Chapter 54.2
Editor: Jodi
It was already late, and Shen Ci had fallen asleep with an IV drip, completely unaware that his name had once again rocketed to the top of the hot search.
At a time like this, the person at the center of it all was actually the most laid-back one, sleeping soundly and peacefully.
Wei Shuo couldn’t help but pat the little silly dog’s head affectionately.
By the time the Shen family arrived, the test results were just about ready.
Lu Xiao had already spoken with the hospital and had arranged for a meeting room for them to use, leaving only Wei Shuo behind to look after Shen Ci in the ward.
“Wait a minute.” Shen Bie’s voice was oddly nasal, a bit hoarse.
Everyone looked at him silently, however none of them spoke.
He walked straight to the sleeping Shen Ci’s side. He had wanted to pinch his little brother’s soft cheek but held back.
Then without a word, he took out a new pair of slippers from his bag and placed them by the bed, then pulled out a specially-made kettle to prepare room-temperature water, making it convenient for Shen Ci to drink at night. Then he grabbed a soft pillow and stuffed it into Shen Ci’s arms, then finally, tucked the blanket around him neatly.
Just like how he always took care of Shen Ci whenever they traveled, as if nothing had happened.
Without any extra movements, Shen Bie finished everything, turned around, and without looking back, followed the others to the meeting room.
**
That night, Min Shoubei posted on Weibo in response to the online uproar.
It was a screenshot of a digital version of the paternity test, accompanied by a simple sentence: “Shen Ci, my biological son.” It caused a massive stir in the circle, becoming the hottest gossip of the year.
The melon eaters were so shocked they dropped their snacks. Who would’ve thought they could really discover a wild elephant in Antarctica…
Aside from the official announcement, Min Shoubei went a step further and tagged every major account that had insulted Shen Ci, replying to them all arrogantly: “Your account’s gone.”
“Whoa, those accounts are really all gone! Completely wiped out!”
“Brothers, drop the double standards on the public screen! He doesn’t care if people insult him, but if you insult his son, then he’s this petty!”
“I thought he hated idol-types and pretty faces… this is clearly the path of a fatuous ruler!”
“……”
The gossip was so big that when Shen Ci woke up the next day, his phone was blowing up…
He wiped his drool away in a daze then swiped through the endless missed calls and WeChat messages, his face darkening as he realized he couldn’t scroll to the end.
Ning Ge: Oh my god, idol, your status just skyrocketed! Now I’m not worthy of you, sob sob…
Shao Ge: How’s your health? What do you want for breakfast?
Cute Xia Qingqing: Boss! Please, get me Director Min’s autograph! This humble servant will help you rank up in Kings for free!
……
He checked the trending hot searches and finally understood what had happened.
Fortunately, there had been some foreshadowing the day before, so Shen Ci remained calm today.
“Awake?” Lu Xiao pushed the door open and walked in, carrying a thermos. “Eat first.”
Shen Ci nodded obediently, slipped on his slippers, washed up, then came back to find that Lu Xiao had already served him a bowl of porridge.
“Thank you little uncle!” He reached out to take it, but Lu Xiao, raising his eyebrows, pulled it away.
The porridge-less Shen Ci: “???”
Lu Xiao put the bowl down, then in one swift move, pressed him against the wall, their foreheads touching. “What did you just say?”
Shen Ci shrank back, swallowing hard. “Th-thank you, little uncle……”
The corners of Lu Xiao’s lips curled upwards slowly, causing him to become even more strikingly handsome, making Shen Ci’s ears burn.
“Baby, I don’t like it when you say thank you.”
Shen Ci had a bad feeling.
And sure enough, Lu Xiao’s warm, soft lips began kissing from the root of his ear, sending a burning sensation all the way to Shen Ci’s lips.
“Try it a different way.” Lu Xiao’s lips brushed against his lips lightly, his meaning clear.
In the midst of his hot breath, Shen Ci could faintly smell a fresh mint scent mixed with Lu Xiao’s slightly bitter cologne…. he felt his head spinning.
His face flushed red, he muttered, “You’re cheating…”
Ever since that kiss that night, Lu Xiao had always been scheming ways to get him to kiss first, and each time, he ended up dazed and tricked.
Lu Xiao: “I can do it too.”
As he said this, he bit down on Shen Ci’s lips, scaring him into dodging immediately.
No, no, Lu Xiao was too frightening. Every time, he’d only let go when he was almost out of breath, and then maybe, he’d come back for another round.
With no other choice, Shen Ci gritted his teeth, tilted his head up, and gave Lu Xiao’s lips a quick peck—
However the door of the hospital room creaked open just then, then the footsteps stopped abruptly.
Shen Ci: “!!!”
In that split second, he shoved Lu Xiao away, threw himself back onto the bed, and buried himself under the covers, pretending to be dead, while screaming like a groundhog in his heart.
Damn! Why did it feel like he’d just been caught cheating?
Lu Xiao frowned slightly and looked toward the door, where Shao Jinhuan stood frozen, his expression growing colder.
“Uncle Lu, you’re here way too early!” Wei Shuo peeked out from behind Shao Jinhuan then shivered immediately from the cold atmosphere.
Such a dark, cold look. Poor, innocent Wei Shuo trembled. “Why isn’t Xiao Ci up yet?”
Shen Ci, his head buried under the blanket muttered in a muffled voice, “I’m up!”
Wei Shuo didn’t dare pull the blanket off Shen Ci in front of Lu Xiao. So he cleared his throat instead and placed the thermos he was holding on the table. “I brought you some tasty food, hurry up and eat!”
Shao Jinhuan moved closer silently, also holding a thermos.
Jiang Shu popped out from behind him, looking worried. “Can Xiao Ci eat yet? I brought some hot porridge.”
“…….Too late.” Min Song said as she walked in with a thermos, glancing back at the very unhappy Min Shoubei behind her helplessly.
Shen Bie came in carrying a matching thermos, then his mouth twitched when he saw how crowded the room had become.
Shen Ci finally poked his head out just as the blush on his face faded.
He scanned the room quietly, then pulled his head back in quickly.
Great, six thermoses of plain porridge. He chose death.
In the end, he was dragged out by Shen Bie to eat. Then under everyone’s watchful eyes, he ate his tasteless porridge miserably, forcing it down.
The way all these big shots stared at him, forcing him to drink porridge, was terrifying. His hand slipped a little, and a drop of porridge spilled onto his clothes.
“Careful.” Jiang Shu pulled out a delicate handkerchief immediately, leaning in to wipe the porridge from his collar, saying gently as she did so, “You’re so grown up, but still getting food on yourself?”
Wei Shuo gave her a suspicious look: “?”
Her voice was so sweet it could drip honey, like a mother doting on her son. Shen Ci was completely caught off guard by this sudden attention.
But she usually didn’t like him that much. So why was she suddenly fussing over him?
Suspicious, he looked down. Had Jiang Shu suddenly fallen for him? Or was this handkerchief poisoned?
“You didn’t poison this handkerchief, right?” Wei Shuo blurted out, making Jiang Shu’s expression darken.
Shen Ci: “……” Good brother.