The attendant left. Lu Mingzhe, holding Nian Nian, was about to walk out of the community when Xiang Wan quickly stopped him.
“How can you go back on your word? You said you’d return her to me after you’d seen her!”
“I don’t intend to take her away. Didn’t you say she was seriously ill? Isn’t the priority to go to the hospital now?”
Xiang Wan said, “I can manage on my own, you don’t need to go. We’ve already registered at a nearby oncology hospital…”
Lu Mingzhe refused to return the child to her.
“She has half my blood, doesn’t she? Even if I don’t fight for custody, I should have the right to get her medical treatment.”
“Stop the nonsense. We can discuss our issues after she’s recovered.”
Saying that, he started to walk out again. Xiang Wan, helpless, called out to him.
“I didn’t bring her medical record card… Alright then, I’ll go upstairs and tell Grandma. You wait here, I’ll be right down.”
Fearing Lu Mingzhe might run off with Nian Nian, Xiang Wan practically flew upstairs. She briefly told Grandma that Tang Haichao wanted to take them to the hospital, grabbed her things, and rushed back down.
Fortunately, Lu Mingzhe still had a conscience and hadn’t gone far.
Neither of them had a car, so they took a taxi to the oncology hospital.
Once inside the car and the doors were closed, the confined space made Nian Nian a little uncomfortable. Her lips pouted, and she was about to cry.
Lu Mingzhe quickly rolled down the car window.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Daddy will open the window for you. Nian Nian doesn’t like being cooped up, does she? Daddy understands.”
Nian Nian, like a little angel, immediately stopped crying, her big eyes looking at Lu Mingzhe with a smile.
The taxi driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror.
“Where are you three going?”
“Oncology Hospital. Pediatrics Department.”
“Oh, the child is sick? It’s tough for such a young child to be ill. The weather hasn’t been good lately, and many children are getting sick. Parents have to be extra careful.”
Xiang Wan and Lu Mingzhe exchanged a glance, unsure how to respond to his comment, and simultaneously chose to remain silent.
They occasionally looked at their daughter, doted on her, and so they arrived at the hospital.
Lu Mingzhe walked ahead with the child in his arms, and Xiang Wan followed behind with her things.
At the outpatient building, they joined the queue for registration. Seeing the long line, Lu Mingzhe grew anxious.
“So many people, how long will we have to wait?”
Xiang Wan said, “What can we do? Hospitals are like this. It’s not like you own it; we have to wait regardless.”
The air in the hospital was a bit stuffy, and wrapping the child in a blanket seemed superfluous.
Nian Nian was getting restless. Lu Mingzhe took her off his shoulders and handed her to Xiang Wan.
“Wait here and don’t move. I’ll go check at the front.”
Xiang Wan thought to herself: What’s the point of you going to the front? Could you possibly swap numbers with someone else?
This man was still the same, reckless and immature.
Lu Mingzhe walked directly to the end of the line. Within three minutes, he returned to fetch Xiang Wan.
“We’re going to the front of the line.”
“What did you do? Did you really swap numbers with someone?”
“I didn’t let anyone lose out. Don’t worry.”
Lu Mingzhe paid 2,000 yuan to move their number up over ten places.
The doctor prescribed some tests for Nian Nian. Lu Mingzhe held her throughout the examinations, coaxing her so well that she didn’t cry once from beginning to end.
The final results showed that all indicators were tending towards normal, her fever would likely subside soon, and there were no major issues. Both of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They collected some medication and left the hospital with the child.
Lu Mingzhe walked ahead with Nian Nian in his arms, while Xiang Wan walked beside him, using her phone to hail a taxi.
At the entrance, she told Lu Mingzhe.
“Since Nian Nian is fine now, let’s part ways here. I’ve already booked a taxi, it’ll be here soon.”
Lu Mingzhe looked at the little darling in his arms. “I’ll take you home.”
“No need. You don’t have a car, and it would be troublesome for you to drive us back and then have to find another taxi to leave.”
He looked up at Xiang Wan with a hint of helplessness.
“Do you have to put it that way?”
Xiang Wan was just stating the facts. If he insisted on reading something else into it, she could only concede.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything more. If you want to take us, then go ahead.”
The three of them got into the car again.
Nian Nian, now more alert, was held by Lu Mingzhe. She stared at his handsome face, chattering incessantly, calling him “Daddy.”
Lu Mingzhe, a new father, was engrossed in interacting with his daughter, responding to her every call. They were still happily playing when they reached their destination.
Xiang Wan reminded him to get off, and escorted him to the stairwell. Xiang Wan extended her hand to him.
She thought to herself: Now you have nothing more to say, right?
However, Lu Mingzhe still didn’t let go.
“Xiang Wan, do you really want to continue like this forever?”
She knew he was a man of his word, and was up to something again!
Xiang Wan’s face darkened. “What exactly do you want?”
“I don’t want anything in particular. I just heard that you’re now running sales at Tang Haichao’s company and frequently travel for business, entertaining clients over drinks.”
“I wanted to ask you, do you really want to live a life like this forever?”
So that’s what he was referring to. He looked down on sales representatives.
Xiang Wan snorted coldly and retorted.
“What’s wrong with entertaining clients over drinks? As long as I can close a deal and earn money, and it’s not illegal, I don’t see anything shameful about it.”
“Moreover, isn’t living without relying on men, without having to curry favor with anyone, better than most women’s marriages?”
Lu Mingzhe knew she harbored resentment towards him due to his mother’s past actions.
He felt guilty for not protecting her then and for being unable to stop his mother’s behavior.
But that wasn’t a reason for Xiang Wan to choose this kind of life forever.
“As Nian Nian grows older each day, what do you want her to see her mother as…”
Xiang Wan had also worried about this.
She had no degree and no other marketable skills, only getting older.
If she didn’t seize this opportunity while she could still drink, was still young and somewhat attractive, and make money, it would only become more difficult later.
She also worried that as Nian Nian grew up, her mother’s profession would have a negative influence on her.
Therefore, she wouldn’t do this job forever.
But she wouldn’t discuss these plans with Lu Mingzhe.
“What else can I do? Your mother is right; besides this face, I have no other abilities.”
Lu Mingzhe disliked hearing her say that.
“Who says you have no other abilities? I will repay what I owe you, bit by bit.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t we agree to have no contact? Are you going back on your word?”
“No, if you truly hate me now, I won’t pester you shamelessly.”
“But at least when you met me, I had a house, a car, and a career. It was because of me that I got to where I am today.”
“I, Lu Mingzhe, have always disliked owing anyone. Give me some time, and I will return everything that rightfully belongs to you.”
What was the difference between this and being entangled?
He was already married to someone else now. If word got out that he was buying her a house and a car, she would be the one to face criticism.
“I don’t need you to, Lu Mingzhe. We met, and I have no regrets. The path I’ve chosen is my own, and you don’t need to feel guilty towards me.”