“Your brother is dead…” The doctor’s words and merciless voice was ringing in her ears.
Tears were streaming down her face.
She held Zhuang Zijin in her arms tightly and replied, “Brother is still at school. I’ll bring him along next time.”
Puzzled, Zhuang Zijin nodded in confusion and did probe further.
Lin Xinyan wiped away her tears and asked smilingly, “Mom, what do you want to eat? I will buy it for you.”
Zhuang Zijin said nothing but merely clasped her hands around her knees, indicating that she felt unsafe.
When Lin Xinyan was speaking to her, she stared stolidly at somewhere. Her eyes looked dull and weren’t focused on any point.
“Mom…” Lin Xinyan grabbed her by her shoulder, shook her and said, “Talk to me, look at me. I’m Yan, your daughter.”
She recognized her just now and even called her by her name.
Lin Xinyan couldn’t accept that she was so disoriented and could remember something now but forget it the next second.
“Please don’t do that.” Noticed that Lin Xinyan was emotional, the nurse who was patrolling outside entered the room and stopped her.
Lin Xinyan looked at the nurse and asked, “Is my mom’s illness getting worse?”
“It is a normal condition of a patient with mental disorders.” The nurse checked the time and said, “Your visiting time is almost up. Don’t be emotional in front of the patient, or you might affect her.”
Lin Xinyan nodded and said, “I understand.”
Lin Xinyan shared their past stories with her and was immersed in the memories.
Only when the nurse informed her that the time was up, she recollected herself, looked at Zhuang Zijin and said unwillingly, “Mom, I will come back to visit you in a few days.”
“Yan.” When Lin Xinyan reached the door, Zhuang Zijin suddenly said something. Lin Xinyan turned around and noticed that Zhuang Zijin wasn’t even looking at her.
Zhuang Zijin was staring blankly at somewhere and said to herself, “My daughter Yan is pregnant. What should she do when her child has no father?”
She cried as she spoke.
That wrenched Lin Xinyan’s heart.
Worried that she might be unable to hold back her emotions, she turned around and left the room.
She sat on the bench in the passageway alone.
“Yan.” He Ruizhe, who was wearing a lab coat, came up to her.
Lin Xinyan stood up.
When He Ruize was in front of her, he patted her on her shoulder, signaled at her to sit down and said, “I have something to tell you.”
Lin Xinyan sat back on the bench with He Ruize beside her. He Ruize asked, “Have you seen her?” Lin Xinyan replied, “Yes.”
She clasped her hands and her palms were sweaty.
“You must be mentally prepared that she might not fully recover.” He Ruize heaved a sigh and continued, “Since she experienced a trauma, the repercussions will be severe. She will suffer from selective amnesia by forgetting some painful memories and become disoriented.”
Lin Xinyan said while biting her own lips, “She forgot the fact that Xinqi was gone, and asked me why I didn’t bring him along to visit her.”
He Ruize hugged her, rubbed her shoulder and said, “Don’t cry, I’m here. Don’t worry, I will take good care of your mom here.”
Lin Xinyan said while lowering her head, “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” He Ruize closed his eyes tightly for a while, and finally spoke his mind after contemplating about it for many times, “Yan, once the agreement between Zong Jinghao and you expires, can you let me take care of you?”
Stunned, Lin Xinyan looked at He Ruize and said, “Ruize…”
“I know it might be difficult for you to accept me now, but you and I have known each other for so long. I’m not a bad person, who wants to take care of you. If you don’t care about yourself, think of your baby. The baby needs a complete home for him to grow up, and I can do that.”
Since He Ruize said it bluntly, she would be stupid if she didn’t understand it.
She treated He Ruize like her family.
“Don’t worry; I will treat him like my own child.” He Ruize was particularly serious.
Lin Xinyan was baffled and didn’t know how to answer. She finally said, “Ruize, I, I had never thought about…”
“Take your time. Don’t say no for now.” He Ruize looked at her and said, “Have you ever thought that when the baby grows up, what would you say to him if he asks you who his father is? I’m a psychiatrist, and I know very well that a child who grows up in a single-parent family will suffer from personality disorders. Just think about it thoroughly, for your child.”
He Ruize was very sincere and different from his usual relaxed attitude. Since Zhuang Zijin’s could hardly get better and she was poor, her life would be even more difficult once the child was born.
He really wished to take care of her.
Lin Xinyan lowered her head and thought to herself. Part of what He Ruize mentioned was right, as the child needs a complete family for him to grow up healthily. But…
This was not something that she could easily accept.
He was not the father of the child.
Also, he wasn’t from an ordinary average family.
“Yan…”
“Ruize.” Lin Xinyan quickly interrupted her. She took out some money from her purse, handed it over to him and said, “I’m paying you back for the medical expenses that you had previously paid on behalf.”
She was supposed to contact him after visiting Zhuang Zijin, but never thought that they would meet coincidentally, and he even said something that she had never expected to hear.
He Ruize’s face was darkened as he looked at the money. “Did he give you the money?”
Lin Xinyan shook her head and replied, “No, Lin Guoan gave it to me.”
She didn’t tell him the particulars.
He Ruize didn’t believe her. Why would the heartless man give her the money?
“Yan…”
“Ruize, I have to go to the office.” Lin Xinyan stood up, tucks the money in He Ruize’s arms and said, “I owe you this, so I should pay you back.”
She left hurriedly after finished speaking.
He Ruize didn’t catch up with her. He knew that he had to give her more time to digest it as she might be difficult to accept right now.
It was almost noon when Lin Xinyan reached the company.
Someone stopped her as she was walking towards her seat. She was Wu Meixia, Qiu Yi’s best friend. She knew that Qiu Yi was fired because of Lin Xinyan, and even if it was Qiu Yi’s fault, she wouldn’t simply frame her for no reason.
She must have done something wrong in the first place.
“You are late, aren’t you?” Wu Meixia was staring at her.
“I’ve requested a leave.” Lin Xinyan said coldly.
She knew that the whole office was unfriendly to her as a newcomer, and she wasn’t bothered about it. When she was about to walk past Wu Meixia, Wu Meixia grabbed her by her arm and said, “You’re lying!”
She had already heard it from Bai Zhuwei that Lin Xinyan never requested a leave from her.
“I’ve indeed requested a leave. Can you please let me go?”
“No! You’re obviously lying! Do you really think you can do whatever you want just because Mr. Zong backed you once!” They didn’t really think deeply about the incident that happened earlier, and merely thought that Zong Jinghao happened to have help her impulsively.
Lin Xinyan said with a colder voice, “Please let me go. You can reconfirm with Mr. Zong if you don’t believe me.”
She didn’t want to make an enemy with anyone and just hoped to do her job quietly. Why would everyone want to give her a hard time?
“There’s a meeting with the CEO of HSBC Bank at 2pm, and a banquet at 8pm…”
Zong Jinghao walked steadily with his hand in the pocket while listening to Bai Zhuwei reporting on his schedule behind him.
“Let Guan Jing attend the dinner on my behalf.” He spoke without haste.
“But as this banquet is Dingfeng’s centennial celebration, I’m afraid it would be inappropriate if you choose not to attend it.” Dingfeng was a company established since the last century and started off with the jewelry business.
It had a history that spanned 100 years until today…
“Mr. Zong, Secretary Bai.” As if finally found her witnesses, Wu Meixia dragged Lin Xinyan over and said, “Ms. Bai, did she request a leave from you?”
Bai Zhuwei looked up at Zong Jinghao and replied her while shaking her head, “No, what’s going on?”
“She’s late, and even claimed that she took a leave.” Wu Meixia said in a high-pitched voice, “So the newcomers won’t have to follow the rules of the company now?”
