Chapter 137: Yan Yan Falls Ill
An Qingyan secretly went to see Zhou YueLan. She had been sentenced to five years in prison for child trafficking.
After two months, Zhou YueLan looked even more haggard. When she saw An Qingyan, she looked excited, holding the microphone wanting to say something, but guiltily lowered her eyes.
Conversely, An Qingyan’s heart was much calmer. His gaze towards Zhou YueLan held neither resentment nor pity, very peaceful, as if he were looking at a stranger.
Everything had passed; he didn’t need to live in the shadow of the past.
He was the first to speak. “How are you doing in there?”
“It’s the same wherever you are…” Zhou YueLan looked up at the handsome young man with his noble air. She curled her lips, revealing a bitter smile. “It seems you’re doing very well after returning to the An family.”
An Qingyan: “Indeed.”
“Nan Nan…” Zhou YueLan hesitated, opening her mouth but unable to speak. She lowered her eyes again, hesitating for a moment before finally asking, “Do you know how he’s doing now?”
“I don’t know. After he left the An family, I haven’t heard from him.” An Qingyan chuckled lightly, his tone neutral, simply inquiring, “Has he not come to see you?”
Zhou YueLan silently shook her head.
Pitiful people often have hateful aspects; Zhou YueLan is a typical example. She was a suffering woman who hadn’t lived a good life since marrying Lin Jianxiang. As she said, it was the same wherever she was – equally bad.
She painstakingly swapped her biological son with a wealthy family’s child, only to end up with her son despising and rejecting her, never visiting her once.
Zhou YueLan was indeed pitiful, but that wasn’t an excuse for her crime. Her husband hadn’t treated her well, but she hadn’t treated the child whose identity she’d swapped either.
“I’m here to ask you about something.”
An Qingyan didn’t mention An Nanyi again, getting straight to the point. “Eleven years ago, in the summer, weren’t you working as a maid for a wealthy family, and I, eight years old, went with you?”
Zhou YueLan was momentarily dazed. After realizing what he meant, her expression stiffened. “Yes, that’s right… Why are you asking?”
Her reaction was seen by the young man opposite her. An Qingyan looked at her with an inquiring gaze. “You worked there for about two months, and then your friend returned from her hometown after giving birth, and you left with me?”
Zhou YueLan nodded.
An Qingyan: “What happened during that time? Why don’t I have any memory of that period?”
“After returning home, you suddenly fell ill with a high fever. You had a fever for several days, and then you forgot everything.”
Zhou YueLan’s grip on the microphone tightened. “It’s not a big deal. Why are you asking?”
“A fever?” The young man frowned. This explanation was plausible, but why did he specifically forget that period? Was it because his subconscious didn’t want to remember it?
Only unpleasant memories are unwillingly recalled.
But the diary entries he saw clearly showed him having a happy time at the Gu family. That might have been the happiest period of his childhood, a bright color in a dark painting.
He asked again, “Why did I get a fever?”
Zhou YueLan: “Isn’t it normal for children to have headaches and fevers?”
An Qingyan: “Did something happen to me at that wealthy family’s house?”
Zhou YueLan immediately shook her head in denial: “No, nothing happened.”
“Really?” The young man looked suspiciously at the woman who was trying to maintain composure. She was definitely hiding something, unwilling to say it.
Why wouldn’t she say it?
Did it involve her interests?
Zhou YueLan refused to speak, and An Qingyan couldn’t force her to open her mouth. However, he had some gains. He didn’t ask anything more, nor did he have the energy to talk to her further, and soon left.
After returning home, he called Butler Shen.
Butler Shen had always worked at the Gu family and was there eleven years ago. Perhaps he knew something.
Regarding An Qingyan’s inexplicable question, Butler Shen tried to recall. Many years ago, there was indeed a woman who, through a friend’s introduction, came to work at the Gu family with her son.
Because the boy was exceptionally handsome and cute, and often stayed with their young master, he vaguely remembered him.
However, he never imagined that the boy was actually An Qingyan.
“This… how could this be such a coincidence.” Butler Shen’s usually calm face was now filled with surprise.
“Indeed, I was also surprised when I found out. Butler Shen, I know it was a long time ago, but can you try to recall if anything happened to me?”
Butler Shen thought for a long time before finally remembering a small incident. His expression instantly became strange. Perhaps it was a small matter to him, but not necessarily to the person involved.
It happened after Gu Fei went abroad to study.
Song Shuman and Gu Fei’s mother, Yu Qingtong, had always been good friends. That day, she brought An Nanyi, also eight years old at the time, to visit the Gu family.
Later, for some reason, An Nanyi accused the son of the Gu family’s maid, Lin Qingyan, of stealing his things – an expensive safety lock necklace.
An Nanyi cried and attracted everyone’s attention, including Zhou YueLan. Before everyone, Zhou YueLan actually found the necklace in Lin Qingyan’s schoolbag.
Butler Shen couldn’t remember the specifics.
“The next day after this incident, your adoptive mother took you away from the Gu family.” Butler Shen sighed with complexity. “I really didn’t expect…”
It turned out that eleven years ago, An Qingyan had already met his biological mother. At that time, he was just the inconspicuous son of a maid. Who would have thought he was the An family’s swapped younger son?
The young man’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. “I understand, thank you, Butler Shen, for telling me this.”
No wonder Zhou YueLan didn’t want to tell him the truth. She probably hurried away with him the next day to prevent him from being recognized.
How could he possibly have stolen An Nanyi’s things?
But An Qingyan couldn’t be sure whether he had stolen anything because he had no memory of that time. He believed he wouldn’t have done such a thing, but he couldn’t be certain.
If he didn’t steal it, why would An Nanyi frame him? They were only eight years old at the time. An Nanyi learned about his true identity in high school.
An Qingyan sat restlessly on the sofa in his room, his mind in a mess. Suddenly, an image flashed through his mind, fleeting as it was.
He was crying, a younger version of himself. Several people stood around him, and Zhou YueLan stood beside him, raising her hand and slapping him hard across the face.
What’s going on…
An Qingyan was stunned for a moment, his eyes gradually reddening. But that was the only image; he couldn’t recall anything else. He patted his head, trying to remember something more.
But it was in vain.
An Qingyan kept dwelling on this incident, but didn’t know how to tell his family or Gu Fei. He kept it bottled up for two days.
He had developed the photos of himself and Gu Fei from when he was younger. Last night, instead of sleeping, he stayed up late on the balcony, blowing cold wind and looking at the photos.
After a night of cold wind, he finally got sick.
His constitution was actually quite good; he rarely got colds or fevers. But this time, he had a high fever, almost reaching forty degrees. The next day, he was curled up in his bed, burning up and delirious.
Seeing that his youngest son hadn’t gotten up yet and didn’t respond to knocking, Song Shuman, worried, pushed the door open and entered the room. Then, the family rushed him to the hospital.
Song Shuman paced anxiously. “Why did he suddenly have such a high fever? Wasn’t he fine last night?”
“Yan Yan doesn’t feel pain; what if something happens…”
“No, it’ll be alright.” An Lingkang comforted his wife. “Don’t worry; the doctor said it’s just a common cold and fever. He probably caught a chill last night; don’t overthink it.”
A common illness wouldn’t normally cause such worry, but An Qingyan’s situation was special. Even a minor ailment would cause his family to panic.
But this time it really was just a common fever.
The single room was quiet, and An Qingyan lay quietly on the bed, an IV drip in his slender hand.
The young man’s delicate brows were slightly furrowed, his cheeks flushed unnaturally, but his lips were pale, and his forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat.
An Jing gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue and checked his temperature with the back of his hand. At least it wasn’t as hot as before.
“I think Yan Yan has been acting strange these past few days.” The space in the high-class ward was large. An Yu sat on the sofa beside him, frowning. “I’ve seen him spacing out for several days. When I asked what he was thinking, he just said it was nothing.”
An Jing also sat on the sofa. Afraid of waking An Qingyan, he lowered his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
An Yu shrugged. “I forgot.”
An Jing patted his younger brother’s head. “I think you only care about eating, drinking, and having fun. Have you been going to work properly lately?”
“What? I go to work every day! Dad can testify for me. The job is so hard, I’ve even lost two pounds!”
“Alright, alright, you’re the hardest working.” An Jing didn’t have the energy to argue with An Yu. He worriedly watched the young man on the bed. “What do you think Yan Yan is thinking about?”
“Nothing but work, family, friends, and love.” An Yu thought for a moment. “Did Yan Yan get into a fight with Fei Fei?”
An Jing: “Fei Fei? Are you serious?”