Chapter 71 "I'll stick to you, I'll stick to you."...
Chapter 71
Yu Pan was completely unaware of the commotion he had caused. He was walking briskly beside Shen Yanzhou, chattering incessantly.
Shen Yanzhou listened quietly, occasionally glancing at him with gentle eyes, her heart still filled with countless emotions.
Unlike their relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, the Wu family was extremely depressed at this moment, and Wu Chongzhi's mood was also extremely complicated and hard to describe.
He knew he had an older brother who had gone missing when he was young, but he was only two years old when it happened and had no memory of his brother.
His remaining understanding mostly came from his mother's grief and nagging over the years. Now, the sudden appearance of someone who looked so much like him made him feel inexplicably irritable and uneasy, something he had never experienced before.
Su Wenjun's mental state was already unstable. When she saw the boy on the stage, the longing and guilt that had been building up for nearly seventeen years overwhelmed her instantly, and her emotions completely collapsed.
While her husband was investigating, Su Wenjun cried every day and even neurotically demanded to immediately reunite with her son.
Wu Zewen was also in a state of great distress. He used his connections to investigate Yu Pan's background, but the process turned out to be unexpectedly difficult.
No matter which channel you use, the information you can find seems to be artificially cut off before a certain point in time, with only records related to his second year of high school and his entry into university.
What alarmed him even more was that an old friend he had known for many years and with whom he had a close relationship, after receiving his request for a while, subtly reminded him: "Old Wu, the young man you are investigating... his family is probably quite powerful."
These words calmed Wu Zewen's feverish mind a little, and he immediately changed direction to investigate Shen Yanzhou, who was the person most closely related to Yu Pan, according to the information.
As a businessman, it was much easier to find information about Shen Yanzhou.
The information Wu Zewen received also showed that this young man had established himself in Qingyu in just two years, with rapid business expansion. He also had close ties with the Lin family in Beijing and had recently joined forces to win a highly promising development project in the suburbs of Beijing. He was a rising star in the business world.
The Wu family is a traditional scholarly family, and in the past, when the old man was still alive, they were considered a prominent family in Beijing. However, since the old man passed away, the family's influence has declined significantly, and they maintain their dignity mainly by relying on their old reputation and some connections.
However, Su Wenjun couldn't wait for her husband to weigh the pros and cons. Tormented by her longing for her son, she secretly ran away to Peking University while Wu Zewen was away.
Shortly after Su Wenjun arrived at the gate of Peking University, Wu Zewen's phone rang urgently.
The voice on the other end of the phone was cold and indifferent, succinctly conveying the warning.
Wu Zewen was horrified; the speed of the other party's reaction and the tightness of the surveillance far exceeded his expectations. He dared not delay and immediately drove to Peking University, where he coaxed and persuaded his dazed wife to come home.
-
Sunlight streamed through the large, smooth glass windows, illuminating the porcelain-white floor tiles of Shen Yanzhou's office. The secretary's intercom rang, and a low voice announced, "Mr. Shen, a Mr. Wu is coming to visit."
Shen Yanzhou put down the documents in his hand. "Please let him in."
When Wu Zewen was led in, Shen Yanzhou stood up and calmly looked at the gentle and refined but undeniably haggard middle-aged man in front of him.
I couldn't help but marvel once again at the wonder of blood ties; I could vaguely see a resemblance to Yu Pan in the person before me.
Shen Yanzhou nodded slightly and gestured for him to sit down. "Mr. Wu, please have a seat."
Wu Zewen sat down in the chair opposite Shen Yanzhou. Without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point, "Mr. Shen, I apologize for the abrupt visit. We...we have no ill intentions, we just want an answer."
“I’m investigating you because I suspect… your younger brother, Yu Pan, might be the child who left my family many years ago.”
Shen Yanzhou leaned back slightly and tapped his finger lightly on the table. "And then?"
“We’d like to…” Wu Zewen took a deep breath, “Could we have Yu Pan… do a paternity test with us? We just need one result.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yanzhou's lips curled into a very faint smile. "Mr. Wu, I understand that you and your wife are anxious to find your son, but what makes you think I would let my brother do this paternity test with you?"
The question was direct, and Wu Zewen knew he had no bargaining chips, so he could only offer what the other party might be interested in: "Mr. Shen, please tell me your conditions."
Shen Yanzhou looked at him with sharp eyes and slowly said, "I want to know the truth about what happened back then."
Wu Zewen's face instantly stiffened, his eyes flickering. He remained silent for a moment before speaking with difficulty: "I can... but I have one condition. Only after the paternity test results come out and confirm that it is... can I tell you."
Shen Yanzhou stared at him for a few seconds before finally nodding. "Okay."
He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Wu Zewen. "But before that, there are a few rules that must be made clear."
“Go ahead,” Wu Zewen said.
"This matter must be kept absolutely confidential. You provide the comparison samples, I will appoint the testing agency, and also..."
Shen Yanzhou turned around. "I want to be the first to get the test results. Before I make a decision to tell Yu Pan, you cannot disturb him in any way or for any reason."
Looking at the young yet powerful man before him, Wu Zewen knew he had no room to object. He closed his eyes wearily, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was compromise. "...Alright, everything will be done as Mr. Chen says."
-
After reaching an agreement with the Wu family, Shen Yanzhou's life did not experience much disruption. He adjusted his work focus and handed over most of Qingyu's affairs to Tan Ming.
He then led his core team to set up a temporary office in Beijing and officially launched the preparatory work for the suburban Beijing project.
This also meant that he and Yu Pan no longer needed to endure a separation of half a month or even longer. Yu Pan was naturally the happiest about this and immediately applied to her advisor to go home for accommodation.
Half a month had passed since the sample was sent for testing. When Shen Yanzhou got off work and returned home, he saw Yu Pan sitting cross-legged on the living room carpet, wearing loose green and white checkered home clothes, with a pen in her mouth.
On the small tea table in front of him was a pile of manuscript papers. Yu Pan was scratching her head and looking at the pile of manuscript papers, completely focused, and did not notice that he had returned. However, Shen Yanzhou did not mind. Instead, he was filled with an indescribable sense of security.
The sound of the key hitting the shoe cabinet was a bit jarring. Yu Pan heard the noise, looked up, and saw that it was Shen Yanzhou. She almost scrambled to her feet, rushed to the entrance, and jumped up to hang on Shen Yanzhou.
"Brother! Didn't you say you'd be back very late tonight?" Yu Pan wrapped her legs around Shen Yanzhou's waist and put her arms around his neck.
Shen Yanzhou lifted Yu Pan's bottom, placed the briefcase on the coffee table, and rubbed his chin against Yu Pan's cheek. "Things went smoothly, so I came back early. What were you doing just now? Did you get writer's block again?"
"Hmm..." Yu Pan buried her face in her neck and responded in a muffled voice, then comforted herself, "It's okay, it's just a little bit of a calorie. Brother, I want to eat the sausage and pork rib claypot rice you made."
"Okay, I'll make it for you in a bit." Shen Yanzhou carried him into the house, like he was carrying a large doll. "Let me change my clothes first."
"No, hug me a little longer..." Yu Pan pleaded, hugging him even tighter.
"Alright, alright," Shen Yanzhou laughed, flicking his nose. "You clingy little thing."
"I'll stick to you no matter what," Yu Pan huffed confidently, then leaned in and gave Shen Yanzhou a quick kiss on the lips.
Shen Yanzhou's eyes darkened, and he was about to lower his head to deepen the kiss when Yu Pan smiled slyly, tilted her head back to avoid it, and blinked as she asked, "Then who's the clingy one?"
Shen Yanzhou placed his hand on Yu Pan's back and said, "Brother is, brother is the biggest clingy person."
"That's more like it!" Yu Pan smiled with satisfaction, then leaned in and allowed Shen Yanzhou to kiss her.
That's how people are; when they're loved enough, they become very spoiled. After getting used to Shen Yanzhou being here, Yu Pan's nature, which had been suppressed by independence, gradually returned.
Before Shen Yanzhou came, he didn't like to stay in bed late in the dormitory and would get up early for class every day.
Now that Shen Yanzhou is around, Yu Pan's laziness seems to have improved. Just like before Shen Yanzhou went to Qingyu, every morning Yu Pan has to engage in a tug-of-war with her bed to get out of bed.
The alarm clock dutifully rang again and again, and Yu Pan buried her head in the pillow, letting out a dissatisfied groan.
Shen Yanzhou was already dressed and bent down to hug him, blanket and all, and coaxed him softly, "Panpan, be good, it's time to get up, or you'll be late for class."
"Um... five minutes, just five minutes..." Yu Pan closed her eyes and snuggled into his arms, her voice muffled.
Looking at his rosy cheeks from sleeping, Shen Yanzhou's heart softened even more. "No, you said the same thing yesterday, and you almost got late."
After saying that, Shen Yanzhou reached out to lift the blanket, but Yu Pan clung tightly to the corner of the blanket, twisting her body into a pretzel and making all sorts of strange, unreasonable noises, refusing to get out of bed.
In the end, Shen Yanzhou would usually just pull him out of bed and carry him to the bathroom to wash up.
Yu Pan kept her eyes closed the whole time, her head drooping on Shen Yanzhou's shoulder, until a warm towel was applied to her face, at which point she reluctantly opened her eyes a crack.
Looking at Shen Yanzhou skillfully squeezing toothpaste onto his face in the mirror, Yu Pan vaguely remembered that Shen Yanzhou used to take care of him getting up in the same way when he was in high school.
As Yu Pan thought about it, he couldn't help but laugh. Shen Yanzhou held a toothbrush to his lips. "You're this happy to stay in bed?"
Yu Pan nodded, then suddenly put the toothbrush in her mouth, turned around and hugged Shen Yanzhou's waist, saying indistinctly, "Brother, you're the best!"
Perhaps because they could see each other every day, their desire was not as strong as it had been when they only saw each other once every two weeks.
Back then, whenever Shen Yanzhou came, they practically lived in bed, and the number of times they were properly dressed could be counted on one hand.
Even if they don't make love, they'll always stick together, kissing and caressing, using this extreme intimacy to confirm each other's existence.
Things are much better now; at least everyone can be busy with their own things during the day on weekends. Since Shen Yanzhou works here, some space has been cleared in the study to house his computer and office documents.
On weekends, while Shen Yanzhou was processing emails in his study, Yu Pan would also take his manuscripts and drawings and curl up on the small bed by the window to write and draw.
Occasionally, when Yu Pan encounters a writing block, she will frown and stare blankly for a while, then softly call out, "Brother."
Shen Yanzhou turned his head to the side. "Hmm?"
"Can you take a look? Is this plot arrangement too abrupt?"
At this point, Shen Yanzhou would put down his work, carefully look at the place he was pointing to, and offer his own suggestions.
He didn't understand literary creation, but he knew the core message Yu Pan wanted to convey, and Shen Yanzhou's opinions were often insightful and could even bring Yu Pan new inspiration.
Sometimes when Yu Pan got tired of writing, she would sidle up to Shen Yanzhou, rest her chin on the edge of the table, and stare at him longingly.
Shen Yanzhou rubbed his head, "Tired?"
"Mm." Yu Pan nodded.
"Let's rest for a bit. What would you like to eat? Fruit or snacks?"
"I want both!"
Shen Yanzhou smiled and shook his head, then got up and went to the kitchen to cut fruit and get snacks.
Yu Pan followed him like a little tail, hugging his waist from behind and stepping on his heels when she walked too fast, causing them both to stumble.
Shen Yanzhou turned and pinched his cheek, sighing helplessly, "You..."
"What's wrong with me?" Yu Pan blinked, looking completely innocent.
When Shen Yanzhou saw him like this, he couldn't say a word. It was all his fault for spoiling him...
The days passed in this affectionate and warm way, and the time for the paternity test results to be released was getting closer and closer.
It was a typical Friday evening. Yu Pan had no classes that afternoon, so she watched TV at home for a while. Suddenly, she felt like cooking again.
His cooking skills have improved significantly; at least he won't turn the ingredients into charcoal like he did the first time.
This time, he made the same three dishes as always: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried chicken with mushrooms, and stir-fried cabbage.
He performed consistently well with the first two dishes, with the color, aroma, and taste all passable. The only inconsistent dish was the stir-fried cabbage; it wasn't burnt but was undercooked, and while it wasn't undercooked, it didn't look appealing.
Actually, there were still green beans in the refrigerator, but Yu Pan dared not touch them. They were delicious, but he had learned a painful lesson from them.
Last time, he made stir-fried green beans with pork belly. Perhaps the green beans weren't fully cooked. After eating, he felt palpitations and his hands trembled. He started vomiting soon after. Although he went to the hospital, he was so frightened that he flew back from Qingyu that same day.
Since then, Shen Yanzhou has strictly restricted him from eating green beans and other foods that are prone to food poisoning if not handled properly.
Shen Yanzhou returned home a little later than usual today. As soon as he opened the door, he smelled the aroma of food wafting from the house.
Yu Pan, wearing a green and white striped apron, was carrying a plate of stir-fried cabbage that looked a bit dark in color as she came out of the kitchen.
"Brother, you're back!" Yu Pan smiled broadly when she saw him. "Perfect timing, time to wash my hands and eat!"
Shen Yanzhou looked at his smile, changed into slippers to wash his hands, and praised him, "Hmm, our Panpan is really capable, she's making great progress."
Perhaps because it contained the fruits of his own labor, Yu Pan ate with relish, telling Shen Yanzhou about what happened in class that day and a new story idea that had popped into his head.
Shen Yanzhou listened and occasionally put food in his bowl.
"Brother, are you very tired today?" Yu Pan put down her chopsticks, leaned closer, and looked into Shen Yanzhou's eyes. "You seem to have something on your mind."
"No, it's just that the meeting took a little longer today." Shen Yanzhou placed a piece of pork rib into Yu Pan's bowl. "Focus on your food."
Yu Pan blinked and didn't ask any further questions.
Over the weekend, Shen Yanzhou was more silent than usual.
Although she was still by his side, Yu Pan could feel that his gaze would sometimes linger on her for a long time, filled with emotions that she couldn't understand.
On Monday morning, Shen Yanzhou went to work as usual. Around noon, he received the long-awaited phone call and drove alone to the appraisal agency.
The appraisal report was sealed in a plain yellow kraft paper envelope. Shen Yanzhou did not linger at the institution; he returned to his car and sat there in silence.
After a long while, he tore open the seal on the envelope and his gaze fell directly on the final section for expert opinions.
[Based on our center's identification, it is supported that Sample A (Wu Zewen) and Sample B (Su Wenjun) are the biological parents of Sample C (Yu Pan).]
Despite having anticipated it, and despite all the clues pointing to this, Shen Yanzhou still felt a brief dizziness upon seeing the result.
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and remained motionless for a long time.
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Author's Note: Panpan [Cat Head]: Who's the clingy one? [Question Mark] It's definitely not me [Cat Head]
I accidentally hit my hand while setting up the table, and typing feels like being pricked by needles [clown]. Everyone, please be careful when you're holding a hammer [laughing and crying with face covered]
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