Zhong Yi’s mind went blank with a buzzing sound, leaving her in a daze.
Mr. Jin had heard it—why hadn’t he asked her about it earlier?
Could it be that he didn’t believe her?
Or was he angry, thinking she had deliberately hidden it from him, planning to secretly keep the child to threaten him?
Zhong Yi felt uneasy.
In the end, she decided not to dwell on it. Since she was already preparing for the surgery, if he wanted to hold her accountable later, she could simply show him the abortion report.
After waiting for half an hour, Zhong Yi took a stack of examination reports to see the doctor.
After reviewing them, the doctor said she was suitable for the procedure.
Zhong Yi went to queue up.
Several people were sitting on the chairs in the corridor, waiting for their numbers to be called for injections.
Clutching the ultrasound report in her hand, Zhong Yi felt tormented, her heart filled with tension and fear.
The electronic screen broadcast her name.
Zhong Yi stood up, ready to head to the small room nearby.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back forcefully. Zhong Yi turned around abruptly.
Her pupils trembled.
“Mr… Mr. Jin!?”
How did he know she was here?
Jin Chen frowned, his deep voice laced with suppressed anger: “Secretary Zhong, how dare you lay a hand on my child? Do you not want to work anymore?”
Zhong Yi nervously swallowed, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white: “I… I didn’t get pregnant on purpose. I really took birth control pills, but they were expired. I only found out recently. I’ll get rid of it today and won’t cause you any trouble.”
Hearing the first half of her explanation, Jin Chen felt a sense of relief. Even expired birth control pills could find their way to her—it seemed like fate had destined this between them. But when she mentioned getting rid of the child, so decisively and without a hint of reluctance, his expression suddenly darkened with a menacing intensity.
“You want to get rid of it? I don’t agree!”
“Zhong Yi, I’m the child’s father. How dare you make decisions behind my back?”
Zhong Yi stood motionless, as if frozen in place.
Working under Jin Chen, she instinctively maintained an attitude of absolute obedience to his words.
But she quickly composed herself. While she could compromise on other matters, she couldn’t when it came to the child. She couldn’t let a momentary impulse ruin someone’s entire life.
Clenching her fists, she mustered rare defiance and opposed him: “No, this whole thing is a mistake from start to finish!”
“I can’t let this child be born as an illegitimate child, hidden away from the world.”
“Who said it would be illegitimate? I’ll raise it!” Jin Chen gripped her arm tightly, his eyes brimming with restrained urgency: “Since we already have a child, let’s put marriage on the agenda.”
Zhong Yi’s expression changed abruptly.
She seemed frightened.
Marriage?
This was too insane.
She shook her head, unwilling: “I’d rather have an abortion.”
Jin Chen’s jaw tightened: “I’m serious!”
Zhong Yi continued shaking her head, stubbornly insisting: “I still think an abortion is the way to go.”
Jin Chen’s chest heaved violently for a moment.
He was furious.
Why was this woman so stubborn, so unyielding!
Jin Chen cupped her face, leaned down, and pressed his lips firmly against her infuriating little mouth, kissing her fiercely.
“Zhong Yi, I’m not joking.”
“Promise me, let’s get married, okay? I’ll take responsibility for you and our child.”
Zhong Yi was stunned by the kiss. Everyone around them was watching, making her feel as if needles were pricking her back: “Mr. Jin, you really don’t need to feel burdened by this. I’ve already scheduled the surgery, and it’s almost my turn.”
The broadcast had been calling her name for a while, but she hadn’t entered.
A nurse came out to look for her, calling out to the crowd in the corridor.
“Is Zhong Yi here?”
Zhong Yi hurriedly responded, “I’m here!”
The nurse asked, “Are you still going through with the surgery?”
“I am!”
“No, she’s not!”
Jin Chen and Zhong Yi spoke in unison.
The nurse repeated, “So, are you doing it or not?”
Without another word, Jin Chen scooped Zhong Yi up by the waist and flatly refused, “I’m the father of the child. The surgery is canceled.”
With that, he carried Zhong Yi away from the place.
Zhong Yi struggled in his arms, “Mr. Jin, we can’t do this. Let me go!”
Jin Chen threatened her, “Try moving again. Do you believe I’ll kiss you right here?”
He meant what he said.
Zhong Yi indeed didn’t dare to move recklessly.
Jin Chen carried Zhong Yi all the way back to the car and took the examination report from her hand.
The ultrasound report showed she was four weeks pregnant.
His handsome face once again stirred with emotion.
He and Zhong Yi actually had a child. Just yesterday, this was something he wouldn’t have dared to imagine.
“When did you find out?”
At this point, Zhong Yi saw no need to hide it, “Right after you left my place that day, I felt something was off and bought a pregnancy test.”
Jin Chen understood.
No wonder she had been vomiting back then—it was because of the pregnancy.
This woman actually dared to keep it from him.
And even tried to secretly abort the child.
This wasn’t timidity.
It was sheer audacity!
Jin Chen took her hand, “When the child is born, I’ll take responsibility for both of you.”
But Zhong Yi said, “Mr. Jin, I don’t want this child.”
“Why?”
“We’re simply not from the same world! I’m just a salaried secretary, while you’re the heir to Jin Corporation. I don’t want to tie my entire life to an illusory marriage because of a child that appeared out of nowhere.”
Getting pregnant in a daze, marrying in a daze.
Then waking up one day, being despised and abandoned.
She didn’t want to end up like her mother—trapped in the past for a lifetime, holding onto grudges and losing her sanity.
Zhong Yi looked at Jin Chen, her emotions running high, “Besides, you already have a fiancée, don’t you? I don’t want to interfere in someone else’s marriage.”
“Who said I have a fiancée!” Jin Chen was practically on the verge of a heart attack from her words, “From beginning to end, you’re the only woman I’ve had. The one last week was my cousin.”
Cousin?
Zhong Yi was stunned.
She had misunderstood.
“Let’s find a time to register our marriage,” Jin Chen gripped her shoulders, speaking solemnly and slowly, “No matter what your background is, I don’t care, and the Jin family won’t mind either. Zhong Yi, listen to me—I want you, and I want the child too.”
“But can you guarantee the future?”
Zhong Yi’s eyes reddened, her voice choked with emotion.
“What if you grow tired of me later and abandon me and the child? Then this child would become illegitimate, and even if not, they’d be maliciously hurt. How difficult would that be for the child?”
Jin Chen said, “If you’re worried, we can sign a prenuptial agreement.”
Zhong Yi replied, “I can’t compete with you. If you decide not to acknowledge it, you have plenty of ways to deal with me.”
“In your heart, I must be a heartless and faithless person?” Jin Chen gritted his teeth.
Zhong Yi fell silent for a moment before whispering, “I’m just scared, Mr. Jin. Can you give me some time to think it over?”
Jin Chen took a step back, “Fine, but you can’t secretly abort the child without telling me.”
Zhong Yi agreed.
Jin Chen affectionately stroked her cheek.
She had been through a lot lately, and her face had grown noticeably thinner.
His gaze lowered, his scorching palm pressed against her abdomen. Through the thin fabric, the woman’s waistline beneath his palm felt soft and slender, like tender tofu, as if he feared squeezing too hard might break her.
And now, there was another little life inside her belly.
It demanded even more careful handling.
Zhong Yi felt ticklish from his touch and twisted her waist, trying to dodge.
Jin Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed gently as he steadied her waist. “Don’t move. Let me feel it.”
His hand slipped beneath the hem of her clothes, meeting no resistance as it pressed against her soft belly.
He felt Zhong Yi’s stomach move.
A strange, unprecedented sensation rose in Jin Chen’s heart, his voice eager yet cautious. “The baby moved. It’s saying hello to me.”
“…”
Zhong Yi said, “That was my stomach growling because I’m hungry.”
“The baby isn’t fully formed yet. It can’t move.”
Jin Chen: “…”