Chapter 1104 - 1076: Awakening a Child’s Wounded Heart
Since being rescued, Panpan hasn’t spoken a word. He’s like a little wooden figure, indifferent to whoever holds him.
Zheng Xu is preoccupied with verbally sparring with Aka. Although he noticed Panpan’s unusual behavior, he assumed the child was simply traumatized. He thought that some comfort from his parents would set things right once they were home.
Zheng Xu has already informed the Yu Family, and as soon as he brought Panpan back and got out of the car, Dayi rushed over.
Upon seeing her son’s expressionless face, she felt dizzy as if seeing stars before her eyes and had to fight to keep from fainting.
He was a well-behaved son, and in just half a day without seeing him, how did he become like this!
Dayi hurriedly took Panpan from Zheng Xu, but Panpan showed no reaction, not even when he saw his mother. Dayi’s tears fell immediately.
She couldn’t spare a moment to thank Zheng Xu and carried Panpan into the house; she needed to talk to her son alone, as his state was terrifying.
Other members of the Yu Family stepped in to speak with Zheng Xu, expressing their gratitude for Zheng Xu’s help in rescuing Panpan.
Zheng Xu dismissed any trouble, mentioning that Aka, tied up in the back seat, would remain there. Since the Yu Family hadn’t met Aka, they had to wait for Qian and Minglang to handle the situation, so Zheng Xu continued to oversee Aka.
As Zheng Xu left the Yu Family residence, he was troubled, wondering what to do with the blonde-haired boy.
Unable to reach Qian, Zheng Xu decided to take Aka to his place and hold him there, awaiting Qian’s return to discuss Aka’s matter.
Qian was being treated for emotional distress by Minglang’s "special deep" methods, and both their phones were off. With no contact possible, Zheng Xu kept Aka for three days, leading to a unique interaction.
But that’s a later story.
Right now, Dayi took Panpan into the room alone, calling him several times before his eyes focused on her, and when he spoke, it cut Dayi to the core.
"Mom, am I the son of a bad person?"
This line almost brought Dayi to tears.
The cruelty of those people.
How could they say such things in front of a child? He’s just a kid—how can they instill an adult’s bias in an innocent child?
Dayi couldn’t help but recall a scene at the barbecue shop—a foster child being chastised by their foster parents. Will her Panpan have to endure such rumors as well?
Dayi suppressed her inner anger and sadness, forced herself to smile, and tried to comfort him.
"Who told you that? You are the child of your father and me. Your father, Yu Mingyi, is an incredible pilot, and I am your mother, Dong Yi, who will become a psychologist. You are the child of a pilot and a doctor."
"You’re lying to me. I know the truth; I’m not really your child. The kids in the courtyard told me I’m not your biological son. But why am I the child of a bad person, Mom?"
Dayi’s tears were barely held back.
He’s only a few years old! How can the world burden her kind son with such thoughts?
"You’re not the child of a bad person, Panpan. Don’t listen to what others say; they’re all lies."
"But that uncle who took me said it. He said my biological father was a bad person who killed a lot of people. He even said I would become a bad person and do many bad things in the future. Mom, Panpan doesn’t want to be a bad child."
Dayi held her son tightly, preventing him from seeing her tears.
At that moment, she was just an ordinary mother, heartbroken for her son. She wished she could cry alongside him, asking the heavens why such injustice should befall her Panpan.
This child was once saved from the brink of autism by herself and Qian, growing into an excellent child. Though not biological, their mother-child bond was deep. Yet now, Panpan was thrust into a desperate situation again, and Dayi seemed to plead tearfully with the skies, "Why?"
Just then, Dayi seemed to hear her mentor Qian’s voice echoing in her ear.
In facing difficulties, don’t first ask why, but rather think about how to handle it. You’re a psychologist; you should understand there are many unanswerable whys in the world.
Why are some born disabled?
Why do some get abandoned by their parents at birth?
Why do some rise to the peak only to fall into the abyss? These are all whys.
There’s no why; looking at the world with pessimism means misfortune could strike anyone at any time. One moment someone is healthy, the next inexplicably gone. People say hard work pays off, but many work hard all their lives and remain poor—whom do they demand their reward from?
Thus one should never ask why. Asking can lead to spiraling into oneself. It’s better to think about what can be done.
In those brief seconds, Dayi suddenly realized she shouldn’t be feeling heartbroken for her son, nor engulfed in sorrow crying alongside him, as she was a psychologist.
"Baby, I can’t keep things hidden from you anymore. I need to tell you the truth of what happened."
Panpan looked at her with clear eyes, eyes that shouldn’t be filled with such sadness at his age. Dayi forced herself not to feel sorrow for the child, striving to speak objectively.
"The man who took Panpan this time is a bad person. He tried to steal your uncle’s company’s latest achievements but was caught, and it was found he had done many bad things before. So he held a grudge against your uncle. Do you know this?"
"I know!"
Sometimes, Panpan would hear his brother talk about these things, and Dayi employed the method of intertwining truth with fiction to shift concepts for the child.
"Your uncle caught the bad guy, who ended up resenting him. He wanted revenge on your uncle, but since your uncle was too capable to be caught, the bad guy took you and told many lies to deceive you, hoping you would fare poorly. If you fare poorly, it breaks your uncle and father’s hearts, and he successfully avenges our family. Do you want the bad guy to be happy, or do you want your dad to be happy?"
"I want my dad to be happy."
"Then don’t keep saying you’re the child of a bad person. You’re Yu Yibai; you’re your dad’s child, our family’s elder brother, and will need to help mom take care of younger siblings in the future." Dayi held Panpan’s small hand and placed it on her stomach.
She aimed to awaken the child’s sense of responsibility towards the family.
She already knew that the bad person’s flawed personality might be hereditary, but she firmly believed in another saying, "Man conquers nature; education determines everything."
Sure enough, touching Dayi’s stomach brought Panpan to tears suddenly.