The phone connected. Ji Lin didn’t know how to start, until Bo Junyi’s slightly impatient voice came from the other end. "Speak."
"President Bo, that girl from that night is pregnant. It’s twins."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard his boss let out a cold snort. "She’s pregnant—what does that have to do with me?"
When he was twenty, he had been in a horrific car accident. He had undergone over a dozen surgeries, and doctors had clearly stated that his reproductive system was damaged; he would never be able to have children of his own. How could he possibly have gotten her pregnant, let alone with two?
"Assistant Ji, is work too light lately? Are you so bored that you’ve started secretly stalking young girls, hmm?" Bo Junyi’s voice was icy, as if it could freeze the surrounding air.
Ji Lin felt his scalp tighten and hurriedly explained, "President Bo, there’s a misunderstanding. I was accompanying my wife for a prenatal checkup today and happened to see her at the clinic. It seems she went there today to get an abortion. Boss, Miss Li is ten weeks pregnant. The hospital can perform a DNA test on the fetus here—"
Bo Junyi’s hand, poised to sign a document, paused slightly. After a moment of silence, he said coolly, "Wait for the results to come back before reporting to me. And keep it confidential from everyone."
Ji Lin understood, of course. His boss was afraid of being entangled by women with ulterior motives, and even more so of being forced into marriage by his family because of a child. To put it bluntly, he wanted the child but not the mother.
Still, the young girl didn't look like she had any schemes; she looked sweet, obedient, and well-behaved. If the Old Madam saw her, she would certainly be delighted.
As he sighed, his phone pinged with a message. It was the information he had requested on Li Susu.
Li Susu, twenty, a sophomore majoring in accounting at Jiangcheng University. She had a deadbeat, gambling-addicted father, a mother who played mahjong year-round, and a thirty-year-old bachelor brother. Li Susu had been adopted; she wasn't treated well at home and had lived a very hard life since she was a child. She had entered Jiangcheng University as the top student in her county. She paid for her tuition through part-time work, yet her grades were excellent, and she won a scholarship every year.
Every day, aside from attending classes, she was either holed up in the study room or the library, or working at the school cafeteria. In the last few months especially, she had barely stepped off campus. It was almost certain that she hadn't been in contact with any other man besides his boss during this period.
This meant the child was, in all likelihood, the boss's. The urgent priority was to stall Li Susu and prevent her from having the surgery. Fortunately, this was a Bo family hospital, and the doctors here knew him; they would help with a small favor like this.
Half an hour later, Li Susu returned to the clinic with a stack of papers. The doctor flipped through them, her expression turning somber.
Li Susu’s heart sank. "Doctor, is there a problem?"
"Young lady, you have placenta previa. If you force an abortion, it could trigger heavy hemorrhaging. In severe cases, it could require a hysterectomy or even be life-threatening—"
Hearing this, Li Susu’s tears fell uncontrollably, her voice trembling. "The ultrasound yesterday... it was fine."
"That... that was my mistake. I didn't see it clearly." A flicker of embarrassment crossed the doctor’s face, but she quickly smiled to comfort her. "Girl, take my advice. If your boyfriend is willing to take responsibility, try to carry the baby to term. Not everyone is lucky enough to be pregnant with twins, and the little ones are developing so well."
Li Susu pursed her lips. "Thank you, ma'am. I’ll think about it."
After leaving the clinic, Li Susu felt an unprecedented sense of confusion. She sat alone on a bench in the hospital garden, lost in thought. The doctor said she couldn't have an abortion, but her condition made it even more unsuitable to carry the babies to term. She knew the surgery was dangerous, but she had no other choice. If she was destined to live only until twenty, then so be it.
She gently stroked her still-flat abdomen, crying silently. "Babies, I’m sorry. You are my only family in this world, but I don’t have the strength to protect you. If Mommy doesn't make it through this, let’s go to heaven together, okay?"
After an unknown amount of time, Li Susu stood up from the bench and walked toward the hospital exit.
Ji Lin, who was not far away, didn't follow her. Instead, he had sent one of Bo Junyi’s female bodyguards to track and protect her in secret so she could report the situation to him at any time. Just moments ago, the doctor he arranged had secretly taken a blood sample from Li Susu’s arm. They only needed the boss to come by to run the DNA test, but the earliest they could get results was tomorrow morning. Before then, he had to keep a close eye on Li Susu to prevent her from acting on impulse and terminating the pregnancy.
***
Li Susu returned to Jiangcheng University and, without even eating lunch, lay down on her bed. Her best friend, Tang Yixin, walked in with lunch and asked with concern, "Susu, are you not feeling well? Have you eaten?"
Usually at this time, she would be working at the cafeteria and eating lunch there before returning to the dorm. She rarely came back at this hour. Fearing that her friend would see her red, tear-streaked eyes, she subconsciously pulled the blanket up, her voice listless. "My period cramps are really bad this time. I took the day off."
Noticing that something was off with her voice, Tang Yixin hurried over and placed the lunch on the bedside table. "Eat something first. I’ll make you some brown sugar ginger water later to warm you up."
"You go ahead and eat, Xinxin. I’m fine, I just need to lie down for a while."
As she spoke, Li Susu felt her throat tighten, and tears began to fall again. Seeing her cry, Tang Yixin reached out to wipe them away. "Susu, be honest. Did those girls in class bully you? Tell me, I’ll stand up for you!"
"No, really. It’s just... my boss gave me a hard time for taking the day off," Li Susu lied softly.
She had indeed been bullied. Months ago, on that very night, her own father had delivered her to a stranger's room. Before she could even leave the hotel, those people had seized the one-million-yuan "payment." Thinking about how she might die on the operating table with her babies and leave this world behind, the tears poured out like a broken faucet, completely out of control.
She was crying so hard that Tang Yixin didn't believe her story for a second, but since she didn't want to reveal the truth, she didn't press. After offering some comfort, she thoughtfully prepared the ginger water and watched as she ate her lunch, then opened her laptop to continue writing.
Tang Yixin was a minorly successful web novelist who wrote in her spare time. She was a hard-working, kind-hearted girl and Li Susu’s best friend. Li Susu often thought that if it weren't for meeting Tang Yixin, her difficult life would have been even harder to bear. But even though Tang Yixin was wonderful, she didn't dare tell her the truth about her pregnancy. She was afraid that Tang Yixin would look down on her for being "soiled," and that she would lose her best friend forever.
The next morning, on the weekend, Li Susu went back to the hospital. Seeing that the doctor wasn't the same one from the day before, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.
The female doctor looked up at her, her brow twitching before a gentle smile bloomed on her face. "Girl, what’s wrong?"
Li Susu’s voice was small. "I’m pregnant. I want to have an abortion."
The doctor’s eyes deepened. She hadn't expected this girl to be so stubborn, willing to risk her life to end the pregnancy. Their boss had such incredible conditions; she couldn't understand what this girl was thinking!
The doctor felt anxious but didn't show it. She looked at her calmly. "Go get your physical examination first. If you pass the assessment, we can perform the surgery."
"Doctor, I had a physical yesterday. Here are all the test results." Li Susu pulled a stack of papers from her bag, adding, "I am willing to assume all surgical risks."
"I can understand your current situation," the doctor said after reviewing the papers and handing them back. "But the risks of this surgery are very high."
Li Susu’s gaze dimmed, but then she gathered her courage. "Thank you, doctor. I’ve already decided."
Seeing her so obstinate, the doctor opened her mouth to speak but stopped, finally sighing in defeat. "Fine, go get your checkup."
"I have to do the checkup again?"
"Yes."
Li Susu couldn't help but frown. She had spent over a thousand yuan on the checkup yesterday; if she did it again, she certainly wouldn't have enough left for the surgery. What could she do? She couldn't borrow from Xinxin again. She really couldn't bring herself to ask.
The doctor seemed to read her situation and looked at her with some sympathy. "Young lady, this surgery is high-risk. You will definitely need to be hospitalized for observation afterward. The hospital fees and medication for ten days or so will cost nearly twenty thousand—"
"I... I’ll think about it again."
Li Susu stood up awkwardly, bowed slightly to the doctor, and fled the clinic. Just as she reached the corridor, she saw a figure standing out from the crowd walking toward her.
Li Susu’s face turned deathly pale. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she couldn't move her feet.
She remembered. That man was the exact same person who had "bullied" her in the hotel months ago!