The old man rolled his eyes. "Do you believe an outsider would be so good to another outsider? Do you really believe that? Could such a strange thing truly happen in this world?"

"..."

After a while, Mother Xu sighed deeply. "Old man, you need to make this decision yourself. Are you going to sell the house for the surgery or not?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The old man sneered. "Didn’t you hear? She can afford a car worth 2,000,000, owns a house and a shop, but doesn’t have over a hundred thousand for her father’s surgery. Do you still think she’s a dutiful daughter to me?"

This time, even Mother Xu was furious. "If you’re going to talk like that, then there’s nothing more I can say. Whether you have this surgery or not is up to you. But let me tell you this: selling the house is your business, and I can’t control who you give it to. However, we have two houses, one for each of us. You have no right to do anything with my share. And I will absolutely *never* leave my house to those two beasts! So, you can just forget about that!"

At the end of the corridor, Yan Xixi encountered Xu Xiaoya, who was rushing towards her. Yan Xixi froze.

Xu Xiaoya’s eyes were red. The moment she saw Yan Xixi, tears streamed down her face. She was simply unable to speak. Yan Xixi, thinking Father Xu had passed away, immediately asked, "What’s wrong? Did he... pass away?"

Xu Xiaoya still couldn’t utter a word.

Yan Xixi let out a long sigh. Indeed, destiny plays a role even between parents and children. If there’s no affinity, it’s best to let go completely. In this world, it’s not as simple as ’I love you, so you must love me back.’ This is true for romantic relationships, and it’s the same for relatives.

But Xu Xiaoya quickly composed herself. Having never harbored much hope, she didn’t feel particularly disappointed or sorrowful. Wiping her tears, she asked, "Xixi, what brings you here?"

She smiled. "I’m at the hospital for a minor checkup. While waiting for the results, I thought I’d drop by to see you."

Xu Xiaoya asked anxiously, "What happened? Are you sick?"

She whispered with a smile, "My ’friend’ was a few days late, so I came to get it checked out."

Xu Xiaoya was overjoyed. "You are? You’re pregnant?"

"Not necessarily. It’s only been a few days late. I’m just getting it checked."

Xu Xiaoya said gleefully, "Oh, I’m sure you are! Xixi, if you are pregnant this time, you must take good care of yourself and have a healthy little baby soon."

Yan Xixi looked a little troubled. "To be honest, part of me hopes so, but I’m also scared. After all, I’m just about to start school, and getting pregnant right now would delay my studies, which isn’t ideal."

"That’s true. Still, a baby is more important. After all, you can study anytime, but a baby isn’t something that just comes whenever you want. Xixi, if you have a baby, Third Master will be ecstatic!"

Yan Xixi laughed too. That man of hers had been pestering her about having a baby constantly these days; she didn’t know why he was suddenly in such a rush. She remembered it being similar the last time. When she’d found out she was pregnant then, she had been terrified and unsure, even considering an abortion. But that cunning man of hers had used all sorts of tricks. In the end, the baby was lost. He had been furious, using it as an excuse to throw a huge tantrum.

"Sigh. He’s just so impatient, always desperate to have a baby as soon as possible."

"That’s understandable. After all, Third Master isn’t young anymore. He was pretty happy when you were pregnant last time, too. Xixi, you really need to seize this chance. By the way, have you set a wedding date?"

"Yes, it’s set. He’s already scheduled it, and we’re going to register our marriage very soon."

"Registering the marriage is what really counts. That way, I can finally stop worrying. Xixi, you know, I often imagine what your baby will look like. I’m sure they’ll be incredibly beautiful and intelligent!"

Yan Xixi fell silent for a moment, an involuntary smile gracing her lips. Deep down, she felt incredibly excited and full of anticipation. If she really were pregnant, it would be truly wonderful news. Even the potential disruption to her studies suddenly seemed less important.

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked to the lab.

In the corridor outside, a long line of people waited for their results. Two self-service machines for printing reports also had long queues. Yan Xixi waited for quite a while for her turn. Then, she entered her information from the request slip and printed her report.

Xu Xiaoya eagerly came closer. "Are you pregnant?"

Yan Xixi had been smiling broadly, but as she carefully read the report, her expression changed instantly. Her hand trembled, and the paper nearly fell to the ground.

(Apologies, I couldn’t update last night due to a broadband outage. Updates will resume as normal tonight.)