Chapter 16: CH 16

Chapter 16: Inheritance Transfer

After disappearing for twenty-four hours, Yin Chang finally called Yao Manhuai at eight o’clock in the evening.

When she saw the incoming caller ID, Yao Manhuai sighed in relief.  Thank god, she thought. To calm herself, she took a deep breath before answering the call and then picked it up. With a neutral tone she asked: “Yin Chang, where are you? Are you alright?”

Yao Manhuai waited patiently for an answer. When the silence continued she opened her mouth to speak, but Yin Chang’s sudden statement stopped her: “I brought him back.”

“What do you mean?” Yao Manhuai remained calm.

Yin Chang elaborated: “I mean that I brought Shao Junling home with me.”

Yao Manhuai clutched her phone tightly, suddenly alarmed: “….You, you…..”

Yin Chang: “Honestly, I’m in a bind here….. Can you come?”

Yao Manhuai: “You wait! I’ll be right there! “

Slamming on the accelerator, Yao Manhuai sped to Huaihe Apartments in a frenzy. The stress she felt over last two days was the most pressure she has ever endured. It was far greater than any she felt over the many years as an agent for Yin Dong.

She parked her car in a rush and ran upstairs anxiously.

When the elevator doors opened, she saw the boy sitting on the sofa eating a burger. It was one thing to read about his tragic past in the news and another to see the child in the flesh.

When Yao Manhuai walked inside, the boy’s cheeks were bulging with a mouthful of food. Clenching his burger tightly, he bowed nervously. On edge, his eyes darted back and forth. His reaction, like a wild animal, was on alert to the sudden change in the environment

Nearby, Yin Chang stood silently observing Yao Manhuai walk inside. He glanced sideway at Shao Junling and watched for his reaction. Soon, Shao Junling looked away uncomfortably.

The awkwardness in the apartment was palpable. Yao Manhuai was very confused: “What’s going on? How were you able to bring him here?”

When Yin Chang recalled what had happened, he found the whole thing quite magical. When he asked Shao Junling if he wanted to come home with him, he knew he was being impulsive.

He assumed, even if Shao Junling had said yes, he wouldn’t be able to take him away from the welfare center immediately because he and Shao Junling weren’t familiar with each other. It never even crossed his mind to think in advance about the details necessary to consider when one lives with another person. Once Shao Junling was with him, what would he need…? Would they even get along…..?

Before he had time to think about it more thoroughly, Shao Junling’s caseworker came over. She happened to have gone outside to find Shao Junling and overheard their conversation. She covered her mouth with her hand in surprise and cried tears of joy. She rushed over to Yin Chang excitedly. She grasped his hand and exclaimed: “I didn’t expect to see you so soon!”

Yin Chang didn’t know how to respond to her at the time. Even so, the woman didn’t give him a chance to speak as she rambled on. With her teary eyes, she apologized for what had happened on the internet and tried to explain to Yin Chang that it was never her intention. She had been misrepresented by Fast Dog Entertainment. She only wanted to see Yin Chang as soon as possible and as a result, she allowed a short press release. She never expected the news to be completely different from what she had imagined. She felt very guilty about the way he and his father were treated. It was a complete misunderstanding.

While packing Shao Junling’s luggage, she told Yin Chang about Shao Junling’s difficult  personality; about his poor ability to express himself and his poor temper and tendency to bite people when he was anxious. If there were any problems, she left her phone number with Yin Chang so he could contact her for help at any time.

Seeing that it was getting late, she hurried them along and brought them to the exit of the Welfare center. Finally, the caseworker told Shao Junling to listen and pay attention to his Brother. Without protest, Shao Junling obediently nodded and followed Yin Chang out.

Before leaving, Yin Chang really thought the whole affair was rather odd. He asked: “Aren’t there protocols to go through first?  A document to sign? Some type of formality?”

The caseworker replied: “No. Your Father had already visited us before and a representative of the agency had negotiated the terms and taken care of everything beforehand. She didn’t tell you?”

Feeling hungry himself and knowing Shao Junling purposely missed his dinner, Yin Chang guessed the boy was probably hungry so he stopped at a fast food place and ordered take-out on his way home. Now that she was in his apartment, Yin Chang asked her about the information she was privy to that he was unaware of.

After listening to his explanation, Yao Manhuai gently poked his forehead with her finger. Feeling both sentimental and thankful, she briefly chuckled: “Heh, really…..” After a deep breath, she slowly told Yin Chang about what had happened during his disappearance.

After the news exploded yesterday, Yao Manhuai called lawyer Wang and the dean of the Welfare Institute. During the tele-conference, they confirmed the facts. Essentially, Yin Dong’s wish was to adopt Shao Junling. It was only because of a moment’s negligence that everyone missed the message and thus, by distorting the facts, the paparazzi were able to take advantage of the situation.

Since Yin Dong was gone, she needed to consult with Attorney Wang on how best to proceed with Shao Junling.

The crux of the problem was that Yin Dong died before he could establish a Father-Son relationship. Legally speaking, neither was Yin Chang Shao Junling’s brother nor could he become his guardian. Moreover, although Yin Chang was eighteen, he didn’t meet the requirements for independent adopters.

The only way was to find an adult with the qualification to adopt Shao Junling and then make arrangements for his custody with Yin Chang. When She investigated the issue more completely, Yao Manhuai realized she was the best candidate to adopt the boy.

After careful consideration, Yao Manhaui called the Welfare Institute and said she wanted to adopt Shao Junling. Although the decision was hasty, she was certain to take full responsibility. In the back of her mind, she could do what Yin Dong had done. That is, interact with Shao Junling for half a year first, then undergo the evaluation by the welfare institute until Shao Junling was able to be adopted. She would do her best to provide a safe environment for his growth and a proper education.

“Since yesterday’s news, the Welfare Institute received many enquiries from people who wanted to adopt Shao Junling. However, his situation was special. The dean told me that Shao Junling only recognized Yin Dong and Yin Chang.”

Yao Manhuai continued her explanation: “In order to appease them, I suggested that I adopt him in name, but if willing, Shao Junling would live with you as Yin Dong’s son and your brother. I would simply be a provider.”

Yao Manhuai looked at Yin Chang and apologized: “I wasn’t sure if you would accept this proposal so I went to the welfare home and told them that you weren’t ready yet to take Shao Junling home.”

Yin Chang finally understood what the caretaker at the welfare center had told him about not expecting him to be there so soon.

Glancing at Shao Junling, Yao Manhuai added: “You don’t have to worry about it. Even if you can’t accept it now, it doesn’t matter because I will be able to take care of him. In order to secure our position and calm the public down, I needed to offer a good plan for the Welfare Institute to accept.”

Presumably, Shao Junling relaxed his guard because he was quietly sitting next to the sofa eating his burger alone.

Yao Manhuai asked Yin Chang: “How about you? Going to the Welfare Institute to meet him….. What were you thinking?”

Yin Chang didn’t know where to begin. Yesterday, when he heard the news, he was very angry as it was the first time to learn of Yin Dong’s son. He didn’t know how to deal with his erratic feelings so he drank instead. Going to the welfare center in the evening was just a whim. Yin Chang also questioned his actions. He didn’t know why it turned out like it had.

He turned to look at Shao Junling  and at the same time, it happened that Shao Junling also looked up at him. When their eyes met, Shao Junling’s reacted subtly and looked away.

It seems, Shao Junling cared about Yin Chang, right? In any case, Yin Chang was completely convinced that Shao Junling was in fact Yin Dong’s son. Thus, he decided he needed to accept his younger brother’s presence in his life.

Yin Chang withdrew his line of site from the boy and looked at Yao Manhuai. He calmly said: “Aunt Yao, I want to leave him Father’s inheritance.”

Yao Manhuai didn’t understand why Yin Chang suddenly announced this idea: “Calm down Yin Chang. There is no definite conclusion about whether or not Shao Junling is your Father’s illegitimate child.”

Yin Chang debated with her: “Aunt Yao, besides my grandparents, have you ever heard Yin Dong mention any other relatives?”

Yao Manhuai hesitated for a moment at his question. Since she was Yin Dong’s agent for so long, she knew full well that apart from Yin Chang, Yin Dong rarely talked about his relatives. Without further investigation, there was nothing else to go by. She shook her head and answered him no.

“That’s just it.” Yin Chang smiled bitterly. Initially, he refused to believe it, but when he saw Shao Junling, he had no choice but to believe it. If he wasn’t Yin Dong’s son, how was it possible to look so similar?