Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Although Gu Yuan had high doubts about Huo Lanting’s “uncomfortable stomach,” she still slept with him and gently held and comforted him. It must be said that Huo Lanting was exceptionally well-behaved that night, as well-behaved as an innocent little thing. This gave Gu Yuan the illusion that he really had no ulterior motives and was just a simple and innocent child.
He nestled contentedly in her arms, his arms wrapped around hers, his eyes closed obediently. And when the child’s long, fan-like eyelashes cast a shadow on his milky-white skin, she felt her heart melt.
However, Gu Yuan tried hard to tell herself that this was a little devil, a little devil, a little devil… and she fell asleep while the little devil was muttering to himself.
….
Gu Yuan woke up again in the middle of the night, startled awake by Huo Lanting’s groans.
Huo Lanting was lying on the bed, clutching his stomach and rolling around, crying out, “Ouch, my tummy hurts so much, it hurts so much… Waaaaah, it hurts so much!”
For a moment, Gu Yuan wanted to hug Huo Lanting to comfort him and then call Butler Duanmu, but she quickly calmed down.
This little liar, he had lied to her before, and she pretended not to know, but is he going to continue lying to her?
Gu Yuan gritted her teeth: “Huo Lanting, have you ever heard a nursery rhyme?”
Despite his stomach pain, Huo Lanting asked Gu Yuan with tears in his eyes, “What nursery rhyme? Waaaaah, it hurts so much…”
Gu Yuan: “My stomach hurts, I call Lao Ying. Lao Ying isn’t home, so I call Lao Ba. Lao Ba walks outside, so I call Lao Jiu. Lao Jiu sharpens his knife, ready to strike!”
Gu Yuan snorted: “Stop pretending, I already guessed it. If you keep pretending, I won’t be polite.”
Huo Lanting: “My stomach really hurts! Waaaaah, my stomach hurts so much! It hurts so much this time!”
He lay face down on the bed, sticking out his chubby little bottom, burying his head in the pillow, looking like he was in excruciating pain.
This little guy looks so pitiful!
Gu Yuan stared at Huo Lanting, bewildered and confused. Was he being genuine or just pretending? She simply couldn’t tell!
She’d been deceived by him multiple times, more than once. Logically, she should have been more wary and never trusted him again, but the way he was now—
Seeing his pitiful state, Gu Yuan couldn’t bear it anymore, she really couldn’t bear it, so she immediately rang the bell to call Butler Duanmu.
Butler Duanmu: “Hello, young master?”
Gu Yuan: “Your young master suddenly had a stomachache in the middle of the night, and it seemed to hurt a lot. You should call a doctor right away!”
Butler Duanmu: “Oh, okay, okay, I’ll call right away.”
Gu Yuan: “And what about his family? What about his father? Doesn’t anyone in his family care about him?! You need to notify his family right now!”
A little child is sick and has a persistent stomachache, but only a housekeeper is busy taking care of him. Doesn’t anyone in the family even ask about his well-being?
Butler Duanmu looked worried and helpless: “Miss Gu, I have already informed the master, but he is really busy and said he doesn’t have time. He asked me to take good care of the young master.”
Gu Yuan was completely exasperated: “Then go and call a doctor, call a doctor right now, look how uncomfortable he is!”
Butler Duanmu: “Okay, I’ll go right away, I’ll go right away.”
Huo Lanting was sobbing on the bed, clutching his stomach. Gu Yuan rushed over and hugged him, asking, “How are you? Where does it hurt? Shall I rub it for you?”
Then she remembered what Qi Sen had said earlier, something about paediatric massage?
Gu Yuan was about to call Ji Qisen when Huo Lanting, still in pain, heard this and quickly stopped her, saying firmly, “No, no, it’s too late. Brother Qisen is probably asleep. I can’t let my actions disturb his sleep!”
It hurts so much, it really hurts, but he doesn’t want that Ji Qisen paediatric massage!
That’s not massage, that’s hair pulling!
Gu Yuan felt that Huo Lanting was so young, but he was too considerate and sensible.
Huo Lanting had just finished speaking when she suddenly winced in pain again, her brows furrowing: “Ouch, I need to go to the bathroom!”
After saying that, she slipped out of Gu Yuan’s arms and ran barefoot to the bathroom without even putting on her shoes.
Hearing the commotion inside, Gu Yuan felt both distressed and helpless. She dialed the Duanmu Butler hotline again: “What’s going on? Where’s your doctor?! Why hasn’t he come yet? He seems to have diarrhea!”
Butler Duanmu was startled: “Diarrhea?”
Gu Yuan: “Yes! He’s in so much pain, and he has diarrhea again. If you don’t get the family doctor here soon, I’m taking him to the emergency room!”
As she said this, Gu Yuan suddenly had doubts. Was this butler any good? Could he be deliberately harming the child? Why hadn’t he come to check on Huo Lanting even after she told him he was sick and had a stomachache? Since Huo Lanting was already ill, shouldn’t the family doctor be on standby at home at all times? How come he hadn’t come yet?!
Gu Yuan instantly imagined a palace intrigue drama in her mind.
However, within three minutes of Gu Yuan’s outburst, the butler, Duanmu, arrived in a flurry, followed by the family doctor, maids, nannies, and nurses, all rushing over in a disheveled and hurried manner, seemingly not even fully dressed.
The family doctor quickly took over Huo Lanting’s care, conducted a preliminary examination, and took samples for testing. The results came out soon.
“Did the young master eat a little too much last night?” the family doctor asked.
“Oh… just a bit much.” Butler Duanmu glanced at Gu Yuan and said this cautiously.
“Is it a lot? Not really.” Gu Yuan remembered that Huo Lanting had only eaten a normal amount last night, so was this considered a lot?
“More…” Huo Lanting lay there, tears welling in his eyes, and said weakly.
He had already eaten one meal, but he accidentally lied and said he hadn’t eaten, so Gu Yuan took him to eat another meal. Eating two meals late at night, he really felt his stomach was very full.
“That’s it. Young Master’s indigestion caused by overeating has led to gastrointestinal dysfunction.” The family doctor began to analyze and explain Huo Lanting’s condition, and finally said, “Young Master needs to pay attention to eating small meals frequently and avoid overeating. I will come up with a treatment plan, just follow it.”
This family doctor, who had previously worked as a paediatrician at a specialized hospital in Country M, was highly experienced and quickly provided a treatment plan, along with a simple prescription of commonly used children’s gastrointestinal medications.
After all that commotion, Huo Lanting finally stopped crying and fell asleep exhausted. The family doctor and housekeeper Duanmu also left.
Before leaving, Butler Duanmu gave Gu Yuan a look that was hard to describe, as if he had something to say.
Gu Yuan was preoccupied with Huo Lanting and had no time to pay attention to him.
After closing the door, Gu Yuan entered the room and first touched his stomach. His lower abdomen was soft and there were no gurgling sounds, indicating that he was sleeping peacefully. She breathed a slight sigh of relief and got up to wash her hands before going to bed herself.
Who knew that at that moment, that soft little body would instinctively grip her arm tightly.
She lowered her head to gently move his arm, but just then, she heard Huo Lanting murmur, “Mom…”
Gu Yuan murmured two indistinct words, and her body stiffened slightly.
Looking down, she gazed at the child’s innocent face in the dim orange light of the night lamp.
He really was a naughty kid, mischievous and full of tricks. He tricked her on the island, deliberately caused a traffic jam and then came to bump into me. He had prepared a gift but pretended to give it to her casually.
But now he was asleep, pure white, soft and delicate.
He seemed only one pair of wings away from being an angel.
As she watched, she saw Huo Lanting, who was fast asleep, suddenly smack his lips, then stretch out his arm and hug her arm tightly before continuing to sleep comfortably, looking very content.
Gu Yuan sighed softly, sat on the edge of the bed, and after a long while, she took out her phone and found Huo Jinchen’s WeChat.
Yuan Yuan Loves to Eat Grass: [Hello, Mr. Huo, are you there?]
Huo Jinchen: [Hello.]
The message reply wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t slow either.
Yuan Yuan Loves to Eat Grass: [Excuse me for bothering you, but I wanted to talk to you about Lan Ting’s problem. We’re not very familiar with each other, so I might be speaking too frankly, but Lan Ting is so young, and I really can’t stand seeing him like this, so I couldn’t help but come to you.]
Huo Jinchen: [Please go ahead.]
Yuan Yuan loves to eat grass: [Lanting is only four years old. A child that age should be living with his parents and playing carefreely with his friends in kindergarten, instead of being like him, with no one to take care of him and no one to pay attention to him. He only has a butler, nanny, childcare worker and bodyguard around him!]
Huo Jinchen started typing again.
Gu Yuan didn’t care; who knew how long he would keep typing? So Gu Yuan continued typing away: [Doesn’t he have a mother by his side, only a father? Since you are his only guardian, shouldn’t you take on the responsibility of being a father? You’re just going to abandon him and hand him over to a butler? Can you be sure he’ll be well taken care of?]
After she finished sending this message, Huo Jinchen finally ended the “typing” status, and Gu Yuan saw a sentence: [Thank you for your concern for Lanting, Miss Gu. However, this time it was his own idea to go to China for a trip. It’s only for a week, and I have been keeping a close eye on his activities. Butler Duanmu is a very responsible butler who reports to me about his situation three times a day.]
Three times a day?
If he hadn’t said it, it would have been fine, but the fact that he did made Gu Yuan feel inexplicably angry.
Butler Duanmu had already said twice that he would contact the master, but the master was busy, the master was not available, the master said he didn’t have time. He had said it twice already! How dare he say he requested reports three times a day?
Gu Yuan no longer cared about manners and started typing away on WeChat.
Yuan Yuan Loves to Eat Grass: [You listen to reports three times a day, but are you just listening for the sake of listening?]
Yuan Yuan loves to eat grass: [Have you ever done anything like this?]
Yuan Yuan loves to eat grass: [He is your son, not Butler Duanmu’s son. Do you think someone else can raise your son for you?]
Yuan Yuan Loves to Eat Grass: [Or do you think that raising a child is just about paying someone to take care of him? He needs companionship, he needs care and attention, you know that?]
Yuan Yuan Loves to Eat Grass: [Maybe you’re rich, but so what? Your son is so sick, and you can still act like nothing’s wrong and keep going with your work. Do you think you’re a qualified father?]
Yuan Yuan loves to eat grass: [Do you know what he was talking about in his sleep?]
A string of messages was sent out, and the “typing” message box above Huo Jinchen’s message box appeared intermittently.
Gu Yuan took a deep breath. She knew she had acted impulsively, but she was so angry.
He could still put on an air of being very responsible. Didn’t he know how pitiful his son was, whimpering and moaning from illness?
After a long time, Huo Jinchen sent a message.
Gu Yuan looked down and saw the message read: [I’m sorry to have upset you, but could you tell me what’s wrong with Lan Ting? Is he sick?]
When Gu Yuan saw the message, his first reaction was to grit his teeth. Butler Duanmu had already told Mr. Huo twice, but Mr. Huo was busy and didn’t have time. How could he still pretend like this? Did he even know how pitiful that child was just now?
However, after the initial burst of anger and resentment, she suddenly realized something.
He didn’t seem to be pretending, nor did he seem like the kind of person who completely didn’t care about his son.
He really didn’t know?
Recalling the palace intrigue dramas she had previously imagined, her mind raced, and she immediately projected the various scheming and backstabbing in “The Legend of Xuanji” onto Huo Jinchen.
Was it Butler Duanmu’s deliberate concealment, or was someone close to Huo Jinchen preventing the message from being conveyed? Where did the problem lie?
Gu Yuan calmed down and replied, [Yes, he is sick. His stomach has been upset since the daytime. The family doctor prescribed medicine, but he had another bout of illness in the middle of the night. He was rolling around on the bed, clutching his stomach, crying pitifully.]
After thinking it over, she still didn’t say anything about “Butler Duanmu seeming to be neglecting the illness.” After all, it was just her perception, and what if it wasn’t true? Or what if Huo Jinchen didn’t believe her? She should leave everything to Huo Jinchen, the father, to investigate.
Huo Jinchen: [I understand, Miss Gu, thank you.]
After that, he never replied again.
Looking at the phone, Gu Yuan wondered if there was a problem with the network or if the phone was broken. She felt that Huo Jinchen would at least inquire about the illness, whether the doctor was sick, or say something.
In short, she felt that Huo Jinchen’s last words were not a proper way to end the conversation, but it seemed that the conversation had ended just like that.
Gu Yuan felt a bit frustrated, realizing she had wasted her breath talking to him for nothing, and he hadn’t even reacted? A simple “I understand, thank you” and that was it?
What kind of father is this?
Thinking of this, Gu Yuan gritted her teeth, wishing she could jump into WeChat and slap Huo Jinchen twice to wake him up. Looking at Huo Lanting on the bed, she saw him with his little body curled up, his little brows furrowed, and his little hands holding his big head, looking pitiful.
An indescribable emotion overwhelmed her and she suddenly felt like crying.
He may be a bit of a troublemaker, but could you blame him? He’s so pitiful, nobody cares for him, nobody loves him, he only has a butler who doesn’t seem very loyal and a group of bodyguards who always seem expressionless.
In such an environment, the fact that he didn’t become a major villain is already a testament to his responsibility to society.
She lay back down and hugged his small body.
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