Unsurprisingly, Shen Yubai rejected Xu Chuning's request. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, casting a cold glance at Xu Chuning, "You should probably see a psychiatrist."
Xu Chuning choked and struggled to explain herself, "It's not... We have our reasons."
She met Shen Yubai's gaze earnestly, "Can you really not give us just two strands of your hair?"
Shen Yubai: "You're sick."
After saying this, he didn't bother with them anymore and turned to leave.
Shen Sinian wanted to stop him and ask what he meant by cursing.
As a child, if Shen Sinian uttered a single swear word, Shen Yubai would reprimand him each time. And now, he was the first to swear?
Xu Chuning, concerned that the two would argue, quickly grabbed Shen Sinian, "Let it go."
If she were Shen Yubai, she would also think she and Shen Sinian were ill.
Shen Sinian frowned, looking at the fingers clutching his clothes, "Mom!"
He was angry, "You're just letting him do that?"
Xu Chuning was slightly choked up, "Letting him?"
Where had she indulged Shen Yubai? Moreover, the term 'indulgence' was too ambiguous and not suitable for her current relationship with Shen Yubai.
Shen Sinian was downcast, "Yeah."
Xu Chuning used to be like this in the past, and now she was still the same. She and Shen Yubai were clearly not even acquainted, were they?
Xu Chuning: "…"
She saw Shen Sinian's displeased expression and felt a bit of a headache, "You're overthinking it."
She wasn't indulging Shen Yubai; she was just trying to put herself in his shoes and not make things difficult for him.
Moreover, she wasn't in any position to make things difficult for him.
"Let's not talk about this," to avoid Shen Sinian going on and wasting time, Xu Chuning said, "We should head to the hospital first."
Shen Sinian had no choice but to agree.
Half an hour later, Xu Chuning and Shen Sinian received the DNA test report from the hospital. Seeing the data shown in the report, and the conclusion at the end – 'There is a 99% probability that they are mother and son' – Xu Chuning almost couldn't stand up straight.
She closed her eyes to compose herself, then looked up at the youth in front of her: features distinct and handsome, eyes clear and bright, indeed bearing some resemblance to her. She had to believe that such an absurd situation had truly happened to her.
"... Mom," Shen Sinian observed her expression, asking cautiously, "Are you alright?"
Xu Chuning hummed, pursing her lips, "Give me some time to digest this."
Although she had expected it, when the undeniable truth was presented before her in black and white, Xu Chuning's feelings were still complicated. How did she end up with a son?
Shen Sinian obediently nodded and helped her to sit down on a hospital bench.
After a while, Xu Chuning grudgingly accepted the reality and turned to look at the person sitting at a distance, "Shen Sinian."
Shen Sinian's eyes lit up, "Are you... okay now?"
"…Almost," Xu Chuning calmed herself and remembered to ask, "Can you tell me how you got here?"
Shen Sinian had also seriously contemplated this question over the past few days, but he hadn't figured it out.
With this thought, Shen Sinian informed Xu Chuning of everything that happened on the day he arrived.
After listening, Xu Chuning knitted her brows, "Before you arrived, you were hit by a car?"
Shen Sinian nodded, "I must have been hit since I lost consciousness afterward. When I woke up, you and I… Shen Yubai were in the hospital room."
Remembering the curse Shen Yubai hurled at him and Xu Chuning, Shen Sinian was reluctant to call him 'Dad' anymore.
Xu Chuning furrowed her brows; something felt odd about the situation.
But such an absurd and mysterious incident wasn't something she could figure out at the moment.
Moreover, the immediate priority wasn't to investigate how Shen Sinian ended up here, but to sort out Shen Sinian's life here, including his education.
He was seventeen years old; he couldn't just let his life be absurdly wasted here.
Who could be sure when he would be able to return, or if he would ever have the chance to go back at all.
Thinking about all this gave Xu Chuning a headache.
Noticing the change in Xu Chuning's expression, Shen Sinian hesitantly tugged at her sleeve, "Mom, what are you thinking about?"
Hearing this form of address startled Xu Chuning for a few seconds, and she repeated an old conversation, "Shen Sinian..."
Seeing her serious demeanor, Shen Sinian nodded solemnly, "Go ahead."
Xu Chuning looked at him, somewhat unsure how to begin. She silently organized her thoughts, "You should just call me by my name, like before."
"Ah?" Shen Sinian's face fell.
Xu Chuning was frank, "Although our relationship has been confirmed, I'm still a high school student the same age as you. It would be strange for others to hear you calling me 'Mom'. And—"
She didn't hide anything from Shen Sinian and spoke the truth, "I still can't bring myself to fit into the role of 'Mom' right now. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Shen Sinian naturally understood. He wasn't a child; he was already seventeen years old.
"Alright," Shen Sinian agreed to her, it was just a form of address, after all. If she didn't want him to call her that now, then he wouldn't. There would be plenty of opportunities to make up for it later.
After discussing the form of address, Xu Chuning began to think about how to talk to You Shuzhen about this matter.
Without telling You Shuzhen Shen Sinian's true identity, You Shuzhen would never agree to let Shen Sinian live in their small home. But even if she did tell her, would You Shuzhen believe it? Or would she drag both her and Shen Sinian to the hospital for a thorough psychiatric examination.
The words "psychiatric department" flashed through Xu Chuning's mind, and she remembered something she had overlooked, "...Shen Sinian."
Shen Sinian: "Hmm?"
"Is your dad really..." Xu Chuning struggled to ask the name, "Shen Yubai?"
Shen Sinian's expression darkened, "He used to be."
Xu Chuning was confused, "What do you mean?"
"It might not be the case anymore," Shen Sinian grew angry when it came to Shen Yubai, "After how he treated us, I don't want him to be my dad anymore."
He had his own temper too.
Xu Chuning: "..."
So, Shen Yubai was her future husband, Shen Sinian's father.
"What's wrong?" Noticing Xu Chuning's melancholic look, Shen Sinian pressed on.
Xu Chuning was silent for a moment, then said, "Thinking about how to get a hair sample from Shen Yubai."
She was very clear that if she directly told Shen Yubai that Shen Sinian was their future son, he really would send her to a hospital. The only way was to put the evidence in front of him so he had no choice but to believe it.
Shen Sinian was slightly speechless, "...Can't I just not acknowledge him?"
He didn't need a father that badly.
Xu Chuning: "No."
She flatly refused him.
Shen Sinian was puzzled, "Why?"
Xu Chuning and Shen Yubai had no feelings for each other now, so why couldn't she just let it be?
"Neither your grandmother nor I have money," Xu Chuning was very practical and told him bluntly, "You don't even have any identification now, and without it, you can't do anything here. Not to mention you need to attend school, my mom and I don't have the means to solve problems like your household registration and schooling."
So the only thing she could do was to go to Shen Yubai.
Shen Sinian: "..."
Silent for a long while, Shen Sinian raised his hand to rub his hair, murmured gloomily, "I understand."
He paused, then pressed his lips into a straight line, "Leave it to me, I'll definitely get his hair."
Xu Chuning raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised, "You've thought of a way?"
Shen Sinian: "Yes."