Zong Jinghao left the examination room and walked to the end of the corridor outside with cellphone in hand. Guan Jing took very little time to pick up.
“What do you have for me?” Zong Jinghao asked.
“I’ve completed the investigation.”
“Who was it?”
“Gu Bei’s sister, Gu Huiyuan,” Guan Jing replied.
Zong Jinghao raised an eyebrow but did not seem too surprised.
“Are you busy right now, Mr. Zong? I’ll like to meet in person.” Guan Jing stood by the window as he surveyed the view outside.
“For what purpose?”
Guan Jing insisted, “It would be better if we spoke directly.”
Zong Jinghao glanced at the watch on his wrist, “I’ll be available tonight.”
“In that case, let’s meet in my office,” Guan Jing replied.
Zong Jinghao sensed that his subordinate’s tone was a little off. “I’ll be over at seven.”
With that, the call concluded.
Zong Jinghao lingered in the corridor with various thoughts racing through his mind. He wondered what was Guan Jing’s intention.
To him, Guan Jing’s behavior was suspicious.
In the examination room.
Lin Xinyan lowered her head to ask, “How is he doing, doctor?”
The doctor nodded. “The child is developing well in every aspect, except that…”
“Except what?” The doctor’s pause made Lin Xinyan sit up.
“Let’s wait for Mr. Zong to return. I’ll explain it in greater detail, so you may both be able to make an informed decision.” The doctor’s tone was solemn.
Lin Xinyan’s eyes widened as she observed the doctor’s body language. She tugged at his sleeve. “Can’t you tell me first? I can’t rest easy if you don’t.”
When the doctor saw how nervous she was, he exhaled, “Did the previous doctor caution you against bearing any more children after your last birth?”
She nodded and acknowledged that the previous attending doctor did advise as much and remarked that her body had been strained.
“You are not suited for carrying another fetus to full term as your uterine wall has become thinner since your last birth. It wasn’t noticeable earlier on but as your pregnancy advanced, the increased volume of amniotic fluid and rapid growth of the fetus have placed exponentially greater pressure in your uterus. That could be life-threatening for you. Since we are in the twenty-eighth week, I would recommend that you induce labor in the thirtieth week, or latest by the thirty-second week. Alternatively, you could also opt for birth by cesarian section.”
Lin Xinyan was apprehensive. “I… I’ve never experienced any discomfort…”
The doctor replied sternly, “You would have breached the threshold by the time you experience the symptoms. You don’t have to worry too much about the child’s survivability given the advances in medical care. As he’s been coming along well so far, there should be no problems.”
Lin Xinyan mood was conflicted as she considered that the child would still be premature at thirty weeks.
“Doctor, I’d like to discuss this with my husband.” Lin Xinyan was uncertain how Zong Jinghao would receive this news.
The doctor nodded. “Please go ahead. But remember that you have to come to a decision as soon as possible because we are already at week twenty-eight.”
Lin Xinyan nodded. “Yes, we will…”
“We will what?” Zong Jinghao overheard Lin Xinyan’s last statement when he reentered.
Lin Xinyan smiled. “It’s nothing.” She held her belly as she tried to stand and Zong Jinghao came over to support her. He asked, “How did it go?”
His wife nodded. “Everything is going well.”
Zong Jinghao cast a questioning look at the doctor.
The doctor exchanged a glance with Lin Xinyan before reaching up to adjust his own glasses. “The baby is very healthy.”
Zong Jinghao eyes narrowed as he thought the doctor’s body language was stiff. But he did not probe any further in the presence of Lin Xinyan.
Zong Jinghao put an arm around his wife’s waist and said, “Come on. Let’s be going.”
He picked up the blue bag containing the medical reports and helped Lin Xinyan out of the examination room.
After he walked her to the car and buckled her in, Zong Jinghao said, “Wait here. I have to visit the men’s.”
Lin Xinyan leaned back into the headrest and nodded slightly.
Instead of the restroom, Zong Jinghao went back to the outpatient department to look for Lin Xinyan’s attending doctor.
Though Lin Xinyan did well to hide it, he could sense that she was not as relaxed as when they first arrived.
As the doctor did not seem too forthcoming either, Zong Jinghao decided to seek clarification in order to set his own mind at ease.
The doctor was surprised to see that he had turned back.
“What was the conclusion of my wife’s checkup?” Zong Jinghao went straight for the jugular.
“The child is fine. Better than fine, in fact. It’s just that your wife’s body…”
“What about her body?”
Zong Jinghao was so anxious that he kept interrupting.
The doctor brought up the records for Lin Xinyan’s ultrasound scans and circled the mouse cursor around the readings on the thickness of her uterine walls. “These were carried over from her last pregnancy. As she experienced damage to the uterus, the walls have become much thinner than average. As the pregnancy advances and the volume of amniotic fluid increases, there is a tremendous build-up of vaginal pressure. I’ve advised your wife to opt for induced labor before the thirtieth week to reduce the risk of uterine rupture.”
Zong Jinghao jaw dropped in disbelief. “Nothing was mentioned in our early checkups.”
“The symptoms are not discernable in the early stages.” The doctor paused momentarily before he continued, “I’ve explained this to Mrs. Zong. She said that she would discuss it with you in private.”
Zong Jinghao asked in a low voice. “Is there anything we could do?”
The doctor shook his head. “The fetus will continue to grow in the next few months, which means the pressure within the uterus will also increase…”
“What will happen if the child is delivered prematurely?” Zong Jinghao understood what he was told but still had his reservations.
“There will definitely be a knock-on effect, but given the quality of medical care available and the progress of the fetus’s development, I would put its survivability at above eighty percent,” the doctor stated.
“Eighty percent?” Zong Jinghao did not find these odds to be assuring.
But Xinyan’s health takes priority. He thought as he turned to leave the hospital.
Zong Jinghao was determined to seek expert opinion on this subject matter before coming to a decision.
He acted normally when he got back to the car and asked if Lin Xinyan waited long. She merely shook her head and said no.
“Let’s head home.”
Zong Jinghao then turned the ignition.
Lin Xinyan felt restless after he heard the doctor’s words and did not feel like talking, so she kept his lids shut and pretended to nap.
When he peeked at Lin Xinyan, he saw that she had her lips held tight. He could empathize with how she must be feeling right now.
As he was a father and also a husband, he would not want to see harm come to either his own child or his wife.
His heart felt heavy.
Lin Xinyan opened her eyes when Zong Jinghao reached out to hold her hand. He then said, “Go ahead and rest if you are tired. I’ll wake you up when we reach home.”
She nodded before she reclosed her lids.
Some time passed before the car arrived at the villa. As Zong Jinghao was about to turn into the courtyard, he saw someone standing by the entrance.
