Liang Yu Feng saw the situation clearly. As soon as he spoke, the living room fell silent. Xing Zheng had not spoken. Shen Su and Gu Song deliberated for a long time before saying to him, "Yu Feng is right. If she insists on keeping the child, and you force her, she might not accept treatment according to your wishes. You should discuss this further."
"We all know you don't want to gamble with her life, but as they say, a mother's love makes one strong. If the child stays, she will overcome it herself for the child's sake. Don't underestimate a person's willpower."
"Don't underestimate depression and PTSD either." Xing Zheng said expressionlessly. How could he not understand these principles? If there was even a sliver of a chance, he would not have made such a decision!
Shen Su and Gu Song sighed consecutively. They exchanged glances. "Why don't you both compromise and wait until after the fetal abnormality screening? The child might not have any problems."
Currently, Lin Mei was just over seven weeks pregnant, and the fetal abnormality screening was still a month away. This period of time would allow both of them to calm down and think, which might not be a bad thing.
"Do you know what it means to not take medication for a month?" Xing Zheng laughed mockingly, his eyes abnormally red. Did he not wish he could do that? "If the child has no problems, do you think she will compromise?" The longer it dragged on, the less likely she would be decisive. As the pregnancy progressed, a termination would be necessary, doubling the suffering.
"So you've decided to forcibly take her for an abortion?" Shen Su reminded Xing Zheng. "Aren't you afraid she'll break up with you?"
Lin Mei had indeed planned to break up with Xing Zheng. She had already mentioned this to Lan Lan and Feng Feng yesterday, and her attitude was very firm. After going upstairs, she began to pack her things. Lan Lan and Feng Feng went to help her and asked, "Have you made up your mind?"
"I've already lost a child once," Lin Mei said. "I don't want the same thing to happen a second time."
After that miscarriage, Xing Zheng and those around him believed that Lin Mei had intentionally caused it by hitting herself, as the impact marks on her abdomen were so obvious. It was a foregone conclusion. Only those close to Lin Mei knew the truth. Even after they reconciled, Lin Mei had never mentioned it to Xing Zheng.
On that day, Xing Zheng actually used the child to "negotiate" with her, even suggesting they were "even." She found it both laughable and disheartening.
"Can your body handle it?" Feng Feng placed the clothes into the suitcase. "Your complexion has already worsened after only a few days without medication."
Her complexion was not the only thing that was bad. She was plagued by nightmares almost every night. When she couldn't sleep, she felt weak all over. The nausea and dry heaving also became more intense. She couldn't even tell if it was pregnancy symptoms or the lack of sleep. The physical reactions were indeed very uncomfortable.
Lin Mei fell silent. Feng Feng held her hand, and the three of them sat down together. "Hua Mei, you need to be mentally prepared for some things."
"Whatever decision you make, Lan Zong and I will support you. But you used high-dose medication in early pregnancy and then encountered such a situation. The fate of the fetus is still uncertain. Have you considered that?"
To put it cruelly, her disagreement with Xing Zheng was not the most important issue. If the fetal abnormality screening came back positive, she wouldn't be able to keep it even if she wanted to.
Feng Feng's words were cruel but practical. Lin Mei had already considered this. "If he truly has problems and cannot be kept, I can accept it; but I will not give him up voluntarily."
Lan Lan hugged Lin Mei. "No matter what, Feng Zong and I will be with you."
These heartwarming words brought tears to Lin Mei's eyes. For her at this moment, support and companionship were the most urgent needs.
After packing her luggage, Lin Mei was about to leave. The three of them went downstairs together. The living room instantly became quiet. Xing Zheng's gaze fixed on the suitcase. He stared for a long time, then looked at Lin Mei and asked, feigning ignorance, "What does this mean?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air pressure in the living room dropped to its lowest point, and the circulation of the surrounding air slowed down. However, Lin Mei was not affected. In front of everyone, she calmly yet firmly told him her decision, "Let's break up."
On the night their negotiation failed, she had already stated her position to him. "From now on, my affairs have nothing to do with you."
Xing Zheng immediately walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. His already red eyes became even more terrifying. "It's not up to you to decide."
"Are you going to threaten me again? Like before." Her emotions remained completely stable, suggesting she had completely given up on him. This attitude further pierced him. "Since you want the child so badly, why did you hit yourself and miscarry last time? I really don't understand you."
"Yes," Lin Mei said, throwing caution to the wind, and even laughed. "That's just who I am. Now you know, breaking up with me is the wise decision."
Before she could finish speaking, the force on her wrist tightened. The sharp pain made her frown, her face turning even paler. Feng Feng looked at Lin Mei's wrist and reminded Xing Zheng, "You're hurting her. Let go."
Xing Zheng released his hand. Feng Feng and Lan Lan then took Lin Mei away. Xing Zheng stood frozen, watching her back disappear from view. A sense of powerlessness washed over him. He could have forced her as he had before, used tactics to make her stay, or even aborted the child against her will...
But he couldn't bear to. He wanted a way back. Now, he realized that no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to find that path.
"Don't worry," Shen Su said to Xing Zheng. "Feng Feng and Lan Lan will take good care of her. You all should calm down first. Perhaps she'll be better off after moving out."
"You can leave too." Xing Zheng dismissed the three of them. He then looked out the window; Lin Mei had already gotten into the extended business car. "Have them take good care of her."
After they left, Xing Zheng was left alone in the vast living room. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the two cars depart one after another. He returned to the sofa and lit a cigarette.
When Aunt Wen returned, she saw him sitting alone on the sofa, smoking. Aunt Wen sat down and asked, "Lin Mei left?"
"She broke up with me." Xing Zheng held the cigarette, exhaling smoke from his nostrils. He lowered his head, looking at the wooden floor, lost in thought. "I don't deserve to be with her."
The pain between them far outweighed the happiness. Even though he often didn't intentionally hurt her, her life had indeed been turned upside down because of him.
He looked down on Chen Qi, but now he felt he was not even as good as Chen Qi. At least, the harm Chen Qi brought her was not this kind of year-long, indelible damage.
"There's no such thing as deserving or not deserving in matters of love," Aunt Wen gently patted his arm, as she did when he was a child. "You both have your own standpoints, and Lin Mei likes you too. It's good for you both to calm down now."