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Li Qingqing was a little surprised. She glanced at Fang Yingqiu’s belly, then at her face, unsure what to say for a moment.
Fang Yingqiu, on the other hand, looked like a guilty person caught red-handed. Her expression was a complicated mix of embarrassment, shame, and a hint of grievance.
She hesitated for a long time, but didn’t manage to say a single word. Under Li Qingqing’s gaze, she finally ran off with reddened eyes.
Li Qingqing was baffled. She didn’t chase after her either. It felt like Fang Yingqiu had some secret she couldn’t share.
Just then, Qiao Yan, the intern nurse who had entered the hospital with her, walked over.
Seeing Li Qingqing standing there with a puzzled look, she took the initiative to approach and start a conversation. “Qingqing, do you know that girl just now? She looks like she’s from Haihua too.”
Li Qingqing nodded when she saw it was Qiao Yan. “I know her. She was my classmate in the same major. Yanyan, do you know what’s going on with her? I remember she didn’t have a boyfriend. She’s usually very quiet—how could she suddenly be pregnant?”
She recalled Fang Yingqiu’s panicked reaction just now. Something must be wrong. A pregnant college girl coming to the hospital alone for a checkup—anyone would be suspicious. Besides, in Li Qingqing’s eyes, Fang Yingqiu was the studious, honest type. Seeing her show up with a baby bump was something she truly couldn’t wrap her head around.
Qiao Yan didn’t seem surprised by Li Qingqing’s questions. She glanced around carefully, then leaned in and whispered mysteriously into her ear, “She’s doing surrogacy.”
“Huh? Surrogacy?” Li Qingqing’s mind exploded the moment she heard it. Surrogacy? Fang Yingqiu? Isn’t that illegal?
Seeing Li Qingqing’s shocked reaction, Qiao Yan looked quite pleased with the gossip she held. She leaned closer again and whispered, “She volunteered. I heard it was for a celebrity. But after she was a few months in, that actress broke up with her boyfriend and didn’t want the baby anymore. So now she has to deal with it on her own.”
Li Qingqing was stunned. No wonder Fang Yingqiu acted like that when she saw her. “Isn’t this abandonment? She could sue them.”
She felt a surge of injustice on Fang Yingqiu’s behalf.
Qiao Yan frowned. “Qingqing, you’re too naive. People doing this kind of thing sign confidentiality agreements. The money was paid in full. Fang Yingqiu got enough from this to raise the baby. Even if she wanted to give up the child, only she has the right to sue. You’re an outsider—it’s best not to meddle.”
“But…” Li Qingqing wanted to say more but found herself choked up, unable to speak.
She thought about Qiao Yan’s words. They made a lot of sense. These deals were all about mutual consent—celebrities needed a womb, and Fang Yingqiu needed money. Each got what they wanted. It’s just that Fang Yingqiu was unlucky and got stuck with a bad client.
“But surrogacy is illegal here, right? Can’t we report this?” Li Qingqing still felt this should be handled by the proper authorities.
Qiao Yan comforted her, “Qingqing, there’s no clear regulation on individual surrogacy in China. Reporting it won’t do anything. And the actual procedure was done overseas, where it’s fully legal. These are the unspoken rules among the wealthy. You’re better off staying out of it.”
Li Qingqing felt uneasy hearing that. She knew there were many gray areas in society—dirty deals happening out of sight. And now, wasn’t she herself in a gray area, doing something indecent with Lu Yan?
After saying goodbye to Qiao Yan, Li Qingqing looked up the current domestic laws on surrogacy. Sure enough, there were no regulations on individual surrogacy—only a ban on institutions and medical personnel from engaging in any form of it.
She sighed deeply, put away her phone, and headed to Mu Xingyi’s office with a heavy heart.
Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door opened. A middle-aged man stepped out.
Mu Xingyi followed him, the two still chatting.
When the man saw Li Qingqing, his eyes lit up. He stared at her intently, his gaze like a predator sizing up prey.
Li Qingqing felt uncomfortable under his stare and instinctively moved closer to Mu Xingyi.
The man then asked, “Dr. Mu, and this is…?”
Mu Xingyi replied, “She’s a traditional Chinese medicine apprentice interning at our hospital. Just recently graduated.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes stayed fixed on Li Qingqing, like a beast eyeing its next meal.
Feeling uneasy, Li Qingqing took another half-step behind her mentor.
The man opened his mouth again, “Then could she…”
Before he could finish, Mu Xingyi cut him off, “Mr. Xing, she’s my personal apprentice. She belongs to me.”
His tone carried a hint of warning.
The man seemed to get the message right away. He nodded quickly, muttering “misunderstanding, misunderstanding,” and left.
Li Qingqing was completely confused by their conversation. Watching the man’s retreating figure, she asked, “Master, what were you two talking about? It felt like some sort of code. I didn’t get it at all.”
Mu Xingyi chuckled, “Mr. Xing needs a new assistant lately. He probably thought you were pretty and wanted to poach you.”
Li Qingqing nodded in sudden realization. “What kind of company does Mr. Xing run? My background might not even fit.”
A strange flicker passed through Mu Xingyi’s eyes, but he casually replied, “A biotech company. You don’t need specific skills to be an assistant anyway.”
Then he changed the topic. “Qingqing, do you have plans tonight? Want to have dinner with me?”
Li Qingqing had planned to visit Aze at the hospital. Hearing his invitation, her expression dimmed a bit.
She had never wanted to tell Mu Xingyi about her family affairs—afraid he’d pity her. She didn’t want his sympathy; she wanted to stand on equal footing with him.
But she also didn’t want to keep lying to him. And now that Aze had made it through the most critical stage, things shouldn’t get worse. After a moment of hesitation, she told him the truth.
“I… I’m going to Ruian Hospital tonight to visit my little brother. He just had heart surgery…”