The awards ceremony was rather rushed; they arrived in Frankfurt the evening before the event.
As expected, when Shen Xiaoyan's name was called, she stood up and walked towards the stage. However, the tall, handsome, and imposing Zheng Wei walked up with her.
This design competition held significant prestige. Once the domestic media learned of Shen Xiaoyan's award, they all flocked to capture the live news. Zheng Wei's appearance undoubtedly propelled the design competition's spotlight to its peak.
Zheng Wei's presence gave the accompanying domestic media plenty to report on. However, the foreigners clearly did not share this sentiment. They even felt Zheng Wei's actions were somewhat impolite and disrespectful to the award, as this was not a film festival.
Therefore, after Zheng Wei joined Shen Xiaoyan on stage, before he could even speak, the female host began interrogating him in fluent English, questioning his presence. The award was for Shen Xiaoyan, and he had no direct relation to it; why was he stealing the limelight?
The female host's interrogation perfectly mirrored the audience's dissatisfaction. They all eagerly awaited Zheng Wei's explanation. Some more aggressive individuals even lunged forward, intending to pull Zheng Wei off the stage, but were eventually subdued by security. The ensuing chaos momentarily bewildered even the domestic media.
Shen Xiaoyan was more anxious than anyone. Her face filled with worry, she looked at the people beside her, reaching out for the microphone. However, the female host still held it, and despite suggesting Zheng Wei explain, she never handed him the microphone. When submitting personal information, Shen Xiaoyan had not disclosed that she was deaf and mute, leading to this significant misunderstanding, which she had not anticipated.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's distress, Zheng Wei bypassed the female host and walked towards her. He put an arm around Shen Xiaoyan and, with his other hand, gently took the microphone from the host.
Shen Xiaoyan's eyes brightened.
The female host was still chattering away, and Shen Xiaoyan could roughly understand that she was accusing Zheng Wei of being impolite. Anxiety surged within her, feeling a rush of emotion.
"Good evening, everyone. I am Shen Xiaoyan's husband. Shen Xiaoyan was drugged two months ago, and her voice is still hoarse. She is currently in the recovery period and cannot speak. I came up because she highly values this award but cannot deliver her acceptance speech herself. However, the host's actions have surprised me. You asked me to explain, yet you wouldn't even hand me the microphone. If it was unintentional, fine, I can accept that. But if it was deliberate, then I can only say you are truly unworthy of my wife's admiration." Zheng Wei finished speaking in perfect English. Shen Xiaoyan reached out and intertwined her fingers with his.
"Shall we go down?" Zheng Wei asked Shen Xiaoyan gently, looking down at her.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded, her demeanor somewhat hurried. She couldn't imagine how she would have handled such a situation alone if Zheng Wei hadn't accompanied her. She couldn't make a sound, and the situation might have escalated even more severely than it had.
"Alright then, let's head straight back." Zheng Wei, holding Shen Xiaoyan's hand tightly, led her down. Shen Xiaoyan truly cherished this award. For this awards ceremony, she had even worn a dress she had designed earlier, looking incredibly beautiful. She never expected things to end this way.
After they descended, they left directly, skipping the celebratory banquet. However, as they reached the entrance of the venue, Shen Xiaoyan's body suddenly began to tremble violently. In that instant, the force of her grip even drew blood from Zheng Wei's hand.
"Xiaoyan?" Zheng Wei could no longer tend to his bleeding hand. He embraced Shen Xiaoyan. Shen Xiaoyan's eyes widened, trying to tell him something, but her lips trembled continuously until... she vomited blood.
Originally, their trip to Frankfurt had been filled with great anticipation, but it unexpectedly concluded in this manner. Zheng Wei took Shen Xiaoyan to the hospital first. Since she had vomited blood, it was certainly related to her voice problem. However, upon arriving at the hospital, before her vocal issue could be diagnosed, something else...
"A little over a month," the doctor informed Zheng Wei truthfully.
"If we fly back to China now, will the baby be alright?" Zheng Wei asked the doctor.
The doctor shook his head. "The baby is fine and will not have any issues. However, her vocal problem seems quite serious. Has she experienced any trauma? She is pregnant, and surgery is not advisable at this time..."
The doctor explained many things to Zheng Wei. While waiting for Shen Xiaoyan to wake up, Zheng Wei, besides arranging matters back home, was primarily consumed by worry.
Arrangements had been made back home. As soon as they landed, they would go to the hospital; everything was prepared... It was just that this time, she would likely have to suffer again... He hadn't expected this child to arrive so soon, and judging by the timing, it was likely from the first time he hadn't taken precautions... Sometimes, some things are truly beyond one's control...
...
Shen Xiaoyan slept for two hours. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Zheng Wei watching over her.
Perhaps it was due to spending so much time together, or perhaps it was enough trust, but every time she saw Zheng Wei, she felt a sense of security, even if she only saw his back.
She gently hooked his hand, which was resting by the bedside, with her finger. The moment she moved, Zheng Wei's eyes opened.
"Xiaoyan, you're awake?" Zheng Wei's eyes were initially filled with a deep, unreadable emotion, but the moment he saw her awake, his eyes instantly lit up.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan's lips curved into a smile.
She wanted to reach for her phone, to speak with him, but Zheng Wei suddenly lowered his head and kissed her. Shen Xiaoyan heard his murmur, "I know, I know everything. You don't need to say it, I understand. We won't stay here anymore. I've already arranged everything for our return. When you've rested, can we go home, alright?"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. As for the individual involved, Shen Xiaoyan was still unaware that a child was growing within her. Zheng Wei, of course, had not yet revealed this news to her. When the doctor spoke with him, he had already anticipated what the next steps would be, and he had made his choice and plans.
Shen Xiaoyan was unaware of Zheng Wei's extensive thoughts. She obediently sat in bed eating, and in the afternoon, the couple set off for the airport.
...
The timing was perfect. The next day, upon their arrival at the airport, Assistant Hou and his team were there to pick them up and immediately took Shen Xiaoyan to the hospital.
At the hospital, Sima Han was already waiting.
He had learned about the events in Frankfurt through the media, but he was still unaware of Shen Xiaoyan's specific condition.
Therefore, they first performed a comprehensive examination on Shen Xiaoyan...
It was during this examination that Sima Han, looking at the results in his hand, remained stunned for a long time, unable to recover...
How could this be... how was she... how was she pregnant...
He understood her temperament. She was now pregnant, and Zheng Wei treated her so well; his own path seemed completely blocked.
As Sima Han stood in a daze, the attending physician responsible for Shen Xiaoyan walked over with the examination reports.
"Sima Han, Shen Xiaoyan's voice has an issue. President Zheng said she vomited blood after being stimulated that day. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If we continue with your acupuncture treatment and medication, she should be able to speak within a few days."
Sima Han looked up, and Director Xing immediately noticed the redness in his eyes. "Sima Han, haven't you been resting well?"
"Look... she's pregnant. If we continue with acupuncture and medication, her child will definitely be lost. Those medications are highly stimulating. However... if we don't use medication, then we can only wait until after the child is born to continue her treatment." Due to her pregnancy, the situation was not as straightforward, but a difficult choice lay before them: either choose the present and abandon the child, or abandon her voice and treat her after she gives birth and recovers smoothly.
Director Xing pondered for a moment and said, "President Zheng will likely choose to protect the child." In such circumstances, most people would choose to protect the child. After all, her voice was treatable; it wasn't a terminal illness, and treatment could commence after more than a year.
"Here are the papers, I'm going for a walk." For the first time, Sima Han's face lost its usual gentle composure. He even appeared somewhat fierce. He strode purposefully towards the VIP ward.
"Sima Han, where are you going? What are you doing now?" Director Xing anxiously called out from behind, but Sima Han offered no reply.
Sima Han followed Shen Xiaoyan's ward to find her. Zheng Wei was speaking with Shen Xiaoyan in the room. When Sima Han entered with a significant commotion, Zheng Wei's gaze immediately turned sharp upon seeing him, like a wolf king guarding its territory.
"President Zheng, do you have a moment to step outside?" Sima Han asked Zheng Wei.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Wei glanced at Shen Xiaoyan. Shen Xiaoyan was looking at the two of them with a puzzled expression.
"You stay here by yourself for a while. I'll be back shortly." With that, Zheng Wei followed Sima Han out.
Sima Han did not linger by the door of the ward but walked all the way to the emergency staircase. The moment Zheng Wei stopped, his fist immediately shot towards Zheng Wei.
Zheng Wei was no pushover, but he hadn't slept much in recent days. During the flight, he had been caring for Shen Xiaoyan, and his mind was preoccupied. Therefore, his stamina was indeed inferior to Sima Han's.
As they began to fight, neither of them aimed for each other's faces. If their faces were struck, Shen Xiaoyan would certainly notice later. Thus, they both involuntarily struck each other's bodies.
"Don't you know her voice is still not well? Are you this eager for a child?" Sima Han whispered, his aggressively possessive gaze evident. He was not a pushover.
"My family matters are none of your business. I haven't discussed the child with her; she doesn't even know she's pregnant yet," Zheng Wei said, as if making an extremely difficult decision.
"Between her and the child, I still choose her." Even though it would only take another year, after the child was born, her voice could be cured, but Zheng Wei understood that anything could happen within that year. He didn't want any mistakes regarding Shen Xiaoyan's situation. Children could be had again, but this opportunity could not be waited for. Since this was now a chance to cure Shen Xiaoyan, they had to seize this opportunity.
If other complications arose later, it would be disastrous, and Zheng Wei could not bear such a consequence.