Jiang Nanfang bought five test strips in total.
Returning home, she dropped her things and rushed into the restroom.
Moments later, she nervously looked at the results on the test strip.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Damn it! Could she be seeing things? If there really were two lines, what a disaster that would be!
Unable to believe it was true, she quickly inserted another one.
Still two lines.
No, no. They say nighttime urination isn't accurate; it's best to use morning urine. She had drunk so much water just now, maybe…
She would try again tomorrow morning. Today's test was inaccurate!
"Ding dong!"
As she was anxiously comforting herself in the bathroom, the doorbell suddenly rang.
So late, who could be visiting?
Jiang Nanfang walked to the door and asked listlessly, "Who is it?"
"Manager Jiang, it's me." It was Ah Zhong, to her surprise.
Jiang Nanfang opened the door.
Ah Zhong smiled at her politely.
"Sorry to bother you so late."
"Is there something wrong?"
"I heard you weren't feeling well today. I know you live alone, so I was worried something might happen, and Zhan Zhan asked me to check on you. Are you alright? Is there anything wrong?"
No. Very wrong. There were big problems.
But how could Jiang Nanfang tell Zhan Beijue? They had no relationship.
Oh, no, they did have a relationship – that of enemies.
And she had been staying up late, drinking, taking medicine, doing so many messy things… This child absolutely could not be kept.
What would be the point of telling him anyway?
He might even think she was trying to get something from him. Jiang Nanfang wouldn't put herself in such an awkward position.
"I'm fine. I just ate something bad earlier and felt a bit nauseous. I'm much better after throwing up when I got back."
Ah Zhong looked at her uncertainly, "Really, are you sure you're okay?"
"Mr. Zhan said that you can tell him anything. You are a great asset to the company, and he will help you solve any problem."
How thoughtful of him. Why hadn't she realized he was such a kind person at the dinner earlier?
Hypocritical.
"I'm really fine. Please tell him thank you, but I don't need anything. It's getting late, you should go home after work. That's all, goodbye."
Jiang Nanfang closed the door.
She had intended to call her children tonight to chat, but now she had no mood for it.
After showering, Jiang Nanfang forced herself to sleep.
Her mind was a mess, and she dreamt all night. She woke up before dawn the next day.
Impatiently, she ran to the restroom and tried again. Still two lines.
She tried again, using all five test strips.
Still two lines.
It was over. Retribution!
Just like six years ago, one moment of lust-induced foolishness, and retribution had found her again!
Thinking of this, her stomach churned again.
With nothing in her stomach, she knelt by the toilet and almost vomited her stomach acid.
No. This little one had come at the worst possible time. And it was destined not to be healthy.
She couldn't keep it. She had to deal with it as soon as possible.
Jiang Nanfang quickly washed up, changed her clothes, and took a taxi to the hospital at seven o'clock.
After registering and waiting in line, at 8:10 AM, she sat in the doctor's examination room.
She underwent an examination as per the doctor's instructions, and it was quickly confirmed that she was indeed pregnant.
Thirty-two days. There was only one embryo.
"Because of my work, I've been drinking a lot lately, and I've also taken allergy and cold medication. Doctor, I cannot keep this child."
Having come to the gynecology department so early in the morning and not intending to keep the pregnancy, the doctor assumed she had a promiscuous lifestyle and looked her up and down with disdain.
"Are you here alone? Is there no family member with you?"
"Yes."
"Have you discussed it with him? Is it up to you alone whether you can keep it?"
"I can make the decision. It's up to me alone."
"True, even for surgery, you need someone to sign and guarantee it. Otherwise, who will be responsible if something goes wrong?"
"Bring your boyfriend. I'll schedule a time for you once the surgery is confirmed."
Having had Tang Xueying accompany her during her previous pregnancy, Jiang Nanfang hadn't encountered any problems.
This was the first time she learned that family accompaniment was required for such a procedure.
"My boyfriend and I broke up. He can't come. Isn't it okay for me to sign myself?"
"Of course not. What if something happens to you during the surgery, and you can't even take care of yourself, how can you be responsible? If he can't come, ask someone else. Any relatives or friends, as long as they can sign."
This left Jiang Nanfang in a difficult situation.
She didn't have many friends to begin with. She hadn't been back for a long time, and she had been working every day since her return. Although she had met many people, there was no one who could sign for such a matter.
She couldn't possibly go to Zhan Beijue. What should she do?
She decided to try another hospital.
As a result, she went to another hospital, but it was the same. Without someone to help her sign, they refused to perform the procedure.
The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was truly pungent. Jiang Nanfang vomited repeatedly all morning, but her efforts were in vain.
Even though it was summer, and the sun in the sky was bright, at this moment, walking alone on the street, she felt a sense of desolation and loneliness.
Zhan Beijue also felt uneasy, always suspecting that Jiang Nanfang had something she wasn't telling him.
But he couldn't bring himself to ask directly.
After sitting anxiously in his office for over an hour, he used the excuse of passing by the electrical company to take a stroll through the technical department.
Jiang Nanfang's workstation was empty.
"Manager Jiang isn't at work today?"
Engineer Li explained, "The new product's workflow has been streamlined. There are no other projects at the moment, so Manager Jiang wouldn't be busy even if she came. Plus, she hasn't been feeling well lately, so Deputy General Manager Gao agreed to give her a few days off."
A few days off?
This darn woman, could she really be pregnant with his child again?
While wandering aimlessly on the street, her phone rang.
Jiang Nanfang took it out and saw it was Zhou Jinxiu.
Was this guy that free? Calling her for no reason, it was so annoying!
Jiang Nanfang didn't want to deal with him. But suddenly, an idea struck her, and she answered the call.
"Nanfang. Are you free for lunch?"
"Just the two of us?"
"If you don't want to see anyone else, then just the two of us is fine too."
Zhou Jinxiu chuckled, implying that there would definitely be others.
Guessing it might be the female reporter from yesterday, Jiang Nanfang said,
"I'm not in a good mood today. I don't want to see anyone else. Let's find a place to sit down, just the two of us."
It was rare. She didn't want to see anyone but herself. Zhou Jinxiu was so happy that he quickly agreed.
Soon, the two met at a coffee shop.
Jiang Nanfang didn't hide anything from him. As soon as they met, she pushed the hospital check-up report in front of him.
"What's wrong? Are you sick again? Why do you look so pale?"
Zhou Jinxiu picked it up and looked, his eyes widening.
"Don't try to fool me. What does this mean? Pregnant? You're pregnant?"
Jiang Nanfang nodded and looked at him seriously.
"I haven't been back in the country for long. During this time, the only friend I've made is you. I genuinely consider you a friend, and I don't want to hide anything from you. So…"
"How could you possibly be pregnant?" Zhou Jinxiu was still shocked. "Didn't you say you don't like..."
Jiang Nanfang sighed, "It's a long story. Who hasn't had a moment of drinking too much?"
"In short, I won't keep it. And I've taken a lot of medicine and drunk alcohol recently, so I really can't keep it."
"Could you do me a favor and accompany me to the hospital?"