"Ran Bao'er, are you willing to wait for me?" he asked.
Shi Ran fell silent.
From his reaction, she could tell he mostly believed her, but... "If you truly love me, then don't come to bother me again. We are ultimately not suited for each other, really, not suited."
Shi Ran was exceptionally clear-headed at this moment. "What hinders us is not only the Zhao family, but also the gaze of the world and the concepts of social standing. A'si, your words are enough. With my three children accompanying me for the rest of my life, I think... I will live very well."
"Then what about me? Have you thought about me at all?" Tang Si held her tightly, but then remembering she was pregnant, he embraced her more gently.
"I'm sorry. My abilities are limited, and I can barely take care of myself."
"I know you don't trust me yet, but time will eventually give you the answer." Tang Si lowered his head and kissed her hair. "Promise me, don't fall for Yuan Wei, okay?"
His gentle words, as doting as always, even his tone carried a hint of humility.
She did not reply.
Tang Si felt a pang of disappointment. "You are pregnant; I will arrange for you to leave Lancheng as soon as possible."
Riiiiing—
Shi Ran's phone rang, interrupting the tender moment between them.
She pushed Tang Si away, took out her phone, and the screen displayed her mother's phone number.
Shi Ran answered, "Mom, I'm fine. I already got my brother's IOU. I went with friends to handle it, and everything is fine now. Don't worry."
Shi Ran's mother exclaimed, "Oh my, your friend must have helped a great deal! You must treat them to a good meal."
Shi Ran's mother was overjoyed.
"Okay, Mom, I understand. I'll be back later."
"Don't rush back. I'm taking care of your father. It's not too late to treat your friend to a late-night snack before you come back, especially since you owe them so much. You need to thank them properly."
"Got it."
Shi Ran hung up and put her phone away.
Only then did she realize that, at some point, Tang Si had taken her hand, his fingers intertwined with hers.
"Auntie said you should treat me to a meal," Tang Si said with a smile.
Shi Ran thought about it, knowing clearly she should refuse, but the words came out, "Alright, what do you want to eat?"
"Come, I'll take you somewhere."
Tang Si pulled her hand and they left the hospital, getting into the car.
Sitting in the car, she took out her phone and sent a message to her friend at the hospital: [Please keep this confidential and remember to delete the surveillance footage.]
Then she started the car and headed straight out.
The car drove slowly. He held Shi Ran's hand tightly, unwilling to let go for even a minute.
Shi Ran watched him driving with one hand on the steering wheel and said worriedly, "Drive properly." She wanted to pull her hand away, but the man held it tightly, refusing to release it.
"There are few cars on the road, and the car has an auto start-stop feature. Rest assured, there won't be any accidents." He tilted his head, his eyes sparkling with a smile as he looked at her.
The car drove all the way, finally arriving at a private villa on the outskirts of the city.
Tang Si got out and went to the passenger side, opening the door for her and helping her out of the car. "This is my private villa, and no one knows about it," he said, casually placing the villa's access card into Shi Ran's hand. "If you come back in the future, you can live here. It's quiet and convenient."
"I don't need..."
"Don't refuse."
The man gave her no chance to refuse, leading her to the main entrance of the villa. The door had a keypad lock. Tang Si stood at the door, lit up the keypad, and turned to Shi Ran, saying, "Guess what the password is?"
Shi Ran shook her head.
Then, she watched Tang Si enter a sequence of numbers: "960526."