091. The Mother’s Reaction【Bonus 8/65】
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“Mom!”
Impulsiveness led to regret, and Lin Nan suddenly felt unprepared to break the news to his parents.
His mother turned, confusion etching her face. “What’s up? Are you hungry?”
“Um… I want some rice dumplings.”
Lin Nan looked down, unable to meet her gaze.
“Savory or sweet?”
“Savory, I guess…”
“Alright, I’ll go to the supermarket and buy some. I’m hungry too.” With that, his mother wrapped herself in a blanket and left the room, casually shutting the door behind her.
Lin Nan breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained.
This was probably the first conversation he’s had with his mother in years that lasted this long, and the most she’s cared about him in a long time.
In the past, his parents barely talked to him. They might throw out a couple of concerned comments while he lounged around the house, but it was mostly limited to things like, “Don’t stay up too late” and “Take care of yourself.”
Lin Nan’s heart was a tangled mess. His mother didn’t seem to have strong opinions about his appearance, or perhaps she was just too preoccupied with her impending divorce to focus on how he looked.
Should he really tell her about his health issues now? Was she even in a position to care?
The sudden maternal attention felt like a move to secure her case in the divorce settlement or merely an attempt to compensate for the emotional neglect he had experienced.
Perplexed, Lin Nan rolled over and pulled out the medical examination report he had hidden under his clothes, placing it beside him.
Whatever he imagined, he knew he had to clarify this situation with his parents. Since stating the facts might land him in a mental hospital, he figured the report would serve as the best evidence.
Before he knew it, he heard his mother returning. Moments later, she pushed open the door and called out, “Come on out; the dumplings will be ready soon.”
“Okay.”
“What’s that by your leg?”
Lin Nan jolted upright, face burning, as he sheepishly picked up the examination report and handed it to his mother.
Curious, she stepped into the room, took the report, glanced over it, and nodded approvingly. “I’ve been busy, but you went for a medical check-up yourself. You should do it every year.”
“Yeah…”
She began to read the report thoroughly, and at first glance, everything seemed fine. The parts of his body were all in good shape, except for a slight fatty liver.
But as she continued, her brows furrowed deeper. Lin Nan noticed her expression darkening and quickly glanced around, trying to devise an escape plan. But she was blocking the door, and those windows had bars on them…
After going through the entire report, she looked up at Lin Nan, who appeared on the verge of panic, then down at the paper again, ultimately realizing her eyesight was just fine.
“This report says you’re actually a girl and need surgery?” Her tone was full of confusion.
Lin Nan nodded without hesitation.
“That doesn’t make sense… You were a premature baby. Did the hospital not check you properly?”
Seems they did do a full check-up after his birth.
Lin Nan meekly suggested, “Maybe their examination wasn’t thorough?”
Eighteen years ago, hospitals were far less regulated than today. Back then, there were cases of hospital mix-ups, and nowadays, there were even news stories about hospitals mishandling abandoned infants.
To Lin Nan’s surprise, his mother was calmly processing this information—totally unlike the hysterical reaction he expected.
That made his heart ache even more.
His mother took a seat on the bed, furrowing her brows even deeper. “The dumplings should be ready now. You can bring them out to eat in the living room.”
“Okay.”
Lin Nan had been itching to escape, but the sheer weight of his mother’s presence, combined with his guilt and shame, made remaining with her an absolute torture.
What would she want to do about this?
With no money in the house and his mother preoccupied with the divorce, it seemed likely she would just want him to get another check-up to confirm the situation.
Sitting at the coffee table with the bowl of dumplings, Lin Nan found he had no appetite and strained his ears to pick up any sounds from the bedroom.
Silence.
He reluctantly took a few bites of the dumplings and pulled out his phone, trying to distract himself with a novel and ease his nerves. But before long, he heard muffled sobs coming from the bedroom.
Lin Nan felt his heart shatter.
He thought he was emotionally detached, but hearing those cries sent his heart racing.
He had never seen this softer side of his parents, let alone heard his mother cry.
Lin Nan’s eyes began to sting, his emotions escalating with every sob.
Why was she crying over this? It was his situation!
He bit his lip, trying to hold back the tears, wanting to bravely march into the room and comfort his mother, but he realized that not only did his appearance fail him, but his personality did too.
Where had Lilith’s assertive nature gone? Did it only come out when she was gaming and berating her teammates?
He gritted his teeth, silently cursing Lilith. If this pesky voice hadn’t invaded his mind, his life wouldn’t be in this ridiculous mess.
Just then, his mother appeared again, her face a mask of neutrality. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and he immediately looked down, sitting up straight.
“Rest well today. You’ll need to go to the hospital for more tests tomorrow,” her voice softened further. “Just avoid seeing your dad. If he sees you like this, he’ll probably end up yelling at me too.”
Lin Nan didn’t know much about his father, but he figured he was the type to prioritize sons over daughters.
“Okay,” Lin Nan wanted to say something comforting, but his mind was a blank slate, leaving him utterly devoid of words.
“We don’t have much money at home, and there aren’t any rich relatives…” She paused, wiping away a fallen tear, and quickly changed the topic. “Originally, when your dad and I bought our house, it was meant to be your wedding house. Now there’s no way he’ll agree to pay his half.”
“He might not do that…”
“Oh, but he will!” She cut him off sharply, but her tone softened after a moment. “Finish eating and get to bed. We’ll head to the provincial hospital for a check-up in the morning.”
Lin Nan felt as though his mother’s attitude had a hint of compensation in it, but he couldn’t grasp her true feelings, just like she couldn’t understand him. His mother was a mystery to him.
After finishing the dumplings and returning to his room, Lin Nan felt a fresh wave of anxiety about the future.
As far as he could tell, his mom had managed to dodge the issue, but she had broken his heart in the process. What about the surgery later?
He could solve it painlessly with magic, but judging by his mother’s attitude, she clearly intended to gather funds and rush to get him the operation.
