Chapter 2: Uninvited Guests (II)

Lu Chengyu happened to run into her at the entrance of the restaurant; at that time, he had just come out of a friend's wedding and wanted to step outside for a smoke and some fresh air

The events that followed unfolded rapidly. Lu Chengyu heard a very crisp sound of impact. By the time he, as an onlooker, regained his senses, Tu Ran was standing upright over there, her right hand still raised in the air. The man appeared to have indeed had a bit too much to drink, as he was knocked down onto the nearby trash can by a single slap.

He was taken aback for a moment and retorted, "What about women? Don't they mind being taken advantage of by men they have feelings for?"

The colleague shook his head: "He is gone, sudden respiratory and cardiac arrest. Old Zhang, it is the one you saved last night..." After saying this, he patted his shoulder to offer comfort

Tu Ran smiled knowingly, realizing that continuing to test like this was rather pointless. Therefore, she decided to take a leap of faith, thinking that at the very least, she should place a bet.

The protagonists have all departed, the turmoil has subsided, and the surrounding crowd disperses in a rush

Lu Chengyu had no choice but to say: "I still hope you can think it over carefully. Getting married and having another child would complicate our current situation a bit."

Lu Chengyu sat down beside her and said, "Really, don't do this anymore"

Tu Ran stared into his eyes, seemingly unwilling to allow even the slightest ambiguity: "What do you propose we do?"

The lab report hastily noted the phrase "6 weeks," yet the diagnosis date was over a week ago, which means it has almost been two months now. Lu Chengyu thought for a moment and indeed recalled that it was during those few days that the incident occurred. He remembered the dates quite clearly, as that night with Tu Ran left an indelible impression on him.

Lu Chengyu was thus drawn and summoned by the feminine charm radiating from Tu Ran, and until the completion of the matter, he felt that everything was beautiful

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around. The people accompanying him felt that the commotion was quite inappropriate and urged the man to get into the car. The man, feeling intimidated, was deeply frustrated and could not swallow his anger, so he began to curse again. Upon hearing this, Tu Ran rushed forward, ready to kick him. Lu Chengyu, seeing this, thought to himself that she seemed to be addicted to kicking, so he quickly came over to pull her away, saying: "Do you want to kick him to death? With such sharp heels, you have already taken your revenge, let’s go, let’s go."

"It's you," Tu Ran smiled, reaching out to poke his shoulder. "You can't afford it, little doctor—"

"I might have had a bit too much to drink tonight," Tu Ran said, leaning on her arm to support her head as she spoke to him. "Isn't it true that all men like to take advantage of others?"

Tu Ran let out a hum and said, "Pretending, I have seen through you long ago"

He stood by the roadside lighting a cigarette when he saw Tu Ran walking out of the restaurant with a few people. The entrance was brightly lit, and among them, she was the only woman, quite attractive and very young, making her particularly conspicuous

Lu Chengyu clutched the photograph and quickly turned to walk back to the intensive care unit. A crowd had gathered at the entrance, consisting of the noisy family members of patients and hurried medical staff. He grabbed a colleague who had just participated in the emergency rescue and asked, "Which bed is it? What is the situation?"

He suddenly felt quite inadequate, perhaps all men are quite inadequate, all of them damn well have the potential to be criminals

Her speech was casual, tinged with a somewhat exaggerated nonchalance and an unnatural earnestness, as if she were promoting a medication: Trust me, this medicine is effective with particularly minimal side effects, it has an excellent reputation in other top-tier hospitals... You'll know once you give it a try...

The people around may have been startled by the sudden turn of events, and it took several of them to pull the two apart. The middle-aged man shouted, "Call 110, call 110, I want to report to the police"

These words resounded loudly in Lu Chengyu's ears, undoubtedly striking a chord. Before he could regain his composure, he heard her say: "However, I do not wish for him to be without a birth permit... How about this, think it over, you can give me your response a bit later, whether it is feasible or not, it would be best to provide me with an answer."

Lu Chengyu looked out the window, feeling a strong desire to find a place to smoke a cigarette. The sensation of being easily seen through was somewhat uncomfortable, even though he had witnessed too much pain and death. At this moment, however, he felt at a loss due to the arrival of a new life

Lu Chengyu, seeing her like this, mocked, "You little girls earn money just to spend it recklessly. You have developed a big appetite and now want to work hard to make money. Aren't you tired? Why don't you tell me what you want, and I will buy it for you."

Afterward, Tu Ran heard him whispering in her ear, "Come to my place, okay?"

He let out a faint sigh before lowering his head to look at the black-and-white ultrasound photo in his hand. There was a shadow there, shaped like a bean. Near the upper left edge of the "bean," there was a small yet striking white spot, as if it were pulsating with vibrant energy.

Lu Chengyu smiled and said, "Clearly, it is you who has the upper hand, leaving others with no chance to retaliate"

That is a heart, he thought

He thought for a moment: "Over-reliance on emotions. Between family members, among friends, especially the feelings given by the opposite sex, even if the duration is only one night, there are also other intangible sentiments that make it impossible for men to rely on."

Goodbye, it has been a long time since we last met

Tu Ran saw Lu Chengyu staring silently at the test report and teased, "Do you remember now? It was at the end of December, and there was no one else but you." She chuckled to herself, "Trust me."

Tu Ran said nothing, lifted her foot, and kicked towards that person, her face revealing a fierce determination reminiscent of a robber.

Tu Ran did not respond; she smiled and got up, dressed, and said: "Your place is quite messy. How long has it been since you washed your sheets? Also, remember to introduce me to more clients, preferably those who are not too keen on taking advantage of others."

Having had a bit to drink, a middle-aged man, emboldened by alcohol, draped his arm over her shoulder, his head nearly touching her face. She tried to shift away, but could not escape, and instead found herself forcibly pulled into his embrace. Among those who had come out with them, some either turned a blind eye as if it were commonplace, or joined in with malicious laughter and remarks. The man's arm slowly slid towards her waist, and he paused his hand at a certain spot, seemingly giving it a heavy squeeze.

In the tranquil room, they kissed deeply like lovers in the throes of passion, shedding the garments that separated their heated bodies. The man's heart and mind were enveloped and eroded layer by layer by the woman's soft, sweet fragrance, becoming increasingly excited and chaotic. Everything he touched, everything he kneaded beneath his hands, was tender and smooth; the woman's unexpectedly curvaceous body seemed to be the pinnacle of enticing conquest, leaving in his body and mind only the urge to charge forward.

Tu Ran looked at him and said, "It seems you have quite a bias against our work, lumping everyone together. Don't you think that's not a good approach? I believe there are still many good people in your team; I have encountered some of them during my previous work." Then she muttered a curse, "The money spent has gone down the drain."

He feels that no matter what he says, the ultimate meaning will always be: I want to sleep with you, but I never intended to get you pregnant. Even though it might have caused some trouble, I never thought about marrying you. Does one have to uproot an entire tree just because they find the apples on it delicious?

Tu Ran smiled at him, reached out to press the elevator button, and then remembered something. She walked over and slipped a piece of paper into his hand, saying: "This is your child's first photo"

Lu Chengyu found it somewhat amusing; he thought Tu Ran's movements were quite stylish. She was wearing a long dress, holding up the hem with one hand while a small bag hung from the crook of her other arm, making her appear graceful yet poised for action. Lu Chengyu noticed that each time she kicked, she applied force with the slender three-inch heels of her shoes. Others were unable to intervene, and just as the person had struggled to get up, she kicked them down again, repeating this several times.

Lu Chengyu said: "A man? That might be quite difficult," he added, "Taking advantage of others is a man's inherent flaw, not something that can be easily overcome like ordinary shortcomings or mistakes."

It is difficult to articulate how it occurred, as if it were a primal and unspeakably intense temptation. At such moments, what races through a man's mind is not brain matter but something else, leading them to engage in some reckless actions

He played a little cunningly and retorted, "What do you want to do?"

Lu Chengyu said, "Oh, I thought you were quite enjoying it at that time"

If it were only this simple, it would be great

The bystanders came to their senses and hurried to help, while the beaten man cursed loudly, "You pretentious jerk, acting all high and mighty, but aren't you just selling yourself? How else would you make money? Who knows how many times you've sold yourself? When I touched you, it was out of respect for you; you're just asking for it..."

Tu Ran nodded slightly and asked him, "So what do you think is the inherent flaw of women?"

Tu Ran shook her head: "What do you know?" She said no more.

The nurse pushed a cart on which neatly stacked white bed sheets and duvet covers were placed

Tu Ran glared at him and said, "I see that there are not many benevolent doctors in your medical team, but rather a stream of scum."

As she spoke, Tu Ran had already tidied her hair and attire, opened the door, and walked out. "Goodbye," she said

Lu Chengyu said: "People like you are merely catalysts that exacerbate the corruption of the medical system. There is no need to shirk responsibility; you are complicit in raising such scum. I have long advised you that a girl should not engage in this profession; you are still too young and unaware of the depths involved."

Lu Chengyu suddenly felt that the mundane and ambiguous atmosphere that had existed between the two of them during this period had suddenly changed at that moment, and in a fleeting thought, he lowered his head and kissed her

Tu Ran sat on the steps at the door, took off her shoes and rubbed her feet, while casually criticizing Lu Chengyu: "You have enjoyed the spectacle long enough, yet you did not come to help me when I was being bullied, a cold-blooded and indifferent bystander"

She worked hard to make her voice sound less lacking in confidence: "This is my thought, I am already 26, not too old but not a little girl either. I have thought about it at home for a week and feel that I should tell you, I want this child," she repeated, "If there is a chance, I really want this child."

Lu Chengyu gently held her wrist: "That is not necessarily the case." His expression while speaking appeared rather strange, somewhat sly and a bit ambiguous. Tu Ran found it amusing and wanted to tease him, so she leaned closer and slowly blew a breath near his lips. At that moment, her face was flushed, her eyes glistening, and her breath was filled with a faint scent of alcohol and the fragrance unique to women.

Tu Ran laughed and said: "Call the police, hurry up, you said I was selling myself, yet you are the one who solicited and didn't pay, how utterly disgraceful. I will go to your hospital and your home to demand payment."