The voluptuous and beautiful nanny, Technician Shen fell for her.

As Shen Huai listened to Shen Wanshan's weak voice, his gaze fell on the medicine bottle on the bedside table.

The doctor just gave me specific instructions in the hallway: the patient's blood pressure has just come down, and he absolutely must not be subjected to any further stimulation.

He couldn't argue with his own father at this time, or he would really get seriously injured from anger.

"You rest first, we'll talk about this later." He turned and walked towards the door. "I'm going to the nurses' station to make a call to let Grandpa and Grandma know they're safe, so they won't worry unnecessarily in the compound."

Liu Huizhen, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up immediately upon hearing this, took a few steps over, and grabbed Shen Huai's arm.

"You're not allowed to go! Stay here!" Liu Huizhen said sternly, "so you don't use making a phone call as an excuse to see whoever you want."

Lying on the hospital bed, Shen Wanshan chimed in, "Your mother is right, you're not allowed to go anywhere."

Wang Liping, who was standing to the side, was afraid that a spark would fly and hit her when she saw this scene.

She quickly grabbed Shen Tao's arm and took half a step back.

"Mom, Ping An is probably getting sleepy at home, Shen Tao and I need to hurry back and keep an eye on him. We'll tell Grandpa and Grandma, and also get Dad a couple of changes of clothes and toiletries." Wang Liping spoke quickly.

Liu Huizhen wasn't in the mood to pay attention to her and waved her hand.

Wang Liping grabbed Shen Tao and slipped away faster than a rabbit.

He Jianjun stood by the door, coughed twice, and wiped his hands on his trouser leg.

"Uncle, Aunt, the food at this hospital is so bland. I'll go to a state-run restaurant and have them make you some bone broth, and I'll bring it over later to help you recover."

After saying that, He Jianjun didn't even dare to meet Shen Huai's gaze, and turned to leave.

The ward fell silent.

Only Shen Wanshan, Liu Huizhen, and Shen Huai remained. No one spoke, and the air was heavy with tension.

Shen Huai walked to the thermos, picked up an empty glass, poured half a glass of warm water, and placed it on the cabinet next to Shen Wanshan.

Liu Huizhen was seething with anger, but she finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Xiao Huai, you have to tell me the truth today." Liu Huizhen stared at her son. "What are you thinking? What kind of spell has that Su Nianhe, that country nanny who can't even read many words, cast on you?"

Shen Huai pulled over a folding chair and sat down at the foot of the bed.

"I didn't make her drink soup," Shen Huai answered frankly. "I just had my eye on her."

Liu Huizhen slapped her thigh in anger: "What's so good about her? There are so many female workers in the factory who graduated from high school or junior college, aren't they all better than her? If you take a nanny out, what will people say when they ask? Where will your father put his face?"

"If anyone asks, I'll just say she's my wife," Shen Huai said calmly. "Your reputation is your own; it's not something given to you by others."

Liu Huizhen was speechless and turned to look at Shen Wanshan.

Shen Wanshan, panting on the bed, asked, "What do you want from her? Is it her ability to work?"

"I like that she's obedient and doesn't cause trouble," Shen Huai blurted out. "She doesn't make a fuss or nitpick every day. She stays at home and behaves herself."

Liu Huizhen sneered, "Behave yourself? If you were well-behaved, how could you have hooked up with her? I knew this girl was restless; I should have kicked her out long ago!"

"I provoked her first," Shen Huai corrected. "She's avoiding me."

Just as Liu Huizhen was about to unleash a torrent of abuse at Su Nianhe for being shameless, Shen Huai interrupted her.

"Mom, Dad's blood pressure has just come down. If you keep yelling and make him so angry that he has to go back to the emergency room, who will be responsible for that?" Shen Huai said calmly, stating the facts as they were.

Liu Huizhen felt a lump in her throat, turned to look at Shen Wanshan, who was lying on the hospital bed with a pale face, and swallowed back the harsh words.

If they continued talking, and Shen Huai stood up for the nanny and argued back, Shen Wanshan definitely wouldn't be able to handle it.

Shen Huai stood up.

Shen Wanshan looked at him earnestly: "Xiao Huai, you've been smart since you were little, studied hard, and are doing well at the factory now. Wouldn't it be better to find a wife who can help your future?"

Shen Wanshan took a breath and continued, "This has nothing to do with whether she's from the countryside or not. She can't read a single word. If you move up the ranks in the future and take an illiterate person with you, how will you communicate with people?"

Shen Huai looked at his father on the hospital bed.

"She can't read because her family won't let her go to school, and they don't even give her enough to eat," Shen Huai said softly. "She just didn't have the opportunity, not because she's stupid. I taught her to do accounts, and she learned it in no time."

Shen Wanshan frowned, about to retort.

Shen Huai didn't let him speak. "Dad, let's not talk about this anymore, lest you get angry again. I just want to ask you one serious question today."

Shen Huai took half a step closer. "You've always wanted me to climb the ladder step by step, which is the future you envision. But what if I don't want that kind of future?"

Shen Wanshan was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Shen Huai didn't say anything more because he saw that Shen Wanshan's breathing was becoming rapid again, and he was afraid that if he continued, he would really anger the old man to the point of injury.

The ward was quiet for a moment.

The IV drip was slowly falling. After the nurse came in to take the patient's blood pressure and flipped through the medical record, she added, "The patient has just stabilized. Family members, please speak softly and don't upset him."

Once the door closed, only the sound of breathing remained inside.

Shen Huai pulled his chair forward a little, sat at the foot of the bed, and said in a low voice, "Dad, I won't argue with you. I just want to ask you one question: how exactly do you want me to live my life?"

Shen Wanshan leaned against the pillow, his face still pale, but he spoke in his usual calm tone: "You're doing well at the textile factory now; being a technical consultant is just the beginning. In a few years, you'll be promoted to the factory administration, then transferred to the city—the path is already laid out. You're highly educated and intelligent; you shouldn't have gone astray."

"And then?" Shen Huai asked.

"Then settle down, find a girl with a respectable background, and live a peaceful life." Shen Wanshan coughed twice as he said this, "None of the things you're doing now are right."

Shen Huai nodded, not in a hurry: "I understand. You want a proper, conventional path."

Liu Huizhen chimed in, "Did your father raise you to be who you are today just so you could fool around with a country girl?"

Shen Huai leaned back in his chair and looked at them: "That's the path you and Dad wanted, not the life I wanted to live."

Liu Huizhen's temper flared up again: "Now that you're all grown up, you don't even care about the path your family paved for you?"

Shen Huai: "It's not that I look down on it. It's that I studied mechanical engineering not so that I would spend my days holding teacups in meetings, eating with people, and writing reports. I like doing technical work; I said that when I was in college."

Shen Wanshan frowned: "There's no conflict between doing technical work and moving up the ladder."

"It's not a conflict for you, but it is for me," Shen Huai said. "You want me to be a cadre, but I may not want to."

The ward fell silent again.

Shen Wanshan looked at his youngest son and after a long while spoke: "There has to be someone in the family who will take over this path."

Shen Huai chuckled, but his smile was faint: "Someone has to pick me up. Isn't that the route I'm taking?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Huizhen was stunned.

Shen Huai continued, "My older brother is doing well in the government office. He's steady, knows how to get along with people, and doesn't have any major flaws. What you need is respectability, stability, and the rules of the workplace. He's more suitable for that than I am."

Liu Huizhen blurted out, "How can that be the same?"

As soon as she said it, she stopped herself.

The ward was so quiet that even the dripping of the IV drip could be heard.

Shen Huai looked up at her: "How is it different?"

Liu Huizhen's lips moved, but she didn't respond.

Shen Wanshan didn't say anything either.