Chapter 42 Possessiveness: He was forever hungry for news of her. ...
Lan Jia made several more calls, but still no one answered, something that had never happened before.
The screen went black, and a terrible premonition welled up inside me, as if something was coming to an end.
After a moment's thought, she called Zhou Qin again, reasoning that as his personal assistant, he must know her whereabouts.
The phone rang for a few seconds before being answered quickly, but the person on the other end gave a vague reply: "Miss, the gentleman is busy and probably can't take the call."
"Okay, I understand. When he's free, could you remind him to call me back?"
Zhou Qin agreed.
Lan Jia hung up, but her face darkened and turned cold.
She wanted him to tell her himself what he was doing.
Lan Jia returned to the operating room with a heavy heart, just as the door opened. Everyone stood up, and Lan Jia hurried forward nervously to listen to the verdict.
"The surgery was a success, and both mother and daughter are safe," the doctor said with a smile, removing his mask.
"That's great." Lan Jia and Song Qingqu looked at each other and smiled simultaneously.
"How is Sister Xinwen? Why haven't I seen her come out?"
"The mother has been sent to the post-anesthesia recovery room for observation for one to two hours. If there are no problems, she will be transferred to a regular ward."
"Okay, okay." Lan Jia breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "What about the child?"
"Not yet full term, needs to stay in incubator for two to four weeks."
"Understood."
The doctor gave some more instructions and then left.
Seeing that the matter had settled, Lan Jia told Lu Yan and Qin Lu to go about their business.
The two stood up, buttoned their shirts in unison, and said goodbye to her.
Walking side by side to the corner of the corridor, Qin Lu nudged the person next to him with his elbow and smiled gossipy: "Recently, PIONE and Qiao's have been doing very close business dealings. I heard it was personally instructed by the chairman. Could it be that the two families are planning a marriage alliance?"
"If that third young master were to take over PIONE in the future, do you think President Meng would be willing to relinquish power to him?"
In fact, Qin Ke had little confidence in the Qiao family's son. Meng Cenjun had worked hard for many years and was not someone to be trifled with, so naturally she would not easily hand over the position to someone else.
In his opinion, rather than causing a bloodbath in the future, it would be better to resolve the issue internally and strengthen the bond between the two families.
But given their sibling relationship, he naturally couldn't openly admit it.
Lu Yan could roughly guess what he was thinking, but the relationship between the brother and sister over the past ten years was common knowledge within the Yi family. If anything else were to develop, it would ultimately damage their reputations.
After a moment of contemplation, he said expressionlessly, "We shouldn't presume to guess what the higher-ups mean."
Qin Lu smiled calmly and stopped talking in time.
Remembering what President Meng had told him before, Lu Yan took out his phone and called Zuo Tai, asking him to come up and take good care of Lan Jia.
Outside the operating room, in the waiting area, Lan Jia was still immersed in the joy of the arrival of a new life. After so much anxiety, the responsibility on her shoulders was finally relieved. This wasn't just ordinary good news; it felt like her salvation. Things hadn't gone astray because of her momentary avoidance and hesitation. She had always feared the butterfly effect, but thankfully, ten years later, tragedy hadn't repeated itself on her.
Seeing that her smile had lasted for a long time, Song Qingqu also smiled and asked, "Are you that happy?"
"I'm so happy!" Lan Jia squinted her eyes in relief. "Sister Xinwen is safe and sound, and we have another new family member."
Does everyone think that the birth of a child is something to celebrate?
"Perhaps not, but I think at least parents genuinely look forward to the arrival of their children."
"Is that so?" His voice held a strange sadness as he asked her, "Why such high expectations?"
Judging from his tone, he didn't seem to disagree with the idea; rather, he seemed genuinely confused and was seeking her answer.
Lan Jia glanced at him with slight surprise before considering and saying, "If you weren't prepared to start a family, why would you bring a child into this world? Family is always the most precious thing. Even if it's just a baby, it should be born with love and expectations."
Looking at her innocent profile and hearing her matter-of-fact tone, Song Qingqu said with a complicated expression, "Then you must have a happy family."
“My parents have been dead for many years,” Lan Jia said softly.
"Feel sorry."
“There’s nothing to apologize for. It was an accident back then, and it’s all in the past. We can’t predict accidents, let alone prevent them from happening. The only thing we can do is protect our family now.” She said this as if she were talking to herself. She had told herself this to let go during countless nightmares in the middle of the night.
Song Qingqu listened and remained silent for a long time.
"However, Qingqu, what I just said was just my narrow-minded view. I know that there are many people in this world who do not get together because of love, and perhaps some people become parents when they are not ready. But I also hope that you believe that no matter what the circumstances, a mother's love for her child is pure, natural, and unconditional. Ten months of pregnancy, blood connection, even if there is only a moment of love and emotion, it is enough to prove that this mother once clearly and explicitly looked forward to the arrival of her child."
“No mother doesn’t love her child, right?” Song Qingqu asked her as if seeking confirmation. “Even if it was only a brief period of love, that doesn’t negate the fact that she loved him, does it?”
To convince him, Lan Jia nodded firmly.
"Okay, I understand."
"Thank you," he said softly.
After that conversation ended, neither of them spoke again. They sat side by side, waiting for Xu Xinwen to come out of the observation room safely.
The air was exceptionally quiet, yet also exceptionally peaceful. Lan Jia leaned back in her chair, and under the bright incandescent light, she looked even more disheveled.
After a hectic day on set, and the nerve-wracking journey, I feel completely exhausted, like I've just recovered from a serious illness.
The red numbers on the clock kept changing; it was already past ten o'clock at night. Song Qingqu hadn't heard her voice for a long time, so he turned his head to look and saw that she had fallen asleep with her head tilted to the side.
Her ponytail, which had been tied up, hung limply from her previous running around, and strands of hair in front of her forehead obstructed half of her eyes, making her delicate face appear even smaller than a palm. Two snow-white arms extended from the dark green sleeves, but the ten fingers were clenched in reverse, and the arms twisted like vines.
A very strange and uncomfortable posture.
Or it has strong defensive capabilities.
He suddenly felt empathy for her, and while she was oblivious, he showed a look of pity and guilt.
Song Qingqu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently supported Lan Jia's head, letting her lean on his shoulder.
In the corridor, Zuo Tai, who was standing not far away, saw this scene and looked away with a solemn expression.
Outside the hospital, the night was dark, but the lights were brilliant.
The familiar car discreetly drove away from the clubhouse on Tanshan Road, disappearing without a trace.
Meng Cenjun sat solemnly in the dimly lit carriage, reviewing the meeting that had just taken place.
He met with the detective who investigated the car accident case back then, and reviewed the case files carefully. Ten years have passed, but the police's statements and written records are still highly consistent.
Anyone would judge it as an accident, without any flaws.
It could also be described as being done neatly and cleanly, leaving no trace.
He frowned wearily, still feeling something was amiss. It reminded him of the argument between Meng Shiyuan and the old man when he last visited the Meng family. Though he couldn't make out the details, he vaguely heard words like "funeral." What funeral? Whose funeral? Could it be the Yi couple? He remembered that some members of the Meng family had attended, but only his third aunt, Meng Xia. As for Meng Shiyuan, he'd supposedly flown back to Brazil overnight to handle business.
If the Meng family were innocent, Old Madam Yi wouldn't have given him those pointers, much less used such harsh methods to warn him against contacting Lan Jia.
He simply couldn't bear to think about how cruel his existence would be to Lan Jia if it really was the Meng family who did it.
He, who shares the same bloodline as the murderer, cannot escape his guilt.
How could he be worthy of being her family? How could he be worthy of standing in front of her?
Meng Cenjun was alarmed, but sitting idly by and waiting for his fate was not in his nature. After a moment's thought, he said to the driver, "Turn around and go to the Yi family's old residence."
As he drove, he grew increasingly uneasy, feeling suffocated in the confined space.
He irritably loosened his tie, turned on his phone screen, and saw several missed calls already displayed.
Lan Jia, Lan Jia, Lan Jia, Lan Jia...
It uncontrollably occupied all his thoughts.
My fingertips hovered over that name, but I hesitated to dial it back.
He couldn't contact her until things were settled.
So he sought out Zuo Tai as if he were looking for an addiction, wanting to know all her whereabouts immediately in order to fill the emptiness in his heart.
What is she doing? Who did she meet? Is she in a good mood or a bad mood? What is she wearing? Is she eating properly?
After only one day apart, he felt an unprecedented hunger for information about her, wanting to know everything about her every moment, every second.
While on duty at the hospital, Zuo Tai suddenly received a message from his employer, knowing that it was time for his daily report again.
Just now... he hadn't decided whether or not to report the truth to his employer.
It was during these jobs that he gained a general understanding of the siblings' personalities; they would argue fiercely over the smallest things. As a bodyguard, although he never pried into the private relationships of his clients, he also gained a deep understanding of this employer's extremely possessive nature.
I still remember the last time he escorted the young lady home, he was carrying her crossbody bag, and she happened to see him again. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes were burning with desire when they fell on him.
From then on, even at work, he began to carefully keep his distance from the young lady. He wasn't that oblivious to social cues.
The reason for her hesitation was that she didn't want Lan Jia to suffer. Although she was initially resistant to him as her bodyguard, they got along quite well after talking things out. At least compared to her previous clients, this young lady didn't throw tantrums all the time; she was kind-hearted and exceptionally easy to talk to.
His thoughts raced, and Zuo Tai couldn't help but find himself ridiculous.
Having worked in the industry for over a decade, he's a professional bodyguard. When did he start letting personal feelings cloud his judgment?
Inside the car, Meng Cenjun waited for a long time before finally receiving a photo in her email.
Author's note: Bro, I'm almost going crazy...
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