Fortunately, Mother Jiang was only emotionally agitated, her heart was fine. After two doctors administered emergency aid, she soon recovered and pointed a trembling finger at Jiang Xu’s nose.
“You… you…”
“Mom,” Jiang Xu wanted nothing more than to file a wrongful grievance like Dou E. “There’s really nothing going on between us! If you don’t believe me, go check my bedroom, he always sleeps on the floor.”
Mother Jiang, clutching her chest, snapped, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Jiang Xu thought back to half an hour ago, when he had stopped his mother from entering his bedroom, and regretted it so much his intestines could turn green. If he’d known, he should’ve just let her in and seen the two beds, confession done, clean and simple.
He started to wonder if Shen Fangyu was some kind of curse, every time they were together, his clear-headed brain went right out the window.
From their conversation, Shen Fangyu picked up on something unusual. Hiding the motion of his fingers behind a pillow, he quickly typed a message on Jiang Xu’s phone.
– What’s going on?
Jiang Xu’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it.
“What are you looking at?” Mother Jiang asked sharply, eyes like a hawk.
Jiang Xu forced himself to stay calm. “Work message from the hospital.”
Then, smoothly, he switched to the contact list and changed Shen Fangyu’s saved name from “Shen Fangyu” to “Mr. Zhang – Medical Rep.” before replying.
– My mom thinks we’re in a relationship.
Shen Fangyu’s hand trembled, and his phone slipped onto the sofa. Father Jiang glanced at him, and Shen suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He picked it back up and kept typing nervously.
– Does your dad hit hard? Should I make an orthopedic appointment in advance, before it’s too late to get one?
– Don’t know. I’ve never been hit.
Model student Jiang Xu added after a pause:
– But my uncle used to be a hired thug.
Shen Fangyu: “…”
“Uncle, Auntie,” Shen said brightly, “you’ve really misunderstood. Jiang Xu and I are just coworkers. I’m staying at his place because I owed money, had to sell my apartment, and didn’t have anywhere else to go for a while. He kindly took me in.”
“If you’re just coworkers, how does Jiang Xu know about your situation?” Mother Jiang, a seasoned viewer of Young Justice Bao and Detective Di Renjie, instantly spotted a hole in his story.
Ruthlessly, Shen splashed dirty water all over himself. “Because I owed money to loan sharks. Even after selling my place, I still couldn’t pay it all off. They came to the hospital to collect, and Jiang Xu happened to see it.”
“Then if those people come to his home, what will you do?” Mother Jiang now looked at Shen Fangyu with concern, but also worry for her son.
“They won’t dare,” Shen said solemnly. “Jiang Xu’s a great fighter. They wouldn’t stand a chance.”
As he spoke, he pulled a yellow slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. Jiang Xu immediately recognized it, the disciplinary ticket Shen had “kept as a souvenir.”
“See, just a while ago, a patient’s family tried to bully a doctor, and Jiang Xu fought back even though he knew he’d get penalized. He’s incredibly upright, he can’t stand people using violence to intimidate others. That’s why he let me move in. A lot of our coworkers know about it, they all say he’s got a kind heart.”
Jiang Xu: “…”
Fragile, bullied Shen Fangyu?
He could really spin a story.
“So your coworkers also know you two live together?” Mother Jiang’s suspicion started to ease.
“Not all of them, just a few,” Shen answered carefully. “After all, I still have my pride. It’d be embarrassing if word spread. Luckily, I’ve almost finished paying the debt now, and I’ve already applied for a single dorm at the hospital. I’ll move out soon.”
He even pulled up the application record to show her. “See? If there were really something between us, why would I bother applying to move out?”
Mother Jiang passed the phone to Father Jiang, who took off his glasses to look closely. Seeing it really was an official Ji Hua Hospital record, he returned the phone to Shen with a much calmer face.
“Helping out a colleague is a good thing,” Father Jiang said to Jiang Xu. “Why were you hiding it?”
Before Jiang Xu could respond, Shen cut in quickly, “He was just worried you’d scold him for meddling. Any parent would be cautious, who’d want their son living with someone in debt to loan sharks, right?”
Then he added, just the right touch of flattery, “You two are exceptional parents, most people these days just tell their kids to stay out of trouble.”
Sure enough, Mother Jiang’s expression softened, pride flickering in her eyes. She pointed to her husband. “His father once saved a drowning high schooler. He even got a district commendation for it.”
“Really?” Shen looked at Jiang Xu with genuine surprise.
Jiang Xu, half-lost in Shen’s elaborate tale, just nodded absentmindedly. Then Mother Jiang suddenly asked, “Then what does your not getting married have to do with him?”
“…”
Her ability to catch details was terrifying.
How was he supposed to answer that? He wasn’t good at making things up.
Jiang Xu shot Shen a desperate look.
Shen was just as blank.
What did Jiang Xu’s bachelorhood have to do with him?
Still, there was no time to think. Shen improvised, “He was probably just using me as an excuse. You know how it is when parents nag about marriage, people come up with all kinds of excuses. Maybe he saw me and just said it offhand.”
Mother Jiang nodded, finding it reasonable.
Shen exhaled in relief. Father Jiang stayed quiet for a long moment, and just when Shen thought the storm had passed, he suddenly asked, cautiously, “Then… those baby items in the room, are they yours?”
Mother Jiang, who had fainted earlier, hadn’t seen them. She turned to him, puzzled. “You have a child?”
What the—?!
Shen was stunned.
He had clearly hidden those things in the corner before they entered, even covered them with plastic bags. With all the chaos from her fainting, how did Father Jiang still notice?
Your dad’s eyesight is unreal, Shen thought, glancing at Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu whispered, “My dad’s been ‘Outstanding Homeroom Teacher’ for years.”
Shen: “…”
Right. Years of catching students through classroom windows, no wonder.
He took a deep breath. “Yes, they’re mine. I bought them for my daughter. I’m keeping her with a friend for now because I’m afraid the loan sharks might bother her. I haven’t had a chance to give them to her yet.”
Mother Jiang finally relaxed completely. A man with a child couldn’t possibly be entangled with her son in any improper way.
Father Jiang, however, frowned slightly. “You’re in that much debt, and still buying so much stuff? Shouldn’t you save your money?”
Shen gave an awkward laugh. “Even if I have it rough, I can’t let my kid suffer, right?”
That line hit the mark. Mother Jiang’s tone softened, warmth creeping in. “You’re right, Xiao Shen,” she said approvingly. “And the child’s mother? Doesn’t she help?”
Without hesitation, Shen replied, “She passed away.”
Dead people were the safest excuse. His wife had already “died once” when he bought the rice pudding, one more time wouldn’t hurt.
The Jiang parents exchanged awkward glances, their eyes full of sympathy. “We’re so sorry, Xiao Shen. We really misunderstood you.”
Shen waved his hand quickly. “No, no, it’s fine.” Then he turned and caught Jiang Xu staring at him with a complicated expression.
Seeing him look over, Jiang Xu twitched his mouth. “Passed away?” he repeated dryly.
Shen replied with absolute seriousness, “Dead as can be.”
Jiang Xu threw a cup of tea right in his face.
“Xiao Xu, what are you doing? That’s so rude!” Mother Jiang hurried to stop him. “Don’t rub salt in his wounds!”
“Nothing,” Jiang Xu said coolly. “Just toasting his wife on her way to the afterlife.”