In the narrow space, Su Ling kept running forward, as if there was something terrible chasing him from behind, and he rushed forward desperately.
Hurry up!
Hurry up!
Faster—
If you’re slow, you’ll be caught up!
Suddenly, his feet missed the mark and his whole body fell down. The feeling of weightlessness made him scream in horror.
“Ahhhh—”
The childish cry echoed in the space, and it seemed like a century had passed. Then a pair of snow-white, slender hands reached out and caught the falling little Su Ling.
"Xiao Ling, you are so naughty, how can you climb a tree?"
The woman's doting voice sounded in his ears. Su Ling quietly opened his eyes, looked up curiously, and saw the face of a young and beautiful woman.
"……Mother……"
He raised his hand and wanted to touch the woman's face, but was surprised to find that his hand had turned into the hand of a five or six-year-old child.
The woman put him down and patted his curly hair. "Don't climb trees again, okay? If I don't catch you next time, you'll fall on your butt."
"Okay, I got it, Mom." Little Su Ling nodded obediently, with a cute smile on her delicate little face like a doll.
The woman took his hand and walked into the house. Little Su Ling followed her, jumping and skipping. When he was about to enter the door, he couldn't help but look back and take a look at the lush courtyard.
"What are you looking at?" the woman asked.
Little Su Ling pointed at the courtyard wall and said enviously, "My cousin is having a birthday. There are so many children coming to his house, and my aunt made a huge cake!"
Their house was only separated from his second cousin's by a wall, and he could hear everything that happened over there. He was originally playing in the courtyard, and when he heard many children next door gathered together laughing and talking, he couldn't help it, so he climbed up the tree branch, just in time to see his aunt coming out of the house with a big cake in her hands, inviting the children to celebrate his second cousin's birthday together.
"Mom... why can't I celebrate my birthday?" Little Su Ling raised his head and looked at the woman in confusion. When he met the woman's cold and disgusted eyes, his pupils dilated in horror.
"Mother……"
"I'm not your mother!"
The woman suddenly pushed him away fiercely, and Su Ling's body hit the door frame hard, causing him to go dark in pain. He covered his head helplessly and looked at his mother at a loss.
The once beautiful face was now distorted into an extremely ugly state, with bloodshot eyes flashing with hatred that seemed to be able to bite people, making people terrified.
Little Su Ling huddled up in a ball, timid. He didn't understand why his mother, who usually loved him, had become so unfamiliar. He didn't even know what he had done wrong to cause his mother's wrath.
"Birthday? Your birthday is my day of suffering!" The woman walked slowly toward the child in the corner, slowly bending down, reaching out with her cold fingers to gently stroke the child's pale cheek. "Giving birth to you, I almost died, you know? I spent three days and three nights in agony in the delivery room, was given a critical illness notice, and finally gave birth to you, but then developed postpartum thrombosis. I was at the brink of death again and again."
Little Su Ling shrank back, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
He was too young to understand what his mother meant by difficult labor or blood clots, but he knew that his mother almost died because of him.
"So, never, ever mention your birthday in front of me." The woman warned gently.
Little Su Ling lowered his head and stammered, "I...I understand...Mom...I will never...never celebrate my birthday again..."
Tears fell drop by drop to the ground, wetting the area.
If only... he hadn't been born.
So cold!
What a headache!
In the middle of the night, little Su Ling developed a high fever. He got up in a daze, got out of bed with a heavy head and light feet, and wandered in the darkness like a ghost.
"Xiao Ling? Why aren't you sleeping yet so late?"
His father's stern voice seemed unusually far away. He stood there blankly, motionless.
"Ling! Ling—wake up—"
The man's gentle call penetrated the space and pulled his consciousness back from the darkness.
Lying on the bed, Su Ling slowly opened his eyes, dazedly looking at the worried man, opened his mouth, and said hoarsely: "What's wrong with me?"
Lin Feng took his hand, held it tightly, and kissed his fingertips. "It's okay, baby, it's okay."
Su Ling looked around, looked at the furnishings in the room, and realized that this was their bedroom.
"Why are you back?" He tried to sit up, but his body was limp and he had no strength.
Lin Feng quickly held him down. "Lie down, don't move."
Su Ling had no choice but to lie down and touched his forehead with his other hand.
So hot!
Sure enough, I have a fever.
"I want some water," he said.
Lin Feng immediately poured him a glass of warm water and helped him feed it.
After quenching his thirst, Su Ling continued to lie down and looked at the man sideways.
"What time is it?" Looking at the sky outside the window, it should be night.
"It's half past six in the evening." Lin Feng sat on the bed and gently lifted his bangs. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah." Su Ling half-closed his eyes, as obedient as a kitten.
He hadn't eaten for more than ten hours, so his stomach was rumbling, but the fever had made him lose his appetite.
"I asked Aunt Zhou to cook some porridge. Do you want some?" Lin Feng asked in a low voice.
"Eat later." Su Ling grabbed the soft quilt, stared at the man and asked, "I'm sick, right?"
Lin Feng said: "You have a fever."
Su Ling twitched his lips, his smile uglier than crying. "I know my own body. This isn't just a fever; it's some other illness."
Lin Feng frowned slightly. "Don't overthink it, it's just a fever."
Su Ling bit his lip, his eyes moist. After a while, he blurted out two words. "Terminal illness!"
Lin Feng was stunned.
Seeing his reaction, Su Ling chuckled softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know! Every time I have a fever, you get so nervous and urge me to get a checkup every three months."
When he had a fever before, he had just thought he had caught a cold or was overworked and hadn't taken it seriously. This time, the fever came without any warning, and he suddenly lost consciousness, his soul falling into darkness. During his sleep, he recalled a memory buried deep in his mind.
That day... he was frightened by his mother's crazy look. He had a fever at night and sleepwalked unconsciously in the dark living room. His father, who got up in the middle of the night to drink water, saw him and scolded him. He listened blankly, and after his father finished scolding him, he fell backwards and fell into a coma.
When he woke up the next day, his mother was standing by his bed with a tired look on her face, stroking his hair considerately and whispering softly, as if the crazy person the day before was not her.
Children forget things quickly. Apart from remembering that they cannot celebrate their birthdays, they forget everything else.
Today, after being stimulated by Second Aunt's words, he became seriously ill. Not only did he faint, but he also developed a high fever.
If this is not considered a serious illness, then what is considered an illness?
"Is it mental?" Su Ling looked at Lin Feng calmly.
Lin Feng was silent.
Su Ling sighed. "No wonder my attending physician is Dr. Ji."
Only those with mental problems need a psychiatrist. He said that every time he went for a physical examination, he always had to talk to Dr. Ji for a long time. Dr. Ji recorded his mental condition through conversations with him. It has been a year, which is really long enough. He himself is also slow.
"Baby."
Lin Feng reached out to wipe the tears from his cheek, but Su Ling quickly opened his hand.
"Don't touch me until you explain clearly." His tone was flat, his attitude was firm, and the prelude to a storm was brewing in his deep eyes.
Lin Feng pinched his brows and said, "I wanted to wait until after Grandpa's birthday, and then tell you slowly."
"No need to wait, tell me now, I can bear it." Su Ling subconsciously wrapped himself tightly with the quilt.
Lin Feng noticed his little gesture and said in a low voice, "A year ago, when we were on vacation in the south, you had a high fever. I chartered a plane to take you back to S City overnight. We did a comprehensive examination at the hospital and found out that your illness is a genetic mental illness. It's very rare and the chance of developing is very low, but once it develops and is stimulated, it will continuously erode your mental consciousness, eventually causing a split personality."
After that, the room was silent for a long time.
Su Ling bit the back of his hand unconsciously, biting it so hard that it almost bled, but Lin Feng pulled him away and stopped him.
"I'll take you to the hospital." Lin Feng stepped forward to help him up, and Su Ling struggled.
"I won't go! I won't go!"
As he got excited, Lin Feng didn't dare to move. He knelt on one knee on the bed, bent over and coaxed him humbly: "Okay, okay, I won't go to the hospital, I won't go to the hospital."
Su Ling fell silent, his emotions uncontrollably on the verge of collapse.
"Is there no cure for me?" he murmured. "Will I really have a split personality in the future?"
"No! You'll be fine!" Lin Feng couldn't help himself any longer, hugged him, and kissed his hairline, "I won't let anything happen to you. We'll go to Country L the day after tomorrow, okay?"
"Going to Country L?" Su Ling leaned against his chest, rolling his eyes blankly. Oh, right, that morning, on the way to the old house, Lin Feng had said he'd take him to Country L in a few days. When he'd asked why, he'd been evasive and wouldn't elaborate. He'd been thinking to himself that he was becoming increasingly successful, investing in a biological research institute in Country L, clearly for the sake of a man having a child.
Now that he knew the truth, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Is it because of his illness?
Lin Feng patted his back soothingly. "Professor Finn Smith from Country L specializes in genetic research and has a cure for your illness. As long as you cooperate with the treatment, you'll be fine."
Su Ling was a little bit unbelievable, and grabbed Lin Feng's clothes and asked, "Really?"
One year, just one year, and there is a cure?
After regaining his composure, Su Ling immediately started thinking.
No wonder Lin Feng had been on business trips every now and then for the past year. It turned out to be to treat his illness? And because of his cold attitude, she had misunderstood it, thinking his feelings for her had faded and that he didn't want to continue living with her. So, heartbroken, she left the divorce agreement and fled to the countryside.
Are genetic diseases so easy to cure?
Su Ling didn't know what he remembered. He suddenly pinched Lin Feng's chin and stared at him seriously.
"Tell me honestly, what did you do in Country L? Was it simply to communicate with Professor Smith?"
Lin Feng replied calmly, "Yes."
The shorter his answer, the more suspicious Su Ling became. He leaned closer and pressed him, "If you want me to cooperate with the treatment, then tell me the truth. We can communicate over the phone. You don't need to go on a business trip in person. Even if you do, it won't take more than ten days or half a month!"
Every time he came back, his face looked very bad, and sometimes he would get up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet to vomit.
At that time, Su Ling thought that Lin Feng had a stomach upset and was anxious to give him stomach medicine. Now think about it, it was not a stomach upset at all, but he did something bad to his health in L country!
Lin Feng pursed his lips lightly, showing no intention of explaining.
Lidya Su let go of his chin and swayed back and forth, feeling dizzy.
Lin Feng tensed up instantly and pressed him down to lie down. Su Ling's breathing became rapid, and his white forehead was covered with sweat. He said weakly, "Don't keep it from me, okay? I have the right to know! Whether it's my illness or... the prerequisite for our marriage!"
"I'm sorry, Ling." Lin Feng leaned against his forehead and said, closing his eyes slightly. "I... am afraid too, afraid of losing you..."
The author has something to say: Ha~ I will fix the typos tomorrow~
PS: The cover has been changed~~Haha, the large picture can be found on my Weibo!
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