CHAPTER 685: NIAN’ER

Shen Nianzu snuck a glance at his mother through the corner of his eye and discreetly brought his knuckles to his mouth, giving it a tentative lick.

The metallic taste of blood permeated his tongue, so vivid and tangible that he could not even dismiss it as a mere figment of his imagination. The wounds on his knuckles continued to pulsate, now slightly glistening with saliva, its stinging sensation almost like a form of vengeance after being ignored all this time.

Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

"Nianzu, is there something wrong?" came his mother’s sudden question from the side, startling him so much that he sat upright and placed his hands properly on his lap.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Madam Shen continued to ask, scanning him back and forth with apparent concern.

"No, I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry," Shen Nianzu squeezed out a reassuring smile, though if you looked closer, you could see his fists clenched tightly above his lap, the force causing his knuckles to turn white which, in turn, made the bloody abrasions appear twice as horrifying.

And yet Madam Shen didn’t notice a thing.

"Oh, that’s great." Her features softened into a smile as she reached out to tuck a strand of Shen Nianzu’s hair behind his ears in a gentle and affectionate gesture. "Remember to tell me, your father, or Qing Mo if you’re uncomfortable anywhere, okay?"

"En..." Shen Nianzu gave a quiet nod, his well-behaved appearance belied the chill rising from the soles of his feet.

She still didn’t notice a thing. But how could that be?

Earlier, she was instantly alarmed when he so much as pressed on his head; she was the kind of mother whose eye would turn red just by seeing the faint needle marks on his skin, so how could she possibly miss the bloody wounds on his knuckles?

Shen Nianzu shifted his gaze out of the window, feeling uncomfortable from head to toe. But in the next second, he couldn’t help but feel a little silly. Why was he creating a fuss out of nothing? This was his mother, the person who had given birth to him and raised him until now; if he wanted to know something, couldn’t he just ask? It was also possible that her gaze happened to miss his hands.

Strange, truly strange... Shen Nianzu wanted to shake his head, shaking off all the messy and unnecessary thoughts in his mind, but he fought back the urge once he was reminded of his mother’s presence by his side.

Any abrupt movement of his would send her into a spiral of worrying and overthinking— and Shen Nianzu hated to see her like that. Thus it was better if he just stayed quiet.

Relaxing his clenched fists, he turned to her and opened his mouth to ask, but at that moment, Qing Mo announced cheerfully,

"We’re here."

The car drove toward the hospital and stopped right at the entrance.

Shen Nianzu clamped his mouth shut, sighing helplessly. There goes my chance, he thought. But oh well, since they were already here, he could just get his wounds treated inside and avoid making his mother worry.

With that plan in mind, Shen Nianzu pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.

This area couldn’t be more familiar to him. After all, he had visited countless times throughout the twenty and so years of his life—whether it’s routine check-ups or any sudden complications that required him to be hospitalized. Therefore he didn’t need anyone to lead the way for him. But his parents, being the worrywart they were, insisted on flanking him on both sides as though fearing that the passersby would bump into him and cause him harm, leaving Shen Nianzu feeling both amused and resigned.

"Our appointment is at 9.30 AM so we’re just right on time!" Madam Shen remarked cheerfully with one of her arms hooked on Shen Nianzu’s elbow. "Hopefully the result will be good. Nianzu hasn’t relapsed for quite a while, so Mother has a very good feeling about this!"

"Slow down," Master Shen’s expression was tinged with helplessness. "No need to rush, Nianzu can’t keep up with you."

"Oh, oh," Madam Shen conscientiously slowed down her walking pace.

Amused, Shen Nianzu joked, "If we’re any slower, the people behind us will—"

Nian’er.

Shen Nianzu abruptly whipped his head back, his eyes widening as he scanned the loose crowd behind him. The hospital lobby in the morning was filled with people— queuing on the payment counter, sitting in the waiting area and watching the morning news displayed on the mounted screen— some walked in a rush, eager to reach their destination, while some strolled around in leisure. The scene was lively and bustling, filled with various kinds of noises.

But none of them were looking at Shen Nianzu.

Did I hear wrong just now...? He wondered in a daze.

"Something wrong, Nianzu?" Madam Shen asked curiously upon seeing him looking around.

"No, nothing..." Shen Nianzu mumbled under his breath. Seemed like it was just his imagination. Besides, nobody had called him ’Nian’er’ before. For his parents, it was a simple ’Nianzu’, while for Qing Mo, it was ’Young Master’. As for his other acquaintances, they would just refer to him as ’Mr. Shen’ or ’Young Mr. Shen’.

Who would ever call him in such an intimate and loving address?

But why...

"Nianzu?!" Madam Shen was immediately alarmed.

Shen Nianzu pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the loud and rapid thumping of the heart within as if there was a living animal nestled inside, thrashing around and eager to set itself free. His exquisite features were scrunched up in pain, his complexion turning pale. "Hurts..."

His chest hurt. It hurt so much that he could not breathe.

"Doctor, where’s the doctor?! Help!"

Shen Nianzu bent down, gasping for breath. Through his peripheral vision, his blurry eyes seemed to catch sight of a tall figure behind the crowd, staring at him sadly.

Nian’er, the voice called out to him again, grazing past his ears akin to a passing breeze. Elusive and impossible to grasp onto.