The hospital corridor smelled of disinfectant and quiet hope. Li Mei sat on the hard plastic chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The black suitcase rested beside her feet like a guilty secret. Inside it lay three million dollars, more money than she had ever imagined touching in her life. She had exchanged part of it at a discreet bank earlier that morning, converting enough into RMB to cover the surgery and still leave a substantial sum hidden away.
The doctor emerged from the operating room, his white coat slightly wrinkled from long hours. He offered Mei a tired but genuine smile. "The surgery went well, Miss Li. We removed the tumor successfully. Your mother is stable now. She will need time to recover, but the prognosis looks much better than we feared."
Relief washed over Mei like cool water on a scorching day. Tears blurred her vision as she bowed deeply to the doctor. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
She paid the bill in full at the cashier's window, her fingers steady despite the storm inside her chest. The cashier's eyes widened slightly at the thick stack of notes, but she said nothing. In Shanghai, questions about sudden money were often left unspoken.
Later that afternoon, Mei helped her mother settle into a private recovery room. Wang Xiu Lan looked frail but peaceful, her face no longer twisted in constant pain. "Mei, how did you manage this?" her mother whispered weakly, reaching for her daughter's hand.
Mei forced a small smile and squeezed back gently. "Do not worry about that now, Mother. Just focus on getting stronger."
When she finally returned to the apartment that evening, exhaustion weighed on her shoulders. The living room light was on. Her father, Li Wei, sat at the dining table with a cigarette between his fingers. Zhang Mei Ling stood nearby, arms crossed. Li Hao leaned against the wall, watching with his usual lazy interest.
Li Wei exhaled a plume of smoke and fixed his gaze on Mei. "The hospital called. They said the bill is paid in full. Where did you get that kind of money, girl?"
Mei froze in the doorway. She lowered her eyes to the floor and remained silent. The weight of the night at the hotel pressed down on her, the masked man's touch still a ghost on her skin.
Zhang Mei Ling stepped forward, her voice sharp. "Answer your father. Three million RMB does not fall from the sky. Did you steal it? Or did you do something worse?"
Still, Mei said nothing. She moved toward her room, but her stepmother blocked the way.
"Look at her," Zhang Mei Ling sneered. "She cannot even look us in the eye. It must be prostitution. Selling her body like a cheap whore. At eighteen years old, bringing shame to this family."
Li Wei stubbed out his cigarette with force. "If you have turned to that life, do not expect any respect from us. We raised you better than this."
Li Hao chuckled softly from the corner. "Maybe she learned a few tricks. Who knows?"
Mei felt her cheeks burn with humiliation, but she kept her lips pressed together. Arguing would only make things worse. She slipped past them into her small room and closed the door, leaning against it as silent tears fell. The curses echoed in her mind long after the voices in the living room faded.
The next few days passed in a blur of hospital visits and careful silence. Her mother recovered steadily. The doctors were pleased with her progress. One week after the surgery, Wang Xiu Lan was discharged. Mei supported her mother on the way home, carrying a small bag of medicines. The apartment felt slightly less oppressive with her mother's presence, but the tension from her father and stepmother lingered like thick fog.
Mei returned to her second-year classes at Fudan University the following week. Her stomach remained flat, and no one suspected anything. She threw herself into lectures on modern Chinese literature, taking careful notes to distract from the memories that haunted her at night. The white card with the phone number stayed hidden in her drawer, untouched.
Two months slipped by quietly. Spring had begun to warm the air in Shanghai. Mei spent most evenings studying or helping her mother with light chores. She avoided her stepbrother as much as possible, and the family rarely spoke about the source of the surgery money anymore. The fragile peace held, but it was thin as rice paper.
One evening, Mei visited her best friend Chen Xiaoyu's small off-campus apartment. They had planned a simple study session with snacks and tea. Xiaoyu chattered about upcoming exams while Mei listened quietly, forcing herself to smile.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit Mei without warning. She rushed to the bathroom and vomited into the sink, her body heaving until nothing remained. She rinsed her mouth with shaking hands and returned to the living room, face pale.
Xiaoyu stared at her with concern. "Mei, are you okay? That came out of nowhere."
Mei nodded weakly and sat down. "I think the food did not agree with me."
Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes. She had known Mei long enough to sense when something was wrong. "Wait. Did you take birth control after that night at the club?"
Mei blinked, confusion mixing with growing dread. "Birth control?"
Xiaoyu's expression shifted from concern to disbelief. "When you woke up the next morning after being with that man. Did you take the morning-after pill? Anything?"
Horror dawned on Mei's face. She had been so focused on rushing to the hospital with the money that the thought had never crossed her mind. She was completely inexperienced in such matters. No one had ever explained these things to her in detail. "I did not. I did not even think about it."
Xiaoyu stood up, her voice rising with frustration. "Mei! How could you not take it? You went through all that, and you did not protect yourself? You are only eighteen. This is serious."
Mei lowered her head, shame flooding her cheeks. "I am sorry. I have never done any of this before. I did not know what to do. Everything happened so fast, and then I was only thinking about saving my mother."
Xiaoyu sighed heavily, her anger softening into worry. She placed a hand on Mei's shoulder. "We need to check. Right now. Come on, there is a pharmacy nearby that stays open late."
They walked to the small convenience store together under the streetlights. Mei felt numb as Xiaoyu purchased a pregnancy test kit without comment. Back at the apartment, Mei locked herself in the bathroom. The minutes waiting for the result stretched like hours. When two clear lines appeared, her world tilted.
She emerged with tears streaming down her face. "It is positive."
Xiaoyu pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back gently. "Oh, Mei. It will be okay. We will figure this out together. You are not alone."
Mei cried softly against her friend's shoulder for a long time. The comfort helped, but fear still gripped her heart. What would she do now? How could she continue her studies? How could she face her family?
Eventually, she wiped her eyes and decided to head home. "I need to rest. Thank you for being here."
The walk back to the apartment felt longer than usual. When she arrived, the family was gathered for a late dinner. The smell of fried fish and garlic filled the air. Mei sat at the table, trying to act normal. She picked up her chopsticks, but as soon as the strong odor hit her, another wave of nausea surged.
She bolted to the bathroom and threw up again, the sound unmistakable.
Zhang Mei Ling's voice cut through the apartment like a knife. "What is wrong with you tonight?"
Mei returned to the table, face ashen. Her stepmother studied her closely, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You have been acting strange lately. The vomiting. The tiredness. Tell me the truth, Li Mei. Are you pregnant?"
Mei froze. Her heart pounded wildly. "No. I am not pregnant."
But Zhang Mei Ling was not convinced. She stood up abruptly and marched straight to Mei's room. "We will see about that."
Mei followed in panic. "Stop! You have no right!"
Her stepmother ignored her and began scattering everything. Drawers were yanked open. Clothes were tossed onto the floor. Books and notebooks flew in every direction. Then, hidden beneath a stack of papers in the bottom drawer, Zhang Mei Ling found the pregnancy test stick. The two lines were still clearly visible.
"You liar!" Zhang Mei Ling shouted, holding it up like evidence in a trial. "Look at this! She is pregnant!"
Li Wei stormed into the room, his face dark with rage. "What?"
He grabbed Mei by the arm and slapped her hard across the face. The sting burned instantly. "At eighteen years old? You bring this shame on our family? Who is the father? Some customer from your night work?"
Li Hao stood in the doorway, his phone raised. He was recording everything with a shocked but eager expression. "This is unbelievable. Pregnant so young."
Mei begged through tears. "Please, stop. I did not mean for this to happen."
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Her father slapped her again. Zhang Mei Ling joined in, pushing and hitting her while cursing loudly. "Whore! You sold your body and now you expect us to raise your bastard child? Get out!"
They dragged her toward the door, throwing her out into the hallway with only the clothes on her back. Mei fell to her knees on the cold floor. "Please, Father. I have nowhere to go. I am sorry."
Li Wei looked down at her with disgust. "We are ashamed. A daughter pregnant at eighteen. Do not come back until you get rid of it or find somewhere else to live."
The door slammed shut, leaving Mei alone in the dim corridor. Bruises already formed on her arms and cheek. She cried quietly for several minutes before forcing herself to stand. She had a little money left from the surgery payment. It would have to be enough.
The next morning, Mei found herself at a small clinic on the outskirts of the city. The waiting room was quiet and impersonal. She sat there, hand resting unconsciously on her still-flat stomach. The doctor called her name, explaining the procedure in a neutral tone. But as she lay on the examination table, a sudden wave of protectiveness surged through her. This child, conceived in desperation and pain, was innocent. She could not end its life.
"I changed my mind," she whispered, sitting up. "I am keeping it."
She left the clinic with tears in her eyes but a strange sense of resolve.
That afternoon, her mother found her sitting on a bench near the apartment building. Wang Xiu Lan had heard the shouting the night before. She pulled Mei into her arms and cried with her. "My poor girl. I should have let myself die instead of letting you sell your body for money and end up like this. It is all my fault."
"Mother, do not say that," Mei replied softly, hugging her back. "I made my choice to save you."
Wang Xiu Lan wiped her tears and went inside to speak with Li Wei. Their conversation lasted a long time. Mei waited outside, heart heavy. Finally, her mother emerged.
"Your father agreed. You can stay, but you must pay for your own living expenses. Food, rent, everything. No more burdens on the family."
Mei nodded without hesitation. "I agree. Thank you, Mother."
She returned to the apartment that evening under strained silence. Her stepmother glared but said nothing. Li Hao avoided her room. Mei kept to herself, focusing on her studies.
Back at Fudan University the following week, her stomach was still flat. No one knew her secret. She attended lectures as usual, taking notes on classical poetry and modern novels. Classmates chatted around her, laughing about weekend plans. Mei smiled when necessary but felt the growing weight of her hidden pregnancy. Whispers and judgment might come later, but for now, she carried her burden alone, determined to finish her second year and build a future for the child growing inside her.