Chapter 43 - Or Am I Crazy?

Arrangements had been made and it was the day that Li Zongying was going to get checked by the doctor of the Qings. The worst thing in this situation was that Feng Xuan couldn't tell anybody about this. It was much like a silent NDA. Even though she trusted Wang Yimin with her life, she couldn't even tell her about this. She and Qing Chen had to fix this. By themselves.

Now, nobody could really make sure about what was about to happen with Li Zongying's trip to the doctor that day. Nobody in the Feng and the Qing family could be spotted with this girl. They didn't want to be careless about starting fires with the media.

"What do you think would happen?" Feng Xuan asked.

"I think we're near the finish line with this," he said taking a bite of his bread. "They are going to test her blood too. Possibly conduct an ultrasound."

Feng Xuan nodded. "And if she's pregnant?"

Qing Chen sighed. "She's not pregnant."

"What if," she pressed.

"Then we'll find something else to cancel her with," he answered. Now, his grandmother's idea did not sound that bad. They might even result to that if it all comes down to the worst. "We'll find another man, or we'll find out if she did something else to get her desired results."

"I just want to get things over with."

Qing Chen took her hand in his. "Me too," he said, looking deep in her eyes. "I don't think I will ever apologize enough for all of this."

"Don't," Feng Xuan said. "We just want to make sure we're not causing harm to anybody."

"We'll know later."

Feng Xuan just nodded. After breakfast, Qing Chen already left for work and since she had no classes for today, Feng Xuan was stuck at home. Qing Chen's grandmother, Xie Changying, told her to keep her phone near. The Qings have a doctor at the hospital that would verify Li Zongying's condition.

Feng Xuan bit her lip. She couldn't focus on the paper she was supposed to be writing. Her mind was too preoccupied about what the results would be.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't be miserable at home and wait for things to happen. No, she was not going to stay there and cloud her own mind.

She got dressed and called for a driver that would take her to The Kingly. Once she arrived at Qing Chen's floor, she found the secretary's desk empty. She thought that Li Zongying was still at the doctor but when she knocked and twisted the doorknob, she found the woman already inside his office.

"Oh!" she said and felt blood rushed up to her face. She did not want to feel that she was invading their privacy but that was what exactly happened.

"Feng Xuan!" called Qing Chen when she made a move to shut the door. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I just thought you were alone and decided to pop up. I didn't know you were busy."

"I'm not," Qing Chen said. "Come here."

She had not taken a closer look at this Li Zongying before. Now that she saw her, she looked like she was just about their age. Young and beautiful. She felt her throat closed up because she finally saw why Qing Chen wanted this woman… why he desired her at that moment.

She felt this overwhelming need to cry but she swallowed her tears and pulled a smile to her face. "Hi," she said to the other woman and held out her hand. "I'm Feng Xuan."

"Hello, Mrs. Qing," she took her hand. "I am Li Zongying."

"It's delightful to finally meet you," she said through clenched teeth and took a seat next to Qing Chen. There she saw an envelope on the glass table. "The results?"

"Yes," Li Zongying answered. "Checked and signed by your family's physician."

Qing Chen pulled the papers out of the envelope and quickly scanned through the pages. Feng Xuan couldn't see anything by his eyes and grabbed the bunch as soon as he handed it to her.

They examined her urine and blood and made multiple tries with it. It all came out positive.

Feng Xuan felt her heart sink a little. Okay then. She was pregnant. "What about an ultrasound?"

"They said it was too early for it. The doctor said I might be four-weeks pregnant and that I should wait for a few more weeks before I get an ultrasound."

Feng Xuan pursed her lips and nodded. Four weeks? Unless Qing Chen's computation was false, there was no way she could only be four weeks pregnant. She frowned and wanted to ask questions but dismissed her instead. "Thank you very much, Li Zongying."

Qing Chen only nodded at his secretary and she left with a small smile on her lips.

"What do we know about her?" Feng Xuan asked. She just couldn't shake this feeling that this was all a fluke.

Qing Chen walked to his desk and pulled a drawer. He handed Feng Xuan the file. "I've reviewed that many, many times already. She graduated with flying colors from her university while working as an errand girl and a receptionist for a celebrity dentist. She clawed her way to feed herself in the city and was supported by an NGO for her scholarship. Most of her money, she sent to her parents—and she still does, who are in the province living a farm life."

Feng Xuan didn't like to see the worst in people. But what would Xie Changying do?

Qing Chen's grandmother would see this as a motive. Get pregnant to a rich man and get out of poverty. Feng Xuan should've been more familiar with this given how her family rose up to the society by selling daughters to rich men.

"Do you think she could be mental?" Qing Chen asked her.

"That's a possibility." Feng Xuan took a deep breath. Looking at Li Zongying earlier, in her light pink dress and dainty shoes, Feng Xuan was used to telling her that she looked fragile but Li Zongying looked so much more prone to being broken.

Qing Chen sat closer to her that they were shoulder to shoulder. He let out an exasperated sigh. "The doctor's out of the equation. But I don't think I could wait another four weeks for the paternity test to happen."

Feng Xuan shook her head. "We have to do something else."

Qing Chen closed his eyes. "We should find another man in her life. Because I can feel it. It's not mine. Or am I just crazy?"

Feng Xuan found herself laughing despite the situation. She laid her head down his shoulder. "Maybe you're just crazy and we are really falling apart." She placed a hand on his knee. "Didn't I tell you not to worry?" she smiled. "We'll fix this. If you said you don't feel it, then we will make sure."

In Qing Chen's mind, his grandmother's words whispered to him 'get rid of her'. But he would never ever do that to an innocent person. Innocent until proven guilty at least. And he drew the line on women.

Feng Xuan raised herself up on her knees and hugged Qing Chen, rubbing his back. They might… they might really separate. Their marriage already had one foot in the grave. "Don't do that, wife," he said, his voice muffled against her coat. "We better get to work. I'll handle the other man side, and you...?"

Feng Xuan thought and managed to wink at him. "I'll think of something."

"Yeah," he smiled back. "You do that."

Feng Xuan was a little scared too. She didn't want to hurt an unborn baby. She had to be careful on what thoughts would get in her head. After consoling Qing Chen, Feng Xuan exited his office.

"Leaving already, Mrs. Qing?" said a sweet voice by her side as she closed the door.

"Yes," she smiled. And there was… something on the face of this girl. She looked different from how she were in front of Qing Chen.

She was… smiling smugly.

Feng Xuan gritted her teeth and pushed her lips to stay upright. She knew that this Li Zongying woman already had an upper hand at her. Li Zongying was the one carrying the possible future heir of The Kingly Empire and she had none. She hadn't even consummated her marriage with Qing Chen yet and this woman already lain with her husband.

"Take care," she said to the girl.

"You too, Mrs. Qing."

Feng Xuan nodded at the other woman before stalking her way out to the elevator. She needed to see her father.

Li Zongying almost didn't keep the laugh that was rising to her throat. She bit her lips so hard that not even a breath came out of her. When Feng Xuan finally rounded the corner, her cream white coat flying behind her, Li Zongying cackled.

She bit her lips to stop more and sipped on her tea. "That woman is so stupid. She shouldn't have been Mrs. Qing in the first place."