Lin Wan's father had gone out early in the morning, stopping by the local market on the way to pick up fresh vegetables and fruits before heading to his daughter's apartment to prepare breakfast. When he entered, Lin Wan had just vomited so violently that she had to support herself against the wall to stand.
He looked at her with concern, asking, "Didn't the anti-nausea medicine work?"
She shook her head, "I've taken it twice, but it didn't help."
"Do you want me to go buy some more?"
"No need," she thought to herself. The power of genes was indeed formidable. Just a little bit of discomfort had her feeling this miserable. How would it be later on? Being a mother seemed to be the hardest challenge in the world.
Lin Wan's father had become quite adept at preparing meals for pregnant women. There was brown rice porridge, boiled eggs, and a simple cold potato and cucumber salad, with just salt and vinegar—no oil at all.
While eating, the doorbell rang. Lin Wan got up to answer the door, and there stood Wu, Chen Jin's trusted assistant, who had helped him with many of his unsavory deeds. Wu, with a respectful demeanor, said, "Miss Lin, Mr. Chen asked me to deliver this to you." He handed over a document. "It needs to be signed and notarized."
Lin Wan took the document. The title was familiar—Chen Jin had given her a similar one not long ago, and she had been angry at the time. But this time, she didn't feel anger, only confusion. What did this gesture mean from Chen Jin?
Seeing her hesitation, Wu explained, "Mr. Chen said you must accept this. It's for the child's support."
At the mention of the last three words, Lin Wan's hand, holding the document, trembled. The sourness from the pickled cucumbers seemed to seep straight into her heart. Was this what he really thought? She stared at the bold black characters for a while and finally realized—he was trying to take responsibility.
Frustration bubbled up inside her. She wasn't raising his child. It was her child. Hers alone. A thought suddenly crossed her mind—would he or his family try to take her child away from her? After all, rich people often did such things. She returned the document to Wu and said sternly, "Tell Chen Jin, I can raise my own child, I don't need his help."
Wu paused, but before he could speak, Lin Wan warned, "And don't even think about interfering with my child."
Wu was taken aback, quickly saying, "Miss Lin, you misunderstand." He flipped through the document, pointing to a specific page. "There's also a statement here."
Lin Wan glanced at it and quickly caught sight of a sentence: "Members of the Chen family are prohibited from disturbing Lin Wan and her child's life for any reason." She grabbed the document from him and read through it, shocked. The responsibility he was taking on was incredibly thorough. When did he become so thoughtful? She was confused, but felt the need to ask him directly. So, she asked Wu, "Where's his phone? I want to hear from him…"
Wu replied, "He can't take calls in the hospital."
"Oh, right. Then I'll go see him," Lin Wan said, ready to head back to change. However, Wu hesitated and said from behind, "Mr. Chen has been transferred to another hospital."
Lin Wan turned around, surprised. "Where to?"
Wu's face showed difficulty, and he pursed his lips in silence.
Lin Wan smiled faintly, muttering to herself, "I understand."
Her father, who had been in the kitchen juicing fruits, felt the atmosphere shift and walked over, seeing the document in her hand. He asked with concern, "What's this? What's going on?"
She sniffled, asking, "Where do I sign?"
Wu reminded her, "Aren't you going to read it first?"
Lin Wan smiled lightly and said, "No need, if he wants this, I'll just follow through."
Wu, with a complex expression, turned the document to the final page, and Lin Wan saw Chen Jin's signature at the bottom right. His handwriting was stiff, and without a second thought, she signed her name.
After Wu left, Lin Wan stood there dazed. Her father, concerned, asked, "Wanwan, what's going on?"
Lin Wan pursed her lips, blinking hard, and shrugged. "It's nothing, just signed something formal." She was about to turn and head to her bedroom when her father called out, "But you haven't finished eating."
Without turning around, she called back, "I'm full."
Once she closed the door, Lin Wan leaned against it and sighed softly. This was normal for a relationship that had already ended. No matter what he did, there were so many people who cared for him, the best treatment, the best care—there was no need for her to worry. She would continue with her own life, raising her child.
She tried to mentally prepare herself for this, but when she saw the empty suitcase next to the bed, she felt a sudden sense of emptiness. She walked over, opened it, and began tossing clothes into it without folding them. There was no need to think about it—just putting things back in was enough.
The suitcase filled up quickly, and she sat on the bed, feeling lost. She turned to open the drawer of the bedside table. Inside, there were a few scattered items, and in the corner lay a lonely little box. She exhaled, as though having made a decision, picked it up, removed the wrapping paper, and opened it. She froze.
She had always thought it was a piece of jewelry, but inside the jewel were two keys. She pulled out the straw stuffing and found a note inside. It was written in his strong, confident handwriting—clearly written with his right hand, neat and structured, just like him.
According to what she knew, the area was one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. Why Chen Jin had given her this address, she wasn't sure, but she could find out by going to see it. She immediately left and took a taxi to the location. Sure enough, it was a street lined with old houses, and a plaque labeled "Cultural Heritage Protection Unit" hung at the entrance.
She walked through the alley and eventually found the house with the address on the sign. It was like the other houses, with a brick wall and a black iron gate. She used one of the keys to open the gate. It was a small yard, not too big, but similar in size to her grandmother's old house. There was even a swing in the corner, clearly new—beautiful and sturdy. Not far away was a slender tree with cherry blossoms, and there were flowerpots lined up in front of the house, red flowers hanging in bunches, looking festive.
As Lin Wan stood there, she began to feel a strange unease. The swing, the cherry tree, the flowerpots… She quickly used the other key to open the front door. When she stepped inside, she confirmed her suspicions. The layout was exactly the same, the furnishings identical. No, she ran over to the sofa, the coffee table—these were the original pieces of furniture. She rushed to "her" room, and the familiar single bed was there, with cartoon characters she had once placed on the headboard.
She couldn't believe her eyes, covering her mouth in shock. It felt like a dream, or as though someone had used magic to bring back the home she had lost. Staring at the familiar details, she finally understood—the video recording had been for this.
She sat on the edge of the bed, dazed. Even the pink sheets were hers. Across from her was her desk, with a simple bookshelf neatly arranged with books, and her desk lamp and alarm clock beside it...
Wait, there was something on the desk. She stood up and walked over. It was a letter and an envelope. She opened the envelope first. It was the deed to the house, with her name on it.
Then she opened the letter, which contained only a single sheet of paper with a few lines of writing.
Wanwan, I'm sorry for taking matters into my own hands again, but I thought you'd like this. I can't do magic, but I will do everything I can to give you what you want.
By the way, the old swing was too worn out and unsafe, so I had a new one made.
Happy birthday.
Chen Jin.
The date was from a month ago.