The doctor placed a stack of papers on the table and called for the next patient. As a young couple entered, Wen Yi took the report, thanked the doctor, and left.

The hospital corridor was bustling with people. A man was supporting a heavily pregnant woman, while another woman was rushing around, sweating profusely. There was also a young girl, probably in her early twenties, curled up in a corner of the hallway, crying softly.

The rain outside intensified, and Wen Yi looked out the window. The sky was dark and gloomy, with raindrops falling like threads, weaving into a dense curtain.

She sighed inwardly, “What awful weather! Can’t it just stop?”

—

The next day was the weekend, and Wen Yi refused all work and invitations, spending two days in bed. She didn’t sleep but spent the time reminiscing about the past.

Wen Yi’s impression of Qin Nanshan could be summed up in three words: math genius, decent-looking, and dull.

She hated dull men the most. Communicating with them was exhausting, and they couldn’t even form a complete sentence. She couldn’t imagine dating or living with someone like that.

The day of the forum was an accident. They both had some drinks, and when she entered the room, he had just come out of the shower, with only a towel around his waist. His smooth abs made her forget his personality for a moment, and she was captivated by his good looks.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, as the man’s expression instantly became unreadable, his eyebrows furrowing.

Outside the door, their competitors were watching, and Wen Yi decided to play along. She made some suggestive sounds to make it seem like they were doing something.

By some twist of fate, they ended up in bed together. They didn’t need to communicate; they just looked into each other’s eyes and found mutual satisfaction, over and over again.

Afterward, Wen Yi changed her opinion of this high school classmate she hadn’t seen in eight or nine years. He wasn’t entirely without merit.

That day, they both seemed to understand each other without saying goodbye or exchanging contact information, which led to the current predicament.

She hadn’t decided what to do, but if she was going to keep the child, she needed to find the father first.

Wen Yi flipped through her high school class group chat but didn’t see “Qin Nanshan.” The only person she could ask was her good friend from high school, Qiao En, but she was abroad on a business trip and probably sleeping.

In the evening, Wen Yi drove back to Changle Alley, where she had lived for over a decade.

The alley was narrow, and the car couldn’t go in, so she parked at the entrance. As she got out of the car, she noticed the pregnancy test stick still in the back seat, which made her irritated again.

It was dinnertime, and the smell of food filled the alley. Wen Yi quickened her pace, not in the mood to greet any of the neighbors.

The door to 25 Changle Alley was locked. Wen Yi took out her keys and tried to open it, but the lock had been changed.

She smiled to herself. It had been a month since she last came home, and her mother had changed the locks.

Her mother, Wen Hongyu, was proud and stubborn. A few years ago, when she found out that Wen Yi was working as a pharmaceutical rep, she was convinced that her daughter was involved in something shady. They had several arguments, and Wen Yi eventually moved out. Her mother vowed never to use her money again and found a job as a tutor.

The last time Wen Yi came home was over a month ago, to bring her mother some new clothes for the changing season. Her mother refused the clothes and kicked her out.

Since then, Wen Yi had been too busy to worry about her mother’s feelings. She hadn’t received any replies to her messages.

Yesterday, her aunt called to say she wanted to introduce a wealthy and respectable older man to her mother and asked Wen Yi to talk to her. Wen Yi didn’t care about her mother’s love life and didn’t want to interfere.

She called her mother, but the phone was hung up after a few rings. Her mother then came to the door, gave her a cold look, and opened it without saying a word.

Wen Yi followed her inside and went to her old room. The room was cluttered but clean. She found her high school yearbook on the bottom shelf of the bookcase.

Back then, yearbooks were popular, and Wen Yi had given one to each of her classmates. She remembered that Qin Nanshan had also written in hers.

She remembered it clearly because he had used the yearbook as scratch paper and filled a whole page with math problems.

She found the yearbook, entered the phone number written in it, and dialed. Surprisingly, the call went through.

Wen Yi sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for an answer. The phone rang, but no one picked up. She tried a few more times, but still no answer.

She took a photo of the address and left the house.

—

Qin Nanshan lived near A University. His parents were both professors there, and the family was known for their academic achievements.

The once enviable faculty apartments now looked old and rundown compared to the nearby high-end residential areas. Wen Yi drove straight to Building 3, Apartment 302, without any obstacles.

She held the crumpled ultrasound report in her pocket, feeling like a warrior about to enter a battlefield. She stood tall, ready for a fight.

To her surprise, Qin Nanshan himself opened the door. “Wen Yi?” he asked, looking puzzled.

He was tall, probably over 1.8 meters, while Wen Yi was only 1.63 meters without heels. The height difference made her look up at him.

Not only was there a height difference, but he was also strong. That night, he had held her effortlessly, which had surprised her. She had thought that someone who only did research would be physically weak.

Wen Yi looked up at him and handed him the ultrasound report, waiting for his reaction.

He looked at the report, flipping it back and forth, and finally asked, “What does this mean?”

Wen Yi had been a pharmaceutical rep for several years and was skilled at reading people’s expressions. She could tell that Qin Nanshan was unsure whether the child was his.

Additionally, her sudden appearance at his doorstep, demanding responsibility, was not a pleasant surprise.

Wen Yi took back the ultrasound report and smiled gently. “Nothing much. I’m pregnant, and as the father of the child, I wanted to inform you before I have an abortion.”