“Okay, no rush. I’ll focus on work first—I have an interview this morning.” Lin Xiwei replied in a low voice.
“Alright, good luck then. I’m busy!”
“Okay, bye.”
The elevator arrived at the first floor. Lin Xiwei nodded politely at Han Rui, and as her gaze swept past Qin Jiamo, she suddenly shuddered, quickly averting her eyes and turning to leave.
The elevator doors closed and continued descending.
Han Rui glanced at his boss beside him. “That’s the mother of the little boy who got lost yesterday.”
Qin Jiamo: “What does that have to do with me?”
“…” A chill ran down Han Rui’s spine. He quickly said, “N-nothing… nothing at all…”
When Qin Jiamo’s car arrived at the fire station, his younger brother’s former superior was already waiting nearby.
After exchanging greetings and handshakes, the superior led Qin Jiamo to the dormitory building.
“Mr. Qin, this is Yue Lang’s rest room. All his belongings have been packed and are all here.”
Qin Jiamo looked at his brother’s belongings, and his resolute heart couldn’t help but tremble.
“May I stay here alone for a while?” He looked at the superior.
“Of course.” Understanding his feelings, the superior immediately turned and left with his subordinates.
Han Rui also quietly stepped out.
Qin Jiamo sat down on the edge of the bed, surveying the tidy, clean room. He stroked the neatly folded quilt, and his eyes grew moist again.
There was a square box on the table. Qin Jiamo picked it up and opened it.
Inside were some miscellaneous small items, along with some certificates of honor and the like.
He flipped through the certificates one by one, his mood growing heavier with each page.
When he reached the last one, a special document caught his attention.
Qin Jiamo’s gaze froze as he stared at the “Sperm Donation Eligibility Notice,” his brow furrowing deeply.
When had Yue Lang ever donated sperm?
With surprise and confusion, Qin Jiamo picked up the document to examine it closely, learning that his brother had successfully donated sperm at the China Sperm Bank four years ago.
Why would he have thought to donate sperm?
Qin Jiamo found it puzzling, but that was no longer the main point.
The main point was that he suddenly remembered what Han Rui had said yesterday—if the old lady knew she had a grown grandson, all her ailments would surely be cured.
With that thought, Qin Jiamo stood up and hurriedly took his brother’s belongings to leave the fire station.
Once in the car, Qin Jiamo called his friend Meng Junhe.
“Jiamo, what’s up?”
“Are you at the hospital? I’ll come find you in a bit.”
Meng Junhe was a renowned reproductive medicine specialist in Jiangcheng, most skilled in infertility treatment, and was known by the nickname “Goddess of Fertility.”
“What, you want to have a kid?” Meng Junhe blurted out.
“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
Meng Junhe knew his friend wasn’t in the mood and turned more serious. “Then what do you need me for? The old lady’s problem is in her heart—as her son, you just need to spend more time with her and comfort her.”
“It’s not about the old lady. I’ll explain when we meet.”
Half an hour later, Qin Jiamo arrived at the hospital where his friend worked.
When the two met, Meng Junhe saw how much weight his friend had lost these past days and advised him to take better care of himself.
Qin Jiamo acknowledged the concern briefly, then directly took out his brother’s “Sperm Donation Eligibility Notice” and handed it over.
“Take a look at this.”
Meng Junhe looked closely and was equally shocked, but quickly understood.
“In recent years, the infertility rate nationwide has risen, so the authorities have been actively encouraging college students and firefighters to donate sperm to replenish the China Sperm Bank. I’d guess Yue Lang donated in response to that call.”
“Yeah, I just found out myself.”
Meng Junhe was puzzled. “So… what are you getting at?”
Qin Jiamo’s brow furrowed tightly. After a pause, he said, “The old lady is grieving too much, and her health is declining day by day. No matter how much we accompany and comfort her, it doesn’t help. If Yue Lang could have left a child behind…”
“What are you thinking! Sperm donation follows the ‘double-blind’ policy. Even if the sample is still stored in the sperm bank, or even if it’s already been used by a patient, regulations prohibit investigating the other party’s identity, let alone disturbing them.”
“I know. But I still want you to look into it. If such a child really exists, even just a photo—showing it to the old lady might give her some strength.”
“Jiamo, I understand how you feel, but…”
Qin Jiamo wasn’t in the mood for idle talk. He stood up and asked directly, “Can you help or not? If not, I’ll find another way.”
With his status as the great lawyer Qin, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to get to the bottom of this.
Meng Junhe also knew that once his friend was set on something, it wouldn’t change. He could only let out a helpless sigh. “Fine, I’ll help you look into it.”
Qin Jiamo turned to leave, but Meng Junhe suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right! Do you remember when I was an intern and dragged you into donating sperm?”
Qin Jiamo’s expression stiffened, his gaze sharpening. “Didn’t I have you destroy that sample?”
Meng Junhe hesitated. “Yeah, it was destroyed… What I mean is, if you want to give the old lady something to live for and lift her spirits, then hurry up and get married and have a kid! Why go through all this trouble investigating the sperm bank?”
“My child and Yue Lang’s child are two different things.”
“Fine, I got it.”
Qin Jiamo turned and left. Meng Junhe muttered thoughtfully to himself: Maybe your child is already old enough to run errands.
Lin Xiwei’s job search went very smoothly.
After all, her skills spoke for themselves.
Among a crowd of applicants, she fixed an extremely difficult program bug at a pace that left everyone else far behind, earning effusive praise from the hiring company’s panel of interviewers.
Add to that her good looks, which were especially rare in this industry, and she was hired on the spot, told to report for work on Monday.
On her way back to the hospital, Lin Xiwei was in high spirits.
She thought about calling her parents to share the good news, but the moment she took out her phone, the smile on her face froze instantly.
What would be the point of telling them?
They’d definitely say: “What kind of timing is this for you to be out looking for a job? You should be at home coaxing your husband, trying to win him back.”
The thought faded, and she only sent a message to her best friend on WeChat to share the news.
Half an hour later, just as she was almost back at the hospital, Chu Qing replied with a voice message.
“That’s amazing! I knew you’d have no problem!”
The exuberant tone, the heartfelt joy—it made her curl her lips into a smile.
Her phone rang. It was her son’s smartwatch calling.
She answered immediately: “Sweetie, Mommy’s already at the hospital. I’m buying your lunch downstairs right now. I’ll be up soon.”
On the other end, Xiao Junjun said in a puzzled voice: “Mommy, an auntie came. She bought me lots of stuff…”
“Auntie?” Lin Xiwei was confused.
“Yeah, she said her surname is Zhong.”
Zhong? Zhong Yurou?
Lin Xiwei’s expression changed drastically. Without waiting for the restaurant owner to pack her food, she spun around and sprinted upstairs.
In the hospital room, the nanny was keeping Su Chengjun company.
Looking at the young woman before her—dressed fashionably, reeking of perfume—the nanny wore a look of disgust as well.
“Junjun, Auntie made these pastries herself. Try one, they’re really good.”
Zhong Yurou, her hand adorned with long, delicate manicured nails, pinched a piece of pastry and held it out to feed Su Chengjun.
“No thanks. Mommy said not to eat things from strangers.” Su Chengjun dodged, refusing.
“Auntie’s not a stranger. I’m an old classmate of your mommy and daddy.”
Zhong Yurou insisted on feeding him.
But as she leaned in, the heavy perfume stung the child’s nasal passages.
Xiao Junjun felt his nose tickle intensely. He opened his mouth and suddenly sneezed, spraying snot and saliva all over the pastry.
The nanny couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped forward to intervene: “If the child doesn’t want to eat, don’t force him. It’ll be lunchtime soon.”
Zhong Yurou turned her head and snapped: “None of your business! You’re just a servant—watch your own mouth.”
She turned back to Xiao Junjun, about to feed him again, when the hospital room door burst open and Lin Xiwei strode in, radiating fury.
Zhong Yurou turned at the sound, and a smile immediately spread across her face: “Weiwei, you’re here? I heard Junjun was sick, so I specially came to…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Xiwei, her face hard as stone, stepped forward and snatched the pastry from her hand. With her other hand, she grabbed the back of Zhong Yurou’s head and shoved the entire pastry into her mouth.
“Mmph, mmph mmph!”
Zhong Yurou had never expected this. Her mouth was instantly stuffed, and she instinctively tried to spit it out.
—That pastry had the child’s snot on it!