Chapter 42: Today, Twenty-Two Years Ago

In the past, when her friends talked about childbirth as a journey to death’s door, she never believed it. She would laugh and say, “How could it be that exaggerated?” Now, she realized that only those who had never given birth could fail to understand the agony of labor pains.

“No, you can’t have a C-section!” The moment Fan Chi heard the words “C-section,” he couldn’t stay calm. Clenching his teeth, he rolled up his sleeve and thrust his arm in front of Lian Meng. “Xiao Meng, if it hurts too much, just bite me. Let me share your pain, please, I beg you, don’t get a C-section.”

Lian Meng actually bit down on his arm. Fan Chi grimaced in pain, a little afraid she might really tear off a chunk of his flesh. Blood beaded between Lian Meng’s teeth, and soon Fan Chi’s wretched scream followed.

“Aaah—” Fan Chi yanked his arm back and shouted at Lian Meng, annoyed, “I told you to bite, but you didn’t have to go that hard! Don’t let me die from your bite before the child’s even born!”

Just as Lian Meng was about to retort, someone knocked at the door. They both looked over: it was Qu Wuyan.

“What are you doing here?” The moment Lian Meng saw this mistress shamelessly show up, her guard went up at once.

Qu Wuyan looked at her in disgust. “I’m not here for you. Ugh, hospitals are filthy places.”

“Honey, come here for a second.” Qu Wuyan crooked a red-painted finger at Fan Chi, beckoning him over.

Since Lian Meng already knew about them, Fan Chi had nothing to hide. He grabbed a towel, haphazardly rolled it up, and shoved it into Lian Meng’s mouth. “If it hurts, just bite the towel first. I’m going out to talk to Wuyan.”

Fan Chi stepped out of the ward, closing the door behind him, and lowered his voice. “Why are you here so early? She’s not in the delivery room yet.”

“Why is it taking so long to have a baby?” Qu Wuyan checked her watch, pouting in annoyance. “I’ve been waiting all night without sleep. How much longer will it be?”

“How should I know? I’ve never given birth,” Fan Chi rolled his eyes at Qu Wuyan.

She asked, “Did you get everything ready like I told you?”

“It’s ready. Once Lian Meng goes into the delivery room, I’ll let you know. But you must be careful,” Fan Chi replied cautiously.

Qu Wuyan relaxed, patting her chest. “As long as you’ve prepared everything, I’m relieved. Don’t let anything go wrong, or we’re both finished.”

“Wuyan, are you really sure you want to do this?” Fan Chi’s expression darkened. “We just want Lian Meng out of the picture. There are other ways—like dumping her in some remote mountain village. We don’t have to kill her. It’s not too late to back out...”

“Are you scared now?” Qu Wuyan, sensing his hesitation, taunted him, “If you don’t dare, then I’ll do it myself. A real man shouldn’t be so wishy-washy.”

She lit a cigarette, took a drag, flicked the ash with slender fingers, and held it to Fan Chi’s lips. “Have a smoke, calm your nerves.”

When Fan Chi took the cigarette and smoked, Qu Wuyan continued to coax him, “Darling, we can’t hesitate anymore. Lian Meng already knows about us. She says she’ll divorce you after the baby is older—do you believe her? It’s just a stalling tactic! She’s waiting for the right moment. She’s powerful in this industry, can stir up storms. If we don’t act now, once she turns on us, we’ll never survive in showbiz. She has plenty of ways to ruin us.”

Fan Chi bit down on the cigarette, motionless. After a long moment, he took a deep drag, then tossed the cigarette on the ground and crushed it underfoot. “Let’s do it your way.”

When he returned to the ward, he expected Lian Meng to hurl angry insults at him after seeing Qu Wuyan.

But Lian Meng didn’t. Or perhaps, tormented by the contractions, she no longer cared about Fan Chi and Qu Wuyan’s sordid affair.

“Mama... I want my mom...” Lian Meng wept from the pain, as helpless as a child.

Fan Chi said, “I called Mom and Dad, but it’s the middle of the night. There aren’t any taxis, the snow’s so heavy, they can’t get here...”

“Could you go pick up my mom and dad?” Lian Meng’s tear-filled eyes looked plaintively at Fan Chi. “Please, could you drive and bring them here?”

Fan Chi grumbled, “Who’d dare drive in this weather? What’s the rush—once it’s daylight and you’ve had the baby, your parents will come for sure. Can’t you wait a while?”

“No...” Lian Meng shook her head. “If something happens while I’m delivering, I might never see my parents again. I want to see them before going into the delivery room, only then can I go in at peace...”

She’d heard too many stories of women dying in childbirth. She was scared; if something went wrong, she’d never see her beloved parents again.

She regretted storming out after a petty quarrel with her father a few days ago. She hadn’t been back home or even called her parents since then. If anything happened to her now, she wouldn’t even have the chance to apologize.

“Where’s my phone?” Lian Meng asked. She wanted to call her parents.

“You... why do you need your phone now...” Fan Chi’s eyes darted guiltily. “When I rushed you to the hospital, I dropped it and broke it.”

“The pager?”

“It was in the same bag as your phone. It got smashed too—worse than the phone.”

“Then let me use your phone.”

Fan Chi stuck his hand in his inner pocket, but his guilty look gave him away. “I forgot mine at home...”

At three in the morning, Lian Meng was only two and a half centimeters dilated. The nurse said, “You should go to the waiting room now. It’s next to the delivery room, do you know the way?”

Fan Chi draped a coat over Lian Meng and helped her toward the delivery area. Her belly wasn’t big—she’d weighed ninety-five pounds before pregnancy, and now only a hundred and thirteen. She barely looked six months along.

Bent over from pain, one hand clutching Fan Chi and the other bracing against the wall, she struggled step by step. Before being admitted, she’d checked the route and thought her room was close to the delivery ward. But now, why did it feel so far away—an endless distance?

Outside the waiting room, Fan Chi let go. “Xiao Meng, family members aren’t allowed in. I’ll wait at the door, okay?”

Lian Meng nodded and, supporting herself against the wall, walked in alone.

The waiting room was barely heated, slightly chilly. A midwife was performing an internal exam on another woman. Seeing Lian Meng enter, she smiled behind her mask. “Isn’t this the famous Lian Meng? Ready to have your baby?”

“Not yet...” Lian Meng sat on a bed. “Can I lie down for a bit?”

“Wait a moment, I’ll put some pads down first.” The midwife slipped some pads under her, in case her water broke or she started bleeding.

Lian Meng noticed a telephone in the room. “Can I make a call?”

“Of course. You still have the energy to make phone calls at a time like this? Doesn’t sound like the pain’s too bad yet,” the midwife teased.

After finishing with the other patient, whom she helped up, the midwife said, “You’re eight centimeters dilated. Let’s go to the delivery room.” As she passed Lian Meng, she added, “Miss Lian, you’ve reserved a private delivery room, right? When you feel ready, just go there. Dr. Chen, the one you requested, will be here soon.”

The waiting room emptied out. Alone, Lian Meng lay on the hospital bed, wracked with pain. She had to call her parents before entering the delivery room.

She dragged herself to the phone and dialed her father’s number. After a wait, someone finally answered.

“Hello...” Her father’s voice came through the receiver, mingled with the howling of winter wind.

“Dad, it’s me...” Lian Meng burst into tears.

“Mengmeng! Is that you?” Shi Xuezhen snatched the phone, her voice trembling with excitement. “Mengmeng, how are you? Your dad and I just went out to the road, tried to catch a ride, but it’s the middle of the night and snowing so hard—there’s not a car in sight. We’re walking home now. Don’t worry, we’ll come first thing in the morning!”

“Mom...” Lian Meng collapsed to her knees, sobbing. “I can’t take it... It hurts so much...”

Her crying brought tears to Shi Xuezhen’s eyes too. Choking up, she said, “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. I’ll get home as fast as I can, light incense for you before the goddess of childbirth, kneel and pray to the Bodhisattva for you and the baby.”

The pain was unbearable, but Lian Meng couldn’t bear to hang up, so she simply lay down on the cold floor.

“Mom, promise me, if anything happens to me, you and Dad will raise my child...” Lian Meng’s words sounded like a will. “I don’t trust Fan Chi with the child—he and that woman will end up hurting my baby. Only you and Dad can protect her...”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Shi Xuezhen cut her off. “It’s just childbirth—you’re scaring your mother! I gave birth to both you and Kewei at home with a village midwife, and we were fine. Don’t let your thoughts run wild, okay?”

“Mm...” Lian Meng wiped away her tears.

...

Lian Meng lay alone in the waiting room until five in the morning, cold and neglected. Though the pain never left her, her water still hadn’t broken. Fearing for her baby, she finally forced herself upright, bracing against the bed, and walked out of the waiting room.