Reborn and awakened, this time I won't be a love-struck fool.

Lin Si's attention had already returned to his phone.

Zou Xun remained silent throughout the entire day's shift.

He arrived at the hospital as darkness fell.

Upon entering, Zou Lian heard the commotion, grabbed something, and threw it at Zou Xun.

Lost in thought, Zou Xun didn't have time to dodge. A round object first hit his left shoulder and then slammed hard onto the ground.

He lowered his eyes; on the ground lay smashed oranges.

"So you finally decided to come back?"

Zou Lian's voice was already hoarse. Every day she would start cursing as soon as she opened her eyes, either scolding the caregiver or making phone calls and bringing up old grievances.

Xie Xingbang had already blocked her contact information.

All she could do was call Zou Xun and yell at him.

After finishing the phone call, he started yelling at the empty hospital room again.

Nowadays, the only way she can vent her frustration is by swearing.

"Hmm." Zou Xun picked up the rotten orange from the ground and threw it into the trash can.

Zou Lian glared at him, "You still have the nerve, huh?"

Actually, she would prefer Zou Xun to say something harsh and have a big argument with her.

But he remained calm and accepted all her beatings and scoldings.

Zou Lian felt like she was punching cotton, with nowhere to vent her frustration.

Zou Xun didn't answer the question. "Are you hungry?"

"..." Zou Lian coldly curled her lips, "You'd love for me to starve to death, wouldn't you? That way you'd get rid of this burden, wouldn't you?"

Zou Xun took a deep breath, leaning tightly against the wall, a strong sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.

Since Zou Lian was diagnosed with the illness, he has been working hard to earn money, busy from the moment he opens his eyes until he closes them.

In her eyes, she had ended up with such an impression.

That's ridiculous.

He sat quietly until Zou Lian fell asleep.

The sky was pitch black.

The only light in the ward came from various instruments.

Zou Xun didn't know how long he had been sitting there. It wasn't until his shoulders and neck were numb from sitting that he got up and picked up the half-finished milk from the bedside table.

The DNA test was conducted early the next morning.

The days of waiting for the results are always long.

Zou Xun didn't tell anyone about this test.

Perhaps no one can say that.

As time went by, Lin Si's attitude towards Zou Lian changed after he received Zou Lian's words that day.

Sometimes I'll chat with him for a bit, and sometimes I'll bring him snacks.

That noon, Zou Xun went to the hospital to pick up the notice as soon as he got off work.

Actually, he has figured it out himself these past few days.

He and Zou Lian must be mother and son, otherwise why would Zou Lian raise him?

How can you raise someone else's son?

Moreover, Zou Lian is known for her vindictive nature.

But the money had already been spent, so he had no choice but to collect it.

The report was only a few pages long, and he didn't have the patience to read the beginning; he flipped straight to the last page.

I do not support the claim that Zou Lian is Zou Xun's biological mother.

"..."

Zou Xun was stunned for a moment, and his first reaction was to open his phone and see what day it was.

I've confirmed that today is not April Fool's Day.

He went to the hospital again to ask if there had been a mistake.

-

in the afternoon.

Lin Si frowned as he looked at the other empty seat.

Zou Xun seems to have SpongeBob SquarePants syndrome; he loves going to work, is always full of energy, and arrives at his workstation on time every day. Today, too, it's haunted.

About half an hour later, Zou Xun came in.

Lin Si was about to ask him something, but when she looked up, she saw that his face was pale, and she stopped herself from speaking. "...What's wrong?"

Zou Xun ignored him, as if her soul had left her body, and sat down in a chair. After a long while, she said, "I'm really not her biological son."

A sentence without any beginning or end.

Lin Si was taken aback. "The one lying in the hospital?"

"Yes," Zou Xun murmured. "I was afraid the results wouldn't be accurate, so I just went to the doctor for another test. But this time I have to wait for a call. What if the results are the same both times? Then who exactly gave birth to me?"

Lin Si fell silent.

He's never been good at comforting people, and after pursing his lips, he didn't know what to say for a long time, so he sent a message to Lin Wu.

For comforting people, you should ask Lin Wu.

Since seeing the results, Zou Xun's world seems to have collapsed.

His father wasn't his father, and his mother wasn't his mother either.

What about his parents?

When Lin Wu entered the room and saw his expression, she swallowed the words she was about to say.

She had prepared a whole bunch of things to say before she came, but now she was as tongue-tied as a primary school student, repeating only one sentence over and over again: "Don't be sad."

"I'm not sad," Zou Xun said. "I'm just thinking about where my parents are, whether they deliberately don't want me, or whether they sold me..."

"What if they've been looking for you all along?" Lin Wu said. "Why don't you register in the DNA database first? What if it's a match?"

Zou Xun: "...Okay."

He sat there restless, a stark contrast to the person Lin Wu had first met in the square.

She sighed softly and patted his shoulder. "It's okay, you can rest tomorrow. I'll go with you. If there's a match, it means your parents are also looking for you. If not, I'll help you."

Zou Xun: "...Okay."

The person next to him said quietly, "I want to go too."

-

On Saturday, the three of them went to the nearest police station to register.

The blood test is free and the process is very simple, but the results will take at least twenty days to arrive.

After the blood was drawn, Zou Xun offered to treat the two of them to a meal.

The three of them found a hot pot restaurant.

Lin Si ordered two dishes, and Lin Wu ordered two dishes.

"That's too little, order more. Don't try to save me money," Zou Xun said. "I just got my salary, I need to spend some."

Lin Wu and Lin Si exchanged a glance.

Lin Si clicked his tongue. "You can save it. After all, the cost of living here is quite high, and two thousand a month is definitely not enough."

Zou Xun was taken aback. "What, two thousand?"

Lin Si glared at him, thinking he was pretending to be stupid. "Salary, huh?"

"My salary is five thousand," Zou Xun retorted, holding up five fingers.

This was the most respectable job he had ever had.

Large company.

This time, it was Lin Si who was stunned. "Five thousand?"

He checked it again.

"Yes." Zou Xun nodded.

Lin Si sneered and slowly turned his head away.

Lin Wu was intently playing with tissues, sticking little airplanes on them.

"What do you mean? Your boss is treating people differently based on their status, isn't he?" Lin Si was so angry she seemed to have mad cow disease. "Why is it that he gets five thousand while I only get two thousand?"

Zou Xun then realized, "Oh, you have two thousand yuan."

He was just expressing his feelings, but his words struck a chord with Lin Si.

He looked over coldly.

Zou Xun quickly lowered his head.

Lin Wu laughed awkwardly, "It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding?" Lin Si asked calmly. "Tell me about it."

Lin Wu: "..."

She decided to shift the blame, saying, "Don't worry, I'll ask that exploitative boss tonight why he only gave you two thousand yuan!"