Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 31

When it came to Lu Chuan’s biological father, Zhou Yongzhi, his decisiveness back then was remarkable!

When Lu Jing received her divorce certificate, she was in so much pain that she couldn’t walk. Zhou Yongzhi said, “Jingjing, we’re divorced now, it’s not appropriate to drag this out.”

He turned and drove away without considering whether his infidelity during the marriage was appropriate.

But, in a twist of fate, three months later, Lu Jing gave birth to a son.

Meanwhile, Lanlan, who had just gotten her marriage certificate, gave birth to a girl with small eyes and a garlic-shaped nose, bearing no resemblance to either Zhou Yongzhi or Lanlan.

Zhou Yongzhi was furious!

He spent a lot of money investigating and discovered that Lanlan used to be a salon girl, and the child’s paternity was uncertain even to her…

Zhou Yongzhi felt utterly humiliated.

Believing himself to be successful and capable, he lost face in front of the whole village, where everyone doubted the child’s paternity based on her looks.

Grudgingly, he did a paternity test. The result—though the child was indeed his—did nothing to relieve his dismay.

Lanlan, filled with regret, finally revealed the rest of the truth—

She had once been average-looking, earning little as a salon girl. So she contacted several clients, got some money, and had plastic surgery, eventually entering a high-end club.

There, she met Zhou Yongzhi and became pregnant within two months. The exact timing of the pregnancy was unclear…

Zhou Yongzhi’s blood pressure nearly skyrocketed!

Lanlan, sensing the danger, quickly proposed divorce, leaving the daughter to him.

Living with such a joke for years, Zhou Yongzhi felt his reputation was tarnished.

Upon learning that his ex-wife, Lu Jing, had given birth to a son, he constantly harassed her until she agreed to change their son’s surname to Zhou, finally satisfying him.

Originally, he wanted to take his son back, believing he could offer better conditions with his wealth.

But at this time, Zhou Yongzhi met another true love.

This one was called Fangfang…

In Lu Chuan’s understanding, Zhou Yongzhi had been married three times.

But he only had two children.

Now in his fifties, Zhou Yongzhi’s dream of having another son was shattered. Hence, he focused all his attention on Lu Chuan.

To Zhou Yongzhi, this son was handsome, tall, and had a unique temperament. Despite his lack of achievements and employment, his looks alone made him popular.

He had built his wealth from scratch in Ning Province, owning properties and cars worth seven or eight million yuan combined. All this would be left to his son to pass on.

He didn’t believe that his jobless son could refuse such a fortune! Even if he didn’t answer calls, chat, or meet now, it was only a matter of time.

With this mindset, Zhou Yongzhi increasingly meddled in Lu Chuan’s affairs, even urging him to change his surname back.

Lu Chuan didn’t want to give him any attention. He had planned to move to the capital with Lu Jing, but then the car accident happened…

Now, just thinking about Zhou Yongzhi made both mother and son lose their appetites.

After a moment of silence, Lu Jing changed the subject:

“Since we’re planning to stay in the capital, he’s just a small-time player who can’t even get a household registration here. Our new home has strong security, and my job is stable, so don’t worry about him.”

“Son, I’m only worried about you.”

She sighed deeply:

“You don’t talk to anyone, and it seems like you don’t have friends—when you were writing stories, your mental world was rich, so I didn’t stop you.”

“But lately, you haven’t been writing, just daydreaming—listen to me, at least try to meet people online, chat a bit.”

Tears welled up in her eyes: “You’re so handsome and kind. Back in high school, you received piles of love letters—if you don’t want to get skin grafts, that’s fine, but first, you need to be in a good mood.”

She said a lot, making it clear what she wanted. Lu Chuan took out his phone: “I’ll accept her friend request right now.”

Lu Jing, seeing his expression, suddenly laughed:

“Son, are you what they call a nerd? If you had other friends, I wouldn’t insist on you accepting this one.”

“It’s just that you saved this girl, and keeping it a secret might weigh on her mind. It’s better to talk and ease her worries.”

It wasn’t common for a rescuer to comfort the rescued, but his mother was determined to help him make friends.

Lu Chuan fell silent.

His phone vibrated, showing a new message from “Song Tan”:

“Thank you, Lu Chuan. I heard you were badly injured. I don’t know how to repay you, so I’ll send some wild vegetables. Please give me an address.”

For a moment, Lu Chuan felt conflicted.

He hadn’t expected her to be overly emotional or offer gifts…

But something felt off about this reply.

He couldn’t pinpoint it.

After staring at the words “wild vegetables” for a while, he reluctantly gave Lu Jing’s address.

In his current state, he couldn’t cook, so he’d rely on his mother.

The phone fell silent.

The efficient communication left Lu Chuan unsettled, as he kept opening and closing his phone, distracted.

Lu Jing noticed and was secretly pleased—

Her son, usually succinct and uninterested in chatting, had met someone even more direct.

Look at that, she got the address with one sentence!

…

Meanwhile, in Yunqiao Village, Qingxi Town, Yuncheng, Ning Province.

Qiao Qiao huffed as he loaded baskets into the truck bed, then climbed into the passenger seat.

He was flushed and sweaty, so Song Tan handed him five yuan from her bag:

“Good job today, Qiao Qiao. Here’s five yuan as a reward. Buy whatever you want when we get to town!”

Qiao Qiao beamed!

The colorful pinwheel he bought in the city still sat by his bed. The joy of buying things with his own money was unparalleled!

Wu Lan and Song Sancheng, in the back seat, remarked enviously: “No wonder Qiao Qiao likes you best! He listens to you more than us…”

Clearly, they felt a bit jealous.

Song Tan laughed: “Mom, to Qiao Qiao, I’m his favorite big friend—kids love playing with slightly older kids!”

Song Tan was five years older than Qiao Qiao. In his memory, she had always been the older friend who played with him.