Shen Bin went out.
Qin He lay on the hospital bed, her gaze fixed on the door.
Through the small observation window on the door, shadows could be vaguely seen outside.
The two were separated by a door, yet it felt like a vast chasm lay between them.
Afternoon sunlight streamed into the ward, and Qin He lowered her eyes.
When she had first woken, no one was in the room. She felt her pocket; her phone was still there. She had already called Qin Yun and asked him to send Zhou Yang to pick her up.
By her estimation, it should be soon.
As Qin He was thinking, the ward door was pushed open.
She looked at Gu Qichen with some surprise, having thought that this man, upon learning she was pregnant immediately after divorcing him, would feel his dignity had been utterly lost and leave—
"Mr. Gu, thank you for bringing me to the hospital," Qin He said with a faint smile.
Gu Qichen said nothing. He pulled up a chair and sat by Qin He's bed.
His eyes fixed on Qin He's abdomen, his voice low and laced with coldness, "Whose child is it?"
Qin He placed a hand on her lower abdomen, "This has nothing to do with Mr. Gu."
A sharp pain pierced Gu Qichen's heart, a feeling of heartache so profound and strange. Even when Song Nuan had been repeatedly "critically ill," he had only felt concern.
But now, it was as if a gaping wound had been torn open, bleeding profusely.
"The child, whose is it! Who could have been so capable as to get you into bed with him just a month after your divorce?" Gu Qichen's fists clenched at his sides, demanding an answer.
Qin He frowned, "Gu Qichen, as you said, we are divorced. You have no right to interfere in other people's affairs, and I have no obligation to tell you!"
Their eyes met. Qin He's pupils flashed with a sharp brilliance, while Gu Qichen's gaze was piercingly cold.
The tense silence was broken when the ward door was suddenly pushed open.
Both Qin He and Gu Qichen turned to look. Lu Mingxi stood at the door, holding a bouquet of fiery red roses in one hand and a pastry box in the other.
"He'er, I'm here!"
Lu Mingxi's handsome face was wreathed in a bright smile. Upon seeing Gu Qichen, the brilliant smile vanished, and he let out a "tsk."
He then walked around Gu Qichen as if he weren't there, moving to the other side of the hospital bed and placing the roses on a nearby table.
He opened the pastry box, "I heard from your brother that you have low blood sugar and need to replenish your energy. These are some special pastries I bought for you on the way. They're very sweet."
Lu Mingxi opened the box, picked out a small strawberry cream cake coated in sugar, and held it up to Qin He's lips with one hand.
With the other hand, he cupped her chin, as if afraid she might drop crumbs while eating.
Qin He: "..."
Lu Mingxi's meticulously caring demeanor was an outright provocation.
The air around Gu Qichen seemed to freeze into frost. He looked at Qin He, his voice low, "So, the child is his?"
Qin He glanced at Gu Qichen, her lips pressed together. Seeing his expression, her heart ached dully.
Just as Qin He was about to say, "It's none of your business," Lu Mingxi suddenly chuckled.
"Oh dear, He'er, didn't you tell me we had to keep it a secret for the safety of our child? How did Mr. Gu find out?"
Qin He pushed the piece of cake away.
"Lu Mingxi!"
Lu Mingxi raised an eyebrow, looking at Gu Qichen opposite him. His usually roguish smile now held a sharp edge of defiance.
"Mr. Gu, He'er is carrying my child, but that has nothing to do with you, does it? After all, didn't you divorce He'er for Song Nuan long ago?"
The atmosphere in the ward became charged and volatile. Gu Qichen eyed Lu Mingxi coldly.
"Get out!"
Gu Qichen stood up and walked towards the door.
Lu Mingxi looked at Qin He, "He'er, I'm just going out for a bit."
Qin He gritted her teeth, "Lu Mingxi, who told you—"
"Shh—" Lu Mingxi leaned closer to Qin He, his eyes curving beneath his proud brow, a hint of wildness in his smile, "Act it out a little better. Gu Qichen isn't far yet."
Qin He: "..."
Lu Mingxi stood up and went out.
Qin He lay on the hospital bed. Before long, a nurse came to administer glucose for her.
Gu Qichen and Lu Mingxi had not returned.
Qin He lowered her eyes, planning to take a taxi home once she had enough strength after this bag of glucose.
This scoundrel, Lu Mingxi, had most likely been sent by her brother to pick her up. She would have to have a serious talk with him about what was going on!
The situation had escalated beyond her control.
After the nurse finished hanging the glucose for Qin He, she said gently, "Miss Qin, if you need anything, just press the call button, and someone from the nursing station will be here immediately."
"Okay," Qin He nodded. "When you came in, did you see the gentleman who brought me here earlier?"
Gu Qichen's looks and bearing were exceptional; the nurse remembered him vividly. She blinked, "He and another gentleman went to the stairwell. Shall I call them for you?"
"No, thank you."
In the hospital stairwell, by a half-open window, Lu Mingxi's upper body was held by Gu Qichen, who had a grip on his collar, leaving him dangling outside. The wind tousled his hair wildly.
Despite the precipice of over ten stories behind him, he laughed fearlessly.
"Gu Qichen, if you push me down, He'er will never forgive you. After all, I am the father of her child."
A murderous intent flared in Gu Qichen's eyes, "Who gave you permission to touch her?"
Lu Mingxi's smiling face gradually faded.
"Gu Qichen, you chose to give her up yourself. What is this now? Do you expect the woman you abandoned to remain a widow for you?!"
Lu Mingxi narrowed his eyes. Gu Qichen was never one to show his emotions—
Is he serious about Qin He this time?!
Gu Qichen finally pulled him back with a fierce tug.
Lu Mingxi stumbled forward two steps from the forceful pull. Before he could regain his footing, his face stung from a blow.
After throwing a punch, Gu Qichen slowly adjusted his sleeve cuff, exuding an aura of profound coldness.
"Do your parents know?"
Gu Qichen knew the former president and his wife of the Lu family well; they were extremely concerned with appearances.
Given that Qin He's past relationship with him was now common knowledge in Qingcheng, how could the Lu family possibly agree?
Lu Mingxi licked the corner of his lip, which had started bleeding from the punch, and sneered, "That has nothing to do with Mr. Gu."
Gu Qichen gave Lu Mingxi a cold, sharp glare and turned to leave.
He didn't want to see the two of them together, so he went straight downstairs and got into his car.
On the way back, Yu Jing was already waiting. When he saw his boss get into the car, the door was slammed shut with such force that the car body vibrated slightly.
"Mr. Gu, Miss Qin—"
"Return to Senyuan," Gu Qichen said, his expression grave.
On the drive back, Gu Qichen's mind replayed images of Qin He, past and present.
Her waiting for him on the sofa at home, and her looking at him with a cold little face after losing her memory.
Countless scenes intertwined, and Gu Qichen clenched his fist tightly.
He had intended to ask Lu Mingxi if he planned to take responsibility for Qin He.
But for a moment, he didn't want to hear Lu Mingxi say he wouldn't take responsibility for Qin He; he feared he might lose control and kill him.
Yet, even more so, he didn't want to hear Lu Mingxi say he *would* take responsibility for Qin He!
The air in the car seemed to congeal. Yu Jing drove, barely daring to breathe—
Hospital.
Qin He lay on the bed for a while. Seeing that the intravenous drip was half-finished, the ward door was pushed open.
She focused her gaze and saw Lu Mingxi enter.
Qin He's eyes flickered slightly as she continued to watch the IV drip.
Lu Mingxi, with a trace of blood still on his lip, sat beside Qin He's bed. "He'er, this time you can't refuse me being the father of the child. I've already paid the price for it."
He gestured to the corner of his mouth.
Qin He glanced at him, "Gu Qichen hit you?"
"En, he's probably unwilling, feeling like he lost face because his ex-wife slept with someone else," Lu Mingxi said with a smile.