A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 77

Wu Fang’s voice grew softer and softer, her hands instinctively kneading each other.

Lu Xiao narrowed his eyes. “Do you think Cheng Nianchuan is truly with his father?”

Wu Fang shook her head vigorously. “No! Definitely not. If he were with his father, Meirong wouldn’t have looked like that! Her behavior was just too strange!”

As she spoke, a thought seemed to strike her. Her eyes filled with sudden terror as she stared at the two men. “You’re looking for me… has something happened to Xiao Cheng?”

Shen Zhao shook his head and was about to speak when Lu Xiao, looking displeased, cut in. “To be honest, something did happen earlier. Hey… hey, don’t get so tense. Tsk, he’s fine now. See this guy? He personally went to the kidnappers and traded himself to get Xiao Cheng back!”

Lu Xiao pushed Shen Zhao forward slightly as he spoke. Shen Zhao looked visibly embarrassed by the “introduction.”

“What! Xiao Cheng was kidnapped?” Wu Fang was scared out of her wits, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Shen Zhao nodded and offered a soothing smile, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “It’s over now. He’s safe.”

Lu Xiao rested his chin in his hand. “You cared for Xiao Cheng for so long; you must know who the father is, right?”

Wu Fang composed herself. “Yes, but I only saw him a few times… Meirong really liked him at first. Later, I don’t know what happened, but she became more and more afraid of him.”

Lu Xiao stood up from the small stool, pacing the yard while rubbing his lower back and legs. The stool was far too low for his frame; having his long legs cramped up was starting to get irritating.

Initially, Wu Fang had been wary and kept them outside. Now, feeling a bit sheepish, she stood up. “Officers, please, let’s talk inside.”

They didn’t decline. The sun was setting, and the yard was indeed growing chilly.

“Are you cold?” Lu Xiao whispered.

Shen Zhao shook his head, but when Wu Fang wasn’t looking, Lu Xiao reached out and gave Shen Zhao’s hand a squeeze. He leaned in until his lips were nearly brushing Shen Zhao’s ear, his voice barely a murmur. “And you say you’re not cold? Your hands are like ice.”

Shen Zhao gave a low hum, mumbling softly, “I’m really fine.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and followed Wu Fang into the house.

Once they were seated, Wu Fang boiled a pot of water. As the water bubbled over the flame, Lu Xiao continued, “The kidnappers took Cheng Nianchuan likely to threaten Zhai Hongtian. But for some reason, Zhai Hongtian ignored them entirely. Instead, he seemed content to let Xiao Cheng fend for himself…”

“That man…” Wu Fang’s eyes filled with pure disgust. “I knew he didn’t care for Meirong! And he certainly doesn’t act like a normal father should toward Xiao Cheng!”

Lu Xiao and Shen Zhao exchanged a look. “Why do you say that? Tell us—what felt strange to you?”

Wu Fang hesitated. “When I was younger, I thought he genuinely liked Meirong—liked her enough to have a child with her. But later… I realized he didn’t care about her at all. He seemed very concerned about Xiao Cheng, but only about the boy’s physical health. He didn’t care about the child’s need for companionship or affection. It was just… bizarre.”

Shen Zhao’s fingers curled around his cup of hot water as various possibilities flashed through his mind. Suppressing his suspicions for a moment, he asked, “When did this ‘over-concern’ for his health begin?”

Wu Fang bit her lip. “Actually, he’s always been quite focused on it, but…”

“But what?”

“But in the last two years, Xiao Cheng’s health has been getting worse. Sometimes he’d even faint at school from low blood sugar or anemia… I tried making all sorts of blood-boosting recipes I found online, but nothing worked.”

The room turned solemn. Lu Xiao glanced at Shen Zhao before turning back to the nanny. “Every time Xiao Cheng went to the hospital, you never went with him?”

Wu Fang shook her head, looking sheepish. “Those private hospitals serve the wealthy. Someone like me isn’t even qualified to step inside.”

“And did Xiao Cheng ever tell you what his father did with him during those visits?”

“He did. He said they were doing physicals and giving him nutrient IVs.” Wu Fang looked genuinely bewildered.

Lu Xiao let out a helpless sigh. “You really are too trusting. You believe everything people tell you…”

“What do you mean by that?” Wu Fang’s face paled as a bad premonition took hold.

“We suspect,” Lu Xiao said grimly, “that Zhai Hongtian has been using Xiao Cheng’s blood for transfusions into his own body. And that it’s been going on for a long time.”

“What! How could he dare!” Wu Fang was so shocked she nearly fell off her stool; Shen Zhao reached out to steady her.

“Easy. Right now it’s just a theory,” Shen Zhao said tentatively. “That’s why we came to ask if you noticed anything out of the ordinary… after all, you spent the most time with him.”

Wu Fang stared into her steaming cup for a long time. When she looked up again, there was a strange glint in her eyes. “I… I actually have something. I’m just not sure if it’s useful.”

“What is it?” Lu Xiao straightened up, his focus sharpening.

“I can’t explain it well. It was years ago. When I was packing in a hurry to leave, I saw it and brought it with me. Here, drink some water first—I’ll go find it!”

Wu Fang went into the bedroom to search. Under the dim light of a yellowed desk lamp, she dug through a woven bag for a long time before pulling out a faded enamel box. As she walked back out, she shook the box near her ear; the sound of paper rattling inside was clear.

Both Lu Xiao and Shen Zhao felt their palms grow damp with sweat.

“Let me,” Lu Xiao said. Seeing that Wu Fang couldn’t pry the lid off, he took the box, hooked his teeth over the edge of the lid with a grimace, and pried it upward.

Scritch—

When Lu Xiao turned around, he saw Shen Zhao looking at him with pure judgment. “Good teeth,” the doctor remarked dryly.

There were several slips of paper inside. Wu Fang rummaged through them before pulling out a multi-folded receipt and handing it to Lu Xiao.

“What is this?”

Wu Fang searched her memory. “Maybe seven or eight years ago? I was tidying the sofa and found this folded paper tucked beside the cushions. I didn’t understand what it was, so I showed it to Meirong. She said it was probably something Zhai Hongtian dropped and told me to just throw it away…”

Lu Xiao’s gaze locked onto the paper. “Then why didn’t you?”

“Back then, I thought he was the employer, after all. What if it was something important? It didn’t feel right to just toss it, so I kept it. But Zhai Hongtian rarely visited Meirong’s place, so the matter was forgotten.”

Outside, the sky was darkening. Spread out on the table was a yellowed receipt, its edges brittle and its folds deep—an object that had been hidden for years, finally seeing the light of day.