Chapter 98 The Mother and Her Two Children Meet

"Let's talk this over..."

"Chen Yan, don't get agitated..."

Realizing that Chen Yan's tone was starting to become agitated, Shen Qinglan's voice also intensified slightly, but out of consideration for Chen Yan, she still chose to give a kind reminder.

"Am I agitated?"

As he said this, Chen Yan's expression grew increasingly grim, but he still instinctively retorted.

After he finished speaking, Shen Qinglan didn't argue further. She just looked at Chen Yan with a full smile. She was merely running an errand and didn't want to get entangled in an argument with Chen Yan over these matters.

Whether she won or lost the argument, she would be the one losing out in the end. The two of them were twin brothers; no matter what, they were closer than she was to either of them. It would be completely pointless.

Therefore, Shen Qinglan chose to smile without speaking, just watching quietly. She believed that Chen Yan would understand the meaning of her smile.

"Alright, fine, I'm agitated then."

Finally, Chen Yan calmed down.

"Ding dong ding dong"

Just then, Chen Yan's phone started ringing with a notification sound.

He casually took it out and saw that it was a message notification from the hospital's mini-program.

After a quick glance, Chen Yan was stunned. It clearly displayed several summarized settlement messages for hospital expenses, and then the last one:

[Discharge procedures completed. Remaining medical fees will be refunded to the original payment method.]

"Huh? What's going on? Why is Director Mother suddenly being discharged without any notice to us?"

Chen Yan stared at the message on his phone screen, completely dumbfounded.

"No, I have to ask Youchu what's happening. She's been taking care of her these past few days."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Chen Yan couldn't care less about anything else and immediately called Shen Youchu.

Unexpectedly, Shen Youchu was also completely unaware.

At this point, Chen Yan, who had no idea what was going on, couldn't stay calm.

"My apologies, President Shen. I have to go first. Chen Yan's matter, it doesn't matter, just leave it at that."

After apologizing, Chen Yan grabbed the tablet from the coffee table and rushed out.

Chen Yan practically ran out of the reception room, not even waiting for the elevator, and sprinted down the stairs via the fire escape.

At this moment, Chen Yan's mind was in a complete mess.

Because Director Mother's sudden discharge was too abrupt, and no one had informed him, not even Shen Youchu? This was too abnormal.

Something was completely wrong.

By the time he hailed a taxi and arrived at the hospital, forty minutes had passed.

Chen Yan, panting heavily, rushed into the inpatient building and jogged up to the third floor. The corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Several nurses pushed carts past him, glancing at him, and everyone was surprised.

Hey, when did this person come out? And so fast, he even changed his clothes. Just now, he was clearly still in that auntie's room.

Chen Yan, however, was completely oblivious.

He slowed his pace.

The door to the ward was ajar, and he heard rustling sounds of things being packed inside.

Chen Yan was about to push the door open, but his steps suddenly halted.

Because he heard a voice that sounded very similar to his own.

"Mom, don't bring these things. I'll have someone buy new ones later."

The voice was low and deep, with a composure unsuited for his age, even a hint of command, but when he said the word "Mom," he deliberately made it very light and gentle.

Chen Yan's hand froze in mid-air, his entire body pinned to the spot.

Mom?

He called Director Mother... Mom?

Mom? Didn't Director Mother never marry? How could she have a son?

Instantly, ripples spread through Chen Yan's heart.

"You child, I told you not to come, but you insisted on making this trip." Director Mother's voice sounded much better than a few days ago, and her breath was stronger, with that nagging tone Chen Yan was all too familiar with. "I'm used to these things; I'm not used to new ones. Look at that pillow, it's the one you sewed for me when you were little. Even though it's crooked, it's comfortable."

"That was so many years ago, and you still keep it." The man's voice carried a hint of helplessness, but more so, indulgence.

"I kept it, always kept it." Director Mother smiled. "You were so small back then, your fingers barely knew how to hold a needle, but you insisted on sewing me a pillow as a birthday gift. The stitches were all crooked, but I was happier looking at it than anything else. This one was even sent to you from Yanjing."

The ward fell silent for a moment.

Chen Yan stood outside the door, looking through the half-open crack, and saw the scene inside.

A back that felt vaguely familiar was squatting on the ground, helping Director Mother organize an old canvas bag. He was wearing a dark gray thin jacket today, with short hair, and looked quite thin, but his shoulders and back were very straight, like a knife hidden in its sheath.

Director Mother sat by the bed, smiling as she watched him busy himself, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out, and her complexion indeed looked much better.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about the hospital fees; I've taken care of everything." The man zipped up the canvas bag and looked up at Director Mother. "If anything happens in the future, just call me directly. Don't always shoulder everything alone."

"I know, I know." Director Mother waved her hand, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "How many times have you said that? My ears are calloused. As for you, being out there alone, you don't know how to take good care of yourself. Last time I saw you so thin, my heart ached for days."

"I'm fine, it's just that there were too many things with the Chen family, and I was delayed too much during my time in the Liu family. But it's nothing now; everything that needed to be done is finished, so I'll be more free later. Otherwise, how could I have time to come today?"

And in that instant, Chen Yan, standing at the doorway, instantly widened his eyes. This, this, this side profile was exactly like his own.

With a "boom," Chen Yan felt his brain was about to explode.

Chen Yan stood outside the door, his mind buzzing as if a bomb had detonated.

That side profile—he couldn't be mistaken. He had seen that face countless times in the mirror.

It was him, and also Chen Yan.

It was the twin brother he had never truly met, but who had already thrown his entire life into chaos in just one day.

And he actually called Director Mother "Mom."

Not "Auntie," not "Director," but "Mom."

Thus, the identity of his own mother was already obvious.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan's breathing became hurried, and his palms were covered in sweat.

He wanted to push the door open, to rush in and ask for clarification, but his feet felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move a single step.

This Director Mother, she kept it from him so well.

"You child, you only know how to say nice things to coax me." Inside the ward, Director Mother's laughter, unaware that Chen Yan had heard all their conversation from outside, rang out again. "What's leisurely or not? You're such a busy person; I'm content just for you to make time to see me."

"Mom, what are you saying?" Chen Yan stood up, patted imaginary dust off his knees, and turned around.

With this turn, Chen Yan outside the door finally saw that face clearly...

His brow bone, nose bridge, lips, and even the curve of his jawline were identical to his own.

The only difference was the eyes.

Chen Yan's eyes lacked the usual carefree and playful expression of Chen Yan; instead, they held a settled, almost indifferent calm. Like the water of a deep pool, one couldn't see to the bottom.

"You are my mother, isn't it only natural for me to visit you?" Chen Yan's voice was very calm, so calm it was as if he was stating a common fact.

Hearing this, Chen Yan's heart suddenly tightened.

He had been in the Orphanage since birth, growing up by Director Mother's side until he graduated from university.

"Eighteen years is also raising. But, Mom hasn't raised you for a single day." Director Mother sighed, a hint of emotion in her voice. "You two, both of you are my children. It's just..."

She didn't finish her sentence, her gaze passing over Chen Yan's shoulder to the doorway.

Then, she froze.

"Xiao... Xiao Yan?"

Director Mother's voice was clearly flustered, like a child whose secret had been discovered.

Chen Yan turned his head, following her gaze.

The door was ajar, and Chen Yan stood there, one hand still on the doorknob, his face as white as paper.

Their eyes met.

The fluorescent lights in the corridor hummed with a faint current, the distant voices of the nurses on duty at the nursing station, and the rumbling of cart wheels over the floor tiles. All these sounds became distant and blurry, as if separated by a thick pane of glass.

Chen Yan's expression didn't change much; he just narrowed his eyes slightly, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak.

"Chen Yan, why are you here?" Director Mother was the first to react, hurriedly standing up from the bedside, fumbling with her hair. "I, I was just about to call you, I just didn't want to bother you..."

Chen Yan didn't look at Director Mother, or rather, his biological mother.

His eyes were fixed on Chen Yan, staring intently.

That face, identical to his own, now appeared incredibly glaring in his eyes.

"Director Mother." Chen Yan spoke, his voice hoarse and unlike his own. "Who is he?"

The air in the ward seemed to freeze.

Director Mother's lips trembled a few times, her expression changing from panic to heartache, then to an indescribable guilt. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.

"You already have the answer in your heart." Chen Yan answered for her. As expected of Shen Qinglan's master, even his tone of voice was exactly the same.

His voice wasn't loud, his tone wasn't aggressive, and it even carried a strange calmness, as casual as saying "The weather is nice today."

"I have an answer?" Chen Yan repeated the sentence, then suddenly laughed, a sharpness in his smile that Chen Yan had never seen before. "Yes, I have an answer. I fucking have an answer."

He pushed open the ward door and strode in, standing in front of Chen Yan.

The two stood face to face, similar in height, similar in build, and even their postures had an inexplicable similarity, as if they were mirror images.

The only asymmetry was in their eyes.

Fire burned in Chen Yan's eyes, while ice settled in Chen Yan's.

"You already have the answer in your heart." Chen Yan repeated, his tone still so indifferent.

"Answer?" Chen Yan sneered, his gaze shifting from Chen Yan's face to Director Mother—no, to his biological mother.

The woman he had called "Director Mother" for over twenty years now stood by the bedside, looking at him helplessly, her eyes filled with tears.

"Director Mother." Chen Yan called out to her, his voice suddenly very soft. "Tell me the truth."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Whose son am I, exactly?"

The ward was so quiet that the ticking of the wall clock could be heard.

"You are..."

"Shut up."

Chen Yan spoke up, but was interrupted by Chen Yan.

Seeing this, Director Mother's lips trembled violently, and tears finally streamed down her face. She opened her mouth, her voice squeezed out from her throat: "Xiao Yan... listen to Mom... listen to me explain..."

"Mom?" Chen Yan repeated the word, a terribly ugly smile twisting his lips. "You just let him call you Mom, and you agreed. So, are you really our Mom?"

Director Mother—Lin Shuhua—could no longer hold on. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed back onto the bed, covering her face and sobbing aloud.

"Yes... I am your mother..." Her voice was broken, every word seemingly stained with blood. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Chen Yan watched her cry, feeling as if a knife was twisting in his heart.

He remembered many things.

When he was little, he asked Director Mother, "Where is my mom?" Director Mother, with red eyes, said, "I am your mom."

He believed her.

He treated Director Mother as his biological mother, bought her gifts on holidays, and donated his entire first month's salary after work to the Orphanage. He felt that although his life was tough, God had given him the best Director Mother.

But now, he suddenly discovered that this "Director Mother" was actually his biological mother.

So what did all these years count for?

Even with his biological mother by his side, she watched him grow up under the guise of "Director"? She could have called him son, but she made him call her "Director Mother" for over twenty years?

"Why did you hide it from me?" Chen Yan's voice began to tremble, his eyes red as if they were about to bleed. "Why did you lie to me? You're my biological mother, why didn't you acknowledge me? You just watched me grow up alone in the Orphanage with those truly parentless children, didn't your heart ache?"

"It ached..." Lin Shuhua sobbed uncontrollably. "My heart ached every day... But Xiao Yan, I had no choice... I truly had no choice..."

"No choice?" Chen Yan's voice suddenly rose. "What do you mean, no choice? You're my mom, is it illegal to acknowledge your own son? Or is it—"

He abruptly turned to Chen Yan, his eyes bloodshot.

"Or is it related to him?"

...