The War of Love and Money

Cha-pter *21*

"Doctor! How is he?" Tension was increasing control over Yunlan, especially after he asked the doctor, waiting anxiously for his response. Mr Shen Bai was laying like a corpse in his bed without moving. He suddenly fell unconscious while having dinner with his family members. While all of the others were waiting outside the man's room with bang eyes directed to Shen Wei.

"Sorry to tell you this but he is strong enough to be able to maintain control of his physical condition to this extent. Your father is close to the last stage of Alzheimer wich is the most common cause of dementia............. is a continuous decline in thinking,.................."

"I know!" Yunlan shouted at the doctor to stop his explanation which for him was more than obvious to just pronounce the word Alzheimer for him to summarize his father's condition. He cost the old man's weak body a quick glance before he raised his head to find the doctor as he was about to say something but was afraid of Yunlan's reaction so he kept waiting for his permission.

"What is it?" Yunlan said in a hoarse and low voice. It seemed that he was devastated by the sudden news, he was amazed by how could Mr Shen Bai keep this as a secret from everyone, and how could he trick all of the people around him to never notice his sickness that had already reached the last stage of it.

"He was very strict about his illness, as he was never late for diagnostic appointments and never quit his medication. But the strange thing is that his condition indicates that he has not taken his medication for a while, do you perhaps know the reason?"

"I think I know" As he was commenting on the doctor's statement, he said while mercilessly feeling. There was somehow a change in the man's black eyes, and a mocking smile appeared on his thin lips. His three dimensional features were cold and thin, but his temperament was elegantly scary. He felt the darkness of the night filling him up and weighing him down.

It was like Yunlan's heart was tightly bound by a strong, invisible rope, making it ache like crazy. He knew that the pills were being replaced by a certain someone. With him having no evidence yet on who that person might be, Yunlan felt upset to not be able to defend his Shen Wei if everything went south.

"His pills were replaced, they gave him a high dose of drug to increase the severity of his ilness, causes more loss of memories, and also affect his brain cells making it slow and lazy. They are used to treat a variety of anxiety disorders, agitation, delirium and muscle spasms. They are called benzodiazepines, they have a sedative effect, they treat insomnia and the anxiety that can accompany depression" Yunlan explained to the doctor.

"That's dangerous especially for his condition, he must be put under observation. So what do you suggest? By the way his guardian is Zhu Xin Ci, would you like to change that?" Zhao Yunlan was taken by surprise at the doctor's statement, he suddenly got frustrated that he was lied to again about his father's condition. He swiftly called out through the house, walking down the main corridor in the search of his father's attorney.

"Xin Ci!" He called loudly, knowing it would grab the man's attention. Instantly, just as Yunlan thought he would, Xin Ci appeared around the corner with other members of the family following him, making Yunlan jump a little at the sight of them. The man folded his arms, obviously eager to know what Yunlan had to say. However, Yunlan's glares did not inspire any good. Rather, it seemed accusatory gazes directed at him and the rest of the family.

Yunlan's mind flashed back to what happened to his father trying to link things together with previous events. Yunlan looked with astonishment and awe; none of them was excluded, they all had an issue with him and his father. Everyone here were just enemies with a common interest, which was to obtain the old man's fortune at any cost, even killing if needed. Inside this fake palace lived monsters who know no mercy and humanity, nor are they obstructed by laws or beliefs.