"No, this doctor will try to save money for patients. It's within their means. Seeing a doctor is a sign of your dedication; otherwise, you'll suffer for the rest of your life."
"Then, Juan, aren't you coming back with me?"
"No, my clothes are with my mom."
"Don't you miss me?" Lijuan gave Yaping a complicated look, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Yaping took her father's medical records to Dr. Zhang.
After carefully examining the patient, Dr. Zhang said, "If only you had come to see me sooner. We've recently introduced argon-helium cryotherapy, which is particularly effective for patients with inoperable cancers. It's also not expensive, costing just over ten thousand yuan per session. With some traditional Chinese medicine as an adjunct, there's still hope. However, now... you see, the chemotherapy dosage is so high, and the antibiotics used are top-of-the-line. Nothing will work anymore. Your father's physical condition is very poor right now, so let's adopt conservative treatment to minimize his suffering. Is that alright?"
"Professor Tan treated your father's illness, right?" the doctor across from me interjected.
"Yes." "I knew it the moment I heard the strong medicine he prescribed. Haha! He's the infamous Tan Yidao!"
"Yes, his surgical skills are top-notch. But my father didn't have surgery this time."
"What?! They'll rip you off as soon as they see you!"
"Don't talk nonsense, Dr. Li," Dr. Zhang stopped him.
After returning home, Yaping said to his mother, "Mom, I want to bring Lijuan back."
After a long silence, Yaping's mother said, "Aren't you trying to get rid of me? If she comes, where will I stay? Will she be able to take care of your father? If she can, then I'll just find a place to work as a nanny."
"Mom, Lijuan isn't that bad. She even gave you 10,000 yuan for your treatment and 15,000 yuan for Dad's medical expenses!"
“Where does she get money? She’s spent it all on food, money, and money. Isn’t her money your money too? You don’t need to gild her lily.”
"No, she borrowed it from his mother."
“We don’t have the money now, but we’ll pay her back when we do. I won’t take anything from her,” Yaping’s mother said firmly.
Yaping wasn't discouraged. He had his own plan. Every day before leaving get off work, he would call Lijuan and pick her up from her workplace. The two would walk to Huaihai Road, then he would take Lijuan home. Before parting, Yaping would kiss Lijuan's hair. Lijuan had gradually softened, just waiting for Yaping to ask her to go back. But Yaping wouldn't say a word.
"When did you get your period?" A week later, Yaping asked casually on the way home with Lijuan.
"What? It just ended the day before yesterday," Lijuan replied.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking that you might get tired and not be able to walk much in the next few days."
"When did you become so thoughtful?" Lijuan's heart melted.
Yaping exercises every day.
Yaping went online to look up information. He noticed that a section of a small forum that specifically discussed the sex of babies had statistics showing that women who had orgasms before men were more likely to conceive a son. He secretly made a note of it.
Yaping still picked up Lijuan every day, had dinner together, and then took her home. Lijuan couldn't wait any longer. She thought Yaping's attitude was very good, and her past anger and mistake could be completely forgiven. However, Yaping seemed ashamed to ask for her help.
Ten days later, one evening, Yaping went to Lijuan's workplace with flowers to pick her up, which startled Lijuan. She was secretly delighted: Yaping might be inviting her back today!
Yaping led Lijuan straight to the Peace Hotel on the Bund, entered the second-floor restaurant, and found a seat near the window. Candlelight, roses, and the dishes reflected on Lijuan's flushed face. "What's going on? What's so special about today? Why all this fuss? We're husband and wife, let's talk things out."
"It's okay, I love you, and I wanted you to know."
"You're so annoying! You're all sweet talk, aren't you? You've been acting strange lately, looks like it might be better to live apart for a while."
"Juan, I miss you." Yaping reached his hand under the table and kneaded Lijuan's stockings, sometimes lightly and sometimes heavily.
"Eat properly! Everyone saw it." Lijuan said shyly, her face flushed.
Do you miss me?
"What are you thinking about? Nothing."
"You really don't want to?"
"You're annoying." Lijuan smiled gently. She ate the meal absentmindedly.
After the meal, Yaping put his arm around Lijuan's waist and they went out, their faces close together. "The stairs are this way," Lijuan said. Yaping subtly pulled Lijuan in another direction. "We're not going back tonight. I want you here." With that, Yaping dragged Lijuan straight towards the elevator.
"Are you crazy! It's so expensive! Did you win the lottery? Why are you suddenly so generous?" Ya Ping didn't say anything, but reached his hand inside Li Juan's coat, slipping it along the edge.
"How much does this cost per night? You're so annoying! You should use that money to buy me clothes. I haven't bought any clothes in almost half a year! Why don't you go home?"
"I'm afraid you'll be unhappy when you see my mother. I don't want you to be unhappy." Lijuan's heart had completely melted.
Yaping opened the hotel room door and patiently filled the tub with warm water for Lijuan. He stripped her naked, piece by piece, and laid her in the tub. He knelt beside her, meticulously applying shower gel, lingering on her sensitive, private areas. Lijuan's eyes were half-closed, her face flushed. "Juan, I love you," Yaping whispered, nibbling at her earlobe. Lijuan felt weak all over. "Juan, you're so sexy, you're the most beautiful woman in the world," Yaping continued to whisper.
Yaping carried Lijuan back to the hotel bed and began a long, drawn-out affair, until Lijuan couldn't help but moan softly. Yaping wasn't in a hurry, but Lijuan began to impatiently demand, "Yes! Put on a condom!"
"I want to love you from the moment I get there."
"No way! Today is my ovulation period, something bad will happen. No, no!"
"Juan, Juan, I love you. I can't live without you. Let's start over, okay? Let's pretend everything is over. For our marriage, for our love, let's have a baby! I want the world to know how much I love you!"
Outside the window, the night lights are dazzling, and the lights on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River are flashing.
Lijuan was limp and powerless, and didn't even have the strength to cry out. Only then did Yaping begin to exert his strength.
The next day, Yaping took Lijuan to an underground karaoke bar. The two of them drank juice and flirted in the private room. Lijuan couldn't resist Yaping's passionate advances, and they closed the door and started making love.
The following day, at the home of Yaping's colleague who was on a business trip.
"Yaping, I think I really am pregnant," Lijuan told Yaping anxiously one month later.