A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 58

Lu Xiao packed his bag with an air of reluctant grumbling. As he swung it over his shoulder, the strap pressed hard against his wound, making him want to curse his own mother.

Seeing Shen Zhao’s indifferent “none of my business” expression, Lu Xiao let out a tiny hiss of pain before quickly resuming a cool facade. He draped his jacket over his shoulder and tossed his hair back. He made an exaggerated amount of noise while heading for the door—lingering, tilting his head back to check the room—doing everything in his power for a full minute to get Shen Zhao’s attention.

Hey! How is this guy not reacting at all…?

Being discharged was great! He loved leaving the hospital! It just would have been better if he wasn’t being kicked out by Shen Zhao.

Just as he was about to accept reality, a thought struck him: No, I have to pull that person off the bed, too.

He hooked his LOTOS sunglasses—which practically shimmered with the glow of pure money—over his ears. “Shen Zhao, why don’t you come with me? Let’s go see that kid. We need to investigate the case anyway.”

The nurse watching from the side felt a wave of worry. The last time Director Shen and Officer Lu went out to “investigate,” they left looking perfectly fine and returned covered in blood, nearly losing their lives.

Shen Zhao was rubbing his temples. Hearing Lu Xiao mention the child, he did feel the urge to check on him.

“Alright.”

Police Station Lounge

Cheng Nianchuan sat on the edge of a single bed in the back of the room, his back to the door. He clutched a small, brown plush bear, his head bowed in silence.

“The kid’s been like this the whole time?” Lu Xiao peered through the small window in the lounge door.

Lin Xue nodded. “Yeah. His emotions seem very flat. Before, he couldn’t speak because of his throat, but now that he’s healed, he still won’t say anything. He’s been through a massive trauma; I’m afraid he has… autistic or depressive tendencies.”

Lu Xiao nodded and took the nanny’s statement from the initial missing person’s report, flipping through it. “The nanny didn’t mention who the father is?”

“No.”

Lu Xiao pushed his sunglasses up onto his head and clicked his tongue. This kid was surrounded by mysteries. He closed the file and handed it to Shen Zhao, then looked at Lin Xue. “When we were verifying the identities of the hostages and checking with the claimants, why did the family deny it was him? Who was it that denied him?”

“We don’t know the reason, but the person who denied him back then was… the mother.”

The muscles in Lu Xiao’s face twitched. “A vanished father? A mother who won’t claim her own kid? How tragic… and the nanny?”

Lin Xue shook her head. “We tried to reach her again later, but we couldn’t. She was likely fired.”

Shen Zhao was stunned. What a strange family. This child wasn’t an orphan, yet he was worse off than one.

Lu Xiao knocked on the door, and the two entered.

A look of sharp alertness instantly crossed the boy’s face. He tightened his grip on the plush bear and shrank back toward the wall. However, upon seeing Shen Zhao’s face, his expression relaxed slightly.

Lu Xiao strode over to the bed and leaned down, forced an “amicable” smile onto his face. “Hey there, Cheng Nianchuan. Uncle wants to ask you a few questions, is that okay?”

The boy didn’t speak. His lips trembled slightly, his fingers twisting the hem of his shirt.

Shen Zhao glanced at the boxed meal on the nightstand; the lid was still on, seemingly untouched. Cheng Nianchuan was skeletal, reacting to people like a startled bird. It was heartbreaking. The boy’s reaction reminded Shen Zhao vividly of the way he had looked when Wen Yu first picked him up after his escape from the welfare home.

Seeing no reaction, Lu Xiao felt a headache coming on. He paced by the bed. “Uncle is a policeman, don’t be afraid. See? I’ve even got the badge on my shoulder!”

Cheng Nianchuan bit his lip. There was terror in his eyes, but even more suspicion.

Shen Zhao sensed Lu Xiao’s growing agitation. Seeing the atmosphere becoming strained, he said, “Why don’t you step out for a bit? I’ll try talking to him.”

Lu Xiao felt truly powerless when dealing with children. He looked at the boy again, saw the lingering tension, and nodded helplessly.

Shen Zhao sat on a low stool about two meters away. He reached for the meal and took out a separate bowl of soup. “If you won’t eat, at least have some soup in a bit.”

The boy remained silent, his gaze fixed on Shen Zhao.

Shen Zhao observed him for a long moment before speaking softly: “Are you afraid of your parents?”

Though the boy didn’t answer, his expression told Shen Zhao everything. Indeed, how could a normal child, after being kidnapped and tortured like this, not be screaming for their parents? This child had been at the station for so long without mentioning his parents’ names or crying to go home. He just sat there quietly… trying to hide in the corner, trying to be invisible.

Shen Zhao paused, looking down as if talking to himself. “My parents died when I was ten.”

Cheng Nianchuan lifted his head, looking at Shen Zhao as if recognizing a kindred spirit.

Shen Zhao picked up the soup bowl, stirring it with a spoon. He scooped a small amount and brought it to the boy’s lips. “After that, I lived through a nightmare. I thought it would be my whole life… but later, I met a very good person… who pulled me out of that hell.”

The boy stared at the spoon, dazed, before finally opening his mouth and swallowing mechanically.

Shen Zhao set the bowl back down and reached his hand out to Cheng Nianchuan. “You can come out too. Trust me.”

Cheng Nianchuan saw the freshly sutured wound on Shen Zhao’s wrist. Remembering the extreme measures Shen Zhao had taken to force the kidnapper to release him, the boy’s eyes began to redden. His fingers squeezed the plush toy lightly before he finally reached out and shook Shen Zhao’s hand.

Just as Shen Zhao was about to ask for more information, the shrill, piercing voice of a woman cut through the air from downstairs. Lu Xiao and Lin Xue immediately ran out.

“Move! I’m taking my son home! Where is my son!”

Upon hearing that voice, Cheng Nianchuan’s face flooded with terror. He scrambled around, looking for a place to hide.

Shen Zhao realized the truth: Cheng Nianchuan’s mother had arrived.

“Xiao Cheng, I’m going down to handle this. But you have to tell me the truth: do you want to go home?”

The boy stared at Shen Zhao, licking his lips nervously before squeezing a single, weak word through his teeth: “No…”

“Alright. I’m going out now, and I’ll lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone who knocks. Only open it when you see it’s me coming back, okay?”

Cheng Nianchuan nodded.

The woman was screaming in the first-floor lobby. She was wearing a cashmere coat covered in Chanel logos, her hands adorned with an exquisite manicure—though the nails on two of her fingers were broken. She looked like a cornered beast, glaring at Lu Xiao and Lin Xue as if she wanted to tear them apart.

Her hair was a mess as she tried to force her way through, her mental state clearly spiraling. She looked ready to smash the lobby furniture.

“Who do you outsiders think you are, keeping my son locked up! I’m going to file a complaint! I’m reporting you!”

Lin Xue rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, so now you’re worried? When we asked you before, didn’t you say he wasn’t your son?”

The woman’s face paled for a split second before she erupted into another furious roar: “I… I misidentified him! I’m his mother! I’m taking him away right now! If you dare stop me, none of you will have an easy time of it!”