Chapter 54: You Still Have the Gall to Call Me Shameless?
“Of course you can!”
A look of surprise and joy rippled across Shen Yunheng’s face. He was delighted that Jian An had spoken up. He reached out to gently pat the youth’s shoulder.
“Xiao An, I’ll support you in whatever you want to do. Besides, raising kittens is great. They can help distract you from your troubles and reduce stress. Petting a cat is a wonderful way to find happiness.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a woman’s shrill, angry roar suddenly erupted from behind them: “Jian! An!”
That voice…?
Mom?!
Jian An’s entire body froze. His blood seemed to turn to ice, and his hand stopped mid-stroke on the kitten’s fur.
Before he could even turn around, the woman had already rushed over in a fury. She grabbed him by his clothes, pointing a finger at him as her eyes went wide with rage. She began to curse at him:
“Where’s the money?! I can’t get through when I call, and you don’t answer my texts! Where do you put me as your mother? You haven’t sent me money this month yet! How am I supposed to live?!”
Shen Yunheng brushed the woman’s hand away and stepped in front of Jian An. His eyes were sharp, his usually calm and composed gaze filled with fury. He spoke with a harsh tone of accusation:
“Xiao An was in a car accident! He can’t even pay the surgery fees, and all you can think about is asking him for money? Not a single word of concern… are you even his biological mother?”
Zhou Manxiang was currently fuming over a losing streak at the gambling table. She was incredibly irritable and blurted out without thinking:
“What the hell does that have to do with me? Who said I was his biological mother?”
Hearing this, Jian An’s expression turned blank. He clenched his hands so hard they began to shake. His voice was shocked and raspy as he asked:
“Mom… you?”
The statement left Shen Yunheng stunned as well. He turned a penetrating gaze on her, speaking word by word: “What?! You aren’t Xiao An’s biological mother?”
Under the weight of their direct stares, Zhou Manxiang suddenly realized what she had said. She hurriedly slapped her own mouth.
The fury on her face vanished, replaced by an awkward, fawning smile. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead from the tension. She pouted guiltily and spoke with an air of self-righteousness:
“I… of course I’m Jian An’s biological mother! He’s just such a useless coward that I’m ashamed to admit it!”
Jian An’s brow slowly smoothed out. He no longer felt much of a ripple at his mother’s insults calling him a useless coward.
Although the woman’s hesitation and panic were subtle, Shen Yunheng caught them immediately.
The way Zhou Manxiang had spoken just now was entirely casual, lacking any of the “tough love” a mother might feel for a son. Combined with her past treatment of Jian An, this obvious slip of the tongue raised deep suspicions in his mind.
Shen Yunheng naturally didn’t reveal his internal thoughts. He simply curled his lips in a gesture of disgust and reminded her:
“Please don’t make such jokes in the future. It will hurt Xiao An.”
“Right, right, right. I won’t say it again.”
Facing her former employer, Zhou Manxiang’s volatile mood significantly calmed. Her years of loneliness and desire actually manifested as a trace of feminine shyness when she looked at the handsome man before her.
She appraised Shen Yunheng’s physique from head to toe, nodding in satisfaction. She toyed with a strand of her hair, a smile playing on her lips. She shamelessly leaned in and hooked her arms through the man’s, her voice sweet and cloying:
“My, Young Master Shen, why are you so concerned about my son? Could it be that you like him?”
The deliberate, high-pitched tone made Shen Yunheng’s skin crawl. He could hardly believe such sounds were coming from a woman in her late forties or fifties.
He violently yanked his arm back and took a step away, his eyes full of unmasked loathing. “What are you doing? Please have some self-respect. Whether I like someone or not is none of your business.”
But Zhou Manxiang acted as though she hadn’t heard him. Her eyes, skilled at reading people, immediately saw through the man’s thoughts. She hooked her arm into his again and teased:
“Liking him is useless. My son is already married to CEO Ji. I suggest you give up on that idea. Don’t go lowering your status by being someone’s ‘little third’~ Why not consider me instead? I’m not married yet, you know~”
The incredibly greasy tone was nauseating. Shen Yunheng pushed her away with ease, letting out a laugh of pure rage. “Wait… what did you say? Consider you?”
Zhou Manxiang thought there was hope and nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, yes! I might be a little older, but I’ve taken better care of myself than those young girls!”
Shen Yunheng’s expression was one of cold indifference, his features showing an unprecedented level of annoyance. He spoke with disdain:
“Heh… ‘consider’ you? Absolutely impossible. I don’t know where you get the courage to say such things, but shamelessness is truly written all over your face.”
If he hadn’t considered the fact that she was Jian An’s only relative, his rebuttal might not have been so polite. She truly had no shame, daring to say anything.
Suddenly hearing Zhou Manxiang say something so humiliating, Jian An was mortified. He wished he could find a hole to crawl into. His voice was full of anxiety and blame:
“Mom! What are you doing?! How could you even think of such a thing toward Yunheng? Stop embarrassing me!”
Being called shameless by both of them, and having failed to hook a “cash machine,” Zhou Manxiang’s temper flared. She twisted the youth’s skeletal shoulder and spat:
“You unfilial brat, you have the gall to call me shameless? Which of us is the shameless one? Give me the money, now! What are you doing in the hospital? It’s a waste of money! Don’t tell me you don’t have any; you must have plenty of savings hidden away. You’re just being selfish and don’t want to give it to me!”
As she spoke, she reached into his pockets to search, looking as though she wouldn’t stop until she found something.
Jian An quickly placed the kittens on the ground. “Mom, I really don’t have any money left! I gave it all to you!”
Zhou Manxiang’s actions had thoroughly chilled his heart. The last shred of fantasy he had—that his mother might care about his health—finally turned to ash.
“He’s still injured! What kind of madness is this?”
Shen Yunheng pulled the woman away. He then pulled a gold card from his pocket and threw it at her. “There’s five hundred thousand in this card. It’s enough for you to spend. Now, leave!”
Zhou Manxiang’s eyes lit up as she grabbed the bank card. She was so excited she was speechless for a long moment. She began to run, calling out as she went:
“Young Master Shen really is generous! I’m leaving now! Hehe~”
Jian An was shocked. He hurriedly tried to turn his wheelchair to give chase. “Yunheng, five hundred thousand? You just gave it to my mother like that? No, I have to get it back from her.”
Shen Yunheng stepped in front of him to stop him, let out a sigh, and said: “Xiao An, forget it. If I didn’t give it to her, she would have kept making your life a misery. I’m not short on money. It’s fine.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you.”
He lowered his eyelids, his eyelashes trembling slightly. It made one want to lift those lids to see what lay beneath.
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s nothing. By the way, where did those kittens go?”
Shen Yunheng turned his head, changing the subject. His gaze landed on the nearby bushes. He crouched down and clapped his hands. “Oh! There they are! Kittens, come here!”
The two white kittens suddenly ran toward him, obediently rubbing their heads against the man’s warm palm.
Shen Yunheng raised an eyebrow, a spark of joy in his eyes. He spoke softly: “They finally let me pet them.”
Hearing this, a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of Jian An’s eyes. He looked hesitant for a moment before tentatively asking:
“Yunheng, can you take the kittens home for now? If it’s convenient… pets aren’t allowed in the hospital wards, and I truly don’t know where to take them.”
The other man nodded readily. He looked back at Jian An with a look of indulgent accommodation. A teasing smile hooked the corner of his lips, his eyes deep and serious as he spoke in a clear voice:
“Sure. It’s very convenient. I live alone; it would be no problem at all to take you back and raise you too.”
Jian An pursed his lips helplessly. “Ahem. Yunheng, stop joking. I’ll head back to the ward and wait for you.”
“Xiao An, let me push you back.”
The man stepped forward holding the two kittens, but before his hand could touch the wheelchair, Jian An refused.
“No need. I can do it myself. I can’t let you keep helping me, or I’ll become completely useless.”
With that, Jian An gave a slight nod. He used his hands to push the wheels with difficulty, slowly moving forward.
Watching that lonely, retreating back, a trace of heavy bitterness flashed in Shen Yunheng’s eyes, the sorrow deepening.
This feeling of always having to maintain a distance and respect the other’s wishes was becoming increasingly complex and exhausting.
…
A person was standing at the entrance to the ICU ward, leaning against the wall with arms crossed, as if waiting for someone.
Jian An pushed his wheelchair forward for a while before he could vaguely make out that it was Lu Huaishen.
The other man seemed to see him as well. He straightened his back and tilted his head toward the ward, whispering: “Mr. Jian, I’ve got what you wanted. Shall we go inside to talk?”
Jian An nodded. “Okay.”
Lu Huaishen locked the ward door. Without beating around the bush, he pulled a small box from his pocket and placed it carefully on the table. He opened it neatly, revealing three injections filled with a blue liquid sitting quietly inside.
He then placed the volunteer agreement in front of the youth, pulling a ballpoint pen from his coat pocket and handing it over. He spoke:
“I was only able to apply for three trial doses for you. I am one of the researchers in charge of this drug. If anything happens to you, the hospital bears no responsibility, but I do.”
At those words, Jian An’s hand holding the agreement trembled. His expression grew grave and puzzled as he asked:
“Why?”
Lu Huaishen tilted his head and glanced up. “I only got the application approved by acting as your guarantor. Did you think a new drug with unknown effects would be so easy to get your hands on?”
He cleared his throat, his face becoming serious as he warned again: “So make absolutely, absolutely sure you’ve thought this through. I’m only seventy percent sure you won’t have any issues.”
“Mhm. I believe in you.”
Jian An gripped the pen and signed his name on the paper with iron resolve. He took an injection from the table and held it in his palm, watching the medicine flow slowly, reflected in his pupils.
“Dr. Lu, help me inject it.”
“Brace yourself.”
Lu Huaishen held the syringe between his long fingers. He pointed the needle upward and flicked it, a few drops of blue liquid spraying out. He then slowly pushed the needle into the youth’s thigh until the medicine was injected into the vessel.
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