Shen Fangyu ran those words over and over again in his head, rearranging them in every possible order, but in the end, he was certain: even though every single word Jiang Xu had spoken was proper, standard Mandarin, when strung together, they became one long incomprehensible sentence.
He stared at Jiang Xu, starting to wonder if he’d finally pushed himself past the limits of too many sleepless nights, had he gone insane and was now hallucinating?
Jiang Xu was still fiddling with the timer, which had long since stopped, his face expressionless, betraying nothing.
Shen Fangyu really didn’t want to believe he’d lost his mind at such a young age. Unable to help himself, he repeated, “Did you just say… you’re pregnant?” He didn’t even dare to say the word “pregnant” out loud, whispering it instead, afraid someone might cart him off to a psychiatric ward.
Jiang Xu gave a quiet “Mm.”
Shen Fangyu swallowed hard and, with difficulty, asked again, “And the child is… mine?”
Jiang Xu’s hand, resting on the timer, froze. After a long silence, he let out a breath and said bluntly, “Yes.”
Upon hearing that, Shen Fangyu immediately reached out to touch Jiang Xu’s forehead.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Xu ducked away from his hand, looking at him in bafflement before quickly averting his gaze.
“You’re not running a fever. Is it April Fool’s Day?” Shen Fangyu pulled his hand back. His fingertips still held the faint coolness of Jiang Xu’s skin. He glanced at the calendar on the desk, obviously, it was not April 1st.
“So it’s not April Fool’s…” Shen Fangyu answered his own question, frowning in confusion. “Then what kind of prank is this supposed to be?”
Before he could even finish the thought, Jiang Xu suddenly looked up and met his eyes. His gaze was icy, carrying a storm beneath its calm surface, and inexplicably, that look made Shen Fangyu’s chest burn hot.
“Shen Fangyu, I’m not joking with you.” Jiang Xu’s fingers clenched the timer so tightly they’d gone pale. He had thought that once he said it out loud, he’d feel relieved, but he didn’t. Staring at Shen Fangyu’s face only made the fire inside him burn hotter.
He drew in a deep breath, shot a glance at the tightly closed office door, and in the next second, punched Shen Fangyu squarely in the face.
“Damn it!” The attack was so sudden that Shen Fangyu didn’t have time to dodge. He clutched his face, glaring at Jiang Xu in outrage. “Who the hell punches someone in the face? Jiang Xu, ever heard of basic decency?”
Jiang Xu slammed a thick stack of medical reports into his hands. “Read it. Five minutes.”
“Ow!” Shen Fangyu reflexively drew his hands back. “What is it with you and timers? Newsflash: I’m not your subordinate.”
Jiang Xu didn’t move. His hand remained outstretched, holding the reports, his eyes locked unwaveringly on Shen Fangyu, as if he’d stand there holding them forever if Shen didn’t take them.
Under that stare, Shen Fangyu inexplicably felt a little guilty. He shut his eyes for a second, then reluctantly grabbed the reports. He started skimming them ten lines at a glance, but the further he read, the slower his pace became. His eyes widened, and even the burning sting in his cheek faded away.
“Jiang Xu… don’t tell me this is your report,” he said, his voice unsteady.
Jiang Xu said nothing.
“Holy shit…” Shen Fangyu stared at him in disbelief, then quickly flipped through the report again.
He’d been analyzing obstetrics and gynecology case studies since his sophomore year of med school. Over the years, he’d seen countless reports like this, and every single time, Dr. Shen had been able to calmly and rationally deliver a diagnosis.
But this time, Shen Fangyu stared at that report for what felt like forever, as if his eyes alone could burn holes through the paper, and still, he didn’t dare to draw a conclusion.
It took him a long time to finally comprehend the radiologist’s final written diagnosis. His expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to outright panic. Finally, his gaze landed on the doctor’s signature at the bottom.
“Tang Ke?”
In that instant, Shen Fangyu found what felt like a reasonable explanation for this whole absurd mess. “I get it, you and Tang Ke are in on this together, right? You’re just messing with me.”
Like he’d been burned, Shen Fangyu tossed the report back onto Jiang Xu’s desk. “Jiang Xu, this isn’t funny. Sure, I stole that conference slot from you, but is this really necessary?”
Jiang Xu inhaled deeply and shoved him against the wall. “Do I look like I have nothing better to do?”
“No,” Shen Fangyu said, shrinking back a little at Jiang Xu’s deadly serious expression. “But… this, this is against basic laws of biology. Even if you’ve got some kind of… special constitution, we, we’ve never even slept together. Where would the kid come from?”
Jiang Xu bit his lip, his voice dropping low. “Jinhua Hotel. If you don’t believe me, check the room records.”