Whose Child?

Whose Child?

Evening, Beijing.

The sun was setting, and the sky gradually darkened.

A Mercedes Business sped down the road like a crazed lion, overtaking car after car. Beijing had all sorts of traffic regulations—out-of-town plates faced restrictions entering the inner ring, there were odd-even plate rules, speed limits on certain roads, and so on. To avoid trouble and save time, Dong Xuebin had taken out the pass Xie Huilan had once arranged for him for the Beijing Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee Courtyard the moment he entered the city and placed it beneath the windshield. Traffic police who recognized that kind of pass generally would not stop the car.

Inside a residential complex, the sharp screech of brakes rang out.

Under the residents' astonished stares, Dong Xuebin flung open the door and got out, slammed it shut with a bang, then turned and rushed into the entrance of a building.

First floor... second floor... third floor...

Moving like the wind, he reached it in just six or seven seconds.

Dong Xuebin reached for the doorbell, but at this point, his expression twisted with hesitation, and he did not press it. This was Father Qu and Mother Qu's home. If nothing unexpected had happened, Qu Yunxuan would be here for dinner tonight as well. The moment the door opened, the moment he saw Aunt Xuan, everything would become clear. Yet Dong Xuebin hesitated. What the Qu Family had told him over the phone had nearly driven him mad. Aunt Xuan was carrying someone else's child? The blow was enormous. He could barely think straight, could barely breathe.

One second...

Five seconds...

Ten seconds...

Dong Xuebin finally gritted his teeth and pressed the doorbell. Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

Before long, the door opened, revealing Mother Qu's startled face. "Xiao Bin? Why are you here?"

Dong Xuebin quickly looked inside. "Where's Aunt Xuan? Is Aunt Xuan here?"

"She..." Mother Qu looked a little awkward and hesitated, unsure whether she should let him in.

The smell of food wafted from inside. They seemed to be eating, or had just finished. Seeing that, Dong Xuebin knew Aunt Xuan had to be home. Without another word, he jammed a hand against the door and forcibly pried it open from Mother Qu's grasp. Without even changing his shoes, he strode into the Living Room and craned his neck to look around. He first saw Father Qu sitting in the Living Room with a grim expression. Then, the clattering sound of dishes being washed in the kitchen seized all his attention.

"Qu Yunxuan!" Dong Xuebin shouted.

The dishwashing abruptly stopped. Thud, thud, thud. Qu Yunxuan walked out of the kitchen in astonishment. "Xiao Bin? When did you get back?"

Mother Qu panicked and hurriedly shielded her daughter. "Xiao Bin, don't get worked up. Calm down." She was truly afraid that Dong Xuebin would lash out and hit her daughter.

Dong Xuebin said nothing, only stared into Aunt Xuan's eyes as he panted heavily.

Qu Yunxuan's expression changed slightly. She instinctively touched her stomach. "Dad, Mom, you told Xiao Bin?"

Mother Qu said resentfully, "Your dad told him, that old fool!"

Dong Xuebin saw that Aunt Xuan was wearing a light-colored sweater and a pair of black skinny pants. The sweater obscured her lower abdomen, so the bulge was not especially obvious, but he could still clearly see that Aunt Xuan's stomach was indeed a little bigger than when he had seen her two months ago. Her overall figure had not changed, and there was no extra fat on her body. In other words, that swelling was not from gaining weight. She really was pregnant.

Suppressing his anger, Dong Xuebin said, "What the hell is going on!?"

Qu Yunxuan glanced at him without saying anything, then found a chair and sat down lightly.

Bang! Father Qu slapped the table and stared unblinkingly at his daughter. "Even now, you still refuse to say anything? Are you trying to anger us to death? Huh? Xiao Bin is here today too. Give us a straight answer! Whose child is it?"

A bitter smile touched Qu Yunxuan's lips. "You've already passed judgment on me. What else is there for me to say?"

"Qu Yunxuan!" Dong Xuebin ground his molars.

Mother Qu also looked at her daughter with frustration and disappointment.

With a sigh, Qu Yunxuan seemed to be in a bad mood. She stood, walked over to the sofa, picked up her handbag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a Test Report. She lightly slapped it onto the table, then walked into a Small Bedroom without looking back. Bang! She shut the door without saying a word.

Father Qu shouted, "And you still have the nerve to lose your temper? Huh?"

Mother Qu blinked, hurried over, and picked up the report to look at it. "This is the report I saw that day. She took this out because... uh..." Mother Qu suddenly froze. Looking more closely, she could not help drawing in a sharp breath. "Last time, I only glanced at it. Yunxuan snatched it away before I could see clearly. This... the diagnosis says... says she's been pregnant for two months. Counting up to today, she should be less than three months pregnant!"

Dong Xuebin and Father Qu were both stunned, and they immediately crowded around.

"Let me see!" Father Qu snatched it over and examined it carefully. He instantly let out a long breath. "You old woman! You didn't even see it clearly, so why the hell were you spouting nonsense!?"

Mother Qu glared at him. "That girl snatched it away so fast. It's not like my eyesight is that good."

Father Qu snapped, "You ruin everything and accomplish nothing! Is there anything you can do right?"

Dong Xuebin hurriedly grabbed the report and looked at it. He let out a breath, sweat pouring down his face, and gave a wry smile. "You scared the hell out of me." She had been pregnant for less than three months. That had been exactly when he had come to Beijing and been lovey-dovey with Aunt Xuan. That meant the child was definitely his.

Mother Qu was a little embarrassed. "It was all because Yunxuan was acting so secretive that I misunderstood. Look at the mess this caused. Oh, right." She slapped her forehead, suddenly remembering. "The month before last, Yunxuan had been busy with work, and it seemed like her period didn't come. She thought it was because her schedule was messed up, and she even asked me to get some medicine from the hospital for her. Later, I didn't ask about it, and she probably forgot about it herself. She must have only recently realized she was probably pregnant, which was why she went to the hospital for an examination. Ah, listen to me—at the time, I was so flustered. How did I not think of that?" It really was not Mother Qu's fault. Usually, when pregnancy was discovered, it had begun that month or the previous month. It was rare to go two months before finding out. So when Mother Qu saw the examination results, her first reaction had been that her daughter had only gotten pregnant this month, which was what had caused this farce.

Dong Xuebin had suffered a false alarm too. This had scared him half to death for nothing.

Mother Qu asked suspiciously, "But why didn't that dead girl explain herself? Why wouldn't she let us tell Xiao Bin?"

Dong Xuebin knew the answer to that. He, Aunt Xuan, and Sister Xie had a Five-Year Agreement, and he was supposed to marry Xie Huilan first. Perhaps Aunt Xuan had been afraid he would not want the child, afraid he would make her abort it, so she had planned to have the child first and deal with everything afterward? Thinking of that, Dong Xuebin felt a little guilty.

He did not dare delay. He hurried to the bedroom door and knocked.

"Aunt Xuan? Yunxuan? Um... can I come in?"

"..."

No one answered from inside, and the door did not seem to be locked.

Dong Xuebin gave an awkward smile and rubbed his hands together. He turned the knob and walked in.

The wall lamp was on. Qu Yunxuan was leaning against the headboard, flipping through a book on economics page by page, not even looking at Dong Xuebin as he entered.

After closing the door, Dong Xuebin smiled ingratiatingly. "Aunt Xuan, what are you reading?"

Qu Yunxuan ignored him and turned another page with a swish.

"Ahem." Dong Xuebin sat beside the bed. "Are you angry?"

She still did not say a word.

Dong Xuebin apologized, "Aunt Xuan, it's not that I didn't trust you. Who else would I trust if not you? It's mainly because Uncle and Aunt made it sound so... you know. We'd only seen each other two months ago, and then you were suddenly pregnant. That's why I... Ah, look at me. I'm apologizing, aren't I?" Dong Xuebin forcibly took away her book and set it on the Bedside Table, then took her hand and pressed it to his own face. "There, there. If you're still mad, then hit me. Go on."

Qu Yunxuan turned her head irritably, glanced at him, and viciously twisted his ear.

Dong Xuebin grimaced in pain. "Easy, easy! That hurts."

"One day, you're going to drive me to my grave!" Qu Yunxuan smacked his arm and said helplessly, "I only found out today. You people really have vivid imaginations. How could you just make up such nonsense? That I had a child with someone else? With who, exactly? Tell Aunt Xuan. Huh? With who?"

Dong Xuebin smiled apologetically. "It was a misunderstanding. Wasn't it?"

Qu Yunxuan shot him a sidelong glare, her hand stroking her belly.

"Don't be mad, don't be mad. Every mistake is my fault. You know how I am—I take things too seriously. Whenever something happens, my head gets hot and I can't think straight. It's mainly because I care about you too much." Knowing that Aunt Xuan was softhearted, Dong Xuebin hurriedly coaxed her with sweet words. "Aunt Xuan, can we stop talking about this? We haven't seen each other in two months. Come on, let me look at you. Hey, how did you get even prettier? Your skin's gotten softer too."

Qu Yunxuan smiled and tapped his forehead. "Smooth talker! You only know how to make Aunt Xuan happy!"

Dong Xuebin chuckled, held her little hand, and rubbed it. It was so soft.

"Actually, it's not entirely your fault." Qu Yunxuan stroked Dong Xuebin's face with her other hand. "Aunt Xuan was just too busy lately, staying at the Auction House day and night. When my... that didn't come, I thought it was irregular, took some medicine, and forgot all about it. It wasn't until the next month that I remembered." Her voice paused. "I didn't tell you right away because Aunt Xuan hadn't decided what to do. If we have this child..."

Dong Xuebin perked up. "Have it! We absolutely have to have it!"

Qu Yunxuan looked at him. "You mean that?"

"Of course. We already have a child—how could we not have it?"

Qu Yunxuan's gaze softened. Lowering her head, she lightly kissed his forehead. "Such a good boy. I knew Aunt Xuan hadn't misjudged you. Then Aunt Xuan will have the baby?"

Dong Xuebin nodded repeatedly, blinked, then said guiltily, "But about getting married..."

Qu Yunxuan pinched his cheeks, squeezing the flesh of his face into several strange curves. "You don't need to worry about that. Aunt Xuan will smooth things over with my parents too. I'll tell them that your current job isn't suitable for getting married too early, and that we'll wait until your Five-Year Agreement with Hui Lan is over..." She lovingly stroked her lower belly. "Then the three of us can live together as a family. Don't overthink it. It's only a few years—they'll pass in the blink of an eye. Besides, it's not as if Aunt Xuan won't be able to see you during those years."

"...Thank you."

"Aunt Xuan should be thanking you—for giving me such an adorable little baby. Hehe."!~!