I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 93
Only Ye Mingxin could do such a heart-attacking inducing thing like going public on her livestream on Lunar New Year’s Eve.
It was a good thing she went public in the morning. By evening, everyone who needed to know was aware, and the news didn’t steal the limelight from ongoing Lunar New Year celebrations. Otherwise, she and Han Feixu would be topping the trending searches for the entire Lunar New Year*. (*T/N: Lunar New Year is celebrated for ~15 days.)
Ye Mingxin didn’t care about the commotion she had set off outside her house and was simply content to stay at home to spend Lunar New Year with her family.
It was rare for her to get any free time during the year. Although they couldn’t light up fireworks anymore, the festive atmosphere of the new year wasn’t any less with her family around.
Compared to just a year ago, Ye Mingxin felt like crying with happiness right now.
After midnight, their phones buzzed nonstop with Lunar New Year’s greetings. They answered each one, replying with their own new year greetings and so it wasn’t until 2 AM that everyone gradually went to bed.
The next morning, around eight o’clock, everyone dressed neatly and ready to pay Lunar New Year visits to their other relatives and friends. There weren’t many places to go, just to the home of Ye Mingxin’s Grandpa’s brother, Yan Yuerong’s uncle, and the Jiang and Yu families. Han Feixu didn’t participate in these visits in the past, but since their relationship was public now, she was also included in the visits.
Sitting in the car, Han Feixu, dressed in her new clothes, checked the reviews of films released on Lunar New Year on Maoyan Movies’* website. (*T/N: Maoyan Movies is the nickname/shortened name for the Chinese company “Tianjin Maoyan Weiying Culture Media” which owns the largest online movie ticketing website. They are like Fandango or Ticketmaster (but for movies). They also produce/distribute/rate films.)
Lunar New Year films usually don’t have premieres, so the current reviews were from opening night. ?Barrier Lake? was highly praised as expected, and Han Yiren’s performance was noteworthy. After a while, Han Feixu suddenly looked up, “I haven’t seen much of Han Yiren recently.”
“Chang Hao and his wife had a big fight. He had to withdraw all investments and resources from Han Yiren in order to appease his wife. So as soon as her backer withdrew, many took the opportunity to step on her while she was down. Her agency, not wanting any trouble, seemed to have abandoned her too.”
Ye Mingxin responded in an indifferent tone but Han Feixu felt a little sad after hearing this, “Is she finished then?”
Ye Mingxin paused what she was doing, “It’s hard to say. I guess it’ll depend on her own strength. Mrs. Chang utterly despises her and with her around, it would be difficult for Han Yiren to make a comeback in the next few years unless she can keep a low profile and bide her time.”
“How long will she have to wait?”
Ye Mingxin thought about it for a moment, “Until Mrs. Chang calms down. But she’s famous for holding grudges, so it’s unlikely she’ll ever calm down. Hmm…. Han Yiren could always wait until Mrs. Chang dies. She’s about thirty years younger, so it shouldn’t take too long.”
Han Feixu: “…”
Han Feixu had played a part in causing trouble for Han Yiren, even if she didn’t directly participate in it. She had allowed Liang Zhu to do so, however. Looking at Han Yiren’s photo among the cast photos released in the movie credits, Han Feixu fell silent.
Han Feixu told Ye Mingxin her thoughts and Ye Mingxin suddenly remembered what Nan Zhihan* said. It seems even great masters can be wrong. How could a little girl who was now so insignificant to her cause her teeth to itch with hatred? (*T/N: A reminder that Nan Zhihan is one of Han Feixu’s favorite writers and someone who dabbles in fortune telling. She shows up around chapter 60 and predicts what Han Yiren’s future fate is.)
They prepared to leave a little past midnight for their trip to Iceland. When Ye MingDe heard about it, he was ecstatic about being invited for a vacation in Reykjavik* and didn’t realize he was being brought along as a nanny. (*T/N: Capital of Iceland)
After another day at the grandparents’ house, Ye Mingxin and Han Feixu drove home in the evening to pack their things. Yiyi stayed with her grandparents and would be picked up later for their flight.
On the way back, Ye Mingxin drove while Han Feixu listed what to bring, down jackets, thermal pants, umbrella…
“Where are we staying by the way? A hotel?”
Ye Mingxin shook her head, “No, I asked them to rent a castle. It’s not a hotel, but if you’re still worried about cleanliness, we can bring some personal items.”
Han Feixu nodded, “Then I’ll bring some towels for us. We shouldn’t buy them there since who knows what their towels are like. Our little girl’s skin is too delicate for ordinary towels.”
As they approached a traffic light, it turned red, and Ye Mingxin slowly stepped on the brakes. Just past this light was the entrance to their community, Lawrence Homes. Since it was the first night of Lunar New Year, the roads were unusually deserted.
The temperature was near 0°C, but the coldest days had passed, and the weather was warming up. Spring was on its way, but it was still not warm enough to go outside without freezing.
Outside the car, the north wind howled, and Han Feixu’s constant chatter filled up the silent car. Just as Ye Mingxin was about to tell a joke, a figure crossed in front of them.
A girl hurriedly dragged her suitcase behind her, stopping for a moment to check her phone and confirm her direction before moving on.
Ye Mingxin frowned as she watched the figure, and called out to Han Feixu, “Doesn’t that person look a bit like…”
Before she could finish, just as Han Feixu was about to look up, she heard Ye Mingxin’s startled scream, accompanied by a dull thud. Ye Mingxin gasped and instinctively threw herself over Han Feixu, covering her eyes tightly, “Don’t look!”
Han Feixu quickly realized what happened: a car had crashed. Han Feixu quickly pulled Ye Mingxin’s hand away to look forward. She missed the worst part but she saw the responsible vehicle was quickly speeding away.
A suitcase was shattered into pieces, its wheels still spinning from the momentum, and the girl lay on the ground, her condition unknown.
Ye Mingxin and Han Feixu’s eyes widened in shock. They looked at each other and hurriedly opened the car doors to rush over to the girl.
In a life-or-death situation, who cares about potentially being recognized on the streets? Without a second thought for their masks and sunglasses, they both rushed over to help. The area, being a wealthy residential zone with sparse buildings and large land per lot, had very few passing cars and was disturbingly quiet despite being in a city. Han Feixu hurried over, silently praying as she knelt down and turned the girl over.
Ye Mingxin was dialing 120* when she glanced over and froze. (*T/N: The number used in China to call ambulances. 110 is for police/all general emergencies and 119 is for firefighters)
The girl was Han Yiren. She weakly blinked up at them. She seemed to be trying to speak but lost consciousness before making a sound.
Her fainting nearly scared Han Feixu’s soul into flying away. Han Yiren was in a horrific state and she thought she might’ve died. Only after checking her breathing did Han Feixu collapse in relief at her survival.
Although Han Feixu wasn’t the one who hit her, witnessing a life slipping away before her eyes would inevitably form a deep impression in her mind.
The ambulance arrived quickly. After the initial panic, Ye Mingxin regained her composure and fetched sunglasses and masks from the car. She called Qi Yu and Ye MingDe, the former to handle the paperwork and media, and the latter put them in touch with the best doctors he could find.
Ye Mingxin’s actions weren’t out of kindness. She actually disliked Han Yiren quite a bit, but she didn’t want her to die. She would try to save her life, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.
The police checked Han Yiren’s phone and called her agent, who was in Thailand and couldn’t return immediately.
Ye Mingxin frowned, “What about her family?”
The young 25-year-old officer, a fan of Ye Mingxin, was beyond excited at meeting his idol but remained professional as he put the needs of the people above his own.
With a blushing face, he said, “There are no contacts in her phone. My colleague is checking, and we’ll call her family once we find their contacts.”
Ye Mingxin nodded, “Then can we leave now?”
“N-No you can’t,” The officer said shyly, his voice lowered in volume, “There might be complications after the surgery. Since you signed the consent forms for the surgery, until her family arrives, you’re responsible for any further issues. Plus, we need to take your statements.”
So many troublesome matters….
Ye Mingxin, pointing to Han Feixu, asked, “Does she need to stay too? We both witnessed the same thing, so I saw everything she just saw. Can’t I just stay by myself?”
Han Feixu spoke up when she heard this, “If you stay here, where will I go?”
“You should return first. Go back to my mother’s house. Don’t pack up your things and just take Yiyi with you on the plane tonight. Once everything is sorted out here, I’ll buy a plane ticket and rush over to Iceland as soon as possible.”
Han Feixu firmly disagreed, “No, Yiyi has her grandparents with her, so they can take her first. I’ll stay with you.”
Ye Mingxin grew frustrated and tried to persuade her a few times, but no matter what she said Han Feixu firmly rejected it. The policeman was also growing agitated, “There’s no need to argue. Miss Han, oh, no, I mean Mrs. Ye, you have to stay anyway. We can’t let you leave without writing down your statement.”
Han Feixu: “……”
They weren’t suspects, but witnesses so their statements were easily written down as they only needed to answer a few questions truthfully. After they completed their statements, the two of them found themselves sitting in the waiting room of the hospital.
Another hour passed, and the young police officer returned, looking troubled as he addressed them both, “We made the calls, but no one answered. Her mother passed away a long time ago and her father has remarried, so no one answered either when we called his phone. When we called her stepmother, she hung up on us after just a few words. If I have to guess….she probably mistook us for scammers.”
Han Feixu was puzzled, “Doesn’t she have any other relatives?”
“No.”
Hearing this, Han Feixu and Ye Mingxin exchanged glances.
No family to care for her, her agency was reluctant to get involved, and her university was on holiday….even Ye Mingxin felt a little sad for her.
How could someone be so unlucky…
According to the police, Han Yiren was lying on the operating table and not in a morgue right now because of her suitcase. Her suitcase absorbed most of the impact from the collision and thus saved her life. The officer, sitting beside them, shared, “I’ve seen the surveillance footage. The perpetrator ran a red light and at first it seemed like it was because the driver was drunk, but it doesn’t add up. Even if the driver was drunk, they should’ve at least seen the person and tried to hit the brakes. But the driver just fled without slowing down even once or hitting the brakes even once… Could it have been murder? Oh lord, who would’ve thought that working in the entertainment industry can be so fatal!”
Han Feixu and Ye Mingxin exchanged looks again, neither saying a word.
It wasn’t like they could suggest to the officer that the driver might have been sent by Mrs. Chang.
Hours later, still somewhat shaken, Han Feixu stood up to wash her hands in the bathroom as she hoped to calm her nerves.
With her gone, the officer remembered something else, “How did you happen to come across Han Yiren?”
“We were on our way home. That intersection leads straight to our place.”
Realization dawned on the officer, “Oh, so it turns out you guys live at Lawrence Homes Community.”
“Ai, could she have been looking for you two?”
Ye Mingxin: “…I hope not.”
This was very likely a murder attempt and she did not want to be associated with such a thing.
They say the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen. As it turns out, Han Yiren was indeed looking for them, but she didn’t intend to meet them face-to-face.
Inside Han Yiren’s handbag, the police found an envelope and a plane ticket. The plane ticket was for a flight scheduled for 11:30 p.m. that night and bound for New Zealand. The envelope itself had nothing written on it, but upon opening the letter inside, four words were written on it: “I’m sorry, Han Feixu”
There wasn’t even a signature on it.
All of Han Yiren’s belongings were given to the police as evidence. Ye Mingxin only learned of the letter through the officers’ conversation, and as she listened she felt more and more troubled. Seeing Han Feixu had not yet returned, she went straight to the restroom to find her.
This time, regardless of what Han Feixu said, Ye Mingxin insisted she leave immediately. She had already called MingDe, who would soon come to pick up Han Feixu. Ye Mingxin advised her not to return to the surgery waiting area and to take the elevator down instead. Whatever happens next, she would explain the situation to the police.
Although reluctant, Han Feixu agreed to leave after Ye Mingxin explained that Han Yiren’s accident occurred while trying to deliver an apology letter to their home. If she stayed, she would inevitably be dragged into the investigation. So, Han Feixu obediently left.
After seeing Han Feixu off, Ye Mingxin returned to the operating room entrance. Just in case, she had Qi Yu summon a lawyer. Sure enough, upon Ye Mingxin’s solo return, the police immediately inquired about Han Feixu’s whereabouts. After informing them that Han Feixu had left, an older officer’s expression turned sour.
They were committed to impartial justice and would suspect anyone necessary, but Ye Mingxin wasn’t concerned now that Han Feixu was gone. Even without Han Feixu, they would’ve been able to solve the case as this matter had nothing to do with them.
They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time= =
Sitting outside the operating room, Ye Mingxin lost track of time. Glancing at her phone, she realized it was already 2 a.m.
According to the original plan, she should be sleeping comfortably on a warm, private jet while cuddling with her wife and child. Then when she woke up, she’d already be in Europe.
But now… she sat in a cold, somber hospital corridor. Occasionally, people hurried past, either patients or their relatives. Despite feeling tired, she couldn’t sleep as she didn’t know when the surgery inside would finish.
Ye Mingxin sat with her arms crossed, her expression dark and gloomy. Qi Yu brought some snacks and water from a 24-hour convenience store outside and he was about to hand them to her when he quickly withdrew his hand in surprise.
Was he seeing things? Why did it look like Ye Mingxin’s body was faintly exuding dark, black energy…
Hours later, the doctor finally emerged and announced the surgery’s successful completion. When Han Yiren was first brought here, the doctor had said that she was not in critical condition. Now, he was completely sure that there was no risk of her dying now.
“In about an hour, the patient should wake up. However, she was just under anesthesia, so she might not be fully lucid. Please take good care of her, and if she wakes up, remember to press the call button for a nurse.”
Ye Mingxin nodded at his words. The police had left a long time ago, saying they would come back early the next day to check on the victim’s condition. The lawyer had taken care of everything else, and now Ye Mingxin was free to leave without being held by the police for investigation.
Watching the nurses wheel Han Yiren into the ward, Ye Mingxin followed and asked Qi Yu after the nurses left, “When is the next flight to Iceland?”
“There are no direct flights left. The next available flight is on the 11th, but you can take a connecting flight. There’s one at 11:50 tonight that takes you through Helsinki*. However, it’s a long journey for a total of 27 hours. You should probably have a meal in Helsinki and then head to Iceland.” (*T/N: Capital of Finland).
Ye Mingxin was in a very bad mood right now. She pursed her lips and said, “Book one for me and one for Lan Zhu. Have her pack mine and Han Feixu’s luggage.”
Is she planning to take Lan Zhu with her?
Qi Yu blinked and agreed, “Okay. And what about Han Yiren?”
“Find a caregiver for her, then leave it be.”
Qi Yu nodded, about to write down a note, but then Ye Mingxin added, “Remember to keep all the medical and surgery bills, as well as the caregiver’s fees. Keep the receipts safe. Once Han Yiren wakes up, we’ll ask her to reimburse us.”
Qi Yu: “…Okay.”
Qi Yu knew well what Han Yiren was like. After some thought, he didn’t find anything wrong with Ye Mingxin’s approach. He made a note on his phone and then asked, “Then are you going back home?”
“No, I’ll stay here. Tell Lan Zhu to meet me here. We’ll go to the airport together.”
After Qi Yu left, Ye Mingxin lay down fully clothed on the bed next to Han Yiren’s. The room was a single patient room, so not as well-equipped as a presidential suite it was still quite comfortable. It didn’t take long for Ye Mingxin to fall asleep. Qi Yu, having finished his tasks, returned and sat in a chair, occasionally glancing at Han Yiren from time to time.
The doctor said she would wake up in an hour, but it actually took an hour and a half. Qi Yu promptly called the doctor, and after a flurry of inspections, the doctor and nurses left as quickly as they had come. Ye Mingxin was woken by all the noise and slowly sat up as she glanced over at Han Yiren.
Han Yiren was lying quietly, staring at the ceiling. Who knew what she was thinking.
Out of basic concern for her fellow human, Ye Mingxin stood up and approached Han Yiren and asked, “How are you doing?”
Han Yiren’visioni was blurry, likely an aftereffect of the anesthesia. After looking at Ye Mingxin’s blurry figure for a while, she hoarsely said, “You saved me.”
Ye Mingxin was silent for a moment. “I wouldn’t say I saved you. It was the doctor who performed the surgery. I just made the call for help.”
Qi Yu, standing on the other side of Han Yiren, was listening to their conversation, but ignored them as he sat down and continued browsing on his phone.
Han Yiren looked up at Ye Mingxin, her eyes gradually reddening. “You’ve saved me again.”
Ye Mingxin felt something was wrong. Again? Where did this “again” come from?”
Ye Mingxin frowned at Han Yiren and waved her hand in front of her, “Do you even recognize who I am?”
Han Yiren, with two tubes inserted in her hand due to blood loss from having just undergone surgery. She looked pale, her skin a ghostly white under the harsh hospital lighting. Ignoring the IV tubes stuck in her hand, she grabbed Ye Mingxin’s hand. Her eyes gradually grew wet, “Why would you save me? I’m not a good person; I’ve been especially very cruel to you. Why would you still save me?”
Ye Mingxin: “….”
Oh, she mistook her for Han Feixu.
As Ye Mingxin tried to pull away, she decided to just go along with Han Yiren’s misunderstanding in order not to aggravate her, “Because I’m a kindhearted person. Now let go.”
Ye Mingxin thought she could easily withdraw her hand, but Han Yiren’s grip was stronger than she anticipated. Afraid of hurting Han Yiren, she didn’t dare to use too much force and quickly looked at Qi Yu for help, “Hurry up and help me.”
Qi Yu, hearing this, promptly stood up. Just as he was about to help Ye Mingxin pull out her hand, he saw Han Yiren weakly close her eyes and place Ye Mingxin’s hand on her cheek. As she closed her eyes, warm tears flowed down, landing right on Ye Mingxin’s hand.
This scene was strikingly beautiful, with a heartbreaking feeling to it. However, Ye Mingxin slightly narrowed her eyes, feeling that something was off about this situation.
Han Yiren murmured, “I was wrong. From the beginning, I took the wrong path. My heart was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, my own greed was my downfall. It’s all my fault. For my so-called ambition, I sacrificed everything – money, family, friends, innocence, and even…the pure feelings of my youth.”
“When I saw you on TV, I truly envied and admired you. My envy and admiration made me want to become you. It was a strange feeling, and I still don’t understand why I felt that way. But gradually, this thought became distorted, I wanted to become you and then I wanted to replace you.”
Ye Mingxin and Qi Yu exchanged glances. Ye Mingxin was feeling fine, but Qi Yu felt a pang of sympathy. This young girl was just a child. A child who had no one to teach her or guide her to the right paths and had gone astray.
They remained silent, continuing to listen as Han Yiren recalled her life’s journey.
Han Yiren paused for a few seconds, tears increasingly streaming down her face, “From the moment you stood up for me last time, I realized my mistake and it was a big mistake. I shouldn’t have treated you or myself that way. I ruined my own life and almost destroyed yours. It fills me with such regret just thinking about it, so much so that I wish I was dead. Today, when that car charged towards me, I thought it was the end. But, at that moment, do you know what crossed my mind?
At this point, even Qi Yu sensed something was wrong, let alone Ye Mingxin.
Han Yiren tried her best to sit up as she tightly clutched Ye Mingxin’s hand, “I thought of you. On the brink of death, I just couldn’t accept it. For I hadn’t apologized to you. I needed to see you. At that moment, I didn’t understand why all I could think of was you. Later, when you arrived and saved me, like a guardian angel, I finally understood everything.”
Han Yiren opened her eyes, looking deeply into Ye Mingxin’s gaze, intense and sincere emotions swimming in her eyes, “I realized I’m in love with you. I never understood what liking someone meant before. I had thought my feelings for you were mere admiration. But if it was just admiration, why did I want to shape my life to be exactly the same as yours? Now I understand why, it’s because I’ve loved you for a long time. Only I expressed it in the wrong way, taking the wrong path. Han Feixu, can you forgive me?”
Holy fu*k….
Please forgive Qi Yu for his limited vocabulary; at this moment, this was the only phrase he could use to describe his shock. He stared dumbfounded at Han Yiren, and upon hearing her last question, he immediately turned to look at Ye Mingxin.
As expected, Ye Mingxin’s expression was as dark as the King of Hell’s right now.
Despite being stared at so affectionately by Han Yiren, Ye Mingxin’s face remained blank for a long time before she turned to Qi Yu, “Can I pull out her IV tubes?”
Qi Yu: “…” If I said no, would you actually be able to control your hand?