Chapter 100 Public Opinion

Chapter 100 Public Opinion

My head is killing me...

Shen Ci opened his eyes, his throat painfully dry.

It took a while, but he realized he was in Zhong Yurong's hospital room; Shen Shiyan, who was holding him, was still sound asleep.

Trying to remember what happened yesterday, Shen Ci found his mind blank—he didn't even know how he got back.

He carefully picked up his phone from the cabinet and turned it on to check the time, only to be stung by several news notifications on his browser.

He stared for a long time, his fingertips trembling, unsure how much courage it took to tap on that headline.

"Shocking revelation! An anonymous source exposed that the current CEO of Chonghe, Shen Shiyan (name changed), has a biological mother who has been engaged in the gray industry for years... With pictures and the truth..."

The even dirtier and more disgusting words below made Shen Ci feel nauseous just looking at them. It was now 4:15. Shen Ci took several deep breaths, his heart clenching and his eyes aching.

He lifted his head and saw Zhong Yurong on the hospital bed beside the visitor's cot, still looking asleep, which made him feel a bit better.

"Brother," Shen Ci hesitated and patted Shen Shiyan's shoulder. "Brother."

Waking Shen Shiyan felt like each breath had tiny thorns in it, and every sound he made filled him with sorrow and heartache.

If only he could handle it, Shen Ci thought, blaming himself.

Then he could hide both Shen Shiyan and Zhong Yurong, so no one would have to face such disgusting things.

But he couldn't do anything.

Shen Shiyan was a light sleeper. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Shen Ci's face on the verge of tears. His forehead twitched, startling him into sitting bolt upright. The movement was a bit loud, and Shen Ci quickly pushed him back down, then anxiously checked on Zhong Yurong's condition.

Shen Shiyan followed his gaze.

Zhong Yurong was still in the same position, her back to them, sleeping soundly.

Shen Shiyan felt Shen Ci holding his hand, which was ice-cold.

He saw the sorrow in Shen Ci's eyes, then Shen Ci slowly handed him his phone, signaling for him to check the content.

Shen Shiyan, confused, squeezed Shen Ci's hand to warm it, but as soon as he saw the headline, his eyes widened, and his dark eyes lost all composure. He couldn't warm Shen Ci's hand anymore; his own hands were colder, and he desperately needed Shen Ci's warmth to feel alive.

With a soft plop,

Shen Shiyan's tears fell onto the phone screen.

Shen Ci turned off the screen and reached to wipe away Shen Shiyan's tears, but Shen Shiyan turned away.

Actually, that tear shouldn't have fallen, but Shen Shiyan couldn't hold it back.

He forced himself to calm down, got out of bed, and went to Zhong Yurong to gently tuck her blanket. When he saw the phone beside her pillow, Shen Shiyan's heart dropped.

Zhong Yurong had the habit of charging her phone at night and placing it on the nightstand.

Shen Shiyan's heart was about to break. He didn't know if Zhong Yurong had already seen the news, or if she was already awake but pretending to sleep to avoid upsetting him.

After giving up the idea of waking Zhong Yurong, Shen Shiyan took her phone.

Shen Ci followed him out of the hospital room.

Before five o'clock, both Shen Shiyan's work and personal phones were blowing up with calls. Shen Ci turned his head away, couldn't bear to see Shen Shiyan's expression.

"Hello."

"Yeah, get PR ready."

"Sue the media company that broke the story, demand they take down all videos and issue a public apology."

"..."

On the other end were presumably the legal team and Assistant Qi.

Shen Ci just quietly accompanied him, listening to Shen Shiyan calmly give instructions. The cold air from the AC above blew straight on him. Shen Ci rubbed his own arms, then touched Shen Shiyan's.

Both were freezing.

He quietly went back to the hospital room, grabbed Shen Shiyan's jacket, and draped it over his shoulders.

"Bro…" Shen Ci started, but was cut off.

"Stay in the room. Don't go anywhere." Shen Shiyan hung up and quickly put on the coat. He looked at Shen Ci, his voice turning a bit cold and firm, but still subconsciously pulled up the cardigan that had slipped off Shen Ci's shoulder. "Watch over Mom. Don't let her see her phone."

Shen Ci wanted to hug him, to comfort him, but only managed a solemn nod. Shen Shiyan went downstairs so fast that Shen Ci didn't even have time to say anything comforting.

He watched the figure disappear around the corner of the stairwell, clasped his hands, and prayed earnestly for them.

The stairwell was empty. Shen Ci stood there in a daze, peering through the small window in the hospital room door at Zhong Yurong, who hadn't stirred. Then he quietly opened the door.

Zhong Yurong slept until the doctor came to do her daily health check.

The wig she refused to take off while sleeping had become a little wrinkled. After the doctor left, Shen Ci took Zhong Yurong to the bathroom and carefully fixed it with a flat iron.

"Where's Xiao Shi?" Zhong Yurong adjusted it in the mirror a few times, then felt a little embarrassed when she noticed Shen Ci watching.

"You look beautiful, Auntie," Shen Ci said with a smile, lying without a trace of guilt. "He's busy with work at the company; he might be busy for a few days."

Sensing the slight change in Zhong Yurong's mood, Shen Ci gently put an arm around her shoulder and added, "Let him work. I'll stay with you, okay?"

He supported Zhong Yurong as they walked out. "The weather is great today. This afternoon I'll take you for a walk on the lawn out back. Let me think, which dress should I put you in? How about the green one..."

Zhong Yurong was almost charmed into acting like a child. Whatever Shen Ci said, she agreed with a gentle smile.

Shen Ci didn't dare call Shen Shiyan; he could only secretly send many messages to Shen Shiyan while doing Zhong Yurong's makeup. He never got a reply. He comforted himself that no news was good news.

Around four or five, it wasn't as hot. The sun lazily cast a warm yellow glow, feeling especially comfortable on the skin. In the middle of the lawn were many round flowerbeds, filled with clusters of pink-purple violets in full bloom. Zhong Yurong squatted by the edge, gently touched a petal, and her mood lifted too.

"Xiao Ci, where's my phone?" Zhong Yurong wanted to take a few photos and instinctively patted her pockets. "I haven't seen it all day."

Shen Ci, with his hands behind his back, pulled out a DSLR camera like a surprise. "I'll be your photographer, Auntie."

While adjusting the equipment, he explained to Zhong Yurong, "This morning I wanted to wash the small blanket by your bed and accidentally knocked your phone to the floor. It broke, so I asked Brother to take it for repair, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get the data off it."

Shen Ci smiled, speaking as if it were true, but his nose prickled. He pretended to be blinded by the sunset, turned away, and quickly wiped his teary eyes.

"There's nothing precious in it," Zhong Yurong said with a calm expression, slightly reproachful. "If it's broken, it's broken. Why waste money fixing it?"

"Exactly," Shen Ci aimed the lens at Zhong Yurong. "Why fix it? I'll buy you a new one, Auntie."

Zhong Yurong laughed again, waving her hands repeatedly. "Oh, Xiao Ci, that's not what I meant." "Auntie, look at the camera!" Shen Ci's eyes nearly welled up again. He quickly composed himself and captured one frame after another of Zhong Yurong's moments.