Chapter 7 — The Day I Left Home

During the meal, I recounted the past eight years of my work at the research institute, from an ordinary staff member to my current position as head of the department. I also told them that I had changed my name and was now called Jiang Jin Cheng. Tears glistened within the smile of my mother.

Jin Cheng is also a very nice name. As long as it is a name you like, your father and I are happy.

This meal proceeded very slowly, the four of us chatting gently about life around the dinner table. Yet this warmth was ultimately nothing more than an illusion. After finishing the meal, I took a bank card from my bag and placed it on the table.

There are eight hundred thousand yuan in here, which is the money I saved from working over the past eight years, intended to cover the expenses of raising me over the past twenty-two years.

My mother's hand, busy washing dishes, abruptly froze. The plate slipped from her grip and shattered sharply on the floor. She rushed out to look at me.

Do you want to sever ties with your parents?

Mother knows she was wrong. Look at this, this house has three bedrooms, and the largest one belongs to you.

I beg you not to do this, okay?

Father paced back and forth nearby.

Jin Cheng, your mother and I already know we were wrong. Can you forgive your parents just this once?

Jiang Yue Lin opened her mouth, but realized she had no qualification to speak. I shook my head.

My parents raised me from childhood to adulthood. Even though we share no blood relation, you are still my parents.

However, since I am not your biological child after all, this debt is something I should repay.

I looked at Jiang Yue Lin.

In the future, I will likely return very rarely. Take good care of our parents.

Having said that, I picked up my bag and stood up to leave. The sound of my parents crying came from behind, but I did not stop. Before boarding the plane, my phone lit up with messages from my friends in the research institute group chat.

Jin Cheng, what time is your flight today? We will drive to pick you up.

Chef Liu specially made the sweet and sour pork ribs you like, hurry back for the New Year's Eve dinner!

Tonight, no one stops drinking until we are all drunk!

I boarded the airplane. The glow of the setting sun fell upon me. It was warm. The brilliant radiance that truly belonged to me—I had finally found it.