Call

After getting the materials for testing, Ran Yuanyao 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 every department. It would be 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. Every major department in the hospital gave him some degree of respect.

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

Ran Yuanyao got along well with him, and they 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 entered the same hospital. They had been together for six or seven years by now.

Ran Yuanyao brought over the tubes, large and small, and asked 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 secretly?"

"They're retained samples from a patient. His situation is rather special, so it wouldn't be convenient for him to come in for treatment directly. We can only do this quietly." Ran Yuanyao was vague. "If it's convenient, do me this favor. I'll treat you to barbecue in a couple of days."

"Fine, I'll send them over later." Shao Jitong agreed. "Do you need the results urgently? I'm afraid I can't submit them during the day. The lab is so busy, with people coming and going everywhere. I'll have to see if I can sneak them in at night."

"It's fine. A little earlier or later doesn't matter." Ran Yuanyao set the things down and smiled at his friend. "I'm counting on you for this. Don't tell anyone, not even your dad."

Shao Jitong lounged in his chair, spinning a pen around as he promised, "Got it. If you can't trust me, who can you trust?"

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

Shao Jitong had worked the whole night shift. Before getting off work the next day, he received the results. He yawned and studied them for quite a while before realizing that something about them looked deeply strange.

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

"This doesn't seem right, does it?" Shao Jitong had no idea where Ran Yuanyao had gotten the testing materials. Frowning, he reminded him, "These tests alone can't give a proper diagnosis. You still need to bring him to the hospital. If he's sick, he should come in and get treated. Avoiding medical treatment won't do."

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

"Why are you being polite with me?" Shao Jitong delivered the materials but did not leave. He leaned over Ran Yuanyao's desk, waggling his brows as he lowered his voice. "So, you've got something going on?"

"Something my ass!" Ran Yuanyao had a headache. Zhao Danshi's situation was not easy to resolve. "I might need you to do me a big favor later."

If they needed to borrow an operating room later, they 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 became 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 into his eyes and asked quietly, "If I wanted to use that operating room secretly, how likely would I be to succeed?"

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 medical career?"

"It's a very simple minor operation. I know what I'm doing." Watcher had provided plenty of information about gestational sacs, and Ran Yuanyao had reviewed every bit of it. If things were truly as Watcher had said, this surgery would not be especially 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." Shao Jitong was extremely serious when it came to professional matters.

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

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

Zhao Danshi did his best to handle the household work for him at home. Sometimes, he reflected on whether he was burdening his childhood friend too much and shifting all the pressure onto him.

In the blink of an eye, another week passed. Zhao Danshi was tortured half to death by the child he was carrying.

At first, he had been glad that his pregnancy symptoms were not too severe. He could eat and drink normally, and nothing seemed particularly unusual. At most, he occasionally felt nauseous. But lately, he often found his back aching and his legs sore, and he could frequently feel those strange fetal movements in his belly.

The feeling was extremely bizarre. Worse still, the child's movements were rather vigorous. Whenever Zhao Danshi touched his stomach, he would softly coax the child to settle down a little. Naturally, that did absolutely no good.

He worriedly asked Watcher what was going on. Watcher firmly assured him, "This is a normal pregnancy symptom. Some people have stronger pregnancy reactions, while others have milder ones. You simply belong to the category with stronger pregnancy reactions, so there's no need to worry."

Even though he rationally knew there was probably nothing wrong, Zhao Danshi still worried that the child might be uncomfortable somewhere whenever he felt the vigorous movements. If not for the fact that his gender was so obviously wrong, he would have wanted to go to the hospital and find out what was going on with the child in his belly, whether the child was missing something and therefore so restless.

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

Zhao Danshi hesitated. "Would that help?"

"Of course. The gestational sac was designed very reasonably. The pregnant party has it harder, while the other party is also required to participate and interact with the child still in the womb. Since becoming pregnant, you've rarely been in contact with the child's other father. If the child can hear his voice, he should be soothed."

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

One day, Zhao Danshi finally could not take it anymore and called Li Ping. "Senior brother, 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 spoke vaguely. "Just the usual things. Senior brother, 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 really did rather miss that culprit. If nothing else, it would be nice to make him share some of the burden of this child.

"Um, senior brother, I want to ask you something."

"Sure, ask away." Li Ping laughed on the other end of the line. "As for whether I answer, that depends on your question."

Zhao Danshi swallowed, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Senior brother, 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 the two people have an emotional foundation, then even if they have a child before marriage, it's not 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 turned a little cold.

"Then..." He stammered, "what if there's no emotional foundation?"

Li Ping was very rational. "If there really is no emotional foundation and they accidentally get pregnant, it would be best to abort it. Otherwise, even if the child is born, they 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 may be unable to grow up healthily."

Li Ping concluded, "It's best to abort the child as soon as possible, before the child takes 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 aborted?"

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

"No. Senior brother, answer me first. If the child can't be aborted 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. Rather than start badly and make their lives a complete mess, it's 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 harsh.

Zhao Danshi touched his stomach, his heart twisting in pain. He was truly afraid that if Li Ping found out about the child in his belly, his first reaction would be to drag him off for an abortion.

Instinctively, he hid it and deliberately made his tone sound light. "No one, nobody. I just saw this kind of thing happening in our village and wanted to talk to you about it. Senior brother, let's change the subject. This topic is too heavy. It doesn't suit us."

He was nearly crying as he said it. His voice was terribly hoarse, carrying a slight 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 run into trouble, you have to tell me. A marriage without an emotional foundation is terrible. Even if there's a child, don't compromise. You're outstanding and deserve the best life."

Zhao Danshi's heart ached, but he still forced a smile. "Really, it's nothing. Senior brother, 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 making self-media content. If it works out, I'll see whether I can open a Taobao shop and produce and sell everything myself."

As soon as Li Ping heard that, he said, "It sounds like a good idea, but real life often comes with all kinds of problems. If you don't have relevant experience and are only planning to figure it out now, you may not succeed very easily. Wasn't your original job going well? Why did you suddenly give it up to grow vegetables?"

"My grandfather is at home. I want to keep him company and let myself take a break too." Zhao Danshi kept stroking his stomach. "Senior brother, it's already late, so I won't disturb you anymore. Go get some sleep. 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'll always be here."

Li Ping's word was as good as gold. Since he had said that, if Zhao Danshi went to him in the future, he would definitely help. A warm feeling rose in Zhao Danshi's heart. He gave a soft hum through his nose. "Alright, senior brother. If I need anything, I definitely won't be afraid to trouble you."

Not long after Zhao Danshi finished the call, there came a light knock at the door. He turned around and saw Ran Yuanyao standing outside with a glass of milk in hand. "Were you calling the child's other father?"

Zhao Danshi softly hummed and rubbed his reddened eyes. "Actually, we're not close enough for this. This matter is too strange. I can't just 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."