Chapter 247 Xiao Ruis Pedigree (1/2)
The only thing going through Xin Qing's mind when she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep was this, ”Will Wangwang become like Xiao Rui in the future?”
When she suddenly remembered that thought the next day, she pulled Chen Huan aside. ”I want you to give Xiao Rui an IQ test at least once,” she told Chen Huan.
”There's no need for the kid to take the test,” Chen Huan said with a quick wave of her hand. ”That kid definitely has a high IQ. I'm pretty sure he's no less talented than my son.”
Xin Qing stared at Xiao Rui who was currently holding Liuliu. ”How do you know?” She asked.
”You...” Chen Huan trailed off as she pondered Xin Qing's words. ”I guess that works, too. Just let him take the test, then. Plus, I've been wondering if he's been given some kind of injection as well.”
Wangwang was not yet awake, nor had his fever subsided. Due to their ties with Young Master Shen, the hospital had kindly offered to bring a few experts over to the hospital to examine Wangwang. In the end, they had to ask Young Master Shen to come up with some random excuse to refuse the offer.
”Why don't we just take him back home?” Monica asked.
Ah Nan shook his head. ”Staying at the hospital is more convenient. Just in case there's an emergency.”
Xin Qing, too, felt that she would be more at ease if they kept Wangwang at the hospital. That afternoon, Chen Huan returned to the hospital, but this time she had a metal box with her. When she arrived, she was still hesitating and unsure of how to bring up the issue to Xiao Rui. Kids were usually more emotionally sensitive. That said, it would be bad if Xiao Rui somehow got the wrong idea and ended up thinking that they wanted him to take the IQ test because they thought he was not good enough as he was.
But when Xiao Rui heard Chen Huan's request, he merely nodded obediently. ”Oh, okay!” He said and immediately sat across from Chen Huan.
Xin Qing and Chen Huan shared a look with each other. Xin Qing still had something to say, but she was cut off by Xiao Rui before she could voice out her thought, ”I want to know what's going on with me, too. I feel like it's got something to do with my past.”
”Fine. Then let's begin!” Chen Huan took out a small object which looked like a tack and then pierced Xiao Rui's ear with it. Then, she placed a helmet on Xiao Rui's head. After a few hour of fussing and bustling, Chen Huan's expression looked more and more grim.
By the time Chen Huan had put her equipment away, Xin Qing was on pins and needles. ”Um... what's wrong?” Xin Qing asked.
Chen Huan stared at Xiao Rui intently. ”Have you had a fever before?” Chen Huan asked.
”Yes,” Xiao Rui said. ”After Grandpa Mo Lin brought me to the village, I had a fever that lasted for three days.”
”How old were you?”
”He was barely two years old,” Xin Qing said. ”The old chieftain told me that Xiao Rui was likely to be just over a year old when he was found.” Then, Xin Qing gave Xiao Rui a worried glance. Turning to Chen Huan, she asked, ”Is something wrong with Xiao Rui's body?”
”He's fine,” Chen Huan said, though she now had a conflicted look on her face. ”Xiao Rui must have had some ties to the military. His body had been injected with some kind of strange substance. I've seen something like it from the military's top-secret files a long time ago. I was still just a student back then. My thesis adviser and I were in the middle of completing a mission for the country. The way Xiao Rui's body had responded to my tests fits the descriptions in those files. But from what I heard, that project was nearly scrapped because it was too dangerous. All its clinical trials had resulted in failure.”
”So what you're saying is that Xiao Rui was part of an experiment when he was born, or, before he was even born?” Said agitatedly Monica who had been listening to the conversation between Xin Qing and Chen Huan. ”That's just so cruel!”
Xin Qing glared at Monica and then flicked her eyes at Xiao Rui. Monica took the hint and clammed up.
”Mom, I'm fine!” Xiao Rui said, raising his head high. Xin Qing felt a burning sensation in her nose as a lump formed in her throat. ”How could he be fine? He was just a small child when he was abandoned in the woods, bloodied and dirty,” Xin Qing thought. Now he had even found out that he was a test subject of some kind of sick experiment. The thought had Xin Qing tightening her arms around Xiao Rui.
”Well, you're my son now. And you'll be my son in the future, too.”
Chen Huan watched as the the mother and son hugged each other. She did not want to ruin the mood, but still, she felt obligated to give Xin Qing a warning, ”It's best if you be careful, okay? Don't let Xiao Rui expose his special abilities in front of strangers.”
”What he has isn't a special ability. He's just slightly better than the average person, that's all.” Xin Qing did not want any labels to be put on Xiao Rui.
Chen Huan's expression was serious as she stared at Xin Qing intently. ”This is a serious matter. There are only two outcomes if Xiao Rui's abilities were somehow discovered. One, he will be assassinated. Two, he will be locked up and experimented on.”
Xin Qing was deeply rattled by Chen Huan's words. She held Xiao Rui close to her chest, hanging on to him as if her life depended on it. Then, Xiao Rui patted her back comfortingly and said, ”Mother, it's okay. I won't expose myself before I have the power and ability to fend for myself.”
”Hey, take it easy, okay?” Chen Huan said in a comforting tone. ”Xiao Rui is already 10 now. Which means that it's already been 10 years since the experiment. Those people have probably given up the experiment after such a long time. Or, they might have long since assumed that Xiao Rui is... Well, you know.” Chen Huan shrugged.
Xin Qing nodded vigorously. Suddenly, she looked towards Monica and Ah Nan. ”You two must never tell anyone about Xiao Rui!”
Ah Nan nodded with a serious look on his face. Monica, on the other hand, gave Xin Qing a look of hurt. ”You don't trust me?” Monica yelled.
”That's not what I mean,” Xin Qing said, shaking her head in frustration. Wangwang was unconscious without any signs of waking up, and now there was this thing with Xiao Rui? All of a sudden, Xin Qing found herself feeling an enormous amount of stress.
”What she meant was she's afraid you might spill the beans one of these days,” Chen Huan said as she poured a glass of water for Xin Qing.
” I swear I'll never do that,” Monica said. ”Or else I'll never be able to get married.” Monica looked at Ah Nan. ”Right?”
Ah Nan pretended he never heard her.
Everyone decided that Zhang Mi should never ever know about this. God only knew if she would end up betraying Xiao Rui's secretly one day after having one too many drinks. As for Young Master Shen, Xin Qing had asked Ah Nan to tell him later.
Three days went by, and on the third day, Chen Huan anxiously told Xin Qing that Wangwang would be in danger if he did not wake up that day.
Early that morning, everyone stood around Wangwang's bed. Xin Qing kept shivering and quivering while they all waited. Ah Sha and Xiao Rui both hugged her tightly to convey their support.
Noon arrived in a blink of an eye, yet Wangwang showed no signs of rousing; however, Chen Huan did discover that his body's temperature was lowering, which was a good sign.
”It should be fine now,” said Chen Huan, touching Wangwang's forehead again.