Chapter 196: Do You Want Me to Be an Orphan?

Chapter 196: Do You Want Me to Be an Orphan?

"Ouch~"

Zuo Shangdang felt a sharp pain in his neck, and he quickly became alert.

"Dad, don't frighten me!" Zuo Zuying ignored the redness and swelling on his father's neck caused by his pinching, his face full of concern.

Zuo Shangdang's hands trembled. "Water, I need water."

"Oh, oh, water! Wait, I'll get it right away!"

Zuo Zuying turned and borrowed a ceramic mug from a nurse.

The nurse kindly informed him, "You can find hot water in the stairwell."

Zuo Zuying nodded gratefully. "Okay, okay, thank you!"

He then sprinted to the end of the hallway, where there was a public restroom.

At the restroom entrance, he filled the mug with ice-cold water from the faucet above the sink and rushed back to the ward in a flash.

"Dad, quick, here's the water!"

Zuo Zuying placed one hand on Zuo Shangdang's shoulder, leaning him back, and poured the water from the ceramic mug into his mouth without hesitation.

He eagerly let his father feel the icy coldness.

"Cough, cough, cough~"

"Ugh, cough, cough, cough~"

Loud coughs echoed through the entire third floor of the hospital ward.

"Dad, how are you feeling? Better?"

"Ah, try to hold it in! Why are you coughing so much? Look at you, your lips are cracked. Oh my, you must be really overheated. Your mouth is bleeding."

"I think I'll have to find a doctor later and ask him to prescribe you some Andrographis paniculata!"

Zuo Shangdang pushed away the ice-cold water that was about to be poured into his mouth again. "No more, no more, ugh~"

Zuo Zuying patiently set the mug aside and pulled out a handkerchief he had used to wipe his nose, using it to clean his father's mouth.

"You said you wanted water; you should have said so earlier. How about another sip? You seem more alert now."

Zuo Shangdang waved his hand in despair. "No more, no more, that's enough."

"Tell me, did you really throw everything from the safe into the Yellow Sand River? Are you joking? If you tell me the truth now, I won't hold it against you."

Zuo Zuying's face turned serious. "I knew you'd say that. It's just like at home; you never keep your word, always treating me like a fool. It was really you who told me to throw it away. If it weren't for your behavior, how would I know you had a safe? Besides, how would I know the password to your safe? You came home drunk, took off your clothes, and while I was picking up your shoes, you ran to the study. I couldn't stop you."

"You opened the safe with a few clicks, hugged me, and started crying, saying you were sorry, that you had done wrong, that you had let down the organization, the Party, and our ancestors, that you had killed someone..."

"Before I could react, you grabbed a pair of cotton pants and started stuffing things into them, saying that because of these things, you had been living in fear every night, that the loot was a ticking time bomb, and you didn't dare spend it!"

"Then you ordered me in your fatherly tone to handle it for you, to clean up your mess!"

"I refused at first, I didn't know if you were just drunk and talking nonsense. I was afraid you might wake up and cause trouble for me. But you insisted, even knelt down to kowtow to me. What could I do? You're my father, how could I watch you suffer like this, how could I let you kneel before me?"

"I had no choice but to do this because of you, so I risked being accused of harboring a criminal to help you. But I was scared you'd back out, so I made it clear: I wrote a confession and made you sign it before I acted."

At this point, Zuo Zuying pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Zuo Shangdang.

"Look at this! To prove that what you said was true and that you sincerely wanted to get rid of those harmful stolen goods, you not only signed with all ten fingers but also with your ten toes. I couldn't hold you back!"

Zuo Zuying's voice carried a hint of sobbing. "You almost drove me to my grave, and now you're blaming me!"

Zuo Shangdang widened his eyes, trembling as he took the paper filled with red fingerprints from Zuo Zuying's hand and started reading it.

Then he burst into another violent coughing fit.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough~"

"Ugh, cough, cough~"

He coughed so hard it sounded like he was trying to cough up his lungs. His face turned purple from the strain.

"Let's go, get me out of here, take me to the Yellow Sand River right now, you reckless son! I must have owed you from a past life. If we don't find the stuff, you're in big trouble!!!"

His voice was hoarse, filled with despair.

Zuo Zuying pushed Zuo Shangdang, who was trying to get out of bed, back down. "Discharge? What are you talking about? Look at the state you're in! I know you've never liked me, even when I was a kid, but you can't do this to me!"

Zuo Shangdang pushed Zuo Zuying's hand away. "I said I want to leave. How is that doing this to you?"

Zuo Zuying looked upset. "Isn't this doing this to me? You want to leave me an orphan!!!"

"You want me to feel the pain of losing a loved one!"

Zuo Shangdang was furious. "Have you lost your mind? You think I don't like you, so I'm going to kill myself just to make you an orphan? Are you crazy?"

"I'm warning you, if you stop me again, I won't hold back. If you mess up my important business, you're done for!!"

Zuo Zuying seemed frightened by Zuo Shangdang's outburst, shrinking his head and not daring to persuade him further.

The head nurse, seeing Zuo Zuying supporting the shivering Zuo Shangdang as they walked out, quickly stepped forward to stop them.

"What's going on?"

Zuo Zuying, with red eyes, looked helpless. "Nurse, please talk some sense into my dad. It's freezing and he's still sick, but he insists on going to the Yellow Sand River to see the waves. If I don't let him go, he says he'll never forgive me!!"

Zuo Shangdang had no interest in chatting with the head nurse. "Stop talking and just do your job! I have something urgent to do. I know my own body."

The kind-hearted head nurse quickly stopped him. "My job is to take care of my patients. You're in no condition to leave; it's too dangerous!"

Zuo Shangdang, with anger in his eyes, said, "If you interfere and ruin my plans, I swear I'll report you!!!"

The head nurse, watching the two walk away, looked grim and cursed silently, "If it weren't for poor little Zuo, such an ungrateful person like you, I wouldn't even glance at you if you died at the Yellow Sand River!"

"Poor little Zuo, having such an unreliable father...."

Zuo Shangdang sat on the back of the motorcycle, braving the cold wind as they sped to the Yellow Sand River Bridge. When he climbed down from the back seat, his whole body was shaking. "Where? Where did you throw it? Take me there quickly."

Zuo Zuying parked the bike. "Don't rush, don't rush, we're already here. I say, have you learned how to change faces? One moment like this, the next like that, just messing with people. From now on, whatever you want me to do, I won't do it again!"