Chapter 47 - Remorse

In that instant, Madam Shen was utterly stunned.

Even though she had anticipated this outcome countless times, seeing it with her own eyes was still unbearable.

Madam Shen covered the ripped paper bag with one hand and pressed her chest with the other.

Could it be...

had she invested all these years in vain?

Madam Shen's heart turned as cold as ashes in an instant.

Silently, she tidied up the paper bag in her hands.

That evening, when Lu Ran returned home, he found Madam Shen sitting solemnly in the living room.

Madam Shen's condition was indeed unusual.

Normally, she would be meticulously made up, but today she appeared without a trace of cosmetics.

Her lips, now free from the lipstick's enhancement, seemed exceptionally pale, giving off an intense aura of illness.

Opposite Madam Shen sat Shen Hongyuan and Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Hongyuan wore an impatient expression as he tapped the table. "What exactly do you want? If you're not feeling well, go to the hospital. Why summon me in the middle of the night for this nonsense?"

Shen Xingran sat quietly on the other side.

He didn't say a word, only looking at Madam Shen with concern.

However, Madam Shen avoided his gaze and sneered at Shen Hongyuan. "You'll know soon enough."

Then, she turned her attention to Lu Ran, who was witnessing this for the first time. With an unusually gentle gesture, she beckoned him. "Good child, come to Mommy."

Madam Shen patted the seat beside her.

The moment Shen Hongyuan saw Lu Ran, his face darkened, and he shot a suspicious glance at Madam Shen.

Shen Xingran's head drooped slightly, looking somewhat disappointed.

Lu Ran observed the family, completely puzzled about their intentions.

Instead of approaching them first, he took Big Yellow back to his room before returning to the living room.

However, he didn't sit next to Madam Shen but chose a single sofa nearby.

Instantly, the family members were seated in the four cardinal directions, creating an amusingly aloof scene.

Madam Shen's eyelids twitched as she looked at Lu Ran, but she held back her outburst.

She still remembered why she was here.

Inhaling deeply, he gazed at Shen Hongyuan across from him and declared, "I'm aware of everything you've kept from me for the past fifteen years."

In that instant, Shen Hongyuan froze, his pupils trembling slightly.

Lu Ran observed the two of them, silently calculating the timeline in his mind.

Fifteen years – that should be the year he went missing.

However, Mrs. Shen paused soon after. She frowned, counted, then corrected herself, "No, it should be nineteen years! Or even earlier!"

The shock on Shen Hongyuan's face dissipated, replaced by a hint of confusion. "Huh?"

"You're still pretending to be ignorant!" A tear trickled down Mrs. Shen's cheek.

Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore. Pointing at Shen Hongyuan and Shen Xingran, she exclaimed, "How much longer do you plan to keep this from me?!"

Lu Ran's mind buzzed from the outburst.

He had read the original Mary Sue novel, but the details didn't stick in his memory.

All he knew was that the protagonist was Shen Xingran, with love interests abound.

Thus, when he heard Madam Shen's loud outburst, his mind momentarily wandered off track.

He assumed that Shen Hongyuan and Shen Xingran were involved romantically.

His eyes widened in shock.

Fortunately, Madam Shen swiftly corrected the misunderstanding with a sharp voice, "Shen Hongyuan, were you planning to hide from me forever that Ranran is your illegitimate child?"

Lu Ran: "?"

Perhaps due to the intense mental imagery he had just conjured up.

Upon hearing Madam Shen's words, his reaction was a mere, "That's it?"

Shen Hongyuan, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered.

At first, the tension in his body gradually dissipated, leaving him with a scowl on his face. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Shen Xingran also chimed in at the right moment, his expression dejected. "Mom... I'm an orphan who was abandoned by my biological parents."

Lu Ran quietly munched on his food, mentally revisiting the original text to see if this scene was included.

"Carry on acting! Keep on pretending!"

Madam Shen's voice cracked as she picked up the paper bag from under the table and slammed it down. "The paternity test results are out. What else do you have to say?"

Lu Ran immediately leaned forward, intrigued.

Shen Hongyuan was utterly stunned.

Even Shen Xingran, upon seeing that dark red paper bag, lost his usual composure for a fleeting moment, revealing a hint of astonishment.

"This can't be!" Shen Hongyuan reached out to grab the paper bag.

With force, he ripped open the envelope and pulled out several sheets of DNA test results. Scanning the text at a glance, Shen Hongyuan's anger escalated rapidly. He slapped the documents onto Madam Shen's body with a sharp "slap." "Read the results yourself!" Madam Shen was taken aback. Shen Hongyuan's reaction didn't resemble the typical fury of someone whose secret had been exposed. Picking up the pale papers, she gave them a glance. To her astonishment, the results stated: "No blood relationship exists." Stunned, she stammered, "This... This envelope was red!" The sight of the red envelope had already filled her with despair. She hadn't even opened it before convening this "family meeting."

Who could have known...

Did the staff pack the wrong bag?

Only after seeing the result did Shen Xingran regain his composure. He slumped back into the sofa, head hanging low, a look of disappointment and grievance on his face.

"What on earth are you up to every day? Doing a secret paternity test? If you're bored, go find a job! You're acting all paranoid all the time!"

Shen Hongyuan stormed out in a fit of rage.

Although his expression was furious, there was a hint of relief in his strides.

Lu Ran was surprised that the "gossip" turned out to be nothing but air.

He let out a sigh, finding it uninteresting. He then got up and casually grabbed some fruit from the tray on the table before leaving.

Shen Xingran remained seated where he was.

Mrs. Shen held the document in her hand, alongside the dark red file bag that had fallen to the side.

Her mood was a mix of indescribable emotions.

It was a relief to learn that Shen Xingran wasn't an illegitimate child.

But Shen Hongyuan's reaction made Mrs. Shen determined to prove herself right.

In a fit of anger, she called the testing agency.

The operator on the other end apologized profusely, explaining that they had run out of white envelopes and recent orders were all sent in red ones. The content of the envelope, not its color, would determine the truth.

Seated there, Mrs. Shen's emotions swung like a pendulum, up and down.

She vented her frustration on the operator before finally regaining some composure after hanging up the phone.

Only then did she notice Shen Xingran, sitting quietly on the sofa across from her.

This young man, whom she had raised since he was nineteen years old, had his head bowed, silently occupying the space beside her.

It was as if he had been abandoned by the entire world.

"Ranran…" Mrs. Shen's heart was flooded with a mixture of awkwardness and indulgence. "I've made you see me like this… Mother, I'm so…"

"I understand," Shen Xingran spoke in a low voice. "Mom, you don't have to say anything. It's alright."

These words only increased Mrs. Shen's guilt, her heart aching terribly.

"Mom, it's right for you to be angry with me. After all, I said something terrible outside," Shen Xingran whispered.

Mrs. Shen couldn't recall the rumors Shen Xingran had spread at that moment. She immediately replied, "There are no grudges between a mother and son. Mom has already forgiven you."

Hearing this, Shen Xingran slowly stood up.

He walked toward his mother and sat on the ground just like when he was little, leaning his head on her lap.

Mrs. Shen's heart melted completely, and she reached out to stroke Shen Xingran's hair.

"Mom," Shen Xingran choked out, "I don't have biological parents or any other relatives. If you don't want me, I truly will have nothing."

"I said those things outside because I was afraid you'd reject me..."

"Honey, don't say anymore, don't say anymore." Mrs. Shen held him close and whispered soothingly.

Shen Xingran's words struck a chord with Mrs. Shen.

For a moment, the living room was filled with warmth and emotion.

The rift between them had vanished.

With his head nestled in Mrs. Shen's embrace, Shen Xingran felt her caressing his head, a hint of satisfaction flickering in his eyes.

Mrs. Shen probably didn't recall.

Mrs. Li, who had shared the story of the illegitimate child and the adopted one, wasn't originally part of her social circle.

It was because of Shen Xingran's acquaintance with Young Master Li that their relationship had blossomed.

Over this period, Shen Xingran had noticed that Mrs. Shen's thoughts still lingered on the words "illegitimate child."

Thus, he decided to turn the tables.

He had Young Master Li tell Lady Li an absurd story.

Given Lady Li's habit of adding color to her narratives, she would undoubtedly attribute this tale to a hypothetical relative of hers.

He was also aware that Madam Shen had obtained his hair from the third floor.

Furthermore, even the agency Madam Shen sought out was one that Shen Xingran had informed through his connections, intentionally "leaking" the information to her ears.

The only unexpected twist was that Shen Xingran hadn't anticipated the agency to use a red envelope.

Upon seeing the red folder, Shen Xingran was not just astonished.

He was somewhat delighted.

If he were truly Shen Hongyuan's biological son...

However, for Madam Shen, it seemed that an orphan with no family ties suited her purposes better.

With his eyes closed, Shen Xingran concealed the sarcasm in his gaze.

The next morning, as usual, Lu Ran woke up early.

After grooming himself and taking the dog out, he unexpectedly found both Madam Shen and Shen Xingran downstairs.

Shen Xingran was waiting by the table.

Madam Shen personally carried a steaming bowl of sweet porridge from the kitchen and placed it in front of Shen Xingran.

"Try it quickly, I've been simmering this porridge for two hours!"

Shen Xingran promptly stood up to receive it, chiding gently, "Mom! Be careful, don't burn yourself."

The mother and son sat closely together, enjoying their intimate porridge-sharing moment.

Lu Ran turned his head to glance at the dining area.

Upon seeing Lu Ran approach, a smile tugged at the corner of Shen Xingran's lips.

Seemingly struck by an idea, he asked Madam Shen, "Mom, didn't you say that you wanted to acknowledge Brother as part of the family? Shouldn't we discuss the schedule for it?"

"And who should we invite? We have to inform everyone in Beijing's high society."

With an innocent tone, Shen Xingran made arrangements. "Shouldn't Father write the invitations personally to make it more formal?"

Upon hearing his words, Madam Shen frowned.

Back then, she genuinely wanted to bring Lu Ran back.

But now, there was no point in doing so. She already had a loving child like Rouran, and she wasn't lacking a son.

Moreover, if they were to let Lu Ran return, they would have to explain why he went missing in the first place.

There would inevitably be many people surrounding her with questions, casting a gaze that Madam Shen despised...

"I'll think about it later," Madam Shen said, sipping her congee as a means to divert the conversation.

"Ahh? Is that so?"

Shen Xingran turned his head, offering Lu Ran a gentle smile in the living room.

Not for a moment did Shen Xingran wish for Lu Ran to be reinstated in the Shen family's registry or genealogy.

However, he had shown no reaction when Madam Shen had brought it up before.

Perhaps it was because he already knew back then...

That Lu Ran could never return.

He just wondered... how it felt for Lu Ran to have his hopes raised only to see them dashed abruptly.