Chapter 62: The Brothers Meet

Only after Amanda Vance drove away did he emerge from behind a pillar. He walked to his classroom in a daze. Staring down at the name "Felix Ford" on his notebook, he was lost in thought once more.

He had always worried that a man, a "father," would one day steal his mom. But he never imagined that before a father could, a boy named Felix Ford who looked exactly like him would steal her first.

He remembered the scene at the school gate. His mother had been just as gentle with that boy as she was with him. She even made him a gift to cheer him up. And even though she had made him plenty of gifts before, seeing something that should have been his alone being taken away by someone else was unbearable.

’Mom is mine, and only mine.’

At this thought, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He looked at the name on his notebook, slowly erased it, and changed it to Jean Vance.

’That’s right. I’m Mom’s son, and Felix Ford belongs to the Ford family. That’s how it was always meant to be.’

’Just like before, not disturbing one another, each living our own lives. Hasn’t it been perfectly fine like that for all these years?’

’So, what I have to do now is put our lives back where they belong.’

At this thought, clarity gradually returned to his eyes.

Felix Ford, oblivious to these thoughts, happily carried the small keychain into the classroom, practically skipping with joy.

’I suddenly don’t want to leave Mom anymore. I’ve got a plan! I don’t necessarily have to make the call myself. As long as Dad finds out that Mom can cure Grandpa’s illness, that’s all that matters!’

’It’s the same if someone else tells him.’

’That way, I can save Grandpa *and* stay with Mom. Killing two birds with one stone!’

He couldn’t help but admire his own cleverness. ’I’m a genius!’

His happiness was so obvious that anyone could tell. A little boy in his class couldn’t help but lean in and ask, "Jean, what’s the happy occasion?"

"Of course!" Felix Ford said, proudly dangling the keychain. "Look, who’s this?"

Hearing their conversation, Annie turned around too. She studied the keychain closely. It looked a bit familiar. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I know! It’s you!"

Felix Ford gave her an approving look. It was the first time he thought having a few friends was actually pretty great. Otherwise, who would he have shared such a happy moment with?

"That’s right, it’s me! My mom made it for me. She’s amazing, right?"

"Wow," Annie exclaimed, playing along and looking at him with admiration. "Your mom made it herself?"

"Yep! My mom is the most, most, most amazing person in the world! She can do anything!"

He lifted his chin proudly as he spoke. If he had a tail, it would have been pointing straight up at the sky.

The little boy stared at the keychain, equally impressed. It was so lifelike and just plain gorgeous.

’I want one too.’

Annie was even more smitten. Little girls can’t resist the allure of a cute doll, and this keychain was made in the likeness of Felix Ford. It was unbelievably cute, soft to the touch, and felt wonderful. "Jean, can you give it to me?"

At her words, Felix Ford immediately snatched his hand back. He eyed her warily. "No way!"

He stuffed the keychain deep inside his schoolbag, zipped it shut, and pressed his hand on top of it. He glared at her. "This is mine! My mom gave it to me!"

Annie realized she had gone too far. It was something he treasured, and it wasn’t right for her to ask for it.

She apologized sheepishly, and Felix Ford’s expression softened a little. The little boy asked, "Does your older brother have one too?"

"Who?" Felix Ford gave him a strange look. ’An older brother? Since when do I have an older brother?’

The little boy was baffled by his reaction. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the teacher walk in and hurried back to his seat.

Felix Ford looked away too, patting his schoolbag with a look of pure satisfaction.

There wasn’t much in the way of formal lessons in kindergarten. They didn’t have to stay in the classroom all the time, and most of their day was spent on activities.

Annie dragged Felix Ford into a game of hide-and-seek, and they were soon racing all over the school. After a while, he realized he’d had too much water and needed to use the restroom. There was one right nearby. Seeing that the seeker hadn’t come to his area yet, he turned and darted inside.

Jean Vance was at the sink washing his hands, his mind wandering. He was still thinking about how to switch back.

He heard the noise but paid it no mind and continued washing his hands. Just as he was about to leave, he heard someone outside yell "Jean!" His expression tensed. At that exact moment, a little boy’s voice sounded from behind him, "I’m com—"

He froze and suddenly spun around.

The rest of Felix Ford’s words caught in his throat. He stared, wide-eyed, at the familiar yet strange boy before him.

Familiar, because he saw that face in the mirror every day. Strange, because he didn’t know this person at all.

"You... you... you..." he stammered, pointing at the other boy, unable to speak for a long moment.

Footsteps approached from outside. Jean Vance’s eyes darkened. He grabbed him, pulled him into one of the stalls, covered his mouth, and pinned him against the wall, whispering, "I’m Jean Vance."

’It’s him!’

Felix Ford stared at him in shock. Hearing someone outside call for "Jean," he didn’t dare make a sound.

’My head is spinning, and I can’t make sense of the situation. Why is he here?’

’No, wait... he doesn’t seem surprised to see me at all. Did he already know I existed?’

At this thought, his body grew even more rigid. He stared intently at him.

"He’s not here? I could’ve sworn I just heard him," the person outside said, confused. After calling out a few more times with no answer, they ran off.

Once the footsteps faded away, Jean Vance finally let go. He took a step back and walked out of the stall. He looked back at him and said, "Come with me."

Felix Ford wanted to know what was going on too, so he didn’t resist and obediently followed along, still finding the whole situation incredible.

’So it’s true. There really can be two people in the world who look so much alike.’

’It’s incredible.’

Jean Vance led him to a classroom where toys were stored. The teachers wouldn’t be coming here anytime soon.

When he turned around, he saw the other boy looking at him with curiosity. He glanced at him; he looked pretty much just as he had imagined.

Softening his tone, he spoke. "My name is Jean Vance."

"My name is Felix Ford."

"Mm, I know. I’ve been staying at your house. That day at the airport, your dad took me."

It suddenly dawned on Felix Ford. So that was it! No wonder. He’d been wondering why he hadn’t seen any news about his dad looking for him. It was because his dad had already found someone.

That made sense. That day at the airport, Mom had mistaken him for someone else she was looking for and brought him home. That meant there must have been another boy who looked just like him, and it turned out Dad had taken him.

"What a coincidence," he couldn’t help but say, still looking at the other boy with a sense of wonder. He reached out and grabbed his hand. "Does that mean we’re twins?"

Jean Vance gave him a cool glance and pulled his hand away. "I guess so."

Felix Ford blinked. Even if he was a bit dense, he could clearly feel the cold shoulder from his newfound twin brother.

He was confused. "Don’t you like me?"

"It’s not that. I’m like this with everyone."

Felix Ford let out an "Oh," and muttered, "You’re just like Dad."