Chapter 40: Leaving with Nothing
Hai City People’s Hospital.
Zhang Tian’s injuries looked frightening, but it was mostly just a large amount of blood loss.
After receiving timely treatment to stop the bleeding, followed by a blood transfusion, Zhang Tian’s condition had stabilized, and he was slowly recovering.
Over the past few days, Zhang Daoyi and his wife had been taking turns staying with him at the hospital. Zhang Daoyi’s wife watched over him during the day, and Zhang Daoyi took the night shift.
At one in the morning, Zhang Daoyi was exhausted, but the simple cot provided for family members was so uncomfortable that he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned.
He finally gave up, got out of bed, went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face, then moved a chair to the window and sat there, quietly gazing out at the boundless night.
The look on the doctor’s face when they drew the blood kept replaying in Zhang Daoyi’s mind—that subtle shock, surprise, a hint of bewilderment, and hesitation.
’Why had the doctor been so surprised after hearing their blood types? Could it be that my wife and I have a rare blood type?’
He had seen news reports about extremely rare blood types, the kind that always made headlines when discovered.
Zhang Daoyi took out his phone and looked up his and his wife’s blood types.
O, a common blood type.
A, a common blood type.
’These are both common blood types. There’s nothing unusual about them. So what on earth could have made the doctor react that way?’
Zhang Daoyi’s finger kept swiping across his phone screen. Swiping, and swiping.
Suddenly, he stopped.
’The Great Blood Type Exposé: What Blood Types Can Two People with Different Types Have?’
’Aren’t blood types random? There are actually rules to it?’
Curious, Zhang Daoyi tapped on the article.
Perhaps because it was late and everyone else was asleep, the internet was fast. The article loaded in less than three seconds.
’Interesting. Who knew there was so much to blood types?’
Zhang Daoyi swiped his finger again, and the article scrolled to the next page.
’And now for the big reveal!
The blood types that are absolutely impossible for a couple with Type A and Type O blood to have!
That would be Type B and Type AB!
Because neither Type A nor Type O blood carries the B gene, it’s impossible for them to have a child with a B-related blood type.’
Zhang Daoyi whipped his head around to look at his soundly sleeping son, his gaze falling on the medical chart hanging at the head of the bed.
As if possessed, Zhang Daoyi stood up, walked to the head of the bed, and reached for the chart.
Just as his fingers were about to touch it, he suddenly froze.
’What am I doing?
Am I doubting my wife’s faithfulness?
Am I really going to doubt my own wife and child because of a stranger’s subtle expression?’
Zhang Daoyi slowly retracted his outstretched hand.
’But... if there’s nothing wrong, then it won’t hurt to look, right? It’s just a glance. It’ll be fine.’
His hand shot out again. This time, with grim determination, he took down the medical chart.
’Name: Zhang Tian
Sex: Male
Age: Six years, five months
...
Blood Type: AB’
In that instant, Zhang Daoyi ground his yellowed teeth together with a harsh grate, and every bit of fat on his face trembled.
"Chen Feng, you fucking bitch! How dare you cheat on me!"
Using every ounce of his strength to suppress the volcano of fury erupting inside him, Zhang Daoyi stormed out of the hospital room, chart in hand. With a murderous expression, he marched to the hospital parking lot.
He jammed the key in, started the engine, and took off.
The night was dead silent. The roads were empty of cars and pedestrians, with only a few ghastly white streetlights casting countless shadows on the ground.
Zhang Daoyi’s car tore through the streets. He pushed the speedometer to 180 km/h, getting back to his apartment building in just two minutes.
"SQUEAL!"
The shriek of braking tires shattered the silence of the night.
Worried about her son, Chen Feng had been sleeping lightly. The loud screech from outside jolted her awake. She threw off the covers and went to the window to look out.
Seeing Zhang Daoyi’s figure scrambling out of the car, Chen Feng’s legs felt a little weak.
’Don’t tell me something happened to Tian Tian. Why would Old Zhang come rushing back in the middle of the night?’
Chen Feng quickly opened her bedroom door and hurried downstairs.
Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she ran right into Zhang Daoyi as he burst through the front door.
Chen Feng rushed forward and grabbed Zhang Daoyi’s fleshy arm, asking worriedly, "Old Zhang, did something happen to Tian Tian? Is it serious? Is he okay?"
Gazing at his wife’s beautiful face and her voluptuous, well-proportioned figure, then looking down at his own potbelly, the anger in his heart swelled once more.
He viciously threw the medical chart at Chen Feng. The force sent the unprepared woman stumbling back two steps. She scrambled to pick up the chart that had fallen to the floor.
"Take a good look for yourself! See what blood type Tian Tian has!" Zhang Daoyi said coldly, watching Chen Feng’s disheveled state.
Chen Feng, still worried about her son’s condition, didn’t pay any mind to Zhang Daoyi’s rough actions. She immediately opened the chart and began to read.
"This is the same as what I saw during the day. What’s the problem? Are you trying to worry me to death?"
"Look at Tian Tian’s blood type!"
Chen Feng opened the chart again, turning directly to the blood type section.
"It’s Type AB. Is there a problem?"
"What’s your blood type?"
"O."
"And mine?"
"A."
Chen Feng was baffled, but hearing Zhang Daoyi’s line of questioning, she guessed that nothing was wrong with their son. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in the mood to play guessing games with her. A wave of relief washed over her.
"Neither of us has the B gene, so how could we have a child with Type AB blood! Chen Feng, you’d better confess! When did you start cheating on me behind my back?!"
Zhang Daoyi practically roared the last sentence. The shout left Chen Feng’s ears ringing, and her mind went completely blank.
’I bore you a child, I run the business for you, and you have the gall to accuse me of cheating!’
"Zhang Daoyi, have you lost your damn mind? I’m busy with the business during the day and taking care of our child at night. And you dare to suspect me of this? Do you think I have forty-eight hours in a day, huh?!"
Chen Feng’s voice wasn’t as loud as Zhang Daoyi’s, but it was sharp, like an awl drilling into his skull.
The noise woke up several neighbors, and lights started flicking on in nearby homes.
"I looked it up! It’s impossible for us to have a child with Type AB blood. Unless he’s some other man’s bastard!"
SLAP!
Chen Feng slapped the medical chart hard across Zhang Daoyi’s face.
"You bastard, Zhang Daoyi!" Chen Feng seethed, her eyes blazing with fury. She forced the words through gritted teeth: "Tomorrow, we’re getting a paternity test. If that child isn’t yours, I’ll take him and leave with nothing!"
Hearing her say she would "leave with nothing" finally made Zhang Daoyi calm down. He was worth tens of millions. ’For Chen Feng to be willing to say that... could there be some kind of misunderstanding?’
The rage that had built up in Zhang Daoyi during his drive home gradually subsided. He casually placed the medical chart on the table and slumped onto the sofa, looking dejected.
"Then why is Tian Tian’s blood type AB? Maybe the hospital made a mistake."
As he muttered to himself, a few theories began to form in Zhang Daoyi’s mind.
’Did someone switch our baby at birth?’
’Did the hospital get the blood type wrong?’
’Did my wife and I misremember our own blood types?’
Zhang Daoyi’s head snapped up, and he looked at Chen Feng. "Tomorrow, we’re going to the hospital to get tested!"
"Fine by me! You think I’m scared?"
「Xu Family Village.」
At five in the morning, Xu An and the other two were busy in the kitchen when a knock came from the door. Xu An was puzzled. ’Who would be looking for me at this hour?’
He washed his hands, walked out of the kitchen, and opened the courtyard gate. Standing outside was Xu Dongliang.
"Uncle Dongliang?"
"A lot of people on the construction site got sick to their stomach. We don’t know the full situation yet. You guys are running a stall nearby, so be extra careful," Xu Dongliang said succinctly. "This is a big deal. They’ll probably investigate all the nearby businesses and vendors."
The name "Anxin Food Processing Company" popped into Xu An’s head. He had a nagging feeling that this incident was connected to them.
"Don’t worry, Uncle Dongliang. We source all our ingredients from legitimate channels and have all the receipts to prove it. We’re not afraid of any inspections."
Xu Dongliang nodded. "Good. It’s best if it’s nothing. I just wasn’t at ease, so I came to give you a heads-up."
With that, Xu Dongliang got on his bike and left. He still had to get to the construction site for work.
Xu An closed the gate and went back to the kitchen. Xu Heping asked curiously who had come looking for him, and Xu An briefly explained the situation to the two of them.
"Anzi, with this whole mess, we probably won’t have much business today. Maybe we should just skip it?" Xu Heping asked.
"No, we can’t. Four people already paid and pre-ordered lunch boxes yesterday. We have to go, no matter what. Besides, we have a clear conscience. We’ve got nothing to fear from an inspection. If we don’t show up right after something like this happens, people might think we’re guilty and ran away," Xu An said, shaking his head and rejecting Xu Heping’s suggestion.
"That’s true."
But after a moment’s thought, Xu An continued, "You have a point, though. As long as this situation isn’t resolved, the workers will probably be worried about food safety. It’s even harder for people to trust a small stall like ours. How about this: you still go over today, and if those four people who ordered don’t want their lunch boxes anymore, just give them a refund."
"Alright."