Chapter 75 "Our Panpan really knows how to eat!"...
Chapter 75
Shen Yanzhou took his hand and kissed it. "Brother is alright."
Yu Pan didn't say anything, but he understood everything. He broke free from Shen Yanzhou's grasp and hugged Shen Yanzhou's neck even tighter, burying his face in it. "Anyway, I won't allow anyone to say anything about you! Nobody... not even my biological parents!"
Shen Yanzhou was deeply moved by his words, hugged him tightly, patted his back, and said, "Okay, okay, I understand. Our Panpan is the best to you."
Yu Pan then raised his head and leaned back on Shen Yanzhou's shoulder, saying whatever came to mind, "Brother, you know what? I've been thinking about so many things."
"What were you thinking about?" Shen Yanzhou asked.
"I've been thinking about why I wasn't born to Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen," Yu Pan's voice was a little low, "I want Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen to be my parents."
Shen Yanzhou felt a pang of sadness and lowered his head to rub Yu Pan's head with his chin. "What nonsense are you talking about? Of course they are your parents too."
"I know," Yu Pan replied softly. After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked up and asked softly, "Brother, will you leave me?"
"No," Shen Yanzhou answered without hesitation. "I'll always be by your side. I'll be with you for the rest of my life."
-
At this moment, the atmosphere in the Wu family was so heavy that it was hard to breathe.
Su Wenjun had the old photo album on her lap, tears streaming down her face as she repeatedly stroked the innocent faces of the children in the photos.
Wu Zewen sat to the side, his brows furrowed. "Wenjun, stop looking at this. Have something to eat. You've been looking at this all night."
Su Wenjun seemed not to hear, pointing to the chubby-cheeked child in the photo, and said in a choked voice, "Zewen, look, our Xiaoyuan... how good-looking and spirited he was when he was little..."
Wu Zewen had seen this photo of the baby's first birthday celebration countless times, but he was still moved by the sadness in his wife's words. He put his arm around his wife's shoulder and his gaze fell on the photo.
In the photo, little Chongyuan, who had just turned one year old, was stretching out his chubby little hand and firmly grasping a fountain pen. At the time, the guests all said that the child would be successful in the future...
Thinking of the Youth Day performance he had seen before, and Yu Pan's brilliant articles in the survey data, Wu Zewen felt a mix of emotions.
"Shouldn't we have...shouldn't we have left Xiaoyuan with Mom in the first place?" Su Wenjun suddenly grabbed Wu Zewen's arm and began to wail, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault..."
Seeing his wife lose control of her emotions again, Wu Zewen sighed deeply and waved to the maid waiting at the door: "Madam is emotionally unstable again. Go and contact Dr. Li and ask her to come and take a look at you first thing tomorrow morning."
The maid nodded in a low voice and quietly left.
Wu Zewen comforted Su Wenjun by the bedside for a long time, then fed her some sedatives. After watching her finally fall into a deep sleep, he wearily rubbed his temples and got up to leave.
Perhaps due to the excessive stimulation she experienced during the day, the sedative that usually allowed Su Wenjun to sleep soundly through the night only lasted until dawn this time.
Wu Chongzhi rarely stayed at home for one night. He was woken up early in the morning by noises coming from his parents' room. He tossed and turned a few times in frustration, but finally resigned himself to getting up and going to check on the situation.
When the door opened, Wu Chongzhi entered and saw a mess on the floor. Su Wenjun was being held tightly by Wu Zewen, and she was making indistinct cries. Two servants were frantically trying to bind her struggling hands and feet with soft strips of cloth.
Wu Chongzhi frowned deeply: "Dad! What's wrong with Mom now?"
Su Wenjun's condition has stabilized a lot in recent years with the intervention of a psychologist. She occasionally gets emotional, but she has never been as out of control as she is now.
After finally settling the exhausted and gradually calmed-down Su Wenjun back onto the bed, Wu Zewen looked at his son and sighed deeply.
Now that things had come to this, there was no way to hide it anymore. He had no choice but to briefly recount how he had found Yu Pan during this time, and how he had rashly gone to recognize her yesterday but messed things up.
Upon hearing this, Wu Chongzhi felt a surge of anger rising to his head. "You just rushed up to claim kinship like that?! Without even a moment's hesitation?"
“I…I am his biological father.” Wu Zewen was somewhat annoyed by his son’s questioning. “Besides, if your grandmother hadn’t forced us, why would we have sent your brother away? We had no choice…”
"So what if it wasn't voluntary?" Wu Chongzhi said angrily. "Did you resist back then? Did you try your best? Dad, you weren't a teenager back then. Did you listen to Grandma in everything? Now look how things have turned out. Isn't this the result of your own actions?"
Wu Chongzhi became increasingly angry as he spoke, “Dad, you’re always like this. When you encounter problems, you either run away or pretend you don’t see them. When things get out of control, you push the blame onto others.”
"How dare you speak to me like that!" Wu Zewen thought his son would understand their painstaking search for their son, but instead he was met with a barrage of accusations.
His eyes widened in anger, "If it weren't for you, and your mother's poor health, we wouldn't have entrusted your brother to your grandmother's care! Now it's our fault?"
Upon hearing this, the air in the room seemed to freeze, leaving only Su Wenjun's intermittent sobs.
Wu Chongzhi paused for a moment, nodded, and chuckled, "Yes, it's my fault. It's my fault for coming into this world at the wrong time. Sometimes, I really envy my brother. At least he didn't have to grow up in this kind of family."
"This kind of family?" Wu Zewen was completely enraged by his words and stood up abruptly. "Have I ever lacked food or clothing for you? From childhood to adulthood, what haven't I given you? Even when you insisted on choosing physics as your major in college, did I ever say no?"
“Yes, you didn’t say anything.” Wu Chongzhi was too tired to argue with his father anymore. “Then you should just keep an eye on your son who studies literature and wait for the day he forgives you. But…”
He scoffed, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm: "With the way you think, Dad, the idea of him forgiving you probably only happens in your dreams, right?"
"Smack—!"
A resounding slap landed hard on Wu Chongzhi's cheek with lightning speed.
Wu Zewen was trembling with anger, pointing his finger at his nose: "I made you study so many books, only to end up like this, coming back to criticize your father!?"
His face stung, and Wu Chongzhi tilted his head, pressing his tongue against his numb cheek. “It’s better than you, Dad, who has studied for half your life but can’t even distinguish right from wrong.”
"You bastard! Get out of here! Get out!" Wu Zewen roared, pointing at the door as his chest heaved violently.
Without saying a word, Wu Chongzhi turned and left. When he reached the door, he paused and said without turning back, "Dad, you should see a psychologist when you have time."
His response was a loud thud as a table in the room behind him was kicked over.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Dr. Li Xiulan arrived on time.
Upon entering the bedroom, she was startled to see Su Wenjun lying on the bed with her wrists bound by cloth strips: "What happened?"
Wu Zewen sat wearily on the edge of the bed and recounted how his wife had fallen ill the day before, taken medication, and gone to sleep, only to suddenly go mad again in the early morning.
At this moment, Su Wenjun had calmed down and stopped struggling. She just stared blankly at the ceiling and wept.
Li Xiulan stepped forward and carefully examined her wrists and body, confirming that no new external injuries had been caused, before carefully untying the strip of cloth.
“She had scheduled a follow-up appointment with me a few days ago. She sounded quite stable on the phone. Has something happened to her recently?” Li Xiulan asked gently.
Wu Zewen sighed heavily and said, "Dr. Li, to be honest... we found that child, our eldest son who went missing more than ten years ago."
Li Xiulan's face showed surprise: "It's...the child that's the root of Mrs. Wu's heartache?"
She had only taken over this patient's care last year from her teacher and knew that the patient's unresolved issue lay with her eldest son, who had gone missing years ago. Logically, finding the child should be a joyous occasion, so why had her condition worsened?
“Yes,” Wu Zewen nodded with difficulty, “but the child refuses to acknowledge us now; he is very resistant.”
“I see…” Li Xiulan nodded thoughtfully. “Mr. Wu, I have said before that the root of your wife’s problem lies in her inner knot. All we doctors can do is assist and guide her. The most important thing is for her to think things through, let go, and learn to reconcile with herself and forgive herself.”
“Dr. Li, you know about my wife’s heart ailment.” Wu Zewen smiled bitterly. “Now we’ve found the cure, but this medicine… it refuses to be taken.”
Li Xiulan thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Wu, it's perfectly normal for a child to resist. Think about it, that child should be an adult now, with his own independent life and world. If two people suddenly appeared, claiming to be his biological parents, and wanted to disrupt his current peace, how would he feel?"
Wu Zewen remained silent.
Li Xiulan continued, "He will feel confused, scared, or even angry. This has nothing to do with whether he knows you are his biological parents, because he and you... have no emotional foundation."
Wu Zewen remained silent, his brows furrowed, his lips moving as if he wanted to refute.
Li Xiulan continued patiently, "Moreover, people are different. Perhaps in your opinion, it is only natural for blood relatives to recognize each other, but for him, he has already gotten used to his current life and has a family that he approves of."
For some reason, after hearing her words, Wu Zewen suddenly remembered what Shen Yanzhou had said about "taking it slow." At the time, he thought it was just an excuse, but now he tasted something different.
“But…we are his biological parents…” Wu Zewen murmured, feeling that even he himself felt his words were somewhat weak and powerless.
Li Xiulan smiled slightly, "Yes, blood ties cannot be changed, but feelings need time and interaction to cultivate. Without more than ten years of nurturing, it is unrealistic to suddenly ask him to accept everything."
"Then what should we do?" Wu Zewen paused, then added, "I mean... about that child."
"Are you trying to ease tensions?" Li Xiulan asked. "My advice is not to rush things. You can start by getting to know a new friend, taking it slow, maintaining an appropriate distance and respect, so that he can feel your sincerity rather than pressure."
"Is this... Dr. Li?"
During a break in their conversation, Su Wenjun seemed to finally break free from her emotions a little and spoke weakly.
"Oh, it's me." Li Xiulan leaned over. "Mrs. Wu, how are you feeling? Is anything bothering you...?"
…
After the consultation, Li Xiulan prepared to leave, and Wu Zewen saw her to the door, his face showing a hesitant expression.
Li Xiulan noticed his unusual behavior and took the initiative to speak: "Mr. Wu, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
Wu Zewen hesitated for a moment before speaking with some difficulty: "Dr. Li, if, if we want to apologize to that child, what do you think we should do?"
Looking at the struggling man before her, Li Xiulan sighed inwardly. "Mr. Wu, the most important things in an apology are sincerity and respect. Since the child is resisting meeting, forcing a face-to-face meeting might backfire. Perhaps we could start with a sincere letter?"
"A letter?" Wu Zewen was taken aback.
“Yes,” Li Xiulan nodded, “Say what you want to say, the most important thing is to respect his current choice, don’t force him to respond, let him know that you have realized your mistakes and are willing to follow his pace.”
Wu Zewen silently processed the suggestion, and finally nodded, "I understand, thank you, Dr. Li."
After seeing Dr. Li off, Wu Zewen returned to his study, closed the door, and sat at his desk for a long time.
-
On the other side, at Yu Pan and Shen Yanzhou's small home.
The next day was the weekend, and Shen Yanzhou turned down all social engagements to stay home with Yu Pan.
The two slept in until they naturally woke up, and then made a simple brunch together.
In the afternoon, Yu Pan suddenly had a brilliant idea: to teach Shen Yanzhou to play a two-player game that he had recently been enjoying.
Shen Yanzhou was completely clueless about this kind of game. He held the controller awkwardly, and his character stumbled and staggered when he tried to control it, which made Yu Pan laugh uncontrollably.
"Brother! You're so clumsy! Jump to the left! To the left!" Yu Pan was so anxious that she kept slapping the sofa, wishing she could reach out and help him press the button.
Shen Yanzhou looked at the little figure falling off the cliff again on the screen and rubbed his temples helplessly: "This is much harder than negotiating a contract."
Despite saying that, Shen Yanzhou didn't put down the controller. He let Yu Pan direct him from the side. When they got tired of playing, the two of them would lean against each other, randomly stop on a channel, and watch TV dramas and commercials.
Yu Pan sat between Shen Yanzhou's legs, found a comfortable position to curl up, and idly played with the buttons on Shen Yanzhou's pajamas.
“Brother,” he suddenly whispered, “I’m actually a little curious.”
"What are you curious about?" Shen Yanzhou hugged him tighter.
"I'm curious about what kind of people they are," Yu Pan said softly. "Besides coming to scare me and saying bad things about you, what are they really like?"
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yanzhou said objectively, "Wu Zewen is a scholar who occasionally gives lectures at universities. Su Wenjun, I heard, was born in Jiangnan."
At this point, Shen Yanzhou paused, "Panpan, you need to feel and judge for yourself what kind of people they are, but whatever decision you make, I will support you."
Yu Pan hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more, but just snuggled closer into Chen Yanzhou's arms.
When Shen Yanzhou went downstairs to throw out the trash that evening, he saw a thick stack of letters in the mailbox by the door when he came back.
He took it out and saw that, in addition to the address and sender Wu Zewen, the envelope also had the recipient "Yu Pan" on the side.
Shen Yanzhou entered the room with the letter, and Yu Pan was lying on the sofa, swinging her legs and reading a book.
"Panpan, there's a letter for you." Shen Yanzhou handed the letter over.
"A letter? Who's writing to me?" His social circle is mostly based on phone communication now, and he hasn't submitted any articles recently, so it probably isn't a magazine.
Yu Pan took it with a puzzled look, and when he saw the three words "Wu Zewen" on it, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Shen Yanzhou with some helplessness.
Shen Yanzhou sat down next to him. "Do you want to see it? If you don't want to see it, then don't, or I can help you see it."
Yu Pan stared at the letter for a long time, then finally shook her head, put the letter on the coffee table, picked up her book again, and said, "...I don't want to read it now."
"Okay." Shen Yanzhou put the letter in the drawer under the coffee table. "What do you want to eat tomorrow morning? I'll make it for you."
"Hmm..." Yu Pan perked up at the mention of food, "Pancakes! I want milk, eggs, and diced ham! And some corn too..."
Shen Yanzhou pinched his cheek, "Our Panpan really knows how to eat."
Yu Pan replied smugly, "That's right, don't you know who I am?"
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Author's Note: Panpan [Cat Head]: Don't you even know who I am? [Cat Head][Cat Head][Cat Head]
There will be no reconciliation, don't worry.
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