Chapter 216: A Complete Act

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: A Complete Act

’They never even asked if I was willing. With a wave of their hands, they decided my fate.’

’Who knows? Maybe they were just after our family’s meager resources.’

’Heh, and they actually pulled it off.’

’Then again, Shen Zhenwu never really made me suffer when it came to food, clothing, and expenses.’

’But so what?’

’What I wanted wasn’t a gilded cage, but a door I could open myself and walk through.’

...

Song Yao had a nice dinner out the night before, then went straight back to the hospital to play patient.

’You have to commit to the act, after all.’

The next morning, she had just gotten a soup dumpling in her hand, her teeth not even having touched the skin yet.

He Wei’s mother came bursting into the room like a whirlwind, dragging He Wei behind her.

They didn’t even knock, just twisted the knob and barged right in.

Song Yao’s mouth was still open, the soup just about to squirt out, but with a PLOP, it all leaked into the meal container.

"Oh, you’re eating!"

Wu Xin plastered a smile on her face the moment she entered.

Song Yao glanced down at the ruined soup dumpling without even looking up at them.

"What sharp eyes you have. You could tell I was eating just by looking."

She pushed the meal container onto the bedside table, the plastic bottom scraping against the wooden surface.

He Wei’s face fell instantly.

But Wu Xin wasn’t annoyed at all and immediately replied.

"Oh my, you’re right, we must be blind!"

Her shoulders relaxed, and she took half a step to the side, pulling He Wei forward slightly.

Song Yao: "?"

"What did I just say?"

Wu Xin immediately raised a hand and slapped herself lightly.

"I’m old and muddled! I have a foul mouth! You’re the bigger person, please don’t hold it against us!"

Just then, Li Hanchen came out of the bathroom.

He had just finished washing and hanging up Song Yao’s clothes. When he looked up, he saw three people crowded into the room.

"Who let you in?"

He placed the laundry basket by the door. It wasn’t stable and tilted to the side.

A gray T-shirt slid halfway out.

"How did you get in?"

After he spoke, no one in the room said another word. Even He Wei held her breath.

Wu Xin quickly put on an apologetic smile.

"We... We’re here to apologize! We really don’t have any other intentions!"

She shuffled half a step forward, her knees almost touching the edge of the hospital bed.

"We really have no other motive!"

She raised her right hand as well, showing both palms open.

"Get out."

Li Hanchen said just two words, his voice cold as ice.

Facing this mother-daughter duo, he couldn’t bring himself to feign politeness.

’An apology?’

’If they were really sincere, they wouldn’t have stormed in right when someone was eating breakfast.’

’Shouldn’t they at least have asked a mutual acquaintance to set something up?’

’It wouldn’t have been hard to bring some fruit or milk, would it?’

’He didn’t care if the gifts were expensive, but their attitude should have at least been proper.’

’And what was the result?’

’She hadn’t even swallowed a single bite of food before they were cornering her by the bed.’

Li Hanchen ordered them out as soon as he spoke, and the smile on Wu Xin’s face nearly broke, freezing at the corners of her mouth.

Her eyes darted, and her body dropped. She knelt beside Song Yao’s bed.

"This is all my fault! It’s all because my brain isn’t working right. If you need to vent your anger, take it out on me. The child is innocent!"

The sudden kneel made Song Yao jump.

But Song Yao wasn’t buying this pity play.

She casually placed the meal container on the bedside table.

She stood up, took half a step to the side, and looked up at He Wei’s mother.

Looking at that face, a good deal older than her own, she sneered.

"Child?"

"Someone in their thirties is still a child?"

"By that logic, I just turned twenty-three. I’m still a tender young thing. How could I dare make the final decision on whether to forgive you or not?"

"I’m too young, I can’t make up my mind."

When He Wei saw her mother actually on the floor, she was stunned. Her face instantly flushed beet red, and she grabbed Wu Xin’s arm, yelling.

"Mom! Get up! Get up! What are you doing?!"

’She was panicking inside.’

’How could she face anyone after this?’

Not only did Wu Xin not move, but she upped the ante, raising her hand to slap her own face.

"My mouth is foul! I deserve a beating! I really do..."

SLAP! SLAP!

Two loud slaps. As soon as her hand fell, she peeked at Song Yao’s reaction.

Song Yao rolled her eyes.

"Oh, were your ancestors servants?"

"Even so, the Liberation was a long time ago! The New China has been around for decades. Haven’t you gotten the memo?"

"Or are you saying you’re dissatisfied with our current way of life?"

Wu Xin had intended to pressure Song Yao by kneeling, but instead, Song Yao’s words made her own knees go weak.

She used the side of the hospital bed to slowly get up, so embarrassed the tips of her ears turned red.

"I... I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just... I made a mistake, so I have to accept the punishment..."

"If you broke the law, go to the police!"

Song Yao tossed the candy wrapper she had just unwrapped into the trash can.

She looked up at Wu Xin, her gaze landing directly on the woman’s face, unwavering.

"Don’t try to apply the rules of the old society to today’s world!"

Just as she finished speaking, she heard a few light footsteps in the hallway outside the door, which then faded into the distance.

"Who taught you to do this?"

Song Yao narrowed her eyes at her.

"That kind of thinking..."

She paused, not finishing the sentence, and rested her left hand on the edge of the bed.

Wu Xin waved her hands in a panic. "No, no, no! Really, I don’t! I..."

Before she could finish, her hand flew up again as if to slap herself, but she pulled it back just before it touched her face, forcing an apologetic smile instead.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s all our fault! I ate some garlic that morning, my mouth stank, and I was just spouting nonsense. I almost caused you serious trouble! You’re the bigger person, please don’t hold it against us!"

As she spoke, she glanced down at the faded, washed-out cloth shoes on her feet.

She nudged He Wei with her elbow while still talking.

"Quick! Bow to her!"

He Wei was so mortified her toes were curling inside her shoes. She wished she could crawl into a crack in the floor. Her mouth opened and closed, but not a single word came out.

Song Yao didn’t make things difficult for them and just waved her hand.

"An apology is fine, but we need a witness. There’s a big age gap between you two. I don’t want you turning around later and accusing me of bullying the old and the young. I’m not taking the blame for that."

She leaned forward slightly, her tone tinged with amusement.

"Wouldn’t you agree, Auntie? After all, your ’child’ is over thirty."

After speaking, she straightened up, casually unscrewed the water bottle by her pillow, and took a sip.

Neither Wu Xin nor He Wei dared to make a sound.

He Wei gritted her teeth, grabbed her mother’s arm, and started dragging her out.

She pulled so abruptly that Wu Xin nearly tripped.

Song Yao looked down at the dumpling in her hand and immediately grimaced.

"Ugh, I’ve completely lost my appetite."

’It wasn’t the dumpling’s fault. Just seeing them was enough to ruin my appetite.’

"I’ll go get you a fresh, hot one right now!"

Li Hanchen thought she was complaining because the dumpling had gone cold and was unappetizing.

Song Yao waved her hand dismissively.

"Don’t bother!"

"Just help me with the discharge papers. I want to go out and get a real meal."

She raised a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

"Shouldn’t you stay one more night? The doctor also said it would be safer to stay for observation."

Li Hanchen’s brow was still furrowed, his heart thumping with anxiety.

"I’m really fine! That whole scene yesterday was just an act I put on!"

She pointed to her chest with a smile.

"My heartbeat has been stable for a while, my blood pressure isn’t fluctuating, and they’re already on my third IV bag."

Li Hanchen pointed to the windowsill.

"Look, I’ve washed all your clothes. I just hung them up. They’ll dry quickly."

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin in that direction, his gaze drifting over for a second before quickly returning.

"But I want to eat something savory and drink something hot right now."

She rubbed her stomach, which gurgled slightly.

"Alright, I’ll go out with you. We’ll come right back after we eat."

He turned to grab his bag, but the strap was caught on the back of the chair. He had to give it a hard tug to free it.

Song Yao’s eyes lit up.

"Deal! I’d love that!"

The moment He Wei dragged her mother out of the hospital room and into the hallway, she exploded.