Chapter 2. Having Children.
I left Ai's room and looked at the clock, which read 5:00 PM.
This whole time, I'd been by her side, listening to her various stories and concerns, from the children's needs to what clothes she should buy them.
Even though most of the conversations were pointless, I was just glad to hear her voice.
Instead of leaving the hospital and looking for a hotel or something, I went up the stairs and reached the roof.
On the roof, I saw the same doctor, leaning on the railing, smoking.
Approaching him, I stood next to him, also leaning on the railing.
"I never thought the well-known CEO would come to our backwater." he said, continuing to smoke, to which I simply remained silent.
"Madam, CEO, do you smoke?" he asked. "I quit," I replied evenly.
"Oh, really? Well, I can't. Can you tell me how you managed to quit smoking? Maybe I can too?"
"She doesn't like the smell of cigarettes." I replied, still looking straight ahead.
I didn't explain who I was talking about, but he probably already understood.
"So, I definitely won't be able to quit smoking." he said, his voice contrite.
"..."
"Madam, CEO, do you have something to tell me? Or have you fallen in love with me?" he asked, clearly joking. I simply glanced at him, to which he raised his hands.
"I was just kidding. I know you like girls; the whole world knows." he said.
Well, I didn't say it on purpose, but I was once interviewed and asked an ambiguous question followed by a direct one, and I simply answered it as is.
And since then, they've been sending me all sorts of girls, hoping to earn my attention, but they're not Ai.
In my life, I've seen many beautiful women, but I've never been close to any of them. They all wanted only me, and that irritated me...
"I want you to take care of Ai." I said, keeping my mouth shut.
"Of course, I'm a doctor after all." he replied.
I shook my head, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a business card.
"If anything happens, call me. I'll be in town for now, Ai, until she gives birth." I said.
He took the card, looked at it, and then shoved it into his pocket.
"I didn't think you'd be so free? Don't you have anything to do?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter, Ai is more important." I replied.
"I see..."
"Well, anyway, I still need to check on the patients." he said as he left.
I stood there watching the sunset for a while, then went downstairs and left the hospital.
As soon as I returned to the car, my phone rang.
"Yes?" I said, holding the phone to my ear.
"Boss, that man has been dealt with." said little Lin.
"Okay, now I want everyone connected to him to disappear." I said.
"Are you sure?" asked Lin.
"Yes." I answered simply.
"Understood... Boss, when will you be back? There's a board meeting this weekend, so..."
"I don't care. Tell them, I don't have time for them."
"But..."
"Little Lin, haven't you forgotten that they have no power in my company; only I can make decisions. If they cause trouble, get rid of them." I said.
"Understood... But still, when will you be back?" Lin asked.
"I don't know, but maybe in a month or so. So while I'm gone, you're in charge." I said.
"Boss, I won't let you down." I heard Lin's cheerful voice.
"I trust you, anyway, if you have any problems, call me." I said.
"Understood, Boss." she said, and I hung up.
Little Lin...
She's changed so much... From that timid girl, bullied by her family, she's transformed into a cold woman who often acts like my shadow assassin, and is only able to act kindly in my presence...
Even though I murdered her entire family before her eyes, instead of the expected anger or desire to kill me, she said only one word...
"Thank you."
That word still rings in my ears, because back then, I planned to leave no one alive, but I couldn't raise a hand against the girl who thanked me for killing her entire family...
Only after I took her under my wing did she tell me what they did to her...
Then, in a fit of anger, I clutched my phone, causing it to shatter into pieces.
And now, this girl, my assistant...
"Sigh… Why are these memories coming back to me now?" I quietly asked aloud, sitting behind the wheel.
"Never mind, I need to find a place to stay for a few weeks." I finished and started the car.
In fact, finding a hotel wasn't difficult, and while it wasn't five-star, it was livable for the next month. Besides, I'll only be coming back here to sleep.
So, for several weeks, I spent time with Ai, only leaving at night to sleep. The strangest thing was that the paparazzi never found out where I was, which was quite surprising, since I'm not really hiding, or maybe people in this city don't know about me? Or maybe it's Lin's fault…
I don't know, but all this time I've been here, I can't help but feel happy just spending time with Ai, and finding our conversations quite engaging.
After giving birth, she wants to be an idol for a while, then retire, so I suggested she star in films, which she agreed to.
I will definitely always cast her in leading roles, and I definitely won't let her star in any romantic dramas, no way!
"Who is this?" I asked, picking up the phone.
It was an unfamiliar voice, so I answered coldly.
"Ms. Feng, she's giving birth." Those words were enough to make me throw the phone on the backseat and quickly start the engine, flooring the gas pedal.
I usually don't speed, but in this case, I had no choice.
I got to the hospital in no time and immediately rushed toward the maternity ward.
The nurse who'd been monitoring Ai's condition the entire time was waiting for me at the door, so I knew her, and she seemed quite nice, plus, for some reason, I sensed a hint of motherhood in her. Maybe I missed my mother so much in my life that something like this could have happened.
Although my mother, whom I'd never met, would have been the same age as this nurse.
"Is she okay?!" I asked quickly.
Seeing my worried expression, she simply nodded and gestured to the chairs for me to sit.
"Her water broke fifteen minutes ago, but she's fine. The birth is going well," the woman said, sighing somewhat with relief, but still worried.
For the next hour, I couldn't sit still and constantly paced, thinking about the worst. What if something goes wrong? What if she gets hurt? What if she dies?
I don't want that!
About fifteen minutes later, the door opened, and a doctor emerged, fully dressed in a gown and wearing a mask.
"Are you Ms. Feng?" he asked, removing his mask.
"Yes, it's me! Doctor, is she okay?" I asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, the birth went well! She said she wanted us to come in," the doctor said, to which I nodded and pushed the door open.
Inside, I saw Ai lying on the examination table, holding two small children in her arms. It was a truly mesmerizing scene, so I filed it away in my subconscious.
Seeing me, she smiled a weary smile, indicating she was tired.
"Mrs. Director, aren't my children cute?" she said in a quiet voice.
I walked up to her and saw her two children staring at me.
Sitting down next to her, I smiled at her.
"They're really cute." I said.
"The boy's name will be Aquamarine, and the girl's name will be Ruby. Do those names suit them very well?" Ai asked.
"Yes, they're beautiful names." I replied with a smile.
"Would you like to hold them?" Ai asked, to which I nodded and leaned down to take the girl from her.
As soon as I picked her up, I saw her reach for my ears, which I allowed her to do.
"Heh-heh, Ruby seems to like your ears." Ai said, laughing.
Indeed... Few people know that these aren't fake ears, but real ones, and Ai is one of them.
After holding Ruby for a while, I handed her back. She was annoyed that she couldn't squeeze my ears anymore, but she didn't act up.
Next, I picked up the boy, but unlike Ruby, Aquamarine was rather reserved, constantly staring at me.
If only they knew I knew everything...
After handing him back, I went to get a nurse, asking for a gurney, and I immediately helped Ai sit up and brought her back to the ward.
There, I helped her back into bed, after which she began feeding the babies, causing me to turn away.
I know there's nothing wrong with seeing her breastfeed, but it feels wrong to me.
As I left the room, I met the doctor who delivered the baby.
"Doctor, when will she be discharged from the hospital?" I asked.
"We'll keep an eye on her, and if everything is fine, she can be discharged in a week." the doctor said, to which I simply nodded.
After a while, I returned to the room, but didn't go in because I saw something beautiful...
Ai was sleeping, holding a boy and a girl in her arms, who were also sleeping, cuddled up to her. The sight was too sweet, so I couldn't go in for fear of waking them, and only snapped a photo to use as my phone wallpaper.
Smiling, I took another look at this family idyll, and only said quietly.
"Sleep peacefully, my love..."
"I hope there will be room for me there in the future too..."
With these last words, I headed for the hospital exit.