Chương 38: The Woman

Right after work, Qing Chen sent a message to Feng Xuan that he would be a little late to dinner as he had another meeting outside the office. To which Feng Xuan replied with an: Okay! Be safe! Let me know when you're on your way back so I could prepare :D

It felt like his face was being pricked with a thousand needles because of irritation. Why, Li Zongying? Just why? Why was she acting up?

Ever since the news of his marriage spread like wildfire, Li Zongying talked to him less and less. She didn't even talk to him when she was handing work. She just left post-its on top of piles on what he was supposed to do.

He actually already considered replacing her as she could no longer focus at the tasks at hand and their professional relationship had been damaged by what happened that unfortunate night. He had already placed a call with the HR department to find him a new secretary, but he knew it would take a long time to find one.

He cared for her like an employer should to an employee. And he cared for her a little more much like a friend. They never did get to talk about their personal lives that much. If Qing Chen talked about problems, it was mainly about the hotel.

She had told him she understood that it would only happen once, just for that night. But what she did not understand was how gravely serious he was about it.

That was what's getting on Qing Chen's nerves. After a few days of what happened, Li Zongying made no mention of what happened but then, one day she just started hinting at him which he ignored. Then she started coming to his penthouse. She went from a perfect employee to just inseferrable in a span of weeks. Qing Chen was honestly disappointed.

To give her the credit of being a good secretary before everything crumbled to dust, he had the decency to grant her wish. After twenty minutes of being on the road, Qing Chen's car stopped in front of a house. He had known Li Zongying was occupying the space on the second floor as he once (or twice) had given her a ride home when they finished late at work.

He sighed as he climbed the stone stairs. There was little light in the room and mail letters were left uncollected by the door. Qing Chen picked them up and knocked on the door.

"Go away," he heard Li Zongying replied.

"Open the door," he told her.

He heard scrambling from the other side. The next moment, Li Zongying's voice sounded clearer as if she was directly behind the door. "Qing Chen?"

"Yes, it's me."

He heard a few more scrambling inside. Then the door opened. Li Zongying was still holding the door handle, her other hand was on a white towel pressed on her face. Her skin was wet as she had just splashed water.

Qing Chen waited for her to talk but she didn't. She was just staring at him like she couldn't believe he was really there. "Should we talk inside, or do you prefer that we just stay here?"

Li Zongying pulled the door wider and stepped aside as she turned on the light. Qing Chen got inside the dark room. The only source of light was her television with the volume on low. He saw takeout packagings all over the place and on the bed. He saw the sink and the unwashed dishes.

She cleared a kitchen chair with a big sweep of an arm to make space. Qing Chen took a seat and was unfastening his coat when he realized Li Zongying was standing.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" he asked and she took a seat in front of him.

Li Zongying was a small woman, she was in a smaller frame than Feng Xuan. She had always been presentable and tried to keep it like that until the last second of working hours, but tonight, she was free of make-up and Qing Chen saw how pale she looked. Paler than normal. She looked like she was sick or was about to be sick. She was wearing a huge white shirt that concealed whether she was wearing anything underneath.

"What's going on?" he asked her. "Do you want to leave work already? You could just tell me if you can't take it anymore. You have earned great credentials at The Kingly, surely other bosses would want to have you as their assistant."

Li Zongying's eyes were focused on her lap and on her lap were her hands. They were shaking. "I don't know what's happening."

Qing Chen leaned forward. "You said you wanted to see me. Why? Are you resigning?"

Qing Chen saw Li Zonying's lips trembled before her eyes lifted to his. She looked like she was trying her best not to cry. She pursed her lips before dropping the bomb. "I'm pregnant."

Qing Chen blinked at her. "That's great news! Congrats!" he said, sounding a little confused. "Do you want to, uhm, stop working? Take some time off?"

Li Zongying's gaze shattered like broken pieces of a plate. "It's yours."

Qing Chen bursted out laughing. He rolled his eyes. "You're crazy. Just say you want to leave and we'll make it happen. I'll even make you a recommendation letter and that you want to explore a different field this time."

But Li Zongying was not hearing him. "I haven't been with anyone since it happened."

Qing Chen leaned backwards on the chair. "How is that possible? It happened one time. It was not like I wasn't careful. It had been weeks, Li Zongying. That was two months already, or three?"

A tear escaped Li Zongying's eye. "I don't know what's happening."

Qing Chen scrunched his face. He honestly did not know what she was talking about. He did not have a broad knowledge about pregnancy but he knew things about reproduction. "You're being impossible right now."

"It's not!" Li Zongying said. "I-I, I don't know what's happening."

Qing Chen's temper rose up. "I can't have you telling me that you don't know anything. You're saying you're pregnant but have you taken a test?"

Li Zongying's eyes widened. "I haven't."

"Then how can you say that you're pregnant?"

"I'm delayed for a week."

Okay, that was a given and a clear sign that she might be pregnant. Surely, there were other things that could have caused that. "You're just stressed," he said. Because there was no way he had gotten Li Zongying pregnant. Qing Chen was not going to buy this story. "Take one," he said.

"I don't have one."

He pursed his lips to keep himself from lashing out his frustrations. She made him come all the way here when she herself was not sure. "I heard it's best to take it in the morning. I'll have some sent to you. They'll be waiting for you tomorrow by your door. Take them."

Li Zongying grabbed his hand. "Please, please. I don't want to."

"What do you mean?"

Li Zongying just shook her head. Qing Chen could tell that she was… terrified. Somehow, his anger toned down a notch. "I don't want to take them when I'm alone. I'm going to have a massive breakdown," she said, her voice growing thin as tears continued to pour from her eyes. "What if it's positive? I'm so scared, Qing Chen."

He could not help but feel pity for her. Qing Chen reached and put a hand on Li Zongying's shoulder. "You're going to be fine. I am pretty sure that you are not pregnant. Your healthcare covers a lot, if you need more the company could provide for you."

"What if I am?" her voice shook.

"Then you are," Qing Chen answered.

"And if it's yours?"

"Why are you pushing this?" he tilted his head upwards. "It's not going to be mine, Li Zongying. Because you are not pregnant." He shook his head. "We're going to go in circles here. Just take the tests."

"If it came out positive?"

"Then you should start from there."

"Can I take them at the office? I really can't be alone."

"Whatever you want. Just take it so you're not getting paranoid. And if you are, I'm filing for your replacement." He stood up and buttoned his coat. He already had a hand on the door when he felt Li Zongying's short arms hugged him from behind.

"I'm really scared. Can you please stay the night?"

Qing Chen shut his eyes as he sighed, trying really hard not to shove her away. "I have a wife to come home to, Li Zongying." He pulled apart her hands on his stomach. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Li Zongying released him. "I'll be there," she said, her voice growing stronger as she had stopped crying. She wiped the under of her nose before facing Qing Chen. "I'll see you then."

"Take care," Qing Chen said.

When Qing Chen got into the car, he just got more annoyed. Just what was this that Li Zongying was brewing. He gave it a thought: was it possible that he had gotten her pregnant? Qing Chen shook his head. Nope, there was no way he had been that careless. And it had been months. If she was pregnant, she should've known weeks ago. As if he'd fall that easily.

Li Zongying watched as the limousine drove out of her view. The moment she shut the door, she began laughing. She jumped to her bed and threw her feet up in the air.

Qing Chen might not have a wife to come home to the next few days.