---
"Miss Lin... Miss Lin Yue?"
The doctor's voice rang out again, more insistent this time, but Lin Yue just sat there frozen.
The sound of her own heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears.
She was still staring blankly at the ultrasound scan in her hand.
Her mind had shut out everything else.
Tap, tap.
The doctor gently tapped on the desk. Lin Yue finally blinked and looked up, startled.
"Ah?" she said.
"Are you alright, Miss Lin?" the doctor asked, her tone softening with concern.
Lin Yue nodded slowly. "Y-Yes... I think so."
The doctor hesitated, then leaned forward, her voice lowering into a low tone. "May I ask... who is the father of the child?"
Before Lin Yue could even form a reply, the doctor stood up, walking around the desk to her side.
She gently took Lin Yue's hand in both of hers.
"If you're in any danger... if someone forced you, or if you're being mistreated, you can tell me. I'll make sure you get help. You're not alone, okay?" Her eyes were full of worry.
Lin Yue blinked rapidly, confused. "What... "
"If someone forced you, I can help you get justice."
Lin Yue blinked in confusion. "Eh? Forced me?" she asked, her brows knitting together.
"Where are your parents? Is there anyone I can call?"
"I don't have any..." Lin Yue said quietly.
She didn't have any parents.
They were not related anymore.
That only seemed to make the doctor's pity intensify.
She sighed. "You poor child... You look so young. How old are you really, sweetheart?"
Lin Yue furrowed her brow in confusion. "I'm twenty."
The doctor blinked, straightening up. "What?... Twenty!?"
Lin Yue couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look on the woman's face.
"Yes...Wait..." She quickly rummaged through her small shoulder bag and pulled out her ID, holding it out.
The doctor examined it, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh... oh my, you really are twenty. I'm so sorry. I thought you were a minor."
Lin Yue chuckled awkwardly. "You're not the first to say that. I get it a lot."
"Well, that explains a lot," the doctor said, shaking her head in embarrassment. "You're very youthful-looking, Miss Lin. I really thought you were a minor. I apologize for my assumptions."
"It's okay," Lin Yue replied.
After a few more minutes of friendly conversation, prescriptions for prenatal vitamins, and a list of dietary recommendations, Lin Yue left the clinic holding a small envelope of test results and a scan picture.
---
She stood outside the hospital entrance for a long moment, the breeze brushing through her hair.
"I'm... pregnant..."
The words felt surreal in her mouth.
She looked down at the black-and-white scan printout, a little bean-sized shape in the middle.
That tiny thing... was hers and Ah Yan's.
Her heart was full of so many emotions she could barely sort through them.
Joy.
Fear.
Confusion.
Love.
"Will Ah Yan be happy? Will he panic? Or... will he want me to get rid of it because... we were not ready for a child?" The last thought scared her.
---
Her steps felt light and shaky as she walked, and she didn't even remember how she got on the bus, or how she returned to her apartment.
The world had become distant, like she was floating through it.
When she opened the door, everything felt too quiet.
She sat in the living room, the small envelope with the scan still clutched in her hand.
Her eyes stared at the black-and-white image as her thoughts spiraled.
Ah Yan... what will he think? Will he be happy? Or will he be scared? What if he doesn't want this? What if...
Just as her anxiety began to build, a sudden ringing startled her.
The sound was coming from the dining table—Ah Yan's phone.
She blinked. He forgot it again...
She picked it up, seeing an unknown number flashing across the screen. After a pause, she answered.
"Hello?"
A male voice replied, "Yo, bro! Where are you, man? We're heading out to the pier. You in?"
Lin Yue cleared her throat. "Um... this is Lin Yue. Ah Yan left his phone at home."
There was a short pause. "Oh! Sorry, sis. Didn't realize. Just let him know we called."
"Okay," she said softly, then ended the call and placed the phone back on the table.
She looked around the apartment, still in a daze, her fingers lightly touching her stomach.
There's a life in there. A tiny little life...
---
To calm herself, she went to her art corner.
She pulled out a fresh canvas and set up her brushes.
With soft classical music playing in the background, she dipped her brush in soft hues of peach and lavender and began to paint a tranquil landscape—mountains in the clouds, with a lone figure standing at the peak.
Hours passed without her noticing.
Her hand was steady, her strokes slow and full of emotion.
---
It was almost four in the evening when she stepped back and smiled. "I think Mo Yuwei will love this one."
---
She cleaned up and walked to the kitchen to cook dinner.
Surprisingly, the nauseous feeling didn't return. "Maybe my body is adjusting..."
She prepared a light meal of steamed rice, vegetables, and chicken soup.
As she cooked, she kept glancing at the clock.
6 PM.
He should be home soon.
She went to take a shower and changed into her soft loungewear.
She brushed her hair, then sat on the sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest.
Her eyes occasionally darted to the door.
7 PM.
Still nothing.
She picked a random TV show to keep herself occupied.
Then eight.
Still, the door remained closed.
Her heart started beating faster.
At eight-thirty, her stomach growled softly, and she finally gave in.
She sat at the dining table and ate her portion quietly.
The food had gone cold but she didn't care.
After cleaning up, it was nearly 10 PM.
She turned off the lights in the kitchen and returned to the living room.
Curling up on the sofa with a blanket, she held the ultrasound photo to her chest.
"Ah Yan... where are you?"
---