consciousness

"Why can't I?" Yu Xi gripped his arm tightly with both hands, her face streaked with tears and rain, wetting her cheeks. "Why can't I? Meng Chou, take me away!"

"Take me away! I'm so tired, I want to rest."

As she spoke, Yu Xi's voice grew softer and softer until she was too exhausted to continue. During her pregnancy, she had to handle everything related to Jin Xuexiao. Already burdened and unable to even turn over in bed, she now faced a mountain of tasks, enduring both physical and mental torment.

No one can just keep holding on like this and drag it out indefinitely.

Yu Xi had persevered through the winter, and as spring arrived, those on their journeys suddenly wanted to stop and rest for a while.

Life is quietly sprouting all around, and a new life is about to be born.

But she was immersed in her dream, where her lover was, so she didn't want to wake up.

"The mother's heart rate is lower and the bleeding is more."

"Quick... quick, come help!"

"Her will to survive is very weak, I'm scared..."

In the dream, Meng Chou told her to take deep breaths at his own pace, which helped her calm down. "Little Fish, listen to me."

“We will meet again eventually, but definitely not at this time.” His icy fingertips, like the chilling rain, wiped away Yu Xi’s tears. “I promise, when that time comes, I will come to pick you up and take you with me. I will never leave you alone again.”

“But you can’t come with me now, absolutely not, I can’t be so selfish.” He pushed Yu Xi away, and everything around him began to dissipate like bubbles, even Meng Chou gradually became transparent.

Yu Xi tried desperately to grab him and hold him tight, but no matter what she did, she couldn't hold onto Meng Chou. She reached out with both hands and touched him, but when she opened her palms and looked down, her hands were empty.

"I'm willing to go with you. Who said you're selfish? I'm the selfish one. I want you to always be by my side, no matter what." Although it was a dream like Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, the person in the dream was very clear-headed, knowing that his lover had already passed away; knowing what he was doing; knowing how much he wanted to go with him.

"That's great, the mother's heart rate has risen and is gradually stabilizing."

"What a close call, a close call indeed..."

"Both adults and children will be fine."

The surgeon's heart, which had been in her throat, finally eased when she saw the heart rate line gradually return to normal on the machine screen. She remained tense and dared not relax for a moment.

After all, Yu Xi's heart rate has only temporarily stabilized. This battle to snatch people from the hands of death has only just begun, and everything is still unknown until the very end.

"Yu Xi, hang in there. You still have a long way to go in your life. Your child will be with you soon, so please hang in there."

The nurse, wearing a mask, had red marks on her nose from working long hours. Seeing that Yu Xi's heart rate was gradually returning to normal, she began to encourage her.

A doctor chimed in, "She's under anesthesia, so she can't hear you."

“What if it is?” The nurse’s eyes were firm. “I often go to her ward to change her dressings, but I rarely see her family members come over. I think she must feel lonely.”

"No matter what you think, this isn't a TV drama. No matter how much you encourage her, it's useless until she wakes up from the anesthesia."

The nurse didn't say anything more. In the midst of their busy work, someone exclaimed in surprise, "The anesthesia hasn't worn off, but the patient is actually crying."

As tears streamed down Yu Xi's face, a sharp cry followed, and a new life was born, marking the beginning of his life.

"Both the mother and child are safe and sound, we did it!" Almost everyone whispered in unison, but their hands never stopped moving until the delivery room door was pushed open, at which point they cheered in victory.

A woman with congenital heart disease, who was not suited for pregnancy, insisted on giving birth to her child after becoming a mother.

Only she herself knows the pain and hardship she endured during that time.

There is no such thing as true empathy in this world, and pain cannot be transferred; there is only empathy.

"It's a boy, weighing six pounds and eight ounces." Meng Jinxian carefully took the baby and held him in her arms. She looked down at the little head wrapped in the quilt. The baby's eyes were not yet open. It was a pink and chubby little thing, like a little dumpling.

He grinned from ear to ear and instructed his assistant to bring over the prepared gift. He opened the small box wrapped in deep red brocade and found a pair of small gold bracelets. "Look, this is a gift from Grandpa. Do you like it?"

"Grandpa, I've also prepared a red envelope for you and Mom. Besides that, I've also prepared a gift for you at home."

Sun Shuhan watched him from the side, her gaze fixed on the child. Despite her inner reluctance, she still smiled and said, "This child is so beautiful. Now we're grandparents. Look how much you've prepared. I only brought a red envelope."

As she spoke, she opened the purse tucked between her arms and reached in to feel around.

Meng Jinxian acted as if she hadn't heard, turning right past her and following Yu Xi as she was wheeled out of the ward. She even whispered to Meng Yun, "Keep up!"

When Sun Shuhan realized what was happening, everyone was gone. She turned around in confusion, searching everywhere, but Meng Jinxian was nowhere to be seen. She stomped her foot angrily, "Really, did they think I really wanted to come? If it weren't for that Meng guy insisting on coming today, I wouldn't have bothered to come see them."

Meng Jinxian and Meng Yun followed the doctor and nurses, one on each side, protecting Yu Xi's bedside until the nurses said that the mother needed to rest and asked them not to disturb her. Only then did they stop, both watching as Yu Xi was wheeled into the ward.

"Hold the baby tight, I need to take this call. The postpartum nanny who's going to take care of your sister-in-law will be here soon. Tell her to wait a bit, I have something to tell her."

"Don't be like your mother, so clueless."

Meng Yun didn't dare to use too much force, afraid that the child would fall, so she carefully held the small bundle in her arms. "I know, Dad. Don't worry, I will definitely do what you asked me to do."

“Well, don’t be too busy these days. Come with me and keep your sister-in-law company. I’m worried that she’ll feel bad being alone here for too long, after all, your brother…” Meng Jinxian suddenly swallowed the rest of his words and strode towards one end of the corridor.

Meng Yun gently placed the child in the cradle next to Yu Xi's bed, pulled out a chair, sat down, and carefully observed the little bundle of flesh.

The newborn baby's skin was not yet fully stretched out, it was wrinkled, but it was also exceptionally cute, and you could already see that it looked somewhat like Yu Xi.

The moment he slowly opened his eyes, Meng Yun was stunned. As he looked into those eyes, he instantly thought of Meng Chou's face. Those eyes were like a replica of Meng Chou's, exactly the same.

As expected of his child, even after his death, one glance at him is enough to remind people of his appearance.

A surge of hatred welled up in Meng Yun's heart. He placed his hands on the cradle, staring at the child who was opening his eyes and looking at him. In an instant, all the hatred surged into his heart. As if possessed, he almost subconsciously reached out his hands to approach the little bundle of flesh.

Newborn lives are especially fragile; a slight twist can be fatal. There are no security cameras or other people in this room. Yu Xi is still unconscious, so even if he did this, no one would know.

This crazy idea sprouted in his mind. He admitted that he loved Yu Xi, and this feeling was buried deep in his heart. The reason he also looked forward to the birth of this child was that he hoped that the child would be more like Yu Xi.

He was aware of the importance of this child in Yu Xi's heart, but he also knew how much he disliked Meng Chou and hated him.

He was caught in this complex mix of emotions, wavering and torn between them.

In the end, hatred overcame reason, and his hands touched the fleshy little boy's slender neck.

"You look so much like him! You really are his biological child, you look so alike, what should we do?"

“I didn’t want to either, but do you know what? When I was little, he treated me coldly. He never treated me like his brother. My background is not something I can decide. It’s not my fault, so why treat me like this?”

"Why?" His voice suddenly rose, but the baby in the cradle did not cry; instead, it giggled at him.

It was this very laugh that pulled Meng Yun back from the brink of madness, bringing him back to his senses. He looked at his hands, which were about to slam down, and suddenly pulled them back.

His hands trembled before his eyes, an overwhelming sense of fear washed over him, as if he had fallen into the depths of an icy abyss, the chill instantly engulfing him.

What am I doing?

"What the hell am I doing?"

How did I become like this?

He grabbed a handful of his hair haphazardly, ruining his once-stylish hairstyle. Meng Yun paced back and forth in the room, talking to himself. Yu Xi still hadn't woken up.

In the chaos, his toes touched the hospital bed, and Meng Yun knelt down with a thud, saying to Yu Xi, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Xi Xi, I didn't mean to."

He would only call her that when Yu Xi couldn't hear him.

Meng Yun continued, "Look, the child is fine. I will help you raise him. I know he is very important to you. Trust me, I will help you take good care of him."

When he loved her most, he was even willing to take care of her children. That's what it means to love someone so much that you extend that love to everything they have.

"Mr. Meng, I'm the nanny who's here to take care of Mr. Yu." After the knocking, a middle-aged woman's voice murmured outside the door, "I've already prepared the meals and brought them to Mr. Yu."

Meng Yun composed himself, calmed his emotions, stood up, and walked towards the door. The moment he opened it, he pulled the person aside and demanded sharply, "How long have you been here? When did you arrive? What have you seen?"

A sense of fear crept into his heart, but Meng Yun maintained a cold expression. He was worried and afraid that others might have seen what he had just been doing.