"Even if I settled down and married someone, what then? To be touched by him for decades, receiving a few thousand yuan a month, and still have to treat him like a master. It's better to go out and accompany clients. At least the hard cash goes into my own pocket."
"Don't pity me. How many years have I been in society? What kind of men haven't I met? I'm beyond caring."
Both Tang Haichao and she were seasoned veterans, weathered by over a decade of societal pressures, possessing psychological fortitude beyond the ordinary.
Hearing her words, he found it difficult to say more.
Xiang Wan snatched the cigarette, took a final drag, and gazed out the window, offering a conclusive statement to her own thoughts.
"Likes and dislikes are nonsense when it comes to survival. Without a good father, you don't have the right to talk about dislikes."
"Starting today, I'm going to officially buckle down and fight. Bring out all your potential clients, and let's visit them one by one."
"By the time my daughter turns one, I hope we'll be living in our own house. I'm sick of renting."
When a woman, once love is set aside, dedicates her mind to her career and is willing to go all out, she is very close to success.
Through the combined efforts of Xiang Wan and Tang Haichao, in the following two months, they secured another eight deals, both large and small.
The company established dedicated Human Resources, Design, Finance, and Logistics departments, along with a Creative Planning group, and added four more construction teams.
The scale of operations expanded daily, with continuous recruitment of new personnel.
The company grew from its initial ten employees to over fifty.
To facilitate client visits and business negotiations, Xiang Wan used two months' salary to buy herself a red Audi A5.
Time moved into May, and the child was also five months old.
It coincided with the plum rain season, and Hangcheng experienced continuous rain for more than half a month. Even the usually resilient Niannian fell ill.
It started as a cold. After three days of medication with no improvement, a follow-up visit to the clinic revealed bronchitis, with a tendency to develop into pneumonia. The doctor advised them to go to a children's hospital.
It wasn't that Xiang Wan was unwilling to spend money or take the child to a reputable hospital, but rather that the child had been born without a birth certificate, making visits to formal hospitals complicated.
She had postponed the matter of obtaining a birth certificate due to her busy work schedule, but now it could no longer be delayed.
The mention of a birth certificate gave Xiang Wan a headache.
She had heard that as long as parents could provide a marriage certificate at the time of birth, the hospital was obliged to issue one unconditionally.
But she had given birth out of wedlock…
Now, she needed to get a DNA paternity test to prove that Niannian was her daughter before she could obtain a birth certificate from the hospital.
Paternity testing was straightforward, as Niannian was indeed her biological child. The trouble lay with the hospital.
The private clinic where she had given birth did not have the qualifications to issue birth certificates.
With no other option, Xiang Wan had to seek out Director Qian, with whom she had dealings before.
He was, after all, a figure of authority in the hospital and could handle such small matters with ease.
However, if he found out that she now had a daughter and a man by her side, he might make more unreasonable demands.
But what else could she do?
Within the medical system, he was the only person she knew. She would have to brace herself and go through with it.
She would deal with whatever came later.
They met in his studio. Xiang Wan explained her purpose, and Director Qian smiled suggestively.
"I wouldn't have guessed, Ms. Xiang. You're in such good shape and look so young, yet you've already had a child."
"Tell me, why were you so foolish? That man treated you so poorly, yet you were so devoted as to have his child?"
Xiang Wan could only offer a conciliatory smile.
"If all the men in the world were as gentle and considerate as Brother Qian, there wouldn't be so many heartbroken people."
"Yes, there aren't many people in the world like me who know how to cherish a beauty. For someone as beautiful as you to have her heart broken by someone, they must be blind."
He placed his hand on Xiang Wan's again.
"However, it's working hours now, and it's not convenient for me to handle personal matters. How about after work? Brother Qian will treat you to dinner tonight, and I'll properly console you, a heartbroken soul."
Xiang Wan's nose twitched, and her large, tear-filled eyes welled up. "Thank you, Brother Qian."
"It's just that the child is very ill, and as a mother, my heart is in anguish. If Brother Qian truly cares for me, please help me with the paperwork first, and then we can chat properly tonight."
"I'm a woman, traveling far from home with my child, trying to survive... *sob*..."
She choked back a sob.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Brother Qian doesn't misunderstand you. Why are you crying?"
"Alright, alright, I'll get it done for you. Take the paperwork and take the child to see a doctor first. We'll talk about our matters tonight."
Xiang Wan successfully obtained the birth certificate.
She was in such a hurry that her feet flew, wishing she could rush back immediately and bring the child to the hospital.
As she walked, she called her grandmother, asking her to take Niannian to the elevator.
In her haste, she bumped into the arm of a woman coming towards her.
It was just a light touch, yet the other woman cried out as if greatly injured and was supported by the man beside her.
Xiang Wan didn't have time to look back. She hastily apologized and rushed down the steps into the drizzle.
Watching her retreating figure, her long, wavy hair flying in the wind, her delicate high heels, and the gracefully curved hem of her long skirt, Lu Mingzhe paused.
Was he hallucinating?
Why did the woman running into the rain look so much like Xiang Wan from the back?
Before he could ponder further, Fang Shuya irritably tugged at him.
"What are you looking at? Someone almost twisted their ankle after being bumped into, and you're not even comforting them. It hurts so much."
Lu Mingzhe came back to his senses and looked at his soft and delicate wife in his arms.
She was frowning, looking down at her slender calf. He followed her gaze.
"Did you twist your ankle?"
"No, thankfully I have you by my side."
Fang Shuya, who had been scolding him a moment ago, now smiled sweetly and linked her arm through his.
"You said you'd take me on a honeymoon, but it turns out we're here again, looking at houses for your brother and finding doctors. You're such a deceiver~"
Lu Mingzhe patted her hand comfortingly and continued walking with her.
"He's my own brother. It's the first time he's asked me to help him with something, so how could I not take it seriously?"
"He was just joking with you; he wasn't really upset. Aren't I accompanying you? It's just a little bit of playful complaining. I find you to be completely humorless, tactless, and a total straight man."
Humorless, tactless.
Lu Mingzhe listened to his lovely wife's assessment, feeling a wave of emptiness in his heart.
He never expected that one day a woman would describe him with such words.
This oncology hospital in Hangcheng was quite renowned. There was a retired professor in his 70s who was rehired and was domestically and internationally famous for treating breast diseases.
Since Mai Ledi didn't want surgery, Lu Mingzhe had come to inquire if traditional methods could be used for treatment.
After discussing with the professor for an entire afternoon and hearing many case studies, they left.