novelraw Chapter 61 Extreme Disparity
Chapter 61 Extreme Disparity
Xue Jingyan paused.
This is the obstetrics and gynecology ward of Corning International Hospital; the purpose of ordinary people coming here is self-evident. He then looked at Lu Xiran's slightly pale face and the anxiety that unconsciously seeped into her…
A thought quickly flashed through my mind.
He raised an eyebrow, walked to a quiet corner, took out his phone, and dialed Gu Yanshen's number.
The call was quickly answered, and Gu Yanshen's deep, steady voice came from the other end: "What is it?"
"You're being too forward," Xue Jingyan said, a familiar smirk playing on his lips, "that's not very nice of you, is it?"
"What do you mean?" Gu Yanshen seemed a little confused.
"Such a joyous occasion, and you kept it a secret so tightly? Even I didn't know, and you didn't ask me to make any arrangements for you beforehand?" Xue Jingyan deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Gu Yanshen's voice carried a hint of doubt: "Just say it."
Xue Jingyan glanced at Lu Xiran, who was still waiting in the distance, and chuckled in a low voice, "Still pretending? I saw it all. Lu Xiran, your Mrs. Gu is sitting in the obstetrics and gynecology waiting area of Kangning International Hospital right now. What, you're pregnant with your little prince and you're not even planning to tell your brothers?"
Xue Jingyan's tone on the other end of the phone was confident and smiling, but Gu Yanshen's pen, which was signing a document, suddenly paused, leaving a small, unexpected ink blot on the paper. He looked up abruptly, his voice unconsciously rising, filled with an unprecedented tension: "What did you say?"
Xue Jingyan could tell from the genuine shock in his voice that he was being genuine, and he began to have doubts. He quickly snapped a photo of the figure in the waiting area in the distance and sent it to him.
Gu Yanshen opened the photo—Lu Xiran sat slightly turned to the side, her brows furrowed, her hands unconsciously clasped together, her gaze lowered, and a faint sense of worry, different from usual, surrounded her. In the background, a corner of the "Obstetrics and Gynecology" sign was clearly visible in the photo.
Gu Yanshen's gaze was fixed on the screen. His heart felt as if it had been suddenly clenched by an invisible hand, then abruptly released, pounding wildly and making his eardrums buzz.
Pregnant……?
The two words exploded in his mind, bringing a brief dizziness, followed by a surge of ecstasy and disbelief that almost overwhelmed him.
His and her child? A little life flowing with their shared blood? Proof that he and the woman he loved so deeply, whom he regarded as his only warmth and refuge, were now more closely and eternally connected?
Those deep-seated desires, which he himself had never carefully analyzed—the most concrete and fervent imagination of the word "family," the secret expectation of ending the long loneliness and having true blood relatives—broke through all constraints at this moment, sweeping over all his thoughts.
The coldness of watching other people's parents' backs in the orphanage, the omnipresent alienation and scheming in the Gu family mansion... all the desolation of the past seems to have been suddenly healed and filled with warmth because of this unproven possibility.
"Send me your location!" he growled into his phone, his voice hoarse with emotion, a far cry from his usual composure.
He didn't even bother to hang up the phone. He jumped up, grabbed his suit jacket draped over the back of the chair, and rushed out with a gust of wind.
"Where are you going?" Lin Chen was taken aback by his rare loss of composure and quickly asked.
Gu Yanshen didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head: "Ranran...she might be pregnant."
Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly. Before he could think, his body reacted faster than his mind, grabbing his things and quickly following: "I'll go with you!"
Gu Yanshen did not object.
As the elevator descended, in the enclosed space, Gu Yanshen dialed Lu Xiran's number again and again. With each monotonous ring of the waiting tone, his heart pounded even harder.
No one answered.
Why aren't you answering the phone? Is the checkup not going well?
Or... was she also afraid, at a loss?
Various speculations battled fiercely in his mind, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the phone so tightly.
Lin Chen drove very fast, remaining silent the whole way, but he could feel the extremely tense aura emanating from Gu Yanshen beside him, a mixture of immense anticipation and subtle unease.
It was an almost pious anxiety.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Gu Yanshen had already opened the car door. The two practically ran towards the private elevator entrance of Corning International.
The elevator ascended at a steady pace, the numbers ticking. In the cramped space, it was so quiet you could hear each other's suppressed breathing.
Just then, Xue Jingyan's phone vibrated. He looked down at it, his expression suddenly turning strange. He looked up at Gu Yanshen, hesitating to speak, "Yanshen..."
Gu Yanshen suddenly turned his head to look at him, his eyes sharp as knives.
Xue Jingyan swallowed hard, his voice dry: "Just now... I asked the nurse to take a look at the medical record... The appointment was... for a termination of pregnancy procedure."
The words "termination of pregnancy" were like an ice pick, piercing Gu Yanshen's burning heart unexpectedly and fiercely.
The color drained from his face in an instant, and his pupils contracted sharply, as if even his breath had been taken away.
All the beautiful images in my mind about children, the future, and warm connections shattered into ice shards in an instant.
After the extreme anticipation came utter despair. The contrast made his vision go black, and his tall body swayed almost imperceptibly as he reached out to grab the cold elevator wall.
No... impossible...
How could she...?
How could she...?!
The phone remained unanswered. Those repeated busy tones now sounded like a slow, agonizing torture.
Lin Chen quickly stepped forward and firmly supported his suddenly weakened arm from behind, whispering, "Don't panic, there might be... there might be a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" Gu Yanshen's voice was hoarse and barely audible, his eyes filled with terrifying bloodshot veins and unfathomable pain. He shook off Lin Chen's hand, as if gathering his last bit of strength.
The elevator doors opened with a "ding".
Like a cornered beast, Gu Yanshen suddenly rushed out, his eyes frantically scanning the obstetrics and gynecology waiting area.
Then, he saw it.
Lu Xiran had just come out of a consultation room, looking a little tired, and was adjusting the hem of her coat.
"Yan Shen?" She looked up and saw him, clearly surprised. "What brings you here?"
Gu Yanshen stopped in front of her, very close. He looked at her, his usually deep and sharp eyes now frighteningly empty, filled with shattered light and an almost deathly despair. The heavy sorrow and disbelief almost materialized, engulfing her.
Lu Xiran was taken aback by the emotion in his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat: "What's wrong? What happened?"