“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”
After reaching home and noticing Shi Nuan’s inability to sleep, Fu Chengyuan pulled her into his arms and patted her back. “Don’t worry, okay?”
“But…” Shi Nuan’s eyes reddened. “I’m pathetic, aren’t I? I didn’t think I’d feel anything. After all, I’m already an adult, and the feelings that I have seem pointless to me now. But when I heard Shaoqing saying that he might not have long to live, I feel upset.”
“It’s normal to be upset. You can’t really break off your blood ties.” Fu Chengyan sighed, “You’ve done well. Sleep. When you wake tomorrow, we’ll visit him at the hospital. Then, you can tell him what you feel, all right?”
Shi Nuan nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
“Good girl.” Fu Chengyan planted a kiss on her forehead. “Sleep now.”
Shi Nuan did not have a good night’s sleep. However, perhaps it was because Fu Chengyan was around, she was still able to sleep until eight o’clock the next morning.
Fu Chengyan walked out of the bathroom and pulled Shi Nuan’s blanket away. He gently patted her face and murmured, “Are you awake?”
Shi Nuan nodded, and Fu Chengyan scooped her into his arms. “Aunt Zhang has prepared breakfast for us. I’ve been told he’s awake by the hospital staff.”
“Really?” Feeling instantly alert, Shi Nuan said, “Then let’s hurry and wash up before we head to the hospital.”
When Fu Chengyuan and Shi Nuan reached the hospital, the members of the Su family were already there. Shi Nuan’s arrival surprised them, but they were glad about it.
They had transferred Su Huaibei from the ICU ward to a normal ward. Worried about Su Huaibei’s safety, the Su family members then transferred him into a private ward.
Although Su Huaibei was awake, he was only half-conscious. The doctor advised that it was best for fewer people to visit him so that the patient could rest better. In the end, everyone decided to let Shi Nuan be the one to enter the room.
When she pushed the door open, the pungent scent of medication assaulted her nose.
She took a few careful steps in. When the man on the bed heard noises from the door, he turned to see Shi Nuan. Upon noticing her, he tried to sit up, and Shi Nuan hurriedly walked over. “D-Don’t move. I’ll help you.”
Shi Nuan swiftly walked over to help Su Huaibei into a sitting position. She then grabbed a pillow to support his back. At the sight of his pallid face, she asked, “Are you feeling better?”
The entire time, Su Huaibei’s eyes never left Shi Nuan. Shi Nuan voiced, “Um… Shaoqing called us yesterday, telling us you’ve been admitted to the hospital, so we’re here to visit you.”
The corner of Su Huaibei’s lips lifted. “I’m happy to see you here.”
Shi Nuan smiled as well. But the atmosphere was still slightly awkward. Feeling helpless, Shi Nuan started fidgeting with the edge of her shirt. “Are you thirsty? Do you want to eat something?”
Su Huaibei nodded, a glint in his eyes. “Can you pour me a cup of water? I haven’t drunk since waking up.”
“Of course.” Shi Nuan stood up and shook the jug before pouring a glass for him. “It’s still hot. Please be careful with it.”
Su Huaibei nodded. With one hand holding the cup, he tried to pull the blanket away with the other.
“What’s wrong? Where are you going?”
“Nowhere. I’m trying to get my phone.”
“You can tell me if you want to get your phone.” Shi Nuan walked over to take Su Huaibei’s phone for him. “You’ve just come out of surgery. The doctor advises you to spend less time on your phone. Are you going to make a call?”
Su Huaibei nodded before calling Fu Yi. “Where is she?”
Fu Yi had instantly picked up the call. Surprised by Su Huaibei’s abrupt question of that woman, he replied in the next second, “Mr. Su, you were in the emergency room yesterday. I didn’t pay attention to where Ms. Shu went.”
Narrowing his eyes, Su Huaibei ordered, “Look for her immediately. If you can’t find her, don’t come back.”
Su Huaibei ended the call and set his gaze upon Shi Nuan. The look in her eyes was calm, but the calmer she was, the more fear he felt. Looking at her eyes, Su Huaibei mumbled, “I…”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Ask away.” Su Huaibei put down his phone. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Shi Nuan smiled. “Don’t be in such a hurry to promise me that just yet. What if you can’t do it?”
Upon Seeing Shi Nuan’s smile, Su Huaibei’s chest tightened, and Shu Qing’s face emerged in his mind. Smiling, he commented, “You look a lot like her when she’s younger.”
Shi Nuan’s smile froze before she dropped it. “If I were to tell you that I’ll call you Dad and go back to the Su family with you, staying by your side from now onwards, but on one condition, what do you think about that?”
“What condition is it?” Su Huaibei broke into a smile from the pleasant surprise. He hurriedly said, “Even if you tell me a hundred conditions or a thousand, as long as I can do it, I definitely will.”
“Good.” Shi Nuan nodded. “I want you to cut ties with Shu Qing. From now on, you no longer have any relationship with her.
It was Su Huaibei’s turn for his smile to freeze. He tightened his grip on the glass and asked, “What did you say?” He stared at Shi Nuan in disbelief.
Shi Nuan stood up. “You can’t do it?”
“Tell me the reason first. She’s your mother. You…”
“Honestly, it’s not important to me whether or not I have parents anymore. I now have a husband who loves me very much, and soon, I will be a mother of two. I have two grandfathers who love me, and the Fu clan treats me well. My husband is financially stable, and I don’t need anything.” Shi Nuan looked downward at Su Huaibei. “You and Shu Qing are nothing more than individuals who gave me life. You never raised me, have you?”
Su Huaibei hung his head. “You’re right.” Although Shi Nuan’s words were ruthless, they were the truth; they were words that Su Huaibei could not refute.
“I don’t know what grudge or love you have with Shu Qing for the two of you to change from lovers to enemies and frankly, I don’t care. You wanting to take me back is only because you feel guilty, and you feel the need to fix your mistake. I can give you the chance to do just that. Since Shu Qing isn’t interested in that, I won’t force her to do the same. You can force her to stay with you, but you can’t force me to accept her.”
Su Huaibei plastered on a forced smile. “You’re a rational kid.” Too rational.
Shi Nuan smiled at that. “It depends on who I’m talking to. Mr. Su, think about it. Once you have your answer, you can ask Shaoqing to contact me, or you can contact me yourself.”
With that said, Shi Nuan left without hesitation. Meanwhile, Su Huaibei was leaning back on the pillow, having fallen into deep thoughts after hearing Shi Nuan’s words.
When Fu Yi came, it was already night. “Mr. Su, we’ve found her.”
“Where is she?”
“Ms. Shu has gone back to Emerald Garden.”
Su Huaibei froze. “She went back there herself?”
“Yes. Our men have been following her. After you were admitted to the hospital, Ms. Shu came for a while before she left,” Fu Yi responded as he carefully watched Su Huaibei’s reactions.
With a frown, Su Huaibei commanded, “Anything else you want to say?”
“How are you feeling?”
“Fantastic.”
Although that was what Su Huaibei told him, Fu Yi still felt worried. After a short while of hesitation, he finally found the words to compose his reply. “After Ms. Shu left the hospital, she wandered on the streets. Then… Shen Shixiu took her away.”
“What did you say?” Su Huaibei’s eyes flew open. “Shen Shixiu took her away?”
“That’s right. Shen Feng is here as well. I don’t know what happened to Shen Feng, Shen Shixiu, and Ms. Shu in the hotel. When she came back out, she did not look well. Our men dared not walk so closely to her, so we’re not sure what exactly happened. After Ms. Shu left Shen Feng’s place, she went back to Emerald Garden. She has yet to emerge since then.”
Su Huaibei did not know whether to feel relieved or to tense up. “She…” In the next moment, he cocked his head and said, “Who is it?”
His naturally sharp senses made him straightened his body. At the same time, Fu Yi walked toward the door and opened it. When he saw the figure by the doorway, Fu Yi stiffened.
“It’s you.”
“Who is it?” Su Huaibei stood up. When his gaze landed on the figure by the doorway, his face darkened.
The one standing by the doorway was none other than Shen Feng. He nodded before looking at Fu Yi. “Are you not going to let me in?”
Fu Yi glanced at Su Huaibei, who nodded, before letting Shen Feng into the room.
“Fu Yi, guard the room.”
“But, Mr. Su… Of course.” Fu Yi glanced worriedly at Shen Feng before he reluctantly closed the door and guarded the room outside.
Shen Feng looked around before his gaze landed on Su Huaibei’s pale face. “It’s been a while, Mr. Su.”
“Sit.” Su Huaibei pointed at the chair. “If you want a drink, you can help yourself to it. There are fruits there too.”
“I’m fine.” Shen Feng then found a chair to sit on. Both men fell into momentary silence before Shen Feng continued, “I heard you were hurt, so I’m here to visit you.”
Su Huaibei narrowed his eyes. “Just cut to the point.”
Shen Feng nodded. “I came from the capital for reasons none other than Qing and the secret that I’ve kept in my heart for over twenty years.”
Shen Feng sighed, “I didn’t think that Qing will still be in touch with you after so many years. I should’ve known that the two of you will never separate. Hence, you have to know about this.” As he spoke, Shen Feng took out a piece of paper and handed it to Su Huaibei. “I’m sure you’ll know what this is with one look.”
However, Su Huaibei only frowned, making no move to take it.
A helpless smile crept upon Shen Feng’s face. “I know you and I have always been up against each other, and I know you never liked me.” Shen Feng forced the paper into the other man’s hands. “Take a look. If you have any questions after reading it, I’ll answer them honestly.”
Su Huaibei’s knitted brows were almost in a knot. He closed his trembling fingers around the paper and brought it closer to himself. The moment he saw the words, his grip on the paper tightened. The document that Shen Feng handed him was none other than Shen Qianan’s birth certificate and her DNA report with Shen Feng. It was an old report from over twenty years ago, and in bold were the words that declared Shen Qianan having no blood relations with Shen Feng.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
