The man glanced at her without a second look, holding the delicate woman in his arms, and turned to leave the hospital.
His wife cried alone, lamenting.
She had followed him from having nothing, striving bit by bit to where they were now.
She had borne him children and taken care of his parents, only to end up in this predicament.
No one stepped forward to comfort her.
After a moment, the crowd dispersed, everyone returning to their places, whispering amongst themselves.
Their words were all the same.
They cursed "Ah San" and the ungrateful man, lamenting the state of the world.
"These men nowadays, not one of them is honest."
"The wife stays home to look after the children and parents, while he pretends to be single outside, or claims marital discord. Honestly, how can so many foolish women believe them?"
"Exactly. Why don't they find single, unmarried men and instead go for married older men? Are these girls' eyes completely blind nowadays?"
Xiang Wan's face flushed with anger and then turned pale.
It felt as if everyone could see exactly what she had done, peeling back the layers of her skin.
She stroked her belly and thought of Lu Mingzhe in her phone.
She couldn't lift her head.
Soon, the report came out.
She was indeed pregnant. She was 40 days along.
The situation was normal, and the doctor congratulated her.
Forty days ago, seeing such a result, she would have been overjoyed.
But today, she didn't know what there was to be congratulated for.
She began to overthink.
She recalled memories of her and her brother living with their grandmother and struggling after her father fell ill.
If the child were born without a pair of normal parents to accompany it.
It would be better if it were never born.
Otherwise, it would experience the hardships of life, just like her, living a meaningless existence.
If Lu Mingzhe were like the man just now, and she were like the third sister just now.
How could she educate their child with any sense of honor?
She walked out of the hospital alone and dejected.
Hospitals must be places that witness the most suffering.
Even at this hour, many people were still rushing in.
Lost in her thoughts, she paid no attention to her surroundings.
As she walked, someone bumped into her shoulder.
It was a man carrying a child, rushing inside.
Xiang Wan didn't pay it much mind.
But the man stopped and apologized to her.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she said, turning her head slightly, and turned to leave.
The man immediately called out to her again.
"Xiang Wan? Miss Xiang, isn't it?"
This person actually recognized her?
Xiang Wan turned back again to look.
Oh, it was him.
She had encountered his car on the road before, and the man hadn't blamed her. Afterward, he had asked her out to dinner several times on WeChat.
But she had refused every time.
It was Tang Haichao, the renovation boss.
"Mr. Tang."
Tang Haichao was clearly excited that she recognized him.
"Yes, it's me. I didn't expect you to still remember me. Why are you at the hospital alone? Are you not feeling well?"
Xiang Wan found it difficult to answer his question.
Seeing a little girl slumped limply on his shoulder, she asked him instead.
"Is this your daughter? What's wrong with her?"
"My daughter. The teacher called saying she suddenly had a fever at school, so I'm bringing her here to see."
Although he wasn't young, Xiang Wan hadn't expected him to be married.
After all, his previous earnest attempts to invite her out to dinner weren't behavior expected of a married man.
As expected, the men were right when they said not a single one of them was honest.
"Then you should go quickly. It seems her fever is quite severe."
After saying that, she turned to leave again.
Tang Haichao called out to her once more.
"Miss Xiang, if it's convenient, and if you have time, could I trouble you to wait for a moment?"
"Does Mr. Tang need something else?"
His expression was somewhat awkward.
"It's like this, her mother couldn't make it at the last minute. My daughter is older now, and I'm worried it might be inconvenient if anything happens. Could you possibly...?"
Alright.
Seeing that he openly admitted to having a wife and child.
And considering the child was quite pitiful.
Xiang Wan decided to help him.
They went to the pediatrics department together.
It was crowded.
Tang Haichao went to register and pay, and it was inconvenient for him to hold the child, so Xiang Wan sat outside to keep the little girl company.
The little girl bore a strong resemblance to her father.
Although her eyes were monolids, they were quite large.
Her nose bridge was straight, her mouth small, and she had ear-length hair, giving her a touch of Korean style.
Her face was flushed from the fever.
Xiang Wan felt a surge of maternal affection and couldn't help but stroke her hair.
"It's alright. Your father will be back soon, and you'll be fine."
The little girl wasn't shy despite her father not being by her side.
She stared at Xiang Wan for a few seconds.
"Auntie, you're so beautiful."
"Thank you, you're beautiful too."
"I'm not beautiful. My mother is more beautiful. Mom says I look too much like my dad, and I didn't inherit any of her good genes."
Xiang Wan smiled.
"Daughters usually take after their fathers. I also look like my dad, which is great."
The girl liked her very much and leaned her head against Xiang Wan's arm.
"Auntie, you're so gentle."
"Thank you. You're very gentle too."
"I hope that when I grow up, I can be like you and be a gentle person."
These words inevitably made one think of her mother.
Perhaps her mother wasn't gentle enough?
"Where is your mother? Are you missing her?"
The little girl shook her head.
"No. My mom is very fierce. She divorced my dad."
"..."
After the basic examination, it was just a common fever, nothing serious.
The doctor prescribed some medicine and sent them away.
Tang Haichao held his daughter and kept thanking Xiang Wan.
"I'm so sorry for taking up your time. Let me treat you to dinner."
"No need. I don't have anything to do at home so early anyway. It's no trouble."
Xiang Wan instinctively refused.
"Tangtang isn't feeling well, so it's better to go home early. Maybe another day."
However, Tangtang had grown fond of her during their hour together.
She looked at Xiang Wan reluctantly.
"I don't want to go home so early and just go to sleep. Auntie, please have dinner with us."
"My dad cooks very badly, and I don't want to eat his cooking."
This little one was increasingly likable, and her words were sweet.
Xiang Wan was successfully persuaded.
They drove their respective cars out, three blocks down, and found a regular restaurant to enter.
"I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with this area. Please bear with me for today. I'll treat you to something better another time."
Xiang Wan said, "This is already very good. I don't have high demands for food."
While waiting for the food, Tang Haichao saw that Xiang Wan instinctively refused everything he said and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Miss Xiang is truly an ice queen. Every word you say pushes people away."
"..."
"Don't worry, I don't mean anything else by it. I just feel we have a connection. Since we've met..."
"Forget it. If Miss Xiang dislikes interacting with people like me, I won't say anything further."
Xiang Wan smiled but didn't reply.
In her heart, she thought:
It's not that I don't want to interact with people like you, it's just that I don't want to interact with men anymore.
Xiang Wan had a small appetite and was preoccupied with her thoughts, so after a few bites, she lost her desire to eat.