Chapter 19 Mom, it hurts.

After arriving at the hospital under the name of the Hamajima He family, the medical team that was responsible for the physical safety of the head of the He family immediately conducted a series of examinations for him at the highest level of strictness.

Until that afternoon, He Cong was pushed into the top-floor ward suite with top-notch security facilities.

Because the wound on He Cong's back was treated for bleeding in time, it did not cause too serious injuries.

And fortunately, the medical team was very worried. He Cong was trapped in the mountains for a whole night. The environment in the mountains was harsh and there were heavy rains. Once the wound on He Cong's back became inflamed and caused a high fever, it would trigger various serious chain reactions. At that time, it would not be just a simple matter of treating external injuries.

He Cong was half lying on the hospital bed with a heavy shoulder and one hand was flipping through several documents to be processed on his body.

After listening to Dr. Zhao's report on the injuries, He Cong paused as he looked at a line on the document. He couldn't help but think of what Granny Jin had said before leaving this morning, about Shang Youqing spending the night in the kitchen making medicine for him.

Just then, a voice rang out from outside the ward door. "Mr. He, Uncle Yu is here."

Uncle Yu had been He Cong's personal bodyguard, assigned by Mr. He personally when he was still alive. It was only in recent years, as He Cong's power and position gradually solidified, that Uncle Yu stepped down.

Upon hearing that He Cong had nearly gotten into trouble again in the mountains around Pingzhuang, he rushed back to Bindao almost immediately and began investigating the entire incident.

As soon as he entered the ward, Uncle Yu reported all the information he had found to He Cong without missing a word. The old scar across his brow twisted slightly, and he said with a bit of hostility: "Master, those little bastards have confessed. They admitted that it was He Chengsheng who hired them to ambush and assassinate you on the mountain road in Pingzhuang. The evidence is irrefutable. Master, give the order and I will take people there right away--"

"No need." He Cong interrupted Uncle Yu calmly. He was not surprised that He Chengsheng was the mastermind behind the scenes. He closed the document he had just signed and put it aside, took back the Buddhist beads on the bedside table, and slowly put them back on his slender white wrist, and continued, "Uncle Yu, we live in a society ruled by law. Collect all the evidence and hand it over directly to the police."

Uncle Yu glanced at the black Buddhist beads hanging on He Cong's wrist, which symbolized tranquility, and was slightly distracted.

It also occurred to him that since the birth of Young Master He, the once violent new head of the He family had indeed become more restrained in recent years, perhaps out of fear of frightening the young and naive young master. He had even developed a restrained temperament, reminiscent of Zen and Buddhist devotion. Furthermore, he hadn't resorted to bloodshed in a long time.

Uncle Yu came to his senses and, without further questioning, nodded, "Yes, I'll do it right away."

After Uncle Yu left, He Cong finished his work and, as Doctor Zhao had instructed, should have reclined for a good night's sleep, but he remained perched against the headboard.

As he closed his eyes, the cool, dark ebony bracelet slipped between his broad metacarpal bones. His warm, dry thumb slowly twirled the beads, as he continued to reflect on the events of the past two days.

Why?

They were two completely different faces.

It would have been fine if their figures and temperaments were similar, but after the hand-holding incident this morning when he woke up, He Cong discovered once again that it wasn't just their backs that were similar, but even the feel of their hands.

More importantly, why did his mental illness, which hadn't recurred in nearly a year, flare up that very night after being in close contact with Shang Youqing,

and he sleepwalked to Shang Youqing? He held hands until the next morning, pinching Shang Youqing's hand until it turned red, which showed how tightly he'd held her while sleepwalking.

He Cong pondered this, then raised his right hand, where the beads were hanging, and brought it to his nose to carefully inhale the aftertaste. It was as if the warmth of that slender hand lingered between his palms and knuckles.

Was this an illusion caused by his excessive longing, or was it something else?

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Yu Zhu, who he had arranged to accompany Shang Youqing back home, rushed back from outside.

He Cong sat up steadily, and without even bothering to report anything else to Yu Zhu, he directly asked what he wanted to know most at the moment, "How's the situation with Shang Youqing?"

Yu Zhu was startled, and had to put aside the important documents at hand and report to He Cong, "I followed Mr. He's instructions and personally sent Miss Shang back to Ning City. I did see Miss Shang carrying a two or three-year-old girl out of a middle-aged man's home."

Yu Zhu paused here, and saw that Mr. He's eyes, which had been staring at him a second ago, suddenly turned cold. His face was indifferent and he asked, "What is her relationship with that man?"

"Uh, I heard Miss Shang call him "Old Yan". I guess he's a relative."

She has children.

This means that even if it wasn't the man Yu Zhu was talking about, she already has her own children, and naturally she would have her own husband.

The cold bracelet that had been turning around in confusion for a long time was pushed back to the wrist joint, and He Cong's eyes regained clarity and calmness. He continued to ask expressionlessly, "Where is the child?"

Yu Zhu was sensitive to the subtle changes in Mr. He's mood, and then said cautiously, "The child seemed to have a fever and was sick. Miss Shang held him in her arms and kept calling for his mother. Your subordinates couldn't see clearly. We wanted to take Miss Shang to the hospital ourselves, but Miss Shang clearly declined the offer and left in the car with the child."

"Got it."

The absurd and ridiculous suspicions that arose from this sleepwalking and hand-holding dissipated in an instant. He Cong closed his eyes indifferently, "Go out."

...

On the other side, Shang Youqing had just brought the burning little cub back to the small courtyard of Mingling Zoo, and Shang You seemed to be unable to hold on. Her soft little body curled up into a furry ball and fell crookedly into Shang Youqing's palm.

"Baby?"

Old Yan said that Shang You went to bed on time last night, but did not get up on time as usual in the morning. Old Yan called the little guy several times but he did not wake up. When he went into the room, he found that the little guy was sweating profusely in his sleep, and his forehead was frighteningly hot.

After Shang You had gone through the stage of crying for food in the little nest on Wutong Mountain, he became more and more well-behaved and sensible, and rarely made Shang Youqing worry.

So much so that the sudden accident made Shang Youqing, who was usually calm and rational, tremble with his hands. He held the little phoenix curled up in his palms with trembling hands, and his voice trembled, "Baby, what's wrong with you?"

The little phoenix scratched its feathers weakly with its tender and soft little claws, and then licked it in pain. Its pink eyes were red, and soon overflowed with transparent tears.

Shang You fluttered her wings weakly twice, a few feathers falling off, and then she struggled to hold her mother's fingers with her two thin wings. She tilted her furry head back and made two tender sounds: "Chirp."

[Mom, it hurts.]