WMSR – QT Chapter 50

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 50

By

siofra

Chapter 50

Since the handsome boy was still young and possessed an innate, unquestioning trust in his biological parents, he completely failed to notice the sudden, suspicious shift in their attitude. He was utterly blinded by this earth-shattering piece of “good news.” Beaming with joyful disbelief, he checked with his parents over and over again to confirm they were truly serious before scampering back down the hallway toward the hospital room.

Back inside the ward, his chest heaving with heavy, excited breaths, he stared down at the pale, still form resting on the hospital bed. Unable to contain the churning emotions in his chest any longer, he gently reached out to clasp the hand that Bai Yichen had tucked beneath the quilt, murmuring, “Ziqian, Ziqian, don’t be afraid. I’ll take care of you forever.”

As Xu Jiangzhe gazed down at Bai Yichen, his eyes burned with a dark, fervent heat, like smoldering embers.

Out in the hallway, the couple—who moments before had worn the masks of compassionate saints eager to rescue an orphaned friend’s child—had instantly dropped the pretense, leaning in close to converse in low, calculating tones.

“I never would have thought of it beforehand, but this really is the smartest route.”

“Indeed… Once we secure legal guardianship, is there any arrangement more legitimate or ironclad than that…?”

The couple exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with an undisguised hunger for control and ambition.

Chapter 25: The Caged White Moonlight (02)

In the days following his surgery, Bai Yichen remained trapped in a hazy, semi-conscious fog. He had no way of knowing that during those sleep-drenched days, a certain little boy had repeatedly traveled to the hospital desperate to see him, only to be shooed away each time by an abrasive, deeply impatient Xu Jiangzhe. Nor did he know that while his mind remained clouded, the couple had moved with terrifying speed to finalize every single document required to secure his legal guardianship. In truth, the pair had initially aimed for full-blown legal adoption, but because Bai Ziqian had already turned twelve, the law required his explicit consent for adoption. To eliminate any variables or potential complications, they had pivoted to guardianship paperwork instead, which bypassed the need for a minor’s approval.

And so, after sleeping through a handful of days, Bai Yichen woke up to find himself under an entirely new set of guardians—and greeted by the ecstatic, tear-rimmed eyes of Xu Jiangzhe upon regaining full consciousness.

“Ziqian, you’re finally awake? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

Bai Yichen gave a sluggish, slow nod, watching the boy sprint out of the room before gently closing his eyes to begin downloading and absorbing the background lore of this current world.

In this iteration, the “white moonlight” vessel he was inhabiting was named Bai Ziqian, twelve years of age. Bai Ziqian’s parents had built their livelihood from the ground up, partnering with friends to launch a tech and trading enterprise that enjoyed soaring profits. That business partner happened to be the parents of the world’s designated protagonist gong, Xu Jiangzhe. Bai Ziqian and Xu Jiangzhe had essentially grown up side-by-side, sharing an extraordinarily close bond. However, just as all aspects of their lives were scaling new heights, a catastrophic multi-vehicle pileup triggered by blinding thick fog during a family road trip wiped out nearly everyone involved. Almost every passenger across the wreckage perished, save for a single young boy who survived entirely because his mother had wrapped her body around him like a shield—and that surviving child was none other than this world’s protagonist shou, Fang Ruoming.

Upon learning of Bai Ziqian’s death, a shattered Xu Jiangzhe plunged into a dark, catatonic state, refusing food and isolating himself behind a wall of brooding melancholy. Desperate to snap their son out of this psychological downward spiral, Xu Jiangzhe’s parents hit upon the idea of introducing a companion to the household, ultimately setting their sights on Fang Ruoming—a boy from a single-parent household who had lost his mother in that exact same catastrophe.

Thus, the protagonist gong and shou crossed paths under the same roof.

Initially, things didn’t unfold with the smooth harmony Xu Jiangzhe’s parents had envisioned. Discovering that Fang Ruoming was the sole survivor of the crash that claimed Bai Ziqian, Xu Jiangzhe had reacted with toxic resentment, even lashing out at the boy with cruel questions like, “Why couldn’t it have been you who died instead?”

Yet, filled with crushing gratitude toward his adoptive parents, Fang Ruoming steadfastly stuck by Xu Jiangzhe through thick and thin. No matter what cruel, unfair treatment was hurled his way, he never walked away. He poured himself into his studies, eventually stepping up to enter the family company as Xu Jiangzhe’s indispensable right hand. After more than twenty years of intertwined endurance and quiet devotion, the two men finally crossed the threshold from shadows into a formal relationship.

Sifting through the downloaded memories and narrative parameters, Bai Yichen let out a quiet mental breath. Fang Ruoming—protected fiercely by his mother to escape death… So that little boy was this world’s protagonist shou, Fang Ruoming.

Just as Bai Yichen’s thoughts settled, the hospital door banged open once more. A breathless, sweat-drenched Xu Jiangzhe rushed back into the room, carrying a thermos container packed with warm, nourishing herbal congee.

Submitting quietly to Xu Jiangzhe’s fussing and attentive spoon-feeding, Bai Yichen waited until he finished the meal before turning his focus toward the harsh realities of his physical condition. The very first question on his mind was direct: “What happened to my legs? Why can’t I move them?”

At that query, Xu Jiangzhe froze mid-motion. He cast a panicked, evasive look at the boy on the bed, struggling visibly as though wrestling with whether or not to shatter him with the brutal truth.

Having lived through lifetimes of immense weight, Bai Yichen caught the micro-expressions instantly. His heart plummeted, the ominous dread solidifying in his chest.

As expected, under Bai Yichen’s unblinking gaze, Xu Jiangzhe stammered out the devastating confirmation: his legs were permanently paralyzed, with zero medical prospect of ever regaining mobility.

Faced with that verdict, Bai Yichen couldn’t quite name the exact emotion swirling inside him. Composing himself with a chilling, detached calm, he requested his complete medical charts and diagnostic evaluations from Xu Jiangzhe. Skimming the clinical printouts page by page, a heavy, suffocating silence settled over him.

Until a soft, eagerly charged voice broke through: “Ziqian.”

“Hm?” Bai Yichen lifted his gaze.

Twisting his fingers together in nervous anticipation, Xu Jiangzhe locked his eyes onto the pale yet striking face of the boy on the bed. “Ziqian, don’t worry… I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”

Bai Yichen paused, withholding an immediate response. In truth, Xu Jiangzhe’s voice was far from unfamiliar; even during those days drifting through the dark currents of unconsciousness, that voice had occasionally filtered through the haze, serving as the most constant presence at his bedside.

He could clearly discern that the boy’s devotion was genuine—the concern laced within those words carried not an ounce of performative pretense.

Right at that moment, the door clicked open again, and a well-dressed couple stepped inside. Catching sight of the boy awake on the bed, brief flashes of surprise crossed their features before dissolving instantly into expressions of overwhelming relief and tender concern. Hurrying forward with quickened steps, the woman cooed, “Ziqian, you’re finally awake! How are you feeling? Let Auntie take a look.”

Bai Yichen permitted the woman to fuss over him, offering a parade of maternal questions and expressions of intense solicitude. Meanwhile, the man stood quietly nearby, watching him with a gaze thick with patriarchal warmth and benevolence.