10 I Am Not a Good Father

At this moment, Chu Yiming only wished that Erkang could stop Xie Yunze from leaving, but with water still in his mouth, he had no choice but to swallow hard and watch Xie Yunze walk away with wide, longing eyes. For a moment, he looked like a puppy abandoned by its master, amusing Kang Bing and the others nearby.

The fans in the livestream burst into laughter. Although watching everyone haul bricks all day might seem tiring, it was far from boring. Whether it was Kang Bing, the host, playfully chatting with Li Dongfeng, or the back-and-forth banter between the other three members of the SK boy band and the workers, it was all quite entertaining. Only Chu Yiming was the most miserable, relentlessly hauling bricks throughout.

Why? Because every time Xie Yunze pulled the small cart twice, others only pulled it once. Chu Yiming felt awkward calling out Xie Yunze’s name directly, so he could only bury his head and work harder. Although there were brief moments to rest, he was so exhausted he couldn’t even speak a word...

The production team, seeing this, genuinely worried the guests would collapse on the construction site. They took the opportunity to announce a ten-minute break, citing the need to hydrate everyone.

Now, everyone sat under a small tent set up by the crew. They took off their fluorescent vests; some drank water, others poured it over their heads to cool down. The temperature at the site had reached thirty-six degrees Celsius, scorching everyone’s skin.

After finally sipping some water under the tent and regaining some energy, they saw Xie Yunze return to hauling bricks. Li Dongfeng and the others looked on with admiration, seeing nothing wrong, but the production staff were stunned.

“...Was he always this strong?” Chu Yiming couldn’t help but ask, wearing a helpless smile. He truly felt overwhelmed.

Kang Bing and the others also looked curiously at the other workers for answers.

Kong Miao shook his head. “Xie Ge wasn’t always like this. He’s about like us—hauling ten thousand bricks a day at most. Sometimes there’s not that much work at the site, so he can’t do more.”

Kong Miao’s words made everyone pause. Could it be that Xie Yunze was performing just because of the cameras?

Kang Bing said nothing but thought about Xie Yunze’s performance all morning. It didn’t seem like he was a plant from the production team. If he were, could he really have such stamina?

“I really believe Xie Ge can haul twenty thousand bricks in a day now. But he doesn’t need to prove himself like this. Honestly, after two hours of work, I should be able to earn enough for the day’s meals.”

Jin Fei had just wiped his face dry. His wet hair stood up cutely, but he regretted nudging himself into Xie Ge’s lunch. Seeing Xie Yunze work so hard made Jin Fei uneasy.

“Yeah. We can buy our own lunch. But I guess there’s no pay at noon, right? How about we borrow some money from the production team for lunch and repay them after the wages come in tonight? Kang Ge, what do you think?”

Bai Yucheng quickly spoke, eager to save face for Jin Fei, who was a minor celebrity. It didn’t sound good to freeload on the workers’ meals. Bai Yucheng deliberately included Kang Bing to pressure the production team.

Kang Bing was taken aback, not having thought about lunch arrangements. He was about to answer when Kong Miao spoke up.

“Don’t worry about lunch. Xie Ge said he’ll treat everyone.”

This had been decided yesterday. Kong Miao informed everyone, leaving the guests momentarily stunned. Li Dongfeng and others also glanced at Chu Yiming, knowing this treat was surely connected to him.

“Ah? That’s not right. Hauling bricks is already exhausting. The five of us guests, even if we each ate a twenty-yuan boxed lunch, that’s a hundred yuan at noon. We can’t take advantage of him.”

Only those who have hauled bricks themselves understand how exhausting it is. Hearing that Xie Yunze wanted to treat everyone, Chu Yiming immediately disagreed, feeling that Xie Yunze earned his money the hard way and they shouldn’t take advantage.

“Yeah, we should borrow money from the production team. After all, we still have to haul bricks this afternoon. They can’t let us starve after a whole morning’s work. Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to eat. We can’t just take advantage.”

Finally, Kang Bing spoke up, rejecting Xie Yunze’s offer. He had already investigated Xie Yunze’s background and knew that Xie Yunze and Li Dongfeng had been working at the site for two months. He wasn’t a plant from the production team but a genuine laborer earning every penny through hard work. They couldn’t exploit him.

Just as Kang Bing refused, Li Dongfeng hinted meaningfully.

“Hmph! Treating you to lunch is nothing. Xie doesn’t care about the money. His amazing performance today isn’t for you—it’s for his own son.”

Right! It’s you, Chu Yiming! Seeing your biological father’s strong back hauling bricks—doesn’t that make you feel especially safe?

...Oh~ So that’s it!!!

The five guests and even the production team suddenly saw the light. Even the viewers in the livestream seemed to understand why Xie Yunze was performing so hard. The more footage he appeared in, the more clips the production team would keep after editing. Maybe his real son would see the show and find him?

“So that’s why. Xie Ge has been searching for his son all these eighteen years? Didn’t they say there was news?” Jin Fei, ever curious, began gossiping, while Xiao Zhe nearby silently listened.

Everyone was curious about Xie Yunze, sensing many mysterious stories around him.

“Yes, there’s some news, but they can’t recognize each other yet,” Shi Hongju added. He casually glanced at Chu Yiming, noticing the boy seemed unaware that Xie Yunze might be his biological father. He continued, “Xie is very fond of children. If he really finds his son, I bet he’ll cherish him like a treasure, not letting him do any work—just waiting for a comfortable life.”

Chu Yiming didn’t realize he was being referred to. He listened seriously to Xie Yunze’s story without connecting it to himself. Bai Yucheng, however, asked curiously, “If there’s news, why not go find him?”

Was there some hidden story? The production staff suddenly grew interested, thinking this could be a big reveal for the show. If they could help Xie Yunze find his son, wouldn’t everyone be happy?

Li Dongfeng’s heart skipped a beat, fearing Shi Hongju or Kong Miao might accidentally spill the secret. He quickly laughed it off.

“Who doesn’t have their difficulties? Eighteen years searching, finally a lead, but not going straight to the son—that’s Xie’s own trouble. We can’t ask too much.”

With that, the guests, all sharp-witted, knew better than to pry further and tacitly dropped the subject of Xie Yunze’s search.

Chu Yiming quietly drank water, suddenly recalling how Xie Yunze said his son was about his age. Thinking about how uneasy he felt when he found out he was adopted by foster parents, he wondered where his biological parents were. Were they still searching for him like Xie Yunze?

Chu Yiming had discovered this when he was ten. He was naturally smart and, thanks to his mother being a doctor, understood medical basics early on. Before he turned ten, he had annual checkups, with the records managed by his mother. But one day, while playing in her office, he saw his own medical report.

Chu Yiming was blood type O, but he clearly remembered his mother was type AB. Since AB parents can’t produce an O blood type child, something wasn’t right.

It was then he asked his parents and learned that he had been found abandoned. After reporting it, because of severe pneumonia and the inability to find his biological parents, he was finally adopted by his current parents.

Though he knew this, his parents treated him no differently than his younger twin siblings. In fact, Chu Yiming received more than them. He became very responsible, helping care for his siblings. In the Chu household, both parents and their elderly twins adored him the most.

Perhaps because he learned about his origins early and was loved deeply, Chu Yiming never thought about seeking his biological parents, not wanting to upset his current family. Seeing Xie Yunze working so hard today, these thoughts suddenly surfaced.

How did he leave his birth parents? Did they abandon him because he was ill? Or was he stolen and someone had been searching for him all these years?

Chu Yiming couldn’t say which answer he hoped for. But life was good now, and he didn’t want complications. Maybe there was no blood relation at all.

The group chatted a bit more, mostly about funny brick-hauling stories and future work schedules. After resting for about ten minutes, Chu Yiming got up again to find Xie Yunze. The two resumed hauling bricks in tacit cooperation.

This time, Chu Yiming no longer felt awkward. Wanting to help Xie Yunze find his child sooner, he took the initiative to speak while working.

“Xie Yunze, you said your child is about my age. How was he lost? Now that you have news, why don’t you go find him?”

His question sparked curiosity among many viewers in the livestream.

Indeed, if Xie Yunze had a lead after eighteen years, why hadn’t he gone to find his son? Why was he still hauling bricks here?

Xie Yunze turned and looked deeply at Chu Yiming, then revealed a bitter smile.

“At that time, my wife had just given birth. The child was taken from the hospital. Thinking about it now, I feel like a useless father—couldn’t even keep an eye on my own child and lost him.”

He spoke without stopping his work, but the guilt was clear in his expression. Chu Yiming suddenly felt regret, unsure if he should have brought up Xie Yunze’s painful past.

Unexpectedly, Xie Yunze continued.

“Some things happened back then. I left home and searched everywhere for the child. But I know he’s living well now, with good foster parents. That makes me happy.”

Ah?

Chu Yiming hadn’t expected Xie Yunze to know about his biological son’s family situation and didn’t know how to comfort him.

“So I’m not a good dad. If he knows who I am and wants to accept me, I’d be happy. If not, I won’t force him.”

Xie Yunze smiled at the soft-hearted Chu Yiming, knowing the boy brought up the topic to help him find his child. Such a tender-hearted boy was why the original owner kept controlling him.

This time, Xie Yunze only wanted the other to be well. Whether or not he was recognized as his father no longer mattered...