Yan Xixi kept her head down, gently touching her belly, her face deathly pale. This was her first hospitalization since childhood. She lay in bed, staring at the stark white hospital room, her heart in turmoil. Over and over again, she picked up the ultrasound report, her eyes strained. No fetal heartbeat. Did that mean the child was already dead? This thought terrified her, and her body began to tremble. Wan Donglin came in carrying something. In the light, he saw her shivering uncontrollably, her face as pale as a corpse. He was startled and quickly came forward to grab her hand. "Xixi, what’s wrong?" She stammered, "Do you think... our child is already dead?" Wan Donglin’s face also turned pale, but he softly rebuked her, "Don’t talk nonsense. Didn’t the doctor say? We’ll get the test results after a week in the hospital. There’s still hope." She closed her eyes slightly, suddenly thinking of her own mother. Originally, she’d had no feelings for this child. In fact, she had secretly complained and resented it countless times. Especially after watching that educational film, she hadn’t dared to get an abortion, leaving her even more disheartened and disappointed. But now, being suddenly told the child had no heartbeat, she was inexplicably stunned. Wan Donglin took her hand. It was astonishingly cold. He quickly brought over some swallow’s nest porridge. "Xixi, hurry and eat something." She no longer dared to refuse. Disregarding the nausea and vomiting that came with the fetal-support medication, she downed two bowls of porridge and ate a chicken leg in one go. "Xixi, eat some fruit too." She did so obediently. Throughout the night, her body trembled faintly. Even while eating, her hands shook slightly. Wan Donglin sighed inwardly but forced a smile. "Xixi, look at this joke I just received." Yan Xixi took the phone and saw a short Weibo post. It read: "A public letter from a Chengdu guy to the girl living upstairs— ’To the beauty in an unknown apartment above me, please stop throwing your sanitary pads out your window. They’re f*cking floating onto my windowsill... Your period is around the 23rd to the 30th of each month... If you continue to throw them down, then give me one night, and I’ll give you ten months of peace in return.’" She read it twice before she got the punchline at the end—"give me one night, and I’ll give you ten months of peace in return." Despite her terrible mood, she couldn’t help but grin. Seeing her smile, Wan Donglin smiled too. "Xixi, don’t worry. Medical science is so advanced now; the baby will definitely be fine." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel※fire.net She silently returned the phone to him. The special care nurse came in to tidy up. It was getting late. Just as Wan Donglin was about to leave, she suddenly called out, "Mr. Wan..." She hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something. He was a little surprised. "Xixi, what’s wrong?" He chuckled. "Silly girl, I’m just going to the restroom. I’ll stay here with you tonight, don’t worry." She let out a sigh of relief. He gazed at her, and her face flushed slightly. He smiled again. This is the first time she’s ever needed me, he mused. No week had ever felt so long. They say a day can feel like a year when you’re waiting, but those seven days felt worse than seven centuries. Wan Donglin was even more anxious than Yan Xixi, counting down the time. The test results were due the next morning. He stayed at the hospital around the clock. That evening, seeing Yan Xixi’s nervous expression and how restless she was, he actually managed a smile. "Xixi, don’t worry, everything will be fine." Yan Xixi remained silent and went to bed early. After tossing and turning for a long time, she finally drifted into a fitful sleep, only to jolt awake suddenly. *(Author’s Note: Recommending Yi Shi Fengliu’s "The Fierce Princess"—it’s excellent. Also recommending Fan Que’s "General Fenghua"—a great book. Haha!)*