Zong Jinghao received a text from Qin Ya after he showered. She said that Lin Xinyan was going for a prenatal checkup the day after tomorrow. She also texted him the hospital’s name and address.
Now that Qin Ya had already done her part, it would depend on Zong Jinghao what he wanted to do.
After Shen Peichuan gave her Zong Jinghao’s number, Qin Ya texted him and asked him to keep her identity from Su Zhan. Zong Jinghao agreed, but in exchange, he wanted live updates on everything related to Lin Xinyan every day.
Qin Ya readily agreed to his condition. On one hand, she wanted to keep her identity a secret from Su Zhan; on the other, she hoped Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao could get back together.
Zong Jinghao decided he would definitely show up to Lin Xinyan’s prenatal checkup. After all, Qin Ya gave him an early notice so that he could have time to prepare.
Zong Jinghao planned on going over for a few days, so he packed extra sets of clothes. He did not want his trip to be brief and hectic this time.
He pulled a few connections and managed to have everything planned out on the day of Lin Xinyan’s appointment.
After sending the kids to school, Qin Ya and Lin Xinyan went to the hospital together.
Ever since Lin Xinyan got to C City, she had been visiting the same doctor at the same hospital.
Over at the hospital, the doctor gave Lin Xinyan a checklist of checkups that she needed to do for that day. It had been four months since she last visited and the doctor told her last time that she should come on an empty stomach for her next checkup in order to do the down syndrome screening test. She also had to do a 4D ultrasound to ensure there was nothing abnormal about the fetus.
The doctor had seen her medical record before and was familiar with her condition. On top of that, the doctor was a renowned obstetrician.
Lin Xinyan was confident that the doctor would do a good job.
“You’re four months into the pregnancy, but you’re still a little underweight. You have to rest more and make sure you maintain a healthy diet,” the doctor advised.
Lin Xinyan smiled and said, “I don’t usually gain weight.”
“You’d better keep this a secret or else many girls will get green-eyed.” The doctor chuckled.
Everyone was trying to lose weight these days, especially young women. It was their dream to never gain weight no matter how much they ate.
“This is the first time you’re doing a blood test. I’ll get a trainee doctor to go along with you,” the doctor said.
Lin Xinyan was surprised. She did not know that the hospital had such services.
But she thought it was unnecessary since Qin Ya was there with her. “It’s fine, doctor. My friend is here with me,” Lin Xinyan replied.
“This trainee doctor is still studying. Some clinical experience will be good for him,” the doctor said, smiling. In truth, she was asked to make sure Lin Xinyan agreed to have the trainee doctor follow her.
Lin Xinyan finally gave in and nodded. “Alright, thanks,” she said with a smile.
“Don’t mention it. In fact, I should be the one thanking you,” the doctor responded with a grin.
Lin Xinyan looked at her with her eyes wide open. “Huh? Why? What do you have to thank me for?” she asked cluelessly.
At the same time, Qin Ya was staring at the trainee doctor who stood behind the obstetrician.
He was dressed in a white coat and a blue cap. It was impossible to see his face since he wore a mask and a pair of goggles.
If she did not know beforehand that Zong Jinghao knew about Lin Xinyan’s checkup today, she would never have thought the trainee doctor she was staring at right now was him.
But from what the doctor said, Qin Ya could very well guess that it was Zong Jinghao from his height.
Luckily, he is all dressed up, otherwise, Lin Xinyan will definitely realize that it’s him.
“I mean, there are not a lot of male doctors who want to be an obstetrician. Look at him, he’s got himself all covered up because he’s shy. I should give him a little more exposure,” the doctor explained.
It wasn’t until the doctor pointed towards the trainee doctor that Lin Xinyan realized that there was another person standing in the corner of the room all along.
Qin Ya took the list given by the doctor and helped Lin Xinyan up. “Alright, enough questions. Let’s get going,” she told Lin Xinyan.
Lin Xinyan looked at her and wondered if she really asked a lot of questions just now.
She was not aware of it and decided to ask her friend.
“Was I really asking too many questions?” she asked Qin Ya.
“Not really. I just don’t want you to waste any more time. You haven’t taken any breakfast, so we need to hurry and get everything done in order for you to eat,” Qin Ya answered. She helped Lin Xinyan to the door and said to the trainee doctor, “I’ll go settle the bill, make sure you take good care of her.”
Lin Xinyan wanted to call her friend back but Qin Ya left without losing a beat.
She looked at the trainee doctor shyly and said, “Sorry to trouble you.”
The trainee doctor gestured her to follow after him without saying a word. Hmm, he must be really shy! Lin Xinyan thought and shrugged her shoulders before following after him.
They were on the second floor, and the blood test department was on the first floor. But they could not take the elevator, nor could they use the escalator because it was out of service. They had no choice but to use the stairs instead.
Seeing Lin Xinyan was about to step down the flight of stairs, the trainee doctor reflexively held out his hand. Yet Lin Xinyan brushed off his hand because she felt uncomfortable. After all, the trainee doctor was a man and Lin Xinyan had no trouble walking on her own. Nevertheless, she soon realized she might have been too harsh on him, so she said, “I can walk on my own, there’s no need for you to help me.”
The trainee doctor seemed to have realized that his action was too brash, so he pulled back his hands and walked beside her slowly.
He followed her closely so he could catch her in case she missed a step.
Lin Xinyan walked down the stairs slowly and taxingly as she held on to the handrail.
After they reached the first floor, the trainee doctor walked in front of her and continued leading the way.
Lin Xinyan could not help but feel that he was too nice to her. In fact, he was so nice to the point that it made her feel uneasy.
She glanced behind her, hoping that Qin Ya would come back soon, but her friend was nowhere to be found. Left with no choice, Lin Xinyan withdrew her gaze and continued following the trainee doctor.
When they reached the blood test department, there was already a huge crowd. Everyone was lining up and waiting for their turn.
They needed the receipt so they could get a number, but Qin Ya was nowhere in sight.
Meanwhile, Qin Ya had thought that she could entrust Lin Xinyan to Zong Jinghao for the rest of the day, but it suddenly occurred to her that they needed the proof of payment, so she came to the blood test department in advance.
Just as Lin Xinyan was about to call her, Qin Ya waved at them and held out the receipt towards the trainee doctor. “Since you’re here to get more experience, I’ll just pass this to you,” Qin Ya said, emphasizing the words “more experience” as if she was trying to tell him that childbearing was a Herculean task.
The trainee doctor shot her a glance and took the receipt. At the same time, Lin Xinyan reached for the receipt but she was too late. She accidentally brushed against his hand and retracted her hand instantly. She glared at Qin Ya and complained, “You’re supposed to accompany me, but look at what you’re doing now.”
Can’t you tell that I’m uncomfortable around him?
“What am I doing now? I’m gonna go get you some food so that you can eat right after you finish your checkup!” Qin Ya reminded her.
“It’s fine, we can grab something simple after we finish the checkup…” Lin Xinyan refused.
“You know what, I really can’t stand the smell of the hospital. I’d rather go buy you some food,” Qin Ya said.
Lin Xinyan knew Qin Ya had a hard time in the hospital herself. Back then, Qin Ya’s injury was serious and she spent such a long time in the hospital she was probably traumatized by the smell of disinfectant. With that thought, Lin Xinyan sighed and finally caved. She looked for an empty seat as she waited for the trainee doctor to come back with their number.
After passing the receipt to the nurse, the trainee doctor came back and stood behind Lin Xinyan.
Just then, another pregnant lady came and sat down beside Lin Xinyan. Her baby bump was much bigger and she was older than Lin Xinyan. She was very sociable and started talking to Lin Xinyan. “How long have you been pregnant?”
“About four months. What about you? Six or seven, I presume?” Lin Xinyan replied.
“Yep, seven months to be exact. Are you here alone? Where’s your husband?” the lady asked.
Lin Xinyan looked at her awkwardly and said, “He’s busy, I’m here with my friend instead.”
“My husband is also busy, but unlike you, I lost touch with most of my friends ever since I got married. I’m assuming this is your first child? You look really young!” the lady remarked.
Lin Xinyan looked at her tummy without saying another word. She was pregnant when she was eighteen, and gave birth to the twins when she was nineteen. She was now only in her early twenties, but this was already her third child.
Behind her, Zong Jinghao looked at her through his goggles. His emotion was securely hidden under his disguise.
Seeing that Lin Xinyan did not reply, the lady thought it was really her first child. “Are you doing C-section or natural birth?” she asked.
“Natural birth, I guess,” Lin Xinyan said. She opted for natural birth when she was pregnant with Zong Yanxi and Zong Yanchen because their sizes were relatively small. But the process was still painful nonetheless.
“I’m going for C-section,” the lady said in a serious tone.
“Why? Isn’t natural birth better?” Lin Xinyan inquired.
“You might not know this because you’re young. But it’s better to go with C-section,” the woman said.
Zong Jinghao leaned forward out of curiosity as the lady sat closer to Lin Xinyan and whispered, “I heard that after giving birth, your vagina gets loosened up. Your husband might find that less pleasurable, you know?”
