Zhan Bei Jue's heart leaped into his throat. He shoved the people beside him with all his might, shouting,
"Stop! Don't push anymore! Everyone, stop! Someone fell!"
His voice was swallowed by the surging crowd. He watched helplessly as Jiang Nan Fang also fell.
She landed face first, but she desperately shielded the girl within the crook of her arm.
Someone stepped on her arm, someone on her leg, someone on her back.
Zhan Bei Jue roared like a madman, and finally, someone heard the commotion and stopped their actions.
Seeing someone had fallen, the surrounding people gradually ceased their curses and their movements.
The child was terrified out of her wits, crying uncontrollably. Her piercing cries echoed through the crowd.
"Mommy! I want Mommy! *Wuwu*! Mommy!"
Upon hearing the little girl's cries, a woman's sharp scream also came from the crowd not far away.
"Xuanxuan! Xuanxuan! Baby, Mommy's here! Where are you?"
"Don't hit anymore, everyone stop! Stop!"
"Li Tao, hurry and stop hitting, the child is gone! Go find the child quickly!"
Zhan Bei Jue finally rushed to Jiang Nan Fang's side and pulled her up.
He anxiously supported her to lean against him and pinched her chin to examine her.
"Did someone step on you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jiang Nan Fang shook her head and handed the child to him.
"Her mother is looking for her. The child is terrified. Quickly lift her up so her mother can see."
Everyone around stared at them, momentarily forgetting the pushing.
Zhan Bei Jue lifted the little girl, holding her high above his head.
The little girl shrieked in the air.
"Mommy, *wuwu*, where are Mommy and Daddy? Xuanxuan is scared!"
"Baby! Mommy's here! Li Tao, do you see? Xuanxuan is there! Hurry!"
"Baby, Daddy is coming! Don't be scared, Daddy will save you!"
As a little girl appeared high in the air, such conversations arose from the crowd.
Everyone seemed to regain their senses, stopped pushing, and began to care for those around them.
Some looked for their children, some for their parents, and some for their partners.
The chaotic scene finally began to calm down.
Zhan Bei Jue scooped Jiang Nan Fang into his arms and moved away from the crowd.
He placed her back on the seat. Seeing the dirty shoe prints on her fair skin, his face darkened with anger.
He wanted to scold her, but when he opened his mouth, his voice trembled.
"Does it hurt?"
Jiang Nan Fang dared not speak.
"Besides here, where else were you stepped on? Let me see."
A sharp cramp shot through her abdomen. Her face was pale as she pressed his hand.
"Don't look, it doesn't hurt anywhere else, just my stomach a little."
She looked at Zhan Bei Jue with guilt in her eyes.
"Ajue, I didn't mean for this to happen. If I couldn't protect the child, would you blame me?"
What? Her stomach hurt?
Zhan Bei Jue was so flustered he didn't know what to say. He quickly fastened her seatbelt.
"At a time like this, you still have the nerve for such nonsense? Close your eyes and rest. We're going to the hospital immediately!"
Before they even reached the hospital, Jiang Nan Fang began to bleed. She endured the pain, not daring to tell Zhan Bei Jue, and remained motionless.
When they arrived in front of the hospital's emergency building, Zhan Bei Jue helped her out of the car.
A purplish-black mass fell from her thigh.
Immediately after, with a splash, Jiang Nan Fang's entire leg turned red...
The doctor performed a D&C procedure on her.
Zhan Bei Jue waited outside like a wounded leopard.
Seeing his cold expression and fierce gaze, the doctor dared not approach him.
When the doctor emerged, Zhou Jin Bei was the first to stand and ask.
"How is she, Doctor? How is she?"
"It has been cleaned up..."
"The baby is really gone? How could this happen? Her prenatal checkups were all fine, how could it be lost so easily?"
The doctor said, "The pregnant woman's constitution is not very good. Her progesterone is low, and if not managed properly, it is naturally easy to..."
"I looked at her medical records. She has already given birth to quadruplets before, and she has had one miscarriage."
"To be honest, given her condition, she is no longer suitable for having more children."
Zhan Bei Jue sat on the cold chair, listening with his head bowed. When he heard this, he sprang up as if he had springs under him.
"What do you mean?"
Feeling that he was about to throw a punch, the doctor instinctively took a step back and chose his words carefully.
"It's like this. Because of carrying multiple babies, the uterus expands significantly, making the uterine wall very thin. Medically, it is generally not recommended to have another child after such a pregnancy."
"Coupled with her previous miscarriage and one D&C procedure, and now this, her bodily functions have been severely depleted..."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier? Did you not remind her during the last surgery?"
If I had known her body was unsuitable for pregnancy, I wouldn't have insisted on a second child!
An avoidable situation, and yet she had to suffer again!
The doctor looked at Zhan Bei Jue very innocently.
"That wasn't me last time, I don't know. I'm just speaking from the medical records..."
"Alright, alright, second brother, don't scare him."
Zhou Jin Bei nudged him and said gently to the doctor.
"What you mean is, it will be difficult for her to conceive in the future, and even if she does, she won't be able to carry it to term?"
The doctor looked confused.
"She already has four children, why must she have more?"
"Yes, it will be more difficult for her to conceive in the future. If this gentleman is really bothered..."
The rest of the sentence was unsaid, but it was clear that Zhan Bei Jue was already being viewed as a heartless individual who disregarded women and treated them as mere vessels for procreation.
Zhou Jin Bei, fearing that Zhan Bei Jue would pick up on the implied meaning and attack the doctor, quickly interrupted.
"Got it, got it, thank you, Doctor. Please go ahead with your work. I'll ask for your advice again if needed."
Zhan Bei Jue felt a wave of unspoken loss and regret wash over him.
With a thud, he slumped back into his chair.
Zhou Jin Bei, having experienced the pain of losing a child, sat beside him to comfort him.
"I know you love children, and especially because it's your sister-in-law who bore them, you love them even more. Losing them is very painful."
"But think about it. Isn't she in pain too?"
"Not being able to keep the child, as a mother, she already feels defeated. If she wakes up to see your expression, won't she feel even worse?"
"Second brother, don't be like this. You already have four children. Your family's health is more important than anything. Why would you make her unhappy?"
Zhou Jin Bei, who usually appeared rather flippant, offered words of wisdom at a critical moment.
Zhan Bei Jue was immediately convinced by her words.
That's right. The child was gone, and Jiang Nan Fang was also very upset.
If he continued to face her with such an attitude, wouldn't that make her feel even worse?
No, no, he couldn't let Jiang Nan Fang see him like this.
"I understand."
He sighed slightly and adopted a more relaxed expression.
"You go back. Just tell the children that their mother and I have something urgent to attend to and have gone on a business trip. We'll be back in a couple of days."
"I'll trouble you to spend more time with them these days."
"What about my sister-in-law then..."
"I can handle it. I won't make her unhappy, don't worry."