Just in Time Chapter 97
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 97 Prosecution
Yi Chenliang sat cross-legged on the sofa, a black plastic bag wrapped around his neck. Yun Fang sat on the sofa armrest with one leg on the ground, holding a small pair of scissors and trimming his hair.
"Do you know Su Shengwen is back?" Yun Fang used his fingers to hold a strand of his hair and snipped it with the scissors.
"I know, but he doesn't have time for me now." Yi Chenliang brushed away the stray hair on his nose with his hand. "He seems to be in trouble at work."
"Mm." Yun Fang supported his head. "Tilt a bit to the left."
Yi Chenliang cooperatively tilted his head to the left.
"So, what are your thoughts now?" Yun Fang wiped away the stray hair on his ear with his thumb. He noticed that Yi Chenliang's ear turned red when he touched it, and couldn't help but smirk.
"What thoughts?" Yi Chenliang tilted his head again, still feeling itchy, and rubbed his ear that Yun Fang had just touched.
"Do you want to continue studying abroad or come back to the country?" Yun Fang asked him.
"Of course, I want to come back!" Yi Chenliang turned his head suddenly, almost poking himself with the scissors.
"Hiss, be obedient." Yun Fang pressed his head to turn it back. "Don't poke your eye."
Yi Chenliang obediently let Yun Fang press his head, grumbling, "Those foreigners talk gibberish, can't understand a word, always hugging and kissing."
Yun Fang's hand paused slightly while cutting his hair. One hand slid from his cheek to his chin, exerting a little force to tilt his head back, making him look up at him.
With his finger under Yi Chenliang's chin, Yun Fang looked down at him gently. "Have you hugged and kissed them?"
Yi Chenliang blinked, then smirked playfully. "Are you jealous?"
Yun Fang's finger lightly tapped his Adam's apple, smiling faintly. "Mm."
Yi Chenliang involuntarily swallowed, his Adam's apple rolling under his fingertip. His deep eyes stared straight at Yun Fang. "No, only hug and kiss you, only you."
Yun Fang's expression remained unchanged. He supported the back of Yi Chenliang's neck to straighten him up, continuing to cut his hair methodically.
Yi Chenliang leaned on his knees with both hands, chuckling.
"Does my jealousy amuse you?" Yun Fang reached out and flicked his ear.
"I'm laughing because I'm happy," Yi Chenliang said with a smile, his eyes squinting joyfully.
Yun Fang twisted the hair in his hand. "Xiao Yi, how did you come back?"
Their previous messages were rushed, and it seemed like Yi Chenliang was under significant restrictions there. Even though Su Shengwen was currently overwhelmed in the country, it wasn't certain that Yi Chenliang could return during such a critical time.
Yi Chenliang's smile faltered for a moment, and he touched his nose.
"There's mud on your shoes, scratches on your suitcase, and mud on the wheels," Yun Fang observed, touching his ear. "Inside the suitcase, there's your ID card, passport, household registration materials, and a stack of English documents, including academic certificates, transfer applications...There's even a recommendation letter personally written by the school principal."
"When did you see all that?" Yi Chenliang turned to look at him in surprise.
After all, they hadn't been apart throughout the journey, and Yun Fang had been right under his nose.
"When I went into the bedroom to help you with the suitcase," Yun Fang chuckled lightly. "I also know you have three hundred and fifty euros in your pocket, and you're wearing black square-cut underwear, the brand is—"
"Stop it!" Yi Chenliang quickly covered his mouth.
Yun Fang let him cover it, smiling with his eyes crinkling.
Yi Chenliang's ears turned red. "Why are you looking at my underwear?"
Yun Fang blinked and pointed at the hand covering his mouth.
Yi Chenliang awkwardly removed his hand.
"I accidentally saw it," Yun Fang finished the last snip, removing the messy black plastic bag from his neck and wiping the fine hair clippings off his neck with a towel. "Tell me more?"
"Su Shengwen is watching me closely. He seems to know that I've always wanted to come back. There's always someone around me, following me..." Yi Chenliang had some stray hair on his nose, which he tried to brush away but didn't succeed.
Yun Fang sat in front of him and pinched it for him. "And then?"
"Then I swallowed my pride, recognized the thief as father, and tried to dispel his vigilance," Yi Chenliang said with frustration. "I improved my relationship with Chu Xia, gaining their trust little by little, making them believe that I was deceived by greed and decided to stay for money."
Listening to his account, Yun Fang found it pitiful yet bittersweetly humorous, with a hint of helplessness. He reached out and pinched Yi Chenliang's cheek. "Recognizing the thief as father and claiming to be deceived by greed aren't supposed to be used like that."
Yi Chenliang grabbed his hand. "After that, I built a good relationship with the principal of the high school I attended abroad. That bearded man was very kind and helped me a lot. I used the excuse of participating in a competition to get my ID card and passport from Su Shengwen through Chu Xia. Then, I had the bearded man request overseas residency proof, and I managed to get my household registration documents. Normally, someone as cautious as Su Shengwen should have noticed something was wrong, but he seemed preoccupied and couldn't focus on me. So, I spent some time preparing all the documents needed to return to the country..."
"Finally, I chose a dark and windy night, evaded the people who had been watching me, and took a plane back," Yi Chenliang summarized the whole process briefly for Yun Fang.
Yun Fang patted his head. "Xiao Yi, you're amazing."
Although Yi Chenliang only took less than a minute to recount these events, it took him a whole year to accomplish them.
At the very most, he was only seventeen this year.
When Yi Chenliang heard Yun Fang praise him, his eyes sparkled. "I've grown up, right?"
Yun Fang felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. "Yes, you've grown up and become exceptionally capable."
Yun Fang couldn't help but feel sad thinking about the things Yi Chenliang had omitted in his words. He hadn't protected Yi Chenliang well enough.
"Do you want to stay with the Su family, or do you want to cut ties with them completely?" Yun Fang asked him.
"I don't want to have anything to do with them anymore," Yi Chenliang said calmly. "Some things can't be forced, and it's nauseating for oneself and others."
If there was a last glimmer of unrealistic hope in him for his biological parents before, now his heart was filled with disgust.
"Okay," Yun Fang replied gently.
Yi Chenliang took a shower, changed clothes, and returned to being the fresh and clean Yi Chenliang.
Yun Fang took him out for a meal and then to Huang Chu's law firm.
In the quiet office, there were only the three of them.
"Xiao Yi, there are two things you need to know," Huang Chu said with a serious expression. "Firstly, the materials you signed that Su Shengwen used for legal battles and adoption procedures were signed by you without your knowledge. At the time of signing, you didn't have a legal guardian, and I have retained records that can prove this was a trap. Secondly, you were forcibly taken away by Su Shengwen, restricting your personal freedom without your consent. When the adoption procedures were completed, you had already been confined forcibly for a week. Lastly, Su Shengwen moved your household registration into the Su family under the guise of adoption, not through blood relations. So, officially, you are still Su Shengwen's adopted son. The relationship between children and adoptive parents has deteriorated to the point where you cannot live together, and you can legally sever the adoption relationship with them."
"The relationship between biological parents and children cannot be severed, but Su Shengwen cleverly used the adoption relationship to take you away. So, even though you are not yet eighteen, suing him is absolutely valid," Huang Chu explained. "Compared to Song Lili and Yi Mingzhi, there's not much difference. How he adopted you, that's how you kick him out. The law is clear, and no one can be an exception!"
It's ironic that biological parents used adoption to take away their biological son, only to deny blood relations themselves. Now, Yi Chenliang could completely use their denial of blood relations to free himself from them.
"As for the second matter..." Huang Chu sighed deeply. "Let your brother tell you."
Yi Chenliang looked at Yun Fang.
"Do you know Su Shengwen's family background?" Yun Fang asked him.
Yi Chenliang shook his head. "Chu Xia mentioned that he used to be a low-ranking official."
So Yun Fang started telling him about what he had discovered about Su Shengwen's background before he died.
"When Su Shengwen was very young, his parents divorced. After his mother passed away, he was taken back to Wu City for a while by his mother. Later, his uncle took him to the south, where he went to college and met Chu Xia. They got married right after graduation and had Su Qingbai."
"The Chu family is wealthy, with only two daughters. The eldest daughter, Chu Dong, married into the equally wealthy Chang family. Old man Chu highly regarded Su Shengwen and even wanted him to take over his business, but Su Shengwen refused. When Su Qingbai was born, Su Shengwen's father found him. The Su family in Beijing... has a lot of influence. Su Shengwen is his father's only son and highly valued. Back then, due to some policy issues, the Su family shouldn't have had a second child."
"But Chu Xia was already pregnant at the time. Initially, Su Shengwen and Chu Xia thought they could solve it with money, but Su Shengwen's position was very sensitive, and the Su family was under a lot of scrutiny. Originally, they intended to terminate the pregnancy, but Chu Xia insisted on giving birth to you... So—"
Yun Fang pressed his lips together. "So right after you were born, Su Shengwen's father had someone send you to an orphanage. The Su family publicly claimed that the pregnancy had been terminated, and there was no news of you since then."
"But the Chu family was very angry about this incident and even had heated arguments with the Su family, leading to an unpleasant situation. Chu Xia was determined to find you," Yun Fang continued. "This time, Chu Xia and Su Qingbai found you in Wu City, and the news spread widely. Su Shengwen was at a crucial point in his career these past two years and didn't want this as leverage against him. So, he took a decisive step, using the adoption as a cover to take you away. Even if someone wanted to do something, they couldn't find an excuse."
It was the first time Yi Chenliang learned about the intricacies of his background, and his emotions were complicated.
Even though he doesn't want any connection with his so-called family now, his mere existence blocks their path.
He thought, Yi Chenliang was a child who wasn't even expected to be born.
Yun Fang held his hand. "But regardless, you haven't done anything wrong from start to finish, nor have you wronged anyone. No matter what their difficulties or reasons are, they cannot be excuses to harm you."
Yi Chenliang looked up at him.
"Let's sue him."