Lin Mei returned to the living room and saw Xing Zheng engrossed in his phone, not sparing her a single extra glance, as if the phone were the most important thing.
She walked over to him and leaned in to look. He reacted at the same time, immediately locking his phone screen. Even so, Lin Mei still saw Wen Ke's name. She didn't know what they were chatting about, but Xing Zheng was so focused, it must be something important. Lin Mei's heart tightened again, and the feeling of jealousy surged once more.
That day at the hospital, they had been chatting happily. Wen Ke knew how to care for him and was intimately familiar with his past illness. Compared to her, Lin Mei felt like an outsider.
"Why aren't you sunbathing anymore?" Xing Zheng pulled Lin Mei over, hugged her, and stroked her face. "Do you want some fruit? I'll cut it for you."
His embrace felt the same as always, but Lin Mei couldn't enjoy it. She broke free, got up, and went upstairs. Xing Zheng started to follow but heard her say, "Don't follow me."
She was in a bad mood, so he could only go along with her emotions and didn't follow her up.
Lin Mei returned to the bedroom, locked the door, and stood in front of the mirror. She looked at the scar on her face, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She smashed her fist against the mirror in despair. She had always had a good temper since childhood and good upbringing. Even when angry, she wouldn't break things. This was the first time, but her emotions were not released. If anything, she felt even worse than before smashing it. In the end, she lay down on the bed and sobbed silently.
When one's emotions are sensitive, all perceptions are amplified. Things that were previously ignored gradually become a concern. She wasn't someone who liked to be jealous. She had already known that there was nothing ambiguous between Wen Ke and Xing Zheng, but now she couldn't stop herself from overthinking.
She hated herself like this, yet she had no way to change it. This sense of powerlessness made her emotional state even worse.
Xing Zheng pondered for a long time, unsure how to tell Lin Mei about the ultrasound. She was pregnant, and her period must have stopped. Perhaps due to the shock of the kidnapping, she hadn't noticed it yet. If he reminded her, would she think of the pregnancy? She had experience before and wouldn't be easily concealed.
Before dinner, Xing Zheng had been thinking about it. Lin Mei still had no appetite for dinner. Aunt Wen had stewed chicken soup. She hadn't drunk it yet, but the smell made her vomit. Xing Zheng immediately went over. He squatted down and patted her back. She was focused on vomiting and didn't push him away.
After she finished vomiting, Xing Zheng said to her, "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow to get it checked." This timing provided a reasonable excuse.
She was probably feeling uncomfortable from vomiting. "Okay."
The chicken soup couldn't be drunk. Fortunately, Aunt Wen had also cooked porridge. After vomiting, Lin Mei only drank a small bowl of plain porridge before going upstairs to sleep. Xing Zheng still slept holding her that night. His lips touched her cheek, kissing her gently. He happened to brush against her scar, and she flinched as if electrocuted, pulling away. Xing Zheng thought he had hurt her and didn't continue kissing. "Let's sleep."
The next morning, after a simple breakfast, Xing Zheng took Lin Mei to the hospital. To avoid raising her suspicions, Xing Zheng had her undergo many irrelevant examinations. The ultrasound was done amidst these examinations. She cooperated absentmindedly, her attention not on it, so she wouldn't notice anything amiss.
Xing Zheng collected the examination reports and hid the one for the ultrasound. The results of the other examinations were taken to the doctor, just a formality.
Upon returning home from the hospital, Lin Mei was exhausted and went back to her room to sleep. Xing Zheng found the ultrasound report and saw the date of the embryo's development. It was indeed from when they were in Xiangxi.
Even after taking the morning-after pill, she had still gotten pregnant! His mind was in chaos. He knew he couldn't hide it from Lin Mei for long but didn't know how to tell her. If she found out, how would she handle this child?
While Lin Mei was sleeping, Xing Zheng had a multi-person voice call with Zhou Yue and Wen Ke. Xing Zheng had already shown them the ultrasound report beforehand.
When the call connected, Zhou Yue said to Xing Zheng, "It's better if you let Lin Mei know about this sooner. You two should discuss it and make a decision as soon as possible."
Delaying it would be bad for her and the embryo. Xing Zheng knew this, but he didn't know how to bring it up. If he had to choose one, without a doubt, he would choose her, but.
"She has already miscarried once. If it happens again, will her body get weaker and weaker?"
"Theoretically, yes," Wen Ke didn't offer any platitudes to comfort him. "But her condition is serious now. If she doesn't take her medication, her body will also get weaker and weaker."
A difficult choice, Wen Ke couldn't give him advice, let alone make the decision for him. She could only present the established facts before him.
Xing Zheng was all too aware of these facts and their consequences. He had seen countless patients suffer from mental illness their entire lives. He had experienced such pain, how could he bear to see her live such a life forever? Stopping the medication was impossible. Even if he wanted a child, he couldn't do it at the expense of her health. At this point, the decision was made.
Xing Zheng was silent for a long time before asking, "Can the abortion surgery be done without her knowing?"
"Technically, if general anesthesia is used, it can be achieved, but I advise you not to take that risk," Wen Ke had already guessed what Xing Zheng was going to do. "Once she finds out, the trust between you two will collapse."
Zhou Yue added, "Just be honest. This is not a good solution."
How could Xing Zheng not know that this was not a good idea, even a terribly bad choice? But he found it difficult to make any other decision.
"I'll consider it." Xing Zheng couldn't make a decision in such a short time, which was understandable. Zhou Yue and Wen Ke didn't press him.
After the voice call ended, Xing Zheng retreated to his study and started smoking. He didn't smoke much usually, only choosing to do so when he was extremely frustrated and couldn't find a release. The ultrasound report and the blood test report were placed side by side, his gaze fixed on the two pieces of paper, unable to move away for a long time.
The decision couldn't be made in a day. For the next few days, Xing Zheng thought about this matter almost every day. He seemed absent-minded, always holding his phone, and even his time talking with Lin Mei had decreased significantly. Lin Mei didn't say anything, but she had already noticed. The last time he held his phone like this, he was chatting with Wen Ke. Was it the same these past few days?
Lin Mei couldn't bring herself to ask, but the seed of doubt had been sown in her heart.
One day, after lunch, Lin Mei lay down in the bedroom but couldn't sleep at all. After more than half an hour, she heard footsteps. It was Xing Zheng heading towards the study.
Lin Mei threw off the covers, got out of bed barefoot, and gently opened the bedroom door. She walked to the study door and, as soon as she stopped, heard Xing Zheng speaking.
He was indeed calling Wen Ke's name.