MNL Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Blood Ties – Just Don’t Be Mad At Me.

Chapter 59 Blood Ties Just Don’t Be Mad At Me.

This fever came on fiercely, almost overwhelming Xu Jing, who usually had excellent health. He repeatedly burned up to the point of losing consciousness, falling into a deep sleep from which he couldn’t be roused.

Xu Jing had originally intended to hide this from Qin Xin, but he didn’t expect the school to notify parents about a holiday. The flu was spreading rapidly and easily contagious, and Xu Jing didn’t want them to catch it too. However, Qin Xin and Shen Yan wouldn’t let a sick person make decisions. For three days when he was unconscious, they stayed by his side day and night, hardly closing their eyes.

When Xu Jing opened his eyes again, he felt like he had been dragged back from the gates of hell. Through blurred vision, he saw Qin Xin lying on her side on the sofa, asleep, with Shen Yan’s coat draped over her. Shen Yan was leaning against the bedside table, his right hand propping up his head, eyes closed, looking exhausted.

As if sensing the movement beside him, Shen Yan woke up from his light sleep, his eyes meeting Xu Jing’s, who was staring at him with a complex expression on his pale face.

“You’re awake?”

They spoke at the same time.

Xu Jing moved his body, feeling as if all the bones in his body had been taken apart and reassembled, causing him to wince in pain. But when he spoke, his gravelly voice startled him.

“How many days was I out?”

“Three days.” Shen Yan got up to pour a glass of hot water and wiped the sweat from Xu Jing’s forehead. “How do you feel now?” he asked.

“I’m okay.” Xu Jing slowly drank the hot water, his face as white as paper.

“Cha Fei’ang also caught the flu. He’s the one who infected you.” Shen Yan’s tone was calm, but his expression was cold. “I’ll deal with him when we get back to school.”

Xu Jing didn’t bother arguing about it. “He’ll learn his lesson,” he said.

He was the one who experienced it firsthand, and he believed that after going through this, Cha Fei’ang would definitely change his restless habits.

The two deliberately lowered their voices. Soon after, Qin Xin also woke up. Although Shen Yan had been the one taking care of most things these days, as a mother, Qin Xin’s heart was burdened, making her look much more haggard.

“You’re finally awake! You almost scared Mom to death.” Qin Xin quickly sat on the edge of the bed, touching Xu Jing’s forehead. Only then did the anxiety in her heart finally subside. “Luckily, the fever has broken. The doctor said that if you continued to burn like that, the consequences would be unimaginable! Your dad is away on a business trip, and I haven’t even told him yet, or he would have bought a plane ticket to come back overnight.”

Xu Jing said in a hoarse voice, “I’m okay now. I made you worry.”

The room was quiet for a moment. Shen Yan realized that something was off, so he made an excuse to call the doctor and left first.

After the door closed, Qin Xin looked at Xu Jing with a complicated expression, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Xu Jing had a bad feeling. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Okay.”

“There’s nothing going on between you and Shen Yan, right?”

As soon as she said that, Xu Jing abruptly clenched his water glass. He looked at Qin Xin’s eyes, which were full of worry and probing, and forced down the unease in his heart. “What do you mean?” he said.

“I don’t know how to say it. I just feel like something is strange. Although I’m very happy that you’ve made such a good friend, Xu Jing, you need to know that Mom can’t accept anything else.”

Xu Jing pretended to be calm. “What do you mean by that?”

Qin Xin hesitated for a long time, even she herself felt that such an idea was too absurd. Just as Xu Jing thought she wasn’t going to say it, he heard a gentle but firm voice.

“Dating.”

Xu Jing’s solid psychological defenses collapsed abruptly under Qin Xin’s uncompromising attitude. For a moment, his mind went blank. He didn’t know if it was because the fever hadn’t completely subsided or because the matter was too serious. It was rare for Xu Jing to be so flustered. While drinking hot water, he forced himself to calm down and said softly, “Mom, you’re overthinking it.”

Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Qin Xin also calmed down for a moment. She thought to herself, how could that be possible? With Xu Jing’s personality, she was even worried that he would end up alone. How could he be gay?

“Yeah, I’m just overthinking it.” Qin Xin forced a smile and said, “It must be because I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days.”

Xu Jing hummed in agreement. “You should go back and rest.”

While packing things up, Shen Yan’s clothes had already been folded back and forth by Qin Xin several times. She repeatedly convinced herself not to have such absurd thoughts, but this wasn’t just a baseless rumor. The day before, she had accidentally fallen asleep on the sofa while taking care of Xu Jing. When she woke up, it was already early morning. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Shen Yan carefully wiping Xu Jing’s forehead with a towel. That look… Qin Xin instantly felt a chill down her spine. As a woman, her sixth sense detected the emotion that shouldn’t be there at this moment – hidden in Shen Yan’s deep eyes were worry, anxiety, and heartache.

That kind of heartache didn’t seem like the natural concern of a family member, but rather carried a strange feeling that crashed into Qin Xin’s eyes. She even sensed a hint of love, especially when Shen Yan was staring at Xu Jing’s face.

The more Qin Xin thought about it, the more terrifying it became, so much so that she felt uneasy whenever she spoke to Shen Yan since yesterday.

But that’s right, any mother in the world would feel uncomfortable, even if it was just a suspicion.

After being discharged from the hospital, Xu Jing originally wanted to go back to his apartment, but Qin Xin didn’t agree. Instead, she took him back to their villa in the city center under some other excuse. This meant that he and Shen Yan wouldn’t be able to see each other often. Qin Xin’s actions weren’t wrong, but Xu Jing felt that this behavior was a bit strange, as if she was trying to prevent something from happening.

Moreover, since he returned to the city center, he had much less contact with Shen Yan. Although they didn’t usually like to text each other, he could tell that Shen Yan had been busy lately. So, while Qin Xin was out teaching a class, Xu Jing took a taxi back to the apartment, intending to give someone a surprise.

Besides the landlord, almost no one came to the sixth floor. When Xu Jing got out of the elevator, it was very quiet around him. Because they hadn’t seen each other for several days, he was unconsciously nervous. He fixed his hair for a while in front of the door before knocking on the door of 602, but there was no response.

Xu Jing called Shen Yan several times. On the fourth attempt, the other party answered just as he was about to hang up.

“What’s wrong?”

The voice on the other end of the phone was a bit muffled. Xu Jing looked at the door. “Where are you?” he asked.

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

“At home. I just fell asleep.”

“Okay.” Xu Jing said, “Open the door.”

There was silence again on the other end.

“I’m sorry.” Shen Yan stood at the end of the hospital corridor, forcing a bitter smile. “I just lied to you.”

“What happened?”

“It’s hard to explain in a short time.”

“Then what can I do for you?”

The window reflected Shen Yan’s slightly tired profile. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, his movements a bit clumsy as he lit one.

“Just don’t be mad at me.”

Shen Yan’s voice sounded increasingly strange. Xu Jing couldn’t help but worry. “Where are you? I’ll come and be with you now,” he said.

“No need, it’s just a small trouble. I’ll tell you after I’ve dealt with it.” Because he was distracted, Shen Yan choked on the smoke. Hearing him cough several times in a row, Xu Jing quickly said, “Do you have the flu too?”

“How could I? You know my physical condition. Don’t worry about me.” Shen Yan said, “Trust me.”

In the end, Xu Jing couldn’t convince him.

“Okay, then… take care of yourself.”

“Yeah, you too. Don’t go out these few days.” Shen Yan hung up the phone. By this time, a cigarette had already been smoked. Shen Linzhi’s driver and butler, Liu Xiaoguang, came out of the ward and happened to see Shen Yan throwing away the cigarette butt. He sighed softly, walked forward, and said, “Young Master, you don’t need to worry too much. President Shen will definitely be fine.”

Shen Yan didn’t look at Liu Xiaoguang. He silently walked towards the chair outside the ward.

If Liu Xiaoguang hadn’t notified him, he wouldn’t have known that Shen Linzhi had been in a car accident and that his life was in danger. His first thought was that he hadn’t gotten back Zhong Yiqiu’s jade pendant yet.

There were many nights when Shen Yan repeatedly asked himself if this jade pendant was really that important, but every time, he answered the question again and again.

Yes.

This was the only thing Zhong Yiqiu left in the world, and he had to get it back.

But if Shen Linzhi really died, no one would use Xu Jing to threaten him anymore. He also wouldn’t have to go abroad and leave this place. Thinking of this, Shen Yan hoped that Shen Linzhi wouldn’t be saved.

But now, sitting in front of the ward door, he was once again caught in a dilemma. He hated the person lying inside to the core, but undeniably, that was the only person in the world who was related to him by blood.

The reality of blood ties and everything that had happened in the past were like two wild beasts, tearing back and forth in Shen Yan’s heart, turning into a bloody abyss. He was trapped inside, unable to find a point of balance, unable to find the answer to this question.

Suddenly, with a “bang,” the ward door was pushed open, and a woman walked out, panicking as she said to Liu Xiaoguang, “It’s not good, Linzhi’s blood pressure is dropping!”

Shen Yan’s heart clenched.

The VIP ward, which had just been silent, was now full of doctors and nurses. Secretary He Yan was pacing anxiously outside, the sound of her high heels clattering on the floor.

Shen Yan looked at the closed door. Although he couldn’t hear what the people inside were saying, he could tell from the subtle sounds that the situation was critical.

This wasn’t the first time he had experienced such a scene, but this time he seemed more rational, but his chest still felt blocked, making it hard for him to breathe.

The nurse pushed open the door, her expression serious. “The patient has a rare blood type and is now experiencing severe bleeding. Our hospital’s blood bank resources are limited. Does anyone here have Rh-negative blood?”

Liu Xiaoguang said anxiously, “I have a friend who does, but it will take him at least two hours to get here.”

“That’s too late.” The nurse frowned.

“I do.”

The voice from the corner was extremely calm, seeming so out of place at this moment. He Yan and Liu Xiaoguang looked at Shen Yan at the same time.

The nurse quickly said, “Okay, then come with me now.”

Before drawing blood, the nurse noticed that Shen Yan’s face looked unwell. During the process, she kept asking him if he could still handle it. Shen Yan didn’t answer, but just nodded.

“Eat more iron-rich foods these days, and don’t drink alcohol or do strenuous exercise.” Because of the emergency, the nurse gave a simple explanation and left.

Shen Yan shook his head, suddenly feeling very heavy, as if he couldn’t breathe even more. He struggled to open the window, but when he turned around, the world spun, his consciousness faded, and he collapsed to the ground.

Xu Jing and Jiang Pei exclaimed in surprise at the door.

“Shen Yan?!”