Chenchen shook his head, unwilling to speak.
Shen Jinxi knew his brother was usually quiet, but witnessing it firsthand was another matter. "Brother, you have to say something!"
Chenchen remained silent, turning his face away.
Given his brother's personality, he would explode if he knew their father was with Lin Minglan.
"If you don't say it, you think I don't know?" Shen Jinxi gritted his teeth. "I know Dad is here, and the one who would make you suffer must be Dad, right?"
Chenchen looked up at him sharply.
"I knew it, I guessed right!" Shen Jinxi angrily set off to confront their "cheap" father.
Chenchen quickly stopped him. "It wasn't Dad."
"Then who?"
Faced with Shen Jinxi's insistent questioning, Chenchen helplessly told the truth. "It was Lin Minglan, at the airport..."
He briefly recounted the events. Shen Jinxi was first concerned for him, and after confirming he was unharmed, he transferred his anger to Lin Minglan.
"This is too much, she dared to bully you, does she think our family has no one?!"
Chenchen thought of how their "cheap" father had wronged him and felt a surge of grievance. "Brother, let's go. I don't want to stay here anymore."
"No, I can't let her bully you for nothing. I'm going to get justice for you!"
Shen Jinxi, with his explosive temper, pulled Chenchen back towards the hospital room. Midway, he suddenly realized he didn't know the room number, but thankfully, Chenchen did.
The two snuck to the outside of the room. Shen Jinxi poked his head around the door to peek.
What they saw was an emotional drama.
Lin Minglan held onto Fu Jingshu, her face filled with sorrow and grief. "Jingshu, I know I shouldn't have forced you like this. As a girl, I should have my dignity, but..."
She just couldn't accept it.
"Why can't you even look at me?"
Fu Jingshu was eager to find Chenchen. Her bringing up emotional matters at this moment was like poking a hornet's nest, instantly enraging him.
"Let go."
His suppressed voice held a storm about to break. Lin Minglan instinctively released her hand.
Fu Jingshu immediately took a step back, widening the distance between them, and said coldly, "I'll say it again, the person I love is Shen Qingqing. Please be respectful."
He then turned and left.
Shen Jinxi and Chenchen quickly pulled their heads back, scrambling towards a corner.
After Fu Jingshu left, the two children returned to the doorway. They saw Lin Minglan sitting by the bed, looking dejected. But the next second, she gritted her teeth and said something.
"Shen Qingqing, I will not let you off!"
That ugly woman!
Shen Jinxi didn't want to look at her anymore and turned to Chenchen. "Brother, let's teach her a lesson."
Chenchen was confused. "What lesson?"
Shen Jinxi smiled mysteriously and pulled him to a window by the corridor's restroom. From here, they could see a tree with a hornet's nest on it.
"Brother, do you see it?"
Chenchen nodded. "I see it. What are you planning to do?"
When it came to playing pranks, Chenchen's talent was nowhere near Shen Jinxi's. He had noticed the hornet's nest on the way in.
As soon as he learned that Lin Minglan had bullied his brother, a plan began to form in his mind.
He led Chenchen out of the hospital lobby. The two children, like carved jade, attracted many gazes along the way, but they walked with their heads held high, each more aloof than the other.
They reached the base of the tree. Shen Jinxi looked up at the hornet's nest. "Brother, do you know that bee stings hurt a lot?"
Chenchen shook his head.
He had stayed home most of the time, only seeing bees in the garden. They didn't look good, but he never knew their stings hurt so badly.
"Brother, whether we can use this to get revenge for you depends on our brotherly skills!"
Shen Jinxi rummaged around and soon found a wooden stick at the base of the tree. The stick wasn't thick, but it was long.
"This is enough."
He expertly led Chenchen to find the right angle at the base of the tree. Disturbing the hornet's nest required skill.
For example, the angle had to be just right, or one could get hurt. Only by completely dislodging the hornet's nest could it be used as a powerful weapon.
Chenchen watched him move around, very confused. "What are you doing?"
"Brother, you've never done something like this before, have you?"
Shen Jinxi looked at Chenchen, his gaze a little strange, yet also somewhat expected.
Chenchen shook his head, genuinely puzzled. "Why do these things?"
"You were bullied, don't you want revenge?"
"No."
Shen Jinxi was surprised by the answer. "Why?"
Chenchen calmly said, "I just want to be alone. I don't want anyone to bother me."
"Was that your thought before?"
"Yes."
"And now?"
Chenchen paused. Now...
It was different.
"It's fine even if you don't want revenge. I'm here, I'll help you." Shen Jinxi took his hand. "Brother, I'm here, don't be afraid."
Chenchen stared at him blankly.
Although they were the same age, and their heights were similar, Chenchen lacked Shen Jinxi's strength and was passively following him.
They arrived at the room's doorway, still acting suspiciously. Chenchen felt unaccustomed to this, yet felt the word didn't quite fit.
He tugged at Shen Jinxi's sleeve.
Shen Jinxi exclaimed, lowering his voice. "What is it?"
"Let's go."
Chenchen's body tensed. This was the first time he had done something like this, and he was a little scared.
"No!" Shen Jinxi was determined to teach the "stinky woman" a lesson and wouldn't leave, no matter what. "Brother, once it's started, it can't end. If you're scared, you can wait at the door. I won't force you."
Chenchen's lips moved.
"You don't have to do it, but don't stop me." Shen Jinxi pulled his sleeve back and glanced into the room at Lin Minglan.
She was asleep.
Shen Jinxi smiled inwardly, quietly opened the door, quickly threw the hornet's nest inside, and closed the door. The entire sequence was executed flawlessly.
Lin Minglan inside was startled by the sound of something falling. She got up to check, and upon seeing the hornet's nest on the floor, she instantly woke up.
"Who did this?!"
No one answered.
Lin Minglan threw off the covers and immediately got out of bed. She was no longer weak and ran directly towards the door, but halfway there, she froze.
Behind her, the buzzing of bees could be heard.
She slowly and stiffly turned her head and saw at least dozens of bees swarming in the air. She was instantly stunned.
Run!
She knew exactly what she should do, but her legs felt weak, and she couldn't run.
The bees quickly surrounded her.
"Ah!"
A tragic scream echoed from the hospital room.
It alerted the doctors and nurses. When they arrived at the room and broke down the door, they saw a person lying unconscious on the floor, covered in stings all over her head and face, her original features no longer recognizable.
The doctors had no choice but to send her to the intensive care unit.