Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Shen Tingzhou was feeling uneasy because of Zhou Zitan. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Zitan anxiously said, "Doctor Shen, my brother and sister are fighting!"

Shen Tingzhou couldn't immediately connect He Yanting and Xie Ning with getting into a fight, so he asked, "How so?"

Zhou Zitan: "Earlier, my sister did a tarot reading for my brother and predicted that he would be alone for the rest of his life. My brother wasn't happy about it and said it was inaccurate, asking her to do it again. But my sister said she only does one reading."

Shen Tingzhou: "And then?"

Zhou Zitan: "Then my brother threw my sister's tarot cards away. My sister told him to pick them up, but he refused, and they started fighting."

Shen Tingzhou: ...Are they in elementary school?

Zhou Zitan urgently asked, "Doctor Shen, what should we do? Should I call my mom over?"

Shen Tingzhou was puzzled. "Is it serious?"

Zhou Zitan glanced at the living room. "My sister is sitting on my brother's waist, flicking his forehead. It can't go on like this; his forehead is already red!"

Hearing Zhou Zitan's tone, it seemed as if "red forehead" was a severe injury.

Yet when he had hit Yu Jurong's head, causing it to bleed, he had merely said it wasn't serious. The double standard was quite obvious.

Although Xie Ning was small, she was very strong, exerting a natural dominance by continuously flicking He Yanting's forehead.

She asked with a sweet face, "Do you admit it yet?"

He Yanting remained defiant, clenching his jaw tightly.

Zhou Zitan stood there anxiously, wanting to help but fearing Xie Ning's scolding. He could only pin his hopes on Shen Tingzhou.

"What should we do, Doctor Shen? They can't keep fighting; something bad might happen."

Flicking someone's forehead a few times shouldn't warrant such dire language, but considering Xie Ning was known for playing with skull beads, Shen Tingzhou wasn't sure if her flicks were as harmless as cracking walnuts.

Shen Tingzhou hesitated. "Why don't you give your sister the phone?"

Zhou Zitan quickly walked over. "Sis, here's the phone."

Xie Ning held down He Yanting with one hand and took the phone from Zhou Zitan with the other.

Xie Ning: "Hello?"

Shen Tingzhou wasn't very familiar with Xie Ning, so he awkwardly said, "Hello, Miss Xie. This is Shen Tingzhou, Mr. He's doctor."

Xie Ning clearly remembered Shen Tingzhou. "What's wrong, Doctor Shen?"

Shen Tingzhou tactfully said, "Mr. He's head has been injured before, so it's best not to..."

Xie Ning instantly understood and smiled. "Got it, Doctor Shen. Then I'll hit his butt."

Shen Tingzhou: ...That works too, since there's more flesh there.

Taking advantage of Xie Ning's phone call, Zhou Zitan boldly dragged He Yanting away, bravely hugging Xie Ning's arms and shouting, "Brother, run!"

Shen Tingzhou silently hung up the phone.

Seeing Shen Tingzhou looking exhausted, as if he had just gone through a tumultuous ordeal, Xu Xun handed him a glass of juice. "What happened?"

Shen Tingzhou shook his head. "Nothing, just Ant-Man's Thomas the Tank Engine."

You thought you were facing a dragon-slaying battle, but it turned out to be just Thomas the Tank Engine tipping over.

Xu Xun: ?

Shen Tingzhou didn't explain, but noticing that Xu Xun kept clenching his right hand, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with your hand?"

Xu Xun didn't say anything, just quietly extended his hand to Shen Tingzhou.

Shen Tingzhou looked down and saw a shallow cut on Xu Xun's fingertip, barely breaking the skin, revealing a hint of crimson.

Such a minor injury wouldn't bother Shen Tingzhou, but meeting Xu Xun's dark, gleaming eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "Does it hurt?"

Just as Xu Xun was about to nod, he suddenly felt something amiss behind him.

The Steward walked over with a cup of tea. "Being delicate again?"

Seeing Xu Xun's mouth slowly straightening, Shen Tingzhou immediately defended him. "He got cut by a fruit knife."

The Steward: "Then Doctor Shen, quickly call a surgeon to amputate Little Dai's finger. Make sure to find a good one to make it look nice."

Doctor Shen, who usually wasn't sarcastic, retreated, leading the patient Xiao Xu away dejectedly.

Feeling that this home was unbearable, Xu Xun didn't eat lunch at home and instead took Shen Tingzhou to a Cantonese restaurant.

This seemed to be their first date together. Shen Tingzhou flipped through the menu, asking the picky eater Xiao Xu what he wanted.

Xu Xun still said, "I'm not picky."

Shen Tingzhou didn't tease him, choosing two signature dishes and ordering a shrimp and egg custard for Xu Xun.

After placing the order, Shen Tingzhou called over the waiter to hand him the order slip. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the table behind him and paused.

It was Yu Qin and the twin brothers.

The older brother, wearing glasses, placed a shrimp dumpling in Yu Qin's bowl, while the younger brother, not to be outdone, put a piece of crispy roast goose on his plate.

Yu Qin picked up his chopsticks and was about to grab something when the brothers looked over, either intentionally or unintentionally.

This kind of gaze was all too familiar to Shen Tingzhou, making him couldn't help but feel nervous for Yu Qin.

Under the watchful eyes of the two, Yu Qin hesitated for a long time before finally stuffing both the shrimp dumpling and roast goose into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out as he chewed hard.

Xu Xun placed the freshly washed bowls and chopsticks next to Shen Tingzhou. "What are you looking at?"

Shen Tingzhou blurted out, "Brothers' rice bowl... no, I'm just looking at what everyone else is ordering."

Xu Xun asked, "Do you want a rice bowl?"

Shen Tingzhou choked, "Cough, cough, no."

Xu Xun glanced at the obviously strange Shen Tingzhou and then looked in the direction he had been glancing earlier.

At the back table sat a fair-skinned boy with a pair of twin brothers beside him; the atmosphere among the three was quite peculiar.

Xu Xun retracted his gaze and said indifferently, "Some rice bowls indeed can't be eaten casually."

Huh?

Shen Tingzhou looked up cautiously at Xu Xun, suspecting that the other knew something, but Xu Xun's face remained calm as he poured him a cup of plum tea.

Yu Qin and the others arrived first; by the time Shen Tingzhou's dishes came, the three had already gotten up to pay.

Shen Tingzhou glanced out the window at the trio, wondering what the younger brother was upset about. Yu Qin was looking up, speaking gently to him, while the older brother behind him hooked his fingers around Yu Qin's.

Yu Qin paused noticeably but didn't turn around, continuing to speak to his younger brother somewhat uncomfortably.

The older brother held Yu Qin's hand, and the younger brother seemed appeased. When he turned and saw their hands linked, he got angry again.

Seeing this scene, Shen Tingzhou sincerely sighed, "Xiao Xu is still the best!"

Shen Tingzhou picked up a piece of sea bass for Xu Xun, his eyes filled with concern. "Eat more."

Xu Xun's lips curled slightly, thinking, "He really does love me so much."

After peeling a shrimp for Shen Tingzhou, Xu Xun instructed, "Don't always pick dishes for me; you should eat more too."

Shen Tingzhou: ?

Hadn't he only picked a dish for Xu Xun once? There was no need to use the word "always," right?

-

After the meal, Shen Tingzhou and Xu Xun walked to the cinema nearby.

Xu Xun had booked two movie tickets and bought popcorn and cola.

By accident, Shen Tingzhou spilled some cola on his hand and went to the restroom, passing by the emergency exit where he heard a pleading male voice—

"Weiwei, I really know I was wrong. Can you forgive me this time? I truly love you."

"Don't disgust me! When you were sleeping with someone else, why didn't you say you loved me?"

"I was really drunk that day. When I woke up the next day, I was terrified. That's when I realized how much I love you."

"Hmph, well, let me do the same. I'll go sleep with someone else and come back to tell you if I realize how much I love you."

With that, the door to the passage opened, and a girl in work uniform walked out.

The man begging for forgiveness chased after her, trying to grab her hand. Without a word, she slapped him. "Get lost!"

Shen Tingzhou pretended not to see anything and quickly entered the restroom.

In front of the washbasin, a teenager wearing a baseball cap was on the phone, sounding a bit impatient. "I was just joking that day. Did you take it seriously?"

Shen Tingzhou went over to wash his hands, and the teenager walked out while talking on the phone.

"Even if he lives in my house, he's not our servant. How could I make him agree to be your boyfriend?"

At this moment, a boy wearing black-rimmed glasses approached. The teenager handed him the phone and said coolly, "He likes you. You talk to him yourself."

The boy looked stunned, holding the phone as if it were a hot potato.

After a long while, under the teenager's unfriendly gaze, he put the phone to his ear and politely declined, "Sorry, I just want to focus on my studies now."

The teenager showed a satisfied expression, placing the baseball cap on the boy's head, then took back the phone and said to the person on the other end, "I told you he's a bookworm who only cares about studying."

The boy lowered his head, the brim of the cap covering his face, making his expression unreadable.

The teenager left the restroom, saying, "I'll go alone. He? He'll stay home and do homework. If he goes, he won't understand anything and will just read his books."

The boy stood there, listening to the voice fade away, then walked out.

Shen Tingzhou glanced at the boy and noticed he had dropped a fluffy keychain. He called out to him.

The boy turned around, and Shen Tingzhou picked up the item from the ground, asking, "Is this yours?"

The boy pushed his glasses up and walked over, saying, "Yes, thank you."

Shen Tingzhou suddenly said, "I used to be called a bookworm too, but studying hard at school age is a talent. Studying well is also a kind of talent."

The boy was taken aback, looking up at the elegant and gentle Shen Tingzhou, and said again, "Thank you."

Just as they were talking, the teenager stormed back, glaring at Shen Tingzhou with hostility.

The boy sensed his ill intent and hurriedly tugged at the teenager.

The teenager glared at him and then said to Shen Tingzhou, "You should be collecting your pension at your age. Don't try to pick up young boys. It's better to take care of your health."

At 28 years old, Shen Tingzhou: ...Does he look that old?

The teenager was about to continue his tirade when a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his neck. The grip was strong, causing a tingling numbness throughout his neck.

The teenager swung his fist and turned to see who was behind him; the ferocity on his face instantly froze.

Xu Xun, with a menacing presence, asked coldly, "Who's going to take care of your lifespan?"

The teenager was momentarily speechless, his neck aching from the grip.

The boy wanted to help the teenager but was intimidated by Xu Xun's aura, so he looked at Shen Tingzhou for help.

Seeing that Xu Xun knew this teenager, Shen Tingzhou spoke up, "It's just a misunderstanding. Let him apologize and it'll be over."

Xu Xun gripped the teenager's neck, forcing him to turn his face toward Shen Tingzhou, "Say sorry."

The teenager, seemingly wary, whispered, "I'm sorry."

Xu Xun tightened his grip, "Did you eat anything?"

The teenager's neck hurt as he was forced to bow his head in front of Shen Tingzhou. He instinctively struggled but was quickly pressed down further by Xu Xun.

The teenager had no choice but to speak louder, saying to Shen Tingzhou, "I'm sorry."

After the apology, Xu Xun changed his tune, "An apology is enough?"

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Teenager: ...

Xu Xun sneered, "With your age, you're not even fully grown yet. Don't come out here pretending to be a hero saving the damsel in distress. It's better to focus on developing your brain."

The teenager endured in silence.

Xu Xun continued sarcastically, "If you have time to show off in front of little boys, you might as well solve a couple of math problems. When your brother comes back, he won't spare you."

The teenager couldn't hold back anymore, "I already apologized, what more do you want?"

Xu Xun: "Is an apology useful?"

Teenager: "He said an apology would be enough!"

Shen Tingzhou confirmed that he did say that, but he couldn't undermine Xiao Xu at this moment, so he remained silent, pretending he hadn't spoken.

Xu Xun laughed coldly, "Still talking back?"

The teenager felt a sudden pain in his knee, almost kneeling down. He gritted his teeth, "What do you want then?"

Xu Xun said, "Recite 'Free and Unfettered' once, and I'll let you go."

The teenager's eyes widened, "How is that possible?"

The boy nearby hurriedly said, "Can I recite it instead?"

Xu Xun glanced at him, "Sure, tell him that at your age, you're not even fully grown yet. Don't come out here pretending to be a hero saving the damsel in distress. It's better to focus on developing your brain. Say it three times."

Shen Tingzhou: Xiao Xu is really ruthless.

The teenager glared at the boy, threatening him with his eyes.

Xu Xun saw this and kicked the teenager again. His knee ached, and half of his leg knelt to the ground.

The bespectacled boy panicked and tried to help him up, but Xu Xun pulled him back by his collar.

Seeing the marks on the teenager's neck, the boy stammered, "At your age, you're not even fully grown yet. Don't come out here pretending to be a hero saving the damsel in distress. It's better to focus on developing your brain."

The teenager closed his eyes in frustration.

After the boy repeated it three times, Xu Xun slowly withdrew his hand, "Get lost."

The teenager grabbed the boy's hand and stormed off angrily.

Shen Tingzhou asked, "Who is he?"

Xu Xun replied, "A friend's younger brother."

Shen Tingzhou couldn't believe it—how could Xiao Xu, who seemed so introverted, have friends?

Xu Xun didn't elaborate and led Shen Tingzhou into their movie theater.

-

After the movie, Shen Tingzhou received a call from Zhou Zitan.

He thought He Yanting and Xie Ning were fighting again, but it turned out He Yanting had run away from home, taking some clothes and cash with him.

Zhou Zitan suspected He Yanting went to Jiang Ji's place and planned to stake out there.

Shen Tingzhou: "Wait, I'll call Jiang Ji."

Zhou Zitan: "I'm already on my way."

Shen Tingzhou was surprised, "Do you know where Jiang Ji lives?"

Zhou Zitan matter-of-factly, "I've known for a long time."

Shen Tingzhou suddenly had a hunch, "Did you tell your brother?"

"How would I tell him?" Zhou Zitan frowned, then remembered something, "I think I mentioned it during an argument recently."

Mystery solved. No wonder He Yanting could find Jiang Ji so easily last time—it was because of Xiao Zhou, the traitor!

When He Yanting hadn't lost his memory, it was normal for Zhou Zitan to be unable to handle him. Even with his intelligence regressed to that of a child, he could still get information out of Zhou Zitan. That was quite...

Worried that Zhou Zitan and Jiang Ji would argue, Shen Tingzhou advised, "You don't go. I'll ask first. What if he's moved to a new address?"

Zhou Zitan muttered, "Why keep moving? It's like he's a thief."

Shen Tingzhou rarely got close and said bluntly, "Maybe they're just guarding against your He family!"

Zhou Zitan’s tone suddenly changed, revealing a hint of unhidden pride, "How did he know I'm going to change my surname? Seems like many people already know. I should do it sooner then."

Shen Tingzhou rubbed his forehead. Is this the point!

After hanging up, Shen Tingzhou had to call Jiang Ji. The other party was at work and said they would send He Yanting back if they encountered him.

Shen Tingzhou informed Zhou Zitan and asked him to look elsewhere, just in case He Yanting went somewhere else. Recently, he wasn't constantly demanding to see Jiang Ji as before.

Although He Yanting's intelligence had regressed, he wasn't truly a child. Occasionally, he would exceed expectations, so Shen Tingzhou wasn't worried about him encountering danger.

So when Jiang Ji called late at night to say He Yanting was in surgery, Shen Tingzhou's head buzzed.

Xu Xun drove Shen Tingzhou to the hospital. Jiang Ji stood alone in the empty corridor, staring blankly at the lit surgery light.

Shen Tingzhou quickly approached and, seeing Jiang Ji covered in blood and pale, asked, "Are you okay?"

Jiang Ji closed his tired eyes and shook his head at Shen Tingzhou.

"I'm not hurt," Jiang Ji said softly, "It's all his blood."

Shen Tingzhou asked, "What happened?"

Jiang Ji paused for a few seconds before speaking, his thoughts scattered and his sentences disjointed, "Lin Xueyan's father came to me for money. He threatened me with a knife, and He Yanting suddenly appeared to shield me from the attack."

Since Jiang Ji cut ties with He Yanting, Lin Xueyan, who was hospitalized, also had to leave the hospital.

Half a month ago, he died at home due to extensive lung infection.

Lin's mother became deranged, often saying nonsense and waking up in the middle of the night to slap Lin's father repeatedly, muttering, "A slap extends life by ten minutes."

Lin's father suffered greatly and believed Jiang Ji was responsible for their family's misfortune, which led him to seek medical fees with a knife.

Lin's father has been arrested, and the police just finished taking Jiang Ji's statement and left.

After hearing this, Shen Tingzhou fell silent.

How could there be such shameless people in the world, taking others' sacrifices for granted and even resenting them when those favors were withdrawn.

Seeing the red streaks in Jiang Ji's eyes, Shen Tingzhou said, "Go back and get some sleep. When Mr. He is fine, I'll call you."

The bloodstains on his clothes stung Jiang Ji.

Understanding his struggle, Shen Tingzhou said, "Don't let emotions dictate your decisions. Emotions are temporary, but some things last a lifetime."

Jiang Ji, understanding the implication in Shen Tingzhou's words, pursed his lips and said hoarsely, "Then what should I do now..."

Shen Tingzhou interrupted him, "Go back and sleep. Tomorrow will come after you wake up."

The He family would arrive soon, and Shen Tingzhou was concerned that Jiang Ji might not escape unscathed.

Xiao Zhou's kindness and loyalty were reserved only for trusted family and friends; to outsiders, he was a real vicious dog.

Xu Xun helped send Jiang Ji back.

Soon, He Ranjie, Zhou Zitan, and Xie Ning arrived together, none daring to tell the slightly unwell He patriarch.

He Ranjie's voice trembled, "Doctor Shen, is Yanting okay?"

Shen Tingzhou summarized the key points without mentioning that He Yanting had shielded Jiang Ji, only saying that He Yanting saved someone.

Zhou Zitan, biting his nails, listened and then burst into anger, "Where is the murderer?"

Shen Tingzhou replied, "The person has been taken away by the police."

He Ranjie, fearing Zhou Zitan would cause trouble, instructed, "Since the person is in custody, don't investigate privately or harass their family, understood?"

Zhou Zitan found it hard to agree but nodded under He Ranjie's persistent gaze.

Xie Ning, who was doing a tarot reading, suddenly said, "Don’t worry, I’ll watch over him."

She pointed to the seat beside her and said to Zhou Zitan, "Sit next to me; I'll do a divination for your brother."

Zhou Zitan hurried over, "Is it accurate, Sister?"

"It's accurate if your mind is calm, inaccurate if it's chaotic," Xie Ning placed the shuffled tiles in front of Zhou Zitan, "Draw one."

Ever since praying brought He Yanting back, Zhou Zitan was less skeptical. He rubbed his hands, closed his eyes, and devoutly drew a tile.

Looking at the tarot-sized tiles in Xie Ning's hand, Shen Tingzhou couldn't help but wonder, these weren't traditional tiles.

Traditional tiles should be larger than mahjong tiles but not as big as tarot cards, thicker than tarot cards, and curved.

Shen Tingzhou asked, "What bones are these?"

Xie Ning made Zhou Zitan draw another tile and casually replied, "Shoulder blades."

Hearing it was shoulder blades, Zhou Zitan didn't flinch, clasped the tile between his hands, kissed its end, and whispered, "Good tile, must be a good tile."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

When Xu Xun returned with the car keys, Shen Tingzhou silently pulled him away from the siblings, making the sign of the cross on himself.

Although he was a staunch materialist, Xiao Xu's birth chart looked very weak.

It was better to believe in such things, especially with over thirty scapular cards involved. If each pair represented a person, that meant more than a dozen lives were at stake.

Shen Tingzhou drew a cross on Xu Xun, muttering: May the Lord bless you.

Then he took Xu Xun's hand, clasped his own hands together, and continued to murmur: May the Buddha bless you.

Shen Tingzhou recalled the Daoist fist salute gesture, pulling Xu Xun along to perform it, murmuring: May the Three Pure Ones bless you.

Xu Xun: ?

Xu Xun didn't understand what Shen Tingzhou was doing. Seeing him touching him so much, he squeezed Shen Tingzhou's palm.

Shen Tingzhou: ...Xiao Xu, this isn't the time for being affectionate.

-

He Yanting's surgery lasted over four hours before he was wheeled out of the operating room and into the intensive care unit, where constant monitoring was required.

While the doctor communicated with the family, Shen Tingzhou stood to one side, listening in.

After the doctor left, Shen Tingzhou explained the parts that He Ranjie and the others didn't understand in detail.

After calming He Ranjie's emotions, Shen Tingzhou sent a message to Jiang Ji, telling him that there was nothing seriously wrong and to get some rest.

Soon, Jiang Ji replied with a thank you.

Shen Tingzhou glanced at the time; it was already two in the morning. Xu Xun had been waiting without complaint, which warmed Shen Tingzhou's heart. He walked over to Xu Xun.

He asked, "Are you tired?"

Xu Xun said, "I'm okay."

Shen Tingzhou: "Let's go home."

Xu Xun: "Finished your work?"

Shen Tingzhou nodded, walking out of the hospital side by side with Xu Xun, whose hand suddenly grasped his.

Shen Tingzhou turned to look at him, his pupils gleaming under the streetlights. "Mr. Xu, your hand is a bit cold."

Xu Xun tightened his grip on Shen Tingzhou. "That's why I need to warm it up by holding yours."

Shen Tingzhou smiled patiently. "Alright."

In the cold night of deep winter, their hands intertwined, their shadows elongated by the streetlights.

Back at home, to avoid waking the Steward, Shen Tingzhou treaded lightly upstairs.

But as he passed the Steward's room, the door opened.

Shen Tingzhou froze like a student caught skipping class, standing still and holding his breath.

The Steward's gaze swept over Shen Tingzhou and finally landed on Xu Xun. "Thought you wouldn't bring Dr. Shen back."

Shen Tingzhou spoke up to explain for Xu Xun, "I had work tonight."

The Steward's disdain for Xu Xun was even more evident. "Useless thing."

With those words, he closed the door again.

Xu Xun, unusually defiant, said to the closed door, "I have my own plans; mind your own business."

Shen Tingzhou: ?

What plans?