Medical Center
"I can tell who's lying," Adam said calmly. "And Shanong's shoes have bloodstains that haven't been completely wiped off. Didn't you guys notice?"
Everyone's eyes snapped to the teenage girl Shanong's shoes in unison.
In typical American TV drama fashion, the high school girl was wearing a short skirt outfit. Shanong immediately pressed her legs together—maybe a shy reflex—but she also subtly slid her heels under the chair.
"No point hiding it. I saw it!"
A sharp-eyed mother, tipped off by Adam, had already spotted a faint dark red smear on Shanong's heel. She connected the dots: a girl giving birth to her first kid in a bathroom would definitely leave blood dripping behind.
The blood on the outside of her sneakers might've been easy to wipe off, but the inner lining? Once it soaked in, no amount of water was getting that out.
Since it was just a tiny spot, no one had thought to look for it before. But now that Adam pointed it out, it was the smoking gun.
"It's definitely her!"
The other girls' parents practically cheered. This cleared their daughters' names completely.
You've got to understand—without someone confessing, all four girls would've carried this suspicion through high school. Whether the girls could handle it was one thing, but the parents? No way they could deal with the gossip and finger-pointing.
Reputation matters. Even in the U.S., people care about saving face.
Sure, rich folks can pack up and move whenever they want as a last resort, but it's not that simple for most.
"Shanong, are you still not going to admit it?" Dr. Montgomery asked, her voice heavy with disappointment as she looked at the sweet, innocent-looking girl. "Your son's dying. He needs your help!"
"There was no solid evidence pointing to you before, so we couldn't force a check," Adam added. "But now there's proof, and with the baby on the brink of death, it's enough for a judge to issue an emergency order. Even without it, a DNA test in a few days will give us the truth."
Smack!
Smack!
Shanong's expression shifted. She raised her hands and—bam!—slapped herself hard on both cheeks. Then her lips quivered, tears streamed down her face, and she whimpered, "Wahhh! It's all my fault! I was so scared, I didn't mean for this to happen! 😭 I'm only 14—I don't know anything…"
The sudden self-slapping stunned everyone.
Like, what?! You're confessing, fine, but why slap yourself twice? Was it guilt? Or some weird flex to scare someone?
"…"
Adam's mouth twitched.
His sharp senses picked up something else: when Shanong slapped herself, the other three girls—heads down—flinched in sync with the sound. Perfect timing.
He got it instantly.
These girls weren't just covering for her out of friendship. It was fear—mostly fear.
Shanong, the shortest of the four, with her slim frame and pure, sweet face, had something about her that terrified the others. She wasn't the "tough big sis" type like Penny, but she was absolutely a queen bee.
Her ruthless core hid behind that innocent smile. Only her little crew knew the real her.
And that self-slapping? She'd probably done it to others before. The sweeter her face, the harsher her moves—the contrast made her downright terrifying.
No wonder the other three girls, even under pressure from parents, cops, and the baby's life hanging in the balance, didn't dare say a word or even twitch.
School, parents, police, a dying baby—all that stress on 14-year-old shoulders paled next to one sideways glance from Shanong.
They were scared—legit scared!
A 14-year-old hiding a pregnancy, rallying her posse, giving birth in a bathroom, tossing the baby in the trash, cleaning up, and strolling back to class with a smile like nothing happened?
If that's not unhinged, what is? 😳
And if she's that unhinged, how could the other 14-year-olds not be terrified?
Adam got it. He felt for them.
This was a mashup world of American TV dramas where freaks popped up left and right. Back when he first crossed over, even with a system, Adam struggled for years—forced to become a total actor just to survive!
When you're up against a psycho who'd hurt or kill immigrated without blinking, how could a normal person not be afraid? What, bet on their knife being dull?
"Stop crying for a sec," Dr. Montgomery cut in, her expression a mix of shock and unease as she looked at Shanong. "Since you've admitted it, come with me for a test. We need to save the baby—now."
She was reeling.
Shanong was the last person she'd suspected. The gap between her sweet exterior and this twisted reality—plus that chilling self-slap act—sent shivers down her spine.
"Mhm, mhm!" Shanong nodded, wiping tears, then threw herself into her adoptive mom's arms. "Mommy, I don't want to go to jail! I didn't mean it! You've got to help me… 😭"
The mother-daughter duo sobbed in a corner for a while until Dr. Montgomery urged them again, and they finally went for the test.
The other three girls' parents, overjoyed, took their silent daughters home. Shanong's adoptive mom stayed behind, her face a mess of emotions.
Adam gave her a long look, shook his head, and left.
His super hearing had caught something no one else did: while Shanong hugged her mom and cried, she'd whispered in her ear.
"Call my birth parents," she'd said. "It's come to this. It's not what I wanted, but it's a good chance, right? Tell them if they don't want their reputation trashed, they'll hire me the best lawyer. I'm not going to jail.
"They think I'm a sick burden, too much trouble, and want to ditch me to live their carefree lives? Dream on! If I'm messed up, it's their fault for making me!
"This time, you've got to step up. It's do or die. Don't flake out like before, scared off by their lawyer's smooth talk without even seeing them.
"Useless! No effort, no reward. If we pull this off, you won't have to worry about money ever again.
"But if I end up in jail, when I get out, you'll be my enemy—just like them.
"Mom, you don't want to be my enemy, do you?"
Her adoptive mom's voice shook. "N-No…"
"Good." Shanong hugged her tighter, sobbing while whispering, "Once we hook them, think about it: if my birth parents suddenly died one day, who'd get all their money? Us, right?
"Don't worry—they're Hollywood stars. Overdosing or whatever happens all the time.
"Maybe I could even debut in Hollywood 'in their memory.' With my looks, I'd outshine them—become a real star.
"We'd be swimming in cash. Don't you want that rich life?
"No turning back now. Don't wimp out—go for it! I'm waiting for good news."
Adam, hearing all this, silently mourned Shanong's birth parents for a few seconds.
But he wouldn't say a word. One, no one would believe it without proof. Two, in his eyes, her birth parents kinda deserved it.
He had no time for this mess.
As Tree Man Zhou once said: "With that time, why not learn about scientists pushing humanity forward or check on their health? Way more meaningful than this drama."
Adam couldn't agree more. 😏
Why waste time on this when he could study math with the gorgeous genius Peggy, spark her research, or just chat with her? Now that's worth it!
(Chapter End)