Early Demise

In the end, Ye Shuang still let Chen Hai go check on things. After all, the other woman had given birth to his child, an undeniable fact.

"Then I'll go take a look. My dad and the others have already gone ahead," Chen Hai said upon hearing Ye Shuang's words, as if gaining some support and a bit more confidence—you could even hear the sound of him starting his car over the phone.

Ye Shuang put down his phone and glanced at Chen Qin beside him. "So, shall we go take a look?"

"Mm," Chen Qin replied. Although she didn't like Zhou Min, she still felt she should go see her at a time like this, especially since their parents were already there.

Ye Shuang and Chen Qin tidied up briefly, then opened the windows to air out the room, as the scent was a bit too strong.

"Ah Ye."

"Hmm?"

"Your... all that came out..." Chen Qin's face flushed red. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Ye Shuang was momentarily stunned before he realized what Chen Qin was talking about.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and waited for her by the door. Honestly, he couldn't be blamed entirely; it was more that Chen Qin's... combat prowess was quite formidable.

After a while, the two drove to the hospital.

They met Chen Hai at the side entrance on the first floor.

He was standing by the door, squatting and smoking heavily, his furrowed brows looking like they could crush a fly.

"Why aren't you going in?" Ye Shuang asked.

"No need to go in anymore," Chen Hai's voice was hoarse. "The baby's gone."

Ye Shuang and Chen Qin exchanged a glance. "What did you say?" Ye Shuang asked hesitantly, as if doubting his own hearing.

"The baby's gone. It died," Chen Hai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did this happen..."

Ye Shuang and Chen Qin were both taken aback.

"Are you joking?" Chen Qin immediately said. "With today's medical standards, how could a baby die so easily?"

"Low probability events like that can still happen," Ye Shuang explained to Chen Qin.

"Where's Dad?"

"Talking with the doctor to understand the situation," Chen Hai said quietly, only to be kicked by Chen Qin. "Smoke, smoke, smoke yourself to death! What are you squatting here for? Get inside!"

When Ye Shuang and the others went in, they could hear Zhou Min wailing heartbreakingly from her bed, her cries echoing down the entire corridor.

Chen's Father and Chen's Mother were talking with a doctor.

"What's the situation?" Chen Qin stepped forward. Seeing it was his daughter, Chen's Father looked somewhat helpless. "The baby died shortly after birth."

"Truly pitiful," Chen's Mother also didn't know how to express her feelings. The prenatal checkups showed no problems, so why did the baby die right after being born?

Chen's Father then told Chen Hai to go take care of Zhou Min, while he continued discussing the next steps with the doctor. Having seen much of the world, Chen's Father naturally wouldn't make a scene with the doctor, but he would definitely investigate the cause of the child's death thoroughly.

"Ah Hai... sob sob..." Upon seeing Chen Hai, Zhou Min immediately hugged him and cried.

"Sigh." Seeing Zhou Min's haggard face, Chen Hai couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. After all the hardship of the pregnancy, it was all gone in an instant.

It seemed the only thing to do now was to rest properly.

Her body must be very weak after just giving birth.

Ye Shuang and Chen Qin stayed for a while, but seeing there was little point in them remaining, they decided to leave.

"What a shame. The baby was innocent, right?" In the car, Chen Qin gazed out the window, lost in thought. She turned to Ye Shuang, "Ah Ye, why do babies die so young?"

"There are many reasons. For example, misuse of medication, underdeveloped organs, anencephaly, or failure to resuscitate due to respiratory failure... Although medical science has advanced greatly, it still can't guarantee every baby born will be healthy," Ye Shuang explained slowly.

He then asked, "Now that Zhou Min's child is gone, will she still stay with the Chen family?"

"Probably. Seeing how pitiful Zhou Min is, Mom and Dad will definitely let her stay at home," Chen Qin said. "After all, she did bear a child for our old Chen family, even though the child is gone now."

However, having Zhou Min stay at home would certainly cause issues for Chen Hai's wife.

For now, they could only take things one step at a time.

"Ah Ye, could our future child end up like this too?" Chen Qin touched her lower abdomen, suddenly feeling a bit worried.

"It's just a low-probability event. We should be fine."

"That's true," Chen Qin suddenly smiled playfully. "Do you prefer a boy or a girl?"

"A daughter."

"Why?"

"Boys are too mischievous, hard to manage," Ye Shuang laughed.

"It's okay. We'll have a little Ah Ye, the very obedient kind," Chen Qin said, giving Ye Shuang a light kiss on the cheek.

"Is that so?"

...

Several more peaceful days passed.

Early morning.

"New Year's Day is almost here. Another new year is about to begin," Ye Shuang thought to himself, looking at the calendar on his phone.

Though for Chinese people, the new year really starts with the Spring Festival.

"Ye Shuang, what are you looking at?" The long-haired girl beside him knelt on the sofa, her face practically resting on his shoulder as she peered at his phone screen.

"You get an extra day off for New Year's Day, right? It happens I can take a break that day too. How about we go out somewhere?"

Ye Shuang smiled and shook his phone slightly.

"Go out..." Bai Yuyou tilted her head in thought, then, like a caterpillar, wriggled and lay down directly on his lap.

Ye Shuang: "..."

"What are you doing?" Seeing the girl so languid first thing in the morning, Ye Shuang couldn't resist pinching her cheek.

"When thinking, lying down gives more inspiration," Bai Yuyou said expressionlessly.

She even flipped herself over.

She was wearing fluffy clothes today, and lying there like that, she resembled a snow-white Samoyed.

"Brother, do you want to go to a hot spring?" Keke, sitting at the dining table, suddenly raised her hand. "There's a newly opened natural hot spring place recently."

"Natural hot spring?" Ye Shuang heard this. "If it's a natural hot spring, can it be newly opened?"

Most likely just heated tap water, right?

"Not only can you soak in the hot spring, but there's also a food festival."

"Food festival." Bai Yuyou lifted her head.

"You perk up as soon as you hear about food," Ye Shuang laughed.

"Want to eat."

Seeing the two girls nodding eagerly, Ye Shuang thought about it. Going somewhere far away wasn't practical, as there would definitely be traffic jams during New Year's Day.

"Then let's go to the hot spring."

"Brother, are you going to invite Sister Chen Qin?" Tang Keke asked. "Let's invite more people."

"As for her, she flew abroad for business talks yesterday. She'll probably be on a business trip for a while," Ye Shuang said.

She had even drained him dry before leaving. Ye Shuang hadn't expected Chen Qin to be like a succubus, similar in both figure and temperament.

"Alright, let's have breakfast first. I'm going to the academy today too. Let's drive over."

"Okay."