Chapter 29: I Don’t Like Men

“Mom, you’ve been staring at me like that since last night. What do you want to say?”

Yi Qingzhuo felt her scalp crawl under the relentless gaze, unable to focus on even the novel in her hands.

She looked up—there was no ignoring that intense stare. “Just say it. You’ve been sitting here the whole time, and my face doesn’t have any words written on it. Staring all day won’t help.”

“Silly child, as if you don’t know what I want to say. I saw you and Doctor Shen out for so long, so I wanted to ask how you two got along.” Yi Changhuan could tell that Yi Qingzhuo had been in a good mood since returning last night.

She didn’t show it on the surface—came straight back and buried herself in that novel.

But Yi Changhuan was observant. Yi Qingzhuo had been staring at the same page for half an hour without turning a single leaf.

Her gaze wasn’t even on the book—it was fixed on the MP3 player in her hand.

She looked troubled.

Yi Changhuan noticed every bit of this oddity.

All she could think was that if her daughter made friends with Shen Chaoyi, she’d have someone else to talk to.

That was a good thing.

As soon as Yi Qingzhuo heard this question, she immediately lowered her head and pretended to read intently.

Can’t hear a thing. Selective deafness.

Seeing this, Yi Changhuan walked over and snapped the book shut. “Child, these are all just novels. What’s so interesting about them? Did you hear what Mom just asked? Doctor Shen took you for a walk after work—is there any chance you two could become friends? What did you talk about?”

“Mhm.” Yi Qingzhuo gave a perfunctory reply and reached out to take her book back.

But Yi Changhuan moved the book behind her back, out of Yi Qingzhuo’s reach.

She pressed down on Yi Qingzhuo’s hand. “I told you to make good friends. The more people you know, the higher the chance you’ll meet a man who suits your heart. This is just the first step. Doctor Shen is so easygoing—just give it a try, what’s the harm, child?”

Unable to get her book, Yi Qingzhuo dropped her hand and gave up.

But at the word “man” in her mother’s words, the warmth in her eyes plummeted.

A man?

“I don’t like men.” With that, Yi Qingzhuo turned onto her side, preparing to lie down.

The IV tube for venous circulation dangled from the back of her hand, swaying with her movement.

Just as she lay down, Yi Qingzhuo seemed to think of something.

She propped herself up again. “And one more thing—don’t go telling Shen Chaoyi about my personal stuff from now on. When you two chat, leave me out of it. I don’t have any experiences worth sharing. And if I did, wouldn’t the only one be prison life?”

“That’s nothing shameful—it’s just your hobbies and interests.” Yi Changhuan saw she was about to sleep again and helplessly handed the book back.

The moment she passed it over, Yi Changhuan finally registered what she had just heard.

“What?!”

Yi Changhuan’s pupils contracted. Her eyes went wide.

She wondered if she had misheard in her daze.

“Wait, what did you just say? Yi Qingzhuo, what are you trying to do? Did I hear that wrong? You don’t like men?”

In her panic, Yi Changhuan called her daughter by her full name.

She even stood up straight in shock, staring at Yi Qingzhuo on the hospital bed.

Disbelief filled her eyes.

Sure, her daughter wasn’t exactly the feminine type—but not liking men?

She was already so different, and now she didn’t like men?

Yi Changhuan only wanted her daughter to live a normal life.

This revelation—she felt she couldn’t accept it.

Yi Qingzhuo, annoyed by her mother’s constant push for her to date, had blurted it out in a moment of frustration.

She hadn’t planned to tell Yi Changhuan so abruptly. A trace of awkwardness flickered across her face.

But since she’d said it, there was no taking it back. An arrow once loosed never returns.

So Yi Qingzhuo simply said, “I said I don’t like men.”

In her life, men had left a deep shadow on her.

“Yi Qingzhuo!” Yi Changhuan raised her voice.

She stared at Yi Qingzhuo in disbelief. “What are you thinking?”

If she didn’t like men, then she must like women?

So her daughter was… a lesbian?

Yi Changhuan couldn’t digest this news all at once. She plopped down onto the stool.

Seeing this, Yi Qingzhuo reached out to steady her.

But the stool was still some distance from the bed, so her hand hung in the air for a moment.

It lingered briefly, then she withdrew it sheepishly.

“The closest man in my life was a drunk and an abuser. In prison, I saw with my own eyes men’s unbridled evil and vulgarity. I don’t like men. I’m sure of it.” Yi Qingzhuo softened her expression, unwilling to clash with her mother.

A deep frown creased Yi Changhuan’s brow. In just that instant, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seemed to have deepened.

Her chest felt like it was weighed down by a huge boulder. Hearing her daughter’s reason, her heart ached in sharp bursts.

Her voice choked. “There are good men out there—we just haven’t met them yet. Wait a little longer; fate will come. Child, Mom wouldn’t hurt you. You need someone to rely on, a home.”

“Mom, don’t push me. I can stay single and keep you company for the rest of my life.”

“I was planning to tell you when the time was right. Since it’s out now, let’s make it clear.”

Yi Qingzhuo also felt a weight lift off her shoulders. The relieved look on her face was like seeing the moon after the clouds finally part.

These two sentences fell into Yi Changhuan’s ears, stopping every retort.

If it had been any other reason, she could have argued.

But Yi Qingzhuo’s reason was that incident from the past.

It was something her mother owed her for.

With such a reason, how could Yi Changhuan say anything more?

For a moment, she couldn’t speak. She could only stand up, looking dazed and lost. “You… get some rest. I’ll go home and make you some soup.”

“Mom…” Yi Qingzhuo called out.

But Yi Changhuan didn’t turn back. She just raised her hand as if to wipe away tears.

She opened the door and came face to face with Shen Chaoyi outside.

“Doctor Shen?” Yi Changhuan hadn’t had time to compose herself. Seeing Shen Chaoyi, she quickly lowered her head and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes.

And Shen Chaoyi—though she hadn’t meant to eavesdrop—had arrived just in time to hear Yi Qingzhuo say “I don’t like men.” She had involuntarily frozen in place, standing there.

Becoming someone who had overheard a family matter.

“Sorry, Auntie. I didn’t mean to listen.” Shen Chaoyi’s face still showed a flustered, startled expression that she hadn’t had time to hide. She quickly pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Yi Changhuan, her voice soft and apologetic.

Whether it was because the ward door wasn’t soundproof, or because Shen Chaoyi had exceptionally sharp ears that caught Yi Qingzhuo’s voice in that moment…

One door apart, Shen Chaoyi hadn’t had time to react.

Yi Changhuan had already pushed the door open in a hurry, giving Shen Chaoyi no chance to prepare. On her first time eavesdropping, she was caught red-handed.

And Shen Chaoyi wasn’t good at pretending. She could only express her apology in a slightly clumsy way.

Yi Changhuan took the tissue and raised it, covering her eyes completely.

She didn’t have the energy to worry about how much Shen Chaoyi had overheard. She just nodded, not wanting to lose her composure in front of a younger person, and brushed past Shen Chaoyi, walking away quickly.

Shen Chaoyi watched Yi Changhuan’s retreating back. Unconsciously, her fingers tightened around the insulated cup in her hand.

She had come to return the washed cup, never expecting to walk into such a private conversation between mother and daughter.

The ward door hadn’t closed. Shen Chaoyi looked up and met the calm eyes of Yi Qingzhuo on the bed.

For a moment, Shen Chaoyi didn’t know what to do.

Should she go in? Or back out?

After a couple of seconds’ thought, she still stepped into the ward and gently closed the door behind her.