Chen Jin stormed out of the house, and it wasn't until the elevator doors closed that he realized something: why the hell did he leave? He raised his eyes to look at the reflection in the mirror, and when he saw the exhausted figure staring back, he was startled. He rubbed his face with his hand, feeling frustrated. How could he have been defeated by a woman? He slumped against the elevator wall, the pain in his back shooting into his brain. It hurt like hell.
Soon, the elevator doors opened, and he realized he had instinctively pressed the button for the basement floor. It made sense; he did need some air. But when he reached into his pocket, it was as empty as a bald man's head—no car keys, no phone, no wallet. Although he could always find a way to leave, he paused, stood there for a moment, then reluctantly returned to the elevator.
Standing in front of his apartment door, Chen Jin thought he would just grab something and leave, but after entering the house with his password, he hadn't even started looking for his things when he heard a faint sob from the bathroom. He immediately rushed over and saw Lin Wan sitting on the floor. When she heard his voice, she slowly looked up, her face full of surprise and confusion. Tears clung to her lashes, and seeing her like this made his heart ache, as if someone had struck him hard.
As he approached, he caught sight of the bright red in the toilet, and his heart sank. He didn't dare look any closer. Instead, he looked down at her coldly and spoke, "Wan Wan, is this your revenge? Hurting yourself to hurt others..."
Suddenly, the description of Chen Zui flashed in his mind—"human bomb." It was fitting. He reached out to help her, but she recoiled. Without another word, he forcefully picked her up and started to walk out.
Lin Wan struggled in his arms. "Let go of me. What are you going to do?"
"To the hospital."
"No."
Chen Jin cursed angrily, "After all this, you still won't go? Do you really want to die that badly?"
"It's a normal occurrence," Lin Wan weakly explained.
Hearing this, Chen Jin almost threw her to the ground. His voice roared, "Is this normal? Is it normal for your blood to run dry? Lin Wan, are you out of your mind? I'm telling you, even if you want to die, it has to go through me first. You still owe me a child..."
He kept muttering angrily as he carried her out the door. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he turned back to grab the car keys and a credit card from the drawer.
On the way to the hospital, Chen Jin drove at full speed. Lin Wan sat beside him, staring out the window at the passing cars. She tried to speak a few times but was shouted back by him: "Shut the hell up, I don't want to hear you talk right now."
Lin Wan closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. She thought, at this speed, they'd probably end up dead before they reached the hospital. But then she thought, maybe death would be better. Living like this, in constant pain and exhaustion, wasn't worth it.
It didn't take long to reach the hospital. Chen Jin rushed in, carrying Lin Wan in his arms. She struggled to get down and walk herself, but he shouted at her to stay still. A nurse approached and asked, "What's the situation?"
"Heavy bleeding," Chen Jin gasped.
Lin Wan quickly explained, "Just had a medical abortion."
The nurse led them to the doctor, who asked detailed questions and then gave them a B-ultrasound order. The doctor explained that they needed to check if the gestational sac had been fully expelled. If it hadn't, a curettage procedure would be required. Chen Jin reacted, asking, "So that means she has to suffer twice?"
"Yes," the doctor responded nonchalantly, "That's the thing with medical abortions. They're less harmful to the body, but if they fail, the pain can be even worse. Many people choose to do a painless abortion instead."
Chen Jin's chest tightened with discomfort, as if someone had squeezed his throat. Watching Lin Wan's frail figure walk away with the nurse made his heart ache. The doctor added, "If you really care about your girlfriend, you should be more careful. A woman's body can't handle this kind of strain more than a few times."
Chen Jin wanted to sneer at the doctor's words, mocking himself. He had always been confident, and the reason he didn't let Lin Wan take the medication was because he trusted his own self-control. But now, he realized, excessive confidence was stupidity. And this stupidity would cost someone else. The world truly wasn't fair.
The ultrasound results came back quickly. The doctor looked at the images and said, "The gestational sac is gone. The abortion was successful. She needs to rest well, and come back in a week for a follow-up."
Lin Wan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but when Chen Jin heard the word "successful," it felt like a knife had been twisted in his heart. Successful? For the first time in his life, that word sounded so sarcastic. Unable to help himself, he asked Lin Wan, "When was the gestational sac expelled?"
Lin Wan paused for a moment before quietly replying, "Probably this morning."
Chen Jin felt another sharp pain. It hurt so much that he almost groaned. He regretted not returning a day earlier. If he had, maybe the child would have been saved. While waiting for the results, he had casually asked the doctor about medical abortions and learned just how long and painful the process was. Lin Wan had been even more ruthless than he had been. While his cruelty was toward others, hers was toward herself. The words Lin Wan had said this morning were so light, but to him, they struck with the force of a hammer. He realized how absurd life was. Thirty-two years ago, he had been born, and thirty-two years later, on the same day, his child had been lost, because his father was a bastard, and his mother didn't care enough to let him live.
As they left, Chen Jin again picked Lin Wan up without a word. She no longer struggled, resting her head quietly on his chest. After walking a few steps, she softly called out, "Chen Jin."
Chen Jin stopped, looking down at her. Lin Wan, her eyes closed, said, "The first time we met was in the emergency room at the hospital."
Her words carried a touch of sentiment, and Chen Jin felt a pang in his heart. He couldn't help but glance at the seats in the hallway. Back then, it was Lin Wan sitting there in his arms. Now, thinking about it, he realized he had already been intrigued by her at that moment. Sometimes he wondered how he could have taken an interest in a woman who was covered in blood and looked like a complete mess. Maybe he was like a bloodthirsty animal, like a shark that gets excited when it smells blood, wanting to devour the girl and all her blood...
"We started here, so let's end here."
Lin Wan's voice was light, like a feather, but to Chen Jin, it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. He couldn't stand it and immediately yelled, "Lin Wan, don't think you can push me around just because I haven't yelled or hit you." He swallowed the wave of sorrow rising in his chest and gritted his teeth, saying, "I'm telling you, right now, I feel like killing someone."
Lin Wan give a bitter smile and said softly, "Don't. I've just killed someone, and let me tell you, it's not a good experience."
"Shut up," Chen Jin said, feeling like he was going crazy. He used to love hearing this woman's voice and would do anything to get her to speak, but now, every word she said felt like a poisoned arrow piercing his heart. It hurt too much.
"You know," Lin Wan continued, "In the past twenty-something years, I've gone to the hospital less times than in the past two years. I even thought maybe the next time I come here, it'll be to the morgue..."
"Wan Wan, stop talking." Chen Jin felt like the pain had numbed him.
"Chen Jin, if one day I die, don't notify anyone. Just take me to a hillside where wildflowers grow in the morning sun. You don't even need to dig a hole. Just scatter my ashes on the ground. That's more freeing than being buried in the earth..."
Chen Jin couldn't take it anymore and exploded again. "Lin Wan, shut the hell up. Don't think I'll fall for your tricks. I'm telling you, my heart's as tough as stone. I'm not buying it."
Lin Wan's voice was filled with sorrow as she replied, "But everything I say is the truth..."
Chen Jin bent down suddenly and kissed her, shutting her up. This was no romance. He needed to stop hearing her voice, so he kissed her roughly, as though he was trying to silence the pain in his heart.
When he finally pulled away, Lin Wan's face was streaked with tears. His throat tightened as he looked at her. She smiled slightly, teasing, "Looks like you're crying too."
Chen Jin froze for a moment, then realized his face was wet too—tears that had come from hers, now chilling in the wind.
Lin Wan didn't let up, her tone mocking. "Chen Jin, if I die, will you shed a tear for me?"
Chen Jin sighed deeply and gave a bitter smile. "Lin Wan, do you believe me? I'll probably die before you do."