I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 68

Facing Ji Yangwen, Zhou Youling felt at ease, without any burden.

The emotions brought to Zhou Youling by Ji Yangwen and Fu Xunzhou were completely different. When facing Ji Yangwen, Zhou Youling was carefree. She never had any romantic feelings for him; although she did appreciate him, she never once thought he would become anything more to her.

Of course, as a friend, Zhou Youling found Ji Yangwen to be very loyal. This kind of loyalty was very useful to Zhou Youling.

Seeing that Ji Yangwen seemed to have nothing more to say, Zhou Youling indicated that she wanted to leave.

Ji Yangwen attempted to grab Zhou Youling’s wrist, but she dodged.

“Sorry,” Ji Yangwen said softly, “I understand what you mean. If you don’t want to see me again, I will never appear in your world.”

These words left Zhou Youling a bit unsure of how to respond.

She was not the type to make things awkward. Ji Yangwen hadn’t done anything unforgivable; it was just that some things did make her feel a bit uncomfortable.

Ji Yangwen finally explained himself: “Whether we are friends or not, I never wanted you to misunderstand. From the beginning, I never thought of using you, nor did I intend to hurt you. I wanted to pursue you simply because I wanted to pursue you.”

Zhou Youling nodded lightly and smiled at Ji Yangwen: “Thank you.”

“In that case, can I still be your friend? Just an ordinary friend,” Ji Yangwen asked.

Zhou Youling smiled, “Of course.”

Ji Yangwen said sincerely, “As I said, if you ever need help, you can come to me directly. I may not be the best person, but I would do anything for family and friends.”

This time, Zhou Youling was genuinely amused by Ji Yangwen: “Alright, enough chit-chat, I’m heading home.”

“Go ahead, be careful on the road.”

“Okay.”

…

Early March marked another prenatal check-up for Zhou Youling.

Zhou Youling remembered how nervous she had been for several days after the last Down syndrome screening, until the doctor informed her that the results were normal, and her anxious heart finally settled. The main purpose of the screening was to mitigate the risk of congenital disabilities in the fetus. It was said that Down syndrome was a sporadic condition, so regardless of whether the mother had any poor lifestyle habits before or during pregnancy, every pregnant woman could potentially give birth to a child with Down syndrome. Zhou Youling was particularly worried because she had once gotten drunk without knowing she was pregnant, fearing that this incident might lead to a child with Down syndrome.

Besides the initial screening, Zhou Youling was now facing the mid-term four-dimensional ultrasound. It was said that this ultrasound could reveal any deformities in the fetus’s limbs and spine, making it one of the most crucial steps in prenatal care.

Early in the morning, Zhou Youling went to the hospital with her mom to prepare for the check-up.

They went to a public hospital, where there was quite a queue. Since they had made an appointment online, Zhou Youling arrived just in time and didn’t have to wait long.

In front of Zhou Youling was a young couple who seemed very much in love. The man kept comforting the woman, telling her not to worry too much, that the baby in her belly wouldn’t have any major issues. But the woman kept crying, saying the test results didn’t look good.

Zhou Youling couldn’t help but feel influenced by this woman’s anxiety, fearing that she might also receive unfavorable results during her check-up.

Seeing Zhou Youling’s pale face, Rong Huiying thought she was envious of others having their husbands accompany them for prenatal check-ups, so she comforted her: “I remember when I had my check-ups, it was your grandma who accompanied me. Your dad was too busy at the time and couldn’t find the time, and I often complained to him about it.”

“Really?” Zhou Youling didn’t know about this.

Rong Huiying continued, “Actually, thinking about it, men are quite useless. After I gave birth to you, your dad hardly helped with the care. Of course, he was busy, but it was also an old-fashioned belief that taking care of children was a woman’s job.”

Zhou Youling listened absentmindedly and couldn’t help but interject, “Mom, I heard from grandma that you didn’t really take care of me either. Is that true?”

“Don’t listen to your grandma’s nonsense. Although I loved playing cards and watching Qiong Yao dramas, you were my flesh and blood. If I didn’t take care of you, who would I take care of?”

Zhou Youling laughed cheerfully at this.

Just then, the medical staff called Zhou Youling for her check-up.

The process was similar to previous check-ups, starting with the doctor issuing a form, then Zhou Youling paying the fee before proceeding with the examination.

This time it was the four-dimensional ultrasound.

After paying, it was soon Zhou Youling’s turn.

The medical staff noticed Zhou Youling’s nervousness and comforted her warmly, “Relax, don’t stress too much.”

Zhou Youling wanted to relax, but her heart kept racing for some reason.

The cold gel was applied to her belly, and Zhou Youling shivered slightly.

She turned her head to look at the doctor’s computer screen, listening as the doctor said, “Look, this little head is quite big.”

Zhou Youling looked closely and could clearly see various outlines.

This was almost the first time Zhou Youling had seen such a clear image of her baby inside her belly, and she suddenly felt tears welling up.

Beside her, Rong Huiying was even more excited than Zhou Youling, being a sentimental person, her eyes quickly reddened.

“My little grandchild looks so good,” Rong Huiying said.

Zhou Youling was speechless, “Mom, you haven’t even seen what her face looks like.”

“Of course I have, she looks just like you did when you were little!” Rong Huiying sniffed and said, “I’ll never forget how you looked when you were born; you were so ugly you made me cry.”

Zhou Youling: “…Mom, are you sure you’re complimenting your granddaughter?”

The medical staff nearby chuckled along.

“This is the little hand, this is the little foot…”

Even without the doctor pointing it out, Zhou Youling could clearly see. She felt both shocked and moved.

Until the doctor frowned, Zhou Youling sensed something might be wrong.

“A bright spot was found in the left ventricle,” the doctor said.

Zhou Youling quickly asked nervously, “What does that mean?”

Rong Huiying also asked anxiously, “What’s wrong, doctor? Please speak plainly.”

The doctor didn’t speak, just frowned while observing.

This made Zhou Youling even more nervous.

Then, until the end of the examination, the doctor didn’t say much, only advised, “Don’t be too anxious.”

After this check-up, the doctor informed Zhou Youling that she needed to undergo another examination, scheduled for the next day.

At the hospital, Rong Huiying was already feeling faint, and once home, she collapsed onto the sofa.

Zhou Zhishan, being a man, immediately contacted relevant friends upon learning of the situation. The conclusion was consistent with the doctor’s advice at the hospital: “Don’t be too anxious, let’s wait for the re-examination.”

Zhou Youling had almost prepared for the worst. She held back her tears all the way home, but once in her bedroom, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

Her female cousin Rong Duanjing rushed over upon hearing the news and saw Zhou Youling’s tear-stained eyes.

Rong Duanjing quickly comforted Zhou Youling, “Don’t worry, the doctor hasn’t given the worst conclusion. Just go for the re-examination tomorrow.”

Even though Zhou Youling knew crying wouldn’t help, she couldn’t stop herself.

Rong Duanjing came over and gently hugged Zhou Youling, sighing softly, “It’s okay, cry if you need to. Pregnant mothers are always more fragile. Cry if you want, it’s okay, you don’t have to pretend to be strong.”

Zhou Youling cried even harder.

It wasn’t until the latter part of the night that Zhou Youling finally fell into a hazy sleep.

In her dreams, Zhou Youling had many bad dreams, and she didn’t stop crying even in her sleep.

What finally woke Zhou Youling was the ringing of a phone call.

Zhou Youling steadied her breathing and answered the call, “Hello.”

“It’s me.”

Zhou Youling instantly recognized the voice on the other end.

Her tears immediately flowed again.

Fu Xunzhou quickly sensed Zhou Youling’s sobs and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Where are you?”

With a “bang,” Zhou Youling used all her strength to hang up the call.