Chapter 274: Chapter 274

Tang Yan Yi was so shocked that she fell into her chair, her eyes wide open, staring intently at the pale, thin little boy on the screen.

He wore a crisp white shirt, fastidiously buttoned all the way up. Every line of the collar was perfectly straight, meticulous in every detail.

Below, he wore similarly white suit shorts, connected to the shirt by black suit suspenders at the waist.

On his calves, he wore knee-length white cotton socks, not commonly seen on little boys of that era, paired with shiny little black leather shoes.

Born an elegant, upright little gentleman. His current demeanor and image were quite consistent with it.

Yet... the thing supporting his body wasn’t his own legs, but a pair of crutches wedged under his arms.

Next, there were photos of him using equipment in the rehabilitation room. His forehead was covered with sweat, and his hair was wet with it, yet his face was expressionless—or perhaps the lack of expression itself was an expression, an extraordinary calmness and resilience beyond his years.

The last photo was taken through a gap in the curtain. The little boy in the photo suddenly looked up in the direction of the camera. From the angle of his lifted gaze, it was clear that he was just a fraction away from spotting the camera. But the shutter clicked first, freezing the moment before he fully aligned his gaze, so in the photo’s captured moment, he hadn’t seen the photographer yet.

Even so, the photo still left an immense suspense, making one’s hair stand on end—because the suspense is, in the split second after the shutter clicked, did the boy in the frame discover the photographer?

"He’s Huangfu Huazhang? How can he be ?" Tang Yan Yi could hardly believe what her eyes were seeing.

The little boy in the photo was indeed undoubtedly Huangfu Huazhang, with that clear and cold disposition that was the same even today.

Only, how could he be so thin and pale? It was different from his current pallor, which was almost a pathological paleness.

Guan Liang then brought up several medical records from various institutions, both from the mainland and Hong Kong; some were public hospitals, others were private specialized clinics. In those machine-printed or handwritten medical records, there was the recurrent term "post-poliomyelitis syndrome."

Tang Yan Yi’s mouth fell open in surprise: "He actually suffered from polio, and it seems he’s rehabilitated for many years, and even at a big age, he still couldn’t walk?"

Guan Liang gazed at Tang Yan Yi’s shock with a small sense of satisfaction. When he first saw this information, he too had been utterly startled.

Tang Yan Yi had heavy suspicions about Huangfu Huazhang, she even associated the case at Kangchuan University with him. But because there was no direct evidence, she kept it to herself. To get him to help her find related clues, she had only ever expressed her suspicions to him.

So it could be said that the gradually unveiled secret of Huangfu Huazhang, under the peeling away layer by layer, was a secret that only he and Tang Yan Yi shared.

He then smiled quietly: "So, are these materials juicy enough?" He turned his chair around to gaze at her: "Aren’t they... enough to make you smile?"

Tang Yan Yi glanced at him sideways in amazement, then frowned and turned her face away. Her cheeks were slightly red, but her eyes remained clear and sharp.

Guan Liang let out a silent sigh of disappointment, reeling in his smile, and turned back to continue staring at the screen.

Perhaps the only thing he could do now was to help her find more clues about Huangfu Huazhang, to help her untangle this knot in her heart. As for anything else, for now, given his presence in her heart, the time wasn’t right.

"The exact time Huangfu Huazhang contracted the illness can’t be traced; back then, hospitals in mainland China hadn’t fully adopted computers yet, so some records were still handwritten and not entered into the systems. However, based on the main onset age of polio, it can be inferred that Huangfu Huazhang likely fell ill between the ages of 1 to 6. This age sounds young, as if it wouldn’t affect a person’s life significantly, but if scrutinized, the onset time may have a huge impact on the development of his personality."

"At 1 to 6 years old, we can divide this into two periods, using age 3 as a dividing line. If he fell ill before age 3, it might affect his physical development, like normal standing and walking functions. However, if he fell ill between ages 3 to 5, it could impact the development of his social personality, as this period is precisely when one starts attending kindergarten, preschool, and even elementary school. If he became ill during this period, he could have missed out on one, or even all, of these educational opportunities."

Guan Liang then swiftly checked Huangfu Huazhang’s academic records at each educational stage. As each screen popped up, he drew a deep sigh: "Xiao Yi, can you imagine it? He never attended kindergarten, preschool, nor even elementary school!"

"And during university, he also had a year-and-a-half break from studies... with such a fragmented educational experience, he still managed to obtain two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. at the age of 27! My heavens, even with normal schooling, one would only have a master’s degree at 27, so how did he manage it?"

Tang Yan Yi wasn’t swayed by the three degrees, but squinted her eyes and asked: "Are you saying that it’s possible he spent his time before age 13, troubled by post-polio syndrome, all alone at home. Without schooling, no classmates, no experience of interacting with peers of the same age?"

Guan Liang nodded: "It seems so."

Tang Yan Yi stood up, staring at the young boy in the photos. The boy, whose every line of his body was straight and elegant, but showed a restraint and calmness beyond his age. His tightly pursed lips and the expressionless look revealed a kind of aloofness and determination, as if shutting people out. Latest content published on novelFirｅ.net

However, on the flip side, it was actually a depiction of loneliness. He had no opportunity to mingle with the crowd, no chance to make friends with kids his own age, which made him mature early and have such a distant expression.

Tang Yan Yi slowly nodded, "Yes, that’s certainly the case."

It’s hard to imagine how lonely and desperate the heart of a young boy, who had always lived alone in a lonely world during his early childhood, childhood, and even early adolescence.

Tang Yan Yi gently closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself as the young Huangfu Huazhang, sitting alone by the window, watching other kids his age running freely under the blue sky, shouting joyfully. While he was trapped by his own legs, perhaps also by his pride, forever confined in a box-like house, separated from the outside world by a window.

"Does that mean that he was not accepted by the Ford family before, not only because he was an illegitimate child, but is largely due to his own circumstances?"

"It certainly is," Guan Liang couldn’t help but sigh, "No family would want their heir to be in such a situation, let alone the Ford family, a family with a noble background, not allowing a little boy who cannot stand or walk properly to represent the pride of their family."

Tang Yan Yi said nothing, just enlarged the photo again, keeping her eyes fixed on the teenager’s cold and sharp eyes.

"Guan Liang, if you were Huangfu Huazhang at that time, what would your mindset be? Would you resign to your undefeatable illness?"

Guan Liang thought for a moment, "At first, maybe you wouldn’t resign, but after all, he was still a child. In those days, the after-effects of polio in children couldn’t be understood, so what good would denial do?"

Tang Yan Yi shook her head, "If it were me, I wouldn’t resign; I would resist. I might even grow to hate the family that refuses to acknowledge and accept me. For if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been born into this world, wouldn’t have suffered such pain; therefore, they have no right to abandon or ignore me. All the pain I endure today was brought by them. If I had the chance, I would definitely make them taste this pain themselves."

Guan Liang looked at Tang Yan Yi in surprise, eyes wide open.

Tang Yan Yi turned to him, her expression cold and aloof, "Did I scare you? But I, Tang Yan Yi, am such a person, not the kind of girl you imagine."

After speaking, Tang Yan Yi turned and walked out of the computer room.

Shi Nian walked into Huangfu Huazhang’s house with him.

The castle built on the mountain still carried a European medieval aura, making an entrance feel like traversing through time, back to the era of aristocrats and knights.

Indeed, before coming, Shi Nian had imagined the appearance of the Ford family, largely conceiving the luxury and nobility befitting their status. But when she truly saw it with her eyes, she was genuinely startled.

Two men wearing crisp uniforms bowed at the door, opening the large gates left and right. Huangfu Huazhang suddenly paused, half-turning to look back at her, "Are you alright?"

Shi Nian gave an awkward smile, "I’m okay."

Huangfu Huazhang gentlemanly extended his arm toward her, Shi Nian hurriedly stepped forward to clasp his arm. With his support, the feeling of floating dissipated substantially, finally grounded on earth rather than stepping on clouds.

He smiled slightly, looking at her, "How do you manage it?"

Shi Nian blinked and smiled, pointing at the two men opening the doors, "I just pretend they are hotel porters, pretend your castle is just a European medieval-themed hotel."

Huangfu Huazhang seemed a bit taken aback, raising his eyebrows, "Then what about me, what role should I play?"

[Second update of the morning~]