Chapter 39: Acting?
Seeing this scene, Wen Qiusheng slammed the soup bowl in his hand onto the table.
The ceramic bowl clashed with the dining table, making a crisp sound that shattered the ambiguous atmosphere between Yu Tingzhou and Shen Zhouyue.
Wen Qiusheng pursed his lips, lowered his head, and whispered, “It’s time to eat!”
As he spoke, he arranged the bowls and chopsticks.
Just as Shen Zhouyue sat down, he saw Wen Qiusheng ladle a bowl of soup and hand it to Yu Tingzhou. “Tingzhou, drink some soup first to settle your stomach.”
“No need. I have hands, I’ll do it myself!”
With that, Yu Tingzhou stood up and ladled a bowl of soup. Instead of drinking it himself, he handed it to Shen Zhouyue beside him.
“Drink some soup first to settle your stomach.”
Shen Zhouyue was stunned.
He hadn’t expected Yu Tingzhou to do that.
Noticing Wen Qiusheng’s ugly expression from the corner of his eye, Shen Zhouyue, who had intended to refuse, immediately reached out and took the bowl.
He took a small sip. The taste was indeed good; Wen Qiusheng’s cooking skills were quite impressive. If not for Yu Tingzhou, he probably wouldn’t have gotten a taste…
Returning the favor, Shen Zhouyue ladled a bowl for Yu Tingzhou. As he handed the bowl over, their fingertips brushed against each other before quickly separating.
Finding an opportunity, Wen Qiusheng leaned close to Yu Tingzhou and asked gently, “Tingzhou, how does it taste?”
“It’s decent enough!”
Yu Tingzhou took a shallow sip and put the bowl down. His actions didn’t match his words at all.
“If you like it, I’ll make it for you again next time!”
Sitting there, Shen Zhouyue felt like a transparent person, completely ignored.
“It seems you really enjoy being our family’s maid. In that case, I’ll have my assistant transfer the wages to your card tomorrow.”
“If there’s nothing else, could you stop disturbing my meal?”
Wen Qiusheng didn’t get angry at Yu Tingzhou’s cold remarks. Maintaining his gentle demeanor, he sat down on Yu Tingzhou’s right side.
With Shen Zhouyue on the left and Wen Qiusheng on the right, it looked rather like Yu Tingzhou was embracing one on each side.
Before sitting down, Wen Qiusheng deliberately moved his chair very close to Yu Tingzhou.
He was left-handed, while Yu Tingzhou was right-handed. When they picked up food, their arms frequently bumped into each other.
Combined with Wen Qiusheng’s deliberate attempts at physical contact, their arms touched at least six or seven times before the meal had even progressed far.
No matter how good his temper, Yu Tingzhou couldn’t tolerate it anymore.
“If you don’t want to eat, you don’t have to. Stop pulling these stunts.”
Yu Tingzhou’s words stunned Wen Qiusheng.
He said aggrievedly, “I… I didn’t mean to…”
“I’m sorry… I caused you trouble…”
As Wen Qiusheng spoke, his tone grew more aggrieved, his eyes reddened, and a few tears even fell.
Shen Zhouyue’s good mood was completely ruined by Wen Qiusheng’s display.
“I’m full. You guys take your time!”
With that, Shen Zhouyue stood up and walked upstairs.
He hadn’t chatted with An’an today yet, and he wondered what his son had been up to.
Returning to the bedroom and closing the door, Shen Zhouyue dialed Shen Yunyou’s number.
Yunxing had been at home taking care of Yun Tingxuan these past two days, so at the hospital, it was mostly Shen Yunyou and Huo Yangzhou taking care of things.
After the call connected and they exchanged a few words, Shen Zhouyue asked urgently, “Dad, where’s An’an?”
“Is his condition any better today?”
Hearing Shen Zhouyue’s words, Shen Yunyou rolled his eyes at him.
“If you really care about An’an, come back yourself. An’an has cried several times these past few days because he misses you. The doctor said if this continues, it won’t be good for his health.”
Hearing Shen Yunyou’s words, Shen Zhouyue immediately frowned.
“Dad, help me console An’an. I’ll find a way to come back in a few days.”
“My plan is halfway through, I can’t stop immediately. Besides, I’m doing this for An’an’s health too. Please help me talk to him!”
Shen Yunyou didn’t want to see his grandson so depressed, so whenever conditions allowed, he would take An’an for walks near the hospital.
But An’an remained unhappy.
Shen Yunyou had no other solution.
“You are An’an’s father after all. You need to know what is most important to you. If you only care about An’an’s future and ignore his present, isn’t the loss outweighing the gain? You’re putting the cart before the horse.”
“I know you’re stubborn. Even if I explain all this clearly, you won’t come back immediately. But you should at least show some consideration for An’an’s messages…”
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, knocking sounds rang out, and Wen Qiusheng’s voice came from outside the door. “Mr. Shen, I thought I heard you talking to someone on the phone. You sounded a bit emotional; do you need any help?”
A strong sense of revulsion rose in Shen Zhouyue’s heart.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, frowned, and shouted at the door, “Please don’t come to the third floor if there’s nothing important.”
“If there is a next time, I will make you move out immediately.”
Shen Zhouyue’s tone was very harsh. Wen Qiusheng, thinking about what he had just overheard, realized he seemed to have stumbled upon some significant information.
He raised an eyebrow and didn’t persist, turning to leave with a new plan already forming in his mind.
Although Shen Zhouyue was slightly worried that Wen Qiusheng might have heard his conversation with Shen Yunyou, the most important thing right now was to soothe An’an.
He spoke somewhat urgently to Shen Yunyou on the other end, “Dad, let’s talk about that later. Let me see An’an first, okay?”
Shen Yunyou naturally had no reason to refuse.
The phone was quickly handed to An’an. Sure enough, An’an’s eyes were red. Even through the screen, one could see his eyes were puffy, looking as if he had been crying for a long time.
Yet, in front of Shen Zhouyue, An’an still put on a happy face, smiling as he shared his life over the past few days.
In An’an’s words, his life was interesting and colorful, implying that it was okay even without Shen Zhouyue’s participation.
But Shen Zhouyue sensed something wrong in many of the details.
He pursed his lips and said softly, “In a few days, Uncle Yunxing will return to the country. Daddy will ask Grandpa Xie to consult the doctor and see if An’an can come back to stay for a while, okay?”
If returning meant living with his daddy, An’an was naturally very willing. His eyes lit up instantly, as if stars had fallen into them.
He held the phone carefully, looking at Shen Zhouyue on the screen, and asked softly, “Is that really okay?”
Seeing the child’s cautious manner, the last shred of hesitation in Shen Zhouyue’s heart vanished.
“Of course it is. Daddy will arrange everything.”
“Daddy will talk to Uncle Yunxing about this in a bit, okay?”
An’an nodded vigorously, the phone in his hands bobbing up and down with his movements—he looked utterly adorable.
Seeing An’an so cute, Shen Zhouyue’s mood instantly improved. Even the annoyance of Wen Qiusheng possibly overhearing them didn’t seem like a big deal anymore.
Shen Zhouyue chatted with An’an for a long time. Only when An’an’s eyes slowly closed and the phone dropped onto the bed did Shen Yunyou gently take the phone from An’an’s hands.
He wheeled his wheelchair out of the ward and lowered his voice. “Didn’t you always want to keep An’an from returning to China for fear that his other father would find out? Why the sudden change of heart?”
Shen Yunyou and the others had long guessed the identity of An’an’s other father, but due to the complex relationship between the younger generation, they hadn’t exposed Shen Zhouyue’s clumsy disguise.
But Shen Zhouyue suddenly changing his mind was very unexpected.
Seeing the knowing look on his father’s face, Shen Zhouyue lowered his head awkwardly and said nervously, “I’ll be careful not to let An’an’s other dad know of his existence.”
“Besides, An’an’s current state is clearly not suitable for being separated from me. Letting him live by my side for a while might improve his condition. That way, when the cord blood is available, An’an can have the surgery promptly.”
As Shen Zhouyue said this, he placed his hand on his stomach. He hadn’t had a checkup in the last two days, so he didn’t know if the seed had sprouted.
Shen Yunyou naturally noticed Shen Zhouyue’s gesture. Knowing that saying more wouldn’t change Shen Zhouyue’s mind, he sighed. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say anything else. Just make sure you don’t regret it later.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll contact An’an’s attending physician to confirm if he can leave the hospital for a period. If there are no issues, I’ll have Yunxing bring An’an back with him.”
This was exactly what Shen Zhouyue had planned, so hearing his father’s words, he nodded immediately.
Just then, Yu Tingzhou pushed open the bedroom door and walked in. Not wanting his father to know the identity of An’an’s other father, Shen Zhouyue hung up the call immediately without even saying goodbye.
His movement was rather large, successfully drawing a confused look from Yu Tingzhou.
“What are you doing? Why such a big reaction to seeing me?”
Naturally, Shen Zhouyue couldn’t tell the truth, so he replied perfunctorily, “Nothing, just chatting with family.”
“Wen Qiusheng came looking for me while I was on the phone. Did he need something?”
Hearing this question, Yu Tingzhou frowned, his attention diverted.
“I plan to have my assistant take Wen Qiusheng for a detailed checkup tomorrow. If it’s confirmed there are no issues with his health, I don’t want him continuing to live in this house.”
Thinking that Wen Qiuning was coming tomorrow, Shen Zhouyue frowned and said, “Give it two more days; tomorrow won’t work.”
Seeing Yu Tingzhou’s confused look, Shen Zhouyue briefly explained his plan.
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