his head and smiled, refusing gently, “Dad, I don’t need another place to live. Having a home is enough. Does growing up mean leaving home? I don’t want to be away from you two.”

Zeng Yun patted her younger son’s head and said, “This will always be your home. But your father just thought you’ve had it tough in the dorm. It’s a place to relax—and on weekends, you could invite friends over too.”

Still, Shen Zeyu declined. “I don’t want you spending money on me unnecessarily. I haven’t even stayed at the beach house you gave me before. The apartments near campus are in a good school district—let’s leave them for someone who needs them. Coming home is how I relax.”

Ever since the truth about the identity switch came to light, the younger son had grown increasingly attached to them. It was typical of a child—afraid of being abandoned, which was understandable.

Zeng Yun said tenderly, “Alright then, don’t take it. Come home on the weekends—Mom will make your favorite dishes.”

Shen Fengkai added, “You’re already grown up and still this clingy. When are you going to mature?”

Shen Zeyu made a funny face at him. “No matter how old I get, I’ll always be Mom and Dad’s son.”

Shen Fengkai looked at him with a helpless expression.

Once Shen Zeyu had finished his familiar performance of turning down a gift, Qi Xu calmly accepted the property deed and, right in front of everyone, flipped it open to read. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll move in right away.”

His quick acceptance caught Shen Zhuohai off guard for a second. “As long as you like it,” he managed.

Taking advantage of the moment, he brought up the banquet planned for the next day. In short, Qi Xu—as the guest of honor—absolutely had to attend.

Qi Xu kept his head down, silently reading the deed for a long time.

Shen Fengkai frowned. This little brother of his had always been rebellious, always going against the grain, doing things just to be difficult.

He had already expected Qi Xu to resist. That’s why bodyguards had been stationed outside—whether Qi Xu liked it or not, he’d be escorted to the event.

But Qi Xu finally looked up and closed the folder. “Since I’ve accepted Dad’s gift, of course I’ll show up as expected. I know the saying—if you take someone’s handout, you can’t refuse their request.”

Then, in an easy, relaxed tone, he turned to Shen Fengkai. “Big Brother, go ahead and call off the people outside. It’s a long night—standing guard’s hard work. It’s not like I have wings. I won’t fly away.”

Shen Fengkai froze for a moment. Just one sentence, and everything he’d arranged became pointless.