Lin Qing took a deep breath and said, “The child’s father is Fu Sinian.”
Su Yi and Tang Yining both gasped, unable to believe what they’d just heard.
“Fu Sinian? Yiyi, did I hear that right? Is she out of her mind?”
“You were so firm yesterday, swearing that the rumors between you and Fu Sinian weren’t true. And now you’re saying you’re pregnant? Are you secretly dating him or what?”
“There really isn’t anything between us, but the pregnancy is real.”
Lin Qing’s words left the two completely confused.
“You mean the two of you had a one-night stand, and now you’re accidentally pregnant?” Su Yi asked.
“Pretty much.”
“It’s not that complicated, really. It happened at Ruifeng’s 40th anniversary banquet. Fu Sinian and I were set up and ended up sleeping together. This pregnancy was just… an accident.”
Lin Qing laid it all out.
Su Yi and Tang Yining listened carefully, then exchanged shocked looks.
As close friends, they knew that after Lin Qing’s last relationship ended quietly, she’d given up entirely on the idea of marriage.
They never imagined she’d end up pregnant—unmarried.
“This is something straight out of a novel. You’ve got the worst luck ever. One time and boom—pregnant.”
“So what are you planning to do now? Are you going to keep the baby or not?”
Lin Qing sighed.
“I’m not planning to keep it. There’s no chance for peace between our two families. I can’t possibly marry Fu Sinian, and if I give birth, I’d be a single mom. My parents would never agree to that. I’ll have to terminate the pregnancy.”
Tang Yining, who had always loved kids, said,
“You’re really willing to give it up? I mean, look at Fu Sinian—his genes are great. It’s still a life. Are you sure you don’t want to think about it more?”
Su Yi disagreed.
“What’s there to think about? You’d be tying yourself down at the peak of your life. That would be such a waste. Let’s deal with this quickly, recover, and focus on your career. That’s what matters.”
Lin Qing had already made up her mind.
“I’m going to the hospital later today to get checked and schedule the procedure.”
Tang Yining glanced at her watch.
“I’ve got a client meeting in half an hour, so I won’t make it in time to go with you.”
Su Yi said, “I’ve got nothing on today. I’ll go with her. You go do your thing.”
“Alright. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Got it.”
Lin Qing had registered for a specialist appointment. After a blood draw, she sat with Su Yi on a bench in the hallway outside the gynecology clinic, waiting to be seen.
The hospital was bustling with people. Outside the gynecology consultation room, everyone in line was pregnant.
Some showed obvious baby bumps, while others were still early in their pregnancies and didn’t look it yet. All the other women waiting were accompanied by their partners—only Lin Qing was there with a friend.
A woman walked out of the consultation room, heavily pregnant—about seven months along—holding her report and excitedly chatting with her husband.
“Honey, look at our baby’s little nose and mouth—it’s so cute! I think it looks more like you.”
“No way, it doesn’t look like me. I’m not that good-looking. It takes after you—much prettier.”
Beaming, the woman said, “Let’s go buy some newborn stuff for the baby later, okay?”
The husband gently supported her and smiled. “Sure.”
Watching the affectionate couples around her, Lin Qing suddenly felt a pang of envy.
To marry someone you love, have a child together, and build a family—it really was a beautiful kind of happiness.
A kind of happiness that might never be hers.
“Number 20, Zhang Yuwen.”
A nurse emerged from the ultrasound room, calling out a name.
The woman ahead of Lin Qing went in. She was next.
Fifteen minutes later, the nurse called again.
“Number 21, Lin Qing.”
Lin Qing walked into the ultrasound room alone.
Seeing that she came by herself, the nurse’s tone was noticeably more curt.
“Take off your shoes and lie down. Lift your shirt.”
Lin Qing took a deep breath and followed instructions.
The nurse applied cold gel to her stomach and began moving the ultrasound probe around.
It was Lin Qing’s first time having this kind of checkup, and she was incredibly nervous. The probe moved back and forth across her belly, the gel icy against her skin.
After a few minutes, the nurse said, “All done.”
She handed Lin Qing a tissue. Lin Qing wiped off the gel and softly thanked her.
She exited the ultrasound room, report in hand.
Su Yi asked, “How did it go?”
Lin Qing looked at the report. “I’m not really sure. Everything seems normal, I guess. I’ll know for sure once I see the doctor.”
The attending physician was an older woman in a white coat and glasses.
After reading Lin Qing’s blood test and ultrasound results, she asked sternly, “Is this your first pregnancy?”
“Yes, my first,” Lin Qing replied.
The doctor adjusted her glasses and looked surprised.
“You’re sure it’s your first?”
Lin Qing nodded. “I’m sure.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-nine.”
The doctor frowned. “So, you’re planning to keep the baby, right?”
Lin Qing said, “No, doctor. I don’t want this baby.”
At that, the doctor’s hand—holding her pen—paused mid-air.
She glanced at Lin Qing, then looked over at Su Yi beside her, her gaze dimming slightly.
In the gynecology department of the hospital, there were many young women who came in for abortions due to accidental pregnancies. Most were very young and accompanied by family. It was rare to see someone like Lin Qing—a professional, elite-looking woman in business attire carrying a briefcase—coming in for one.
The doctor looked Lin Qing straight in the eyes and said slowly and clearly,
“Miss, your ultrasound report shows that your uterine lining is very thin. This means you have a lower chance of getting pregnant and carrying a baby to term. You really need to think carefully about whether you want to keep this child. If you go through with the abortion, it’s possible you might never be able to get pregnant again. You could be giving up your chance at motherhood for life. I strongly advise you to think it through before making a final decision.”
Lin Qing’s face went pale upon hearing this.
She hadn’t considered that her body might be in such a condition.
Softly, she asked,
“Doctor, are you saying that if I don’t keep this baby, I might not be able to get pregnant again?”
“That’s right. And the abortion procedure could also lead to heavy bleeding,”
the doctor added, explaining all the potential risks and consequences of the surgery.
After a pause, Lin Qing said, “Doctor, I’ll think about it a bit more.”
“Alright.”
The two of them left the consultation room.
Lin Qing sighed.
“Looks like I don’t have a choice but to become a single mom.”
Su Yi comforted her,
“You make millions a year, your parents are wealthy—how can raising a child be an issue for you? Worst case, you’ve still got me and Yi Ning. We can help raise the baby together. Just treat it like Fu Sinian is dead.”
Lin Qing shrugged.
“You’re not wrong.”
Fine. So be it. If she had to be a single mom, then so be it.
Besides, her father didn’t have a son.
Her child could take her surname—Lin—that wasn’t a bad outcome either.
The two of them took the elevator down.
Ding—the elevator doors opened.
As Lin Qing stepped out—
Bang—she bumped into someone and nearly fell.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
A man holding a phone in one hand quickly reached out with the other to steady her.
Lin Qing glanced at the man in the suit and waved it off. “I’m fine.”
“Yi Yi, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Lin Qing and Su Yi walked off.
The man narrowed his eyes as he watched Lin Qing’s back disappear.
The call in his hand hadn’t been hung up yet.
From the other end, a woman’s anxious voice came through,
“Si Yan? Hello? Are you there? Hello?”
Fu Siyan’s expression darkened slightly as he resumed walking forward.
“Yes, Shu Yao…”
_________
After Lin Qing became pregnant, her morning sickness was severe, and her body was constantly exhausted. She often felt drained and sluggish at work. The first draft of the due diligence report had been delayed repeatedly. While the rest of her team had already finished their parts and submitted them for her to review, her own portion was still incomplete.
By the morning of the agreed deadline, Lin Qing was still working on the report.
It wasn’t until 3 PM that she finally finished.
She quickly reviewed it, set her pen down, and let out a long sigh of relief.
The phone rang.
Lin Qing answered.
It was Jiang Yuan calling.
“Lawyer Lin, President Fu’s flight has been delayed. It’s now expected to land at the airport around 5 PM. Could you come by the office again after work this evening?”
Lin Qing paused, surprised to learn that Fu Sinian had been abroad these past few days.
“Alright, I’ll head over around seven.”
After hanging up, Lin Qing looked at the completed due diligence report on her desk. The thought of seeing Fu Sinian that afternoon sent her emotions into turmoil.
She gently touched her belly—still flat—but inside was the child that belonged to both her and Fu Sinian.
Their child.
A child bound to them by blood.
Truthfully, she didn’t want to be a single mother.
She wanted her child to be born and raised in a healthy, loving family. But given the tension between their families, there was no possibility of her and Fu Sinian being together.
Though she wasn’t lacking in money and could provide a very comfortable life for the child materially, emotional absence was inevitable.
She had suffered the pain of growing up in a single-parent home herself, and she didn’t want her child to experience the same.
A conflict brewed in her heart—should she tell Fu Sinian about the pregnancy… or not?
____________
Lin Qing stayed at the law firm until after six, then arrived at Ruifeng Group right on time.
The previous scandal had caused quite a stir. Although Ruifeng’s PR department had issued an official clarification, many employees within the company still insisted that Lin Qing and Fu Sinian were actually dating.
When some of the employees saw Lin Qing appear at the company again, they began whispering behind their hands.
“Isn’t that Lawyer Lin from Huading? Why is she here again? Could she be looking for President Fu?”
“I told you, they’re definitely together. This collaboration with Huading might have happened just because of her.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I heard the legal services for a new project Fu is handling were assigned to Huading. Maybe it’s just a professional relationship.”
Their gossip reached Lin Qing’s ears. She pretended to stay calm and stepped into the elevator with her briefcase.
The elevator stopped at the 58th floor. The office lights were still on.
Fu Sinian was already back at the company.
Lin Qing stood at the door, but didn’t go in.
She still hadn’t figured out how to face Fu Sinian because of the pregnancy.
Clutching her briefcase tightly, she found herself unable to move her feet forward.
“Lawyer Lin, why are you just standing out here?”
A voice from behind startled her—Jiang Yuan.
She turned and greeted him politely, “Special Assistant Jiang.”
Hearing the noise, the man inside the office stood from his chair and walked over to open the door.
As the door swung open, Fu Sinian appeared before her.
He looked at Lin Qing with a slight frown and said,
“You’re here—why are you just standing there like an idiot? Come in.”