Wei Yumeng immediately felt something was off about his words: "What do you mean?"
Xin Ran, however, didn't answer her question. Instead, he countered, "Are you really going to keep this child?"
It sounded as if he strongly disapproved of her keeping the baby. Her gaze immediately turned sharp: "It's none of your business. This is my child, and it has nothing to do with you or Zhan Mohan."
Xin Ran became unusually emotional. He abandoned his usual gentle demeanor and appeared somewhat fierce. He gripped Wei Yumeng's shoulders tightly and roared, "Do you know what you're doing? You're ruining yourself. If this child is born, how do you expect him to face you, how do you expect him to face the world?"
Wei Yumeng disliked hearing Xin Ran's words. With reddened eyes, she stated resolutely, "So what? I don't care who the father is, she's my child. You should know that this opportunity to be a mother is hard-won for me. If I lose this child again, I might never be able to get pregnant again."
No one could understand her feelings at this moment. Although this child was indeed inconveniently conceived, it was a gift from heaven. What woman doesn't want to be a mother? She was the same. Please allow her to be an ordinary woman with such desires.
Xin Ran didn't know how to communicate with Wei Yumeng. "Does Zhan Mohan know?"
Wei Yumeng shook her head. "He doesn't know yet, but he's suspicious. It's all thanks to Wei Jin." Speaking of which, Wei Yumeng asked again, "How did you know I was pregnant? Wei Jin told you, didn't she?"
Xin Ran sneered. "Fortunately, she told me. Otherwise, were you planning to have this child alone and in secret?"
"Is there something wrong with that? I told you, this is my child alone, not anyone else's. I hope you can help me keep it a secret."
Wei Yumeng didn't want Xin Ran to help raise this child, nor did she want him to be responsible for her. However, she still had a crucial question. She looked at Xin Ran very seriously: "Did you... have any relations with me? Is the child in my belly yours?"
Xin Ran hadn't expected her to still be dwelling on this question. He was momentarily at a loss for words, but thinking of Zhan Mohan, his eyes twitched. "You've asked this question more than once. I'm telling you the truth, but you don't believe me. Do you just want to hear that nothing happened between us, that the child in your belly is Zhan Mohan's, so you can go back to him and reconcile openly?"
Xin Ran's words were sharp, piercing Wei Yumeng's heart like needles. She looked at Xin Ran with a strange, even surprised expression. The Xin Ran she knew before was not like this. He was gentle and helped her through her most difficult times. Why was he saying such things now?
But it didn't matter. Everyone had their own choices. Just as everyone was against it, she was determined to have this child. She looked at Xin Ran, serious and earnest, "I have no other intentions, I just want to know the truth. I have the right to know, don't I? Since you won't say, I won't force you. Regardless, I'm keeping this child."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Yumeng, you'll regret this. If you wish, you can have the child aborted, and I will take care of your future." Xin Ran called out from behind her.
Wei Yumeng didn't know why, but her heart ached immensely upon hearing his words. She forcefully suppressed the tears in her eyes, turned around, and stubbornly said to Xin Ran, "I don't need you to take responsibility, and you don't need to take care of my future. I will not abort this child."
In the depths of fate, it seemed as if everything was changing, both the people around her and her life. But no matter what, she would face the sun and strive to overcome this difficulty. She resolutely stepped forward to go inside.
"Yumeng..."
Soon, Wei Yumeng disappeared from his sight. Xin Ran ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He couldn't understand why Wei Yumeng was so persistent. Clearly, this child was conceived at the wrong time, so why was she sacrificing her future for it?
Fearing Zhan Mohan's suspicion, Wei Yumeng bought some fruit casually on the way back. Zhan Mohan had just finished a call with Fang Xun, discussing work matters, when he noticed Wei Yumeng entering with the oranges. He said to Fang Xun, "I'll hang up now. Let's proceed as discussed for the time being."
Putting away his phone, he asked Wei Yumeng, "Did you take this long to buy fruit?"
Wei Yumeng managed a strained smile. "The fruit outside isn't very fresh, so I walked across the hospital to buy it."
"Mm, give me an orange. You eat one too." Zhan Mohan's expression was impassive, his voice very faint.
Wei Yumeng took an orange from the bag and pulled over a chair to sit down. Standing for too long had made her back uncomfortable. Seeing that Zhan Mohan was still waiting for her to hand him an orange, she said, "I'll peel it for you."
Zhan Mohan's eyes instantly lit up with a smile. "That's very kind of you."
"Your hand has an IV drip, it's inconvenient." Wei Yumeng sat in the chair and began peeling the orange for Zhan Mohan. She lowered her head slightly. Even though Zhan Mohan couldn't see the expression on her face, he could sense her current low mood.
The ward fell silent again, the only sound being their breathing. However, Wei Yumeng was completely lost in her own world, entirely oblivious to the change in atmosphere. She was thinking about how to hide this child. She still had to take care of Zhan Mohan these few days. Wei Jin and Xin Ran already knew about her pregnancy. If Wei Jin could tell Xin Ran, then she would definitely find a way to make Zhan Mohan believe she was pregnant.
Also, Zhan Mohan's reaction this time was too out of character for him. In the past, the moment he returned to the ward, he would have immediately questioned her if she was really pregnant. If she told the truth, it would be fine. If not, he would have forcefully made her go to the hospital for a check-up. Even if he didn't say it, she would know what awaited her: a cold operating table and abortion instruments. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
Why? Why treat her like this? Her desire was simple, she just wanted a child of her own. Was that wrong? Xin Ran opposed it, and Zhan Mohan would likely oppose it too. She gently placed a hand on her belly, a natural gesture that Zhan Mohan wouldn't notice. In her heart, she said, "Baby, don't worry. Mommy will make sure you arrive safely into this world. I will protect you with my life."
"Wei Yumeng, Wei Yumeng..." Zhan Mohan had already called her name twice, but she remained absent-minded. It wasn't until the man reached out and gently stroked her cheek that the sudden warmth startled Wei Yumeng into instinctively shrinking back. She looked at the man in front of her with a confused expression, her eyes wide with shock.
Zhan Mohan curved his lips into a sarcastic smile and stiffly withdrew his hand. "What? Are you so afraid of me touching you?"
Wei Yumeng finally realized how flustered she had been. She quickly forced a smile. "It's nothing. I was just thinking that if I take care of you after you're discharged, I might not be able to attend to company matters, and Feng Shiming will definitely dock my pay?"
The man furrowed his brow. "Are you short of money now?"
Wei Yumeng raised her eyes with a self-deprecating smile. "Isn't that normal? Now that we're divorced, I can only rely on my salary. Lin Jing's apartment is rented, and I have to pay her rent too. Money is very important to me right now." Moreover, if she didn't hurry to earn money, how would she support the baby once it was born? Even if her own circumstances weren't ideal, she would do her best to give her child the best.
Zhan Mohan lowered his head and chuckled softly. "Is that so? Then why don't you accept the money I offer? Wei Yumeng, they say you're smart, but sometimes you're more foolish than anyone else. You only deceive yourself about some things. And when they say you're foolish, sometimes your acting is better than anyone's."
Wei Yumeng understood the underlying meaning of Zhan Mohan's words. She stared blankly at his increasingly cold profile. "What do you mean by that?"
The moment Zhan Mohan looked up, his gaze shot towards her like sharp arrows. "Did you have a nice chat with Xin Ran just now?"