Shi Wang stayed in the hospital for two days. The doctor did a full-body check-up and found nothing seriously wrong. He was told he could be discharged and go home to rest.
Shi Wang nodded. Shi Jingguo was away on a business trip again because of company matters. Su Kaiyue and Shi Yan came to pick him up from the hospital.
Shi Qian hadn't come to see him for the past two days. When Shi Wang asked, Su Kaiyue said that she was sick again and had been sent to a hospital in another city for a checkup. It just so happened that Shi Jingguo was also on a business trip there.
Shi Wang didn't say anything. After returning home, he sat quietly on his bed in his room, staring blankly at the toys that Shi Qian often left in the corner.
Shi Wang's door was not closed, but slightly ajar. Someone knocked on the door, and Shi Wang let them in.
It was Shi Yan who knocked on the door. Shi Yan was carrying a cup of hot water, which was a little full. He was not holding it very steadily and walked towards him unsteadily.
"Why are you here?" Shi Wang asked.
He didn't have much of an impression of the child he had taken in from the countryside; he only knew that the child was Shi Qian's playmate.
"I've come to bring you some water," Shi Yan said cautiously.
"The servants can do these things." Shi Wang told him to put the water glass on the table. Seeing the bandage on Shi Yan's head, he felt it was necessary to show some kindness to the child who had saved him.
"Is your head alright?" Shi Wang asked.
"It's okay, the doctor said the bandages can be removed in a few days," Shi Yan replied timidly.
"Um."
Shi Wang stared blankly at the gauze on Shi Yan's head. He had heard Su Kaiyue say that Shi Yan had just run into him being pulled along that night, and then he had forcefully bumped into the bodies of those thugs. One of the thugs hit him on the head with a stick, causing him to bleed a lot.
Why would a child who has no blood relation to him risk his life to save him, while his own brother remains indifferent?
Shi Wang looked at the child who was dressed almost exactly like Shi Qian and asked, "Were you out playing with Xiao Qian that night? How did you end up over there?"
"Shi Qian saw a puppy and chased after it, and we ended up here without realizing it."
“The nanny was on the phone and didn’t see us. I was worried about Shi Qian’s health, so I went after her.”
This explains why Shi Qian appeared alone in the alley. However, Shi Wang was a little curious: since Shi Yan had been following Shi Qian, didn't the two of them meet when Shi Qian went out?
"Did you catch up with him later?" Shi Wang then asked.
"No, I got lost later and couldn't catch up, but Shi Qian came back on her own not long after, and we ran into each other again."
Did he say anything to you?
"No, he didn't say anything to me, he just said he was a little sleepy and wanted to go home to sleep."
"Then why didn't you go back with him?" Shi Wang was still a little confused about how Shi Yan had run into him. According to him, if Shi Qian hadn't asked him for help, Shi Yan wouldn't have needed to go to the alley.
Shi Yan hesitated for a moment when asked the question, then lowered his head before finally speaking: "I saw that Shi Qian hadn't found the puppy, and I was worried he'd be disappointed, so I thought I'd go help him look for it..."
"And then you just happened to see me?"
"Um."
"How could you have crashed into it? Aren't you afraid those bad guys will hurt you?"
"When I saw my brother was in danger, I didn't think much about it; I just didn't want them to take you away..."
Shi Wang nodded and beckoned Shi Yan over. Shi Yan walked over in small steps, and Shi Wang patted his head gently, saying, "Next time you can go outside and find someone to rescue your brother. It's too dangerous for a little kid like you to do this."
Shi Yan nodded vigorously. Shi Wang told him to go back and rest. After Shi Yan left the room, Shi Wang stared at the glass of water that Shi Yan had brought over and sighed silently.
When Shi Qian returned from seeing a doctor out of town, Shi Wang went to his room after school to see him. Shi Qian was still sleeping with his eyes closed, his forehead wrapped in gauze, and his face was pale. He looked fragile and pitiful.
Shi Yan saw him first and stood up nervously. Shi Wang smiled at Shi Yan, said nothing, and retreated to the door.
He had only come to see Shi Qian and had some questions for her, but Shi Qian was still sleeping, so he could only come back later.
Shi Yan followed him out, carefully closing the door to Shi Qian's room, and asked, "Brother, are you back from school?"
"Yes, when did Xiaoqian come home?"
"I came back in the afternoon. My uncle said that Shi Qian wasn't adjusting well over there, so it's better for her to come back here to recuperate."
"Hmm," Shi Wang nodded, then asked, "What happened to Xiao Qian's head?"
Shi Yan nervously tugged at his sleeve and said, "My uncle said Shi Qian was being naughty over there and accidentally bumped into him."
Shi Wang's mind was entirely on Shi Qian, and he didn't notice Shi Yan's somewhat unnatural little movements.
"Okay, let him get some rest. I'll go back to my room now."
Goodbye, brother.
Shi Yan watched as Shi Wang's room door closed before opening his own and returning to Shi Qian's room.
Shi Yan walked to the bedside. Shi Qian was still asleep. The innocence and timidity that he had shown when he looked at Shi Wang just moments before vanished from Shi Yan's eyes. Instead, a fierce look that shouldn't have appeared in a child of this age suddenly appeared.
Shi Yan stared hatefully at Shi Qian. When he arrived that night, Shi Qian was lying on the ground. The thugs were panicked by the sudden appearance of passersby and started to run away. Shi Yan saw the nanny who was anxiously looking for him not far away, waved to her, and told her that they were here.
When the nanny saw Shi Qian lying unconscious on the ground, her expression changed drastically. If the Shi family found out, they would not only fire her, but also hold her accountable for not taking good care of the young master.
Having offended the Shi family, I fear I will no longer be able to stay in Yan City.
Shi Yan, unusually calm, asked innocently, "Is Shi Qian asleep? Why is he lying on the floor?"
The nanny was suddenly struck by a realization: Yes! The young master was just too tired from playing outside, so he fell asleep. As long as she didn't say anything, no one would find out!
Anyway, the young master is often sick, and he occasionally falls into a coma.
The nanny picked up Shi Qian and then instructed Shi Yan, "Your little brother is just too tired from playing, so he's lying on the ground to rest for a while. The ground is too dirty. If Madam finds out, she'll scold us for not watching him properly. You don't want to be sent back to the countryside, do you? So, when you go back, don't tell Madam. Just keep it as our little secret, okay?"
Shi Yan nodded, feigning fear. "Auntie, I want to help my brother find his dog here. You go first, I'll catch up later."
The nanny naturally prioritized Shi Qian; her main task now was to send the young master home, and she didn't care when Shi Yan would come home.
"Okay, then Auntie will go first, you catch up later."
The nanny hurriedly left with Shi Qian in her arms, naturally not seeing Shi Wang who had fainted on the ground and was hidden by a pile of debris, nor paying attention to the many people who suddenly rushed to the alley entrance, and went out through another path.
After watching the nanny leave with Shi Qian, before the people outside could enter, Shi Yan gritted his teeth, picked up the wooden stick that had fallen to the ground, and smashed it over his own head.
Then he climbed over to Shi Wang's side and pretended to faint.
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