Chapter 171 - Egg Retrieval Day (5)

....

While Luo Guangying and Callum were doing their part of the IVF, Dr. Phillip was still talking to Xiao Lei and Xiao Zhihao to calm both of them down. 

The doctor could tell that they were a little nervous, so he told them about the funny stories in his years of working as a doctor. 

Xiao Lei and her son were laughing at the story of Dr. Phillip witnessing childbirth for the first time.

"Gosh! I can't believe you fainted! It was a good thing that you were not the main doctor in charge!" Xiao Lei covered her mouth as she giggled. "Wait, you're no longer faint-prone are you?" 

Dr. Phillip smirked. "No more. In my defense, back then, I actually fainted from exhaustion more than from shock. I was up for 36 hours before then, and when I saw the baby's head in the v.a.g.i.n.a, I just got too shocked. I mean... I was a young man then, and up to that point in time, the v.a.g.i.n.as that I had seen were all pretty... normal."

Knock!

A nurse when to open the door upon hearing the knock, and in walked Han Ye. 

"Oh, Han Ye. What are you doing here?" Dr. Phillip asked. 

"Erm, I just want to come here to support Xiao Lei."

"Why?"

Han Ye glanced at Xiao Lei briefly and saw that she was looking at him with a frown. Ignoring her frown, he then looked back at Dr. Phillip as he answered in an awkward manner, "Erm... I'm her boss. Her wellbeing is my concern. It's not easy to get a new, trustworthy secretary these days... and I'm afraid I would have to do so if she accidentally hurt one of your nurses." 

"It's awkward. No!" Xiao Lei growled. "Are you my husband now? Why are you in the room? You're not even the future father of this future baby!" 

"Don't think too much. This is for work." Han Ye waved a hand nonchalantly. "Zhihao, tell your mum that I'm just here to accompany her so that she won't feel so alone." 

Xiao Zhihao sighed and looked at his mother. "Mum, in his stories, Dr. Phillip said that some husbands would be in the room during the egg retrieval operation. Why don't you let Han Ye in the room with you? He's not dad, but at least, with him there, I can relax more outside. Otherwise, I can't relax knowing that you're in an operating theatre. Or please let me stay inside with you."

"No, Zhihao, you're staying outside no matter what." Looking at Han Ye, she scratched the back of her head as she muttered, "It's weird though... He's... just my boss." 

"I'm not just your boss," Han Ye chimed in. "I'm also your neighbor. I'm also in a close relationship with the fathers of your future child, and so, it is my responsibility to make sure that everything goes well." 

Xiao Lei glanced at him. She frowned and tried to tell him to get lost by using her eyes, but Han Ye pretended not to understand. 

Instead, he looked at Dr. Phillip with a slight smile as he asked, "Should we begin? What do I have to do?" 

Xiao Lei wanted to argue, but at the same time, she just wanted this to be done with. And so, in the end, she merely sat at a corner while fuming about how the men in her life were so bossy and annoying. 

....

After sending Xiao Zhihao away, Dr. Phillip's nurses began to prepare the adjacent operating theatre. Once they were done sterilizing their hands, everyone went into their own respective positions. 

Han Ye, who was donned in a scrub like Dr. Phillip and the nurses, sat right next to Xiao Lei. Xiao Lei was lying down while the nurse tried to put the intravenous catheter in her. 

After a few tries, the nurse looked up at Xiao Lei and said, "Please relax, Ms. Xiao... You were fine yesterday, so why are you so tensed again today?"

Xiao Lei had more muscle on her than fats, and it made it hard for the needle to pass through her skin. 

Looking at the nurse apologetically, Xiao Lei nodded tersely. Yet how could she relax when she was staring at the needle in the nurse's hand intently?

"Psst!" Dr. Phillip hissed at Han Ye. "Do something," he whispered as his eyes darted between Han Ye and Xiao Lei. 

Han Ye looked at him for a few seconds before turning to Xiao Lei. He had to distract her, but how? Just as he was racking his brain trying to think of something, he heard her mumbling something.

"I told you I can't be brave when you're here..." Xiao Lei complained as she glared at him briefly. "Why are you even here? Go on a date or something, you lousy boss."

Her eyes were soon back on the needle, and her body was completely tensed up...

Xiao Lei had tried. She tried to convince herself that it would not hurt, but she knew that it would. Perhaps it was due to her own fear, but it always felt way worse than what it actually was. 

Instead of being offended by her snide remark, Han Ye smiled slightly as he placed his hand on her arm. He then asked softly, "Xiao Lei, you know... I'm curious... Why are you so afraid of needles? I don't get it. You said before that you aren't afraid of many things in this world. So why needles?"

"I just hate it..." she murmured absentmindedly. She kept taking deep breaths to calm herself down, but to no avail. It was as if the harder she tried to calm down, the more afraid she was. 

Han Ye patted her hand and said softly, "Look at me, Xiao Lei..." 

"What? No. I can't take my eyes off. Go and do something else," she replied while looking at the needle. 

He sighed softly before saying, "Xiao Lei, look at me. They won't inject you now. I won't let them."

"You can't do anything." 

"I can." Han Ye looked at Dr. Phillip, who then nodded before walking away with his two nurses. After they left, he said, "See, I told you I can." 

When Xiao Lei finally turned to look at him, there were tears swimming in her eyes as she said weakly, "You must be thinking how weak and cowardly I am..." 

"No, I don't," Han Ye said with a determined expression. "It's just fear of needles. It doesn't make you a coward."

Wiping her tears away, she scoffed, "Liar." 

"Xiao Lei, trust me, if I get a chance to call you a coward, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I didn't cause I really don't think that you're a coward..." He leaned nearer to the bed and placed his chin on his hand before he asked with a curious expression, "If I tell you a secret, would you tell me why you're so afraid of needles?"

She lay on her side so that she could face him. With a hand folded under her head, she stared at him with a curious expression before replying, "That depends on how big the secret is..." 

"It's a family secret..."

After thinking about the matter slightly, Xiao Lei stared at him with incredulity. "Hah! No way... You can't possibly be the heir to some big a*s conglomerate..." Narrowing her eyes at him, she asked hesitantly, "You're not, right?"

Han Ye laughed softly. "No. This is not a drama. There aren't that many missing heirs traipsing out and about."

"I knew it..." She nodded to herself.

"But..." He stared into her eyes, and there was a hint of desperation in it, as if he just wanted someone to talk to, as if this secret that he was about to tell her was eating him alive. "This is an important secret, to me at least..."

To him, she was his oldest friend and he felt the most comfortable with her. And he really needed to talk to someone about it.

He had Angela Zhang now, true, but with her, he was still not comfortable enough to talk about such private family matters with her. He agreed to make it official when she asked, but he still felt something nagging him deep within the depth of his heart.

For now, he just wanted her to know about the Han Ye now. As for Xiao Lei, since she kinda knew what his past was like, he felt that it would be easier to talk to her about it.  

Xiao Lei looked at him, and she saw, for the first time since earlier, that he had pretty dark eye bags. It was as if he had not slept for a while.

After a while, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine... It's a deal..."