Chen Jin roared, "Shut up, don't you dare insult him!"
He clenched his fist tightly again, his teeth gritted as he snarled, "Lin Wan, don't force me to take action."
"Don't you dare threaten me again," Lin Wan shouted, like a mad rabbit, leaping up and shoving him away. Chen Jin wasn't prepared and ended up sitting hard on the ground, his back slamming into the steel glass coffee table with a muffled thud.
Lin Wan panted heavily as she stood up, grabbing the paper from the coffee table and shaking it at him. With a cold laugh, she said, "Chen Jin, this is your birthday present. Do you like it?"
Chen Jin sat on the floor, his spine feeling like it had been broken, numb and unfeeling. He didn't even know how to get up. The accumulated fatigue from his trip and exhaustion from the days prior hit him like a wave, suffocating him. He just sat there, staring up at Lin Wan, who looked down at him with a paper in hand, waving it triumphantly like a victorious soldier. Hearing her words stirred a mix of emotions, and there was even a hint of grievance. He had lived for thirty-two years, and aside from the incident that brought him to the dust, he had never been trampled like that. This woman, this fragile woman, had knocked him down and stomped on his heart, crushing it without mercy.
Lin Wan's next move shocked him even further. She tore the paper into pieces and scattered it over his head, as if she were throwing flowers from heaven. Before he could even react in anger, she smiled sweetly and said, "Chen Jin, happy birthday."
Chen Jin felt that the simplest of greetings had turned into the most poisonous curse. His back suddenly regained feeling, the pain hitting his nerves like a punch, stirring up a deep, indescribable pain in his chest. His birthday, the anniversary of his child's death—he realized he would never forget this day. Perhaps, every birthday for the rest of his life would be a reminder that on his thirty-second birthday, he lost a child...
With that thought, Chen Jin felt like a balloon that had been pierced. The urge to leap up and fight her vanished. He raised a hand and pointed toward the door, not even looking at Lin Wan, his teeth clenched as he growled, "Get out. I don't want to see you again in this lifetime."
Lin Wan stood there, breathing heavily. Hearing his words, she paused for a moment, then turned around without hesitation and walked toward the door. She was just a step away when she suddenly heard the sound of a rush of movement, and before she knew it, a powerful grip like an iron clamp grabbed her arm, almost pulling her off balance. Chen Jin stood in front of her, out of breath, pointing a finger at her nose, his voice seething with fury, "Lin Wan, listen carefully. If you dare step out of here today, I swear I'll break your legs."
Chen Jin slammed the door behind him as he left. The loud noise made Lin Wan flinch, and she suddenly felt a chill. Only then did she realize she was sweating heavily. For the past few days, she had been feeling cold and dressed heavily when she went out, but after the chaos just now, the clothes she was wearing were now soaked.
She didn't have the energy to think about whether she had just lost her chance at freedom, nor did she have time to celebrate the victory she had just achieved. Perhaps in the business world, there are wins for both sides, but between men and women, it's always a battle where both sides lose. Right now, she only felt exhausted and sad. She had used her own child. Now, she was no different from Chen Jin—willing to do anything to achieve her goals. The cruel words that came out of her mouth felt like they had grown legs, and she ran out of her, piercing him, but hurting herself even more.
Before Lin Wan could decide whether to go back or leave, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, as though someone was twisting her organs like they were a wet cloth. A warm flow rushed out. She quickly rushed to the bathroom, unbuttoned her pants, and saw that the sanitary napkin had already been soaked in blood. She felt like a patient who was fainting from the sight of blood but had no choice but to face it. She painfully pulled out the heavy napkin and tossed it into the nearby trash bin, then slumped in the washroom, sitting there for a long while. Only when the pain subsided did she weakly straighten up and take a new sanitary napkin from the cabinet to change.
After cleaning herself up, she didn't flush the toilet immediately. Instead, she stared blankly at the red stain in the toilet. This scene wasn't unusual for women, but at that moment, it felt strikingly surreal. Yet she couldn't stop looking at it. After all, that was her child... Then something strange happened. The red liquid slowly started to shift and change, forming a shape. Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze, her eyes widening as the shape began to materialize. Before her stood a curled-up fetus.
"Ah!" Lin Wan screamed, losing her balance and crashing to the floor. Fear engulfed her, and she curled up, clutching her head, seeking some semblance of safety. It took a long time for her to snap out of her daze. She realized she had fallen into another hallucination. She had heard that many women who had abortions experienced nightmares due to guilt. Her situation was more severe than theirs because she had a condition. She had to take medication. With that thought, she struggled to get up, but her body felt as though it had betrayed her, too heavy to rise.
"Wan Wan..."
A familiar, concerned voice rang in her ears. Lin Wan jumped in shock. Was she hallucinating again? She slowly turned her head, and there, standing at the bathroom door, was Chen Jin, his face filled with disbelief.