The staff left. Lu Mingzhe, holding Niannian, was about to walk out of the community when Xiang Wan hurriedly stopped him.
"You're going back on your word! You said you'd return her to me after you'd seen her!"
"I didn't intend to take her away. Didn't you say she was very sick? Isn't the priority now to go to the hospital?"
Xiang Wan said, "I can manage myself. You don't need to go. We've already registered at a nearby oncology hospital..."
Lu Mingzhe refused to return the child to her.
"She has my blood in her, too. Even if I'm not fighting for custody, I have the right to have her treated, don't I?"
"Stop the nonsense. We can discuss our issues after she's recovered."
Saying that, he started to walk out again. Xiang Wan, helpless, called out to him.
"I didn't bring the medical records... Alright then, I'll go upstairs and tell Grandma. You wait here, I'll be right down."
Fearing that Lu Mingzhe would abscond with Niannian, Xiang Wan practically flew upstairs. She quickly told Grandma that Tang Haichao was taking them to the hospital, grabbed her things, and rushed back down.
Fortunately, Lu Mingzhe still had a conscience and hadn't gone far.
Neither of them had a car, so they took a taxi to the oncology hospital.
As they got into the car and closed the doors, the enclosed space made Niannian a little uncomfortable. Her lips quivered, and she was about to cry.
Lu Mingzhe quickly rolled down the car window.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Daddy will open the window for you. Niannian doesn't like being cooped up, does she? Daddy understands."
Niannian, like a little clever sprite, immediately stopped crying and looked at Lu Mingzhe with her big, round eyes, smiling.
The taxi driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror.
"Where are you three headed?"
"Oncology hospital. Pediatric department."
"Oh, is the child sick? It's tough for such a young child to be ill. The weather hasn't been good lately, and many children are getting sick. Parents have to be extra careful."
Xiang Wan and Lu Mingzhe exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. They both chose to remain silent.
They occasionally looked at their daughter, doted on her, and so they arrived at the hospital.
Lu Mingzhe carried the child and walked ahead, with Xiang Wan following behind with the belongings.
Upon reaching the outpatient building, they saw the long queue for registration. Lu Mingzhe was anxious.
"There are so many people, how long will we have to wait?"
Xiang Wan said, "What can we do? Hospitals are like this. It's not your family's business, so you have to wait whether you like it or not."
The hospital air was a bit stuffy, and wrapping the child in a blanket seemed excessive.
Niannian was getting restless. Lu Mingzhe took her off the blanket and handed her to Xiang Wan.
"Wait here and don't move. I'll go check ahead."
Xiang Wan thought to herself, "What good will it do for you to go ahead? Are you going to swap numbers with someone?"
This person was still the same as before, rash and immature.
Lu Mingzhe walked directly to the end of the line. Within three minutes, he returned to pick up Xiang Wan.
"We're going to the front."
"What did you do? Did you really swap numbers with someone?"
"I didn't make them lose out, don't worry."
Lu Mingzhe paid 2,000 yuan to move their number up more than ten spots.
The doctor prescribed several tests for Niannian. Lu Mingzhe held her throughout the examinations, coaxing her so well that she didn't cry even once.
The final results showed that all indicators were trending towards normal, and her fever would soon subside. There were no major issues, and both of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They collected some medicine and left the hospital with the child.
Lu Mingzhe carried Niannian, walking ahead, while Xiang Wan walked beside him, hailing a taxi on her phone.
At the entrance, she told Lu Mingzhe.
"Since Niannian is fine now, let's part ways here. I've already booked a car, and it will be here soon."
Lu Mingzhe looked at the little darling in his arms. "I'll take you home."
"No need. You don't have a car. It would be too much trouble to take us back and then have to take another taxi to leave."
He looked up at Xiang Wan with a hint of helplessness.
"Do you have to put it like that?"
Xiang Wan was just stating the facts. If he insisted on reading something else into it, she could only concede.
"Alright, alright, I won't say it then. If you want to take us, then do."
The three of them got into another car.
Niannian, now more engaged, was held in Lu Mingzhe's arms. She stared at his handsome face and chattered incessantly, calling him "Daddy."
As a new father, Lu Mingzhe was engrossed in interacting with his daughter, responding to every call. They were still having fun when they reached their destination.
Xiang Wan reminded him to get out of the car. He walked them to the staircase, and Xiang Wan extended her hand to him.
She thought, "Now you have nothing more to say, right?"
To her surprise, Lu Mingzhe still didn't let go.
"Xiang Wan, do you really want to go on like this forever?"
She knew he wouldn't keep his word and was up to something again!
Xiang Wan's face darkened. "What exactly do you want?"
"I don't want anything specific. I just heard that you're working in sales for Tang Haichao's company now, traveling frequently and drinking with clients."
"I want to ask you, do you really want to live this kind of life forever?"
So that's what he was referring to. He looked down on sales representatives.
Xiang Wan snorted coldly and retorted, "What's wrong with drinking with people? As long as I can close deals and earn money, and it's not illegal, I don't see anything shameful about it."
"Moreover, living like this, without relying on any man, without having to curry favor with anyone, isn't that better than most women's marriages?"
Lu Mingzhe knew she resented him because of what his mother had done in the past.
He felt guilty for not protecting her at the time and for being unable to stop his mother's actions.
But that wasn't a reason for Xiang Wan to choose this kind of life forever.
"As Niannian grows older day by day, do you want her to see her mother..."
Xiang Wan had also worried about this.
She had no degree and no other work skills, only her age increasing day by day.
If she didn't seize the opportunity now, while she could still drink and was still young and somewhat attractive, to earn money, it would only become more difficult later.
She also worried that as Niannian grew up, seeing her mother in such a profession would have a negative impact on her.
Therefore, she wouldn't do this job forever.
But she wouldn't share these plans with Lu Mingzhe.
"What can I do? Your mother is right. Besides this face, I don't have any other skills."
Lu Mingzhe disliked hearing her say that.
"Who says you don't have other skills? I will repay what I owe you bit by bit."
"What do you mean? Didn't we agree to have no contact? Are you going back on your word?"
"No, if you truly hate me now, I won't pester you shamelessly."
"But at least when you knew me, I had a house, a car, and a career. It was because of me that I've reached this point today."
"I, Lu Mingzhe, have never liked owing anyone. Give me some time, and I will return everything that belonged to you."
What was the difference between this and being entangled?
He was already married to someone else. If it became known that he was using his money to buy her a house and a car, she would be the one to get scolded.
"No need, Lu Mingzhe. I have no regrets about meeting you. The path I chose was my own, and you don't need to feel guilty towards me."