The municipal hospital was a modern, large-scale comprehensive clinical facility—one of the best hospitals in S City.

The central air conditioning worked exceptionally well. Even though it was early December, Shi Yin felt as if she were sweating profusely, her temples damp with perspiration.

She remained outwardly calm, her expression blank. “No, it’s just a routine blood test.”

Gu Congli appeared perfectly composed. “Didn’t you ask if this meant you were pregnant?”

“You misheard.”

Gu Congli fell silent for a few seconds before saying coldly, “Shi Yin.”

Shi Yin exhaled deeply, her demeanor immediately wilting as she looked at him with a pained expression. “Alright, fine—it’s not me. It’s really not me. I’m here with someone else. I can’t tell you anything more. How could I possibly be pregnant? I haven’t even… with you—”

She paused mid-sentence, suddenly falling silent.

Gu Congli’s lips curved faintly into a smirk. “Hmm? With me what?”

Shi Yin remembered the earlier explanation—that biting during a kiss represented a desire for intimacy.

She stamped her foot, her gaze shifting nervously. “Well, I should…” She pointed toward the nearby escalator, preparing to make her escape. But before she could take a step, she stopped herself and frowned. “Why are you here? Are you sick?”

Gu Congli coolly averted his eyes. “Nothing serious. Just a bit of insomnia.”

Lin Nianni was still waiting downstairs. Shi Yin didn’t say anything further, simply nodding before heading down.

It wasn’t until she stepped onto the escalator that she realized this was the first face-to-face conversation they’d had since their disagreement. Strangely, it hadn’t felt any different from usual.

The misunderstanding had been so absurd that it naturally resolved itself, leading to an equally natural exchange.

Shi Yin puffed up her cheeks slightly as she rode the escalator back to the atrium lounge. She found Lin Nianni and handed over the test results.

Lin Nianni silently took them, flipping through the pages one by one. She stared at them for three minutes, her expression growing increasingly grave.

Shi Yin’s heart sank, and her own expression mirrored the seriousness.

Lin Nianni finally raised her head, looking at her blankly. “So… does this mean I’m pregnant or not?”

“…”

Shi Yin said, “I thought you understood.”

“How would I know how to read this? This is my first pregnancy.”

“So is mine.”

Lin Nianni nodded. “Right, you probably haven’t even had sex yet.” She hesitated, glancing at her uncertainly. “You haven’t… right?”

Shi Yin: “…Don’t ever let me hear the phrase ‘sex life’ again.”

Lin Nianni burst out laughing, patting her arm lightly as she stood up. “Anyway, let’s go show these to the doctor.”

Her smile faded slightly. “Though honestly, I already suspect it’s about 90% likely. My period hasn’t come this month either.”

Shi Yin accompanied her to the gynecology floor. Lin Nianni entered the doctor’s office while Shi Yin waited outside.

After about ten minutes, Lin Nianni emerged. Shi Yin quickly stood up and walked over. “What did they say?”

Lin Nianni shrugged. “Just as I expected.”

Shi Yin’s expression crumbled.

Shoulders slumped, she stood there in a daze, staring blankly at Lin Nianni, unsure of what to say.

Lin Nianni had started school late and was a year older than Shi Yin, making her twenty-four years old now.

Twenty-four—a beautiful age where youth was fading but maturity hadn’t fully set in yet.

Lin Nianni was the type of person who had slight obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Even back in school, she meticulously planned every day, and surely must have mapped out her future with ample preparation.

Shi Yin didn’t know whether Qin Jiang had been part of that plan, but she was certain this child wouldn’t have been.

Before, Lin Nianni had seemed utterly panicked. Now that the results were confirmed, however, she appeared surprisingly calm. As they left the hospital and stood at the entrance, she suddenly said, “Yinyin, I want to keep the baby.”

Shi Yin whipped her head around, thinking she’d misheard. “What?”

“I can’t reconcile with Qin Jiang, but this is still my child,” she said with a faint smile. “I have savings and can earn money. Even on my own, I can afford to raise him.”

Shi Yin stared at her, completely incredulous. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Don’t act impulsively without considering everything. This isn’t just about whether or not you can afford to raise him.”

“I know single-parent families might not always be ideal, but I’ll do my best to avoid that. I won’t let him feel like he’s missing out on paternal love.” Lin Nianni spoke calmly.

“And you think avoiding it is that simple? Do you really believe it’ll be easy?”

“How hard can it be?”

Shi Yin grew angry, her voice rising before she forced it back down. “Do you even know how difficult childbirth is? How much money it takes to raise a child? Where will you give birth? Will you return to your hometown? How will you explain this to your parents? After carrying the baby for ten months, you’ll need to recover postpartum—and there’s a risk of postpartum depression. Then, after a year, you’ll have to struggle to find work again. Because of your lack of experience and long gap in employment, you’ll be competing against fresh graduates. And how will you take care of an infant? How much energy do you think you’ll have to juggle between work, life, and raising a child?”

She rattled off a torrent of words. Lin Nianni didn’t interrupt once, quietly listening until she finished. Then, softly, she said, “Then what should I do? I don’t want to get rid of him. You wouldn’t understand that feeling. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Shi Yin lowered her gaze. “Calm down first. Maybe in a couple of days, you’ll change your mind.”

“Is this your first time meeting me? Once I decide something, I don’t change my mind. I was with Qin Jiang for five years, and I didn’t hesitate to break up with him when it came to that.” She spoke nonchalantly.

Shi Yin’s eyes reddened. “Then why don’t you treat this situation with the same cold-heartedness? Do you think you’re some kind of novel protagonist? Qin Jiang isn’t your domineering CEO.”

Lin Nianni laughed. “He’s nothing.”

________________________________________

Lin Nianni stayed at Shi Yin’s place for two days. On the third day, she booked a flight back to her hometown and left on Saturday morning.

She had barely left when Shi Yin booked a ticket to Yangcheng and arranged to meet Qin Jiang.

During her university days, Shi Yin’s relationship with Qin Jiang had been decent. Even though he and Lin Nianni had broken up, he still agreed to meet her.

The bus ride from S City to Yangcheng was slightly slower than driving, but she arrived in the afternoon. Shi Yin immediately called Qin Jiang.

The other end of the line was noisy, with background music suggesting he was at a bar or KTV. Qin Jiang shouted into the phone: “Hello! Hello!”

“Where are you?” Shi Yin asked calmly.

Qin Jiang moved to a quieter spot, reducing the noise slightly. He gave her a location, hung up, and sent her his coordinates.

Shi Yin hailed a taxi and showed the driver the location.

The driver was a burly, muscular man who looked oddly cramped in the small driver’s seat. He was extremely talkative, chatting with her all the way from the bus station to the city center, mostly about acts of righteousness—like standing up for justice and helping those in need.

As they approached the destination on the navigation, Shi Yin glanced at him.

The burly driver, caught under her direct gaze, blushed slightly and scratched his head.

Shi Yin apologized and pulled out a stack of red hundred-yuan bills from her wallet. “Sorry to bother you, but could you do me a favor in a bit?”

Shi Yin smiled wistfully. “My boyfriend cheated on me, and I’m going to confront him. But I’m scared he might hit me.”

Sure enough, the burly driver instantly became enraged. “He hit you? He dared to hit you?! He deserves a beating! Call the police and have him arrested!”

“No, no,” Shi Yin quickly waved her hands, alarmed. “Violence isn’t the answer. I won’t fight back—I just want to talk some sense into him. You can stand behind me to give me moral support. That’s all.”

The car stopped in front of a bar. After paying, Shi Yin got out and spotted Qin Jiang smoking by the entrance.

The man looked thinner, with a bit of stubble on his chin. He appeared tired, extinguishing his cigarette before giving her a faint smile. “You’re here already?”

Shi Yin turned around and saw that the burly driver had followed her out. As expected, he was tall, towering over her like a mountain.

Feeling reassured, she hurried over, her high heels clicking sharply against the stone pavement.

Standing in front of Qin Jiang, Shi Yin swung her bag—its metallic decorations aimed directly at his head. A loud thud echoed as Qin Jiang staggered backward, clutching his head.

Qin Jiang was momentarily stunned but quickly grew furious. Cursing, he stepped forward. “What the hell is wrong with you—”

Before he could finish, Shi Yin swung her bag at him again.

Qin Jiang was livid and lunged toward her. Instinctively, Shi Yin stepped back, steadied by the driver behind her.

Shi Yin exhaled deeply, feeling somewhat relieved.

She wasn’t fearless—she was terrified. But thinking of Lin Nianni, her anger surged uncontrollably.

Though Shi Yin appeared soft, she was not easy to deal with. Over the years, she had very few close friends—perhaps only a handful. Fang Shu was one, and then there were her college roommates.

They weren’t just roommates—they shared every aspect of their lives, the kind of friends who would stay close forever.

If Lin Nianni had simply broken up with Qin Jiang, it might have been fine. But now, with everything that had happened, Shi Yin felt a suffocating lump in her throat, unbearable and overwhelming.

Qin Jiang glanced at the burly man behind Shi Yin, who was at least twice his size. He froze, not daring to move further. The blows from Shi Yin’s bag had been forceful, leaving his face numb and his lips split, blood seeping through. He stood there, wincing in pain, wiping his chin. “Did Lin Nianni send you? Fine, I deserved those hits. I wronged her.”

Shi Yin clenched her teeth, glaring at him coldly. “You didn’t wrong her. I’m here to thank you—thank you a thousand times for breaking up with Nianni. Otherwise, she’d be stuck with a scumbag like you for the rest of her life.”

With that, she turned and walked away. After a few steps, still unsatisfied, she spun around, yanked off her high-heeled boot, and hurled it at him. It struck him squarely on the nose.

Qin Jiang let out a cry, clutching his bleeding nose as he crouched down.

Shi Yin hopped over on one foot, picked up her shoe, slipped it back on, and looked down at him disdainfully. “You’re not even worth being called a man!”

________________________________________

At 7 p.m., Gu Congli received Shi Yin’s call. He had just returned home.

With year-end affairs piling up, he had taken full responsibility for Shi Yin’s signing event. Occasionally, his old advertising studio partnership required attention too, keeping him so busy that weekends had become a distant concept.

Fresh out of the shower, the phone rang. With one hand holding a towel on his head, he walked over to the bed and answered it.

Before he could speak, a loud, drawn-out belch echoed from the other end.

Little Miss Shi Yin let out a resounding, lingering hiccup.

Gu Congli paused.

Shi Yin also fell silent. After a few seconds, she called out to him. “Gu Congli…”

Her voice was soft, muffled, as if reluctant to leave her mouth.

After calling his name, she let out another loud hiccup, then suddenly raised her voice. “You’re not even worth being called a man!”

Gu Congli casually tossed the towel onto the bed. “Are you drunk again?”

“Who said I’d drink with you? Get your head out of the clouds!” Shi Yin slurred, cutting him off without hesitation. After a brief silence, she suddenly asked, “Do men only think about sex?”

Gu Congli hesitated. “What?”

Shi Yin sniffled pitifully. “Fine, go ahead and do it—but would it kill you to use protection? Would it hurt you that much?”

Gu Congli: “….”