ACMS 47

Chapter 47 – A Powerful Alliance

Twins—this news was completely unexpected.

Qiao Le froze for a moment. He had already undergone two checkups before, and neither doctor had mentioned he was carrying twins. How had it suddenly become twins?

“Director Liang,” he asked Liang Jiayu, “could there be a mistake? I’ve had two previous checkups.”

Even the usually calm and composed Shen Hechuan couldn’t help but feel nervous at this point. He gripped Qiao Le’s hand tightly, his gaze fixed on Liang Jiayu.

Understanding his concern, Liang Jiayu pointed at the monitor and said, “No mistake. Look here—this is one baby, and this is the other. Both already have fetal hearts and buds. They’re very healthy.”

Both babies are very healthy.

Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan exchanged a look, each seeing shock and helplessness mirrored in the other’s eyes.

Two babies? Really… two?

Qiao Le felt dazed. For a moment, he didn’t know if he should be impressed with himself—or with Shen Hechuan.

“These days, twins aren’t that rare,” Liang Jiayu said. “But as far as I know, a male pregnancy with twins—there’s only been one case abroad.” She gave Shen Hechuan a once-over. “I have to say, the sperm from the babies’ other father was really vigorous, to swim such a long passage.”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

It was the first time Qiao Le had seen Shen Hechuan embarrassed. He couldn’t help wanting to laugh—and in fact, he didn’t hold back.

As he laughed, his stomach naturally jiggled a bit. Liang Jiayu gently pressed down with the probe and said, “Don’t laugh. You’re impressive too. You two really are a powerful alliance.”

Qiao Le: “…”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Liang Jiayu raised the bed slightly so Qiao Le could better see the ultrasound image.

He hadn’t looked at the monitor during the previous two checkups, but this time, he could clearly see what was going on in his abdomen—he saw the “babies” Liang Jiayu had mentioned.

They were very small, likely not even as big as his fist.

After finishing the ultrasound, Liang Jiayu sent him for several other tests. When all the results were back, Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan returned to her office.

“All the indicators are normal—better than I expected.” Liang Jiayu looked through the reports and went over precautions with them. “Is there anything you’re still unsure about?”

Qiao Le hesitated before asking, “If we wanted to terminate the pregnancy, when would be the best time to do it?”

As he spoke, Shen Hechuan’s hand, which was resting on the back of the chair, twitched slightly. His lowered gaze hid the emotions in his eyes.

“Terminate?” Liang Jiayu thought she misheard. She looked puzzled. “Why? Didn’t Dr. Yao say you were both very happy about the pregnancy? Even called him to double-check because you were afraid it was a misdiagnosis?”

Dr. Yao was the doctor who had examined Qiao Le a few days ago. The call had been made by Shen Hechuan.

Qiao Le recalled how seriously Shen Hechuan had said he liked children that night. He could roughly imagine the look on his face when he called Dr. Yao.

As Qiao Le remained silent, Shen Hechuan said, “We don’t want children for now. It’s not a good time for him to be pregnant.”

“But Qiao Le’s health indicators are all very good—”

Liang Jiayu paused mid-sentence, then seemed to realize something. “You’re only nineteen this year, right? Still in school?”

Qiao Le gave a small hum of confirmation. Liang Jiayu nodded understandingly. “That’s definitely not the right age to be pregnant. But as for termination…”

She looked through the report again, then said frankly, “Our hospital has never performed an abortion on a male patient. As far as I know, no hospital in the country has.”

No precedent. No pioneers. No guarantees.

After she finished speaking, the office fell into silence. The atmosphere grew heavy.

In this era, abortion procedures were already very advanced—practically routine.

But Qiao Le had forgotten one thing. Men and women had different physiology. Even if he could get pregnant, he wasn’t a woman. A standard surgical method wouldn’t apply to him.

“What about abroad?” Shen Hechuan asked. “You just mentioned there was a case of a male carrying twins overseas.”

“There was.” Liang Jiayu nodded. “But he didn’t have an abortion. He had a C-section. It’s a completely different scenario.”

So… what now?

Qiao Le asked, “Is there any other way?”

“Strictly speaking, there’s not,” she replied.

She went on to explain in detail—physiological structures, the reason behind Qiao Le’s conception, and other relevant information. In the end, the conclusion remained: abortion was not recommended.

After thinking for a moment, Liang Jiayu said, “Let’s not rush. We’ll hold a case seminar and consult with specialists to discuss further.”

At this point, that was all they could do.

Qiao Le thanked her. “Thank you, Director Liang.”

“No need to be so formal,” she replied with a smile. Seeing the worry on his face, she added reassuringly, “Don’t be too anxious. Who knows, maybe we’ll come up with a solution. Things aren’t always black and white.”

“Alright,” Qiao Le said. “If there’s any news, please let me know right away.”

“Of course,” Liang Jiayu agreed readily. “In the meantime, this gives you both a chance to think things over—maybe you’ll decide to keep the babies after all.”

When they left her office, Qiao Le glanced at his belly, then at Shen Hechuan, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words.

Shen Hechuan said, “Say whatever’s on your mind.”

“Do you remember what you said to me the first time we met?” Qiao Le asked.

The first time they met?

Shen Hechuan thought back to the misunderstanding at the Syl Café, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly. “I remember you called me ‘honey.’”

Qiao Le: “……”

That scene where he called Shen Hechuan honey at their very first meeting—every time he thought of it, it was a fresh wave of secondhand embarrassment.

He ignored Shen Hechuan’s teasing and said, “You told me you hadn’t had a vasectomy. I believe you now. It’s not just that you haven’t—you’re basically a walking, high-quality sperm bank.”

Shen Hechuan was caught off guard. “…Thanks for the compliment. You’re pretty impressive too.”

Just now, Liang Jiayu had praised them for being a powerful duo.

Their minds seemed in sync as they exchanged a look, then broke into laughter at the same time.

The atmosphere lightened a lot. Shen Hechuan patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t overthink it. Let’s wait for the specialists’ consultation. There’s always a way.”

“Yeah.” Qiao Le nodded. He knew there was no rushing things right now—they just had to wait.

Still, the thought that he was actually carrying twins felt surreal.

I really am amazing.

Qiao Le couldn’t help wondering: if the babies were born, would they look more like him or like Shen Hechuan?

He was so deep in thought, he walked right past the elevator without noticing until Shen Hechuan grabbed his arm. “What are you thinking about? Watch where you’re going.”

Qiao Le said, “If… I mean if, okay? If the babies are born, do you think they’ll look like you or me?”

Shen Hechuan thought for a moment. “You.”

“Why?”

“You’re better looking.”

Qiao Le pressed his lips together and smiled, stepping into the elevator with him.

When they reached the first floor, Qiao Le got a call from Fang Jiaxu asking how the checkup went. Qiao Le said, “It’s a bit complicated. I’ll come see you this afternoon, want to get lunch together?”

Fang Jiaxu replied, “Sure. Want me to pick you up?”

“No need, I’ll drive myse—”

Qiao Le’s words cut off as his eyes landed on someone ahead. “Sister Xiaoyun?”

Fang Jiaxu: “What?”

“I see Sister Xiaoyun,” Qiao Le said.

Zhou Xiaoyun was also an employee at A Drink To Unwind. Qiao Le saw her sitting on a stainless steel bench near the lobby, one hand holding a phone while she talked, the other wiping away tears.

Fang Jiaxu asked, “Xiaoyun? What’s she doing at the hospital? Is she not feeling well?”

“I’ll go ask,” Qiao Le said, hanging up the call. He turned to Shen Hechuan. “I see a friend—going to say hello real quick.”

Zhou Xiaoyun wasn’t too close, so they couldn’t hear what she was saying, but her emotional state was obvious. She was crying continuously—clearly upset, like something bad had happened.

When Qiao Le worked at Xiao Zhuo Yi Qing, the others had taken good care of him. Seeing Zhou Xiaoyun like this, he couldn’t just walk away.

She hung up and sat there, covering her face and crying quietly.

Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan walked over. Qiao Le called out, “Sister Xiaoyun.”

Zhou Xiaoyun was startled to hear her name. She looked up with tear-streaked cheeks and saw Qiao Le. “Lele?”

“It’s me.” Qiao Le pulled a pack of tissues from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “Wipe your face.”

She took them and softly thanked him, pulling out two sheets to wipe her face. Then she glanced at Shen Hechuan. “And Mr. Shen, you’re here too.”

It was already public knowledge at the bar that Shen Hechuan was Qiao Le’s boyfriend.

“Hello,” Shen Hechuan said with a polite nod.

“What are you two doing here?” Zhou Xiaoyun sniffled. They were, after all, in the OB/GYN department.

“We came to visit a friend,” Qiao Le answered, giving an excuse. “What about you? What happened?”

It was a private matter, and Zhou Xiaoyun hadn’t intended to say anything—but in a moment like this, having someone who cared about her was a rare comfort, and one she sorely needed.

She glanced at Shen Hechuan, who immediately got the message. “I’ll go make a call,” he said, stepping away.

Once he was gone, Zhou Xiaoyun handed Qiao Le her test results. He looked down at them—ectopic pregnancy. ¹a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants and grows outside the uterus, most commonly in one of the fallopian tubes. This type of pregnancy cannot result in a live birth and is a serious medical condition that can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.

Zhou Xiaoyun wasn’t married, but she had a boyfriend, something all the bar staff knew. The boyfriend was a few years younger than her, had no stable job, a bad temper, and had once even caused a scene at the bar.

Zhou Xiaoyun was twenty-nine and had been with her boyfriend for six years. She’d always wanted to marry him, but he kept finding excuses to delay it.

In this relationship, she gave her time, her money, her energy—her boyfriend basically lived off her without shame.

No one had ever been optimistic about their relationship. Everyone advised her to leave, not to stay. But Zhou Xiaoyun truly loved him, and after wasting so many years on him, she just couldn’t bring herself to let go.

Qiao Le asked, “Does your boyfriend know?”

Zhou Xiaoyun shook her head. “I can’t get in touch with him. I tried calling his parents earlier. They never approved of our relationship, and we’ve never had much contact—just arguments.”

Qiao Le didn’t comment and simply asked, “So what do you plan to do?”

“What can I do?” Zhou Xiaoyun gave a bitter laugh. “I definitely can’t keep the baby. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was actually really happy. I thought having a child might give me more leverage in the relationship—but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

Leverage.

That word made Qiao Le’s brow furrow, his grip on the test report tightening slightly.

That was pretty much how Xiao Man had been brought into the world too.

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  a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants and grows outside the uterus, most commonly in one of the fallopian tubes. This type of pregnancy cannot result in a live birth and is a serious medical condition that can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.