Under Xiao Ai and Liu Jie’s anxious urging, the taxi sped all the way to the clinic.
But the moment they got out, the driver stopped them—because the seat covers were stained.
Under Liu Jie’s burning glare, Xiao Ai had no choice but to fork out fifty dollars in compensation.
Liu Jie then coldly tossed her a parting remark. “I didn’t bring any cash or cards today. I’m not covering for you. You caused this mess—you figure out how to pay for it.”
Tao Ran was pushed into that all-too-familiar operating room once again.
As soon as she entered, the nurse greeted her with a warm smile, handed her a cup of hot milk, and helped her up.
“The woman who hit you yesterday looked completely panicked. I take it everything went smoothly?”
“Yes, very smoothly.”
Tao Ran untied a plastic bag from around her waist and tossed it into the trash.
When she’d returned to the clinic for a “chat” yesterday, she had asked the doctor for half a bag of blood and inquired about how to store it properly. So when she received Xiao Ai’s call that morning, she simply strapped the pre-prepared blood bag around her waist beneath her thermal pants.
With Liu Jie cushioning her fall on the stairs—and her plan well in place—how could anything possibly go wrong? The two of them were so flustered that neither noticed Tao Ran’s little trick at all.
Meanwhile, Ross’s angry scolding of Xiao Ai and Liu Jie echoed faintly through the door.
While he ordered the nurse to prepare for hemostasis, his voice carried sharp authority as he berated them for ignoring medical instructions.
“The patient’s condition yesterday was already precarious! She was showing clear signs of heavy bleeding. Now we’ll have to run more tests to see how bad it’s gotten!”
Ross barked a rapid string of orders—naming medications for IV drips, calling for blood pressure readings every thirty seconds, and instructing a nurse to ready plasma and schedule ultrasounds and further checks.
Soon, the whole clinic was thrown into chaos.
As the doctors and nurses bustled about, Xiao Ai and Liu Jie grew even more panicked.
A nurse came over and asked, “Who’s going to pay the deposit?”
“H-how much?” Xiao Ai stammered.
“One thousand, to start.”
“One thousand? That much?”
“Any extra will be refunded later.”
“I don’t have that much cash. Can I just pay a hundred first?”
The nurse shot her a fierce glare.
“She’s thinner and weaker than most people. We told you yesterday to take good care of her, yet you let her fall, faint, and spend the night on the cold floor. And now she’s fallen again? You don’t even know how bad she might be! If this were a public hospital, the tests alone would cost more than a thousand.”
With no other choice, Xiao Ai swiped her credit card. Then began the torturous wait.
For the first time, she was genuinely afraid that Tang Ran might die.
As Liu Jie had said—if Tang Ran really had something serious, if she couldn’t have children, would she still agree to divorce Fang Ming? If her body was permanently damaged, how could they hide the truth about the surgery? When that happened, Fang Ming might have to pay dearly just to get rid of her.
The clinic’s tense atmosphere made things worse.
Two other “patients” came over, curious about the commotion. When they learned it was due to pregnancy-related bleeding, they started trading horror stories about obstetrics and gynecology— someone who lost her uterus during a botched operation; another who became infertile due to poor post-op care, sued her husband, then killed him; and one who bled out during surgery because doctors couldn’t stop it in time.
Xiao Ai and Liu Jie didn’t want to listen—but they couldn’t help it. They even heard about rare complications and exaggerated tales of minor procedures costing thirty thousand dollars.
By the end, Xiao Ai’s scalp felt like it was about to tear open.
Of course, what they didn’t know was that those two “patients” were actually Ross’s staff—experienced employees acting on Tao Ran’s suggestion.
They were professionals, well-versed in medical terminology and dramatic storytelling.
With their exaggerated fearmongering, Xiao Ai and Liu Jie—one an unmarried young woman, the other a single man—were completely overwhelmed and easily manipulated.
When Fang Ming called, Xiao Ai didn’t dare answer the first time.
So he called Liu Jie, and through him, learned the whole story.
Xiao Ai finally gathered the courage to apologize to Fang Ming.
“Xiao Ai, I’m very disappointed in you.” Fang Ming’s tone wasn’t loud, but Xiao Ai could clearly hear the blame and suppressed anger in his voice.
She kept apologizing.
“I’m not there right now,” Fang Ming continued, “and you’re the only one I can rely on. Don’t be as willful as Tang Ran. Help me get through this, okay? I only have you.”
Xiao Ai agreed instantly.
In the end, he told her to keep covering all the expenses for now and promised to get the money back from Tang Ran once he returned.
Xiao Ai didn’t want to disappoint the man she love, so she could only pray silently that Tang Ran would make it through safely.
When Tang Ran was wheeled in for her ultrasound, Xiao Ai even waited by the door.
Inside the ultrasound room, Tao Ran said casually, “Since I’m here, might as well do the scan for real.”
Ross chuckled and went along with it.
“The baby’s fine. Just a little small—like you. Malnourished.”
“Write me a prescription later for some supplements.”
“No problem.”
Of course, the ultrasound report Ross handed to Xiao Ai was different—it was one he’d pulled from the clinic’s records last night, with the name and date neatly altered.
Ross’s expression turned grave. “Uterine displacement—quite severe.”
“What? How?” Xiao Ai gasped.
“The patient was already malnourished. The fascia supporting the uterus has weakened. It’s not uncommon. Add in pregnancy pressure and increased abdominal strain, plus the two falls—it’s worsened.
“On top of that, she’s still bleeding quite a bit. Our recommendation is hospitalization for at least three days of observation and treatment once we stop the bleeding.”
Ross’s explanation was peppered with complex medical terms, leaving Xiao Ai and Liu Jie completely lost. They watched blankly as Tang Ran was pushed back into the operating room.
Without exchanging a word, the two reached the same conclusion:
As long as the clinic could stabilize Tang Ran, hospitalization might actually be a good thing.
They’d been scared senseless by those two women’s horror stories. Tang Ran was so frail—they wanted no part in caring for her anymore.
Xiao Ai thought: “If that bitch stays in the hospital, I won’t have to deal with her temper or look after her. Whether she’s faking or not, it’s no longer my problem. Fang Ming won’t blame me, either.”
Liu Jie thought: “Xiao Ai’s jealousy makes her reckless. Letting her take care of Tang Ran is asking for trouble. Better to let the hospital handle it—I’m done being the pack mule.”
With that, Liu Jie caught another whiff of that strange smell clinging to him and snapped at Xiao Ai, “You trouble magnet!”
He swore to himself that once Fang Ming returned, he’d tell him everything about this foolish woman.
The two glared at each other, the friendly alliance they’d shared yesterday long gone.
And soon, their tension reignited—because another payment was due.