Chapter 4
That night, Sang Nian lay on the large double solid wood bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He wasn't a light sleeper, nor was he excited about the long-awaited reunion; on the contrary, his eyelids were drooping, and he could clearly feel that he was very tired, sleepy, and wanted to sleep, but he just couldn't fall asleep.
He was still thinking about the scene when he first met his so-called family in the living room downstairs.
This was not what he had expected. He thought that after searching for him for eleven years, his family would be eagerly anticipating his return. Even if it wasn't the kind of "holding hands and gazing at each other with tears in their eyes," at least they would be whispering sweet nothings and expressing their longing for each other. But from the moment Sang Nian entered the house until everyone left, his only feeling was indifference.
Yes, cold, and with a hint of awkwardness, as if this family had been forced together.
Apart from his father, Sang Yu, who showed him affection, everyone else was extremely cold towards him. Whether it was Sang Jing, who brought him back from afar, his biological mother, or his twin brother who looked just like him, they were neither excited nor happy about Sang Nian's appearance, treating him like a stranger.
"They're practically strangers," Sang Nian sighed. After all, he'd been gone for so long, his sudden reappearance would catch people off guard.
Sang Nian comforted himself.
It's okay, it will be fine in a few days. After all, they are blood relatives, and they have the most difficult blood relationship to sever in the world.
Besides, haven't they been searching for me all these years?
On the third day after returning home, the continuous rainy days finally ended, and the sky cleared up for once. However, the biting north wind was still blowing, and the warm sunshine paled in comparison.
Sang Nian sat in the car, with Sang Yu sitting next to him. This was Sang Nian's first time going out since returning home, and their destination was a private high-end hospital under the Sang Group. The purpose of the trip was to give Sang Nian a medical check-up.
Sang Yu meant that after years of wandering, he needed to have a thorough medical check-up to see if there were any problems and to supplement whatever he was lacking.
Sang Nian was too thin and short, making him appear particularly petite in front of the Sang family members. If it weren't for his face, which was almost identical to Sang Ning's, no one would believe that he was a descendant of the Sang family.
Moreover, he has a secret that is difficult to talk about.
This secret wasn't exactly a secret within the Sang family; it was common knowledge. After getting into the car, he received a message from his aunt, Sang Ke.
"Little Sang Nian, don't be afraid. Your aunt is here to examine you today, so there's nothing to worry about."
At the end, a "Go for it!" emoji was added.
Perhaps sensing Sang Nian's resistance to the idea of a medical check-up, Sang Ke sent him this message after finishing breakfast and leaving the house.
Sang Ke is a doctor.
She was the only person in the family who treated Sang Nian kindly. The morning after Sang Nian returned home, she kept her promise and gave Sang Nian a very large red envelope.
That day, Sang Yu selectively introduced the key people and events in her family to Sang Nian.
His grandfather, Sang Wenhua, is the current head of the Sang family and a decisive and efficient business leader in Shanghai. His father, Sang Yu, is the president of the Sang Group. His mother, Tao Wanru, is a painter who is currently busy with an art exhibition. Sang Nian has only seen him twice in the past three days: once that evening and again this morning at breakfast when she and Sang Yu came to persuade Sang Nian to go to the hospital for a check-up.
However, Sang Yu did most of the talking, and Sang Nian only gave occasional responses, hardly ever looking at Sang Nian.
His uncle Sang Jing and his aunt Sang Ke were born to Sang Wenhua's second wife. Sang Jing is now the head of a subsidiary of the Sang Group.
His twin brother, Sang Ning, is currently a sophomore at Qiwei Private High School and is a top student. High school students have a heavy workload, even top students are no exception, so Sang Nian hasn't seen Sang Ning much these days.
As an intersex person, Sang Nian has never been able to fully reconcile with himself. He can only ignore the extra organ, but he cannot achieve inner peace.
When he learned that he was going for a medical check-up, Sang Nian's feelings could only be described as "utterly devastated." He boarded the car with a heavy heart, and it was only when he saw the message that Sang Ke sent him that his anxiety was slightly relieved.
As long as it's not someone else, it's fine.
He's not afraid if it's family.
The physical examination went smoothly, with Sang Ke by his side the whole time. When Sang Nian changed back into his own clothes, Sang Ke whispered in his ear, "Young man, you're developing well, but you need to work on your height a bit more."
Sang Nian blushed upon hearing this. He glanced at Sang Ke, fidgeted with his fingers, and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, can I have surgery in that area?"
While he seemed indifferent, he had actually researched online and learned that surgery was possible in his case, but...
Sang Ke looked slightly taken aback. She glanced at Sang Nian, sighed, then pinched his cheek and said with a smile, "You're past the age for surgery, and both of your organs are developing well. You won't have any problems with daily life. If you have surgery now, the risks will be much greater than if you had it when you were a child."
Upon hearing her words, Sang Nian's face turned pale. He forced a smile, indicating that he understood.
Sure enough, I'm already too old.
He knew it, but he still clung to a sliver of hope.
But his hopes were dashed, and he had no choice but to accept his gender, which was neither male nor female.
“You…” Sang Ke scratched his head and said seriously, “Sang Nian, it’s okay. No matter what kind of you you are, you are you. You have to accept yourself first. Other people’s opinions are irrelevant. You don’t need to care about them at all.”
"Besides, this isn't your fault."
This is something that even genes can't explain, so how can we attribute all the blame to a seventeen-year-old boy?
Sang Nian blinked blankly, then turned his head and took a breath.
"I know, thank you, Auntie." Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were about to cry.
Sang Ke sighed, patted Sang Nian's head, and said to him, "Then go sit in my office for a while, and your aunt will go and take a look at your other reports."
“Okay, Auntie, you can go now.” Sang Nian nodded, then watched Sang Ke turn and leave.
On the top floor of the hospital, in the reception room next to the director's office, Sang Yu stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at the river view outside the hospital. Meanwhile, Tao Wanru, whom he had mentioned being busy with an art exhibition, was fidgeting on the sofa.
"Why hasn't Sang Ke arrived yet? Hasn't she received the report? It's taking so long. Does she even care about Ning Ning?" As she spoke, she took out her phone, intending to call Sang Ke.
Sang Yu remained calm and composed, turned around, picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip of tea, and then said, "What's the use of your rush? We've waited for so long, what's a few more minutes?"
“Sang Yu, what are you saying? I’m worried about Ningning. If even he isn’t good enough for her, then what will become of our Ningning…” Before she could finish speaking, Tao Wanru covered her face, lowered her head, and began to cry. Her voice was so mournful that it pained Sang Yu’s heart. So he went over, put his arm around Tao Wanru’s shoulder, and comforted her, “Don’t worry, they will definitely be a match. They are identical twins.”
As soon as Sang Ke entered the room, she saw Sang Yu and Tao Wanru embracing and crying. She rolled her eyes and slammed the report in her hand onto the table.
The sound was so loud that it startled both Sang Yu and Tao Wanru.
"I really want to take a picture of you all like this. Who are you trying to impress? Don't you even know where you are?"
Sang Ke said sarcastically.
Upon hearing this, Sang Yu immediately straightened her face and looked at Sang Ke with a serious expression: "Sang Ke, watch your words."
Sang Ke scoffed in dissatisfaction, but upon seeing Sang Yu's warning look, she immediately raised her hands in surrender: "Alright, my dear brother and sister-in-law, do as you please, I'll be going."
After saying that, he prepared to leave.
Sang Yu called out to her.
"How were the test results?"
Sang Ke turned around, glanced at Tao Wanru's anxious face, smiled, and said, "Whose son are you talking about? Are you concerned about your eldest son or your newly adopted youngest son?"
Seeing that Sang Yu was about to get angry, Sang Ke chuckled again. She picked up a strand of hair and said casually, "I was wondering why the sun was shining today. Turns out there's good news."
As soon as she finished speaking, Tao Wanru excitedly grabbed Sang Yu's hand. Sang Yu glanced at her and then took her hand in return.
"It's a match?"
Sang Ke rolled her eyes: "It matches."
Tao Wanru was immediately overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful, wonderful! We've finally waited for this day. When can we schedule the surgery? The sooner the surgery is done, the less Ningning will suffer."
Sang Yu patted her hand, signaling her not to rush, then glanced at Sang Ke, urging her to explain quickly.
"Heh." Sang Ke plopped down on the sofa, looking at the loving couple in front of her, feeling contempt in her heart, but she didn't stop talking: "Sang Nian is too thin and doesn't meet the standards for surgery. Rushing into surgery might be detrimental to his recovery, so I suggest we wait until he has recovered before having the surgery."
"etc?"
"How much longer do I have to wait?"
Tao Wanru suddenly shouted, "I've waited long enough. Ningning can't wait any longer, not even for a moment. I don't care whether Sang Nian is healthy or suitable for surgery. I just want my Ningning to get better!"
“Sang Nian is also your son!”
Sang Ke frowned and interrupted Tao Wanru.
Tao Wanru closed her eyes, her shoulders trembling, two lines of tears sliding down her cheeks. She bit her lip and said mercilessly, "He's not. He's a monster. I only have one son, Sang Ning."
"He's a monster who's neither male nor female!"
"If it weren't for Ningning's illness, I would never want to see this monster again in my life!"
Sang Nian sat in Sang Ke's office for a long time, but she didn't return. She didn't reply to his messages, and Sang Yu disappeared after taking him to the hospital. Staying in an unfamiliar environment for so long, Sang Nian suddenly felt uneasy. Just then, a nurse knocked on the door to deliver some paperwork, and Sang Nian seized the opportunity to ask her where Dr. Sang had gone.
The nurse thought for a moment and replied, "I think I saw her go to the dean's office just now." Then she left.
Sang Nian sat for a while longer, and after much deliberation, he got up, opened the office door, and followed the instructions to take the elevator to the top floor of the hospital.
The dean's office was at the very back. Sang Nian slowly walked over, but before he reached his destination, he suddenly heard a hoarse roar coming from the next meeting room.
"He's a monster who's neither male nor female!"
"If it weren't for Ningning's illness, I would never want to see this monster again in my life!"
Sang Nian stood frozen in place, all color draining from his face.
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