At three o’clock in the afternoon, Yan Shi arrived at the hospital precisely on time.
She wore light makeup, with only a touch of crimson on her lips, but her attire was plain, neat, and capable.
Just as she reached the ward entrance, Butler Wang’s eyes showed approval when he saw her.
No wonder the Old Master thought so highly of the young miss—based on the fundamentals of character alone, no one in the Yan family’s generation could hold a candle to her.
Yan Shi asked, “Has Grandfather not woken up yet?”
“The Old Master hasn’t been in good health lately and tends to sleep quite a bit,” Butler Wang said. “If you have any questions, miss, you can ask the caregiver attending to him.”
The female caregiver standing nearby appeared to be in her forties, but she had a kind face, wore clean and tidy clothes, and looked like a capable person.
“Young miss.”
But that single glance made Yan Shi’s expression shift slightly. Her lashes trembled as she deliberately pushed her sunglasses up.
Before returning to the Yan family, she had mobilized the family’s subordinates—resources only accessible to the head of the household—and successfully erased all information related to herself.
But she hadn’t expected to run into an acquaintance at this hospital, much less the caregiver who had previously attended to the Shen family’s old matriarch.
“Uncle Wang, I’m feeling a bit unwell. Call me when Grandfather wakes up.” After leaving those words, Yan Shi hurried away.
Only when she reached the entrance of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department did she manage to steady herself.
She was utterly terrified of everything connected to Shen Ci—let alone the thought of him discovering the secret identity she had hidden for five years.
Given Shen Ci’s arrogant and unyielding nature, he would never show mercy to anyone who had deceived him.
“Miss, please excuse me.” A gentle, warm voice sounded flatly behind her.
Yan Shi turned around and found herself facing a handsome, refined face. His temperament was as mild as a spring breeze in March—just meeting his gaze was enough to inspire goodwill.
If Shen Ci was a lone wolf baring its fangs, then this man before her was undoubtedly a graceful deer roaming the wilderness.
Fu Xushu looked at the woman who was visibly gaunt, then his gaze drifted downward to her slightly protruding belly, his brow furrowing slightly.
“How many months along?”
A hint of displeasure flickered across Yan Shi’s face.
But the other party’s tone was calm. “Don’t overthink it. I’m a doctor.”
“An OB-GYN?” Yan Shi was somewhat taken aback, but realizing her rudeness, her voice softened. “Sorry.”
As she spoke, a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
“It’s nothing. I’m used to it.” Fu Xushu didn’t seem bothered. “Come in.”
Seeing him walk into the consultation room, she pressed her lips together and followed.
Inside the consultation room, Fu Xushu took off his coat. “Would that be alright?”
He continued, “I need to feel your abdomen to confirm my guess.”
“That’s fine.” Yan Shi nodded.
The reason she had come to see a doctor was that she had indeed been feeling unwell during her pregnancy.
Last night, during the confrontation at the Yan residence, she had occasionally experienced symptoms of dizziness and nausea—otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to the hospital for a check-up at such a critical moment.
Fu Xushu studied her, his gloved right hand resting on her lower abdomen, his fingertips pressing gently.
He asked again, “How many months along?”
“Just past three months.”
“Three months?” Fu Xushu frowned. “How are your appetite and sleep? Any breast tenderness?”
Yan Shi paused, about to answer.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from outside the consultation room!
“Why are you crying! The thing I hate most is the sight of you shameless vixens! You already have Shen Ci, so why are you here bothering Dr. Fu?”
Yan Yi’s voice was shrill and piercing, punctuated by the sound of something heavy crashing to the floor!
“Shen Qianqian, have you no shame? Coming here to bring soup to another man!”
At the sound of the name “Shen Qianqian,” Yan Shi’s long lashes trembled slightly. In an instant, her face turned deathly pale, even her fingertips shaking!
She suddenly grabbed Fu Xushu, who was about to leave. “Help me!”
Fu Xushu jerked his hand back as if electrocuted, his usually gentle expression turning flustered and panicked!
Almost instinctively, he grabbed the hand sanitizer from the desk and hastily poured it over his hands to rinse, his breathing growing rapid.
Yan Shi froze. “…Doctor?”
“My apologies. I’m allergic to other people’s skin.” Fu Xushu’s face was pale, but he quickly recovered. “You want me to help you?”
“Yes!” Yan Shi answered without hesitation.
After all, the two people outside the door were both her mortal enemies.
The commotion outside the consultation room grew louder. Fu Xushu thought for only three seconds before reaching out to pull open the white curtain behind him.
Yan Shi decisively hid behind the curtain.
As she brushed past him, the faint fragrance on Yan Shi made Fu Xushu’s thoughts stall for a moment.
Over the years, the Fu family had tried more than once to push women at him, but Fu Xushu had always refused.
Setting aside his skin allergy, he had seen plenty of women, yet he instinctively kept them at a distance.
But this woman before him—even though he couldn’t clearly see her face—he couldn’t help but be drawn to her.
The curtain had just been drawn shut when the door to the consultation room was pushed open from outside!
Yan Yi’s saccharine voice was so cloying it gave Yan Shi goosebumps. “Dr. Fu, I made you some soup…”
“…Pfft.”
Yan Shi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
This trick of “the magistrate may burn down houses, but the commoners can’t even light lamps”—Yan Yi certainly played it well.
But she was also curious. Didn’t Shen Qianqian love Shen Ci to death? Why would she bring soup to another man?
Yan Yi’s laughter stopped. “Someone’s here?”
“A patient.” The man’s voice was muffled, and he continued, “Miss Yan, you don’t need to bring me soup anymore. I still have patients to see.”
Yan Yi cheerfully stepped closer. “I won’t take up your time. This is a nourishing soup I simmered.”
Nourishing soup?
Someone like Yan Yi could make soup?
Yan Shi, hiding behind the curtain, secretly peeked out. She saw Yan Yi with a coy, lovestruck expression, standing beside Fu Xushu holding a soup bowl.
From this angle, Fu Xushu’s profile was strikingly handsome, not losing to Shen Ci in the slightest.
But just as she thought this, Yan Shi’s heart skipped a beat.
How could she still be thinking of Shen Ci, comparing him to others at every turn?
The chicken soup was carefully ladled out by Yan Yi and presented to Fu Xushu.
Fu Xushu’s brows furrowed, but he suppressed his impatience out of sheer upbringing.
He spoke up. “Miss Yan, you can leave the soup, but this is working hours. I need to see my patients. Please step out.”
Yan Yi’s eyes widened. “Dr. Fu, I’m a patient too!”
The moment she said this, she deliberately unbuttoned the front of her blouse.
From Yan Shi’s angle, she had a perfect, unobstructed view of this seductive scene and almost couldn’t help letting out a “tsk.”
Her second cousin might not have much going on upstairs, but she certainly had a good figure.
If not for today’s unexpected turn of events, Yan Shi would never have known she had a small pink birthmark on her chest.
Fu Xushu abruptly turned away. “Miss Yan, please leave immediately! Otherwise, I’ll have security come handle this!”
Yan Shi, hidden behind the curtain, met Fu Xushu’s gaze and quickly adjusted her sunglasses to mask her embarrassment.
But the smile at the corner of her lips was impossible to hide.
Who would have thought that her proud and aloof second cousin would throw herself at a man like this?
Yan Yi refused to give up. “Dr. Fu…”
“Please leave.” Fu Xushu’s expression had turned utterly grim!
Those words made Yan Yi’s face flush crimson. Biting her lip, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her!
Just then, a timid, soft voice came from outside the consultation room.
“Big brother?”
A deep, low voice answered, “Mm.”
Just a single syllable, yet it was so familiar that Yan Shi’s fingertips turned white from the pressure of her grip.
She didn’t dare look. She didn’t dare make a single sound.
But the ache in Yan Shi’s heart was beyond words.
She didn’t dare wonder why Shen Qianqian was here, nor why Shen Ci was here.
Shen Qianqian drew in a shallow breath, too nervous to speak.
The spilled soup pooled across the floor, soaking into the tips of her shoes without her even noticing.
She was far too nervous!
Why was Shen Ci here?
She had checked his itinerary—he was supposed to be on a flight to Australia right now.
But what Shen Qianqian didn’t know was that Shen Ci had already cancelled all his work plans, all to uncover the truth he needed.
“Big brother, Dr. Fu helped me before. I came specially to thank him.” Shen Qianqian stepped forward and took his hand, her eyes full of gentle tenderness.
She explained while trying to read his expression, but he merely raised an eyebrow slightly.
Seeing this, fear crept into Shen Qianqian’s heart, and she hurried to continue, “Back abroad, he was a teacher at our school. After returning home, many of our classmates would also…”
Shen Ci suddenly interrupted with a question: “How is his medical skill?”
Shen Qianqian was taken aback, then answered, “Very good. He’s currently the best obstetrician-gynecologist.”
Shen Ci gave a soft “Mm,” his gaze cold and detached, devoid of any warmth.
…
Inside the consultation room.
The door was pushed open again.
Shen Ci stepped directly into Yan Shi’s line of sight—still that same aggressively handsome face, the cold severity in his brow undiminished, if anything more pronounced.
A terrifying silence enveloped the room.
Shen Ci sat down across from Fu Xushu and slid a document across the desk.
“Dr. Fu, is it? Please take a look at this for me.”
His low, hoarse voice carried the commanding tone of one accustomed to authority.
Yan Shi drew a deep breath, her crimson lips bitten until faint traces of blood seeped through, lending her an air of fragile, devastating allure.
She recognized that document—it was the pregnancy report that had been thrown into the trash.
Fu Xushu pushed the report back. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shen, but I have nothing to share. We cannot disclose any patient’s private information.”
Refused, Shen Ci showed no irritation, merely fixing his calm gaze on him.
“This is my wife’s pregnancy report. I am her husband, and I have the right to know.”
“Bang—”
The sound of an instrument being knocked over!
Immediately after, Shen Ci’s gaze flickered toward the curtain, catching a faint silhouette behind it.
Voluptuous and tall, with waist-length hair tracing an alluring curve—and more importantly, on the exposed half of a fair wrist, a small red mole sat at the side.
Shen Ci’s gaze sharpened abruptly, and he stepped forward to pull open the curtain.
Unexpectedly, Fu Xushu moved faster than he did.
“Mr. Shen, my patient is in there.”
Shen Ci’s eyes turned fierce. “Move aside!”