Chapter Eighty-One: An Unexpected Encounter

The neonatal intensive care unit at Longda Affiliated Hospital had returned to its usual quiet. The tiny, wrinkled infants lying in their incubators were nothing like the robust babies in the maternity ward nursery, who could fill the air with loud cries. These little ones were surrounded by tubes and machines, their lives sustained by technology and medicine, struggling to live a bit longer and a bit healthier.

After making her rounds in the ward, Fang Simin returned to the nurses’ station and sat down, exhaling heavily, worry etched across her face.

A young nurse poured water for Fang Simin and urged gently, “Teacher Fang, you should rest for a while. You’ve only just been discharged yourself—don’t overexert.”

Fang Simin shook her head, holding the teacup without drinking.

“Don’t worry too much. Kang’an International’s environment is as good as ours, perhaps even better. They have one-on-one nursing care, and everything they use and serve is imported,” the young nurse said, forcing a smile.

Fang Simin waved her hand. “If he’d been sent to Kang’an’s obstetrics hospital, there’d be dedicated nurses, good food, and nothing to do but rest. But I asked Old Li—he was sent to the pediatric department at Kang’an International’s headquarters. It’s all patients there. He’s perfectly healthy now, but they keep running tests on him. What good can come of that?”

“We do tests here too…” the nurse muttered.

“Ours are just routine blood tests. Over there it’s PET-CTs and all kinds of imaging every day. Isn’t that absurd?” Fang Simin’s brows drew together, her tone turning angry, but she soon deflated and sighed. “Whoever came up with the idea of exposing such a tiny child to radiation and contrast agents every day…”

“It’s got to be that damned Wang Yangxian!” the nurse blurted out. “He killed his own mistress, and now he wants to adopt his illegitimate child… Just listen to that—he even wants to ‘cherish’ the baby…” As she spoke, the young nurse’s mood sank into worry and gloom.

Fang Simin held her forehead and sighed, helpless.

She had worked at the hospital for so long, witnessing all manner of human kindness and cruelty, but each time something like this happened, she could not help but feel sorrow.

“I just hope he’ll survive… He’s already pulled through so many hardships—surely he can grow up healthy,” Fang Simin murmured.

…

Compared to Fang Simin, who was inside the medical system, Shengyao was far less informed. He’d been making frequent trips to Kang’an International lately. With his abilities, it was nothing for him to slip into the hospital unnoticed and find the infant. The problem was, Kang’an International seemed to “value” the baby even more than Fang Simin and her colleagues did. Where once Shengyao had managed to steal a few moments alone with the infant, now he could only watch as two nurses attended the child at all times, leaving him not a single chance.

Not only were there always two nurses, but the baby’s daily schedule was packed. As soon as he opened his eyes in the morning, he was subjected to fasting blood draws, then pushed from one machine to another, barely off one before being sent to the next. People frequently filmed him with phones or cameras. Even at night, his body was covered in electrodes, his vital signs monitored around the clock.

Shengyao watched, not only searching for opportunities but also keeping a close eye on the baby. He could see the turmoil stirring inside the child, and it made his heart race. Thankfully, the tragedy that befell Fang Simin had not repeated itself, nor had anyone died mysteriously like the baby’s birth mother. It seemed that the infant was holding back whatever was inside him, suppressing it with his will, refusing to let it spill over to those around him.

Each time he was pricked or had blood drawn, the baby reacted intensely—but only Shengyao could see it. The doctors and nurses noticed nothing, often remarking, “What a well-behaved child—never cries or fusses.”

After watching for a week, Shengyao, an outsider to the medical world, also sensed something amiss. He sneaked a look at the baby’s test results; everything was normal. Yet the tests continued, some repeated over and over.

What exactly were they trying to find? Shengyao felt increasingly uneasy, afraid that the events at the Monster Clinic had been discovered, but he had no one he could ask. The staff at Kang’an International were simply following orders, but who was issuing them remained a mystery to Shengyao.

With doubts and anxiety, Shengyao temporarily left Kang’an International Hospital.

He found a spot without surveillance, released his invisibility, and hailed a taxi by the roadside.

As the taxi drove through Long City, Shengyao leaned against the window, watching the cityscape roll by in retreat.

He caught sight of a shop bearing the sign “Wang Yangxian.” In truth, it was more of a distribution depot than a shop, with delivery workers in uniform coming and going on electric scooters. On the wall by the entrance hung a massive poster: a family of three, happily seated around a table piled with delicious dishes. The three in the photo were at best decent-looking, hardly remarkable. Above them was Wang Yangxian’s slogan: “Wang Yangxian—Freshness Delivered to Your Home.” In the corner, a note identified “Chairman Zhou Wangyang and his wife and child.”

The taxi soon moved on, but before long Shengyao saw another “Wang Yangxian” storefront—this time a supermarket. The same advertisement was displayed at the entrance. The store was bustling, with a queue at the checkout.

Shengyao turned his attention away.

When the taxi reached his destination, Shengyao got out and returned to his rented apartment, where he was greeted by Bai Xiao.

“Still no chance today?” Bai Xiao asked with concern.

Shengyao shook his head, lost in thought. “…What exactly are they trying to find? They’ve been running tests for days now…”

“Maybe they’re not searching for anything—they just want to run tests,” Bai Xiao suggested, sitting beside him.

Shengyao was startled.

Bai Xiao glanced at him, then pulled out her phone and showed him several short videos. “There have been new clips these past few days—all about the baby’s checkups, with captions like these. Look at the comments…”

With the background music blaring, Shengyao glanced at the eye-catching yellow and red headline text, then scrolled through the comments below, feeling a sense of absurdity.

“Lots of people think it’s a sign of professionalism—Kang’an International is a wealthy private hospital, after all, with all these advanced tests. Back at Longda Affiliated, the baby just lay in bed, and the nurses posted cute videos of him in the incubator.”

“Longda Affiliated already did all the necessary tests,” Shengyao reflexively objected.

“That was a while ago. And there wasn’t much footage—just a few shots of the baby in the incubator with tubes.”

“It wasn’t that long—”

“For the internet, it’s long enough,” Bai Xiao said.

For a moment, Shengyao felt the disconnect of a man “dead” for thirty-five years, out of touch with the times. Bai Xiao, on the other hand, seemed fully adapted, speaking of these “realities” as if they were self-evident.

“And this Chairman Zhou of Wang Yangxian—lately there have been so many advertorials about him, always linked to the baby’s story. They call him a loving family man, a great philanthropist, always making donations. Wang Yangxian also donates supplies to needy families in Long City. If anyone brings up the rumors about him being the baby’s real father, or the baby’s mother’s death, the comments are quickly deleted,” Bai Xiao mused. “This is all clearly orchestrated.”

“So he really does plan to adopt the baby,” Shengyao said, his feelings mixed.

“We have to bring the baby back before that happens,” Bai Xiao said, putting down her phone and gripping Shengyao’s arm. “Let’s go to the hospital together tomorrow. You haven’t found a chance on your own—if I go with you, I’ll help you create one.”

Meeting Bai Xiao’s earnest, determined gaze, Shengyao hesitated only a moment before nodding.

Bai Xiao smiled. “We’ll pretend to be there for a checkup. By the way, where is the baby staying now? Which department is closest?” She rattled off questions, even producing pen and paper to draw a map.

Shengyao couldn’t help but laugh, handing her a hospital navigation photo from his phone. “No need to draw. Here—I already took a picture.”

Kang’an International, as a prestigious private hospital, had an impressively designed navigation map.

Shengyao pointed to a string of rooms labeled “wards.” “He’s in this one—Room 606. The clinics are up front. But he has a test scheduled for tomorrow at nine—a checkup in the ultrasound room here, then here…” His finger moved across the map.

Bai Xiao bent her head, hair falling over her chest and revealing a bit of the nape of her neck.

Shengyao glanced up.

Bai Xiao swept her hair back over her shoulder. “Then this is the closest—gastroenterology… Can we get an appointment for tomorrow?”

“Yes, you can. They take both appointments and walk-ins,” Shengyao said quietly, helping her gather her stray hair.

“Then it’s settled.” Bai Xiao turned to him, excitement and anticipation in her voice.

“Alright,” Shengyao replied, smiling back. For a moment, it felt as though they were a pair of naive young students planning an exciting adventure. But then, the memory of Fang Simin collapsing in pain flashed through his mind, and his heart turned heavy once more.

This was an adventure, but not an enjoyable one.

If the baby lost control…

A gentle finger pressed against Shengyao’s brow.

He came back to himself.

“Don’t be so tense. We’ll be fine,” Bai Xiao said, smoothing his furrowed brow with a smile. “We’ve been through so much to finally reunite. From now on, everything will be good. The bad things are behind us. We’ll have a child. The three of us will live happily together. Just the three of us…” Her voice was a soft murmur, her smile gentle, her eyes bright with hope.

That was the smile of a happy wife—the very image of Zhou Wangyang’s wife in the posters.

Shengyao took Bai Xiao’s hand. “Yes. We will. Definitely.”

…

The next morning, in the lobby of Kang’an International, Bai Xiao held Shengyao’s arm, watching him fill out the registration form.

Halfway through, they heard a commotion at the entrance and turned together.

A large group entered, cameras following before and behind. At the center, three people walked hand in hand: clearly a family. Shengyao recognized the trio from the Wang Yangxian posters, and his eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.