Chapter 47 Young Expert
Early in the morning, Su Hong came to the store to open the door. From a distance, she saw a black luxury car parked on the side of the road in front of the store. The silver body of the car shone coldly in the morning mist.
Looking at the car that looked like Chen Ran's, she muttered to herself, "Could he be here to see me?", but she didn't stop. No matter who he was, she pretended not to see him and took out the key and inserted it into the lock.
The door hinge just made a slight creaking sound, and sure enough, familiar footsteps were heard behind me.
When Chen Ran pushed the door open, Su Hong was arranging the cloth with her head down.
She glanced at the dark circles under Chen Ran's eyes, and his slightly sunken eye sockets. He looked haggard, as if all his energy had been drained away.
"I called you all day yesterday, but you didn't answer." Chen Ran's voice was hoarse from staying up late, and her deliberately soft tone concealed a subtle tension. "Sister, are you so busy that you don't even have time to check your phone?"
Su Hong paused as she was arranging the cloth, sneering in her heart: You tossed and turned all night long, and you're in a bad mood because of lack of sleep, yet you have the nerve to question me?
She turned around, her eyes and brows as cool as morning dew. "Whether I'm busy or not is none of your business. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."
Chen Ran was choked, but laughed instead - his eloquence had improved a lot compared to before.
Su Hong rolled her eyes at him. "How dare you laugh?" I've been raising a child for decades, and my innocence has long been worn away by life.
The wrinkles at the corners of Chen Ran's eyes were filled with helplessness. "Okay, I'm sorry for being abrupt. So... can you... go out and talk with me sometime?"
"My shop just opened, and I still have business to do. How can I have time to chat with you?" Su Hong's words were like a handful of broken ice. "If you have anything to say, just say it here."
Chen Ran's gaze lingered on her face for three seconds, then suddenly changed into an expression that asked, "Are you sure you want to say this here?" He spoke word by word, "Su Nian—is she my daughter?"
Those words struck Su Hong like thunder, and her porcelain-white face flushed instantly. The morning light slanted in through the glass door, illuminating her trembling shoulders, reminiscent of that chaotic morning—some memories, even if buried for decades, can be ripped apart in a single moment.
"What did you say?!" Her voice cracked.
"I said, Su Nian is my daughter." Chen Ran repeated it slowly, his fingertips stroking the seam of his pants, his Adam's apple rolling, as if he had swallowed a lot of words in his heart.
"What nonsense!" Su Hong suddenly raised her voice, digging her nails into the edge of the counter, her knuckles turning white as frost. "We haven't seen each other for decades. How did my daughter, Su Hong, become yours? Are you crazy because you're so desperate for a daughter?"
"The last time I took my child to the hospital, I saw her date of birth on her medical card." Chen Ran's voice dropped, like a stone sinking to the bottom of the water. "It's only ten months away from the day you left."
The air seemed frozen. Su Hong turned her back, her shoulders shaking even more violently. The morning light danced on the tips of her hair, but it couldn't warm the chill seeping from her bones. Some secrets, the longer they are hidden, the more painful it is to reveal them.
Chen Ran's Adam's apple moved again: "I'm sorry." He stretched out his hand to pat her shoulder to comfort her, but as soon as he touched her, she suddenly dodged away, as if trying to avoid something hot.
"So?" Su Hong suddenly laughed, her laughter shattering against the glass. "You want to come and recognize your daughter now?"
"No, I'm not admitting it... I want to make amends." Chen Ran's shoulders slumped, as if the bones had been pulled out. "Over the years, I..."
"We don't need it." Su Hong picked up a feather duster and slowly brushed away the dust on the cloth. Her movements were so slow that it seemed like she was counting the time. "Nian Nian and I are living well now. We don't need anyone to 'make amends'. You have your Yangguan Road, and we'll walk our own. Not disturbing each other is the best outcome."
Chen Ran didn't move, just staring at her back, his eyes filled with guilt and obsession that even he couldn't explain.
At this time, Afen pushed the door open and paused when she saw the scene in front of her.
She looked at Chen Ran, then at Su Hong, and suddenly her mind lit up - this gentleman's eyes, the curve of his brows, and even the way he smiled, were like those of Nian Nian, the child, as if they were cast from the same mold!
Yes, it should be what she thought in her mind. No wonder she felt familiar with it when she first saw it. So this is the crux of the matter!
She pretended to be nonchalant and said loudly, "Sister Hong, good morning!"
Chen Ran seemed to be interrupted by this voice. He calmed himself down and said to Su Hong, "I'm leaving first. We'll talk about this later."
After saying that, he turned and left. His back was very long in the morning light, but it revealed an indescribable loneliness.
Su Hong looked at his back as he walked out, and the feather duster in her hand slipped down.
Some secrets have been hidden for decades, and people thought they could rot in their stomachs, but they never expected that what is coming cannot be avoided.
Su Nian arrived at the tailor shop today and felt the atmosphere was strangely depressing. It was mainly because of Ms. Su Hong, who looked rather glum. Even when customers came to consult her, she wore a dull expression, lacking her usual enthusiasm.
"Niannian, why does Aunt Su look so worried today? She was fine when we all finished dinner last night. Did you make her angry?" Zhang Qiuyan whispered in Su Nian's ear.
"No way, I wasn't home last night." Su Nian also looked confused.
Only Ah Fen ignored the two children's restlessness and continued to work as usual. She thought to herself, who can understand the difficulties of adults? Those stories hidden in the wrinkles of time are always heavy.
On the other side, Chen Ran left the tailor shop and went to the company.
He thought that this window paper had finally been broken. As the saying goes, "No destruction, no construction." If you want to change anything, you must first break the situation. However, he had not yet fully considered the cost of this breakthrough.
Jishiditang was still bustling with patients in the afternoon, with a long line of patients waiting to see him. Chen Ran, clutching the number that Fang Te had picked up that morning, sat on a bench outside the third clinic, waiting for the young doctor inside to call his number.
He had indeed come to see a doctor today. His old stomachache had resurfaced recently, a dull pain and a bloating sensation, especially after eating. The discomfort was particularly persistent—perhaps because he had too much on his mind, and even his body was protesting.
"Next."
Hearing his number being called, Chen Ran stood up and walked in.
"What a young expert." He looked at the doctor opposite him and said lightly.
Si Yan looked up at Chen Ran and recognized this gentleman at a glance - he had seen him in the hospital last time, when Nian Nian had a stomachache. He seemed to be his mother-in-law's friend, and it was he who sent Nian Nian to the hospital at that time.
Si Yan wondered if he had offended this gentleman in some way. Why did he make fun of his age as soon as he came in?
Was he blaming himself for not thanking him properly back then? That was too hasty, and indeed, it was negligent.
Si Yan smiled calmly, "Thank you for your compliment, sir. Please take a seat and tell me about your symptoms."
Seeing that the other party politely avoided the soft nail he had thrown, Chen Ran couldn't help but look at the other party again.
After Chen Ran sat down, he described his stomachache in detail.
Si Yan nodded as he listened. When he inserted the medical card into the computer, the words "Chen Ran" popped up in the patient information, and Si Yan's hand suddenly paused.
The name and age match. It seems that this person should be the man from Chen's Clothing Company who has special intentions towards Nian Nian.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
