Call

Ran Yuanyao took the samples for testing and went to find his buddy Shao Jitong in the anesthesiology department early that morning.

He had only been at this hospital for a little over two years and was not familiar with all its departments. It was far too difficult for him to secretly use the hospital's equipment without anyone noticing. Shao Jitong, on the other hand, had it much easier. He had another identity—the hospital director's son. In this hospital, every major department gave him some degree of respect.

Shao Jitong had trained as an anesthesiologist. Back in university, there had been vacant beds in Ran Yuanyao's class dormitory, so the school turned it into a mixed dorm and assigned two anesthesiology students there. Shao Jitong had been one of them.

Ran Yuanyao got along well with him, and they had often hung out together in university. Later, everyone scattered in different directions for residency training and graduate school. The two of them interned in the same place and then joined the same hospital, so they had been together for six or seven years by now.

Ran Yuanyao brought over the tubes and containers, asking Shao Jitong to secretly send them to the lab for testing. Shao Jitong found it rather strange. "What are these? Why do they need to be sent over in secret?"

"They're retained samples from a patient. His situation is rather unusual, so it isn't convenient for him to come in for treatment directly. We can only do this secretly." Ran Yuanyao was vague. "If it's not too much trouble, help me out. I'll treat you to skewers in a couple of days."

"Fine. I'll take them over later." Shao Jitong agreed. "Do you need the results urgently? It probably won't work if I submit them during the day. The lab is too busy, with people coming and going everywhere. We'll have to see if I can slip them in at night."

"It doesn't matter. Earlier or later is fine." Ran Yuanyao set the items down, looked up, and smiled at his buddy. "I'm counting on you for this. Don't tell anyone, not even your dad."

Shao Jitong lounged in his chair, twirling a pen, and promised, "Got it. If you can't trust anyone else, can't you at least trust me?"

Shao Jitong was extremely reliable. That night, he handed the samples to the junior doctor on duty in the lab, who promised that the results would be ready to collect first thing the next morning.

After working the night shift, Shao Jitong got the results before leaving work the next day. He stared at them for a long time through his yawns before realizing that the findings looked strange no matter how he read them.

Judging from the test results, the patient seemed somewhat pregnant, but some of the numbers did not match up. They were definitely not bodily indicators a healthy person should have.

"This doesn't seem right, does it?" Shao Jitong had no idea where Ran Yuanyao had gotten the samples. Frowning, he warned him, "Testing alone can't tell us much. You still need to get him to the hospital. If he's sick, he needs proper treatment. Avoiding the doctor won't do."

"I know. I know what I'm doing. If the time is right, I'll have him come in." Ran Yuanyao rubbed his aching temples. "Thanks."

"Why are you being polite with me?" Shao Jitong brought the materials over but did not leave. He leaned across Ran Yuanyao's desk, waggled his eyebrows, and lowered his voice. "So, you've got something going on?"

"Something going on, my ass!" Ran Yuanyao had a headache. Zhao Danshi's matter was still hard to resolve. "I might need you to do me a big favor after a while."

If they were going to borrow an operating room later, he would still need Shao Jitong's cooperation. At the very least, having an anesthesiologist present would make Zhao Danshi much safer during surgery.

Shao Jitong grew wary. "What kind of favor? Tell me first."

"Isn't there an old operating room in Building C that's been sitting unused?" Ran Yuanyao looked him in the eyes and asked quietly, "If I wanted to use that operating room in secret, what are the chances of success?"

Shao Jitong could barely keep his voice down. "Are you crazy?! You want to perform surgery in secret? What if something goes wrong? Do you still want a career?"

"It would be a very simple operation. I know what I'm doing." Watcher had given him plenty of information on Gestation Sacs, and Ran Yuanyao had read through all of it. If things were truly as Watcher said, this surgery would not be very difficult. Ran Yuanyao believed the surgical plan was feasible.

"Knowing what you're doing isn't enough. If you want to perform surgery, you have to follow the proper procedures." When it came to his profession, Shao Jitong was very serious.

Ran Yuanyao rubbed his temples. "I'll think about it some more."

With Zhao Danshi's surgery added to his preparations, Ran Yuanyao was busy every day.

At Ran Yuanyao's home, Zhao Danshi did his best to handle the household work for him. Sometimes, he reflected on whether he was troubling his childhood friend too much and shifting all the pressure onto him.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhao Danshi was tortured half to death by the child he carried.

At first, he had been glad that his pregnancy symptoms were not particularly severe. He could eat and drink as usual, with nothing especially different beyond occasional nausea. But by this time, he found himself frequently suffering from aching hips and sore legs, and he could often feel the strange fetal movements inside his belly.

The sensation was extremely bizarre. Worse still, the child moved rather violently. Whenever Zhao Danshi touched his stomach, he would softly coax the child to settle down, though of course that did absolutely nothing.

Worried, he asked Watcher what was going on. Watcher assured him that there was nothing wrong. "This is a normal pregnancy symptom. Some people have stronger pregnancy reactions, while others have milder ones. You simply belong to the group with stronger reactions, so there is no need to worry."

Even though he knew rationally that there was probably nothing wrong, Zhao Danshi still worried that the child might be uncomfortable whenever he felt the intense movements. If his sex had not made it so impossible, he would even have wanted to go to the hospital and find out what exactly was going on with the child in his belly, whether the child lacked something and was therefore so restless.

Watcher was somewhat concerned about his current mental state and advised, "If you truly can't put your mind at ease, why not call the child's other father?"

Zhao Danshi hesitated. "Would that help?"

"Of course. The Gestation Sac was designed very reasonably. The pregnant party has it harder, but the other party is also required to participate and interact with the child still in the womb. Since you became pregnant, you have rarely had contact with the child's other father. If the child can hear his voice, it should be soothed."

Zhao Danshi frowned slightly. "I'll think about it."

One day, Zhao Danshi truly could not bear it any longer, so he called Li Ping. "Senior, good evening."

"Danshi, good evening." Li Ping's voice was relaxed, gentle and magnetic, making Zhao Danshi's heart pound. "What have you been doing lately?"

Zhao Danshi answered vaguely. "Just the usual things. Senior, what about you? What have you been doing lately? Have you been busy?"

"Not bad. Nothing much different from before." Li Ping chuckled. "What, do you miss me?"

Zhao Danshi touched his stomach. He truly wanted to see that culprit. If nothing else, it would be good to at least let him share some of the burden concerning the child.

"Um, Senior, I want to ask you something."

"Sure, go ahead." Li Ping laughed from the other end of the line. "As for whether I'll answer, that depends on the question."

Zhao Danshi swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. "Senior, what do you think about getting married because of a child?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about that?" Li Ping said. "It depends on the situation. If two people have an emotional foundation, then even if they have a child before getting married, it isn't necessarily a problem."

Zhao Danshi thought about whether he and Li Ping had any emotional foundation at all. After thinking for a long time, his heart slowly turned cold.

"Then..." he stammered, "what if there isn't any emotional foundation?"

Li Ping was very rational. "If there really is no emotional foundation and someone accidentally gets pregnant, it would be best to terminate it. Otherwise, even if the child is born, you won't be able to give the child a complete family or two complete shares of love. The child may face discrimination while growing up, or might not be able to grow up healthily."

Li Ping concluded, "It's best to terminate the child as early as possible, before it has taken shape. That would be best for all three parties."

Zhao Danshi's voice was strained. "What if the child is already there and can't be terminated? What then?"

Li Ping sensed that something was wrong and pressed sternly, "Why are your questions so strange today? Did you run into some trouble?"

"No. Senior, answer me first. If the child can't be terminated and is destined to be born, what do you think?"

"Then the child can only be born out of wedlock." Li Ping answered without hesitation. "If two adults force themselves to stay together because of a child, their lives will be unlikely to be happy either. Rather than starting badly and turning life into a complete mess, it would be better to make plans from the beginning. Danshi, what's wrong with you today? Who had a child out of wedlock?!"

By the end, Li Ping's tone had already become somewhat severe.

Zhao Danshi touched his stomach, his heart clenching with pain. He was truly afraid that if Li Ping learned there was a child in his belly, his first reaction would be to drag him off for an abortion.

Instinctively, he hid it and forced a light tone. "No one. It's no one. I just saw something like this happen in our village and wanted to talk about it with you. Senior, let's change the subject. This topic is too heavy for us."

He was already on the verge of tears as he said it. His voice was hoarse and carried a faint nasal sound. When it reached Li Ping, it made Li Ping's heart ache as well.

Li Ping said in a low voice, "Danshi, if you've run into trouble, you have to tell me. A marriage without an emotional foundation is terrible. Even if there is a child, don't compromise. You're excellent. You deserve the best life."

Zhao Danshi's heart twisted painfully, but he still forced a smile. "Really, it's nothing, Senior. Let's change the subject."

"Fine, let's change the subject. What have you been doing lately? Are you taking a break in the village?"

"Mm, taking a break. I'm thinking of growing vegetables to sell, then doing some self-media work. If it works out, I'll see whether I can open a Taobao shop and sell what I produce myself."

The moment Li Ping heard that, he said, "It sounds like a good idea, but real life often brings all kinds of problems. If you don't have relevant experience and are only planning to explore it now, you may not succeed easily. Wasn't your original job going well? Why give it up so suddenly to grow vegetables?"

"My grandfather is at home. I want to spend time with him, and take a break for my own peace of mind." Zhao Danshi kept stroking his stomach. "Senior, it's already late, so I won't disturb you any longer. Go get some rest. Good night."

"Alright, good night." Before hanging up, Li Ping hurriedly added, "If you have any difficulties, you can tell me and see whether I can help. I'm always here."

Li Ping's word was as good as gold. Since he had said that, he would definitely help if Zhao Danshi went to him in the future. Warmth rose in Zhao Danshi's heart. He softly hummed in acknowledgment through his nose. "Alright, Senior. If I need anything, I definitely won't be afraid to trouble you."

Not long after Zhao Danshi ended the call, there was a soft knock at the door. He turned around and saw Ran Yuanyao standing outside with a cup of milk. "Were you talking to the child's other father?"

Zhao Danshi gave a quiet "Mm," rubbing his reddened eyes. "Actually, we're not close enough for this. This whole thing is too strange. I can't tell him directly."

Ran Yuanyao gave him a complicated look and handed him the milk. "Raising a child alone might be very hard."

"I know, but I've already thought it through." He touched his stomach. "I'm confident I can raise him well."