Xu Zhixia felt her mind heavy and fuzzy, as if she had just woken from a long, drawn-out dream.
When she became fully conscious, she found herself lying in a small, dark, and cold room.
She was on a hospital bed, being roughly prodded and examined by a doctor with cold, unfeeling instruments.
She furrowed her brows, inexplicably feeling that the man in front of her, Yang Jing, looked familiar.
At that moment, a proud, icy voice spoke:
“Why didn’t you have an abortion earlier if you were going to? It’s unlucky… it’s already four months along.”
As soon as the words fell, the woman in the white coat jabbed the cold instrument sharply, as if it were a pile of mud.
Xu Zhixia instinctively cursed:
“Damn…”
She felt intense pain, sweat forming a thin layer on her forehead.
The female doctor scoffed: “It’s no longer an embryo what are you crying about?”
Then she sat at her desk and picked up a pen.
It was 1982. With the economic boom, many young people had suddenly started experimenting.
Some young men were slick talkers, using both their charm and authority.
They tricked girls into bed with just a few candies, leaving them with no choice but to seek abortions at illegal clinics.
She looked down on these women utterly disgraceful.
But the money in this line of work was quick and plentiful; performing one abortion could earn her a lot.
These unmarried pregnant women were timid and guilty, so no matter how harsh she was with her words, they swallowed them quietly.
She never spared them face.
Moreover, during the check, she noticed that this woman’s thighs were bruised purple and green.
It was obvious she had gone through something the previous night.
And yet, even though she was about to have an abortion, her behavior had been so reckless.
She couldn’t even hold out for a day?
Her clothes were flashy, her eyes heavily shadowed she looked like she had been punched in the face twice.
So the doctor handled her roughly, poking her a few times without mercy.
Finally, without even glancing at Xu Zhixia on the bed, she handed the surgery sheet to Xu Jingya at the desk:
“Take this outside, pay for it, bring back the pills and make her take them. After a few hours, the operation can be done.”
Xu Jingya hurriedly took the thin paper, hesitated for a second, and said anxiously to Xu Zhixia:
“Xiaxia, I’ll go pay… but… you know I don’t have the 888 yuan for the abortion.”
As she spoke, her eyes darted to Xu Zhixia’s small bag.
It was bulging with money. Xu Zhixia had mentioned before that Lu Xiuyuan had given her all his salary and allowance to spend freely.
Xu Jingya’s eyes darkened for a moment. Soon, it would all be over. After this woman aborted their child… she didn’t believe Lu Xiuyuan would still want such a cruel woman. A tiger wouldn’t eat its own cub.
Then she’d have her chance to rise.
Xu Zhixia stared blankly for a moment.
She had rolled through the apocalypse, only to be reborn back when her child was still in her womb.
She reached out and touched her slightly rounded belly. There was life beating inside.
Xu Jingya noticed her daze and felt a pang of anxiety. Could it be that Xu Zhixia didn’t want to abort?
She had no choice but to cover the payment herself first.
Once Xu Zhixia took the pills, nothing could be undone.
Xu Zhixia spent a few seconds accepting the reality of rebirth, then pulled up her pants and got down from the table.
She hadn’t forgotten the crude handling by the doctor moments ago.
The procedure could have been gentle, but it had been violent, striking the most vulnerable place of a woman.
Xu Jingya returned from outside, sweat on her forehead from running, and brought a cup of water.
She held it to Xu Zhixia’s lips, her other hand holding four pills, palm up.
In a gentle tone, smiling:
“Drink it quickly. The water is still warm.”
Xu Zhixia gave her a cold glance:
“You’re happy I’m having an abortion?”
Xu Jingya’s smile froze:
“No… it’s not that”
She hadn’t been able to hide it, and now she had been found out.
Xu Zhixia didn’t wait for her to respond, stuffing the pills into her own mouth.
With her other hand, she poured half a cup of water to make sure she didn’t spit it out.
Coldly, she said:
“I’m not having an abortion.”
Xu Jingya was caught completely off guard, crouching on the floor, choking.
What? Xu Zhixia wasn’t going to abort?
Those pills had cost 888 yuan!
Xu Zhixia strode toward the female doctor.
She slapped her twice across the face, crisp smacks echoing.
“If you can’t learn to respect your patients, I’ll teach you.”
Liu Yueyue had never encountered such a thing before. She bounced from her chair, screaming:
“What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Xu Zhixia looked at her coldly.
In her previous life, during this operation, right after the anesthesia, Liu Yueyue had left the operating room to pick up her son.
Xu Zhixia had lain coldly on the bed for two hours. Later, the abortion had been performed forcibly, causing massive bleeding.
Her uterus was damaged, nearly costing her life.
From then on, she lost her fertility, became unusually sensitive to cold, and had to wear long sleeves even before autumn.
So now, slapping this woman was nothing.
Even the pokes from earlier were far more painful than this.
She grabbed Liu Yueyue by the back of her collar:
“Don’t think holding a tool makes you superior. You’re not treating a woman like a person.”
Liu Yueyue thought she had gone mad.
It turned out she had just been hurt moments ago.
Women can’t avoid feeling pain, and this was mild.
When it came time for the surgery, she would make it hurt even more.
“Why, huh? Don’t get pregnant if you’re shameless. When you spread your legs, didn’t you think about the pain today?”
Liu Yueyue’s words grew sharper, then she added harshly:
“Hmph, I see you had a lot of fun last night.”
Hearing this, Xu Jingya, who had been watching, breathed heavier.
Of course, she had noticed the bruises on Xu Zhixia’s body.
That damned girl… eating so well.
She had given Xu Zhixia medicine to make Lu Xiuyuan sleep with her, thinking that a man like him would have to take responsibility after one night with a woman.
But unexpectedly, he had held out and gone home, straight to the master bedroom to find Xu Zhixia.
The bed had been creaking all night.
She had listened next door, teeth gritting.
Xu Zhixia frowned, eager to see Lu Xiuyuan the man she had wronged the most in her previous life.
She said coldly:
“If your ears are just for airing words, then forget it! Get lost.”