In the elevator.
Song Xu released Jin Chen’s arm, pushing him aside with a look of disdain. “Grandma said you liked Zhong Yi—I didn’t believe it at first, but it seems to be true. Look at you, you’re completely out of it.”
Seeing that he remained silent, his face dark and preoccupied, Song Xu continued, “She seemed unhappy. Could it be a misunderstanding? Shouldn’t you go and comfort her?”
“Comfort her for what?” Jin Chen finally reacted, his voice stiff, as if he were arguing with someone. “If I go to her, she’ll just avoid me.”
“So you’re just giving up?” Song Xu asked.
Jin Chen remained silent.
Song Xu was Jin Chen’s cousin, the daughter of his paternal aunt. She was usually away from home, often out having fun. She had returned this time because she heard Jin Chen had fallen for his company’s secretary and wanted to see if it was true.
In fact, the elders of the Jin family had been keeping an eye on Jin Chen’s marriage prospects. After learning about his involvement with Zhong Yi, they all wanted to visit the company to see her. However, upon hearing that Zhong Yi hadn’t agreed, they restrained their curiosity, afraid of scaring her off.
Song Xu was different—Zhong Yi didn’t know her.
Today, she had come specifically to test Zhong Yi’s attitude.
But judging by Zhong Yi’s demeanor, Song Xu felt that Zhong Yi wasn’t entirely disinterested in Jin Chen; she just had reservations.
To be honest, Song Xu was quite surprised that Zhong Yi had rejected Jin Chen.
After all, given Jin Chen’s status, even if they didn’t marry, he wouldn’t treat her poorly. Yet she had refused so decisively.
Song Xu gloated, “Serves you right for being so arrogant all the time. Finally, someone can put you in your place.”
“Men always want what they can’t have—the more elusive, the more appealing. If you want her to like you, you need to understand why she’s afraid of you. If it’s because of your status, you have to humble yourself and pursue her. If it’s something else, you need to empathize with her, address her concerns, and make her willing to be with you.”
“Of course, if you’re just attracted to her looks and want to sleep with her, then forget I said anything. In that case, I support her rejecting you.”
…
Jin Chen rarely lost focus at work.
But today, when the secretarial team was called in to assign tasks, his gaze drifted to Zhong Yi at the far end, his thoughts wandering.
“Mr. Jin?”
“Mr. Jin?”
Lu Zhe quietly reminded him twice.
“What is it?” Jin Chen snapped back to attention.
Lu Zhe asked, “Do you have any additional items for tomorrow’s executive meeting?”
Jin Chen quickly skimmed through the documents and replied calmly, “No. Does anyone else have anything to report?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Only Zhong Yi quietly raised her hand. “Mr. Jin, I’d like to take this Friday off to go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Jin Chen looked at her, his tone noticeably gentler. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
All eyes turned curiously toward Zhong Yi.
Was it an illusion?
Since when had Mr. Jin become so considerate?
He actually cared about someone?
“…” Zhong Yi awkwardly explained, “I… I have stomach discomfort and want to get it checked.”
Jin Chen readily agreed. “That’s fine. Hand over all the Wednesday meeting minutes to Jiang Xi.”
Wednesday was the company-wide executive meeting, attended by senior executives and directors from all domestic and international branches, conducted both online and offline. The meeting was crucial, with Jiang Xi in charge of the proceedings and Zhong Yi assisting with the minutes.
The task was indeed demanding.
But for Zhong Yi, it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle.
“No need, I can manage.”
Jin Chen: “Don’t push yourself. If you can’t hold on, just tell me.”
The looks from those around Zhong Yi gradually grew less innocent.
This meaning, this tone.
It seemed there was something going on.
Zhong Yi felt her scalp tingle: “…”
Mr. Jin, please shut up!
…
Wednesday, 9:30 AM.
In Jin Corporation’s largest conference room, the meeting began on time.
The multimedia screen connected with Jin Corporation’s senior executives from around the world.
Such meetings were held once a year, and all personnel were prepared.
The meeting officially commenced.
Jiang Xi presided, while Zhong Yi took notes beside him.
The meeting was intense from start to finish, with everyone speaking sharply and to the point. Spirits were high, and no one dared to slack off.
Zhong Yi typed with both hands, not stopping for a moment. The document was filled with dense lines of meeting minutes, and she didn’t dare miss a single key point.
When discussing Jin Corporation’s innovative development in the AI field, some board members had differing opinions, leading to a dispute during the meeting.
Zhong Yi listened intently when suddenly a wave of nausea surged in her stomach. She pressed her lips tightly together, gently pressing her abdomen to suppress the discomfort.
Be good, don’t act up!
I’m in a meeting, behave yourself!
The baby in her belly quieted down.
But after a minute or two, it stirred up something big. Caught off guard, Zhong Yi couldn’t hold back.
“Ugh—”
The sound, neither too loud nor too soft, interrupted the two arguing board members.
Everyone turned to look at Zhong Yi.
Zhong Yi covered her mouth, her face flushed red. She hurriedly apologized to the board members: “I’m sorry, my stomach hasn’t been well lately. I’ll be more careful.”
Zhong Yi wished she could crawl into the computer.
She even wanted to pull the little one in her belly out and give it a spanking.
Why did it have to act up now, of all times!
From the head of the table, Jin Chen withdrew his gaze from Zhong Yi’s face. His voice was steady and composed, and his brief two words were as calm as usual, soothing the restlessness among the board members: “Continue.”
The two board members resumed their discussion.
Before they could even begin speaking, Zhong Yi let out another loud retch.
Everyone heard it and looked at her once again, almost in unison.
For a moment, the conference room fell silent.
Zhong Yi wanted to explain, but an even stronger wave of nausea surged in her stomach. Unable to hold back any longer, she tightly covered her mouth and rushed out in front of all the senior executives, heading straight for the restroom.
She hadn’t eaten anything in the morning, so after retching for a while, nothing came up. Despairingly, she leaned against the sink.
It’s over, it’s over.
Such an important meeting today, and she ruined it.
What should she do?
Would the company hold her accountable?
Zhong Yi touched her abdomen, feeling both angry and sad.
It seemed it couldn’t stay any longer.
She had to get rid of this bomb today.
Otherwise, it would cause even bigger trouble.
In the conference room, before the meeting resumed, Jin Chen whispered an instruction to Lu Zhe, who then left.
He found Zhong Yi and relayed Jin Chen’s message: “Zhong Yi, Mr. Jin said if you’re not feeling well, you should go rest first. You don’t need to attend the meeting. Don’t worry, he won’t blame you.”
Zhong Yi couldn’t care less now; she just wanted to go to the hospital immediately to deal with the trouble in her belly: “Can I take leave to go to the hospital?”
“Of course.”
Zhong Yi immediately packed her things and left work.
She canceled her Friday appointment and rescheduled it for 2 PM that afternoon.
After resting at home for a while, she went to the hospital at 2 PM to queue for her appointment.
After waiting half an hour, it was finally her turn.
She walked in and sat across from the doctor.
The doctor asked, “What’s your name?”
“Zhong Yi.”
“What’s the issue?”
“I’m pregnant and want to have an abortion.”
The doctor wasn’t encountering this for the first time and calmly typed on the keyboard, “Is this your first pregnancy?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a family member accompanying you?”
“No.”
The doctor asked a few more questions, then prescribed a series of tests for Zhong Yi.
“Come back to show me the results after the tests. If everything is fine, the surgery can be done today.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Zhong Yi took the forms and followed the instructions to get the tests done.
It would take another half hour for the results to come out.
Sitting in the hallway, Zhong Yi took out her phone to ask Jin Chen for leave. She couldn’t go back to work immediately after the abortion; she needed to rest at home for a few days.
【Mr. Jin, I have a stomachache. Can I take two more days off?】
Jin Chen: 【What did the doctor say?】
Zhong Yi: 【The doctor said it’s due to exhaustion causing stomach dysfunction and indigestion. I need to rest well these two days.】
Jin Chen didn’t ask further and approved her leave request.
Then, Zhong Yi received a call from Zhou Shu, whose urgent voice came through.
“Yiyi, what’s wrong? Everyone at the company is saying you had morning sickness during the meeting!”
Zhong Yi’s face turned pale, and a cold sweat broke out in her palms. “Who said that?”
How did they guess so accurately?
Please don’t let Jin Chen hear about this.
Otherwise, he’s sure to notice.
Zhou Shu: “Everyone is talking about it. You really haven’t been in good shape lately. Tell me, are you pregnant?”
“N-no,” Zhong Yi didn’t dare admit it. “I just have an upset stomach. I’ll be fine after resting for a few days.”
Zhou Shu: “I also said it was your stomach, but they all insist you’re pregnant, and Mr. Jin heard it too.”
“Mr. Jin heard it!?” Zhong Yi’s voice rose sharply.
Zhou Shu: “Yeah, you didn’t see it, but his face looked terrible at the time.”