76 One month later
Cheng Boyan lowered his head and whispered something in a low voice that only he and the child could hear. Then, with extreme restraint, he quickly kissed the child's delicate face.
He felt that the touch was incredibly soft, and it was instantly imprinted deep in his heart.
"Goodbye, Mr. Xi, Ms. Wen." Cheng Boyan nodded and turned to walk towards the door.
"Mr. Cheng, there's another family banquet next month. You're welcome to come again then," Xi Mingyuan replied.
Half an hour later, as night deepened, Cheng Boyan returned home and suddenly remembered that Wen Xueyan had slipped something into his briefcase before he left.
He opened it and saw a photo album. Flipping to the cover, the baby's radiant smile unexpectedly caught his eye. That little face looked remarkably like Wen Xueyan, yet he could also vaguely see Wen Xueyan's shadow.
As you flip through the photos, you see the peaceful image of a baby sleeping soundly, and the adorable image of a baby waving their little hands.
The last few pages contain photos of Wen Xueyan holding her child.
The afternoon sun shone gently on her as she looked down at the baby in her arms.
Cheng Boyan's fingertips lingered on the photograph for a long time, his cold and hard brows softening unconsciously. Even now, separated by an album and by time, it still stirred his heart.
He recalled those days last year, and the pressure she endured alone. This child, whose features resembled his, was a precious treasure she had protected with all her might in those difficult circumstances.
Cheng Boyan felt a surge of indescribable emotions in his chest: heartache, gratitude, and a profound sense of loss and rediscovery.
The following day, the sunlight dispelled the darkness of the night.
Wen Xueyan and her best friend Ning Zhiyi met at a maternity and baby products store in the city. The store was brightly lit and softly lit, and the air was filled with the warm and sweet scent unique to baby skincare products.
Ning Zhiyi stood beside her, her aloof demeanor carrying the maturity and serenity that comes with experience in marriage. "Xueyan," she said gently, "it's so good to come out with you. I've been so tired lately. My postgraduate entrance exam materials are piled up like a small mountain. Dr. Qi is so ambitious. He took a day off today and said he'd tutor me in English at home this afternoon, and also keep an eye on Hao Hao's math."
"Dr. Qi is so thoughtful," Wen Xueyan replied.
“Hmm,” Ning Zhiyi’s lips curved into a gentle smile, “He said that thinking habits should be shaped from childhood, and…” She paused, a glint of light in her eyes, “When he’s around, the atmosphere at home is always a little different. So I plan to accept his proposal after my postgraduate entrance exam interview.”
As they were talking, Wen Xueyan's phone rang. It was her cousin Wen Haijing, a freshman in college back home. When she answered, the girl's voice was timid and embarrassed. She said she wanted to borrow another thousand yuan, which she would pay back after she earned money from her summer job. Wen Xueyan didn't ask any questions, gently agreed, and completed the transfer via her mobile phone after hanging up.
Ning Zhiyi watched quietly from the side, her brows furrowing slightly: "Is it your uncle's family again? They borrowed money from you before because of your cousin's betrothal gifts, didn't they..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear: that unpleasant loan dispute had chilled Wen Xueyan's heart.
Wen Xueyan put away her phone, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes: "My cousin is still in school. My uncle and his family later lent money to my cousin for his dowry, so they cut off my cousin's living expenses and told her to find her own way. By the way, did you just say that you were planning to accept Dr. Qi's marriage proposal?"
Ning Zhiyi's face instantly lit up with a bright glow.
Looking at the undisguised joy on her friend's face, Wen Xueyan hesitated slightly before uttering her words of blessing. Marriage is like opening a box containing unknowns; it may look glamorous on the outside, but whether it's sweet or thorny inside, only those who experience it firsthand will know.
She recalled Qi Wenmu's past, and that issue—the seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between the demands of marriage for long-term stability.
Ning Zhiyi was enveloped in immense happiness at this moment. Wen Xueyan knew that mentioning any potential worries at this time would be like splashing ink on a perfect painting, not only inappropriate but also cruel.
Some roads you have to walk alone; some hurdles you have to overcome alone.
Wen Xueyan reminded herself not to interfere with other people's karma. After all, she had already told them what needed to be said last year.
So, Wen Xueyan quietly suppressed that complex worry.
In the afternoon, at Dr. Qi's apartment.
When Qi Wenmu returned, it was nearly evening. He had taken off his coat and was only wearing a close-fitting dark gray sweater that outlined the smooth lines of his broad shoulders and narrow waist, along with well-fitting casual trousers.
He wasn't wearing glasses, and his deep eyes lacked the sharp scrutiny he displayed on the operating table.
"Uncle Qi is back!" Hao Hao, a second-grader, rushed out of his room and hugged his long legs.
Qi Wenmu's expression softened instantly. He bent down and asked, "Little man, did you encounter any obstacles in today's math problems?"
Ning Zhiyi came out of the kitchen carrying water and saw this scene, feeling a sense of warmth and peace in her heart.
When tutoring Hao Hao, Qi Wenmu sat next to the child. When explaining math problems, he did not directly impart knowledge, but patiently guided him.
"Haohao, look at this question. Try it out. Where do you think we should start?"
He encourages Hao Hao to think for himself. When the child gets stuck, he uses highly logical language to break down the problem step by step and guide him to find the key.
After Hao Hao fell asleep, Qi Wenmu went to find Ning Zhiyi. He sat down on the sofa next to her, the sofa slightly sinking, and his aura, a mixture of mature masculinity and professional authority, enveloped her even more clearly.
He picked up Ning Zhiyi's postgraduate entrance examination materials, some of which were in English and some were about chemistry major courses. With his excellent academic background, he explained a few difficult questions to her.
As he spoke, he casually placed one hand on the back of the sofa, almost encircling Ning Zhiyi's shoulder—a gesture full of possessiveness and intimacy.
His fingers were long and strong, with distinct knuckles. He had once precisely controlled a scalpel, and also... Ning Zhiyi's thoughts drifted for a moment as she recalled the shivers and burning sensation that these hands brought when they moved across her skin.
Ning Zhiyi told Wen Xueyan about her plans to get married today because she felt that everything had been moving in a positive direction over the past year.
Ning Zhiyi knew that remarriage with a child was not necessarily a happy one, but she cherished the warmth she had now.
One cannot always live in the past. She felt that Dr. Qi would not repeat the same mistakes, but she also seemed to see a hint of worry in Wen Xueyan's eyes.
One month later.
The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent. Just as the clock struck midnight, Wen Xueyan was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
The nanny, Aunt Zhang, stood outside the door, her face filled with panic: "I don't know what's wrong with the baby, he's burning up, crying nonstop, and his little face is all red...!"
Wen Xueyan's heart sank instantly. What she touched was burning hot. The electronic thermometer showed 39 degrees Celsius. The child was crying hysterically in her arms, his little face flushed, each rapid breath tugging at her nerves.
Xi Mingyuan went to Canada to see his lover and won't be back for a week. The other nanny has taken leave to go back to her hometown. It's the dead of night, and Wen Xueyan, who's never been comfortable driving at night, is even more flustered. She forces herself to calm down and dials the number of the driver who lives in the next neighborhood: "Mr. Liu, please come immediately. My child has a high fever and needs to go to the hospital right away."
While waiting for the driver, she asked the nanny to prepare the items needed for the trip. She paced back and forth in the living room with her crying child in her arms, each step treading on the edge of anxiety.
The possibility of seizures caused by high fever in infants, and other concerns, churned uncontrollably in her mind. Only after becoming a mother did she truly understand what it meant to be "heartbroken and worried." That invisible thread was tied to her child, and every cry of her child tugged at her most vulnerable nerves.
As soon as she got in the car, Wen Xueyan held the little baby in her arms tightly, who was squirming and crying because of discomfort. A name came to mind: Cheng Boyan. Almost instinctively, she took out her phone and sent the message: "Baby has a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. I'm on my way to the hospital."
Her phone vibrated just a dozen seconds after she sent the message, and she answered it immediately.
"Tell me, which hospital?" His voice came through the radio.
“The Municipal Women and Children’s Hospital is near my home,” she replied.
"I'm coming right away, do you need me to pick you up?" He spoke very quickly.
"No need, we're already in the car."
"Okay, keep in touch, I'll be there soon."
"Don't be afraid, baby. Daddy will come to stay with us tonight," Wen Xueyan said to the child.
After the brief phone call ended, Wen Xueyan held her baby, who was whimpering from discomfort, tightly in her arms. Strangely enough, the panic that had almost overwhelmed her subsided considerably.
The children's hospital emergency room was still packed late at night. The sounds of children crying, parents sighing, and nurses' hurried footsteps mingled together.
The queue was only three minutes long, but Wen Xueyan felt as if an eternity had passed.
The driver is still looking for a parking space in the garage downstairs.
The baby's cries in her arms gradually subsided, turning into distressed whimpers, her little face still flushed red with fever. The nanny, Aunt Zhang, stood by, trying to cool the baby down with a damp towel.
The line moved slowly forward, each movement accompanied by pushing and shoving and complaints from the crowd behind them.
Suddenly, a burly, impatient middle-aged man squeezed in front of Wen Xueyan, trying to cut in line.
Standing next to him was a woman dressed in a flamboyant manner, holding a child.
"Please wait in line, okay?" Wen Xueyan suppressed her surging anxiety and anger, and hugged the child even tighter.
“My child has a fever of 38 degrees Celsius, what’s wrong with letting me pass? I’m cutting in line, so what? Are your children so precious?” The man not only did not back down, but instead stuck out his neck and retorted in a rough voice, his spittle almost splashing onto Wen Xueyan’s face.
"How can you talk like that!" Aunt Zhang couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to argue, "Our child also has a high fever, and everyone is in line. There should be a first-come, first-served rule! This is basic manners and a principle of doing things!"
"You old hag, what's it to you!" The man immediately turned his anger towards Aunt Zhang, his language vulgar and offensive. "What right does an old woman have to talk!"
He became increasingly agitated, his spittle almost flying onto the baby's face: "What are you pretending for? Two women bringing a child to the doctor in the middle of the night, without even a man present, who knows which random guy's child this is..."
The foul language came down like hail, and the child in his arms cried even harder from the commotion. The onlookers around them were talking amongst themselves, but no one dared to step forward to stop the violent man.
"Shut up!" Wen Xueyan glared at him.
"If you keep nagging, I'll beat you up, you believe me?" The man still stood in front of Wen Xueyan in line, looking completely unreasonable.
In this chaotic moment, a familiar figure walked quickly toward her through the noisy crowd.
Cheng Boyan was wearing a crisp, dark overcoat, and a few strands of hair on his forehead were slightly ruffled by the night wind, adding a rare touch of hurriedness to his appearance.
He immediately spotted the child in Wen Xueyan's arms, whose little face was flushed red with fever. His heart felt as if it had been violently clenched.
Cheng Boyan walked straight up to Wen Xueyan and glared at the man with an icy, imposing gaze. If he weren't in a hurry to get his child to the doctor, he would have loved to beat the man up. That icy look instantly froze the man's unspoken curses, causing him to instinctively take a half-step back.
Cheng Boyan then turned to Wen Xueyan and the child. He stretched out his arms and gently and steadily took the hot little body from Wen Xueyan's already weak arms.
“Baby, don’t be afraid,” Cheng Boyan lowered his head and gently comforted the child in a low, soothing voice, “Daddy’s here.”
Upon hearing this, the baby snuggled closer to his warm embrace.
Immediately afterwards, he leaned down slightly, his warm breath brushing against Wen Xueyan's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Xueyan, let's not wait in line anymore. Come with me now. I've already contacted the vice president to go to the VIP ward upstairs."
Wen Xueyan followed his steps, looking at his broad and upright back and the child curled up peacefully in his arms. Her tense heart finally relaxed a little.
Welcome all readers and fans to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.
I want to watch more, I love it!
Thank you for your message.
nice
Thank you for your message, it's so heartwarming.
If it's a genuine emergency, then I'll definitely stand my ground. But if it's just a normal queue, I might wait a little longer rather than get into a conflict, because I'm worried the other person might be mentally ill, haha. After all, I can reason with people, but not with anything else, haha.
Thank you for your comment. That's indeed the case. If you encounter a reasonable person and the other party isn't in a hurry, you can argue your case reasonably. However, in special circumstances, there could indeed be danger.
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