Emerging from the restroom, Tang Si remained standing by the doorway, his gaze fixed on her as if afraid she might flee. Shi Ran turned on the faucet and bent down to wash her hands. When she looked up again, she saw her reflection in the mirror on the wall. Her face was haggard and sallow, looking remarkably weak.
Deng deng deng—
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the hallway. Then Shi Ran heard, "Mr. Tang, the B-scan results are out. Congratulations, you're so lucky! Triplets, all five months along and very healthy."
Hearing the doctor's voice, Shi Ran's heart gave a jolt. The tightly strung chord within her snapped completely. Her mind exploded. Even though she had anticipated such an outcome, Shi Ran was still stunned when the truth was laid bare before Tang Si.
How to explain? What to do?
"You've worked hard, thank you," Tang Si replied.
"You're too kind, Mr. Tang," the other person said before leaving.
Tang Si looked down at the B-scan, filled with excitement, a smile playing on his lips. However, the smile vanished instantly as he thought about his current marital status.
Shi Ran washed her hands for a long, long time. After drying her hands with the blow dryer, she walked out of the restroom and came face to face with Tang Si's sharp eyes. He raised his hand, holding up the B-scan. "Anything else you need to explain?"
"No." Shi Ran's answer was crisp and decisive. As she spoke, she met Tang Si's gaze, her bright eyes holding a hint of coldness. "Even if the children are yours, so what? I simply want to have children because I like them. It has nothing to do with you..."
"Do you think I'd believe that?" Tang Si was unconvinced.
"Whether you believe it or not has nothing to do with me," Shi Ran feigned composure. "While you are the biological father, if you insist on having the children, I can abort them tomorrow."
"You wouldn't dare!" Tang Si's brow furrowed, annoyance flashing in his eyes.
"Why wouldn't I dare? Do you think..."
As she was speaking, Tang Si suddenly asked, "You still love me, don't you?"
The abrupt question caught Shi Ran off guard. She stared at him blankly, her lips parting, but she didn't know what to say. Then she heard Tang Si continue, "I've already figured out what happened between you and Yuan Wei. I know you don't love him, and it was all Zhao Wuyan's doing."
He said... He knew.
Knowing all this, he still married Zhao Wuyan. Look at that, that's true love!
"Since you know, please control your wife," the sadness in Shi Ran's pupils flickered away. "We live at the very bottom of society, like ants. I hope you'll be merciful and spare my family a way to live."
She pleaded in the calmest tone, but her words were like a dagger, piercing Tang Si's heart and making it difficult for him to breathe. Tang Si's face contorted in pain. He reached out to grab her hand, but before he could touch her, Shi Ran recoiled sharply, tucking her hands behind her back. "Mr. Tang, please have some self-respect."
Feeling Shi Ran's distance, Tang Si was deeply struck. His eyes, filled with affection and pain, gazed at her. After a long pause, he finally said, "Do you know why I married Zhao Wuyan?"
"It has nothing to do with me," Shi Ran replied, not wanting to hear.
But he insisted on speaking: "I don't love her. Although marriage was forced by my parents, it was also my choice."
Hearing him say 'my choice,' her hands, which had been hanging by her sides, clenched suddenly. Her heart plummeted to the bottom, and a despairing pain washed over her, making her feel suffocated. She laughed. Listen to him, what was he saying? He said he didn't love her, yet he chose to marry Zhao Wuyan.