After a two-hour drive, he drove steadily, and the distinct melody of the music gradually turned into a lullaby, lulling Wen Yi into a sweet sleep.

Once they entered the city, with the stop-and-go traffic, Wen Yi woke up. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window, her voice slightly hoarse, “Are we almost there?”

“Yeah.”

At some point, the music had stopped. Her mind was blank, and she stared dazedly at the taillights of the car in front. Suddenly, her stomach growled, breaking the silence in the car rather abruptly.

Qin Nanshan turned his head to look, and Wen Yi felt embarrassed. She raised her chin, “What? Can’t I be hungry?”

He chuckled, “Shall we eat first?”

“No, let’s go home.”

With the conversation opened, Wen Yi became more awake and asked him, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. Why did you attend the medical forum that day?”

After thinking for a moment, he answered, “Professor Wu is a medical school professor. Not long ago, he asked me to co-author a paper. I was listed as the second author. The forum was where he presented the paper, and he wanted me to go up on stage.”

Wen Yi hadn’t attended the full forum and had only gone to the gathering afterward, so it seemed she had missed his speech.

She had heard of this Professor Wu before—an old, cunning man from the Second Hospital, about to retire in two years, always exploiting others. Even the medical reps under her had run errands for him multiple times.

Wen Yi scoffed, “He’s just using you as free labor, right? ‘Co-author’? I bet you wrote the whole thing, and in the end, he got the credit as the first author. What a well-calculated move.”

Qin Nanshan didn’t respond. This kind of thing happened often, but people tended to acknowledge it silently, accepting it as the norm.

She turned to face him, “Do you often help others write papers?”

Qin Nanshan hesitated for a few seconds before replying, “No.”

Of course, he did!

If he were working for her, she’d give him a good scolding. Only a fool would take on such thankless tasks.

What a fool, she cursed in her mind. Then again, with him being so taciturn, how could he say no to anyone?

But since there wasn’t anything serious between them yet, she didn’t bother lecturing him. After a moment of frustration, she continued, “Why were you in that room that night?”

According to Yan Fu’s plan, the room was originally reserved for a male doctor Wen Yi had collaborated with. This doctor was currently under investigation and caught in a scandal. She had found out ahead of time and arranged for the front desk to change the room. Logically, it should have been an empty room.

Qin Nanshan said, “I don’t know. The front desk gave me that key card.”

So, maybe it was all just a misunderstanding—such mix-ups do happen.

Qin Nanshan had probably figured out her situation by now. As they discussed this, he asked, “If it hadn’t been me that night…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but Wen Yi cut him off sharply, “What do you mean?”

Qin Nanshan fell silent and didn’t pursue the question.

But Wen Yi wouldn’t let it go. “Are you trying to say that if it wasn’t you, it could have been someone else? That I’m just not picky?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Wen Yi crossed her arms, acting like a feisty little cat, “Hmph, you’re the one who seduced me by not wearing any clothes!”

Just then, the traffic light turned red, and Qin Nanshan hit the brakes. Both of them lurched forward slightly. He looked at her in shock.

Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, but Wen Yi’s temper flared, “Do you think I’m that kind of person? Are you questioning my character? And you’re not much better. We both acted on impulse, so neither of us has the right to judge.”

She glared at him, feeling reckless. “Now that there’s a life involved, I’ll just accept my bad luck. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you have no choice.”

Qin Nanshan didn’t know how to argue. “I’m acknowledging it, aren’t I…”

“I didn’t force you to. I was going to have it terminated, but you said, ‘This child defied the odds to come into our lives and is a miracle of probability.’ You made that decision yourself, so don’t blame me now, and don’t blame me in the future!”

He responded, “Yes.”

“Is that the only word you know?” Wen Yi pressed on, deliberately provoking him. “I bet you’re thinking I’m trying to use this baby to cling to you and your family, like some annoying leech you can’t shake off, right?”

Wen Yi studied his expression, but he merely frowned slightly, his emotions steady as ever, as if he hadn’t heard her words. His calm demeanor made her seem like she was being unreasonable.

The light turned green, and the car started moving again. Qin Nanshan gripped the steering wheel, the veins on the back of his hand bulging slightly. His voice remained steady, “I’ve never thought that.”

Wen Yi felt a tightness in her chest. She rolled down the window to get some air. The weather had been nice these past few days, and even the wind carried warmth.

At another traffic light, the car came to a stop. Across the street, an older woman stood with a stroller, a baby babbling away. Wen Yi found it irritating and took out her phone to change the destination.

The navigation app’s robotic voice announced the route change, and Qin Nanshan asked, “Where are we going?”

“My mom’s place.”

Wen Yi stared at him, serious and defiant, articulating each word clearly, “Qin Nanshan, I don’t need your household registration, or your money. I’m not lacking. I have a great figure, I’m good-looking, and my salary is two to three times yours. I have plenty of options for marriage. This whole situation might be an accident, but we are equals. If you’re not right for me, we’ll leave.”

No one understood better than Wen Yi the criticism society heaps on unwed mothers and single moms. People stand on moral high ground to accuse them, while society, family, and useless boyfriends make these women feel guilty and ashamed, causing them immense pain.

She wasn’t a naive young girl, and he wasn’t irresponsible. Marrying because of a child was a gamble she chose to take, one that could determine her entire future.

But she wouldn’t compromise. If this road brought her and her child any suffering, she would not continue down it.

……

Chang Le Alley.

Wen Yi didn’t ask him to come with her. When she arrived at her house, she remembered that Wen Hongyu had changed the lock. She knocked on the door and, luckily, Ms. Wen was home. Otherwise, she really would have been left all alone.

“Mom, can you make me a copy of the key? Why change the lock for no reason? I haven’t seen anyone else guarding against their own daughter.”

Wen Hongyu pointed at a new key on the shoe cabinet, her tone unfriendly. “Who’s guarding against you? The lock broke, so I replaced it. I haven’t seen any daughter who doesn’t come home for a month. Last time you came, you barely ate a bite and left. What, do you think there’s a ghost here?”

Wen Yi chuckled twice, went into the dining room, lifted the cover off the dishes on the table, and was disappointed. She turned around and whined, “Mom, dearest mother, your precious daughter is starving…”

Wen Hongyu shot her a glare and went to the kitchen to cook. It wasn’t mealtime, so Wen Hongyu boiled a bowl of tomato and egg noodles for her.

Wen Yi stirred the noodles with her chopsticks, and Wen Hongyu warned her coldly, “I didn’t buy groceries. Eat what you’re given.” Wen Yi pouted and carefully pushed the tomatoes to the side.

However, after just two bites, her body reacted. She covered her mouth and started dry heaving uncontrollably, not even making it to the bathroom this time.

When she looked up, Ms. Wen’s expression was tense, her face darkened, and Wen Yi could sense the storm brewing.

Sure enough, her mother said heavily, “You’re pregnant.”

A statement, not a question.