Zhao mei
The morning air was colder than before.
Winter had deepened overnight, the kind of cold that didn't just bite the skin but settled into bones. I stood by the tall window, wrapped in a thick white robe, my feet warm in soft slippers as snow drifted lazily from the sky. It was beautiful, quiet, slow, untouched. The kind of beauty that almost made you forget the heaviness sitting in your chest.
The fireplace crackled softly behind me, filling the room with warmth that didn't quite reach my thoughts.
Xiao Lan was still asleep.
I glanced back at her, curled comfortably beneath the covers, her face relaxed in a way I hadn't seen in a long time. Here, she didn't have to worry about work, about bills, about where the next meal would come from. For the first time in a long while, she looked… safe.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Then my stomach twisted.
Sharp. Sudden.
I pressed a hand against my mouth, swallowing hard as nausea surged through me without warning. It had been happening more often lately, too often. I frowned, unsettled. I couldn't place it, couldn't understand why my body felt like it was turning against me.
It wasn't normal.
I hadn't told Wei.
After he said our kiss was a mistake, I had kept my distance. I didn't want to seem desperate. I didn't want to become another burden in a life already crowded with expectations and pressure. He had too much going on. I told myself this was nothing.
Just stress. Just nerves.
Behind me, the mattress shifted.
"Good morning, Mei."
I turned to see Xiao Lan blinking sleep from her eyes, pushing herself up on one elbow.
"Good morning, Lanlan," I replied softly, walking over and sitting beside her.
"You're awake so early," she said, studying my face. "Couldn't sleep? Are you feeling better today?"
I hesitated. "It's nothing," I said lightly. "I just feel a little nauseous. It will pass."
Her brows drew together immediately.
"Mei," she said, more serious now, "you've been saying that for two days."
"It's probably because I'm not used to this place," I added quickly. "The weather, the food, everything is different."
She didn't look convinced.
"You need to take your health seriously," she said firmly. "Why haven't you told Wei? He would be devastated if something happened to you."
I shook my head. "I don't want to bother him. He has so many things on his plate already. I don't want to add to his problems."
Xiao Lan sighed, clearly frustrated but trying to hold it back.
"Mei… he's your husband now. Your guardian. Your protector. You shouldn't hide things like this from him."
"I'm fine," I insisted. "Really."
She stared at me for a long moment, then shook her head.
"Well, at least be careful around that Fang Hua woman," she said quietly. "I don't like her. Something about her doesn't sit right with me."
I blinked. "So you feel it too?"
"It's not just a feeling," Xiao Lan replied. "She looks like trouble. Just… avoid her. I don't think she came here with good intentions."
Before I could respond, the nausea surged again, stronger this time.
I clamped my hand over my mouth and bolted for the bathroom.
I barely made it to the sink before my stomach emptied violently. My knees weakened as I retched, the sound echoing too loudly in the quiet room.
"Mei!" Xiao Lan cried, rushing in behind me.
She froze when she saw me, fear flashing across her face.
"I knew it," she said shakily. "You are not okay."
I rinsed my mouth, gripping the edge of the sink. "I'm fine," I whispered, though my reflection told a different story. My skin looked pale, almost translucent. My eyes were sunken, shadows clinging beneath them.
"No," she snapped. "You're not."
She grabbed my hands and guided me back to the bed, forcing me to sit.
"You need to see a doctor," she said. "Now."
"I'll be fine," I repeated weakly.
She stared at me, anger and worry tangled together. "Stop lying to me."
She reached for my phone. "I'm calling Wei."
I reacted instantly, snatching it from her hand.
"Don't!" I said, panic rising. "Please don't."
She stared at me, stunned. "What is wrong with you? He needs to know."
"If you won't let me call him, then I'll get Zhang Jun," she said, standing.
I grabbed her wrist. "Lanlan, please. Don't make this harder than it already is."
She pulled free, eyes burning as she faced me again.
"I'm worried about you," she said, voice trembling. "You're pale. You're thinner. You're throwing up. And you're telling me it's nothing?"
She took a breath, then looked straight into my eyes.
"Did you and Zhang Wei use protection that night?"
Heat rushed to my face instantly.
I couldn't look at her.
I hesitated, just long enough.
"No," I whispered.
Her expression changed completely.
"Did you take any contraceptive pills after?"
Fear tightened my chest. "No. Everything happened so fast… the scandal, the move. I wasn't thinking straight."
She inhaled sharply. "Have you been intimate since then?"
"No," I said quickly. "We only kissed. That's all."
Her eyes widened.
"Mei… don't panic, but, have you had your period yet?"
I… I don't think so."
She frowned, searching her memory.
"It should've come by now, right?"
"It's been almost three weeks since you came here," she said slowly.
I nodded.
She didn't speak for a moment, just studied me, really looked at me, as if seeing something I couldn't.
"Mei," she said carefully, "I think you might be pregnant."
My heart dropped.
"Don't say that," I said, panic rising. "You can't just conclude. Don't scare me like this."
"Everything points to it," she said softly. "The nausea. The timing. Your body."
My thoughts spiraled instantly.
Pregnant?
What about the contract? The one-year agreement? What would Wei do? Would he change his mind? Or would I be left alone, a single mother in a world I barely survive?
The nausea came crashing back before I could process anything.
I ran for the bathroom again.
That was all it took.
Xiao Lan grabbed my phone and didn't hesitate this time.
Her fingers shook as she dialed.
"Zhang Wei," she said when the call connected, voice urgent. "Please come now. Your wife isn't feeling well."
And just like that, everything I was trying to avoid came rushing toward me.
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