Chapter 37: The Protagonist’s Mother
Somewhere in the city...
Shen Tian walked down a cracked and broken sidewalk inside one of the worst areas of the city.
The streets were filthy.
Homeless people slept beneath old newspapers while drug addicts wandered around half conscious.
Trash filled the roads.
Sirens echoed faintly in the distance.
Even the buildings looked as if they were barely standing.
Shen Tian had purposely come on foot.
There was no way he was risking one of his expensive cars getting stripped apart in this neighborhood.
Of course, he wasn’t worried about his own safety.
Anyone dumb enough to attack him would simply be asking for death.
Wearing a clean suit and an expensive watch in a place like this naturally attracted attention.
Many people secretly stared at him as he walked.
Shen Tian ignored all of them while looking around.
According to the original webnovel, Ye Chen’s mother frequently volunteered at a poor soup kitchen somewhere nearby.
"Hey there, cutie~"
A woman suddenly blocked his path.
Shen Tian looked forward.
Then almost immediately wanted to turn around and leave.
The woman in front of him was heavily overweight, poorly dressed, and somehow smelled like expired cigarettes mixed with cheap alcohol.
She winked at him before making a vulgar hand gesture.
"Want me to give you a special service?"
Shen Tian almost looked physically hurt by the sight.
"...No, I’m good."
He immediately walked past her.
Unfortunately, rejection clearly wasn’t something the woman was used to.
"How dare you!" she shouted angrily. "No man has ever rejected me before!"
Truthfully, she had only approached Shen Tian because he looked rich.
She had fully planned to pin her pregnancy on him afterward and force him to take responsibility.
Seeing Shen Tian ignore her completely made her furious.
Then suddenly, she screamed toward a nearby alleyway.
"Brothers! I’m being bullied!"
A few seconds later, four identical looking men came stumbling out from the alley.
Quadruplets.
All of them looked half-high already.
"What’s wrong, sis!?" they shouted simultaneously in perfect unison.
The woman immediately pointed at Shen Tian dramatically.
"That man slapped my ass!"
Shen Tian slowly stopped walking before turning around with disbelief written all over his face.
"...Why would I ever touch that flat ass?"
"HEY!"
The quadruplets instantly became furious and began aggressively walking toward him.
"Don’t talk to our sister like that!"
Shen Tian sighed tiredly.
"...Welp. Guess I’m using it."
He casually reached into his pocket before tossing a small bag of drugs into the middle of the street.
The effect was immediate.
All four quadruplets froze.
Their eyes locked onto it like starving animals.
"THAT’S MINE!"
"No, it’s mine!"
"LET GO!"
"IT’S MINE!"
The four immediately started beating each other up in the middle of the road over the drugs.
Their sister watched the entire thing with a look of complete exhaustion before facepalming.
"...Damn it."
Leaving the chaotic siblings behind...
Shen Tian continued walking through the rundown streets for several more minutes.
Eventually, he found the place he had been searching for.
A small soup kitchen hidden between two decaying buildings.
The sign above the entrance was old and partially broken.
The moment Shen Tian stepped inside, the entire room fell silent.
Every homeless person in line turned to look at him.
Even the volunteers froze for a moment.
A man dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, wearing an expensive watch, simply didn’t belong in a place like this.
Shen Tian ignored the stares and calmly walked past the long line of people waiting for food.
His eyes scanned the room carefully.
Then finally...
He found her.
Cao Huo Er.
Ye Chen’s mother.
She stood near the back of the kitchen, weakly carrying a large pot of fresh soup.
Or rather...
Trying to carry it.
Her body looked painfully frail.
She was bald from the sickness.
Her skin was pale and sickly.
Even her once beautiful orange eyes had become dim and exhausted.
Despite looking like she could collapse at any moment, she still continued helping others.
Shen Tian silently walked behind the counter.
"Ma’am, let me help you."
"I..." Before Cao Huo Er could refuse...
Shen Tian gently took the heavy pot from her hands with ease.
Cao Huo Er looked at him in awe.
Someone who looked this wealthy helping inside a poor soup kitchen felt unreal to her.
"...Thank you," she said quietly.
Her voice was dry and weak.
Almost difficult to hear.
But Shen Tian heard it clearly.
"Don’t worry about it."
Without another word, Shen Tian began helping to serve the soup.
The volunteers nearby were stunned seeing a rich man casually helping feed homeless people without complaint.
After a few moments, Shen Tian spoke again in a calm voice.
"Once everyone in line is fed... can I talk to you for a moment?"
Cao Huo Er immediately became nervous.
A wealthy man suddenly wanting to speak with someone like her naturally made her anxious.
"...Do I owe you money?" she asked, sounding slightly afraid.
Shen Tian shook his head.
"Not at all."
Then after a brief pause...
"It’s about your son... Ye Chen."
The moment she heard her son’s name, Cao Huo Er froze.
Her trembling hands slowly covered her mouth.
Small tears instantly formed in her eyes.
"My son?" she whispered shakily. "Is... is everything alright with him?"
Shen Tian gently patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Don’t worry. We’ll talk after this."
Before long, the soup kitchen had finally calmed down.
Most of the homeless people had already been fed, and the volunteers were beginning to clean up for the day.
Outside behind the building, Shen Tian carefully helped Cao Huo Er walk down a worn stone ramp.
Even walking seemed difficult for her.
Her body was simply too weak.
Shen Tian glanced around at the filthy alleyways nearby before frowning slightly.
"I don’t feel comfortable talking in this area," he said calmly. "Let’s move somewhere better."
"I..."
Before Cao Huo Er could even respond, Shen Tian suddenly bent down and lifted her into a princess carry.
"Ready to go?"
Cao Huo Er’s eyes widened instantly.
"...."
For several seconds, she completely forgot how to speak.
No man had carried her like this...
Especially not someone young, handsome, and clearly wealthy.
Shen Tian simply smiled casually at her shocked expression before beginning to walk.
Cao Huo Er quietly looked up at him while resting against his chest.
For some reason...
She felt strangely safe.
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(Author Note: IMPORTANT!)
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