“I’m fine!” Chu Ai weakly shook her head, forcing a smile. After washing her face with cold water, she felt much better. “These days have been like this, no appetite, throwing up everything, probably another stomach illness!”
Back at the table, Du Moli looked at her thoughtfully, “Chu Ai, you’re not pregnant, are you?”
Chu Ai’s chopsticks fell on the table. She was stunned: Pregnant?
Her period was delayed by several days, but how could she be pregnant? She remembered that night with Gu Yunzhi in Zhuhai. They usually took precautions, but that night, they indulged themselves completely.
Just one night, it couldn’t be that coincidental! She took a deep breath and smiled at Du Moli’s puzzled face, “I don’t have a boyfriend, how could I be pregnant? It’s probably just a stomach illness!”
“Oh,” Du Moli sighed with relief, “I thought you might be pregnant. I’ll accompany you to buy stomach medicine later!”
After the meal, Du Moli insisted on accompanying her to buy medicine. Chu Ai couldn’t refuse and went along. Just as they reached the pharmacy entrance, she looked back and saw Gu Yunzhi. He was standing quietly across the street, waiting for the traffic light. Chu Ai spotted him instantly.
Gu Yunzhi saw her too. He hesitated, crossed the street, and stopped in front of her, “How have you been lately?”
“Fine!” she answered mechanically.
“When did you return to Beijing?”
“Not long ago!”
He wanted to ask why she hadn’t called him but swallowed the words.
He just sighed lightly, “You’ve lost so much weight!”
Her nose felt sour.
“Take good care of yourself!” he said, giving her a deep look before walking past her. At that moment, a slight bitterness crossed her heart.
Chu’e looked at her phone, “Oh, no battery left.” She was about to ask why he didn’t wait in the car, but looking around, she didn’t see his car and stopped herself.
Luo Xuan seemed to sense her thoughts, “The road is too slippery, I came by subway!”
Seeing him shivering and stamping his feet to keep warm, she couldn’t bear to turn him away, “Come up and warm yourself inside!” She said, turning to walk upstairs.
Inside the house, Chu’e turned on the air conditioning, “Did you want something?”
Luo Xuan lazily leaned against the radiator, “I want you to celebrate something with me!”
“Celebrate?” She looked at him, puzzled, “Celebrate what?”
“Celebrate my return to being single!”
With a “clang”, the teacup in Chu’e’s hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Her body stiffened, and after a long moment, she said with difficulty, “You… got divorced?”
Luo Xuan looked at her intently, “Lin Lan just signed the divorce agreement…” His words barely concealing his ease and satisfaction.
Anger suddenly erupted from Chu’e’s chest, “What gave you the right to make her sign? What right do you have to marry and divorce at will? Just because you’re rich, you can do whatever you want? Is ‘fairness’ not in your dictionary? Or do you just treat women as your playthings, to be manipulated at will?”
She was flushed with excitement, her eyes filled with anger enough to burn him. Luo Xuan was taken aback, “Chu’e, is this how you see me?”
Chu’e remained angry and silent.
Luo Xuan sighed, “I didn’t force her, she agreed herself. Lin Lan initially liked me mostly because of my status. If I weren’t the heir to the Zhong family, would she have tried so hard to marry into it? This marriage was built on deception from the start, how could we expect it to last? Besides, we were completely incompatible. Without love, even staying together would be unhappy. Lin Lan realized this and agreed to sign so readily. Moreover, I didn’t wrong her – I gave her the house, the car, and a large sum of cash that will ensure her comfort for the rest of her life. So, both theoretically and emotionally, I’ve done right by her, with a clear conscience…”
A sudden churning in her stomach made her instantly spring up from the sofa, rushing into the bathroom, vomiting wildly and expelling everything she had painstakingly eaten at noon.
After finally emerging from the bathroom, she poured a cup of hot water and slumped weakly on the sofa, staring blankly. Delayed menstruation, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite – weren’t these all signs of pregnancy? If she was indeed pregnant, what would she do?
She sat like this all afternoon, not wanting to eat anything in the evening, feeling her hands and feet ice-cold. She didn’t even bother to wash up, directly burrowing into the blanket.
She woke up near noon the next day, with two missed calls from Du Moli on her phone. Curled up in bed, she lazily returned her call.
“Chu E, are you feeling better? Why didn’t you answer my call last night?” Du Moli complained.
“I was dead asleep, didn’t hear it, sorry!” she laughed, “I’m much better, thank you!”
“It’s good that you’re better, but you should still go to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up. Stomach issues should be seen early, don’t keep dragging it out…”
“Got it, Aunt Du!” Chu E teased with a laugh.
“Hah!” Du Moli was exasperated, “Are you still the same Shen novelist I know?” She pretended to be angry, “Alright, I don’t care what happens to you, just take care of yourself! I’m hanging up!
Chu E smiled and ended the call.
After curling up in bed for a while, she lazily got up to wash. Finally mustering the courage, she bought a few pregnancy tests from an adult store outside her community. For safety, she bought one of each brand.
When she saw the row of uniform double red lines, she was stunned. Oh God, she had truly “won the lottery”!
At that moment, an indescribable feeling surged in her heart. Was it joy? Was it sorrow? She didn’t know, only feeling a mix of emotions.
To be on the safe side, she went to the maternity hospital. The B-ultrasound confirmed she was indeed pregnant. The doctor glanced at the report and casually said, “You’re pregnant, around forty days.”
Standing at the hospital entrance, she was lost. She never dreamed that after gathering the courage to break up with Gu Yanzhi, she would be pregnant. A moment of passion, a secret conception – should she be excited or regretful? What would she do with this child?
She suddenly thought of Yun Lei. Lei Lei, I’ve followed in your footsteps again!
Only now did she truly understand Yun Lei’s helplessness and confusion. Because she couldn’t bear to let go, she kept the child, only to lose him and the hope that sustained her, ultimately choosing to leave with the child. What about her own child? Keep it or not?
Keeping it would be selfish, not keeping it would be cruel. Either way would be irresponsible! Regret came too late, so what should she do next? Chu E’s head was spinning.
In a daze, she unknowingly dialed Gu Yanzhi’s number. Hearing his familiar low, magnetic voice, her nose involuntarily tingled.
“No need!” Chu’e said stiffly, “I don’t drink coffee! Just give me a cup of hot water!”
Yunzhi was stunned, then smiled slightly, “When did you quit coffee?”
Chu’e stared at him, “Today, right now!”
Yunzhi was stunned again, then sighed softly, “Xiao’e, are you angry with me?
Chu’e gave a bitter smile, “To be angry, there must be a reason. You haven’t provoked me, so what am I angry about?”
Yunzhi looked at her searchingly, “So why did you find me today…?”
Chu’e said directly, “I’m pregnant!”
A mouthful of coffee choked in his throat, and Yunzhi began to cough violently. It turned out that Gu Yunzhi could also look embarrassed! Chu’e’s lips unconsciously curved slightly.
He looked at her as if he couldn’t believe it, “What did you just say?”
She simply took out the hospital examination form from her bag and moved it in front of him on the table.
He glanced at it and instinctively said, “The child… is mine?”
She retorted impatiently, “Of course it’s yours!”
“Impossible!” he blurted out.
