Inside the smoothly moving car, the engine emitted a low hum.
There was no conversation in the car; the atmosphere was tense and cold.
The interior was spacious. Shen Jiyuan sat by the window, with enough space between him and his mother on the opposite side to fit two people.
He stared silently at his blurred side profile reflected on the privacy glass, his fingers lightly stroking his watch face without leaving a trace.
Shen’s mother said nothing. The personal assistant and driver in the front seats were cautious and nervous. Everyone thought Shen Jiyuan looked pale and in a bad mood, so the car remained deathly silent.
Shen Jiyuan knew that if he didn’t speak now, people would definitely assume he was angry.
But he couldn’t say a word.
His chest still felt an inexplicable tightness and pain. The car moved steadily with no bumps, but his stomach churned violently. To suppress the feeling, he could only furrow his brows and remain silent.
More than an hour ago, he had lost control and suddenly vomited in front of many people, frightening everyone. They hurriedly sent him to the lounge.
He couldn’t tolerate such a situation happening to him—even though it was due to physical discomfort, after a brief rest, he immediately forced himself to finish the meeting and even wanted to continue working.
Unexpectedly, just as he left the meeting room, his mother stormed out and blocked him in the corridor with an intimidating presence.
“What’s wrong with you lately? Are you feeling unwell? I told you not to work so hard—”
“Enough! No matter what you say today, you must go to the hospital for a check-up!”
Thus, Shen Jiyuan was escorted to the hospital.
He was unwilling in his heart but did not clearly refuse.
More than a month had passed since that incident, and his body had completely recovered.
There were no longer any marks left by that woman on his body.
In these days since that event, Shen Jiyuan often suffered from insomnia. On sleepless nights, he would inexplicably stand alone in front of a mirror, inspecting those marks like a thief.
Only when he saw the marks gradually fade could he finally relax and let his nerves ease.
Marks left on a person by another are no different from a declaration of ownership. To him, carrying such marks was like being an animal with a shining collar. Those marks hidden under his clothes were a humiliation.
His self-judgment almost broke his spirit.
His extraordinary pride and arrogance placed immense pressure on him—pressure not from others, but from himself.
His self-discipline was almost as harsh as that of a medieval monk.
Unrealistically high standards, yet due to his talent and exceptional self-management, he had never experienced failure.
Thus, Shen Jiyuan’s demands on himself carried an almost naive arrogance.
He believed that as long as he worked hard, he could perfect anything, get whatever he wanted, and that nothing in the world could defy him.
But not long ago, that pure, clear crystal of innocence was shattered mercilessly by someone.
Anyone seeing those marks would know what had happened to him.
Shen Jiyuan could not accept this fact.
If in the past he had a faint pride in his own purity, now that pride was broken. His self-examination and self-flagellation were even harsher than what others might have imposed.
Although the marks faded, Shen Jiyuan’s mood did not lighten.
Sometimes he suddenly recalled that night and panicked.
He looked at the car window beside him. His reflection showed a high-end custom-tailored suit, perfectly ironed with no wrinkles, hair neatly combed, and a cold, indifferent face beneath silver-rimmed glasses.
On the surface, he looked no different from yesterday, a month ago, or even earlier, but he clearly knew something had changed.
A secret was buried deep inside his heart. His coldness was no longer flawless; sometimes, he even felt his calm demeanor was a facade.
His recent busyness was Shen Jiyuan forcing himself to forget that night.
During this time, he often felt some vague physical discomfort but endured it.
Today, during a call with his mother at the company, he could no longer suppress the nausea and vomited. This incident could no longer be hidden.
Was it because he was too tired recently? Or because of the enormous pressure he put on himself? Or was that incident’s impact so great that his mind ignored it but his body was still protesting?
Shen Jiyuan let out a long sigh, removed his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
It had been a month. He couldn’t hold on forever.
His body was his own, and he couldn’t continue to abuse it. He had family and a business behind him—he had to be responsible.
Whatever the reason, he knew this matter could no longer be delayed.
Taking today as an opportunity, he resolved to step out of this shadow.
The president went to the hospital through a private passage.
The brand-new hospital corridor gleamed brightly, the stark white walls were dazzling, and the pungent smell of disinfectant churned his stomach.
Only by smelling this could he truly feel that he was in a hospital.
Only now did Shen Jiyuan feel somewhat uneasy.
Recently, his physical discomfort had been abnormally frequent. He often felt stomach upset and nausea.
At the time, he hadn’t paid much attention, but it grew worse…
Even though Shen Jiyuan had some premonition, he remained calm, soothing his mother without showing emotion, and entered the consultation room alone.
The private consultation room was large and well-equipped. The young doctor seated behind the desk showed a surprised expression upon seeing Shen Jiyuan.
The doctor was also an acquaintance.
Shen Jiyuan had few people he could call friends; Cheng Xiang before him was barely one. Cheng Xiang came from a prestigious family, held a PhD from abroad, and was supposed to inherit the family business like Shen Jiyuan, but for some reason had become a doctor.
Shen Jiyuan had never understood this choice, but now he felt lucky. At least he had a doctor friend who, if anything bad was found in the examination, could help him keep it from his mother.
“I’m busy, and so are you. Let’s not waste time.”
Shen Jiyuan sat down, casually placed his watch worth over six million yuan aside, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled up his suit sleeves.
“Run a check-up for me — something thorough.”
He had a history of stomach problems and had once worked to the point of nearly getting a gastric ulcer. He knew what a stomach ailment felt like.
Before entering, he had already considered the worst outcomes.
“Are you… overthinking this?” Cheng Xiang saw his intent and shook his head with a wry smile.
“If the tests show anything, I won’t falsify anything for you. You really should stop overthinking everything…”
While saying this, Cheng Xiang drew blood and quickly ran some routine tests for Shen Jiyuan.
The smile from their casual chat hadn’t faded from his face when Cheng Xiang’s expression suddenly stiffened.
“The results?”
Seeing Cheng Xiang’s face, Shen Jiyuan already had an idea, but inside he was calm.
He had annual check-ups, and any illness wouldn’t be at a terminal stage. Regardless of the disease, he would receive the best medical treatment. If it couldn’t be cured even with the best, then there was nothing more to say.
Cheng Xiang hesitated.
In the silence, the consultation room door suddenly opened. Shen’s mother stormed in like a gust of wind, looked at Shen Jiyuan, then fixed her gaze on Cheng Xiang.
“Have the results come out?”
Cheng Xiang quickly pressed down on the test report.
“The tests… the tests show no major problems, just a stomach ailment… I’ll prescribe some medication.”
He hurriedly stood up and shoved the report into a drawer, then escorted Shen’s mother out of the consultation room, closing the door behind her and gripping the handle tightly without moving.
When Cheng Xiang turned back, he saw Shen Jiyuan already picking up the test report again, frowning as he read.
Shen Jiyuan raised his head and asked calmly, “What exactly is the illness?”
When Cheng Xiang was dodging the question and sending Shen’s mother out, Shen Jiyuan had already sharply sensed it wasn’t a minor issue.
His mood grew a little heavier but not overwhelmingly so.
There was even a faint detachment, as if to say, “Just as I expected.”
Looks like he wouldn’t be working for some time. He needed to hand off a few ongoing projects properly before being hospitalized.
Cheng Xiang stared at him, took a deep breath, and spoke with difficulty.
“Shen Jiyuan, recently, have you experienced any unusual situations?”
Shen Jiyuan’s expression immediately vanished.
All unrelated thoughts disappeared in an instant, and resistance and panic surged like a rising tide.
“Unusual situations?”
Besides that one night, he couldn’t recall anything else.
Shen Jiyuan felt as if he had been wounded again. He clenched his teeth, put on a colder and gloomier expression than usual, and his voice came out like it was squeezed through clenched teeth.
“…What do you mean?”
He had a premonition worse than a terminal illness.
Cheng Xiang looked at him with a subtle, compassionate gaze.
“Listen to me… You need to stay calm.”
After a long pause, he finally spoke softly.
“Shen Jiyuan, you’re pregnant.”