She touched the small figure in the photograph and tilted her head to ask Ling Yuchen.
"Do you prefer a son or a daughter?"
Ling Yuchen drove with one hand, his other arm resting casually on the car door. He kept his eyes on the road and said, "Either is fine."
"I want a daughter," Xia Wantang said, gently caressing her belly with great longing. "Daughters can wear little dresses and aren't mischievous."
Ling Yuchen's lips curved upwards, his eyes filled with joy.
"Let's have a daughter, and then a son," Xia Wantang murmured to herself. "Let's have the son first! That way, the older brother can take care of his sister. I want two!"
"Whatever you wish, but pregnancy is hard, and childbirth is painful."
The joy on Ling Yuchen's face gradually faded, replaced by worry.
He had searched for a lot of information online. Natural childbirth involved the pain of dilation, and although an epidural was available, the needle was so long.
Cesarean section was even worse, requiring an incision in the abdomen.
In reality, one child would be enough, boy or girl.
Xia Wantang leaned back in her seat, her eyes full of anticipation. "I'm not afraid of pain. I love having a warm family together."
Ling Yuchen shifted one hand on the steering wheel and reached out the other towards the passenger seat.
Xia Wantang reached out and clasped his hand in perfect understanding, their fingers intertwining.
Just as the atmosphere was growing warm, the sudden blare of a phone ringtone shattered the peace.
Ling Yuchen pressed the answer button on the car's display, and an urgent voice immediately came through.
"Yuchen, my sister is dying. She wants to see you one last time before she goes..."
The caller was Situ Jun.
Ling Yuchen's brows furrowed, and his expression turned grim.
After what she had done, it was merciful of him not to have taken her life. Yet she dared to pull such a stunt.
Seeing his silence, Situ Jun understood his thoughts and quickly added, "I'm telling the truth. The hospital director is right here. If you don't believe me, listen to him."
A moment later, a deep, resonant voice of a middle-aged man came through the phone.
"Hello, I am the director of Huaxi Hospital. My surname is Xu. The patient, Situ Jing, is indeed in critical condition. Around noon today, the caregiver discovered her lying in a pool of blood. She had used a silver hairpin she secretly brought in to stab her wrists..."
Ling Yuchen remained silent, his demeanor remarkably calm.
Ever since Situ Jing had done those things, their lifelong bond had been completely severed.
Whether she lived or died was of no concern to him.
Situ Jun knew he couldn't force the issue, but his sister was on the verge of death, and he didn't want her to have any regrets.
"I'm sorry to bother you again, Yuchen. It's up to you whether you come or not."
"Mm," Ling Yuchen replied and hung up. He had no intention of going.
Xia Wantang looked at his sharply defined profile and said, "Why don't you go see her? She's dying."
Ling Yuchen took a deep breath, unable to harden his heart and argue with someone who was dying.
...
Huaxi Psychiatric Hospital.
Situ Jing lay in the hospital bed, tubes attached to her, her bandaged hands hanging limply at her sides.
Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes unfocused, her lips slightly parted, breathing shallowly.
On the monitoring equipment beside her, her heart rate and blood pressure were extremely low.
Situ Jun couldn't bear to watch and stood by the window, weeping.
Su Yishen and Situ Chuanqi stood by the bedside, one sobbing, the other sighing.
Time ticked by, and Situ Jing's heart rate and blood pressure continued to drop.
Situ Jing struggled to open her eyes. Her bloodless lips moved, and her voice was extremely weak.
"Yu... Yuchen Gege..."
She called out Ling Yuchen's name repeatedly, her voice filled with misery. Two tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
Su Yishen, looking at her pitiable daughter, fainted from crying.
The monitoring equipment emitted a warning sound, but the doctors and nurses could only stand by helplessly.
Due to excessive blood loss, even though the bleeding had stopped, it was beyond recovery.
Situ Jun punched the windowsill, his vision blurred by tears.
Just then, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.
Everyone looked up to see Ling Yuchen and Xia Wantang arriving.
Situ Jun rushed to the bedside, his voice filled with excitement, "Sister, Yuchen is here! Wake up!"
Situ Jing's eyes were already vacant, but upon hearing Situ Jun's words, they suddenly focused.
Her heart rate and blood pressure stabilized.
A glimmer of hope surged in Situ Jun's heart. He looked towards the doctor behind him.
The doctor adjusted his glasses and said, "It might be a final surge of strength before death."
Ling Yuchen walked to the bedside, looking down at the person on the bed, his face devoid of any expression.
Situ Jing gazed at him, a smile slowly appearing, her energy visibly improving.
"Yuchen Gege, you've come to see me."
Ling Yuchen remained silent, his gaze cold.
"I'm dying, can you give me a smile?"
Situ Jing said, her voice choked with sobs, "Do you know? Your every smile to me was fleeting..."
"Yuchen Gege, I'm sorry. It was all my fault. Can you forgive me?"
"Mm," Ling Yuchen replied softly. He felt there was no need to hold a grudge against someone who was about to die.
Xia Wantang had been standing at the doorway. She thought Situ Jing probably wouldn't want to see her.
"Please... tell Aunt Zhu and Wantang... I'm sorry." As she spoke, her breathing grew more rapid.
She stretched out her hand towards Ling Yuchen with all her might.
Ling Yuchen remained unmoved. He watched her hand fall limply, and then she closed her eyes.
The monitor flatlined, her pulse completely gone.
His expression unchanged, he turned and left, not sparing another glance at the person on the bed.
For someone who had nearly killed his wife, child, and mother, this was already acting with utmost benevolence.
He took Xia Wantang's hand and left. Behind them, the ward was filled with weeping.
Situ Jing was dead.
She had committed suicide by bleeding to death.
Soon, the mortician from the funeral home arrived. They changed Situ Jing into clean clothes and applied delicate makeup.
Now, she looked as if she were merely asleep.
News of the death of Miss Situ Jing quickly spread throughout the entire capital, even causing an uproar online.
After the fire, she had been confined to a psychiatric hospital, which was already a subject of public speculation. Now, the rumors were rampant.
The Situ family soon issued a statement.
They announced that Situ Jing had suffered severe shock during the fire, leading to mental derangement.
They had no choice but to send her to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
Unfortunately, the incident had affected her too deeply, and she could not bear the psychological trauma and pressure, thus choosing to end her life.
Everyone sighed, lamenting the loss of this young life.
Less than two days later, more bad news came from the Situ family.
The stroke-paralyzed old Mrs. Situ also passed away. However, as she was elderly, no one made any wild speculations.
With two funerals held in succession, the Situ family suffered a severe blow and remained shrouded in grief for a long time.
But thankfully, after experiencing these events.
Situ Jun became increasingly mature and steady. He learned and grew alongside his father in the company, becoming a qualified successor.
...