Chapter 56

The youthful crush had blossomed into reality. It felt like a dream to her, until Anan was born, and she truly felt that her wish had come true.

“You’ve been through so much, Xianxian.” Chen Musheng sighed. Zhao Wenxian had suddenly had a massive hemorrhage during labor last night, and she had almost been scared to death.

Thinking about it, Chen Musheng wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, “Yanheng has grown up so much, and this is the first time I’ve seen him cry.”

Shen Chutang looked up in surprise, “Big Brother cried?”

Chen Musheng said, “Of course! His tears were more than mine.”

Shen Chutang smiled, “I can’t believe it. Anan, your dad cried.” She whispered to Anan, then asked curiously, “Anan, did your sister-in-law name you?”

“Yes.” Zhao Wenxian smiled softly, “I just hope he’s safe and happy.”

Not like her, burdened with a name that confined her for life.

The voice traveled from the ward to the living room. Shen Yanheng rubbed his temples uncomfortably, “You’re not busy lately, are you, Chengyu?”

Shi Chengyu smiled faintly, “It’s okay, Big Brother.”

After a while, Shen Chutang and the nanny pushed Anan out. The tiny baby lay in the crib, immediately grabbing Shen Yanheng’s finger.

Shen Yanheng burst into laughter, “Anan…”

“Speaking of which, time really flies. The last time I looked at a baby like this was when Tangtang was little.”

“Ah?” Shen Chutang looked up in surprise, looking at Shen Yanheng, who was smiling softly, “Was I wrinkled like this when I was little?”

“Did Brother Chengyu see that too?”

Shen Yanheng said, “All babies are like this when they’re born, but when Chengyu saw you, you were already a month old. You were white and plump, like a little dumpling. You also grabbed Chengyu’s finger and played with it, just like Anan.”

Shen Chutang looked at Shi Chengyu, her cheeks flushed a light pink. She had known that Shi Chengyu had seen her when she was very young, but no one had ever told her these details.

Anan was very well-behaved. Shen Yanheng coaxed him for a while, and he fell asleep. The nanny pushed him to a special room.

Shen Yanheng hadn’t rested for a day and a night. Chen Musheng urged him to go to sleep.

Coming out of the hospital, Shen Chutang held one of Shi Chengyu’s fingers, “Brother Chengyu, did I grab your finger like this when I was little?”

“Yes.” Shi Chengyu smiled, “But you could only grab one finger then.”

But now she could hold his hand.

Shen Chutang naturally took his open hand, and they intertwined their fingers. They both looked down at their hands at the same time.

Shi Chengyu held the soft hand in his, walking very slowly. He had waited a long, long time for the opportunity to walk hand-in-hand like this. But thankfully, he was patient. He was willing to wait, and now he had waited.

*

Shen Sichen’s mood fluctuated constantly. Shen Chutang moved back to the Shen family’s house and accompanied him to eat every day, even rushing back for lunch with him.

The family doctor said he had depressive tendencies and had developed a mental illness.

Shen Chutang had never known that love could torture someone like this. Shen Sichen, who had been so carefree and unrestrained, was now fragile, sensitive, and often fell into a low mood for days.

She had always believed that love was beautiful, that it could bring warmth and strength, make people brave. If love left both people scarred, was there any point in continuing to love?

Shen Chutang didn’t know, but a sudden accident shattered all the peace, and Shen Sichen’s negative emotions finally exploded.

Zhou Xingyang jumped from a building for unknown reasons. Shen Sichen drove her to the hospital, but he couldn’t brake in time and hit a flowerbed. The airbags deployed.

When Shen Chutang arrived at the hospital, Shen Sichen was being held down in a chair, looking dejected. His head and arms were covered in blood. He was lifeless, like he had lost his soul.

A girl was half-sitting on the ground, as if she had been beaten. She cried softly and crawled to the side. There was chaos all around.

She didn’t know what happened. She rushed over, “Second Brother!”

Shen Sichen reacted for a moment, pulled Shen Chutang into his arms, and cried like a child who had lost a treasure, whispering, “It’s my fault, it’s my fault…”

Shen Chutang’s eyes welled up. Even Weicuan, standing nearby, turned his head and secretly wiped his eyes.

Finally, Shen Sichen fainted and was forcibly sent to the ward for a checkup and then had his wounds bandaged.

Shen Chutang learned from Weicuan that Zhou Xingyang had jumped from the fourth floor. It wasn’t very high, but her internal organs were damaged. It was unknown if she would ever recover.

As for the reason for jumping, Weicuan only said it was related to Miss Zhao. The Miss Zhao was Zhao Qingzhi. No wonder Shen Chutang found her a bit familiar. They lived in the same neighborhood. She had met her a few times when she was little, but she didn’t like her very much. She hadn’t seen her again after that.

Zhou Xingyang was in the operating room for a day and a night. She was saved, then spent three days in the ICU before being transferred to a regular ward. On the fourth day, she woke up.

Shen Chutang followed Shen Sichen to see her. She didn’t go inside, she waited outside the ward. She thought they would argue, and she was thinking about how to mediate when they went in. But it was very quiet, and it was short-lived. Shen Sichen came out soon, his expression numb, his steps stiff as he walked out.

She gently closed the door, supporting Shen Sichen as they walked slowly down the corridor. It was very quiet. She could faintly hear crying coming from the ward, but as they walked further away, the crying didn’t get any quieter. The two sounds blended together, and two people were crying in different places.

Shen Sichen was discharged from the hospital that afternoon. He didn’t want to stay in the hospital. Chen Musheng said she would take him to Su City to recover, but he refused. It was Zhou Xingyang’s hometown. Chen Musheng felt sorry for him, but she couldn’t do anything. She had to go back to Beijing to take care of him.

He seemed to have really started living a good life. He was recovering well, and he was also taking medication for his mental illness as the doctor advised. But he no longer had his former swagger. He had become much gentler.

Not long after that, the Zhao family fell from power. They left Beijing quietly.

Shen Chutang secretly cried several times because of Shen Sichen’s incident. Shi Chengyu stayed by her side, holding her tightly in his arms.

At the beginning of summer vacation, Shen Chutang heard that Zhou Xingyang had already left for Italy. She had applied to study abroad a long time ago, but only left now.

When she heard the news, Shen Chutang subconsciously looked at Shen Sichen, who was sitting next to her. He seemed not to have heard anything. He was scrolling through his mouse, his expression focused.

But if Shen Chutang went over to look at that moment, she would find that there was nothing on the computer screen.