IJLHTW - 76

That night, Yi Zechen even slept with a certain carefulness, afraid of pressing down on Huo Ci. He woke up earlier than Huo Ci in the morning and didn’t use the bathroom in the room, for fear of waking her.

When Huo Ci woke up, Yi Zechen had already prepared breakfast.

“It seems you, the new dad, are getting into the swing of things faster than I am,” Huo Ci stood on her tiptoes, kissed him on the lips, and said sweetly.

Yi Zechen chuckled softly, “I have to take care of both of you.”

His words were so matter-of-fact that Huo Ci couldn’t help but hug him, pressing against his back: “How can you be so good?”

“Only realizing it now?” He raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure in his voice.

Huo Ci looked up, her chin resting on his back. Although he looked thin, he was all solid muscle. At this moment, he was only wearing loungewear, and she felt warm and strong holding him. So she mumbled, “I’ve always known.”

But as soon as the fried egg was brought in front of her, Huo Ci smelled the egg and didn’t find it fragrant. Instead, she felt the smell seep into her nose, and then she immediately felt unwell.

She got up and, without thinking, ran to the bathroom.

After she had been hunched over the sink for a long time, the smell of the egg disappeared, and the churning in her stomach finally subsided.

Yi Zechen followed her, handing her a wet towel and telling her to wipe her mouth again.

“Are you okay?” He frowned, knowing this was her morning sickness, but every pregnant woman’s body is different, and some experience more severe early pregnancy reactions.

Huo Ci shook her head, a bitter smile on her face: “This is just the first step.”

Yi Zechen had to go to the company to chair a meeting in the morning, so he arranged for a driver to take Huo Ci to the hospital while he drove himself to the company. Before leaving, he instructed the driver in the car to drive slowly.

The driver had been driving for him for over half a year, and it was the first time he had heard him say so much.

So, the driver drove very steadily this time. What usually took forty minutes to reach the hospital took over an hour this time.

When Huo Ci arrived, Liu Ruhan’s call also came through.

She asked, “Xiao Ci, can I come see your dad today?”

Although they had divorced long ago, they had been married for twenty years, and their divorce was amicable. Hearing her words, Huo Ci paused for a moment, then softly said, “If you want to come, then come.”

________________________________________

When Huo Ci arrived at the ward, Huo Mingzhou happened to be awake.

He was looking at the young nurse beside him. Since he had just woken up, he couldn’t eat yet, so he was still on an IV drip. When Huo Ci reached the doorway, his eyes immediately darted over.

Although she had seen him open his eyes yesterday, seeing him again today still warmed her heart.

She walked a few steps to his bedside, “Dad.”

Huo Mingzhou moved his hand, and Huo Ci immediately reached out to hold his palm, tears glistening in her eyes, until he strained to call out, “Xiao Ci.”

“I’m here, Dad,” Huo Ci held his hand, trying her best to control her tears.

Huo Mingzhou looked at her, finally managing a smile, and insisted, “Don’t cry.”

Huo Ci was afraid he would get too tired from talking, so she immediately wiped away her tears with her hand and softly said, “I won’t cry. I’m just incredibly happy that you can finally talk to me.”

When Huo Mingzhou was lying on the hospital bed, Huo Ci used to wonder, what if he never woke up?

He wouldn’t call her Xiao Ci anymore, wouldn’t hold her hand, wouldn’t make delicious food for her. And he wouldn’t see her in her white gown, the moment she got married.

Fortunately, none of those “wouldn’t haves” came true.

She received destiny’s grace; he woke up.

“Dad, I miss you so much,” Huo Ci still couldn’t help it. She buried her face by the bed, her hands clutching his bony palms, warm tears falling one by one onto his hands.

Liu Ruhan stood at the doorway, watching her daughter by the bed and the man lying on it.

It wasn’t until Huo Mingzhou looked up and saw her, and when she saw the faint smile in his eyes, Liu Ruhan suddenly couldn’t help but turn her head away, her throat aching, and her eyes stinging badly. She desperately held back, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Huo Ci turned to look towards the doorway only when Huo Mingzhou’s fingers squeezed her palm.

“You’re here,” in front of Huo Mingzhou, her attitude towards Liu Ruhan wasn’t as cold as before.

Liu Ruhan walked in. Even though she was past middle age, she was still slender. Although time had left its marks on her face, it had also given her a unique elegance.

She looked at Huo Mingzhou and softly said, “You finally woke up. We were all very worried about you.”

Huo Mingzhou’s speech was difficult at the moment, but he still managed a faint smile, weakly saying, “Thank you.”

When Huo Ci looked down, she saw the faint smile on his face. From beginning to end, he had never resented, never hated anyone. Suddenly, Huo Ci felt a stone that had been weighing on her heart suddenly removed.

Just like the uncontrollable resentment she felt in her youth, at this moment, she completely shed her blame towards her parents.

All her self-perceived notions vanished into thin air at that instant.

“You must take good care of yourself,” Liu Ruhan looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

________________________________________

Afterward, the doctor conducted a routine check-up on Huo Mingzhou, and Huo Ci and Liu Ruhan waited outside the ward.

As soon as they stepped out, Liu Ruhan scrutinized her. She was still so thin. Huo Ci was already tall and exceptionally thin. Liu Ruhan had always worried about her, and now she was pregnant...

“Did you tell your dad?” Liu Ruhan couldn’t help but ask her.

Huo Ci shook her head: “Dad hasn’t fully recovered yet. I want to wait until he’s better before telling him.”

Liu Ruhan nodded in agreement, and then couldn’t help but examine her complexion, which looked pretty good. However, she couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Pregnancy can’t be taken lightly. How about I make you some soup at home these next couple of days and bring it over?”

“No need,” Huo Ci immediately refused, but seeing Liu Ruhan’s expression wasn’t good, she immediately explained, “Yi Zechen’s mother has already arranged for an auntie from their home who’s very good at making soup to come and help. You don’t need to tire yourself out.”

Liu Ruhan was a little surprised, but also happy.

Actually, she had never met Yi Zechen’s parents. After all, Huo Mingzhou was abroad before, and if both sets of parents were to meet, they should wait until everyone was present. So, the original plan was for both families to meet after Huo Mingzhou finished his medical aid mission.

She hadn’t expected such an incident to occur in the meantime.

Hearing her say this, Liu Ruhan was, of course, happy. After all, this showed how much they valued her, and she felt reassured.

“Also, you should get the marriage certificate taken care of soon. What are your plans for the wedding?” Liu Ruhan was genuinely afraid she would be wronged and wanted to ask about every single detail.

But Huo Ci had only found out she was pregnant yesterday, and now thinking about wedding matters was beyond her.

So she softly said, “All these things still need to be discussed.”

Then Liu Ruhan took out a card from her bag and handed it to her. Huo Ci didn’t take it. This time, however, Liu Ruhan didn’t indulge her nature. She grabbed Huo Ci’s hand and slipped the card into her palm.

She said, “This is my savings from all these years. You’re my only daughter; if I don’t give it to you, who will I give it to?”

Huo Ci clutched the card, glancing down at it: “I don’t need...”

“How can a child get married without their parents giving them money? Yi Zechen’s family is rich; that’s their business. Anyway, I can’t shortchange you. The money here is all my savings. The house you’re living in now is fine for two people, but it’ll be a bit small when you have a child. Buy a new one.”

Huo Ci genuinely smiled this time. To be honest, she hadn’t asked her parents for money since university.

Now, getting married, she was relying on her elders again.

She shook her head, wanting to return the card to Liu Ruhan, “I really don’t need these.”

Seeing that Liu Ruhan wouldn’t take it, she smiled, unable to help but say, “Have you forgotten who I am? Huo Ci, the most popular photographer right now. People online are constantly scolding me for only caring about money and having no artistic pursuit.”

It was rare for her to say such things to Liu Ruhan. As soon as she finished, Liu Ruhan said somewhat angrily, “What do they know? They have no appreciation, they don’t understand how to appreciate my daughter’s work.”

Huo Ci truly laughed this time.

Huo Ci didn’t deliberately conceal her pregnancy, nor did she intentionally tell anyone. However, after leaving the hospital, she still returned to her studio.

Ever since Huo Mingzhou fell ill, she had pushed back her work schedule whenever possible.

It just so happened that the studio had signed a pretty good photographer, and Huo Ci simply recommended him to various magazines. After arriving at the studio, she made an internal call to Bai Yu, asking him to come over.

“You weren’t at the hospital with Uncle today?” Bai Yu asked somewhat curiously.

Huo Ci then said, “My dad woke up yesterday.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” Bai Yu said happily, looking at her, finally letting out a sigh of relief: “I was truly worried about you before, but now the storm has finally passed.”

“But I still can’t take on work for now,” she continued.

Bai Yu said understandingly, “I know Uncle just woke up; it’s only right that you take care of him for a while longer.”

“It’s not entirely because of my dad,” Huo Ci looked up, a smile on her face, “I’m pregnant, and the doctor advised me to get more rest.”

Bai Yu’s eyes nearly popped out in surprise.

He quickly looked down at her stomach, stammering, “You, you’re pregnant...”

“So from now on, I’m afraid I’ll need to rest for a while,” Huo Ci said.

Bai Yu nodded profusely, “You should, you should.” But his eyes were still surprised, constantly staring at her belly.

When he recovered, Bai Yu finally said, “Your last TV interview for the special report is airing tonight. The producer hopes you can retweet it on Weibo.”

“No problem.”

But Huo Ci hadn’t expected that this retweet would cause a problem.

________________________________________

The TV program was primarily an interview about her photography exhibition, but her exhibition was about Doctors Without Borders, which inevitably sparked discussion among netizens.

Until a gossip post appeared, which quickly garnered over ten thousand views and replies from netizens. The title was sensational and eye-catching: “An In-Depth Look at the Doctors Without Borders Organization: Are They White Angels or Battlefield Mechanics?” The blogger screen-captured Huo Ci’s interview and then introduced several reports on Doctors Without Borders, directly claiming that the organization was simply a “battlefield mechanic” and even selectively saving people to achieve its political goals.

And what was most appealing was that the blogger even pointed the finger directly at Yi Zechen.

“Yi Zechen, the heir of Mingsheng Group, actually gave up a perfectly good CEO position to become a Doctors Without Borders member. Do you think that’s credible? He’s simply using this identity to gain huge profits for Mingsheng Pharmaceuticals. What’s even more terrifying is the amount of money the Doctors Without Borders organization raises globally each year that is used to purchase medicines from Mingsheng Pharmaceuticals.”

This paragraph was quickly copied and reposted repeatedly, with many people below asking for more detailed revelations.

Some also immediately agreed, sarcastically saying, “I’ve said it before, these businessmen don’t get up early for nothing. I don’t know who created his persona, but now it’s collapsing and even his mother wouldn’t recognize him. Doctors Without Borders, huh, pffft.”

However, others strenuously rebutted, saying, “Doctors Without Borders has always had no political agenda, only focusing on treating and saving lives. Our country also cooperates with Doctors Without Borders, which proves that this organization is completely fine.”

Unexpectedly, this comment was actually replied to by the blogger.

He said: “Yes, the Doctors Without Borders organization has no problem, but do you know that Yi Zechen himself has no problem?”

“Why don’t you guess why he left Doctors Without Borders?”