A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 44

“Everything was normal during your first two years at the orphanage?” Lu Xiao asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Shen Zhao nodded in silence.

“When did you realize something was wrong?”

Shen Zhao’s eyes reddened slightly. “The photo you showed me—the little boy standing next to Zhang Dalong. Do you remember him?”

Lu Xiao frowned. He pulled up his chat history with Zhang Zhen and pointed to the photo his colleague had sent. “This person?”

Shen Zhao took one look and buried his head deeply in his hands, his voice trembling on the verge of a sob. “I wasn’t the one who found out first. It was him…”

Eleven-year-old Shen Zhao had grown another three centimeters.

Nine had been right; Shen Zhao quickly grew to love the place. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, winter had turned to summer.

Nine occasionally disobeyed the teachers, running around barefoot. As he grew, his facial features became more defined and strikingly beautiful.

“Teacher, why are Nine’s eyes so pretty? And why is his hair curly?”

Xiao Wu, a slightly chubby and adorable girl, asked curiously.

The teacher comforted her, saying, “Because Nine is our orphanage’s little angel. You’ll grow up to be beautiful too.”

“Really? Then I want to be just like Nine!”

Summer in Dongxi Town was filled with the endless drone of cicadas. In the evenings, groups of children would gather in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air, though the ground still held the lingering, foot-scorching heat of the day.

They would sit in a circle, mimicking the heroes from the latest popular Wuxia (martial arts) dramas. Entertainment at the orphanage was plentiful, but television was strictly regulated. Teachers only allowed them to watch once a week, limiting them to martial arts films and certain cartoons. There were almost no books.

Nine stood in the center of the courtyard, imitating a grand master from a show, making everyone burst into laughter. He brandished a tree branch with exaggerated flair. “I see that your skeletal structure is extraordinary, Brother Thirteen! How about you roam the world with me and make a name for ourselves!”

The Director laughed so hard she could barely stay upright, and Shen Zhao’s smile was radiant. “Then why haven’t you called me ‘Big Brother’ yet?”

The two of them chased each other around the courtyard. It took several laps before Shen Zhao finally managed to get Nine to stop.

But in the second year, things began to change.

When Shen Zhao woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over, he glanced toward Nine’s bed and noticed it was empty.

Did he go to the bathroom?

Shen Zhao tossed and turned but couldn’t fall back asleep. When he opened his eyes again, Nine still hadn’t returned.

He slipped on his shoes quietly and felt his way through the dark toward the bathroom. He whispered Nine’s name a few times, but there was no response.

The bathroom was empty.

Puzzled, Shen Zhao walked from the dormitory area toward the teaching wing. A cold draft swept through the building, and moonlight filtered through the windows, illuminating only small patches of the hallway.

It was too dark further in… Shen Zhao took a deep breath, convincing himself to walk just a little further. Just a bit more.

As he passed the stairwell, a figure suddenly rushed down from above!

It was Nine, his face deathly pale.

“Nine…”

When they collided, the expression on Nine’s face was one of absolute terror. As soon as he realized it was Shen Zhao, he grabbed him and pulled him away. The two of them ran back to the dormitory.

“What’s wrong? Where did you go?” Shen Zhao whispered.

Nine only shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

By the time they reached the room, the others were still fast asleep. Shen Zhao climbed back into bed cautiously. He remembered that Nine spent the rest of the night curled into a ball with his back turned, staying in that exact position until morning.

From that night on, Shen Zhao noticed that the look in Nine’s eyes had changed. His smile had changed, too.

The shift was subtle. To everyone else, Nine still seemed lively, playful, and prone to mischief. But Shen Zhao felt as though Nine’s expressions were now veiled by an indescribable emotion, as if he were deathly afraid of someone seeing through him.

One night, Nine dragged Shen Zhao into a frantic run through the courtyard. When they grew tired, they lay on the grass, head-to-head, staring up at the moon.

“Thirteen, what is the world outside like?”

“The outside?” Shen Zhao thought about his life before he turned ten and smiled. “It’s nothing special. There are just more people, more scenery, and more things to worry about.”

Nine said softly, “It would be great if we could go out together.”

“What?”

“I want to run away. I want to go live somewhere else with you.”

Shen Zhao propped himself up and looked at Nine seriously. “Is it not good here?”

Nine forced a smile and said nothing more.

Days repeated themselves. Every so often, strangers would visit the orphanage.

Some came for charity. As the most handsome and sweet-talking child, Nine was often brought to the orphanage gates when the adults needed to take photos. He would receive gifts and pose for “innocent and cute” pictures.

Other adults came to adopt.

Several children older than Nine were called in for physical examinations. The Director said that only obedient, sensible, and healthy children could be adopted.

Nine’s complexion looked terrible.

The day Xiao Wu was taken to the infirmary, she was overjoyed. She changed into a floral dress and ran around the courtyard for a long time, making funny faces at Nine.

That night, Xiao Wu didn’t come back to bed.

“Do you think Xiao Wu will ever come back?”

Shen Zhao was leaning against the window, looking at the scenery outside. Nine had appeared behind him and asked the question with an ambiguous tone.

Shen Zhao turned around. “Probably not. She likely got adopted. I heard the teachers say a wealthy family really wanted an adorable daughter. They probably chose her. I’m so jealous; Xiao Wu is definitely going to be very happy from now on.”

Nine’s expression shifted, his brow furrowing as a trace of sorrow entered his amber eyes.

“Nine, you’ve been acting strange lately. Did something happen?”

“No. The teacher said they’re giving me a check-up tomorrow,” Nine said with a faint laugh.

“Are you going to be adopted soon, too?” Shen Zhao asked, his voice full of reluctance.

“Perhaps…”

Nine didn’t know how to tell him about that night—about what he had heard outside the Director’s office and what he had seen through the crack in the infirmary door.

That night, unable to sleep, he had gone to find the Director to act spoiled and get some attention. Before he reached the door, he heard voices inside. The door was slightly ajar.

A man in a black suit sat across from the Director with his back to the door, a lit cigarette between his fingers. The Director’s expression was dead serious, tinged with a mix of fear and fawning.

She whispered, “Please, take a look. This batch is of excellent quality.”

The man nodded, flipping through a folder. “When can the experiments begin?”

The Director smiled. “Several children have reached the right age. I’ll arrange it soon. That new Number Thirteen also looks promising, but his parents just died. We need to wait a while; I’m afraid he might be on guard.”

“Good. Arrange it as soon as possible. Many of my clients are very interested in this project. You are cautious, and I trust you.”

Nine couldn’t immediately grasp what their conversation meant, but the look on the Director’s face was utterly foreign to him.

He had never seen the Director with such a… cold expression.