Song Chen walked over and stared at the photo in Bai Tiantian’s hand. This was the first family portrait he had seen since regaining consciousness. “Where did you see it? Was it at Song Xu’s place? But I recall Song Xu keeping this photo at the family estate.”

“Not this one,” Bai Tiantian shook her head. “It was in another photo. Let me think…”

Song Chen held his breath, terrified of disturbing her thoughts. When he had first woken up, he was severely injured and his memories were completely blank. His parents told him he had been hurt while saving Song Xu, and that he was their son from then on. For years, he had longed to recover his past—perhaps family members were still waiting for him—but there had been no leads.

Where could Bai Tiantian have seen his picture? She wasn’t from Jiangbei City; it was unlikely she’d seen it at his school. Or perhaps among his classmates? Song Chen was incredibly anxious, fearing the implications of what she might say.

“I remember!” Bai Tiantian’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “It was at Xixi’s place. She has a photo where the boy looks exactly like you in this picture!”

“My god!” Bai Tiantian gasped, a realization dawning on her. “Song Chen, Xixi said she has a brother who has been missing for twelve years. Could it be you? When were you adopted by the Song family?”

Song Chen’s pupils dilated. His lips trembled, and his voice was barely a whisper: “Twelve years ago.”

Bai Tiantian covered her open mouth with her hands. “Could you really be Xixi’s brother? If so, I’d be Xixi’s sister-in-law. What a coincidence!”

Song Chen snapped out of his shock. He dashed into the walk-in closet, threw on some clothes, and grabbed Bai Tiantian by the hand. “Tiantian, let’s go find Lin Xi.”

“Okay!” Bai Tiantian felt like her feet were barely touching the ground; Song Chen’s grip was surprisingly strong.

—

The drive to Song Xu’s apartment was silent. Song Chen didn’t say a word, and Bai Tiantian stayed quiet, though she watched him with mounting concern. She didn’t call or text Lin Xi; if this turned out to be a mistake, she didn’t want Lin Xi to suffer the disappointment of a false hope.

When they arrived, Song Chen went straight to Lin Xi’s door and knocked. The door wasn’t fully latched and swung open.

Bai Tiantian poked her head in. “Xixi, are you here?”

No one responded. She entered and checked every corner before realizing Lin Xi wasn’t home.

“She’s not here,” Bai Tiantian reported.

“Tiantian, do you know where Lin Xi keeps the photo?” Song Chen knew digging through her belongings was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. His heart was burning with an urgent, desperate fire.

Understanding his distress, Bai Tiantian recalled, “I think I saw her tuck it into an English dictionary last time. Wait here, I’ll find it.”

Song Chen nodded. Bai Tiantian returned to Lin Xi’s room, located the dictionary on the desk, and flipped through until she found the picture.

“This is the one,” she said, handing it to him. “Look, Chenchen, is that you? No wonder I thought the boy in it looked familiar.”

Song Chen took the photo. Upon seeing the three people in the image, a loud buzz echoed in his head, and fragmented scenes began to flash before his eyes:

“Brother, can I really stay?”

“My name is Lin Chen. From now on, you’ll be Lin Xi. ‘Xi’ means light; I hope our future will be full of sunshine.”

“Chenchen, don’t go so far away to scavenge. Grandma is worried.”

“Grandma, what’s there to worry about? I’m tall; bad guys can’t pick me up. There are lots of rich people there and they throw away a lot of things. I can find plenty of good items. I’ll bring you and Xixi some tasty treats when I get back.”

—

“Grandma… Xixi…” Tears streamed down Song Chen’s face.

Seeing him in this state, Bai Tiantian felt a pang of heartache and wiped the tears away with her finger. “Chenchen, you forgot them, and now you’re remembering, aren’t you?”

Song Chen closed his eyes, his head throbbing as if needles were being driven into his brain. The harder he tried to remember, the more intense the pain became, yet he refused to give up. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his strength drained away. He leaned against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, his face turning ghostly pale.

Bai Tiantian was terrified. She sat behind him, letting him lean against her, and used a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. “Song Chen, what’s wrong? Should we go to the hospital?”

Song Chen gritted his teeth, unable to speak, until finally, the agonizing pain caused him to pass out.

“Song Chen!” Bai Tiantian cried out in fear. “You must not die, otherwise I’ll become a widow!”

She dialed for an ambulance, then called Lin Xi. Song Xu answered. Hearing the urgency in her voice, he frowned. “I’m at the hospital with Xixi. What’s wrong?”

“Song Xu?” Bai Tiantian’s voice was thick with tears. “Song Chen… he collapsed! What do I do!”

“My brother collapsed?” Song Xu was stunned; his brother was always the picture of health. “Where are you?”

“At your apartment. I’ve called an ambulance,” she sobbed. “It looked like he was in terrible pain…”

Song Xu pinched the bridge of his nose. The day was becoming an utter chaos. “Don’t panic. I’ll send someone over to help you immediately. Once the ambulance arrives, have them bring him to this hospital. I’ll text you the address.”

After hanging up, Song Xu contacted his assistant, Zhang Qing, who was nearby, and then coordinated with the hospital to prepare for admission.

Arrangements made, he returned to Grandma Lin’s room. Lin Xi was still hugging her grandmother, sobbing. Grandma Lin had regained consciousness, though she was weak; she rested her hand on Lin Xi’s back, her fingers gently moving to soothe her.

“Grandma, it’s my fault for not taking better care of you. I let you suffer so much…” Lin Xi wept, unleashing all the pent-up grief and frustration she had been holding back.

“Xixi…” Grandma Lin’s voice was hoarse from disuse. “Good child, I’ve made things hard for you.”

Upon waking, Grandma Lin had realized the hospital room was incredibly expensive. She didn’t know how Lin Xi could afford it, but she knew her granddaughter must have struggled immensely during her coma. She had feared that Lin Xi might have done something desperate to save her, but her mind was put at ease when she saw a handsome young man come by to call her “Grandma,” identifying himself as Lin Xi’s boyfriend.

At least, she mused, he wasn’t some middle-aged, greasy man.