The paternity test results will take at least three days.
After leaving the hospital with Shen Sinian again, Xu Chuning turned to him and asked, "Do you have a place to go?"
Shen Sinian shook his head.
Xu Chuning frowned, "My home doesn't have any extra room."
The apartment she and You Shuzhen rented was in an urban village, with an area of less than thirty square meters; it was already crowded enough for two people, absolutely no space to accommodate another person.
Moreover, since the test results were not out yet, Xu Chuning couldn't possibly let Shen Sinian, a tall and sturdy young man, stay at their place, just in case he had other intentions—it would be too late for regrets.
Furthermore, considering You Shuzhen, Xu Chuning wouldn't think about discussing this matter with her until the results were out.
Hearing Xu Chuning say this, Shen Sinian nodded solemnly, looking like he was abandoned, "Then should I go stay with my dad?"
Xu Chuning: "..."
She was speechless, "Aren't you afraid that Shen Yubai will kick you out?"
"He wouldn't dare," Shen Sinian said firmly, "I am his son after all."
Xu Chuning gave a wry smile, "Do you think he would believe that?"
Shen Sinian fell silent.
Xu Chuning didn't believe him, let alone the current Shen Yubai. He looked tough to deal with, completely different from the stern yet reasonable father in his memories.
After a stalemate, Xu Chuning pulled out a hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to Shen Sinian, "There are quite a few inns around the diner, stay at a hostel for now until the results are out."
Shen Sinian agreed, but said resentfully, "What about after the results are out?"
"…We'll see."
Xu Chuning left those words behind and first took Shen Sinian to find a hostel to stay in.
Shen Sinian didn't have any identification on him, so Xu Chuning used her own ID to book a room for him.
After sorting all this out and returning to the diner, Xu Chuning suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Unfortunately, she had no time to rest; as it neared dinner time, the diner started to get busy again.
The diner was open until nine o'clock at night.
Xu Chuning and You Shuzhen cleaned up the diner and were about to take out the trash when Xu spotted Shen Sinian squatting not far away.
Looking at his lonely and forlorn figure, Xu Chuning felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.
After disposing of the trash, Xu Chuning walked over to Shen Sinian, "Why are you squatting here?"
Shen Sinian: "…I'm hungry."
"Didn't you eat?" Xu Chuning frowned.
Hadn't she given him money?
Shen Sinian shook his head.
Seeing his pitiful state, Xu Chuning sighed softly, "Come in, I'll ask my mom to cook you a bowl of noodles."
Shen Sinian's eyes lit up, "Great, I love the noodles grandma makes, they're delicious."
Xu Chuning reminded him expressionlessly, "Don't celebrate too soon."
Confidently, Shen Sinian raised his eyebrows and slipped his hands into his pockets, walking alongside her, "We'll know in three days."
"…"
Every Sunday, Shen Sinian punctually came to the diner to eat for free.
On Monday, when Xu Chuning had classes, she temporarily entrusted Shen Sinian to You Shuzhen, letting him help out in the diner; they couldn't let him eat and drink for free.
Although You Shuzhen was curious about her daughter's friend who was the same age but not attending school, she did not ask much. She knew her daughter's character well; she would not mess around outside.
She guessed that Shen Sinian, such a clean and neat-looking young man, was probably in a conflict with his family and had run away from home, which led to his current situation.
*
Mingzhi Middle School, Xu Chuning helped You Shuzhen at the store in the morning and then hurried to class.
It had only been two days, yet sitting in her seat again, she inexplicably felt as if she had been transported to another world. Perhaps, it was because of the sudden appearance of Shen Sinian.
The weekend had just ended, and the students hadn't quite shifted their minds back from the holiday; during the first morning class, most were inattentive.
Xu Chuning was usually the most focused among them, but today, she found herself zoning out occasionally.
When the bell rang for the end of the class, Xu Chuning laid her head on the desk, planning to catch a quick nap.
Just as she closed her eyes, two classmates in front of her began discussing Shen Yubai.
"Did you see him this morning? Shen Yubai looked so handsome, riding a motorcycle to school today."
"It's not his first time on a motorcycle. Haven't you noticed that both the security guards and teachers turn a blind eye when it comes to his mode of transport?"
"Hey, did you hear? Last weekend, someone saw Shen Yubai with a girl at the hospital."
Upon hearing the word "hospital," Xu Chuning, who usually paid little mind to gossip, perked up her ears. Could they be referring to her and Shen Yubai?
Then, an absurd statement about Shen Sinian being her son entered her ears.
"Really? What were they doing at the hospital?"
"What else could a boy and a girl be doing at the hospital? Haven't you heard? Last term, Shen Yubai got a girl from another school pregnant…"
"No way, that's explosive!"
"Yeah, apparently the girl went to the Shen Family's house causing trouble, and then the Shen Family gave her a large sum of money to settle it down."
Hearing this, Xu Chuning resisted the urge to interrupt them and covered her ears.
Though she had covered her ears, the words just exchanged reverberated in her mind.
Xu Chuning naturally did not believe that Shen Yubai was the type of guy who would get a girl pregnant; although they were not close, from their interactions when he ordered deliveries, she had perceived his pride and arrogance.
Such a lofty young master hardly had eyes for anyone.
Thinking of this, Xu Chuning couldn't help but recall what Shen Sinian had said. The results of the paternity test would come out tomorrow. If it turns out she really was biologically related to Shen Sinian, then… might she and Shen Yubai develop feelings for each other, eventually marry, and even have a child like Shen Sinian?
The mere thought made Xu Chuning shudder.
She and Shen Yubai, could that be possible?
It was too incredible.
Lost in these wild thoughts, the bell rang for the next class. She propped her cheek with her hand and sat up, forcing herself to suppress those speculations until the results were out.
Monday passed by tranquilly.
On Tuesday, Xu Chuning hurried out of school after classes ended. She was going to pick up the paternity test results, and Shen Sinian was waiting at the school gate to go with her.
What she didn't expect was that, upon rushing to the school gate, she found Shen Sinian blocking Shen Yubai, who was trying to leave.
Xu Chuning gasped, "Shen Sinian."
Both turned their heads to look at her.
Xu Chuning approached them, feigning calm, "What are you two doing?"
Shen Sinian: "...I wanted a hair from him, but he wouldn't give it to me."
His words caught Xu Chuning off guard, leaving her somewhat exasperated—was her future son a naïve, sweet fool?
Shen Yubai looked at Shen Sinian as if he was looking at an idiot, then turned to ask Xu Chuning, "Are you guys close?"
Hadn't they been strangers when they met on Saturday at the hospital?
Xu Chuning met his cold gaze and hesitated, "Maybe later we will be."
Although she had not yet received the report, she had a special intuition… Shen Sinian might really be her son.
Shen Yubai seemed dissatisfied with her answer, barely perceptibly frowning, "What does that mean?"
Thinking it over, Xu Chuning took a deep breath and mustered the courage to make an unreasonable request to Shen Yubai, "Can you give us two of your hairs?"
One hair might get lost, having two would be safer.