Chapter 290: Not Used to Sleeping with Strangers

In a panic, Zi Heng caught sight of Xia Xi's phone, quickly picked it up, not knowing who to call; his grandmother lived a bit far away, and it would take time for her to get here.

Then he thought of that person.

Without further hesitation, Zi Heng found the number marked Xu Yanfeng in his contacts and dialed it.

He held the phone to his ear; after a few seconds the call connected, Xu Yanfeng's voice low, with a faint smile: "Xia Xi."

Hearing the familiar voice, Zi Heng instantly set aside all his prejudices against him, as if he had found his mainstay; as soon as he spoke, his voice involuntarily trembled with tears: "Mom isn't feeling well, it hurts so much she's about to faint, and there's no one at home."

Xu Yanfeng was in a luxurious private room; when the ringtone sounded, he took his phone and stepped to the side, while the chatter behind him continued uninterrupted; the moment he heard Zi Heng finish speaking, it seemed as if the surrounding noise vanished for an instant.

He heard nothing at all.

The anxiety in Xu Yanfeng's eyes was obvious, yet his voice was unusually calm, carrying a soothing power: "I'll head back right away, you take care of Mom. I'll be there soon, don't worry."

Zi Heng choked up and gave a heavy nasal "uh."

Xu Yanfeng didn't hang up; he turned and strode out of the private room without saying another word.

Everyone present was a person of great renown, all exchanging bewildered glances, not understanding what was happening.

After getting in the car, Xu Yanfeng instructed the driver to head home as fast as possible.

He didn't know what illness Xia Xi had, worried he wouldn't make it in time, he borrowed the driver's phone to dial 120. If emergency treatment were needed, having medical professionals on site would add an extra layer of security.

The place where Xu Yanfeng was entertaining guests wasn't far from home, so he arrived at about the same time as the ambulance.

He practically burst through the front door; Zi Heng knelt on the carpet beside the sofa, obediently watching over Xia Xi, his small face streaked with tears, his worry and anxiety impossible to hide.

Seeing Xu Yanfeng, Zi Heng rubbed his eyes hard, still thinking it might be a hallucination.

Xu Yanfeng lifted Xia Xi, who was curled up on the sofa; her face had lost all color, the sweat beading on her cheeks dampening the strands of hair there, as if she had been fished out of water, her brow furrowed in pain.

As he headed out, Xu Yanfeng told Zi Heng: "Stay home and wait, lock the door, and Zhangyi will come over to keep you company later."

"I want to go too," Zi Heng said anxiously.

Xu Yanfeng hesitated only a second before agreeing: "Put on a jacket. I can't look after you, so follow me on your own."

Zi Heng quickly grabbed a jacket, kept close to Xu Yanfeng's steps, took the elevator down, and got into the ambulance.

Arriving at the hospital, Xia Xi was rushed to the ER and scheduled for a gastroscopy.

Father and son waited outside the gastroscopy room; Xu Yanfeng half-bent down to look at Zi Heng, his cool fingertips brushing away the tears still on Zi Heng's face, his expression gentle: "Scared, huh? It's okay, the doctor is examining Mom; she'll be fine soon."

He said that to comfort the child, but Xu Yanfeng still didn't know what was wrong with Xia Xi at this moment; his heart felt weighed down by a heavy stone, oppressed to the extreme, yet he couldn't show it in front of the child.

Zi Heng was clearly not so easily fooled; his little face was tense, his expression still solemn.

Xu Yanfeng took hold of his shoulders, gently pushed him onto a nearby plastic chair to sit, then knelt before him, wanting to say something to distract him, but not knowing what to say.

Zi Heng lowered his head and said: "Mom's never been this bad before; medicine usually works."

Xu Yanfeng's brow twitched; the word "before" lingered in his mind: "Do you know what illness Mom has?"

Zi Heng nodded, then shook his head, knowing it wasn't that detailed: "Stomachache."

"Is it frequent?" Xu Yanfeng's tone carried a hint of urgency.

Zi Heng thought for a moment, uncertain: "Occasionally, maybe."

It could also be frequent.

He has to go to school, Mom has to work; most of the day they're not together, so perhaps when Mom feels unwell she secretly takes medicine, which he doesn't see, so he doesn't know.

Xu Yanfeng remained silent for a long while, then sat beside Zi Heng on the chair, pulling the boy's small body into his embrace and stroking his head with his palm.

After the examination, the doctor gave the diagnosis: Xia Xi had chronic atrophic gastritis with bile reflux, and there were polyps in her stomach; it was no wonder it hurt so much she couldn't straighten up.

After treatment, Xia Xi had fallen into a deep sleep and was pushed into a ward.

Xu Yanfeng watched the person lying peacefully on the hospital bed; his heart remained clenched, unable to settle.

After all the commotion, Zi Heng was so exhausted his eyelids were fighting; he sat on the sofa, his head drooping lower and lower. Xu Yanfeng patted the back of his head, waited for him to look up, then lowered his voice: "I'll have the driver take you home to sleep."

Hearing that, the sleepiness vanished instantly; Zi Heng shook his head with a stubborn expression: "I'm not leaving."

"Mom's here with me looking after her, and don't forget you have school tomorrow," Xu Yanfeng said, pinching Zi Heng's cheek. "Be good."

"I want to stay," Zi Heng said, his eyelids drooping, fingers clutching his pants, afraid Xu Yanfeng would forcibly send him home.

Xu Yanfeng fell silent for a moment, then finally relented: "All right, then tonight we father and son will stay together by the bed."

Zi Heng could hardly believe what he'd heard; he lifted his eyes and fixed his gaze on Xu Yanfeng's face.

"Go wash up in the bathroom," Xu Yanfeng said, pointing to the white plastic bag on the table, which he'd had the driver buy from a nearby supermarket for daily necessities; "Take whatever you need."

Zi Heng was sure Xu Yanfeng truly agreed to let him stay; he relaxed, stood up, pulled a set of toiletries from the bag, held them to his chest, and headed for the bathroom.

The private VIP ward was spacious and well-equipped; after washing up, Zi Heng lay down on the caregiver bed and pulled the covers over himself.

After all, it was an unfamiliar setting; although he was very sleepy, he just couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning for a while, then throwing off the blanket, sitting up cross-legged, propping his chin on his hands, and staring at Xia Xi on the hospital bed.

Looking back now, he still felt tonight had been too perilous; fortunately, that person had returned quickly enough.

A rustling sound came from the bathroom; Zi Heng glanced over, and the door was suddenly pulled open from inside as Xu Yanfeng stepped out; Zi Heng quickly lay down, tugged at the blanket, and closed his eyes.

"I saw everything," Xu Yanfeng said.

Zi Heng gave up pretending, sat up, and asked him directly: "Where are you going to sleep?"

Xu Yanfeng held a towel soaked in warm water; hearing the question, his steps paused slightly: "You're worried about me?"

Not wanting to admit it, Zi Heng stayed silent and shook his head.

"Then I'll sleep on the floor," Xu Yanfeng joked.

Zi Heng: "……"

Xu Yanfeng walked to the bedside, pinched the towel and gently wiped Xia Xi's face; though he knew she wouldn't wake easily, he did it delicately, as if handling fragile porcelain, then took her hand and wiped each finger in turn.

Straightening up, Xu Yanfeng looked at the little figure sitting on the caregiver bed, his brow furrowing: "Why aren't you asleep yet? Aren't you supposed to go to school tomorrow?"

Zi Heng slowly lay down, having held back for a while, then said somewhat awkwardly: "Come up and squeeze in with me."

Xu Yanfeng raised an eyebrow: "Are you scared? Do you want to sleep with Dad?"

Zi Heng stared at the white ceiling, pressed his lips together, thinking this person was really annoying; he had never acknowledged him as his father.

"All right, Dad's going to wash up; I'll be right over to keep you company." After passing the caregiver bed, Xu Yanfeng deliberately stopped and gave Zi Heng a warm smile.

Zi Heng felt stifled; he clearly wasn't unable to sleep because he was scared!

"I think you'd better sleep on the floor." Zi Heng spoke in a tender, childish voice, uttering mature words, "As for me, I'm not used to sleeping with strangers."

""

The word "stranger" struck Xu Yanfeng's heart like a dagger; his expression froze for a few seconds, he snorted angrily, bent down, pinched Zi Heng's cheek, and snapped, "You little brat!"