15 I don't want this child.

The office door opened, and Assistant Ma and Xu Lin immediately stepped forward.

The doctor who opened the door glanced at them briefly before turning to Shen Zhi and asking, “Are they coming with you?”

Shen Zhi had already risen from his chair, gathering all the examination reports together. His face was pale, and his voice was faint. “I’ll go alone.”

Assistant Ma called out worriedly, “President Shen…”

Shen Zhi said nothing more, only mentioning that he needed to undergo another test and instructed Assistant Ma to wait right there.

As for Xu Lin, he truly lacked the strength to even glance once more.

He watched Shen Zhi follow the doctors and walk away with pleading eyes. After a moment’s thought, he tried to follow but was stopped by Assistant Ma’s firm grip.

Xu Lin: “...”

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

Assistant Ma noticed the impatience on his face but remained expressionless and said, “President Shen told us to wait here.”

Xu Lin tried to push Assistant Ma’s arm, but though the assistant did not look particularly big, he was surprisingly strong. They stood their ground, neither budging.

“...Fine,” Xu Lin grumbled, sitting down irritably on a nearby bench.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhi followed a group of doctors into the ultrasound room. The room was cleared out; apart from them, there was no one else present.

He took off his down jacket and, at the doctor’s instruction, lay down on a bed.

The doctor asked him to lift his shirt and began applying the gel.

Soon, the probe slid back and forth across his abdomen. The female doctor sat before the monitor, while Doctor Li and another male doctor stood behind her, craning their necks to see the screen.

“Any discomfort?” the female doctor asked Shen Zhi.

He shook his head. “Not now.”

“This is the gestational sac. Right now it’s about the size of an orange, but it will gradually expand. Half of it is the yolk sac. Ordinary men don’t have a gestational sac or yolk sac,” the female doctor pointed to the screen.

Shen Zhi turned to look. The screen showed black and white images; he couldn’t make out or understand much.

Doctor Li and the male doctor examined it carefully. When the female doctor reminded them they were blocking Shen Zhi’s view, they stepped back.

“The embryo is still very small,” the female doctor said after searching for a while. Suddenly, the hand holding the probe paused and pressed firmly. She pointed to the screen. “Here, do you see it?”

Shen Zhi lifted his head slightly and focused. On the flickering black and white image, a clear dark space appeared, curled up inside which was a tiny white shadow.

He stared fixedly at the white shape.

“The fetus’s limbs are forming, and the outline of the head and body is becoming visible,” the doctor explained. “Here is the head, here is the body, and here are the limbs. Can you see them?”

Shen Zhi nodded.

In truth, he still didn’t quite see clearly.

To him, that shadow resembled a roast duck.

After the examination, the female doctor casually asked, “Would you like the images printed?”

Shen Zhi, just putting his jacket back on, looked at her.

The male doctor beside her explained, “Many expectant mothers like to keep a few ultrasound prints as mementos.”

Shen Zhi was silent.

What kind of keepsake did he want?

This child in his belly had come without his preparation or hope.

“No, thank you,” he said, zipping his jacket up to his chin, revealing a pallid face. But as he walked out, he paused, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and said, “Please print two copies for me.”

Instead of returning to Doctor Li’s office, they went to the female doctor’s office.

Shen Zhi spoke directly, “I don’t want this child.”

None of the doctors were surprised. Throughout the examination, Shen Zhi had been cold and indifferent—they had all noticed.

“You’ll need surgery. It’s possible to terminate the pregnancy, but we need some time to discuss the best surgical approach,” the female doctor said.

“How long will that take?” Shen Zhi asked.

The doctor thought for a moment. “A few days, probably.”

“And the risks?”

“There are definitely risks. Whether you choose to terminate or carry to term, your condition involves risks. We need to come up with the best plan to minimize those risks.” She added reassuringly, “But rest assured, male pregnancies have been documented in our country. Some have delivered the child, others have terminated at this stage. Everyone’s body is different; we analyze case by case. With prior experience, the risks should be controllable.”

The doctor continued to speak at length and ended with some advice.

“Keep warm these days, don’t overwork yourself, and maintain regular meals. You need to be in good condition for surgery, understood?”

Shen Zhi nodded.

He tucked the two printed ultrasound images among the stack of reports and returned to Doctor Li’s office. Outside, Assistant Ma and Xu Lin anxiously approached.

Assistant Ma hurriedly asked before Xu Lin could, “President Shen, how did the examination go?”

“Minor issue,” Shen Zhi answered curtly. “I’m going back.”

Assistant Ma immediately nodded and led Shen Zhi out.

Xu Lin followed behind, glumly watching their backs. He hadn’t even started his career properly, yet he already felt the sting of workplace exclusion.

At the parking lot, Shen Zhi stopped and said to Xu Lin, “I’m heading back to the company. You should go too. Thanks for accompanying me today.”

Looking at Shen Zhi’s pale face, Xu Lin felt deeply concerned. “You’re like this and still want to go back to work?”

“There’s still work to do,” Shen Zhi replied.

Xu Lin wanted to urge him to rest but knew he had no standing to say such things. He sighed and said, “You didn’t eat lunch. Remember to eat once you’re back.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the assistant standing behind Shen Zhi make a sour face.

Xu Lin glanced up.

The assistant showed no expression and didn’t even look at him.

Xu Lin: “...”

That assistant was really infuriating!

On the way back to the office, Assistant Ma kept glancing through the rearview mirror at Shen Zhi in the back seat.

These past days, their president had been listless and often dozed off. They thought he might sleep in the car, but he kept staring at his phone.

“President Shen,” Assistant Ma called out.

“Hm?” Shen Zhi responded without lifting his gaze from the screen.

“Is your test okay? I wasn’t able to ask earlier with Xu Lin around. The doctors looked quite serious; I was worried.”

Shen Zhi was silent for a moment before replying, “The doctors said there’s a small tumor in my abdomen.”

“Ah?!” Assistant Ma was shocked and instinctively wanted to turn his head.

“Look ahead,” Shen Zhi reminded.

Assistant Ma snapped back upright but was still anxious, stammering, “H-how could this be? Is it really a tumor? What else did the doctors say? Could it be a misdiagnosis? Maybe we should get a second opinion?”

“Calm down.”

“...”

Assistant Ma took a deep breath, trying to steady himself but failed.

How could he calm down?!

Their boss had a tumor in his belly!

“The tumor is very small. The doctors said it can be removed in a few days,” Shen Zhi said, his own mood already messy but trying to comfort Assistant Ma. “After surgery, I might need some time to rest, but don’t tell anyone else about this—not even Cen Chen and the others.”

“Don’t worry, President Shen. I won’t say a word!” Assistant Ma promised.

Shen Zhi made himself comfortable and resumed looking at his phone. Messages scrolled through the work group chat. Assistant Cen asked Yang Heyan for photos from yesterday’s annual party. Yang Heyan, too lazy to select, dumped a dozen or so photos into the group at once.

[Jiayi - Cen Chen: Just pick two good ones to post. Why send so many? @Wanhao - Yang Heyan]

[Wanhao - Yang Heyan: I’m super busy. Where do I have the time to pick? I sent you all, pick slowly.]

[Jiayi - Cen Chen: What kind of photos are these?]

[Jiayi - Cen Chen: Bad lighting, poor composition, not a single good one!]

[Wanhao - Yang Heyan: …]

[Wanhao - Yang Heyan: Sis, the party just ended last night. Photos were requested this morning. Even a donkey needs a rest, right? If I took the photos, I’d give you exactly what you want, but I asked the photographer.]

[Wanhao - Yang Heyan: You ask Xiao He.]

[Wanhao - Yang Heyan: @Wanhao - He Si]

[Wanhao - He Si: Cen Jie, wait a bit. I’ll go talk to the filming team and get back to you within half an hour.]

Shen Zhi stared at He Si’s avatar for a long time and clicked on it.

He entered He Si’s Moments (social media posts).

Content visible for only three days.

He Si’s avatar was an anime character: red shirt, blue pants, yellow straw hat, exaggerated expression. The background was also a screenshot from an anime, depicting blue sea and sky.

Clearly, he was young.

Shen Zhi lingered in their chat window for a while, then closed the phone and set it aside.

He certainly couldn’t tell He Si about the child.

He would just treat it as a tumor.

*

He Si personally went to the photography studio, picked a few good photos with the staff, and emailed them to Assistant Cen.

On his way back to the company, the receptionist called out to him.

“He Si, you have a package.”

He Si went over and saw a large package. It was from Jiayi’s Assistant Bi. Back at his desk, Qin Hua, who was slacking off on company time, immediately looked over.

“Whoa, that’s huge. Who sent you this?” Qin Hua asked.

He Si replied, “Someone from Jiayi.”

“Why would someone from Jiayi send you something?”

He Si didn’t know either and simply opened the package. Inside was a long down coat. The tags were removed, but it was clearly new. Judging by the fabric and brand, it was at least three or four times the price of his own down jacket.

Qin Hua gaped in shock, circled around to He Si’s side, and nudged him with an elbow. “Man, how long have you known the people from Jiayi? You already that close? Sending you such an expensive coat for New Year?”

The way Qin Hua looked at He Si had changed.

He Si quickly put the coat away, fearing Qin Hua’s big mouth might blab. He explained, “I lent my coat to him before; he lost it, so he compensated me with this one.”

“Ohhh~” Qin Hua understood and glanced at the coat packed away. He said enviously, “That brand is expensive. You really scored.”

He Si sat down and sent a photo of the package to Assistant Bi.

Near quitting time, he finally received a reply from Assistant Bi.

[Assistant Bi: Sorry about that. I thought President Shen would return the coat, but as you know, Shen’s been unwell and busy with work lately and probably forgot.]

[Assistant Bi: Keep the new coat. Try it on. If it doesn’t fit, you can exchange it.]

He Si: “...”

No wonder he got the coat today, almost a week after everything happened.

Such is the life of humble workers.

At 5:30 p.m., everyone left work on time. The three-day New Year holiday had begun, and despite the heavy snow outside, the office was filled with festive cheer.

He Si packed up his things and heard the familiar hiss of the “Western Diamondback Rattlesnake” from across the room.

Qin Hua leaned over the divider, gesturing to He Si, “6 p.m. tomorrow night, West Hall Square. Don’t be late.”

He Si sighed. “Got it.”

Outside, the snow was heavy, blanketing everything in white. The evening rush hour for subways and buses was packed, but being tall, He Si managed better than most.

By the time he returned to his apartment complex, it was dark.

There was no food at home, and He Si didn’t feel like going out again. As usual, he cooked a bowl of noodles and fried three eggs to add.

After eating, he didn’t hurry to wash the dishes but lay on the sofa under a blanket to rest.

The old building’s soundproofing was poor. Upstairs, Xiao Bao was causing a ruckus. Something dropped loudly, followed by Aunt Cai scolding him. Xiao Bao burst into tears.

The upstairs was noisy, while downstairs was unnervingly quiet.

He Si wanted to nap but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

He reached blindly to the coffee table for the phone.

The caller ID displayed “Mom.”

He habitually silenced the call, placed the phone on his chest, closed his eyes, and tried to rest.

The phone rang four times, then quieted.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from upstairs. Xiao Bao slammed the door hard, ran down, and knocked on He Si’s door loudly.

“Little He Brother! Are you home?”

He Si immediately got up but didn’t open the door. Instead, he turned off all the lights and lay back down in the dark.

After knocking for a while, Aunt Cai came down and took Xiao Bao away.

Xiao Bao kept fussing, “Mommy scolded me. I don’t like Mommy anymore!”

He Si put his hand on his forehead, unsure how long he had slept. After a quick wash, he lay back down and fell asleep again.

The sleep was restless and broken. He woke up at noon the next day, feeling dizzy and foggy.

He Si washed the dishes from yesterday, tidied the apartment, and Aunt Cai had already told him there would be no tutoring during the New Year holiday, so he had a free day. He even went out to buy groceries.

The cold wind refreshed him.

Returning, he ran into Aunt Cai coming downstairs, smiling and greeting him warmly.

“You got home late last night, huh? Xiao Bao wanted to play with you and knocked on your door, but you weren’t home.”

He Si said, “I worked overtime a bit yesterday.”

“Really working hard,” Aunt Cai said. Then she remembered and transferred money to him via phone. “Here, this month’s tutoring fee. Don’t forget to accept it.”

After the transfer, she showed He Si the screen.

He Si saw the amount and quickly said, “Aunt Cai, you sent too much!”

“No, you’ve been taking care of Xiao Bao all this time. It’s the end of the year; you should get a little extra for your hard work. If you don’t accept it, I won’t be happy,” Aunt Cai said. “It’s New Year’s Eve tonight. Come to my place for dinner?”

He Si smiled and declined, “I promised my mom I’d go to her place.”

“Such a filial child,” Aunt Cai sighed.

Back home, He Si’s phone rang a few more times — all from his mother. He ignored the calls and WeChat messages.

By late afternoon, he put on the new coat Assistant Bi had sent and headed out to catch the subway.