442: Chapter 442 Taking Youyou Home

The faint scent of sandalwood in the air was dispersed by the aroma of freshly brewed tea.

Ning Ke carefully closed the lacquered wooden box, as if he were holding an Imperial Seal.

"Brother Shen, I, Ning Ke, owe you this favor."

His voice carried the solemnity of a man of the martial world.

Shen Yan merely nodded lightly.

Favors were sometimes more useful than money.

He stood up, the fatigue washing over him like a tide once more.

With forty million secured, the urgent crisis of "janus" had been averted.

As for Su Wan, the manuscript had already been sent, and the press conference was tomorrow; for now, there was no need for him to intervene.

Right now, all he wanted was to go home and sleep until the world ended.

His phone vibrated once in his pocket.

Shen Yan pulled it out, expecting a follow-up work arrangement from his assistant.

What flashed on the screen, however, was an unfamiliar landline number.

The caller ID showed it was local to S City.

He swiped to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak with Mr. Shen Yan, the guardian of little Shen Youyou?"

The woman on the other end sounded very polite, but carried a trace of hard-to-detect anxiety.

Shen Yan's heart plummeted.

"I am. What happened to Youyou?"

"Mr. Shen, please don't worry, Youyou's condition is temporarily stable."

"It's like this: Youyou seemed to have an allergic reaction at the kindergarten; she developed some red rashes on her body."

"The school nurse, Doctor Zhao, has already given her emergency treatment, and she has taken antihistamines."

"But we still hope you can come over as soon as possible; the child's mood is not good."

Allergy.

Those two words were like a needle, instantly piercing Shen Yan's taut nerves.

Youyou was severely allergic to mangoes. He had repeatedly instructed the school staff about this during enrollment.

"I'm coming right now."

His voice betrayed no emotion, yet carried an undeniable coldness.

After hanging up, he didn't even spare a glance for the stunned Ning Ke.

"Brother Ning, I have an urgent matter. I must leave first."

Before his words had even finished, he was already gone, like a gust of wind sweeping out of the private room.

Ning Ke watched his disappearing back, then looked at the wooden box on the table, his eyes filled with complexity.

The only thing that could cause this man, who remained unruffled even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, to lose his composure was likely his precious daughter.

The taxi sped down the road.

The street scenes outside the window rapidly receded—skyscrapers, heavy traffic, a prosperity that felt somewhat unreal.

But Shen Yan saw none of it.

What echoed repeatedly in his mind was only the teacher's phrase, "allergic reaction."

He recalled an incident when his wife was still alive, where the Nanny accidentally fed Youyou a tiny bit of mango puree.

Youyou's body swelling up, her breathing becoming rapid, and the scene of her being rushed to the emergency room—it remained an indelible nightmare for him.

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

This man hadn't spoken a word since getting into the car; his face was as cold as ice, and the oppressive atmosphere around him was terrifying.

Even the air conditioning inside the car seemed several degrees colder.

The driver wisely kept his mouth shut and silently pressed the accelerator a little harder.

Morning Star International Kindergarten.

S City's most elite private kindergarten, boasting an exterior like a fairytale castle.

Shen Yan paid and got out of the car, practically charging into the kindergarten gates.

A gentle-looking female teacher wearing glasses was already waiting at the entrance.

"You must be Mr. Shen. I am Youyou's homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang."

"Where is Youyou?"

Shen Yan cut straight to the chase, his voice hoarse.

"She's in the infirmary. Please follow me."

Teacher Wang dared not meet his eyes, keeping her head down as she hurried to lead the way.

The hallway was covered in soft, colorful carpet, and the walls were adorned with the children's wildly imaginative paintings.

This should have been a place full of childlike fun and laughter, but to Shen Yan, it felt suffocatingly oppressive.

The infirmary door was slightly ajar.

Shen Yan pushed it open with force.

In the small room, there was a faint smell of disinfectant.

Youyou was sitting on a small white bed, and a female doctor in a white coat was gently comforting her.

There were still a few fading red patches on her little face, and her eyes were red, clearly having just cried.

Seeing Shen Yan, Youyou's eyes instantly lit up. Her little mouth pouted, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Daddy..."

Her voice was small and wronged.

Shen Yan covered the distance in just a few quick strides and pulled his daughter tightly into his embrace.

He could feel her small body trembling slightly.

In that moment, the janus project, the Qinghe Group, and the forty million cash flow were all cast to the farthest corners of his mind.

He gently stroked his daughter's back, his voice softer than ever before.

"It's okay now. Daddy is here."

He looked up at the school doctor and Teacher Wang standing nearby.

His gaze had regained its usual composure, but it was also edged with a sharp scrutiny.

"What happened?"

The school doctor spoke first.

"Mr. Shen, Youyou had a classic mango allergy. When we found her, large patches of red rash had already appeared on her face and neck. Fortunately, we discovered it in time, administered Loratadine, and the rash is now beginning to subside. Her vital signs are stable."

Teacher Wang's face was full of guilt and self-reproach.

"I apologize, Mr. Shen. This is my dereliction of duty."

"Today's afternoon snack was mango cupcakes. I knew Youyou couldn't eat them, so I deliberately didn't give her one and prepared to go to the kitchen to get her a strawberry-flavored one instead."

She paused, glancing at the little boy huddled in the corner.

"It was Lin Nuo... He thought I forgot Youyou, so he quietly gave her half of his portion."

Shen Yan's gaze followed Teacher Wang's line of sight, landing on the little boy.

Lin Nuo.

Su Wan's son.

He was currently looking down, his small hands nervously clutching the corner of his shirt, his body rigid, not daring to breathe loudly.

Shen Yan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

He released Youyou and walked over to Lin Nuo, squatting down.

His movement made all the adults present hold their breath.

Lin Nuo's body shook even more violently, and he buried his head even lower.

"You're Lin Nuo?"

Shen Yan's voice was very calm.

The little boy nodded but didn't dare to speak.

"Why did you give Youyou the cake?"

"I... I thought Teacher Wang forgot..." Lin Nuo's voice cracked with tears, "I saw Youyou didn't have any, so I just wanted... to share it with her..."

"You didn't know she couldn't eat mangoes?"

Lin Nuo shook his head violently, tears falling down.

"I didn't know... I'm sorry..."

Shen Yan looked at him.

A five-year-old child whose starting point was sharing, an act of kindness.

What could he say?

Scold a child for being kind-hearted?

"In the future, if you don't know whether someone can eat something, don't give it to them casually."

Shen Yan's tone held no blame, only statement.

"Do you remember?"

Lin Nuo nodded hard.

Shen Yan stood up and said to Teacher Wang:

"Lin Nuo is not at fault in this matter. There is a loophole in your kindergarten's management process."

Teacher Wang's face turned pale.

"Yes, we will definitely review and strengthen our management."

"I'm taking Youyou home now."