His physiological preference

Yang's mother and Li Fengxia exchanged a glance. Their eyes were full of disbelief, dissatisfaction, and even a hint of anger.

Li Fengxia's contractions returned; her face contorted, and she gripped the sheets tightly. After the contractions subsided, she took a deep breath and shifted her position.

"Didn't you say you had a boyfriend?"

Her voice was lowered, with a tone of negotiation.

"Ask your boyfriend to borrow some money for an emergency. Surely he doesn't even have that little bit? Then I suggest you break up with him as soon as possible. I'll introduce you to a rich, high-quality man."

Boyfriend. Those three words felt like a needle piercing Yang Zhiyan's heart.

She had already been hurt once today by the word "ex-wife," and before the wound had even scabbed over, it was torn open again by the word "boyfriend."

She lowered her eyes, looking at her fingers. Her knuckles were long and slender, and her nails were neatly trimmed. It was inconvenient for her to do chores like making cheongsams and manicuring.

These hands have been held by another hand so many times lately that she has almost forgotten how she lived before those hands came along.

Was all his kindness towards her based on deceiving her? She didn't know. Her mind was in turmoil.

But she quickly adjusted her emotions. Having spent so much time with Qin Yuzheng, she had indeed picked up some of his mannerisms and demeanor.

"Okay, I'll borrow it from my boyfriend." Yang Zhiyan's voice was calm.

She walked over and picked up Li Fengxia's phone from the bedside table. The movement was very natural.

Li Fengxia was in great pain, while Yang's mother was wiping her sweat, bringing her water, and tucking her in. Neither of them noticed.

Yang Zhiyan took two steps back and leaned against the window, holding her phone.

She knew Li Fengxia's phone password, which was her birthday. People who use their birthdays as passwords.

Yang Zhiyan entered the password, and her phone unlocked. The app icons on the screen were neatly arranged; among a bunch of shopping apps and short video apps, she found a loan app.

She clicked on the app, selected "Loan," and entered 80,000. She followed the prompts step by step.

「你干嘛呢？」李凤霞皱着眉头看着她，语气带着疑惑。

"I asked my boyfriend to lend me money," Yang Zhiyan said, "but the amount is too large, so I need to verify it."

Li Fengxia looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism. Waves of contractions were hitting her, each one feeling like someone was wringing a towel inside her stomach, the pain making her head throb.

Her intelligence was not high to begin with, and now, with the pain of labor, it has almost completely diminished.

She hadn't even thought through the question, "Why do I need to verify my boyfriend's identity when he borrows money?" before she winked at the camera.

The authentication was successful. Yang Zhiyan lowered her head and quickly tapped the screen with her fingers.

She confirmed, entered her password, and submitted. Then she turned her phone around so the screen faced Li Fengxia. Her WeChat balance had increased by 80,000 yuan.

Li Fengxia's eyes lit up. She was overjoyed, her happiness evident on her face. An unusual blush rose to her cheeks, whether from the labor pains or the 80,000 yuan, it was hard to tell.

「好了，」杨栀言把手机收回来，「我去缴费。」她转身要走。

"Yan Yan," Li Fengxia's voice came from behind, urgent and hurried, as if afraid she would change her mind, "Go quickly."

"Okay, sister-in-law," Yang Zhiyan said. "Sister-in-law, remember to pay me back."

Li Fengxia nodded haphazardly, watching her back as she walked out of the ward, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

The contractions were still coming in waves, but she felt they weren't so unbearable anymore.

Eighty thousand yuan. She only needs to pay ten thousand yuan for hospitalization; the remaining seventy thousand yuan is hers.

She leaned against the pillow, her hand on her belly, and felt the baby kick inside. What a good baby, a well-behaved baby who comes with its own food supply, bringing her so much money even before being born.

Yang Zhiyan queued at the payment window for fifteen minutes to pay her hospital fees. When the bill came out, she glanced at the number: eleven thousand.

She folded the payment slip, held it in her hand along with her phone, and walked back to the inpatient department.

A nurse pushed a cart through the corridor, the cart containing medicine bottles and gauze. The wheels made a soft crunching sound as they rolled over the paving stones.

When she arrived at the ward door, the door was open, the bed was empty, the blanket was pulled back, and there were still creases on the sheets.

"The patient in bed three has been moved into the delivery room," said the family member of the patient in the next bed.

Yang Zhiyan stood at the door, looking at the empty bed.

She remembered the last time she went home, her sister-in-law was sitting on the sofa with her hand on her belly and said, "This room is now your little nephew's."

It feels like it happened a long time ago, but when I think about it, my chest still feels tight.

She took Li Fengxia's phone, walked to the nurses' station, and handed it to the nurse on duty.

"Could you please take this phone inside to my sister-in-law? She's in the delivery room. It contains her family's contact information."

The nurse took the phone, glanced at it, then at Yang Zhiyan, and nodded.

As Yang Zhiyan turned to walk back, her mother came from the other end of the corridor.

Her pace quickened, and her expression shifted from "anxious" to "mission accomplished." She slowed her pace when she saw Yang Zhiyan.

"It's too late, and you can't help anymore. You should go home now."

Yang's mother's tone was as if to say, "Your task is complete, you can leave now."

"Your dad will bring some things over in a bit. Your brother will be back tomorrow," Yang Zhiyan said, looking at her mother. The corridor light shone down from above, casting a uniform white light on her mother's face.

Her hair has turned much whiter recently, peeking out from the roots instead of being covered by hair dye.

"Okay," Yang Zhiyan said, "When my brother comes back, remember to ask him to pay back the money."

「知道了知道了。」杨母摆了摆手，转身走了。

She walked very fast, as if afraid something might happen in the delivery room, or as if afraid Yang Zhiyan would say another word about money.

Yang Zhiyan stood there, watching her mother's figure disappear at the end of the corridor. Under the white light, the white coat almost blended into the wall.

It was already completely dark when she walked out of the inpatient department. The September night was starting to get chilly, and the wind blew from the river, carrying the fishy smell of the water and the smoke from the distant barbecue stalls.

医院门口停着几辆计程车。她拉开一辆车的后座门，坐进去，报了盛世天禧的地址。

As the car entered the main road, the street scene outside the window began to flow. She leaned against the window, her forehead pressed against the cold glass, looking at the city outside.

今天是中秋节，大多数人都应该在家里，围着桌子吃饭、吃月饼、喝茶、聊天。

She didn't eat anything today. The osmanthus cake at Grandma Qin's house smelled wonderful, but she didn't try it; the mooncakes were cut and placed on the coffee table, but she didn't touch them.

She thought of Qin Yuzheng. She thought of the look in his eyes when he looked at her in the main room of the old house today—a look of bewilderment and helplessness.

She remembered him standing in the alley, his hands raised above his head, saying, "We can't break up. As long as we don't break up, I'll do whatever you say."

Her heart softened for a moment, but she didn't stop.

她不敢停下来，怕一停下来就会回头。她和他在一起的这段时间，真的很快乐。

The joy she experienced was unlike anything she had ever felt before—being cherished, held dear, and having every word she uttered remembered.