A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 74

Cheng Meirong sat in silence, the faint smile on her face growing thinner by the second, while the ashtray beside her was nearly overflowing with cigarette butts. The midday sun baked the exterior walls and double-paned windows until they were scorching, yet the interior of the room felt like an entirely different, colder world.

Shen Zhao’s gaze grew increasingly frigid, and his fingertips turned ice-cold. He was no stranger to indifferent parents; working in a hospital, he saw families of every conceivable dynamic. Outside the emergency room, every face wore a different mask of suffering.

However, Cheng Nianchuan was a child he had rescued with his own hands, and the boy felt like a living reflection of his own childhood. Shen Zhao couldn’t tell if the woman before him was truly numb or simply a coward.

After a long silence, Lu Xiao let out a short, dry laugh. “You know, don’t try to act like you’re completely blameless here. It’s not that you didn’t have a choice—the only one in this situation who truly never had a choice is Cheng Nianchuan.”

Cheng Meirong’s grip tightened, but she didn’t argue. Her posture slumped further until she was practically melting into the sofa cushions. “You’re right. I’m not a good person, and I’m not fit to be anyone’s mother. But at this point, I don’t get the chance to go back to being eighteen and choose how to live my life all over again.”

A family like this. Parents like these. Neither man could imagine the sheer weight of what Cheng Nianchuan had endured over the years. These two had never offered him genuine affection; his mother used him for material gain, and his father extorted his very life.

According to the boy, the person who had spent the most time with him wasn’t Zhai Hongtian or Cheng Meirong, but his nanny: Sister Fang.

Shen Zhao stared at her for a moment before asking, “Do you know where Xiao Cheng’s nanny is now?”

“Sister Fang…?” Cheng Meirong’s eyes glazed over as she stared blankly at the table. “Zhai Hongtian fired her. Even I can’t get in touch with her.”

Shen Zhao frowned. “Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”

Cheng Meirong shook her head and fell silent. Shen Zhao and Lu Xiao exchanged a look, reaching a silent consensus.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Shen Zhao said with a polite, albeit brief, smile. The two of them turned to leave.

Just as Lu Xiao’s hand settled on the doorknob, Cheng Meirong’s hesitant voice drifted from the room. “Perhaps… you could go to Liuyuan Village. Try asking around there.”

Shen Zhao turned back to give her a deep, lingering look. He let out a slow breath. “Thank you.”

The black Ford Raptor wound its way along the mountain road. Occasionally, birds would take flight from the trees above, letting out ethereal, low cries.

Lu Xiao kept his hands on the wheel. “Lin Xue sent a message. The address we had for the nanny is no longer valid; she terminated her lease and the landlord doesn’t know where she went. Apparently, the move was very sudden.”

Shen Zhao watched the dappled shadows of the trees retreating outside the window. “Liuyuan Village… that must be her hometown.”

“Yeah. It’s about a two-hour drive—pretty far out. Why don’t you get some sleep; I’ll wake you when we get there.” Lu Xiao stole a glance at Shen Zhao, his eyes filled with concern.

“Mhm. Call me if you get tired and we can switch.” The emotional toll of the morning had left Shen Zhao exhausted. He had just closed his eyes when a sudden ringtone shattered the silence of the car.

Shen Zhao pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. It was a contact he had only just saved the night before: Nine.

Lu Xiao’s gaze flickered toward the phone via the rearview mirror. The moment he saw the name jumping on the screen, his face darkened instantly. He gave an imperceptible tilt of his head to the left and subtly rolled his eyes.

Shen Zhao answered. “Hello?”

The phone wasn’t on speaker, so Lu Xiao’s brows knit together as he strained his ears, desperately trying to catch what the person on the other end was saying.

Nine’s voice was lazy, carrying a mix of nonchalant complaining and trivial pouting. “When are you coming home? I’m practically starving to death here.”

Shen Zhao paused, then replied in an exceptionally gentle tone, “I’m still busy with some things. Check the fridge and see if there’s anything you can scrounge up. I’ll cook for you when I get back tonight.”

“Fantastic!” Nine’s voice, full of delight, drifted through the receiver and into Lu Xiao’s ear. Lu Xiao licked his lips, feeling a sour, bitter taste rise in his throat.

Nine continued, “Actually… never mind. I looked in your fridge and didn’t see anything I wanted. I think I’ll just stay hungry for a bit. Food doesn’t even taste good when you’re not here~”

Shen Zhao: “…”

Hearing this, the veins on Lu Xiao’s arm bulged involuntarily. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. Unbelievable. It was bad enough that the guy had been acting shameless at Shen Zhao’s place this morning, but now he was calling to play the victim?

Listening to Shen Zhao’s patient, coddling tone—like he was soothing a child—made Lu Xiao’s expression turn terrifyingly grim. Exactly how much longer is this guy planning to crash at Shen Zhao’s place?!

The more Lu Xiao thought about it, the angrier he got. His lips moved in a silent mumble of curses.

“What do you want to eat? I can order delivery for you,” Shen Zhao suggested, rubbing his forehead.

The pampered voice on the other end continued, “I don’t want delivery. It’s unhealthy. I’ll just wait for you to come back. How much longer are you going to be?”

Shen Zhao glanced at Lu Xiao, mentally calculating the time. “Probably a few more hours. I’m quite a distance away.”

The person on the phone gave a casual laugh. “Huh? That long? Where exactly are you going…?”

Shen Zhao frowned slightly. At the same time, Lu Xiao shot him a sharp, warning look. Before Shen Zhao could figure out how to respond, Lu Xiao’s voice rang out from the driver’s seat: “Official police business. Information cannot be disclosed to uninvolved parties!”

“Oh, you’re there too.” The voice on the phone drawled, followed by a series of mocking chuckles. Every syllable seemed to grate against Lu Xiao’s nerves.

Lu Xiao’s fingers dug into the steering wheel. Even though he was screaming profanities in his head, he maintained an air of nonchalance on the surface and didn’t say another word.

Finally, Shen Zhao hung up.

“So…” Lu Xiao tried to make his voice sound casual, like he was just asking a passing question rather than a man on the verge of a jealous breakdown. “Does that friend of yours… have to stay at your place?”

Shen Zhao sighed. “He has nowhere else to stay right now. I’ll help him find a place later.”

As the car surged forward, Lu Xiao’s confusion deepened. He felt that the man’s excuses were the most ridiculous things he had ever heard—only a man as kind-hearted as Shen Zhao would believe them.

“Bullshit,” Lu Xiao said coldly. “Does he have no shame saying that out loud? He’s a grown man with ‘nowhere to stay’? What, was he living under a bridge before he saw you?”

Shen Zhao was silent for a second. “He only recently returned to the country. He’s been staying in the hospital for a while. The situation is complicated; he’s a celebrity now, and apparently his fans are quite… intense.”

Lu Xiao was utterly speechless, his fingers drummed irritably against the wheel. Although he desperately wanted to kick the guy out of Shen Zhao’s house that very night, he knew he had to play the long game to keep Shen Zhao’s favor. He needed a more “roundabout” approach.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a while, his eyes darted back and forth before he finally flashed a toothy grin at Shen Zhao.

“Tsk. You know, I’ve been thinking. ‘It is a joy to have friends come from afar.’ My attitude this morning was definitely out of line. It’s only natural he’d have a problem with me.”

Shen Zhao tilted his head, wondering what kind of scheme Lu Xiao was cooking up now.

Lu Xiao smirked. “Tell you what. I’ll find a place for our ‘little brother-in-law.’ Tell him not to worry—with my connections and network, I’ll find him something he’ll absolutely love!”