CH 16

Elsa12-15 minutes 04.06.2023

When Si Huaixi saw the seriousness in Pei Zhaozhou’s expression, he thought Pei Zhaozhou’s condition must be severe. His heart tightened, and he asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? What did the doctor say about the test results?”

Pei Zhaozhou furrowed his brows and considered the matter of the test report. After all, Si Huaixi was the biological father of the child, and he should be informed regardless of the circumstances.

However, just as Pei Zhaozhou was about to speak, an urgent voice interrupted him.

“Make way!! Move aside–!!!”

“Doctors, the patient is an elderly pregnant woman. She’s experiencing severe bleeding due to a car accident, and her life is in danger. She urgently needs a blood transfusion!”

“Prepare for the operation. The patient needs to undergo surgery immediately. The fetus may not survive, but the patient’s life can still be saved!”

The doctors and nurses pushed a pregnant woman with a prominently swollen abdomen on a hospital bed, their expressions grave as they ran and shouted loudly, urging bystanders to clear the way.

Pei Zhaozhou and Si Huaixi quickly stepped aside to make way.

The pale face of the pregnant woman flashed by, and the white bedsheet under her abdomen was stained with blood, dripping onto the hospital’s pristine floor along the way.

Yet, even in such a state, the pregnant woman held onto a thread of consciousness. She weakly pleaded with the doctor, her voice filled with tears, “Please… save this child. It’s the child of my late husband, and without it, I have no will to live…”

The doctor’s face showed a bitter expression. “Patient, let’s proceed with the surgery first.”

Unexpectedly, the weak palm of the pregnant woman surged with strength as she firmly grasped the doctor’s hand. Her fragile eyes remained resolute. “I beg you… save him…”

The doctor and nurses exchanged glances, and the people around started discussing the situation.

“This pregnant woman is so pitiful. She had health issues earlier in life, and she finally managed to get pregnant. But her husband died in the military, leaving her as the sole pregnant woman. She barely manages to get by with the military’s survivor pension, but who would have expected her to be in a car accident? Sigh, it’s all fate!”

A tinge of pain flashed in Si Huaixi’s eyes as he approached the pregnant woman in long strides. His eyes reddened as he said, “You are also a life! You don’t need to sacrifice yourself for anyone, especially not for your child! Leaving him alone, thinking it’s for his own good. Is that what you believe?”

“No! If you die, your child will be born an orphan! An orphan who survived only because his parents sacrificed themselves! He will only feel immense guilt and loneliness! Only when you survive, your child will find happiness!”

Si Huaixi was unusually passionate, unlike his usual self, angering the doctors and nurses who wanted to pull him away.

“But I love him. Even if the doctors, nurses, and everyone else gives up on him, I am the only one who loves him unconditionally and will never abandon him. No matter what happens, someone will tell him that there was a person who once loved him unconditionally and would never forsake him. He will definitely find happiness.”

Si Huaixi’s eyes flickered, and he slowly responded, “Is that your reason for leaving him alone?”

The doctors and nurses immediately tried to push Si Huaixi away, but to their surprise, the seemingly frail Si Huaixi was unexpectedly strong. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t budge him, and the doctor was on the verge of calling security in desperation.

Suddenly, Si Huaixi regained his senses and gazed at the pregnant woman with complex eyes. He held her hand and whispered, “Then live, live on with strength.”

The pregnant woman looked at the unfamiliar young man in confusion, unable to utter a word due to the pain in her abdomen.

Yet, she suddenly felt a surge of vibrant energy emanating from the hands of this unfamiliar young man. It spread throughout her body like the warmth of the sun, soothing the impact from the car accident and easing the excruciating pain of the heavy bleeding in her abdomen. Gradually, the pain subsided, and she regained a bit of strength.

The pregnant woman’s eyes stared blankly at the gradually paling face of the stranger. It lost all color, and in the end, security guard swiftly took him away.

As she observed the weakened young man, the pregnant woman suddenly understood something and silently mouthed a word of gratitude: “Thank you.”

But at that moment, doctors and nurses had already pushed her into the operating room.

The security guard violently shoved Si Huaixi, but the young man who had just been pale a moment ago stood up straight, his gaze icy and piercing, as if it were a frigid blade. In a hoarse voice, he said, “No need to push me, I can walk by myself.”

The security guard grumbled and walked away, not because he was frightened by the chilling gaze that had made him feel cold just now. Absolutely not.

Si Huaixi turned to Pei Zhaozhou with deep, shining eyes. His persistent and solemn tone felt like a little hammer pounding against Pei Zhaozhou’s heart as he said, “Brother Pei, can you show me the examination report?”

Although his tone seemed like a request, it left no room for refusal.

Pei Zhaozhou inexplicably felt a sense of unease in his heart as he looked at Si Huaixi, whose chilling aura had somewhat subsided. Huaixi’s eyes were like a sea covered in dangerous ice fog, where a lurking crisis awaited. One wrong step could lead to treading on the fragile ice and falling into the deep sea.

His heart thumped rapidly, and his hands involuntarily tightened around the examination report pressed against his chest. Suppressing his trembling voice, Pei Zhaozhou asked, “Why did you say those things to the pregnant woman earlier?”

Si Huaixi’s brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes dimmed as he responded with a counter-question, “What things?”

Seeing that he didn’t admit it, Pei Zhaozhou stated decisively, “You were advising the pregnant woman to give up her unborn child!”

Si Huaixi pursed his lips and replied, “But shouldn’t she? Why sacrifice oneself to save an unborn life, even if it’s her own child?”

Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze turned blank, his heart filled with a mix of emotions. Unknowingly, he could empathize with the pregnant woman’s perspective. If it were him… even if there was danger, he wouldn’t give up…

“It shouldn’t be like this… It’s still a life, if it were your child…”

Si Huaixi replied, “Even if it were my child, I would still give up on it if it endangered the life of my spouse. Even if my spouse wanted to keep it, I would persuade them to let go.”

Empathy washed over Pei Zhaozhou as he put himself in that position, imagining his own child being abandoned by such a heartless father. His heart ached with bitterness, and his eyes instantly turned red. In an impassioned tone, he retorted, “You! You have no right to decide for your spouse!”

Si Huaixi looked at Pei Zhaozhou suspiciously and asked, “Why are you so angry, Brother Pei? It’s not about you.”

Pei Zhaozhou choked with anger and said, “I’m not angry!”

Suddenly changing the subject, Si Huaixi spoke sincerely, his eyes glistening with a deep sadness. “Do you think I’m heartless, Brother Pei? If I were that child who survived at the expense of my parents, my wish would be never to be born! No one should die because of me!”

Pei Zhaozhou’s expression froze as he looked at Si Huaixi, who suddenly wore a bitter smile. His deep blue eyes conveyed a profound sadness as he said, “Brother Pei, now you understand, right? It’s not that I want to be heartless, but a child who survives with such loneliness and guilt will never be happy.”

Pei Zhaozhou’s mind was in turmoil, but he still didn’t want to give up, even if the doctor said it would be dangerous. After all, it wasn’t an absolute certainty.

With a hint of urgency in his tone, Pei Zhaozhou argued, “But there might not be any danger, it’s possible…”

“It might happen,” Si Huaixi’s gaze turned sharp, “If there is a possibility of it happening, no matter how much I want this child, I would never let it endanger my spouse’s life.”

Pei Zhaozhou argued, “But it’s still a life!”

A cold glint flickered in Si Huaixi’s eyes. “An unborn child is not truly a life in the actual sense. How can it compare to the person who truly carries it?”

Pei Zhaozhou looked at the suddenly unfamiliar Si Huaixi, and a chill ran through his heart.

He couldn’t change Si Huaixi’s stubborn mindset. If Si Huaixi found out about the pregnancy and perceived it as a threat to his life, he would surely cold heartedly persuade him to give up on the child.

But… how could he do that?

With resolute eyes, Pei Zhaozhou would rather tear up the medical report than let Si Huaixi know about the pregnancy.

But the doctor insisted that he should be close to Si Huaixi. Pei Zhaozhou’s pheromones alone were insufficient to support the fetus’s development. The fetus needed another biological father, which meant Si Huaixi had to be involved.

Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze became conflicted and complex, but Si Huaixi, who noticed his unusual emotions, asked softly, “Brother Pei, what did the doctor say? Do you need to take any medication? I’ll accompany you to get them. Let me see the medical report.”

At the mention of the medical report, Pei Zhaozhou suddenly snapped back to reality. With a cold expression, he replied, “There’s nothing to take, just a chronic gastrointestinal condition. I’ll go rest when we get back.”

Si Huaixi looked puzzled and asked, “So, what was the important matter you wanted to talk to me about earlier?”

Pei Zhaozhou lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, and replied, “Oh, it’s just that I wanted to take a rest at your place. Would you be willing?”

Si Huaixi’s eyes widened in surprise. “Brother Pei, why so suddenly?”

Pei Zhaozhou responded, “It’s nothing. It’s just that returning home feels cold and distant. I wanted to be with someone familiar. It’s a bit uncomfortable being sick alone.”

Upon hearing this, Si Huaixi looked at Pei Zhaozhou, who had always been strong and resolute, as he withdrew his sharp edges like a prickly little cat. His amber golden eyes appeared moist, with a hint of vulnerability that comes after falling ill.

Si Huaixi’s heart was stirred, feeling a swelling sensation, overflowing with infinite tenderness. He yearned to embrace and cherish Pei Zhaozhou as much as he could.

With a slight movement of his fingers, Si Huaixi composedly met Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes, a soft gleam shining within his own, and said with a gentle smile, “Sure, Brother Pei, come to my place.”

Upon hearing Si Huaixi’s affirmative response, Pei Zhaozhou felt a wave of relief, but soon a sense of guilt arose, his gaze flickering.

— He couldn’t exactly say he had deceived Si Huaixi, but he did indeed want to get closer to him. It would be best if they could share the same room and sleep in the same bed, breathing in his scent. Since I conceived Si Huaixi’s child, this heartless father should take responsibility!

Si Huaixi had also mentioned that if he were to get pregnant, he would take responsibility! Now… now it would be a win-win situation. He could have a closer relationship with Si Huaixi and take care of the child.

Pei Zhaozhou’s emotions fluctuated along the way, tangled with complexity, his brows furrowed.

As they were about to reach Si Huaixi’s doorstep, Pei Zhaozhou tightly pursed his lips and suddenly hesitated, saying timidly, “Maybe I shouldn’t go in after all.”

Si Huaixi smiled, his gaze gentle like a warm sun, and reassured him, “Brother Pei, don’t be afraid. I won’t do anything to you.”

Then, he firmly held Pei Zhaozhou’s hand and walked through the door.

Pei Zhaozhou: “…”

— So, it’s not his fault.

He had given Si Huaixi a chance. Since he had stepped into this door, what he should fear was not what Si Huaixi might do to him.