CHAPTER 52 — The Children Who Look Like Him
Mu Rui had always been a bright child—
too observant, too sharp, too quiet for his age.
But lately…
he had become even more thoughtful.
Mu Lingchen noticed it at breakfast.
His son sat with his cheek propped on his palm, stirring his milk absent-mindedly, a tiny frown on his eyebrows.
"Rui," Lingchen said slowly, "you've been thinking all morning. What's wrong?"
Mu Rui blinked up at him, his long lashes fluttering.
Then—
softly, almost hesitantly—
"Daddy… there are two children in my class."
Lingchen nodded.
"Yes. I know. You told me about them before."
"No, Daddy," Rui corrected, sitting up straighter.
"Not just that they are my friends."
He pressed his small lips together.
"They look like me."
Lingchen froze.
Mu Rui continued, voice soft but certain.
"The little boy, Shi Yichen… he has my face.
And the little girl, Shi Qing'er… she has my eyes."
He tilted his head.
"Daddy, why do they look like me?"
Before Lingchen could answer, Rui added with a seriousness far too mature:
"And why do I feel like… we are connected?"
Lingchen's heart clenched.
Of course the boy noticed.
He was far too perceptive not to.
Before Lingchen could form a response, Rui sighed and continued eating his toast.
"I told Grandma Weiya yesterday," he added casually.
"She said some people look alike in the world. But Daddy… I don't think so."
Lingchen didn't breathe.
Then his son whispered something he hadn't expected:
"And… the person who picks them up sometimes—
She smells like Mommy."
The words hit Lingchen like lightning.
He leaned forward.
"Rui… what do you know about her?"
Mu Rui looked up.
His eyes—Shi Yunxi's eyes—shone with clarity.
"Daddy, I know I don't have a mother," he said quietly.
"But if I did… she would look like the pretty sister who helped me that day."
Lingchen's chest tightened painfully.
He still remembered the day Rui bumped into Yunxi at the film studio—
the way the child clung to her instantly,
the way she held him like she had known him forever.
The way Lingchen almost couldn't look away.
And now—
Rui whispered:
"Daddy… I think she is their mother."
Silence crashed over the dining room.
The air froze.
Lingchen felt the ground drop beneath him.
Because the truth Rui sensed…
Was the truth Lingchen himself had been refusing to face.
Not yet.
Not ready.
Not certain.
But that wasn't the end.
⸻
The Next Day — The Truth Lands
At kindergarten the next morning, Rui spotted the twins immediately.
Shi Yichen was adjusting his tiny backpack.
Shi Qing'er was nibbling the corner of a steamed bun.
Rui walked up to them, emboldened by yesterday's thoughts.
"Your mommy came yesterday?" Rui asked.
Yichen nodded proudly.
"She brought snacks."
"And she fixed my braid!" Qing'er added with a silly smile.
Rui swallowed.
"What's her name?"
"Mommy's name is Shi Yunxi!" Yichen announced loudly.
The world stopped.
Rui's breath caught.
His little hands tightened around his bag straps.
Shi… Yunxi.
The same woman.
The woman he thought smelled like "Mommy."
The woman he felt warmth from instantly.
The woman who hugged him like she had missed him for years.
Rui whispered, voice trembling:
"Shi Yunxi… is your mommy?"
Both twins nodded enthusiastically.
"But—" Rui choked lightly, "she's the pretty sister who helped me before…"
Shi Yichen tilted his head innocently.
"Maybe she just likes you too?"
Qing'er giggled, "Mommy likes cute kids."
But Rui didn't laugh.
He backed away slowly, mind spinning faster than his small heart could handle.
If they were her children…
If they looked like him…
If he felt connected…
Then—
Then what did that make him?
He ran that entire afternoon.
He didn't stop until he saw the familiar black Maybach pull up.
Mu Lingchen noticed immediately.
"Rui? What happened?"
Mu Rui climbed into the car silently.
But his eyes were wide and shaken.
He turned to his father and whispered:
"Daddy… Shi Yunxi is their mother."
His small chest rose and fell quickly.
"And Daddy—
if she is their mommy…"
He swallowed hard.
"Why does she feel like… my mommy too?"
Mu Lingchen couldn't answer.
Not because he didn't know—
but because the truth was finally catching up to them.
And this time—
none of them would be able to run from it.