The atmosphere in the consultation room stiffened subtly for a second.
Qin Zhi curled his lips into a faint smile. He was wearing a mask, so Lu Li couldn't see his amusement.
He followed her lead and offered an apology. "So you're unmarried. My apologies. Although my nephew's wife is also named Lu Li, that nephew of mine is a dog."
His tone was dripping with disdain.
"…"
Lu Li didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed.
She wasn't sure of the relationship between this Dr. Qin and Ji Zhichen.
But this man had called his nephew a dog.
Whether it was literally a dog or a person.
His tone made it clear he despised this "dog."
He wouldn't go around telling people about her abortion, would he?
"Does your hospital keep patient information confidential?" she asked.
Qin Zhi typed the last character on the computer and printed out the form. Hearing Lu Li's question, he chuckled. "With enough money, you can buy whatever medical records you want."
Lu Li was speechless. "Isn't that a violation of professional ethics?"
What a mess. Was he really this unethical?
Though what he said was true.
She'd had terrible luck picking hospitals.
Last time she ran into Ji Zhichen and Xiao Yaoyao, and this time she'd run into someone who might be Ji Zhichen's uncle.
"Miss Lu, your surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at three in the afternoon. You can take this form and go check in for admission whenever you're ready."
Lu Li nodded absently.
"Before the surgery, remember to urinate and empty your bladder," he dutifully reminded her.
Lu Li froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly as she nodded. "Thank you."
Just as she was about to leave the consultation room.
The nurse with the sweet, coquettish voice smiled at Dr. Qin and asked, "Dr. Qin, I made a homemade lunchbox. Would you like to try some?"
Qin Zhi stared at the computer, lost in thought, and replied without lifting his head, "That counts as workplace sexual harassment. I'll call the police."
For a brief moment, Lu Li felt embarrassed for the nurse—and utterly shocked.
She kept her face expressionless as she left the consultation room.
Qin Zhi stared at Lu Li's file, his casual demeanor fading. The child in her belly…
He sent a message ordering someone to investigate Lu Li.
In truth, he had encountered Lu Li two months ago.
At a hotel.
That night.
Through a twist of fate, the two of them had slept together.
That day he'd gone to Shen-shi to drink with a few close friends.
They'd teased him mercilessly about still being an old virgin, saying they'd left him a gift in his room to end his virginity once and for all.
When he came out of the shower, he found a naked woman on his bed.
Qin Zhi wasn't some saint without desires—he simply had very little interest in such matters.
But that night, his desire had run high.
And she had been soft and very cooperative.
From the window, to the sofa, to the bathroom—she'd been highly accommodating throughout.
Afterward, a day later.
He saw that his friends' "gift to end his virginity" was actually a cup that allowed a man to satisfy himself without relying on his hand or a woman.
Qin Zhi had been furious at the time. That woman had crawled into his bed—and succeeded.
He never expected that two months later, they'd meet again, and the woman wouldn't recognize him.
Qin Zhi furrowed his brow. This was too much of a coincidence.
This woman had appeared before him precisely while pregnant, forcing him to take the matter seriously.
Counting the days, the child in her belly could very well be his.
But it also might not be.
Qin Zhi rubbed his brow.
He'd have to wait until the investigation results came back to know for sure.
At noon, Lu Li found a small restaurant to eat at.
From where she sat, she looked up and saw a black luxury sedan from an international brand parked across the street.
Two burly men in black suits stood guard outside the car.
The car door opened, and Lu Li saw the man step out.
It was that doctor, Qin Zhi.
Even across the street, she could sense his cold, sharp aura—completely unlike the laid-back demeanor she'd seen earlier.
He seemed to sense someone watching him. He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes glancing toward the small noodle shop.
Lu Li quickly raised the menu to cover her face.
Assistant Yang, who had gotten out of the car, respectfully handed Qin Zhi a file on a woman named Lu Li. "BOSS, when will you return to the capital?"
Qin Zhi withdrew his gaze from the noodle shop and took the file. "No rush."
Assistant Yang nodded and prepared to leave.
But just as he was about to get back in the car, Qin Zhi called out to him.
"Send someone to find out who took the surveillance footage from that night."
Qin Zhi let out an ambiguous sneer. He just hadn't expected everything to be so coincidental.
Lu Li turned out to be his nephew's wife.
"Yes." Assistant Yang respectfully got into the car and drove off.
**
Lu Li's noodles arrived.
Before putting down the menu, she glanced across the street.
The car had already driven away.
She set the menu aside and began eating her noodles.
A large envelope was placed in front of her. Lu Li looked up and saw Qin Zhi. "…"
Qin Zhi had also ordered a bowl of noodles and sat down across from Lu Li.
"Miss Lu, you shouldn't be eating spicy food in your condition."
Lu Li had only added a tiny bit of chili to her noodles. She didn't believe Qin Zhi's claim. "I didn't add much."
Qin Zhi's gaze fell on the large envelope on the table—the file containing her information.
The file also noted that she was very fond of her nephew.
Thinking about the abortion surgery he was to perform on her the next day, Qin Zhi frowned slightly.
This was the first time he'd encountered such a situation.
Lu Li ate her noodles slowly. Qin Zhi finished his and left, but she was still eating.
He had even paid for her noodles.
The next day, at three in the afternoon.
Lu Li was wheeled into the operating room.
Her hands rested on her belly. For a moment, she wanted to cry, feeling a sense of finality settling over her.
"Don't be nervous. You'll fall asleep and wake up before you know it."
Those were the words Lu Li heard as she lost consciousness under the anesthesia.
Seeing that she was unconscious, Qin Zhi turned to the circulating nurse and asked, "Have her family members arrived?"
The circulating nurse shook her head. "Haven't seen any."
This young lady came alone for an abortion. Who knew what kind of scumbag the man was.
Qin Zhi's gaze fell on Lu Li's unconscious face, then moved to her belly.
He picked up the abortion instruments, his gloved hand gripping her ankle.
He had been about to begin the procedure, but then he stopped.
"Hold on for a moment."
"Dr. Qin?"
"I'll step out for a minute. I need to make a phone call."
He walked out of the operating room.
Qin Zhi leaned against the wall and dialed Ji Zhichen's number.
Ji Zhichen was puzzled to receive a call from Qin Zhi. He wasn't actually very close to this uncle of his.
"Have you had sexual relations with your wife in the past two months?"
"???"
Ji Zhichen was bewildered.
Qin Zhi frowned. "Answer me quickly. I'm filling out a questionnaire the hospital requires."
Ji Zhichen suddenly understood. Oh, it was a survey.
The hospital did surveys now?
Although Ji Zhichen found it a bit odd, since it was Qin Zhi asking, he had no choice but to answer.
He thought back to that night two months ago when he and Lu Li had been muddled together in the hotel. "Yes."
Qin Zhi's eyelids lifted, a chill in his eyes. "Do you remember the date?"
Ji Zhichen said, "May third."
Qin Zhi: "…"
What a coincidence.
The night he had slept with Lu Li was also May third.
There was no way she'd had the energy to go find Ji Zhichen after that night.
Besides, that night… had been her first time.
"And after May third? Nothing since?"
"No."
Hearing this answer, Qin Zhi raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Your sex life isn't very active."
Ji Zhichen: "…Yes."
He didn't even like Lu Li, so naturally he wouldn't sleep with her. That night had been an accident—he'd been delirious with fever.
Qin Zhi was now one hundred percent certain that the child in Lu Li's belly was actually his.
He felt this situation had become complicated.
She seemed to think that night had been with his nephew.
Qin Zhi didn't consider himself a good person, but he wasn't so despicable as to destroy someone else's marriage.
He hung up the phone and walked back into the operating room.