After hanging up the call, Shen Qingqing rushed to the hospital, but the traffic was a bit congested. By the time she arrived, it was already half an hour later. The ward contained not only Chenchen but also a man.
And this man was chatting happily with Chenchen.
Shen Qingqing pushed the door open and walked to the bedside, looking at the seemingly kind man with some vigilance. "Hello, I'm Chenchen's mother."
The man was surprised and excited, "So you are Chenchen's mother. I've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?"
Shen Qingqing was completely bewildered.
Suddenly, her sleeve was tugged. She looked down, and Chenchen whispered, "Mommy, he's a painter. He said my drawings are very beautiful and artistic."
The man quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, my name is Fang Tianji. You may not have heard of me, but I have quite a few classic works. If you're interested, you can visit my home and studio. I truly believe your son has great talent in painting. His drawings are very evocative. I loved them the moment I saw them. I want to take him as my disciple and nurture him."
He rambled on for a long time, finally looking at Shen Qingqing with eager expectation.
His gaze gave the impression that refusing him would be an unforgivable sin.
Shen Qingqing still held a business card the man had just thrust into her hand. The card indicated that he indeed owned a studio.
It seemed like some eccentric painter. Shen Qingqing didn't even worry about him being a con artist; she could have Collin investigate later.
For now, she simply didn't want to dampen the child's spirits.
"Chenchen, do you want to learn painting from this master?"
Chenchen was not one to make decisions quickly. He propped his chin on his hands and thought seriously for a moment. "Mommy, I want to."
"If you want to go, then go."
Shen Qingqing ruffled his hair, almost dotingly.
Afterward, Shen Qingqing handled Chenchen's discharge procedures and personally took him to Fang Tianji's place. Shen Jinxi, left alone, felt particularly bored, especially since his mother had also gone to work. He didn't want to stay home by himself, so he went to find Xingyao.
Xingyao had been sent to her mother's after returning and hadn't come back yet. They had agreed that he would go see Xingyao with his brother and mother after some time, but with his brother's recent troubles and now having to learn painting, he couldn't go for a while.
He had to go by himself.
He had already investigated Xingyao's residence. Bringing his electronic watch and wallet, he went out and hailed a taxi. The driver was incredulous seeing him so young.
Children this young could already take taxis now? Were parents so at ease with their children going out alone?
Shen Jinxi said solemnly, "Uncle, please turn on the navigation and follow the Fanggang route. Mommy, I'm in the car now. Don't worry, the location is on."
The last sentence was directed at his watch.
The driver then noticed the child had an earphone in and his electronic watch was also capable of communication. No wonder the parents were at ease; the child could take a taxi alone.
The call was connected, and the location was on. Even if there were any bad people, they wouldn't dare to take him away.
On the road, at a red light, the driver couldn't help but glance in the rearview mirror. The little boy in the back seat sat up straight, indicating excellent upbringing.
When the red light was on, the car felt a bit stuffy. Shen Jinxi didn't show any disgust towards the taxi, but simply opened the window.
As soon as the window was opened, someone shouted his name.
"Chenchen!"
He looked up and saw Lin Minglan.
She looked at Shen Jinxi joyfully, "Why are you in a taxi by yourself? Where is your daddy?"
It turned out she had mistaken him.
Shen Jinxi curled his lips. This was not surprising. Recently, the two brothers had been obsessed with dressing identically, wearing the same clothes and hairstyles. So far, no one except their mother could tell them apart.
"Chenchen, where are you going? Auntie will give you a ride. It's not safe for a child like you to be out alone."
Shen Jinxi glanced at her, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Lin Minglan took this as tacit consent. She thought the child was shy and not talkative, unaware that he was plotting something.
At the next intersection, Shen Jinxi asked the driver to stop. After paying the fare, Lin Minglan had already gotten out to meet him. He got out of the car in silence.
Lin Minglan looked at him with affection, "Chenchen, tell Auntie, why did you run out alone? Did your daddy scold you, so you're throwing a tantrum?"
Shen Jinxi lowered his head, looking dejected.
Lin Minglan quickly comforted him, "Don't be sad. Even if your daddy scolded you, it's because he cares about you. If you weren't his son, he wouldn't bother with you. Your daddy is usually a bit strict, but he has no ill intentions. He just hopes you'll become successful."
"If you don't know how to comfort someone, don't bother!"
Shen Jinxi was truly speechless. He had never seen anyone comfort someone like this. Was she genuinely worried about him, or was she deliberately trying to sow discord between father and son?
"Auntie, did you call me down for something?" He quickly interrupted her. If this woman continued talking, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to suppress his sarcastic expression.
Lin Minglan said gently, "Auntie is always worried about a child like you running around. If you don't want to go home, you can go to the mall later."
She looked intently at Chenchen, but saw the child blink, seeming hesitant.
She became even more gentle, "Be good, Auntie will buy you delicious food. Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you, okay?"
"Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you." This was a great opportunity to extort him!
Shen Jinxi was so excited that he almost forgot he was still pretending to be his brother, maintaining his quiet persona. He covered his face with his hands.
"But I'm afraid of Daddy..."
"You don't have to be. If your daddy knows you're with me, he won't be angry. He'll only worry if you run around alone." Lin Minglan's words sounded quite reasonable at first glance.
Shen Jinxi then nodded.
The next second, a hand appeared before him, extended by Lin Minglan. He felt quite disgusted, but thinking of his plan, he endured it.
He even placed his little hand in hers.
Lin Minglan took him into the mall. She thought that pleasing a child should be simple, especially since this child was introverted and not talkative, likely only liking toys or video games.
But she never imagined that this child would be completely different from her expectations.
He didn't want any video games or toys. His eyes were fixed on the various figurines displayed at the counter. One didn't need to look at the prices of these figurines; their lifelike makeup and exquisite craftsmanship indicated they were definitely not cheap.
Lin Minglan felt a pang of pain, reluctant to spend money.
But Shen Jinxi was truly unapologetic. In just a few blinks, he had gathered a basketful and placed them at the cashier. "Auntie Lin, come over and pay!"
Lin Minglan walked over with a stiff expression. Under Shen Jinxi's admiring gaze and the cashier's astonished and impressed eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say, "Don't buy these things."
Wouldn't that make her look stingy?!
So, she braced herself and handed over a card. She watched as the cashier swiftly swiped the card on the POS machine...
The transaction was successful.
Before Lin Minglan could feel the pain of spending, her phone rang. It was a text message from the bank. The credit card had been maxed out.