DASFAM_102

"……"

Dissolve the adoption relationship?

Zhang Changning only felt his head explode with a bang, having no idea how to react at all. The Zhang couple sitting on the sofa were likewise stunned.

This sudden demand from Bai Xu had caught everyone off guard.

Zhang Changxu noticed Zhang Changning's expression gradually turning uneasy, and without even thinking, flatly refused, "No!"

He looked at Bai Xu, "Even if Changning has no blood relation to our family, he's long since become an indispensable part of the Zhang family."

Bai Xu had clearly promised him that no matter what the paternity test results turned out to be, the premise was that he didn't want Zhang Changning to be hurt, so why was he now insisting on bringing up something like this?

Shen Mian also chimed in, "Yes, yes, that's right."

One was an adopted son raised for many years, the other a biological son missed for many years, how were they supposed to choose between them?

How could Shang Yanxiao not see that his partner was lending his support in his own particular way? Unfortunately, the one caught up in it sees less clearly than the one looking on, and the person concerned hadn't been able to grasp it right away.

"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Shen, A' Xu just wants you to dissolve the adoption relationship with Changning. As for how the family gets along after the adoption relationship is dissolved, you can still get along however you like."

Shang Yanxiao tactfully reminded them, his knowing gaze fixed on his friend, "Even getting along in a different way would be fine too."

"……"

A faint change crossed Zhang Changxu's eyes.

Before everyone had time to come back to their senses, Zhang Changning spoke up, "That's, that's only right, I'm willing to dissolve the adoption relationship with the Zhang family."

"Ningning!"

"Xiao Ning?"

The other three members of the Zhang family spoke almost in unison.

A welling bitterness overflowed in Zhang Changning's chest, yet it was as if he had long since prepared himself for this day, "It was me occupying Bai Xu's position to begin with, I should give it back to him."

Seeing his friend had misunderstood, Bai Xu's brow furrowed slightly.

But at this critical juncture, this was also one of the rare opportunities that could help push the two of them past their barrier, so he could only continue playing the 'villain' in this act.

"I'm not in a hurry, you all can discuss it amongst yourselves."

Afraid that if he said any more he might give the game away, Bai Xu hurriedly shot a glance toward his partner.

Shang Yanxiao caught the hint with practiced ease, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Shen, A' Xu's body hasn't fully recovered yet, he needs to rest for a while every afternoon, and it's about time for his midday nap now."

"After all, what happened today came rather suddenly, why don't we wait until A' Xu has fully recovered, and then have a proper talk?"

Zhang Du and Shen Mian of course knew about Bai Xu's serious injuries from the fall some time ago, so how could they dare delay the child's recuperation?

The two of them rose to their feet almost at the same moment, "Right, right, right, you rest well."

"Yes, your health is the most important thing, anything else can wait to be discussed later."

These past twenty-some years, their family had already waited through, and had even gotten this child back in the end, were they still afraid there wouldn't be time later?

Watching the eager warmth in his parents' eyes as they looked at Bai Xu's face, Zhang Changning only felt his breath freeze solid.

He felt no jealousy, no resentment, no unwillingness, only the fear of 'gaining and then losing again,' like a bottomless hole continuously expanding, spreading bit by bit from beneath his feet, almost on the verge of swallowing him whole.

"……"

Zhang Changning hovered on the edge of losing his composure, struggling to maintain the politeness he ought to show, "Bai Xu, rest well, I- I'll come visit you another day!"

With that, he fled the hospital room like a startled rabbit.

"Ningning!"

Zhang Changxu, without even thinking, chased after him.

Shang Yanxiao, unsurprised, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Shen, let me see you out."

…

Bai Xu sat quietly in the hospital room waiting for a while, until he saw his partner's figure return.

He asked, "Did you see them down? Did you see Changning?"

"No, they only let me see them as far as the elevator, afraid you might need me here, so they didn't let me go any further."

Shang Yanxiao walked over, sitting back down at the bedside as usual.

Only once there was no one else around did he let out a genuine sigh, "A' Xu, but I really didn't expect that 'you' would actually turn out to be the little son the Zhang family lost."

How could Bai Xu have expected it either?

Thinking back on everything that had just happened, he began to reflect, "Yanxiao, do you think that dose of strong medicine I just gave was too harsh? Maybe I should have discussed it with Changning first, at least given him some advance warning."

Now, things being as they were, it seemed to have somewhat backfired into the opposite of his intentions.

Shang Yanxiao didn't think much of it, though, "Plans never keep pace with change. Besides, if you hadn't seized this moment to find them a reason to dissolve the adoption, I'm afraid it would only be harder to bring up later."

Better this way, falling into place naturally as it just had.

Bai Xu was still worried about Zhang Changning, "But looking at the two of them, neither one seemed to catch on at all."

Shang Yanxiao smiled faintly, "The reason they can't catch on right now is that one of them has his mind on his origins, and the other has his mind on the other person."

Once this wave of shock passed, sooner or later they would understand what Bai Xu was driving at.

Shang Yanxiao said, "But if you're in such a hurry to play matchmaker, should I call them back here for you?"

Between two tight-lipped men, someone had to make the first move eventually.

Bai Xu, thinking of his friend who clearly had an even harder time taking that step, shifted his target, "Call Dr. Zhang then."

Although there was now a substantive 'blood relationship,' he still couldn't bring himself to call Zhang Changxu 'Second Brother'.

Shang Yanxiao smiled, "Alright, Young Master Bai."

Bai Xu spotted the washed but uneaten pear on the bedside table, and clumsily yet endearingly poked at it with his cast-bound hand, "Peel it for me, I want to eat it."

Shang Yanxiao frowned with doting affection, "Tsk, you've got a cast on, don't move around so much."

...

Within less than three minutes, Zhang Changxu's figure appeared in the hospital room once more.

Shang Yanxiao was somewhat surprised at his speed, "Back already?"

Bai Xu pressed, "Did you find Changning?"

Zhang Changxu shook his head, his expression none too good, "No."

Zhang Changning came across as sunny and easygoing, someone who would rush in without hesitation when a friend was in trouble, but whenever it concerned himself—

Zhang Changning's first reaction to trouble was always like a kitten, like a little rabbit, gone without a trace the moment you let your guard down.

"I'd only just chased after him when he'd already slipped into the elevator."

By the time he'd chased down to the floor below, the other was already nowhere to be found at all.

With less than ten minutes left before work hours, Zhang Changxu still had seven or eight registered patients to see in the afternoon. If he could, he would have liked to drop his work and go find Zhang Changning.

But the responsibilities of being a doctor stood in the way, he couldn't.

Zhang Changxu had already called Zhang Changning and sent him a text message, and now it was only a matter of waiting to see whether the other would be willing to answer or call back later.

Bai Xu, realizing his own carelessness, "Sorry, I was thoughtless just now."

Even if Zhang Changning had known the truth of his own origins from the very start, that didn't mean he didn't need time to process it!

"No, I didn't come back to blame you."

Zhang Changxu shook his head, hesitating, "I just don't understand, why must you have the Zhang family and Changning dissolve the adoption relationship?"

"Actually, whether the adoption relationship is dissolved or not, it wouldn't affect you at all, would it?"

Shang Yanxiao answered in Bai Xu's place, "Dissolving the adoption relationship won't affect Bai Xu, but it will affect you and Changning."

"……"

Bai Xu simply stopped beating around the bush, "Dr. Zhang, you've known about Changning's origins since you were young, haven't you? Do you really only regard him as your 'biological younger brother'?"

Zhang Changxu's hands, buried in the pockets of his white coat, clenched tight, taken aback, "What?"

"Before the New Year, during a lull while waiting at the ski resort, Changning told me he felt that the feeling between me and Yanxiao when we looked at each other was love. I was stubborn about it and wouldn't admit it back then."

Bai Xu looked at Zhang Changxu, whose expression had turned dark and unreadable, speaking without mincing words, "Now I'm putting those very words of his onto the two of you, will you admit it or not?"

Zhang Changxu's gaze flinched away for an instant.

How could he admit it? How could he dare admit it?

Even without blood ties, Zhang Changning had always been his younger brother in name! He'd thought he had hidden that kind of feeling deep enough, had even prepared himself to never speak it aloud for an entire lifetime!

Now, faced with the two pairs of all-seeing eyes belonging to Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu, Zhang Changxu felt as though there were nowhere left to hide. He took a deep breath, just about to deny it—

But Bai Xu pressed the attack further, "Actually, the depth of what Changning and I have talked about goes far beyond what you'd imagine."

"I'm normally the type who'd rather mind my own business and stay out of things, but today I insisted on bringing this up, care to guess why?"

"……"

Zhang Changxu seemed to understand something, a flicker of disbelief surging in his eyes, only to be hidden away again just as quickly.

As a friend of many years, Shang Yanxiao understood him well enough, "Changxu, I often feel that you live even more restrained than I do, but sometimes, why not just follow your own heart?"

Bai Xu agreed with his partner's view, "Anyway, I've already played the 'villain' once, tossing the opportunity right out in front of you both, plain as day, what happens next is up to how you think about it."

Zhang Changxu still didn't respond, but inside, a tide of emotion was surging.

—Buzz buzz buzz!

The phone alarm in his pocket sounded its usual vibration.

Zhang Changxu, forcing himself to steady his composure, found an excuse to leave, "I still have my shift this afternoon, I'll head out first."

Bai Xu didn't stop him, "Alright, I'll help try to reach Changning too."

Zhang Changning wasn't the type to go to extremes when something happened to him; it was probably just that he couldn't accept it all at once for the moment, so he'd found somewhere to hide away and quietly process it on his own.

Zhang Changxu looked deeply at Bai Xu for a moment, "Thank you."

With that, he turned and strode quickly away.

Bai Xu heard the sound of the hospital room door closing, and let out a long breath.

He looked over at Shang Yanxiao beside him, "Do you think he took it in?"

Shang Yanxiao finished peeling off the last bit of pear skin, the cutting having been difficult, "What needed doing, what needed saying, you've already played matchmaker to the fullest. What's left is up to their own choices now."

Bai Xu's brow lifted slightly, "I suppose so."

Shang Yanxiao cut off a small piece of pear, "We've been talking for so long, are you thirsty? Want a piece?"

Bai Xu took the piece of pear into his mouth and bit down, juice immediately overflowing, "Mm, it's pretty sweet~"

Shang Yanxiao continued feeding him, "Have some more?"

Bai Xu took another half-bite of the pear, mumbling, "Mm, aren't you having any?"

Shang Yanxiao stared at his lips, glistening with juice, a thought stirring faintly, and seized the chance to lean in and kiss him, "Mm, this'll do."

Bai Xu's lips curved upward, and his right hand, still free to move, reached straight out and grabbed his partner's collar, pulling him back in with a deft tug to return the kiss, "This is how it's done."

Shang Yanxiao couldn't help himself, deepening the kiss once more.

Lips and teeth tangled together, stirring up a familiar wave of desire.

The instant his teeth parted Bai Xu's, Bai Xu suddenly let out a muffled grunt, nearly biting down on Shang Yanxiao's tongue.

"……"

"Hiss."

The two of them pulled slightly apart.

Shang Yanxiao's breath was a little unsteady, "What's wrong?"

Bai Xu was caught between laughing and crying at himself, "I forgot my left hand's in a cast, accidentally pulled on it, it hurts."

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