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

The nurse looked around the hot water room but couldn't find anyone. When she returned to the ward, she was a little surprised to see Jiang Fanxing.

They also breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as someone is here, just call us anytime if you feel unwell."

After saying that, she left with the intern.

Zou Xun sat on the bed, quietly gazing out the window.

The curtains were not closed, and outside was a deep, dark sky. Jiang Fanxing stood in front of the window, her black hair tied up, with a few stray hairs falling beside her ear.

She seemed a little flustered, her gaze falling on his face before quickly shifting to the bedside table beside him.

The bedside table was empty except for a delicate fruit basket.

Jiang Fanxing's hand, which was resting at her side, twitched slightly. She asked, "Do you want some water?"

Zou Xun was taken aback.

He initially thought Jiang Fanxing was still persistent and treated him as her lost child, and he assumed this person was going to cause trouble.

I never expected this.

The first thing she asked was if she wanted some water.

Zou Xun pursed his lips, feeling lost and unable to say no, his lips dry.

During the few seconds of his silence, Jiang Fanxing carefully observed his expression. "If you don't want to drink, that's fine too."

Zou Xun clutched the blanket and whispered, "There's no cup."

"I'll go buy it for you," Jiang Fanxing said quickly.

Zou Xun looked at her blankly.

She quickly left the ward, and as soon as she stepped out, Lin Wu asked in surprise, "Mom, why did you come out?"

Jiang Fanxing said, "I'll go to the supermarket and buy him a cup."

Li Ma quickly said, "I'll buy it, I'll buy it."

"No need," Jiang Fanxing said. "I'll go."

-

Xie Xingbang and Zou Lian were like headless flies, searching for Xie Yanhuai for a long time in the huge hospital, but they still couldn't find him.

Even the driver didn't know where he went.

Xie Xingbang loosened his tie and said irritably, "He's spoiled rotten by his mother. He can't even tolerate a few words of criticism."

Zou Lian patted his shoulder, "Oh dear, the child is still young, he'll understand later."

Xie Xingbang looked down at her.

She is very well-preserved and looks almost the same as when she was young.

A mix of emotions welled up inside him. He sighed, patted Zou Lian's hand, and said, "Thank you."

Zou Lian smiled and said, "Between us, there's no need for such formal and distant talk."

Xie Xingbang, moved, grasped Zou Lian's hand and said, "I'm sorry."

Zou Lian was stunned, staring at Xie Xingbang in astonishment.

The words "I'm sorry" still echoed in her ears, but Zou Lian found that she wasn't as excited as she had imagined.

She had waited too long for this apology, year after year. She had experienced despair, frustration, and confusion.

The wait had been far too long, and she no longer cared.

"No need... to apologize." Zou Lian smiled. "I know it wasn't your intention, it's just that we weren't meant to be."

Xie Xingbang hugged her, moved, saying, "Xiao Lian, you are so understanding."

Zou Lian nestled in his arms, the smile on her lips gradually fading, her eyes filled with indifference.

The driver was about to crush the cigarette in his hand. He hesitated for a long time before finally daring to speak when the two parted ways: "Madam just called and said she'll be there soon. Young Master hasn't gone back yet."

Xie Xingbang straightened his tie: "Okay, I understand."

The driver, quite perceptive, drove off.

Xie Xingbang pursed his lips, tucked Zou Lian's hair behind her ear, and said, "You go back to your ward first, I'll go find Xiao Huai."

"Okay." Zou Lian nodded.

After walking a distance, Zou Lian hummed a little tune in a good mood.

She entered the hospital building, took the elevator, and went all the way to the fifth floor.

Zou Xun's hospital room was at the end of the corridor. When she caught sight of the three people sitting in a row by the door, she was taken aback. When she recognized them as the people from the police station that night, her expression changed: "Who sent you?"

Lin Wu, who was scrolling through her phone, looked up when she heard this. "Um... I'm Zou Xun's friend. I heard he was sick, so I came to see him."

"unnecessary!"

Zou Lian said, "You should leave now. My Xiao Xun doesn't need rich people like you as friends."

Lin Si clicked his tongue; he couldn't hold back any longer. "The 12th floor is the psychiatric ward. Why don't you make an appointment and go see a doctor? Why are you biting everyone you see?"

Lin Wu suppressed the urge to laugh.

Zou Lian's eyes widened. "How can you speak so rudely at such a young age?"

"You're the one who's saying the nasty things," Lin Si continued to retort. "We're here to visit the person lying inside, not to visit you. Did you ask his opinion? Did you ask him if he needed it?"

The noise outside was very loud, and the ward door wasn't closed properly, so the noise could be heard clearly.

Zou Xun stared at the ceiling.

Zou Lian's voice, sharp with anger, reached his ears: "He is my son, so naturally I have the final say."

Lin Wu laughed in exasperation: "Having a mother like you is truly unlucky."

Although Ms. Jiang rarely inquired about her and Lin Si's affairs, she would fully support whatever they wanted to do and would try her best to give them what they wanted.

In contrast, Zou Lian's imperial-style maternal love is truly suffocating.

Zou Lian took a deep breath. "Please leave."

Lin Si remained uncooperative: "This hospital isn't yours, what's it to you?"

Zou Lian pointed at him, paused for two seconds, and said, "Okay."

After saying that, she turned and went into the ward, locking the door from the inside.

The three people at the door looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Ma said, "This person has a really bad temper."

Lin Wu nodded in deep agreement.

Lin Si clicked his tongue.

Zou Lian slammed the door shut and blurted out, "How could you make friends with someone like that?"

"She helped me before," Zou Xun said in a low voice.

The medicine was a bit cold; after it was injected into my body, my hands and arms felt cold.

He didn't listen carefully to what Zou Lian was saying; he just thought regretfully that he probably wouldn't be able to drink that glass of water.

When Jiang Fanxing hurriedly came over from the corridor, she was carrying a thermos cup, which had been washed clean and filled with warm water that was safe to drink.

"Mom..." Lin Wu stood up and came over.

Jiang Fanxing patted her hand and tried to turn the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.

She looked at Lin Wu in confusion: "Why is the door closed?"

Lin Wu looked into her eyes, cleared her throat, and said, "His mother is back."

"..."

Jiang Fanxing remained silent for a long time.

"Um……"

She responded softly, sounding somewhat disappointed.

There were only three seats on the rest chairs. Lin Wu gave up her seat and pulled Jiang Fanxing to sit down.

Li Ma quickly said, "I'll go downstairs and see. Miss, please sit here."

Lin Wu was taken aback and looked at her.

Li Ma tapped her phone.

Lin Wu understood, "Okay."

Lin Si narrowed his eyes, wondering what kind of riddle the two were playing.

Jiang Fanxing sat down for less than two seconds, then stood up again. "You still need to drink water. I saw that the child's lips were dry."

Thinking this, she knocked on the door.

A full minute passed before Zou Lian opened the door. When she caught sight of Jiang Fanxing, she frowned impatiently: "What? Trying to steal my son again?"

Jiang Fanxing pursed her lips. "You've misunderstood. I just came to bring you a glass of water."

Zou Lian glanced at the thermos in her hand, and as if she had seen some terrible monster, she refused outright: "No need. Don't bother my son again."

Jiang Fanxing lowered her hand that was holding the thermos cup. "Then pour him some water to drink."

"He's not thirsty right now, he doesn't need your kindness here," Zou Lian said.

"His mouth is so dry..." Jiang Fanxing said anxiously, "He must be thirsty."

Zou Lian gripped the doorknob tightly, her voice rising, "Don't pretend to be a good person here. You're practically radiating a green tea b*tch. My son won't fall for that..."

"mom……"

Zou Xun's hoarse voice sounded from behind.

Zou Lian's anger burned even more intensely. She looked at Jiang Fanxing with disgust, "Are you ever going to stop?"

"You're the one who won't stop."

The moment Lin Si uttered the word "green tea," he jumped up, grabbed Jiang Fanxing's arm, and pulled her behind him, demanding, "Who are you calling a green tea?"

His eyes and brows exuded a fierce aura, and his unusual hair color made him appear even more unruly.

Zou Lian's heart skipped a beat, but she feigned composure: "What? You're going to hit someone?"

"I didn't mean to hit anyone, I didn't mean to hit anyone." Lin Wu quickly patted Lin Si's arm, signaling him not to get angry. Hitting someone in the hospital would make him look unreasonable, no matter what. If you want to hit someone, do it in private.

She looked at Zou Lian with a forced smile, "Auntie, you really misunderstood. I brought my mother here. Zou Xun and I hit it off immediately, so I thought I'd come and see him."

"You?" Zou Lian looked her up and down, her mind racing for a moment before she finally became arrogant. "Sorry, but our Xiao Xun has high standards and doesn't think much of you."

Lin Wu: "…………?"

She could no longer maintain her smile. "Why don't you go check the twelfth floor?"

"Mom..." Zou Xun could no longer bear it. He pulled out the IV, got out of bed, and walked over in his slippers.

His face turned deathly pale. "Don't do this."

"...What do you mean?" Zou Lian stared wide-eyed in shock, not understanding why Zou Xun was siding with outsiders. She felt as if she had returned to the days when Ji Huai was targeting her, leaving her isolated and helpless. Her voice was shrill, "I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you, then raised you with great difficulty, and this is how you treat your own mother?"

"Do you have any conscience at all?"

The commotion was so loud that even deep in the corridor, many patients and their families came over to watch, and even the nurses came over.

The head nurse advised, "Madam, let's talk things out and not argue."

Zou Lian acted as if she hadn't heard. She gripped Zou Xun's hand, blood gushing from the needle marks on the back of his hand. Looking into Zou Xun's eyes, she asked, word by word, "Do you also look down on me because I'm poor?"

To outsiders, this scene would seem to be the son's fault.

"Oh dear, who would complain about their mother being poor..."

"Kids these days are so hard to please!"

Whispers arose, and Zou Xun felt a piercing pain in the back of his head. "I didn't look down on you because you're poor, nor did I despise you..."

"So, you've been bewitched by this woman?" Zou Lian pointed at Jiang Fanxing.

Jiang Fanxing frowned. "His hand is bleeding..."

Zou Xun's long eyelashes trembled. He was a very proud person to begin with. At this moment, the surrounding discussions and the strength of Zou Lian's grip on his hand were mixed together, like invisible swords stabbing into his scars.

"I don't."

He swallowed and denied it.

Zou Lian stared at him. "Fine, then tell those three to get lost now..."

Zou Xun was taken aback.

His gaze slowly fell on Lin Wu's face.

Lin Wu crossed her arms, looking like she was half-dead with anger.

He then looked at Lin Si.

Lin Si noticed his gaze, paused for a moment, and then turned his head away.

Finally, Zou Xun looked at Jiang Fanxing.

Jiang Fanxing held a thermos in her hand and looked at his hand with concern, as if she was afraid that he was losing too much blood.

How much fluid can leak from such a tiny needle prick?

He thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

Seeing that Zou Xun did not react, Zou Lian was furious and seemed to have completely lost her mind. When she spoke, her voice trembled slightly: "Zou Xun, if you play dead now, don't call me Mom anymore."

After Zou Xun's brain processed the sentence a beat too slowly, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He asked, somewhat puzzled, as if he were meeting Zou Lian for the first time, "Do you really have to force me like this?"

Zou Lian said in a hoarse voice, "You're the one who's forcing me."

After he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

Zou Xun seemed to no longer feel the pain from the needle prick. He clenched his hand, his index finger digging into the skin on the outer edge of his thumb, picking at it repeatedly.

In the silence, footsteps came from the corridor.

As Li Ma ran, she called out, "Miss, Madam, Young Master..."

"The results are in!~~~~"