"Ning Xi, stop right there!" Zhan Meng shouted at his retreating back without a second thought as he walked out without looking back.
But Ning Xi didn't seem to hear her at all, leaving only his silhouette for Zhan Meng.
Sometimes she wondered if she and Ning Xi really were, as others said, incompatible in personality—doomed to argue the moment they met.
With that thought, she silently sighed to herself, summing it up in one word: dramatic. Why couldn't she control her emotions? The moment Ning Xi appeared before her, she lost all grip on how she spoke.
After leaving the ward, Ning Xi fumed as he took the elevator down to sit under a big tree near the inpatient building, lost in thought. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out Zhan Meng's mind. Their relationship had never been great, but at least it wasn't like now—always at each other's throats.
"Hey, aren't you that girl's boyfriend? Why are you sitting here spacing out?"
Ning Xi had a likable face, the kind that looked perpetually cheerful. With his handsome features, even a single glance left a lasting impression hard to forget.
That's why the doctor remembered him—especially since he was such a striking man.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a doctor."
As soon as the words left the doctor's mouth, Ning Xi's lips twitched. This doctor looked old enough, but his way of speaking was ridiculous. Anyone in a white coat wandering around a hospital—he should've figured it out without asking.
The doctor let out an "oh," slapped Ning Xi on the shoulder, and said with a grin, "Young man, judging by your expression, you haven't caught on yet, have you?"
"Huh?"
"Sigh, who knows what young girls these days are thinking, always taking unconventional routes. If you ask me, anyone unprepared would react just like you."
Ning Xi's gaze dropped to the hand on his shoulder, paused, then mulled over the words before replying flatly, "Women are damn hard to figure out. Different every day, never the same, always a new experience."
"Young man, looks like you've had a shock."
"I live in a constant state of shock," Ning Xi said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, the doctor shot Ning Xi a sympathetic look, recalling how when he'd examined Zhan Meng earlier, he knew that girl wasn't one to mess with.
"Young man, regardless, congratulations—you're going to be a father."
"I'd sooner be her father."
"Huh?" The doctor looked at Ning Xi, puzzled.
It took a moment for Ning Xi to realize what the doctor meant. He instinctively grabbed the doctor's collar with both hands and demanded urgently, "What did you just say? Say it again."
"Young man, why are you so worked up? If you didn't want to be a father, you should've taken precautions back then. Am I right or not?"
"Repeat what you said before."
"Young man, let's talk this out calmly. Fists don't have eyes—don't start anything."
"I said repeat the last thing you said."
"What thing?"
"Damn it, I—"
"Young man, don't be impulsive?"
"Damn it!"
"Got it, I said you're going to be a father. That's what you wanted to hear, right?"
Ning Xi's eyes widened. In his agitation, he didn't let go but instead lifted the doctor off the ground, his feet dangling. "Is that true?"
"Yes, yes. That girl told me not to tell you—she said she wanted to surprise you."
"Ah..."
Ning Xi suddenly released his grip, and the doctor, caught off guard, crashed to the floor, landing spread-eagled, drawing laughter from those around.
Were young people these days always so reckless? No sense of propriety, no respect for elders?
The doctor scrambled up, dusted himself off with a glare at the onlookers, and walked away expressionlessly. He'd only come down for a smoke...
A breeze seemed to sweep through the corridor. A nurse at the front desk blinked, sensing someone rush past.
Ning Xi's heart was pounding with excitement he couldn't calm. For Zhan Meng to try hiding something this important from him—it was practically asking for trouble! He kicked open the ward door and stood there like a stone statue, his gaze fixed on Zhan Meng.
"Don't you have something to say to me?"
Zhan Meng hadn't expected Ning Xi to come back. Caught off guard, she blinked and shot back, "What do I have to say to you?"
Hearing this, Ning Xi frowned deeply, strode to the bedside, and loomed over her. "Are you pregnant?"
"Who told you I'm pregnant?" Zhan Meng asked reflexively, unwilling to admit it.
Seeming to read her mind, Ning Xi knew Zhan Meng was unpredictable—soft or hard, it all depended on her mood. If he was unlucky enough to catch her in a bad one, she'd reject both approaches and say things that could drive you mad.
After a moment's thought, Ning Xi decided to change tactics. He still couldn't figure out if Zhan Meng's volatile nature was innate or developed, but he figured if he was gentler, maybe she'd open up.
With a nod to himself, Ning Xi watched Zhan Meng, who remained expressionless, as if she too was scheming.
Both were lost in their own thoughts, silently guessing at each other's intentions.
After a few seconds of silence, Ning Xi pulled up a chair, sat down, and fixed his gaze on Zhan Meng with a tenderness so deep it seemed to drip. His long lashes fluttered slightly as he cleared his throat, trying for the first time to coax a woman.
"Zhan Meng, can we talk calmly?"
"About what? What's there to talk about between us?"
"But I want to talk to you."
Zhan Meng frowned, catching his gentle expression and eyes. Her heart softened, and she said dismissively, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Can you tell me why you've been treating me differently lately? Is it because I didn't take responsibility? I can, you know, but you—"
Before Ning Xi could finish, Zhan Meng's lips twitched. His overly gentle tone didn't suit him at all, and his words felt awkward. Responsibility? That wasn't what she wanted from him.
After a long pause, recalling something she'd accidentally discovered, she hesitated to ask, swallowing the words. "Just chalk it up to me being crazy, okay? If this is what you want to talk about, I'm really not interested."
"Zhan Meng, you need to understand that all our problems come from you hiding things and refusing to tell me. I can't find the root cause, can't fix it, and that's why we're like this now. Get it?"
"So you're saying I'm the one who caused all this?" Zhan Meng stared at him intently.
Hearing this, Ning Xi's feigned tenderness was on the verge of shattering. Was that what he meant?
"What I'm saying is, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. If I know, I'll tell you." Ning Xi didn't know why he'd said that instinctively, but his gut told him it was the only way to break through the wall Zhan Meng had built around herself.
As soon as he spoke, Zhan Meng fell silent. Seeing this, he knew his words had hit home. The ward was quiet, their faint breaths almost audible.
Zhan Meng hesitated, then finally couldn't hold back. "What's your relationship with Ke Yaru?"
This question had lingered in her mind for ages. She wasn't asking out of nowhere—once, when she went to find Ning Xi, fate seemed to hand her a glimpse of Ke Yaru visiting him. She didn't catch their conversation, but she saw Ning Xi's expression.
It was vivid in her memory. She'd been far away, so she relied on their faces to gauge things. At first, Ning Xi seemed calm, but then something changed, and they appeared to argue.
Later, she stumbled home, driven by curiosity to investigate Ke Yaru. But she found almost nothing—it was as if someone had deliberately hidden her tracks. To be so thorough, leaving no trace she could find, only Ning Xi came to mind.
Though she'd never admitted to being inferior to Ning Xi, deep down, she knew the gap between them.
After she spoke, she waited for his answer. Maybe she'd been too direct, too sudden, leaving Ning Xi momentarily stunned.
Zhan Meng wasn't in a hurry. She'd already imagined countless scenarios—good and bad. She hoped for the best, but his silence didn't surprise her.
"Why are you asking that?" Ning Xi finally snapped out of his shock and countered.
Zhan Meng smiled at him, tilting her head casually. "Just asking. Don't take it too seriously. You don't have to answer. Anyway—"
"Anyway what?"
"That's none of your business. Fine, you wanted to talk, so we talked. But clearly, talking doesn't solve our problems."
Her indifferent attitude grated on Ning Xi, though he didn't understand why. Seeing she had no desire to continue, he hesitated before saying quietly, "Her and I..."
Zhan Meng looked up slightly, a flicker of hope in her lowered eyes. But in those few seconds, Ning Xi only managed to start.