Chapter 65 Shen Qinglan

"Alright, I'll head over right away."

After a brief conversation, Chen Yan hung up the phone.

"Did something happen???"

Seeing the smile abruptly vanish from Chen Yan's face, replaced by a serious expression, Liu Ruyan unexpectedly spoke up. Her tone was so tense that she didn't even seem to realize it herself.

"Oh... it was a call from the hospital. Director Mother woke up and wanted to see me, so the nurse in charge of her care gave me a call."

Hearing her voice, Chen Yan unhurriedly explained.

"Then what about here???"

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan was noncommittal. It was just that filming for the short drama had only just begun today, and with him, the consultant, gone, it felt a bit strange.

"With fifty thousand yuan thrown at them, they'll do a good job on their own. For small teams, if the money is right, they'll work hard to make things right even if you're wrong."

Chen Yan waved his hand and said dismissively.

"Alright, you're the boss here."

Since Chen Yan had put it that way, Liu Ruyan naturally didn't say anything more.

"Then... let's go. We've... been married for so long, yet I've never gone to see, uh... your Director Mother. I'll go today too. There's a fruit shop right next to the hospital; I'll buy some fruit to bring along."

As Liu Ruyan spoke, she pulled her keys out of her bag.

"Ah... this... well..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan couldn't help but be stunned. Liu Ruyan's unexpected move had caught him completely off guard.

He was just someone who had inexplicably become a body double for the simp Live-in Son-in-law, Chen Yan. If Liu Ruyan followed him there, wouldn't everything be exposed?

Although being exposed didn't really matter—he hadn't expected to gain anything from Liu Ruyan in the first place—what if she got angry? What would happen to Director Mother's medical expenses? Everything he was doing now was for those medical bills.

"What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

Seeing the clearly dazed expression on Chen Yan's face, Liu Ruyan couldn't help but feel curious and asked tentatively.

At this moment, Liu Ruyan was somewhat puzzled. She clearly remembered that in the past, he had desperately wanted her to learn more about his history.

Normally, shouldn't he be very happy now that she had brought it up herself? Instead, he didn't seem happy at all.

"No... it's nothing. Then... let's go." Snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of Liu Ruyan's voice, Chen Yan shook his head.

Forget it, he'd just be open and honest later. He would do what he had to do; there was no point in agonizing over it now.

"Alright, let's go."

Liu Ruyan nodded, no longer dwelling on it.

Soon, the two of them got into the car. The red ferrari streaked across the road like a brilliant flash of red, speeding toward the hospital.

They arrived at the hospital shortly.

After parking, Liu Ruyan and Chen Yan went to a nearby fruit shop and bought some relatively neutral fruits.

Originally, Liu Ruyan's idea was to just get a set of her own favorite fruits, but Chen Yan talked her out of it. Spend where necessary, save where possible; they weren't the type to be overly fastidious.

Helpless, Liu Ruyan could only suppress the thought.

Unexpectedly, just as they finished buying everything and reached the hospital entrance, a phone call came in.

"Chen Yan... this... well... I'm afraid I can't go in with you."

After hanging up, Liu Ruyan looked at the fruit she had just bought and hesitated, stammering.

"Oh... I understand. It's Liu Corporation matters, right? Then go ahead and take care of your business."

Hearing this, Chen Yan nodded and said straightforwardly. Actually, when that call came, he had been prepared to come clean, but since he'd been interrupted, he'd save it for another day.

"Okay."

Liu Ruyan nodded and left in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Chen Yan carried the items into the hospital.

Entering the ward and seeing that Director Mother's complexion looked much better, Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Director Mother."

Chen Yan called out affectionately and set the fruit down beside her.

"Little Chen... I'm already happy enough that you came to see this old woman. Why bother with all these superficial things? It's a waste of money."

Leaning against the headboard, the director looked at Chen Yan, whom she had raised herself, her eyes filled with gratification.

"Aw, Director Mother, look at what you're saying. You raised me; you're my real mother. This is only right."

Chen Yan said cheerfully.

"Sigh, alright then. These past few days, when Youchu came to take care of me, she told me everything—that you gave me all of your severance pay. This old woman is useless."

A moment later, the director thought of her current situation and felt frustrated by her broken body.

"Hey, hey, Director Mother, you mustn't think like that. I didn't have the ability before, but now that I do, I must do this."

Seeing the old lady fretting over the money again, Chen Yan quickly stopped her. After a good deal of coaxing, he finally managed to calm her down.

After chatting for a bit, the director clearly grew tired. After attending to her, Chen Yan quietly left.

However, what he didn't know was that as soon as he closed the door, the director opened her eyes and looked toward the door despondently.

"Sigh."

Finally, the director let out a faint, melancholy sigh.

Completely unaware of this, Chen Yan had already made his way outside the hospital.

Bored, so bored.

Having finally found a bit of free time, Chen Yan didn't want to go back just yet. After all, he didn't have a car; unlike Liu Ruyan, for whom it was just a matter of hitting the gas.

And so, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, Chen Yan wandered the streets until his attention was caught by a photo outside a Pool hall.

"Pool challenge? This is interesting, truly interesting."

The lights in the Pool hall were bright. A few pool tables were scattered throughout the modest space, and hand-written challenge posters were taped to the walls—the handwriting was messy but carried a sense of earnestness.

Chen Yan pushed the door open, and a faint smell of cigarette smoke and pool chalk wafted toward him. The scent momentarily reminded him of years ago, in the dilapidated Pool hall near the Orphanage, when Director Mother would chase him down the street with a broom.

"Boss, how do I sign up for the challenge?"

Chen Yan walked to the front desk and tapped on the counter.

The receptionist was a young man with dyed yellow hair. He looked up at Chen Yan with a somewhat nonchalant gaze. "The entry fee is two hundred, and the prize for winning is five thousand. However—"

He drew out his words and gestured with his chin toward the innermost table. "A real pro showed up today and has already won seven matches in a row. Brother, do you want to reconsider?"

Chen Yan looked in the direction he pointed.

The innermost table was surrounded by a crowd, with cheers and sighs erupting from time to time. Through the gaps in the crowd, he could vaguely see a figure leaning over, aiming, and striking—the movements were fluid, crisp, and clean.

"No need to reconsider. Sign me up."

Chen Yan took out two bills and slapped them on the table.

Yellow Hair shrugged, briskly registered the name, and handed over a cue. "Challenger number eight. Just wait; it'll be soon."

Chen Yan took the cue and leaned against the wall to wait, idly observing the situation on the table.

About ten minutes later, a burst of warm applause erupted from the crowd, followed by the sight of the challenger dejectedly putting down their cue, fishing out money, and grumbling as they walked away.

"Next!"

A clear female voice rang out from the center of the crowd.

Chen Yan was taken aback.

A woman?

Carrying his cue, he pushed through the crowd and finally saw the true face of his opponent—

She was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing a well-tailored black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing sleek, well-defined wrists. Her features weren't exactly stunning, but she possessed a certain heroic air, with a composure and sharpness in her eyes that only someone long accustomed to a high position would have.

At that moment, she was nonchalantly chalking her cue tip, a faint, half-smile playing on her lips.

What surprised Chen Yan the most was that her aura was completely out of place in this dilapidated Pool hall. She was like a famous blade casually left in a woodshed; no matter how much she tried to stay low-key, that sharpness couldn't be hidden.

"Oh, another one."

The woman looked up at Chen Yan. Her gaze lingered on him for a split second, appearing slightly surprised, but she quickly regained her lazy demeanor. "Do you want to break first, or should I?"

"Ladies first." Chen Yan made a welcoming gesture.

The woman didn't stand on ceremony either; she leaned over, aimed, and struck.

The cue ball struck the racked balls with precision. With a crisp "crack," the solids and stripes scattered, and two of them dropped directly into the pockets.

"Beautiful!" the onlookers couldn't help but cheer.

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow. The power and angle of that shot were handled exceptionally well; this wasn't just casual play. She was a veteran with at least ten years of experience.

The woman stood up, walked halfway around the table, selected her target, and delivered another clean, sharp strike—another striped ball dropped into the pocket.

Third shot, fourth shot, fifth shot.

The woman's offensive rhythm was as fluid as if it had been rehearsed countless times. Every positioning was spot on. The whispering crowd gradually fell silent, until only the crisp sound of balls colliding remained.

Not until the sixth shot—a highly difficult Rail shot—did the woman's angle miss by a fraction. The ball rattled in the pocket twice before finally rolling back out.

"A pity." The woman straightened up and shook her head, seemingly dissatisfied with her mistake, but there wasn't much frustration in her tone. Instead, she had an air of effortless ease. "Your turn."

Chen Yan looked at the table—there were three stripes and the black eight left, while none of the solids had been moved.

The onlookers began to whisper, some already starting to feel sorry for Chen Yan.

"What's the point of playing? She only has four left."

"Exactly, this is just giving away money."

Chen Yan turned a deaf ear to them, unhurriedly walking around the table to carefully observe the position and angle of every ball. His movements were slow—so slow that even the woman couldn't help but take another look at him.

Then, he leaned over.

He struck.

The power wasn't great, but the angle was so tricky it made people gasp—the cue ball grazed the edge of one solid and hit another at an almost impossible angle. "Clack," it dropped into the pocket.

The cue ball landed perfectly, positioning the next solid ball right in front of the corner pocket.

"Good luck." The woman leaned against the nearby wall, arms crossed. Her tone was casual, but her gaze became slightly more serious.

Chen Yan didn't speak and continued his shots.

Second ball, in the pocket.

Third ball, in the pocket.

Fourth, fifth, sixth—

Chen Yan's striking speed wasn't fast—one could even say it was a bit slow—but every shot was terrifyingly steady. The cue ball's positioning was precise to an infuriating degree. It was as if he were playing a game of chess, with every shot paving the way for the next three or four.

The crowd fell completely silent; everyone held their breath.

The seventh solid ball was at a slightly awkward angle, requiring a Jump shot. Chen Yan frowned slightly, adjusted his stance, and gave his wrist a gentle flick—

The ball traced a beautiful arc, cleared an obstructing ball, and landed precisely in the side pocket.

"Nice!"

Not knowing who shouted first, an uncontrollable cheer erupted from the crowd.

The woman's expression finally changed. She uncrossed her arms and stood up straight, her eyes fixed intently on the table.

Only the black eight remained on the table.

As for the position of the cue ball—Chen Yan looked at it, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. The black eight was near a corner pocket, and the cue ball was just to the left of the center of the table with no obstacles in between. It was a shot that was almost impossible to miss.

He leaned down, preparing to strike...

"Wait."

The woman suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Chen Yan paused and looked up at her.

The woman looked straight at him. Her eyes, which had been nonchalant before, were now full of seriousness and a hard-to-define sense of scrutiny.

She was silent for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. There was a hint of self-deprecation and a bit of surprise in that smile.

"What's your name?"

"Chen Yan," Chen Yan answered truthfully.

"Chen Yan..." the woman repeated in a low voice, seemingly searching her memory for the name. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, though she didn't let it show.

She nodded. "My surname is Shen. Shen Qinglan."

"Hello, Ms. Shen." Chen Yan nodded politely, then pointed to the black eight on the table. "Are we still playing this ball?"

Seeing his neither-humble-nor-arrogant manner, Shen Qinglan suddenly found it a bit amusing. It had been a long time since she had met someone like this—someone whose attitude didn't change at all before and after knowing who she was.

"We're playing. Why wouldn't we?"

Shen Qinglan picked up her cue again. "But this shot, I'll take it."

Chen Yan was stunned. "That's not according to the rules, is it? It's my turn."

"Rules are made by people." Shen Qinglan walked over with her cue, her tone as casual as if they were discussing what to eat for dinner. "Let me take this shot. Whether it goes in or not, the prize money is yours. We're not in a formal competition, anyway."

The onlookers were in an uproar.

The yellow-haired receptionist's eyes widened, and he nearly dropped the registration book in his hand.

Chen Yan frowned. "Why?"

"Because I haven't played this satisfyingly in a long time," Shen Qinglan said seriously. "Let me take this last shot. Consider it that I owe you a favor."

Chen Yan was silent for a few seconds.

He studied the woman before him—her stance, her grip, the unquestionable yet not-unpleasant aura she projected when she spoke. This wasn't just some ordinary pool enthusiast; this was someone used to making decisions and being obeyed.

"Fine." Chen Yan took a step back and yielded the table. "Please."

Shen Qinglan walked to the table and took a deep breath.

She didn't lean over immediately but stood with her eyes closed for a few seconds as if feeling for something. Then she opened her eyes, leaned over, and aimed—

She struck.

"Clack!"

The cue ball struck the black eight with precision, and the eight ball dropped into the pocket. The cue ball spun after the impact, tracing an arc around half the table before coming to a steady stop right by the corner pocket on the other side.

A perfect Position shot, if there were to be a next one.

"Nice shot," Chen Yan praised sincerely.

"Mr. Chen Yan, not only is there this nice shot, but I also have a good show to watch here. Are you coming?"

A smile appeared on Shen Qinglan's face...