Every room had its own bathroom. Sun Zhewen finished washing up and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes in exhaustion. Before his dreams could fully take over, he suddenly felt a chill. He opened his eyes and saw a face inches from his own, startling him into sitting up. "How did you get in here?"
Li Zhiyan was squatting by the bed, her expression pained. "Your door was open, and besides, I have a key."
Sun Zhewen rubbed his eyes, exasperated. "What do you want?"
"I thought you were awake, your light was still on, but you were out like a log." Li Zhiyan didn't seem to realize anything was off about her.
Sun Zhewen frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Did you hear?" Li Zhiyan's voice was low.
"Yeah, I did." Sun Zhewen nodded, concern in his eyes.
"It's Liu Qunqi." Li Zhiyan's voice was tinged with helplessness and pain.
"Did he leave?" Sun Zhewen asked again.
"He's gone," Li Zhiyan sighed softly.
"Why are you here?" Sun Zhewen looked at her, puzzled.
"My stomach hurts a bit. I want you to take me to the hospital," Li Zhiyan's voice was laced with pain, and fine beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.
Sun Zhewen then noticed Li Zhiyan was covered in sweat and pale. He immediately became concerned, "I've never seen anyone like you. If you were going to the hospital, you should have woken me up. You're so calm."
Li Zhiyan gave a wry smile, "I thought I could bear it, but it's getting worse."
Sun Zhewen immediately got out of bed and dressed, "Can you walk?"
"It hurts," Li Zhiyan shook her head, her eyes filled with helplessness.
Sun Zhewen looked at her with concern. "Let me carry you."
Li Zhiyan nodded and reached out her arms. Sun Zhewen gently picked her up, feeling her body tremble. His heart clenched. They quickly went downstairs, and Sun Zhewen carefully placed her in the car. He started the engine and sped toward the hospital.
The car raced through the night, streetlights flashing past the windows. Li Zhiyan leaned back in her seat, her face still pale, and the sweat on her forehead was more noticeable. Sun Zhewen, while driving, glanced at her from time to time, his worry growing.
"Are you okay?" Sun Zhewen tried to use a light tone to ease her tension, even though he was also very worried.
Li Zhiyan forced a smile, but it looked worse than crying. "I'm fine, just a little pain."
Sun Zhewen immediately supported her, silently praying that everything would be alright. They arrived at the hospital, checked into the emergency room, and after the doctor examined her, he called Sun Zhewen in, his face grim. "Is she your wife? Your wife is pregnant, and you still put her through this? Her cervix is showing signs of bleeding. Do you even want the baby? It shouldn't be a big problem. Go home and rest well. Don't do this anymore. You can hold back for a few months. If you keep this up, it's really dangerous. I won't prescribe any medication. Pregnant women should also be careful."
Sun Zhewen was scolded by the doctor, his face burning, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, doctor, I understand."
Li Zhiyan sat outside, and hearing the doctor's scolding, she was filled with guilt. She looked at Sun Zhewen apologetically and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Sun Zhewen sighed, gently patting her shoulder. "Can't you refuse? This is really going to cause problems."
Li Zhiyan shook her head helplessly. "He came to my house. I thought you were back, so I opened the door. It was him. He was drunk and didn't care about anything."
Sun Zhewen frowned, a look of bewilderment on his face. "Ugh, I really don't understand you women. Is money really that important?"
Li Zhiyan lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "I know now, but I can't help myself."
Sun Zhewen felt a pang of pain. He knew Li Zhiyan's predicament, and he knew her helplessness, but he was even more heartbroken for her and the unborn child. He gently picked her up, saying softly, "Don't worry, we'll get through this."
Li Zhiyan leaned against Sun Zhewen's shoulder, tears like a broken string of pearls, impossible to stop. Sun Zhewen gently patted her back, as if soothing a frightened kitten. They slowly walked towards the parking lot, their shadows in the night stretching long, as if dragging all the sadness beyond the horizon.
"Alright, alright, don't cry anymore, my shoulder's getting wet," Sun Zhewen said, half-jokingly.
Li Zhiyan sobbed, gently hitting him. "Can't you just comfort me properly?"
Sun Zhewen gave a wry smile. "You know I'm just a blockhead. But seeing you cry… it breaks my heart."
Their car was parked in a corner. Sun Zhewen carefully helped Li Zhiyan into the car, worried she might fall again. Then, he went around to the driver's seat and started the engine. The car slowly pulled out of the parking lot into the night, as if carrying all their troubles and exhaustion.
\n\n
It was past two in the morning when they got home. Sun Zhewen helped Li Zhiyan back to her room. She whispered, "Please sleep here with me. I'm scared."
Sun Zhewen paused. "Are you afraid of the dark, or of ghosts?"
"Both," Li Zhiyan mumbled. "My stomach hurts, and I want you to stay with me. I don't want to sleep alone."
Sun Zhewen sighed, took off his coat, and lay down beside her. Li Zhiyan said, "Go change into your pajamas. This is uncomfortable." Her voice trembled slightly, whether from pain or something else, he didn't know.
Sun Zhewen went back to his room, changed into his pajamas, and came back to lie down. He asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"
"Mhm." Li Zhiyan nodded, her face pale.
Sun Zhewen wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue and tucked the blanket around her. "Wake me if it gets too much," he said.
"Mmhmm." She was curled up, and clearly in pain. "Can you hold me?"
Sun Zhewen reached out and gathered her into his arms. Li Zhiyan found a comfortable position against him and finally quieted down. They slept like that, embracing each other, with no thoughts of anything beyond that.