CH 23

When Shen Tiantian mentioned getting an abortion, Liu Wanjun was somewhat surprised. She remembered that Shen Tiantian loved children very much. Every time she visited the orphanage, she was always the most popular among the kids, and her longing for a family was no less than anyone else’s.

As long as she wanted, they could have children in the future, but her partner might not necessarily be the same person.

Liu Wanjun understood Shen Tiantian, but she also felt sorry for this child. Perhaps because she was pregnant now, Liu Wanjun’s selfishness leaned towards letting her friend keep the child.

She didn’t know what Shen Tiantian was thinking, but she knew that her friend didn’t want to have an abortion either. It’s just that this child came unexpectedly, and they had no idea who the other person was, yet they managed to conceive without any technological assistance.

Liu Wanjun didn’t plan to say much. She rubbed Shen Tiantian’s shoulder and offered her support, saying, “Since you’ve made up your mind, then I’ll just accompany you.”

As the words were spoken, Shen Tiantian’s heart felt like it was being twisted into a knot.

On one hand, there was a child she had never met, and on the other hand, there was a lover she had been dating for only half a month.

She cruelly chose the latter. 

The doctor was accustomed to such situations and, upon hearing her words, nodded indifferently with an official tone, “Considering that you are one month pregnant, if you don’t want to keep the child, now is the best time for the abortion. If you wait for the pregnancy to progress further, the risks will increase as the baby grows. Would you like to reconsider or proceed with the surgery now?”

Liu Wanjun could feel Shen Tiantian’s body trembling.

Indeed, this was incredibly cruel.

“I…” Shen Tiantian took a long time to utter a syllable, “Can it be done today?”

“Of course, we can arrange the surgery for you right away in our hospital.” The doctor’s tone softened as he saw her hesitation. He said, “I took a picture of the baby. Would you like to see it first?”

Shen Tiantian looked up without responding, unable to conceal the longing in her eyes.

The doctor smiled slightly, turned to operate a device, and there was a sound from the printer. After the sound faded, he picked up the printout, glanced at it, and handed it to her.

Shen Tiantian felt her palms getting slightly moist as she slowly took it.

“The embryo has already formed. Look, this little soybean is your child.”

Shen Tiantian lowered her head and stared closely at the spot the doctor pointed to.

Liu Wanjun, seeing the situation, sighed meaningfully, “So tiny.”

Shen Tiantian’s lips curved into a slight smile and she looked up at the doctor, asking, “Will it be painful?”

“No, now the painless abortion procedure is very mature. It takes less than ten minutes, and you can get out of bed as soon as the anesthesia wears off.” The doctor replied.

“No… I mean, will the baby feel pain?”

The doctor and Liu Wanjun were both stunned by Shen Tiantian’s words. The doctor felt a bit awkward and said with an embarrassed expression, “Although a one-month-old embryo doesn’t have a heartbeat yet, it does have sensory perception, so it will naturally feel pain.”

Shen Tiantian’s heart tightened, and she looked down at her still flat stomach, clasping her hands tightly and swallowing hard.

She thought of herself at the age of eight.

That time when she first entered the orphanage, facing a completely unfamiliar environment and people, she still remembers that isolated and desperate feeling. If it weren’t for Kang Jiaya and Liu Wanjun, she wouldn’t have survived to become the person she is today.

Just like now.

The child in her belly is still just a tiny embryo, powerless but a conscious life. If it knew that its mother was going to suck it out, would it feel the same helplessness and despair she felt back then?!

As if awakening from a dream, Shen Tiantian stood up. “I… I want to reconsider.”

She didn’t want her child to experience that kind of despair.

Liu Wanjun patted her chest and said, “Then take some more time to think. Yaya will be back in a couple of days.”

Shen Tiantian made a faint sound of agreement and carefully put away the photo, thanking the doctor.

The two of them walked out of the consultation room, and Lin Haozhi, who was waiting outside, immediately approached them.

“Are you still going to work today?” Liu Wanjun asked.

Shen Tiantian glanced at the time. It was already past ten, and it would take at least  half an hour to get to the company. She shook her head, “No, I won’t go.”

Liu Wanjun was afraid that she would be alone at home and start overthinking, so she wanted to stay and accompany her. Lin Haozhi had to go to work, but he didn’t have much objection.

On the contrary, as the person involved, Shen Tiantian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “I’m not a child, so please put your mind at ease.”

“How can I be at ease like this?”

“I really am fine,” Shen Tiantian emphasized. Seeing that Liu Wanjun still didn’t believe her, she struggled to maintain the smile she had put on that morning, but it gradually crumbled, and with a look of sadness, she said, “I just want some time alone.”

“Alright,” Liu Wanjun knew that her insistence might only make Shen Tiantian more agitated. Before leaving, she said, “Remember, you also have someone supporting you.”

Shen Tiantian felt like she was about to cry. With teary eyes, she nodded.

“Then I’ll go. Call me anytime.”

Shen Tiantian nodded again and, after seeing them off into the elevator, returned to the apartment. She then made a call to manager Tian and asked for a day off.

After putting down her phone, she curled up on the sofa, covering her eyes with her arm.

On the way back from the hospital, she had slowly accepted the fact that she was pregnant.

She wanted to keep the baby.

She knew what this decision meant.

Thinking of Shan Yi, Shen Tiantian’s heart ached.

She didn’t know how long she had been in that position, but her legs had already gone numb. She struggled to move them, feeling pins and needles in the soles of her feet. Helplessly, she sat back down.

Shen Tiantian felt her mouth was dry. When the numbness in her legs subsided, she went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a bottle of icy cold mineral water. However, her hand froze as she was about to unscrew the cap.

It seemed that drinking ice-cold mineral water might not be good for the baby. Since she had already decided to keep it, she had to take good care of it.

She recalled the pain caused by drinking coffee last time and felt a lingering fear.

That time was probably the first time the child protested against her, right?! It turned out that it already had consciousness at that time.

If she had listened to the old doctor’s advice and gone for a check-up, she wouldn’t have had to wait until now to confirm. But she couldn’t blame herself. After all, no one would believe that a woman could impregnate another woman.

Dragging her worn-out body, she didn’t know how she had the courage to confess to the flawless CEO. It still seemed somewhat unbelievable when she thought about it now.

Putting the mineral water back, she switched to boiling water using the electric kettle and casually prepared lunch.

Perhaps because she had relaxed, Shen Tiantian felt sleepy. So after finishing her meal, she naturally went into the bedroom to sleep.

As the mind thinks during the day, dreams occur at night. Shen Tiantian didn’t sleep soundly during this nap.

She dreamt of the CEO.

In her dream, she walked down the street carrying her child and unexpectedly ran into Shan Yi, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time. Shan Yi, unlike her usual gentleness, had a fierce expression on her face as she interrogated her, questioning why she had deceived her and even insulting the child in her arms for having an unknown father.

She panicked and tried to explain, but her throat felt as if it were glued shut, and she could only make faint sounds.

Without waiting for her explanation, Shan Yi coldly glanced at her and turned away without any reluctance.

Watching her receding figure, Shen Tiantian couldn’t hold back her tears and burst into loud sobs on the street. Startled by the commotion, the baby in her arms also cried loudly, attracting a crowd of onlookers who whispered and pointed at her.

Shen Tiantian suddenly woke up from her dream, gasping for breath. She looked around and realized it was just a dream.

She let out a sigh of relief, feeling that her clothes were slightly damp. A few strands of hair in front were wet. She didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that she must look extremely disheveled at this moment.

Even her dreams were reminding her that choosing the child meant breaking up with the CEO.

However, the CEO in her dream was too terrifying.

She forcefully wiped her face and took a deep breath. Perhaps her previous actions were too intense, as a wave of nausea suddenly surged in her stomach. She quickly rolled off the bed and rushed to the bathroom. Bending over, she vomited everything she had eaten for lunch.

Shen Tiantian couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. When would these days get any better?

After freshening up, she went out. She picked up her phone and checked the time. It was past 6 p.m. Rubbing her empty stomach, she didn’t feel like cooking, so she planned to go out to settle the matter.

She changed out of her damp clothes and left with just her wallet and phone.

Unlike usual, Shan Yi didn’t call her on time. By the time Shen Tiantian finished dinner and returned home, it was already 8 p.m. Apart from group chats, there was no personal message on WeChat.

Shen Tiantian didn’t feel disappointed. On the contrary, she let out a sigh of relief.

It was better that she didn’t call. At the moment, she didn’t know how to face the CEO.

Or rather, she didn’t know how to bring up the topic of breaking up.

Because she had taken a nap at noon, Shen Tiantian didn’t feel sleepy for a long time. Almost absentmindedly, she played a prenatal education music track.

Suddenly, a video invitation popped up, startling her.

There was no doubt that it was from the CEO.

Shen Tiantian found it strange. It was already past 10 p.m. Why was the CEO sending a video now?!

She hesitated for a moment but decided to answer it.

Some things are better said sooner for relief.

Shan Yi was lying on her side, her cheeks slightly flushed. Her beautiful eyes were glistening, and the white shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a shallow cleavage that seemed to be inviting trouble.

Shen Tiantian swallowed and momentarily forgot the purpose of answering the video call.

“Tiantian~”

Shen Tiantian: …

“Tiantian, I feel uncomfortable~”

Shen Tiantian couldn’t help but laugh and cry. Was the CEO drunk?!

She… looks quite cute.

“Tiantian…”

After a silence that lasted for more than two minutes, Shen Tiantian softly made a sound.

“I miss you~”

“Do you miss me?!”

Although Shan Yi asked this question every day, Shen Tiantian didn’t dislike it at all. She didn’t want to deceive herself, so she nodded honestly.

Shan Yi was pleased with her response and chuckled softly. Then there was no more sound, only the steady sound of her breathing came through the screen.

Shen Tiantian: …

In the previous moment, they were talking, and in the next moment, she fell asleep.

Shen Tiantian carefully examined Shan Yi’s sleeping face and couldn’t help but raise a gentle smile at the corner of her mouth.

Even while asleep, the CEO still looked adorable. Her high nose bridge was partially covered, and her long eyelashes concealed the shadows beneath her eyes. Her sleeping posture seemed elegant.

After looking for a while, there was a slight sense of familiarity.

This sense of familiarity wasn’t the first time, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly who she resembled.