Although Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, the heat in this southern city still lingered. Outside the gates of A University, a conspicuous black Porsche was parked under the shade of a roadside tree. When the car window rolled down, one could see the handsome man inside casually looking at the university's entrance through the rearview mirror.
He was waiting for someone, and that person was Qiao Qianning. Today was the 14th, the day when it could be confirmed whether Qianning was pregnant or not. He had made arrangements at the hospital; all he needed to do was take her there. Everything was being done in secret, after all, using money to buy a child of one's own wasn't something to be proud of.
Qiao Qianning, clutching her textbooks, walked out of the university gates. She also clearly remembered this special day. So, she stood outside the gates, her gaze sweeping around in search of where Beigong Cang might appear.
"Beep—beep beep," a few honks from a car horn caught Qiao Qianning's attention. She turned and saw the man in the black Porsche, who was Beigong Cang.
She walked towards him, opened the car door, and got in.
The car slowly started to move. He didn't speak, and neither did she.
Qianning kept her head down, staring at the textbooks on her lap, touching them incessantly due to her nervousness. How could she not be nervous? In a little while, she would find out if she was pregnant or not. Maybe, there really was a child growing inside her flat belly.
Without meaning to, her gaze caught sight of Qiao Qianning gently holding her lower abdomen, her body tensed up. Beigong Cang let out a soft chuckle. As long as it was confirmed she was pregnant, the rest would be handled by his mother; he wouldn't have to concern himself with it anymore and could continue with his own life. When the child was older, he could send them abroad. And when he was old and needed an heir, he would bring the child back. Everything was so smooth and perfect.
The Porsche gradually came to a stop in the hospital's parking lot.
"Get out," Beigong Cang said coldly.
Qianning got out of the car, took a deep breath to muster courage, and walked into the grand hospital before her. She followed behind Beigong Cang carefully. However, a passing man and woman still caught Qianning's attention.
The man was holding a girl who seemed only seventeen or eighteen, who was crying and weakly saying, "How could this happen? How did I get pregnant? Is an abortion very painful?"
"Ah!" Qianning let out a low exclamation because she had bumped into the person in front of her.
Beigong Cang, with half-closed eyes, scrutinized Qianning, who had managed to bump into him even while walking behind him: "What's the matter with you? Can't you walk properly? This way!" he said and then turned in another direction.
Qianning immediately caught up to his pace, but once again, waves of emotion stirred within her. The child, ah, that young girl is only left with the option of abortion for being irresponsible with herself, and what about her own self? How much older was she compared to the girl?
Beigong Cang led her into a consulting room where a middle-aged gynecologist sat. She looked at Qianning kindly and said with a smile, "You're here, come with me."
Beigong Cang had already booked an appointment with the doctor, so everything went very quickly. Urine test, ultrasound, and not even twenty minutes later, the conclusion was already reached.
The kind doctor said to Beigong Cang and Qiao Qianning, who were sitting across from her, "Congratulations to both of you, she is indeed pregnant and the embryo is developing well. During the early stages of pregnancy, it's important to pay attention to diet, eat light foods, and get plenty of rest without getting too tired."
She was really pregnant! There was really a baby in her belly! Qianning was somewhat stunned. Although she had already thought about this outcome, when everything became a reality, it still shocked her so much.
Beigong Cang was relatively composed; he simply smiled and said to the doctor, "Thank you." After that, he stood up and said to a stunned Qianning still sitting in the chair, "Let's go."
It wasn't until he had walked out of the clinic's door that Qianning came back to her senses and hurriedly followed him.
As dusk fell, a dazzling Porsche stopped in front of a luxurious restaurant. It was a restaurant that indeed looked so lavish that Qianning didn't dare enter.
Following behind Beigong Cang, she said timidly, "I want to go home."
Beigong Cang stopped, turned around to look at her, and said, "Don't you want your two hundred thousand?" But seeing her gently pursing her lips with timid eyes, he guessed why she wanted to leave. He stepped closer, took her hand, and led her inside.
Qianning was surprised to see him holding her hand and could only follow him. Hadn't he always looked down on her? Why was he doing this now?
Although many people along the way looked at Qianning, dressed in cheap clothes, appearing in such a restaurant, with Beigong Cang leading the way, nobody seemed too surprised.
Beigong Cang led Qianning to a small table in the corner, where a beautiful young matron was already seated. It was a woman with a plump figure and decent attire, her delicate makeup making it hard to guess her true age.
As they approached, the woman immediately got up and lightly kissed Beigong Cang's cheek, saying, "Cang, you've arrived. How did it go?"
Who was she? To kiss Beigong Cang like that, and he seemed not to mind at all. Could it be that he brought her here to witness him being affectionate with another woman? Qianning felt an indescribable discomfort.
Beigong Cang remained expressionless as he led Qianning to a seat and then said to the woman, "She's pregnant."
At his words, the woman's face lit up with excitement, "Really! That's wonderful! I knew my son was the best!"
His son? Qianning was even more confused. Could this woman, who seemed to be an older sister of Beigong Cang, actually be Lady Beigong who paid the money?
At that moment, Lady Beigong turned to Qiao Qianning, took her hand that lay on the table, and said gently, "Miss Qiao, come live at our house starting tomorrow. I want to take good care of my grandchild."
"Uh..." This was too sudden. Qianning looked at Beigong Cang beside her, somewhat at a loss.
"I had made an arrangement with your mother," Lady Beigong said, noticing that Qianning did not respond, "Once you're pregnant, you should come to our house to rest and preserve the pregnancy, take a year off from school, and just wait for the child to be born."
"Take a year off..." Qianning had heard and knew about these plans. But now that it actually came to doing it, she hesitated. She thought for a moment, mustered her courage, and said, "Lady Beigong, it's already October, and school will be out in three months. Can I please take a leave of absence starting next semester? I want to finish this term."
Lady Beigong's face grew stern.