Chapter 3

After her promotion, her wallet did not swell much. Instead, expenses seemed endless and boundless: regular meetings, risk control meetings, new product launch events, both online and offline, plus various academic conferences within the city and beyond.

Nu’an had recently developed two new drugs for treating adult HIV-1 infection, formally approved and launched in the first half of the year. Now, with the centralized procurement system reforms, drug purchasing had become standardized and routine. Wen Yi no longer needed to camp out at hospitals around the clock as before, scheming every way to curry favor with doctors for market share.

She trained her team in meetings, then supervised their implementation in the respective departments, completing the most critical phase.

Wen Yi had been at Nu’an for six years. She earned less than Yan Fu and others, but the procurement volume and usage feedback from her hospitals were always the most stable.

She disliked playing games with illusions. The core work of a pharmaceutical representative was to honestly promote their products to doctors, ensuring benefits for the patients who used them.

People nowadays were not fools. The quality of the drug was the fundamental reason for securing volume. Of course, this was also why she had lasted so long at Nu’an.

After finishing the meeting, Wen Yi packed her things and prepared to leave. The North District manager, Tian Jia, sidled up and whispered, “Heard about it? In a few days, we’re getting an airborne director who will directly take over all four districts. Want to know who it is?”

“Not interested. Whoever drops in from above, I’ll just manage my own little plot well.” Wen Yi zipped up her bag. “I’ve been exhausted these days. Slept only at three or four last night. Still have to catch the high-speed train to Sucheng for a meeting later. I need to hurry.”

“Fine then. I’ll give you a surprise when the time comes.” Tian Jia noticed her somewhat pale complexion and asked with concern, “What’s been going on with you lately? It’s just a new drug. You weren’t like this before.”

“Nothing.”

The temperature had dropped these days with strong winds. Since she would be going out soon, Wen Yi put on a black long down jacket. Tian Jia looked startled. “Wen Yi, have you changed your style? In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you wear a down jacket.”

Wen Yi did not explain. She smiled. “Getting older. Need to take better care of my body.”

“Are you sick? Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Really nothing. I’m off.”

Tian Jia watched her departing back, feeling something odd. It was not just the down jacket… Her gaze drifted downward and she was shocked again. Damn, she was wearing flat shoes! The urban beauty who always wore heels over seven centimeters was in flats! Unbelievable.

Wen Yi was only going for one night. She had packed her luggage before coming to the company for the meeting and brought it along. Now she headed straight to the station.

She got into a ride-hailing car. The interior mixed warm air from the heater with various unpleasant odors. Wen Yi’s stomach churned with nausea. She quickly rolled down the window.

The driver glanced back, experienced enough to guess. “Young lady, are you pregnant?”

The cold wind from outside dispersed the stuffy air. The nausea eased a bit. Wen Yi gave a faint “mm” in response.

These days, her pregnancy symptoms had been quite intense: dizziness, nausea, no appetite, excessive sleepiness. Yet it coincided with launching the new drug. She had to spend twice the effort to get her work done properly. It was utterly exhausting.

The driver chatted enthusiastically. “My wife was the same back then. When she was just pregnant with our son, she could barely stand. Had to lie in bed and be waited on. But it gets better after this period. No need to worry too much.”

Wen Yi responded absentmindedly again, turning to watch the buildings flashing by outside. Her thoughts drifted far away.

Who was there to wait on her? No one even to pour her a glass of water.

That day at the hospital coffee shop, as they parted, he said he needed to think and would give her an answer within three days. Now those three days were almost up. He had vanished without a trace, not even a peep.

Wen Yi thought that tomorrow she had a meeting at the hospital anyway. After it ended, she could head straight to obstetrics and gynecology.

She regretted blurting out marriage in a moment of impulse that day. They had not seen each other for ten years. Did she really know his character? Would he be violent? Did she know his family background? Could the child’s life be secure?

Then she wondered if they truly lived together, could she tolerate his taciturn personality? Would their child inherit it?

But on second thought, if the child inherited his looks and intelligence, that would be more than enough. Personality did not matter.

What double standards.

The driver, knowing she was pregnant, drove steadily. Wen Yi leaned back and closed her eyes, though her brows remained furrowed.

These three days, she had been considering it too. For the first half of her life, “no marriage, no children” had been deeply ingrained in her mind. She had never thought about marriage at all, nor harbored any illusions about married life. Yet the arrival of this child she could not abort shattered everything, forcing her to confront the issue.

Ms. Wen had never shown her what a complete family should look like. She had never experienced the warmth of a loving father and mother. Her impressions of marital relationships came entirely from hearsay: so-and-so abused his wife, so-and-so kept a mistress and had an illegitimate child. It all fit that saying—good news stays home, bad news travels far.

As an adult, running around hospitals more, she had seen too many of the world’s coldest and most sordid affairs. Famous quotes were famous for a reason: husbands and wives are birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly apart.

Wen Yi sighed inwardly. If Director Zhang had not mentioned the blood bank shortage back then, none of this would have happened. By now, this soybean-sized embryo might have already had its seventh-day memorial.

As things stood, she lacked the courage to be a single mother. She did not want Ms. Wen to suffer through it all again. Yet she stubbornly tried to drag someone else into the game. When he hesitated even once, she began tearing herself apart, questioning life. Every path seemed a dead end.

Lost in thought, she arrived at the train station. Wen Yi paid, thanked the driver, and got out.

The one-hour high-speed train passed in the blink of an eye. At the hotel, she ordered a bowl of noodles. With little appetite, she ate a few bites, set it aside, vomited again, and finally collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion and fell asleep.

In her hazy slumber, perhaps because she had thought too much about “disposing of the evidence” during the day, the child came to her in a dream to complain. It cried and fussed. When nursing, it bit her hard. Wen Yi looked down and was startled by her own swollen breasts. She woke up.

Her phone was ringing. Wen Yi ignored it at first, reaching to touch her chest. It truly was swollen and painful, feeling like it had grown another cup size. Wen Yi instantly had a headache. They were already not small. If they got bigger, how would she wear clothes?

Only after the headache subsided did she pick up the persistently ringing phone. No caller ID, but she knew who it was.

“Hello?”

Hearing the weak and listless voice on the line, Qin Nanshan asked gently, “Are you unwell?”

Wen Yi truly wanted to curse him out. Unwell! She felt awful! Dizzy, nauseous, chest pain, head pain—every part of her body felt wrong! Whoever wanted this pregnancy could have it!

But what came out was only, “No. You’ve thought it over, haven’t you?”

He paused.

Wen Yi had figured it out by now. Talking to this man required patience. He really could hold back.

She had little patience since childhood. In the past, she probably would have hung up immediately. But when she started working, she was the one getting hung up on. Patience came with practice. Right now, the person on the other end was her current “client” on the same boat. She had to stay calm.

“Where are you? I want to tell you in person.”

Wen Yi smiled. “In Sucheng. Will you come?”

Another silence followed. Then he said, “It’s seven now. If I leave, I’ll arrive at nine. Will that disturb your rest?”

Wen Yi was surprised. “You’re really coming?”

“Yes. Send me the address.”

The call ended abruptly. Wen Yi stared blankly, not expecting him to actually come.

After sending the address, she waited with half expectation and half doubt, glancing at her phone one moment and the door the next. It felt like those early days waiting outside the consultation room for the doctor’s verdict— a touch of unease and anxiety.

Growing impatient, she removed her makeup and showered. As she finished, the doorbell rang. She opened it to see the man outside, travel-worn yet still impeccably dressed, exuding a clean and refreshing aura. His brows and eyes were calm, showing no hurry or irritation from the rush.

Wen Yi stepped aside to let him in.

The room was small. Qin Nanshan paused by the small tea table next to the TV, in front of a bowl of congealed noodles. He turned back. “You haven’t eaten?”

Wen Yi ignored that. “Whatever you have to say, say it quickly.”

“Eat something first.”

“I’m not hungry.”

His expression showed some helplessness. “I just got off work and rushed here. I’m hungry.”

Wen Yi muttered under her breath. “Such a hassle.”

Qin Nanshan opened a delivery app and asked considerately, “Any dietary restrictions?”

“None.”

It would take a while for the food to arrive. The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. Wen Yi played the host and politely invited him. “Sit.”

He did not sit. He stood straight by the TV, looking at her directly. His gaze was so straightforward that Wen Yi glanced away, her eyes landing on the dusty bedside lamp. The dim yellow light cast a warm tone, inexplicably soothing.

In the quiet, his clear and refined voice sounded. “Wen Yi, I agree to get married.”

“But we haven’t seen each other in many years and are not familiar. There are things you should know clearly before marriage.”

He spoke logically and clearly, enunciating precisely, as if he had drafted it in his mind beforehand. “My parents are retired at home with generous pensions and good health. They don’t need my care. I have a younger sister who just graduated this year.”

“These past two days, I took time to organize my assets. I currently live near the school in a small two-bedroom, which is under my parents’ name. Additionally, there’s a four-bedroom in the city center under my name, with no mortgage.”

“One car for commuting. Monthly salary over twenty thousand, plus a settlement fee that can be released after procedures. Also some investments with semi-annual dividends that cover daily living expenses.”

Wen Yi thought inwardly that he did not need to be so detailed.

“For the child’s future education, no need to worry. From kindergarten to high school, it’s all secured. But raising a child is expensive now. I’ve estimated from pregnancy to birth—formula, hiring a confinement nanny, then tuition, early education classes, interest classes—averaging about twelve thousand per month.”

Wen Yi could not help interrupting. “Isn’t it a bit early to talk about this now…”

Qin Nanshan remained calm and composed. “There will be many unexpected situations in the future. I just want to let you know my circumstances in advance. As things stand, raising a child is not a major problem. However,”

He paused for a moment before continuing. “However, my job has a low ceiling. I probably won’t get rich in this lifetime.”

Hearing the last sentence, Wen Yi burst out laughing with a puff.

The corners of the man’s mouth slowly curved into a faint smile. His upright posture relaxed slightly as he leaned against the TV cabinet.

“As for emotional matters, I am single and this is my first marriage. I had a girlfriend a long time ago, but we no longer keep in touch. The people I interact with are mostly students and married faculty. There is no possibility of infidelity, nor will there be. You can rest assured on that.”

Wen Yi finally turned to look at him. Today he was not wearing a tie, giving him a bit more relaxed feel than that day, yet he still conveyed an air of solemnity, especially with the earnestness in his brows and eyes.

She was no longer young, held a local household registration, and was beautiful. Doctor colleagues on good terms with her always wanted to introduce potential partners: managers or vice presidents of listed companies, striving hard with millions in annual income; second-generation rich who could win without effort, marrying in to become a wealthy madam directly; or self-made young men with bright futures ahead.

Someone like him was rare. Probably in the eyes of matchmakers, a saleswoman like her did not match with intellectuals like them. Teachers paired with teachers. The woman standing beside him should be an intellectual and elegant female PhD.

Wen Yi smiled self-mockingly. She was truly wronging him.

In reciprocity, she asked, “Is there anything you want to know about me?”

Qin Nanshan shook his head. “No. If you accept my situation, we can get married.”

Wen Yi did not understand. “Why? Aren’t you afraid I’ll cheat you?”

“No.”

“Aren’t you afraid the child isn’t yours?” No man was indifferent to that.

He paused as expected, then looked at her. “I believe there is still basic trust between people.”

“But we haven’t seen each other for nearly ten years.”

He only said, “Wen Yi, I trust you.”

The decisive tone paired with his serious and solemn face formed convincing words. Wen Yi stared blankly for a moment, then pressed her lips together. “How did I never notice before that you’re so talkative?”

Both times she met him, he had spoken at length. She barely had a chance to interject.

Qin Nanshan’s gaze focused slightly. He continued, “I should still count as a normal person.”

Wen Yi’s smile gradually faded.

He waited a moment, then asked softly, “What do you think?”

Clearly, she had been the one to ask if he wanted to marry. Now he had turned the tables, leaving her confused.

She shifted, the rustling sound of the blanket the only noise in the space.

The atmosphere grew tense, as if giving an answer would decide her entire life.

Fortunately, the delivery person arrived just in time, buying Wen Yi a little more thinking time.

Two dishes and one soup, packaged elegantly. Qin Nanshan took them out and arranged them, opening the lid for her portion. “Come eat something.”

Wen Yi was indeed hungry. She sat over.

Qin Nanshan pulled a movable small sofa from nearby and sat across from her.

This was Wen Yi’s first time eating with him. She took two bites and looked up. The man’s refined features were softened by the warm glow in the room. He chewed slowly, his movements graceful, quietly as if adhering to the excellent virtue of no speaking while eating and no talking while sleeping.

He brought up the next steps. “If you agree, when we get back, we can find a time to meet your mother first?”

But the next second, Wen Yi covered her mouth. “Ugh……”