Nan Xiao asked coldly, "Did she come to see you?"
An Cheng nodded, pulled Nan Xiao further away from the ward, and then lowered his voice. "When I found out she was the woman my brother kept on the side, I was quite angry. She came to see me then, and I really gave her a piece of my mind. But as I spent more time with her, I realized she was different from those other women. She truly loved my brother, expecting nothing in return. My brother has been gone for three years, and she still gave him a son."
Nan Xiao was slightly stunned. Three years after he was gone, she could still have a son?
Suddenly, he remembered something and said gravely, "Artificial insemination?"
"Yes. Fortunately, my elder brother had frozen his sperm back then, so his lineage could continue." An Cheng glanced at Nan Xiao's expression, and seeing he wasn't angry, he continued, "I didn't deliberately hide this from you. I was afraid our aunt would find out and force Luan Qian to have an abortion."
Nan Xiao sighed, "Was the child brought back?"
"No, Luan Qian was afraid someone might harm the child, so she didn't dare bring him back."
Nan Xiao gave him a cold look. "The old lady is dead. No one in our Nan family will harm her child!"
"The old master saved Luan Qian's life. She knows that you and your father wouldn't harm her child, but that woman, Qiu Shuying, is unpredictable."
An Cheng pursed his lips tightly. "I know some things shouldn't be said, but many people are deceived by Qiu Shuying's facade. You see her chanting Buddhist scriptures every day, but she's actually a cruel person!"
Nan Xiao didn't follow up on that topic. After a long pause, he spoke again, "You haven't answered me yet. Why did she come to find you?"
An Cheng smiled self-deprecatingly. "Heaven is blind, only picking on good people. She came to me because her child is ill, suffering from aplastic anemia, and requires a bone marrow transplant. She came to me for matching."
Nan Xiao's gaze darkened slightly. "Was it successful?"
An Cheng, not noticing his subtle change, said happily, "It was successful. The little guy is very healthy now."
Nan Xiao chuckled and patted his shoulder heavily. "You've grown up!"
An Cheng looked at the hand resting on his shoulder, his heart sinking slightly. He quickly explained, "Brother Xiao, in my entire life, this is the only thing I've kept from you. I was afraid of our aunt. I haven't even told my parents."
Nan Xiao smiled and withdrew his hand. "You did the right thing!"
Receiving his affirmation, An Cheng's tense nerves relaxed slightly. "Brother Xiao, have your guests left? If they have, I'll go see Aunt... Old Mrs. Nan."
"No need to go. You stay here and take care of your elder brother. I'm leaving."
"I'll see you out."
"No need." Nan Xiao strode quickly into the elevator.
Even as the elevator descended, An Cheng remained standing there. Only when the number panel lit up with "1" did he return to the ward.
In the pitch-black bedroom, Qiu Shuying sat on the large bed, her hair disheveled, alternating between crying and laughing.
Lan Yuxi frowned upon seeing this scene.
She quickly walked to the window and forcefully pulled open the heavy curtains, allowing sunlight to stream in.
"Ah—" Qiu Shuying saw the light and clutched her head in terror.
Lan Yuxi's brow furrowed slightly, and she flicked her wrist, shooting out two golden needles.
The screams abruptly ceased. As Qiu Shuying was about to fall, Lan Yuxi reached out and steadied her.
After placing Qiu Shuying back on the bed, she raised her hand and felt her pulse.
Three minutes later, Lan Yuxi's frown deepened. How much of a shock had this person endured to have truly gone mad?
Lan Yuxi took out her phone and dialed.
Nan Xiao answered almost instantly. "Wife, what's the situation over there? I just left Huo's Hospital, and I'll be there in about thirty minutes."
"It's not optimistic. Qiu Shuying has gone mad."
Nan Xiao gripped his phone tightly. "Have someone prepare things. Once I get there, we'll send her to a psychiatric hospital."
"Who's driving?" Lan Yuxi pushed open the door and walked out.
"Nan Er is driving."
Seeing that he wasn't driving himself, Lan Yuxi said with relief, "I'm wondering how much of a shock she must have received to go insane."
"Nan Yao said she almost suffocated him that night." Nan Xiao exhaled. "Luan Qian gave birth to a son for Nan Yao, and that child is already seven or eight years old. Do you think Qiu Shuying found out..."
"Why? Nan Yao had an accident ten years ago. His child is only seven or eight. How could this child have come about? Did Nan Yao lie?"
Nan Xiao said gravely, "Nan Yao didn't lie. That child was conceived through artificial insemination. He froze his sperm behind the old lady's back."
Lan Yuxi paused for a second, then said insincerely, "He's quite shrewd!"
"Alas! It was all because the old lady pressured him."
Lan Yuxi thought to herself: Why are you stealing my lines!
Well, even if he didn't steal her lines, she wouldn't want to upset him during the New Year.
"The roads are slippery, tell Nan Er to drive slowly. I'll pack for her."
"Okay, no need to pack personal items. They don't allow personal belongings at that hospital."
"Got it." Lan Yuxi hung up the phone and returned to the bedroom. She only packed a few sets of underwear for Qiu Shuying; she didn't bring anything else because even if she did, the hospital wouldn't allow their use.
Soon, Nan Xiao arrived.
On the way to the psychiatric ward, Nan Xiao said gravely, "On the way here, I called An Cheng. An Cheng said that Qiu Shuying overheard him telling Nan Yao about the child. Qiu Shuying went to find Nan Yao that night intending to divorce him. But when she heard he had a son with another woman, she got angry and decided not to divorce. Nan Yao provoked her a bit, and that's when she decided to kill Nan Yao."
Lan Yuxi said nothing. What could she say? This family was a bunch of oddballs. The old one died, and they only had a few days of peace before the eldest started causing trouble again.
Nan Xiao tightened his grip on her hand apologetically. "I'm sorry..."
Lan Yuxi rolled her eyes at him. "Apologizing to me? What did you do wrong?"
"You've been troubled because of me."
Lan Yuxi burst out laughing. "Indeed, I've been troubled quite a bit. Treat me well in the future, or I'll settle the score with you!"
Nan Xiao chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Am I not treating you well now?"
"Yes! You're treating me exceptionally well!"
Nan Xiao pulled her into a hug and asked in a low voice, "Can Qiu Shuying be cured?"
"It's hard to say. I'll have to see the test results."
"Actually, it's quite good that she's like this. Otherwise, her life would be too tiring."
Lan Yuxi looked up at him. "You want her to stay mad like this?"
"That's not what I meant."
Lan Yuxi furrowed her small brow and said, "You don't, but I do! Because even if she's cured, with her petty nature, it's questionable whether she'll be able to live."
Nan Xiao stroked her head. "Leave her to the doctors. No matter the outcome, we will have done our best."