Chapter 42: Such a Strong Addiction (50 Diamonds for Extra Chapters)
Le Quan was not so fanciful as to believe that Shang Yucheng had followed them to take care of Liang Jinshang.
But seeing Liang Jinshang huddled alone in a corner, in so much pain she could barely sit upright, while Shang Yucheng kept his distance—couldn’t he at least steady her a bit?
Why had he come along? Was he worried they'd drive off in his car?
Le Quan remembered that when he was with Si Rong, he wasn’t this stingy.
Halfway through their drive, the Bentley happened upon an ambulance.
Since the ambulance was equipped for emergencies, Liang Jinshang was swiftly transferred over.
Shang Yucheng was cold and brief when Shang Yiming tried to climb aboard as well. “And just leave my car by the side of the road?”
...Wasn’t that why you were here?
But Shang Yiming didn’t dare instruct Shang Yucheng on how to handle things, so he had no choice but to follow the ambulance in the Bentley.
A young doctor quickly checked Liang Jinshang’s vitals. After pressing carefully on her lower abdomen, he asked, “With acute abdominal pain, we first have to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. Miss, you…”
Liang Jinshang replied weakly, “No, that’s impossible…”
She’d been at the nunnery from her last period until today, only breaking her vows in the early hours this morning. No matter how fast conception happened, it couldn’t be that quick.
Besides, she’d taken medication.
The young doctor glanced at the two men who had followed her onto the ambulance, trying to gauge their relationship, since his next question was a private one.
But Shang Yucheng, simply by sitting there, emanated an intimidating aura that made the doctor avoid looking directly at him.
Judging by Shang Yucheng’s expression, he didn’t seem particularly concerned for the patient—certainly not her boyfriend.
Le Quan pressed, “Doctor, what’s wrong with her? Why is the pain so bad all of a sudden?”
“Excluding ectopic pregnancy, another cause of severe abdominal pain could be corpus luteum rupture,” the young doctor replied, urgency outweighing decorum. “Miss, did you have any vigorous…um, intercourse today?”
It wasn’t that the doctor was unprofessional—the question simply stumbled out, so rattled was he by the sudden, chilling look from the man beside him.
Liang Jinshang didn’t understand why he asked, but the answer was yes—after all, the early hours of today were still today.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Shang Yucheng.
It was bad enough to answer in front of a car full of people, but with the man himself present—even if he weren't—she’d never be able to say it aloud.
Le Quan, noticing where she looked, assumed Liang Jinshang was just embarrassed to speak frankly in front of a stranger, and couldn’t help but shoot Shang Yucheng a glare.
Now it dawned on her—what was he doing here? They had no real connection.
Had he never ridden an ambulance before and found the novelty irresistible?
The doctor repeated, “If it’s corpus luteum rupture and we delay treatment, it could cause shock or even be life-threatening. Please, help us rule it out.”
Liang Jinshang tugged her bathrobe—borrowed from the hot spring center—more tightly around herself, murmuring, “…Yes.”
She unconsciously used the movement to hide the marks on her chest.
From an outsider’s perspective, anyone would assume she meant she'd had intercourse while at the hot spring.
The doctor seemed to think so, and reassured her, “Since you just came down from the hot springs, the rupture likely happened very recently. No need to be too anxious—relax. I’ll set up an IV line for you first.”
Le Quan exhaled in relief, but suddenly felt an oppressive chill next to her.
Yet the only one beside her was Shang Yucheng.
He still wore that same handsome, indifferent expression, his cold, sharp gaze intensifying the pressure she felt.
...
The ambulance soon reached the hospital.
Somehow, Shang Yiming had taken a quicker route and was already waiting at the emergency center when they arrived.
As Liang Jinshang was being wheeled in, the doctor stopped the others. “Hey, unless you’re her boyfriend, wait outside!”
With that, he pushed Shang Yiming—also still in a bathrobe—inside. “Move it!”
Le Quan and Shang Yucheng were left outside.
She knew Shang Yucheng, if not well, then at least as an acquaintance; they moved in the same social circles, and through Si Rong, they’d crossed paths plenty of times before.
But she had nothing to say to Shang Yucheng.
Struggling to find a topic, she was about to speak when he turned away, face cold, and went out to the terrace to smoke.
Le Quan stamped her foot in frustration. Si Rong had remarried because of him, and yet he took it out on her now?
She sat on a long bench. Before long, Shang Yiming emerged from the emergency room.
Le Quan asked, “Why are you out already?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think? Do you suppose I’d be allowed to stay?”
Since they had nothing better to do than wait, Le Quan nudged his shoulder and teased, “Do you really like our little fairy?”
“I do.”
“Well, you might not have a chance… She seems to have someone.”
Shang Yiming, an old hand with women, was unfazed. “So what? May the best man win!”
He slung an arm around Le Quan’s shoulders, as if they were old pals. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought about chasing her seriously, but now you mention it, I’m intrigued. I have to tell you—when I carried her just now, she looked so delicate, and in my arms she felt boneless and soft, I just wanted to…”
Le Quan’s expression darkened, and she was about to give him a piece of her mind when Shang Yucheng, having finished his cigarette, walked in.
He must have overheard some of the crude remarks, for the look he gave Shang Yiming was as sharp as a knife. “My car keys.”
“Oh! Of course!” Shang Yiming quickly handed them over with due respect.
Shang Yucheng turned to leave.
Suddenly, Shang Yiming had a thought. “President Shang—could it be you like her? Driving her here, picking her up and dropping her off! You looked jealous just now when I got close to her.”
Le Quan, having mentally crossed him off her list completely, just stared toward the emergency room, ignoring him. “Sure, as if.”
Shang Yiming was left speechless.
...
After the CT scan, ectopic pregnancy and corpus luteum rupture were definitively ruled out for Liang Jinshang.
The attending physician asked her, “I need to confirm a few things with you. There’s no one else here now, so please answer truthfully, so we don’t misdiagnose and delay your treatment.”
“Yes.”
“Is your menstrual cycle regular? Any history of dysmenorrhea?”
Liang Jinshang replied, “Always regular, and I rarely have cramps. Oh, right…”
“What is it?”
She pressed her lips together. “About half a year ago, around October, I stopped menstruating for three months because of stress.”
“After that, things returned to normal?”
“Yes.”
The doctor scribbled notes on her chart and asked, “Any history of childbirth? Any pregnancies?”
Liang Jinshang hesitated for quite a while before answering. “No history of childbirth, never been pregnant.”
Seeing her hesitate so long, the doctor emphasized again that she mustn’t hide any details.
Liang Jinshang replied, “I’m telling the truth. Doctor… the things I just told you, could you leave them out of my medical record?”
The doctor replied, “Why not?”
Generally, unmarried women would ask the doctor to keep a history of abortion confidential, but since she had none, there was nothing to conceal.