Zhan Meng stared blankly at Xia Yan. The landlady's words struck her like a bolt of lightning. "Xia Yan, do you think I should go to the hospital for a checkup?"
"Of course you should," Xia Yan said decisively. "Wait for me here."
"Where are you going? What for?"
"I'm going back to my room to grab my bag. I'll go to the hospital with you now."
"No need to rush, right?"
Before she finished speaking, Xia Yan had already run upstairs. Zhan Meng couldn't hear her clearly. When Xia Yan came back down and stood before her, seeing Zhan Meng hesitating as she looked at her, she said directly, "What are you standing there for?"
"I don't want to go to the hospital."
"Then how will you know if you're pregnant or not?"
Zhan Meng's body seemed fused to the chair, unwilling to get up. She was silent for a long time. Ever since they arrived in Yuzhou, her period hadn't come. She thought it was just her body adjusting to the new environment.
"Xia Yan, come with me." Zhan Meng suddenly stood up, her face serious as she walked ahead. She remembered correctly—fifty meters to the left out the door was a pharmacy.
Xia Yan followed her, confused. Seeing her go into the pharmacy alone and come out shortly after, she walked up and asked, "You bought this?" She pointed at the pregnancy test in Zhan Meng's hand.
"This can check too. I really don't want to go to the hospital."
She didn't know why Zhan Meng was so resistant to hospitals, so after Zhan Meng refused countless times, she didn't force her. Instead, they bought the test and went back to the guesthouse.
During dinner, Zhan Meng was distracted. She barely ate a few bites before heading to her room. Seeing this, Xia Yan frowned slightly, watching Zhan Meng's retreating figure, lost in thought.
Worried about Zhan Meng, Xia Yan ate a little and then went to her room.
"Why are you here?" Zhan Meng opened the door listlessly, looking drained and tired. She glanced at Xia Yan before turning back to the bed.
"I came to check on you."
"I'm fine. Maybe it's just the change in environment. Don't worry."
Xia Yan looked at her deeply. "You don't look well. Want to go to the hospital?"
"No, I'll be fine after some rest." Zhan Meng lay back on the bed, fiddling with the pillow, forcing a smile.
"Alright, I won't disturb your rest. If anything feels off, call me. I'm right next door, okay?"
"Got it. Go rest."
Xia Yan hesitated at the door, still worried. Seeing Zhan Meng wave her off, she sighed softly, tiptoed out, and gently closed the door.
After Xia Yan left, Zhan Meng couldn't sleep all night, her heart pounding with anxiety. Deep down, she already had an answer ready to surface, but she still wanted to wait for the result before deciding.
The next morning, Xia Yan was woken by knocking. She blinked, adjusting to the harsh light, and listened to the intermittent knocking. She almost thought she was hallucinating.
Throwing off the covers, she straightened her loose pajamas and yawned as she opened the door.
The moment the door opened, Xia Yan froze.
Zhan Meng stood at the door, her face tear-streaked and eyes vacant. Her pajama collar had slipped off one shoulder, her hair was a mess, and looking down, Xia Yan saw one bare foot while the other wore a slipper. In her hand was the pregnancy test. Xia Yan snapped awake, grabbed Zhan Meng's hand, and pulled her inside. Though it wasn't cold, walking barefoot on the cool floor wasn't good for her—it could let in the cold.
"Zhan Meng, get on the bed. I'll get you some hot water."
"No need, I'm not thirsty." Zhan Meng said weakly. Seeing Xia Yan stop in front of her, she hesitated, then held out the test. The two lines on it came into Xia Yan's view.
"Pregnant?" Xia Yan's heart sank, stunned.
"It's over. I'm caught."
Zhan Meng tossed the test onto the bed and collapsed backward, lying spread-eagled, staring at the ceiling. "Why did this happen to me?"
"Fate?"
"Bullshit fate." Zhan Meng sat up with a sudden motion, making Xia Yan almost scream. She rolled her eyes casually. "Don't make such a big deal."
"A big deal? Do you realize there's a little life in your belly right now? Do you know how dangerous that move was?" Xia Yan took a deep breath and rattled off a string of words.
"Alright, alright, I get it. But now, what do I do?"
"What do you want to do?"
"That's why I'm asking you."
"Are you going to tell Ning Xi?"
Zhan Meng looked at Xia Yan gloomily. "Tell him? I can't use a child to force him to marry me, can I?"
"Then are you planning to keep it?"
"Given the situation, keeping it is a big unknown. Besides, I'm not ready to be a mother."
"Then you?"
"Take me to the hospital tomorrow." Zhan Meng said this nonchalantly, then lay back on the bed, closing her eyes and saying nothing more.
Xia Yan neither opposed nor supported Zhan Meng's choice. As a friend, the only thing she could do now was stay quietly by her side. Perhaps because she had lost a child herself, knowing Zhan Meng's plan made her heart heavy.
******
Lu Zhengting's men searching for Xia Yan finally got word—someone had spotted her in Yuzhou.
The news reached Lu Zhengting quickly. Besides him, Yang Jinkuan and Xia Minghui also caught wind and sent people to Yuzhou to find Xia Yan.
A person who had tried to stay out of it had unknowingly become the center of a whirlpool, drawing wave after wave of people from Jiangcheng to Yuzhou. The once-quiet Yuzhou now hid a hint of danger.
Zhan Meng was in Yuzhou, so Ning Xi had to follow. The Lu Corporation was now temporarily managed by Xu Su.
A large crowd surged toward Yuzhou, seemingly unnoticed.
Xia Yan and Zhan Meng got up early, prepared a bit, and headed to the city hospital. On the way, Xia Yan watched the unfamiliar scenes flash by, then turned to look at Zhan Meng. "Are you sure about this?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, I'm sure. This is the best choice."
Hearing this, Xia Yan stopped persuading. She rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the buildings outside, her mood complicated.
The hospital was bustling. Zhan Meng clung to Xia Yan's arm as they stood at the payment window, a long line ahead of them. Her face was grim, and even crying felt like too much effort.
During the ultrasound, Zhan Meng stared at the image on the monitor. The emotions she had been holding back seemed to burst forth. Xia Yan watched, feeling a sharp pain in her own heart.
"Have you decided?" the doctor asked one last time.
Zhan Meng was dazed, silent for a long time. Only when the doctor impatiently asked again did she snap out of it and nod woodenly.
"Alright, pay the fee first."
Zhan Meng took the slip from the doctor and walked like a robot. Xia Yan followed slowly beside her. Suddenly, Zhan Meng crouched down, hugging her arms, burying her head in them.
Having been through it herself, Xia Yan understood.
She reached out, gently stroking Zhan Meng's head. "If you can't bear it, then keep it."
"Keep it?" Zhan Meng asked, her voice choked.
"Yeah, if you can't let go, why force yourself?"
Xia Yan helped Zhan Meng sit on a bench in the hospital corridor. Every time a nurse called a name, Zhan Meng's heart leaped to her throat. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, biting her lower lip.
A strange sound echoed in her heart—a child's cry, loud and tinged with sorrow.
Zhan Meng jolted, snapping back to reality. "Xia Yan, let's go. I've decided to keep it."
Still immersed in the sadness, Xia Yan didn't react quickly. "What did you say?"
"I said I'm keeping this child. Let's go." Zhan Meng grinned, showing her relief. She took Xia Yan's arm and stood up, but her expression suddenly turned serious again.
"Wait." Sensing danger, Zhan Meng quickly spoke.
"What's wrong?"
Zhan Meng grabbed her phone. She had been cautious and secretly installed a tracking system on Ning Xi's phone. Now, checking his location, she saw he was on his way to Yuzhou. Panicked, she grabbed Xia Yan and ran.
"Everyone, follow them! Lose them again, and I'll have your heads!"
"Boss, they've spotted us."
"Who the hell said you stop following just because you're spotted? You want to die? Get after them now!"
The middle-aged man slapped the guy on the shoulder, his thick fingers digging in. With a squeeze, the man bent over in pain, face pale, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Boss, spare me! I'll send people now, right now!"
"Then get lost!"
Running out of the hospital, Zhan Meng and Xia Yan, unfamiliar with Yuzhou, darted through the streets. Whenever they saw an empty taxi, they flagged it down without thinking.
"We need to leave Yuzhou now. Ning Xi's already here."
"Is Lu Zhengting coming too?"
"What do you think? We've stayed in Yuzhou too long. They'd find us sooner or later. But back at the hospital, I noticed we were being followed."
"Followed? Do you know whose men?" Xia Yan's face changed, her voice urgent.
"No idea, that's why I dragged you out."
Xia Yan was at a loss for words. The taxi stopped outside their guesthouse. They rushed to their rooms, packed quickly—luckily, they didn't have much—and were done in under half an hour.