Spoiled Sparrow

Early the next morning.

Ruan Qingtian got up before dawn. She had been looking for a doctor online last night, and what she found shocked her.

I was so anxious that I barely slept all night.

She walked to the garage, got in the car, and used navigation to go to a nearby hospital.

All the way there, her mind kept replaying the anxiety she felt last night. This shouldn't be happening; she and Fu Chen had always used protection.

Upon arriving at the hospital, she went straight to the gynecology department.

"Doctor, I'm experiencing intermittent lower abdominal pain. What could be causing this?"

The male doctor on duty asked: "How long has it been since your last period? When was your last sexual intercourse? Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend? Does it hurt when you press on it?"

.......

Ruan Qing answered each question one by one. Just as the doctor was about to have her undergo further examination, before the forms were even written, a nurse anxiously knocked on the door and shouted, "Doctor, patient in bed 12 is hemorrhaging!"

The doctor stood up and hurriedly apologized to Ruan Qing, "I'm sorry, please wait a moment."

Perhaps due to the urgency of the situation, the doctor spoke to her in the language of country Y. Ruan Qing did not understand at all, but she could understand a little from the body language.

Before she could speak, she was left alone in the consultation room.

After waiting for half an hour without the doctor returning, she went to the nurses' station, handed the registration slip to the nurse, and asked, "Hello, how much longer will this doctor need? Could I see another doctor?"

The nurse answered her haltingly in English, gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, there are no doctors available right now. I'm very sorry. Would it be alright if you came back tomorrow afternoon?"

Ruan Qing turned around helplessly and saw the panicked patients and medical staff in the lobby. She had no choice but to leave the hospital.

Once inside the elevator, she learned that a fire had broken out at a nearby private maternity ward, and all the pregnant women had been transferred to this public hospital, including some who had gone into premature labor due to the shock.

No wonder.

She had made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon's outpatient visit before leaving. As she got into the car, a phone call came in.

"Hello, Miss Ruan, do you remember me?"

Ruan Qing placed her phone on the holder and started the engine.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

The voice on the other end was loud: "Henry, do you remember? I called you last week."

Ruan Qing remembered Henry, who called her right at the end of the workday to arrange a meeting without specifying the time or place.

"Would it be convenient for us to meet tomorrow morning? Our company director will be there too."

Ruan Qing readily agreed: "Okay, see you there!"

"Okay, I'll send the location and time to your email in a bit. Goodbye."

After receiving a reply, the other party, as always, quickly ended the call.

When I got home, I ran into He Xunnan at the door, who was tidying up his clothes.

As they pushed open the door, their eyes met.

Recalling what happened last night, she decided to re-evaluate He Xunnan and at least be more polite.

Good morning, brother.

He Xunan froze for two seconds.

He then picked up his water glass and walked over.

He stood in front of Ruan Qing and asked, "Where did you go so early this morning?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he keenly caught the displeasure that flashed in her eyes, and immediately added, "This place is not like the capital. The security is very bad. Your parents are worried about you going out alone."

Ruan Qing didn't want to tell the truth, so she casually said, "I went to the studio to take care of some things. It's okay, I'm back safe and sound now. I'll be more careful next time."

He Xunnan calmly observed the person who was lying without batting an eye, and replied casually, "Hmm, do you want to go to the company and take a look?"

"The company?" Ruan Qing shook her head. "I'm not going."

"Okay, you should get some rest."

Once inside the Maybach, He Xunnan immediately called Uncle Zhang: "Find out where she went this morning and who she met."

*

Beijing.

Suburban sanatorium.

Fu Chen sat in his wheelchair, staring intently at Shen Zhaolan, who was sitting on the ground.

Zhang Yao and the caregiver stepped forward to secure Shen Zhaolan to the chair to prevent her from running around again.

In just over a month, Shen Zhaolan has changed from a normal person to what she is now.

Zhang Yao poured her a glass of water and slowly said, "The doctor diagnosed that she is currently delirious, has confused memories, and spends most of her time repeating the same thing over and over again."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Zhaolan, who had just calmed down, frantically stretched out her hands as if trying to grab something.

Fu Chen and Zhang Yao looked in the direction she was pointing.

There was a Barbie doll leaning against the bed next to mine.

Zhang Yao walked over and picked up the old, discolored doll.

Shen Zhaolan suddenly fell silent, looking at him expectantly and waving at him.

She mumbled incoherently, "Qingqing... Qingqing."

Fu Chen moved closer to her and listened carefully to what she had to say.

"Qingqing, Mommy is so sorry... I'm so sorry... I love you..."

Almost simultaneously, the two realized something was wrong.

After exchanging a glance, Zhang Yao immediately led the nurse on duty to the ward.

He pointed at Shen Zhaolan: "What's wrong with her tongue?"

The nurse replied tremblingly, "I don't know. I've only been here for half a month, and she was already like this when I arrived."

Zhang Yao looked at Shen Zhaolan with her mouth agape, the missing half of her tongue clearly cut off by a professional.

Fu Chen's eyes were dark. He said, "Get out."

The nurse quickly went out, closing the door behind her.

Shen Zhaolan held the "child" in her arms and gently patted the "child's" back to lull it to sleep.

When Fu Chen took away the doll she treasured, she immediately went berserk.

"Fu Chen, you—"

Looking at Shen Zhaolan, who was still going crazy, and Fu Chen, who was sitting in a wheelchair examining a doll, Zhang Yao couldn't tell who was crazier.

Answer my question and I'll give Qingqing back to you.

Shen Zhaolan, who had been screaming wildly, suddenly fell silent.

Fu Chen looked at the doll in his hands. "Where did you give birth to Qingqing?"

Shen Zhaolan tilted her head and gestured with her hands for a long time, but didn't say a word.

Fu Chen picked up the doll, as if to smash it down.

She immediately waved her hand and babbled for a while.

"Officer Zhang, give her paper and a pen."

"Okay." After saying that, he quickly took out the notebook he carried with him and stuffed it into Shen Zhaolan's hand.

Her voice was stuck in her throat, her eyes fixed on the doll in Fu Chen's hand.

Fu Chen smiled slightly, but his words were full of threat: "Write well, or I can't guarantee what will happen to 'her'."

His gaze was icy, and Zhang Yao, standing to the side, subtly changed his opinion of him.

After a long while, Shen Zhaolan filled an entire sheet of paper with writing.

She obediently handed it to Fu Chen.

She held the doll in her hands, looking at it with delight.

Fu Chen released her hand, and the doll fell into her arms. She quickly hid it in her bosom, patted her back, and murmured to herself.

The moment he saw the words, his dark pupils suddenly contracted.

Zhang Yao sensed something was wrong and immediately snatched it to look at it.

.......

As Fu Chen left the sanatorium, he turned his head.

The woman holding the "child" in her arms smiled at him, swaying her body from side to side, humming a name indistinctly...