While everyone poured out of Dr Wu's office, Jinhai slipped his phone behind a cluster of boxes and pressed the record button. "Dr Wu, I just stayed behind to tell you how grateful I am that you specially cleared your schedule for us, really appreciate it," he said, faking a smile. Dr Wu ingenuously smiled back. "Of course, any time for the Liu family." Jinhai hadn't been in the industry for long, he was about the same age as Junyi, but he was adept at telling when someone had hidden intentions. This was so evidently one of those times that it was painful for him to watch the money hungry doctor do his work. He wasn't the only one who stayed behind, of course. The briber had to be present for the bribe, and the only other person there was Chouyu.
Jinhai made sure he showed no form of suspicion as he left, thanking Dr Wu once again before he did. All that was left to do was wait.
It didn't take long, after all, it was just an exchange of money. Morals were already out of the picture long ago. He saw Chouyu closing the office door with a devious smirk on her face, walking towards the exit like she had just won the lottery, which she pretty much would have if her plan succeeded. Jinhai got up, a cunning look finding its way onto his face as he did. He fixed his suit and knocked on the office door, a "come in" following right after his knock.
Jinhai entered and walked towards Dr Wu, who looked like he was busy doing nothing at the time. He slickly grabbed his phone from behind the boxes as he did so. All of a sudden, Dr Wu appeared to sit a little straighter in his thick, black, fluffy office chair, having sensed a change in Jinhai's demeanour. "Hi, Dr Wu. Silly me had forgotten to say something before I left earlier," Jinhai said, smiling. Oh, but this smile contrasted his previous one greatly. "A-Ah, yes, what is it?" Dr Wu nervously asked. Jinhai put the phone down and slid it across the hardwood table, staring down at the doctor without lowering his chin. Instantaneously, Dr Wu's palms started to become sticky, a guilt-procured sweat leaching onto them.
"Why are you hesitating? Press the play button."
-
Liu Junyi was going to leave right away, but Liwei held him back. "I think the doctor would want a statement from you about what happened," he said, unbudgingly. Junyi's face muscles twitched. He turned toward Liwei and replied, "Are you saying that I had something to do with her fainting?" To this, Liwei shrugged, wearing a suggestive expression. "Watch-" Before Junyi could finish his warning, the doctor entered.
"So, what happened?" The doctor demanded, focusing on laying Aiyu on her back. Junyi let out an aggravated sigh. He was never fond of people telling him what to do, and it was happening right then, twice. "I have no clue who she is, I was just standing by the garden and saw her collapse. That. Is. All." The doctor turned to take a look at him, wondering who this man who sounded like he had a stick up his *ss was. "Ah, no wonder," she said, chuckling slightly after having seen his face.
Her response fuelled his irritation. "So? What's up with her?" Junyi asked, folding his arms. "Liwei, help me grab another pillow to stack her legs on top of." Liwei left hurriedly, heeding her command. Junyi's eyes narrowed. "Did you not hear me? Hello?" "Oh, was that you? I thought I was going crazy hearing trash talk," the doctor answered. Liwei returned with the pillow in hand, and she grabbed it hastily.
Taking a closer look at the doctor, Junyi stayed silent for a hot minute. "Liqing? Wang Liqing?" He questioned, a laugh of disbelief following right after. The doctor finally turned to face him. "Took you long enough! You know, I see your face so often on social media that it still feels like I'm in high school." Junyi couldn't help but laugh, and it had been awhile since he could genuinely do so. "Did you change your number? I'll drop you a message, let's catch up some time," he said, patting her on the shoulder before heading for the exit. He left before she could say anything.
As Junyi left the ward, he felt his tense shoulders relax. Stress, stress. The feeling he was immediately reminded of the moment he thought of high school. Endless nights of studying just to do well, yet being expected to look and act like he was completely fine for dinner. If he showed any sign of exhaustion, he would not be allowed to eat dinner that night. That was the only life he knew back then, that is, until he met Liqing and a few others. They showed him how to have fun for the first time in his life. He got so immersed in that sensation that he completely forgot about the way he lived before, and when he remembered, he couldn't go back to it. So, his grades inevitably dropped. Junyi's father banned him from going out after school from then on, and after he graduated, he made him cut ties off with his friends. Thereafter Junyi legally became an adult, he did everything he could to avoid his father, but there was a limit to how little you could see family in a family-born business.
Junyi shook his head to snap himself back into the present. He still had the bottle of water in his hand as he took a seat in the VIP waiting room. Checking his phone, he realised he had 30 unread messages and 6 missed calls from Jinhai. He took a deep breath to keep his emotions in check and called Jinhai back.
-
The door flung open after a short knock, the person stepping in being Junyi. "Would you like to take a seat?" Dr Wu asked, his hand motioning to the armchair next to wear Jinhai sat. Chouyu sat on the other side. "No, just say it." Jinhai stood up hearing this, knowing they would be leaving soon. An old nurse stepped out with a wooden clipboard in her hand. On it was a thick stack of papers. "The dad of Ms Chou's unborn baby is... Chan... Chanming," the nurse said, looking up and around at the three of them. Chouyu's puffed chest fell. Who the hell is Chanming? She wondered.
"You must be mistaken. I don't know a Chanming," Chouyu said, her eyes resting questioningly on Dr Wu. He avoided her gaze. The nurse took a second look. "Apologies, I was looking at the guest list. The baby's daddy is Wang You Yi." She glanced at them. Upon hearing that familiar name, Chouyu groaned silently, her teeth grinding against one another behind her tightly pursed lips. "If there is nothing else, I think we are done here," Dr Wu said as he stood up as if to hurry them out.
"Wait. This man right here is my unborn baby's daddy, how dare you lie! Speak the truth, old hag!" Chouyu heaved angrily and gave the nurse a hard push on the shoulder. "I have business to tend to so I'll be leaving first," Junyi said, breaking the tension in the room. He leaned closer to Jinhai. "Stay here and deal with this problem. If she persists, call Wen Jian and sue her for defamation," he continued, before exiting the hospital room.
The "business" that Junyi referred to was to talk to Liqing. He wanted to talk to his friend, yes, but at the same time, an oddly pressing curiosity on what had happened to Aiyu weighed on his mind. A mixture of voices reached his ears as he stood before the door, unsure if he should really enter. "Junyi?" Liqing's familiar voice called out to him. He pushed the door open. When he entered, Liqing was sitting on a chair by Aiyu, holding her hand. They seemed like they were having an intimate conversation before he had entered. "Take a seat," Liqing said, pulling a chair that looked identical to the one she was sitting on over.
-
Aiyu came to with the doctor beside her, which she wasn't expecting at all. After her eyes were done flickering, she could see her face a little more clearly. She wore an intrigued but benevolent smile. "How are you feeling?" She asked, readjusting herself in the chair. Aiyu sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand and running her hand through her lightly tangled hair. "I've got a slight headache, but other than that, I feel pretty alright," she responded.
"That's good, but I meant emotionally. How do you feel?" For a few seconds, Aiyu blanked out. She had never been asked this question before; her friends, or friend, and family always knew she wasn't one who enjoyed talking about feelings so she never really put them into words in her head. "I... I don't know," she replied, fiddling with the blanket that laid inanimately on her lap. Frustration? Anger? Vengeance? No, none of them seemed to hit the nail on the head.
Liqing slowly reached over and put Aiyu's hand in her own. "Don't worry, it's normal to be unable to put these feelings into words. After all, we're not in novel. How you feel, all the pain you have experienced, they cannot be summed up in one simple sentence, much less a word." It shocked Aiyu, how comforting it was to hear such words. She thought that words of affirmation weren't for her for most of her life, but maybe it was just because they were never sincere. For the first time ever, Aiyu's stone-like expression cracked into a comfortable smile because of someone she barely knew.
It was just then that Junyi made his appearance.
-
Aiyu's smile fell when Junyi took a seat. "Sorry, who are you?" she asked, building up her wall all over again. "This is Junyi, Liu Junyi. He helped to carry you in when you fainted earlier. I thought he would also like to know why you fainted, if you don't mind, so I called him over," Liqing explained, directing Aiyu's attention back to herself. Junyi shot Liqing a grateful smile. Her attention was then turned to the door, where Chanming and Changchang stood. "Oh, I told them to come too."
After the two new guests settled down, Liqing started by saying that Aiyu was physically stable and that they had nothing to worry about, then went on to explain why she had suddenly fainted. "In short, she fainted because she lost a lot of blood, leading to lack of oxygen being transported to the brain?" Chanming summarised, to which Liqing nodded. "Pretty much. I recommended it before, but I think it is best for you to remain in bed for your remaining days at the hospital," Liqing advised, her hands now crossed. Changchang sighed in relief and said, "Don't worry, doc. We'll make sure she doesn't leave this room... ever." She shot Aiyu, who had been quiet the whole time, a warning look.
Junyi and Liqing left after the fact, and the three spent the rest of the day together.