Chapter 380: This is the obstetrics and gynecology department

Listening to Miao Cuixia's nagging voice, Miao Yijia was annoyed to no end, hadn't slept all night, and with her uneasy mood, her temples throbbed and her head felt heavy and dazed.

"Jiajia?" Not hearing her respond, Miao Cuixia paused, then asked her, "Are you listening?"

Miao Yijia absolutely could not go to the hospital with her for a checkup; she didn't even want to find a plausible excuse, and directly refused: "Auntie, sorry, I have something today, it's not convenient."

"Ah?"

"Really, I already made plans with a friend."

"What's the matter? If it's not important, just postpone it. What's most important now is the baby in your belly—get checked early so you can relax. Otherwise I'll keep worrying."

"The two words 'baby' were like a blow to Miao Yijia's forehead; she was furious beyond control, suppressing her emotions as she said, 'Auntie, it's almost time, I won't talk with you now—we'll discuss later.'"

Having spoken at breakneck speed, Miao Yijia immediately hung up; Miao Cuixia didn't know where she lived, so she didn't have to worry about her showing up unexpectedly.

The surroundings grew quiet, but her heart would not calm down for a long time.

The matter of her pregnancy occupied her entire mind.

Miao Yijia fiercely grabbed a handful of hair, bowed her head and hugged her knees, tears streaming down silently.

She had only slipped up once—how could she be so unlucky?

After a day, Miao Cuixia called countless times, like a death talisman, her every word about the baby; Miao Yijia made up various excuses to fend her off, nearly driven mad by her.

Miao Yijia went nowhere, staying all day in her rented apartment and barely eating. Before she knew she was pregnant, she felt nothing wrong; once she found out, she felt uncomfortable all over.

She herself wanted a definite answer; she had looked it up online, and home pregnancy tests aren't 100% accurate.

Miao Yijia searched for a hospital, booked an appointment on her phone, and the next morning around eight she took a taxi there.

She wore sunglasses and a mask, her body covered from head to toe in a long, bean‑green sun‑protective shirt. Many women sport similar sun‑protective gear, so her outfit didn't stand out.

Her phone rang inside her bag; Miao Yijia felt guilty, looked around, then took it out.

It was Miao Cuixia again.

A flicker of irritation crossed her eyes behind the sunglasses, her brows knitting tightly; Miao Yijia didn't want to deal with her, her finger about to hit reject, but she changed her mind and answered: "Auntie."

"Hey, Jiajia, do you have time today? Auntie will accompany you to the med…"

The rest of her words were drowned out by the sound of an ambulance, which stopped right near Miao Yijia.

Miao Yijia stood in the middle, blocking the way; medical staff told her to move aside, the ambulance's rear doors were flung open, a gurney was lifted out, rolled up the steps, and pushed toward the emergency hall, while a doctor knelt on the gurney administering CPR to a patient.

After the commotion passed, Miao Cuixia on the other end of the line asked suspiciously, "Jiajia, where are you? At the hospital?"

Miao Yijia pressed her lips tight under the mask, knowing she couldn't bluff her way out, and admitted: "Mm, I'm at the hospital."

"You child, why did you run to the hospital yourself after I said I'd accompany you?" Miao Cuixia said, "Which hospital are you at? I'm rushing over now."

"No need to go to all that trouble."

Miao Yijia didn't say more, hung up, and walked toward the outpatient building.

Xia Xi happened to be free, came to the hospital to get some medicine for Su Jinru—several items weren't available at outside pharmacies. Parking was hard in the hospital, she drove around, finally found a spot, and parked.

After getting out of the car, she saw the sun was blazing, went to the passenger side, took a sunshade from the storage compartment, opened it, and held it over her head.

Xia Xi saw a woman not far away bundled up tightly; it wasn't strange in itself, but the woman's build and gait seemed familiar, like someone she knew. Xia Xi stared for a while.

She noticed the woman seemed to be avoiding something, walking and stopping, looking around.

Out of a wariness she herself couldn't explain, Xia Xi lowered the edge of her umbrella and continued to follow the woman, observing.

After a few minutes, Xia Xi had an answer in mind: the woman seemed to be Miao Yijia.

What was she doing at the hospital?

She'd come, and was acting sneaky about it.

Miao Yijia was highly tense; only after entering the outpatient hall did she slightly relax, pulling out her ID from her bag, getting a medical card at the self‑service kiosk, and printing a registration slip.

Following the signs, she went to the obstetrics and gynecology department on the third floor, scanned the slip, held her bag, and sat on a public chair in the waiting area, waiting to be called.

From time to time the broadcast announced which patient should go to which examination room.

Miao Yijia unconsciously shook her leg, waiting anxiously, occasionally glancing at the information displayed on the screen.

After waiting ten or so minutes, she finally heard her name called over the broadcast.

Miao Yijia panicked to the extreme, stood up and looked around, afraid that someone she knew might be among those present. She found the corresponding examination room, waited for the person inside to come out, then went in.

Xia Xi stood at the corner, watching Miao Yijia enter an examination room; after the door closed, she walked out. Most of the people in the waiting area were women, with a few men accompanying family members.

This is the obstetrics and gynecology department.

Xia Xi had a strong premonition and furrowed her brows.

She hoped it wasn't what she thought; otherwise things would get complicated.

In the examination room, Miao Yijia described her symptoms, especially noting that her period was late; the doctor preliminarily judged she was pregnant, but confirmation required completing the tests.

The doctor wrote out a slip, telling her to come back after the tests.

Miao Yijia clutched the slip, walking out in a daze, having forgotten to put on her sunglasses and mask.

After queuing and completing the tests, Miao Yijia returned to the same examination room; the doctor reviewed the various data on the slip and said to her, "You are indeed pregnant, you…"

"Can I have an abortion?" Miao Yijia interrupted after hearing only the first part, cutting off the doctor's continuation.

The doctor paused, glanced at her, having seen this situation before, his expression natural: "It's possible, if you've decided."

"Mm."

After a while, Miao Yijia left the examination room; she had come out in a rush, with no preparations, planning to return in a few days for the procedure. Having never experienced this before, saying she wasn't afraid would be a lie.

She wanted someone to accompany her, but after thinking it over, she didn't know who to turn to.

This must not be known to others.

Not long after Miao Yijia left, Xia Xi entered the same examination room. The attending doctor glanced at the newcomer, then at the computer: "I haven't called the next patient yet—who are you?"

"I'm the older sister of the Miao Yijia who was just here—is she pregnant?"

The doctor blinked, adjusted his glasses: "Yes, but she wants to terminate the pregnancy; family should pay more attention—I can see her mood isn't good."

"I understand, thank you, doctor."

Xia Xi didn't linger, and left quickly.

She also stopped following Miao Yijia, took the elevator down, and went to attend to her own affairs.

Miao Yijia had just stepped out of the clinic building when her phone in her bag rang again; without looking she knew who was calling. She was sick of Miao Cuixia's incessant hounding, regretting having gone to her place for dinner the night before.

This child must absolutely not be kept.

She had not failed to consider passing the child off as Chen Songbai's, which would conveniently increase Chen Songbai's leverage in the divorce, but doing so carried too great a risk. This isn't an ordinary lie; if exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She lacked the courage to do that.

The best solution is to remove it silently, as if the child had never existed.

Miao Yijia's worry is that now Miao Cuixia is convinced she's pregnant, and has told Chenfu with absolute certainty; she wonders how she can make Miao Cuixia believe her judgment was wrong.

If Miao Cuixia demands she produce the examination report, how should she respond?

If Miao Cuixia doesn't trust the doctor's diagnosis and insists on taking her to another hospital for examination, what should she do?

The phone kept ringing; Miao Yijia couldn't ignore it, and she answered with a furrowed brow.

"Yaya, have you finished the check-up? What did the doctor say? Are you pregnant?" Miao Cuixia, apparently sensitive, sensed that Miao Yijia's attitude toward her had changed from before, her tone unusually gentle: "Are you resenting me in your heart for not standing up for you? Rest assured, if you truly have Chen Songbai's child, I will, even at the cost of my life, force Chen Songbai to marry you."