Chapter 1: We Can't Have Children
The summer in Jiaocheng was as scorching as a living hell. Yet, in the hospital corridor appeared a peculiar young woman. While everyone else wore short sleeves and shorts, she seemed determined to cover even her face, wrapping herself up tightly.
“Number 24, Li Yunchu, is Li Yunchu here?”
Under the gazes of the crowd, the girl tugged at her mask and tightened her denim jacket nervously as she stepped into the consultation room.
“Give me the test report.”
A deep, magnetic voice sounded. Li Yunchu inexplicably felt the voice was familiar. She lifted her eyes and saw a face she recognized.
Pei Siyie?!
Li Yunchu swallowed hard. How did she end up encountering her blind date while here for a specialist appointment?
Clenching her fists, she recalled that just a few days ago, she had rejected this very blind date through the matchmaker, making the situation even more awkward.
“Li Yunchu?”
“The test report.”
The man repeated himself expressionlessly, seemingly unsure if he recognized her.
Li Yunchu handed over the test report and adjusted her mask upward.
“All test results are normal. What symptoms do you have?”
Lowering her voice, Li Yunchu said, “I… I suddenly grew a lot of hair, and it’s very long.”
“Your hormone levels are normal across the six indicators. Have you done an ultrasound?”
“Yes, all done. The doctor said it’s not polycystic ovary syndrome.”
Biting her lip, Li Yunchu grew more nervous watching the man’s serious and stern demeanor.
She still remembered the reason she told the matchmaker to reject him was—
“Our physiques differ too much. My mother said it would be hard to have children in the future.”
But that was just a fabrication by Li Yunchu. Her mother kept pressuring her to go on blind dates, each suitor uglier than the last.
Pei Siyie, though the best among them, always wore a cold expression. Li Yunchu feared that if she married him, she might suffer domestic violence—she wasn’t strong enough to fight back.
“Sit over there and undress.”
The man pointed to a nearby chair.
Li Yunchu’s eyes widened. She glanced at the tightly closed consultation room door. It was shut firmly, presumably to protect patient privacy.
But… undress here?
She wasn’t even seeing a gynecologist. Why did she need to undress?
“Doctor, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”
The girl’s voice was soft and gentle. Her almond-shaped eyes were clear but filled with shock.
“Just take off your jacket. I need to check the symptoms.”
Pei Siyie stood up. Li Yunchu suddenly felt an oppressive presence and hurriedly sat down, nervously removing her jacket.
Though petite and well-behaved, Li Yunchu’s arms were covered in fine, long hair, almost obscuring her natural skin tone.
But the exposed, smooth neck showed her skin was originally very fair.
“Besides your arms, has hair grown elsewhere?”
Pei Siyie stood before her. When seated, he seemed fine, but standing revealed his tall, upright stature—not bulky, but imposing. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his face was stern and handsome, his deep eyes and high nose giving him a forbidding, almost ascetic air.
Yet Li Yunchu’s memory of him was different.
That day at dinner, he sat carelessly opposite her, lips pressed thin, lazily biting on a cigarette. His gaze swept over her like a hunter admiring prey.
He wasn’t wearing a white coat then. She clearly remembered his muscular arms, veins bulging, which intimidated her—a stark contrast to his current refined appearance.
To Li Yunchu, he seemed capable of crushing her like a fragile fruit.
“Do you have concentration problems besides the hair growth?”
Hearing Pei Siyie’s question, Li Yunchu shook her head vigorously. “Sorry… my legs have hair, too.”
“Only your arms and legs?”
His eyes casually scanned her front before quickly averting. “What about your back and chest?”
Li Yunchu shook her head. “No… just arms and legs.”
Pei Siyie frowned.
All tests were normal. Why would a patient suddenly grow such long hair?
He looked at Li Yunchu again. “You’re 26. How long has it been since you last dated?”
Li Yunchu took a deep breath, her mind muddled—perhaps due to seeing Pei Siyie.
“I… I think it’s been six or seven years.”
She had only dated once before, when she was young and naive. Her ex-boyfriend psychologically manipulated her into buying disposable sheets for him and his mistress at a hotel—almost as if she were delivering a gift box.
They broke up that very day.
Not because Li Yunchu suddenly woke up, but because her mother found the disposable sheets, followed her to the hotel, beat up the cheating ex-boyfriend until he cried for his mother, then dragged Li Yunchu home for a spanking.
After that, Li Yunchu dared not date again.
“You’d better date someone to help regulate your hormones.”
Pei Siyie smirked lightly. “Though Miss Li’s standards are high, so that might be difficult.”
His words were rich with meaning.
Li Yunchu dared not lift her head. Could it be that Pei Siyie recognized her?
Well… there was a name on the report.
“Doctor Pei, is there… any other treatment?”
“Eat more soy products to supplement estrogen. Don’t take medicine without guidance.”
Pei Siyie handed back her report.
Li Yunchu dressed quickly, unwilling to remain so disheveled in front of the man.
“Thank you, Doctor Pei.”
Just as she was about to leave, the man’s voice stopped her.
“Why did you delete me that day?”
Li Yunchu stiffened.
Oh no, he asked.
She wished she could sink through the floor.
Turning her back to him, she whispered, “Doctor Pei, the matchmaker should have…”
“Turn around.”
Pei Siyie sat on the chair, legs crossed, appearing both noble and leisurely.
His gaze held no mockery.
Biting her lip, Li Yunchu turned around, grateful for her mask hiding her expression.
“I… I told the matchmaker. Didn’t Doctor Pei get the message?”
Her voice trembled.
Talking to Pei Siyie felt scarier than facing her stressful bosses.
“They told me, but I want to hear from you, Miss Li. Why am I not suitable for you?”
Li Yunchu pressed her lips tightly. “The matchmaker already said. Doctor Pei, please don’t ask anymore. You probably have other patients…”
“Miss Li, don’t worry about my work. Today, you are my last patient.”
“Answer my question.”
Li Yunchu took a deep breath, her face flushing red.
Well, she was going all in!
“Because… we can’t have children, and I’m afraid of complications during childbirth.”