spring bite mark

Chapter 127 Unexpected Events
"You're Xie Yunxi?" Old Master Yan's vision blurred. "You ungrateful wretch! Not only did you randomly claim to be my grandson, but now you want to claim to be my ancestor too! Do the Xie family's ancestral graves have more auspicious smoke than the Yan family's? You unfilial son who spouts nonsense, you even want to take Xie Yunxi's name!"

Yan Changye leaned against the door, his tone calm: "Have you forgotten that my mother's surname is Xie?"

Old Master Yan choked for a moment.

Yan Changye chuckled, "That's true. You've had several new wives, so how could you possibly remember the old ones and the old stories?"

"You unfilial son! We're talking about you impersonating Xie Yunxi, and you insist on using your mother to stab me in the heart!" Old Master Yan was so angry that his chest ached. "How could I not remember her? She was the only one I ever loved in my life, and you dare to betray me like this, you scoundrel!"

Outdoor lobby.

Jiang Manman stood at the door and heard Old Master Yan's furious roar coming from inside, interspersed with Yan Changye's nonchalant mocking laughter, without uttering a word.

They had no idea what was going on inside, but it must have been quite a scene.

Jiang Manman was still feeling cold all over, her lips were pale, Xie Jian clung to her lap, his face beaming with a smile, his eyes brighter than usual, his sweet, childlike voice calling out every few seconds:
"Mommy!"

Jiang Manman: "..."

Beside him, Jiang Che picked Xie Jian up and playfully pinched his nose: "Little darling, stop yelling. My sister's got a lump in her throat. Let her have some peace and quiet, okay?"

Xie Jian looked bewildered: "Why does she look so unhappy? Is it because I'm not cute?"

"You're adorable." Jiang Che hugged him a few steps away and lowered his voice, "But you're even more adorable when you don't talk."

Xie Jian blankly said, "Then I'll hug you and call you 'Mommy' in bed tonight."

Jiang Che casually rubbed his head and looked at Jiang Manman's expression.

Jiang Tiancheng and Chen Suyan stood close to Jiang Manman, shielding them from the subtle, gossipy glances around them. Chen Suyan took Jiang Manman's hand and gently said, "Manman, how could you keep such a big thing like giving birth from your mother? I can't even imagine how helpless you must have felt facing all of this alone back then..."

Jiang Tiancheng patted her hand reassuringly: "I don't care whether those two children are Xie Yuheng's or Yan Changye's, or whether they are alive or not... Manman, go home and stay for a while!"

“Yes, sister, it’s been a long time since you got married and you’ve stayed at home.” Jiang Che quickly chimed in. “The Yan family has high standards. If Yan Changye is neglecting you because of what happened today, we can just say that it’s not like we can’t live without Yan Changye. Go back and rest for a while, and we’ll find someone new.”

Jiang Manman paused for a moment: "Yan Changye really knows what happened back then, Mom. I believe he won't abandon me because of what others think, so you don't need to worry."

"What about that child..." Chen Suyan hesitated slightly, "Is he really his too?"

Jiang Manman did not answer, but simply pulled her shawl tighter and said softly, "Mom, I'll tell you later. I need some time alone right now."

Chen Suyan opened her mouth, but seeing her daughter's haggard appearance, she couldn't bear to ask any more questions and silently nodded: "Thank you for letting me have Jiang Che take her back to the Jiang family villa for one night. That child and Jiang Che get along very well. I'll send her back to you once you've calmed down."

Jiang Manman softly hummed in agreement: "Thank you, Mom."

She leaned closer to Xie Jian, gently pinched his little face, and said apologetically, "Auntie has something to do tonight. You play with your uncle. If you need anything, ask Yan Changye."

Xie Jian stared at her with her round eyes, and after a while, she finally said "Oh".

Jiang Manman walked out of the banquet hall, got into her car, and sent a message to Yan Changye:
"I'm not feeling well, I'll head back now."

Yan Changye replied after a while: "Why don't you wait for me? Now that the matter from six years ago has been brought up today, I think I need to have a serious talk with you."

"You stay with Dad first, we'll talk when we get home tonight."

After replying, Jiang Manman instructed the bodyguard, "Return to Residence No. 1." The bodyguard drove off. The scenery of the island flashed by outside the car window. It must have been specially renovated for the birthday banquet, and it was a riot of colors. But in Jiang Manman's eyes, the bright light seemed to be tinged with gray, heavy with an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

My thoughts inevitably drifted back to those most unbearable days...

six years ago.

Yan Changye, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, suddenly came to her apartment. Before they could even exchange a few words, he wanted to play adult games, which made her so angry that she felt sullen for days, shattering her previous positive impression of him.

The man acted as if he had suffered some great injustice. After his advances were rejected, he turned away and never contacted her again. Even if they happened to meet in a crowded place, he would coldly look away, making it clear that he was deliberately ignoring her.

The ship of friendship capsized so completely that Jiang Manman's already bad mood worsened even further, and even her period was affected by her emotions, becoming extremely unstable.

By the time she finished her work and planned to go to the obstetrics and gynecology department of the nearby Shenghe Hospital to get some medication for her condition, it was already the fourth month after Xie Yunxi's family reunion banquet.

Outpatient Department, Chief Physician's Routine Consultation:

"What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Manman looked listless: "Doctor, my period is irregular and has been delayed for almost two months. I'm planning to get some medicine to regulate it."

When was the last time you had sex?

Jiang Manman felt inexplicably ashamed: "Four months ago."

"Besides irregular periods, what other symptoms are there?"

"I feel nauseous, my eating habits have changed a lot, I'm sleepy, and my mood is fluctuating a lot..." Jiang Manman frowned. "After I pick up my menstrual regulating medication, I also made an appointment with the psychological counseling room. I looked it up, and my condition seems a bit like depression..."

The doctor gave her a strange look: "Have you bought a pregnancy test and tested yourself?"

Jiang Manman was stunned for a moment: "N-no."

She paused for a moment: "That shouldn't be possible. I had my period once two months after we had sex, but the flow was extremely light."

The doctor picked up the ultrasound report and began filling out the forms: "Let's do an ultrasound first."

An hour later, Jiang Manman returned to the doctor's office with the ultrasound report in her hand, her steps unsteady and her face pale.

The doctor took the test results from her trembling hand, glanced at them, and said calmly, "You're 17 weeks pregnant, and it's twins. Didn't you even realize it?"

Jiang Manman received the results in the ultrasound room. She had already confirmed them with the ultrasound doctor many times, but she still couldn't accept the terrible truth. After listening to the outpatient doctor's words, she asked, unwilling to give up:

"Doctor, could there really be a mistake? I really did come here just two months ago."

"The results are correct. The ultrasound shows that your uterine wall is thin. That false menstruation was probably a symptom of threatened miscarriage bleeding. However, you managed to endure it until now without realizing it, so it's temporarily stable."

Jiang Manman: "..."

She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her voice trembling: "Doctor, I don't want it."

(End of this chapter)