Because he had hardly ever been exposed to the sun, his waist and abdomen were very pale.

Because he exercised regularly, he always had abs, but he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination—he actually felt like the lines of his abs seemed to be fading slightly.

The coupling gel was still on his lower abdomen, sticky and slippery, cold and stimulating Eric Bennett’s senses and mind.

Those hands of Eric Bennett, honed to extreme steadiness from years of surgery, were now trembling ever so slightly, betraying the turmoil inside him.

It was as if something had fallen to the ground in his heart—no, it was as if all the skyscrapers, the worldview he’d built up over so many years, and all the experience he’d accumulated from every book he’d ever read, had all collapsed into ruins at the same time.

It wasn’t a tumor, nor was it cancer.

Gestational sac, fetal heartbeat, fetal bud—the echoes were all there, not a single one missing. It was practically a textbook “early pregnancy” imaging result.

Eric Bennett had only been mildly nearsighted before, but now, he felt like he might have gone blind.

“Eric Bennett…” Evelyn Turner’s jaw nearly dropped in shock. He held a tissue, stammering, “Y-you owe me an explanation.”

Eric Bennett pulled a few tissues to wipe off the remaining coupling gel, then lowered his shirt. As he buckled his belt and sat up, he said, “I’d rather you give me an explanation.”

Evelyn Turner’s research focus was reproductive medicine and developmental biology.

He reached out to Evelyn Turner, “Paper and pen.”

Evelyn Turner quickly fished a pen and sticky notes from his pocket and handed them over. Eric Bennett’s handwriting was messy as he quickly scribbled a list of tests. “I have surgeries these two days. I’ll come for the tests Sunday morning. Help me arrange all these, preferably finish them in one morning. I can pay extra if needed.”

“Hey, wait, seriously…” Evelyn Turner glanced at the machine, then at Eric Bennett, “You’re in this state and you still want to go to work?”

Eric Bennett shot him a look.

“Got it, so as long as Brian Sullivan doesn’t take a break, you won’t either, huh? How many years since graduation, and you two are still so competitive.” As their classmate and Eric Bennett’s roommate, Evelyn Turner was well aware of the rivalry between the two.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to just shake hands and make peace?” Evelyn Turner said, “I still remember that girl who was always third in our class—she was pretty, but you two competed so hard she was left in the dust. In the end, she just gave up and stayed comfortably in third place, never fighting for first again.”

He had no idea how to face the result on the ultrasound, so he desperately tried to change the subject to avoid the awkward silence. “Back then, she even joked that if you and Brian Sullivan dated, you’d spend all your time being lovey-dovey, and maybe she’d finally get first place.”

“Ha, haha.” He forced a couple of laughs at his own joke, but Eric Bennett’s face remained expressionless. He was genuinely worried that Eric Bennett had lost his mind.

“Bro Xu, you have to stay strong,” Evelyn Turner grabbed his arm, steeling himself to use what mattered most to this man as motivation, “If you go crazy, it’ll be a win for Brian Sullivan. Think about it—if you’re gone, the OB-GYN department at Jihua Hospital will be his alone. Can you stand him running wild on your turf every day?”

At the mention of Brian Sullivan, Eric Bennett’s eyelid finally twitched, showing a faint reaction.

“Thank goodness.” Just as Evelyn Turner was relieved that Eric Bennett hadn’t been driven insane, the latter suddenly spat out two words: “Idiot.”

Evelyn Turner: “?”

“Not talking about you.” Eric Bennett handed the sticky note and pen back to Evelyn Turner. “Thanks for your help today. After the tests on Sunday, dinner’s on me.”

He put on his coat, dazed, and added, “Until the full set of results is out, don’t ask anything.”

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Author’s note:

Super thanks to reader 42801401 for the nutrient solution ×1, reader 春日气泡 for the nutrient solution ×2, and reader Moon. for the landmine ×1. Thank you for your support, love you all~

Note:

hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin

Coupling gel: Used during ultrasound exams to eliminate air between the probe and the object being examined, increasing lubrication and making it easier to conduct the scan.

Chapter 9 Surgery

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Sunday evening.

Eric Bennett sat in Evelyn Turner’s office, legs crossed, still impeccably dressed in a gray-and-white striped shirt.

In front of him was a pile of test reports, with only the names blurred out.

It was clear that his mindset had stabilized a lot.

But… Evelyn Turner still felt that he didn’t look like someone who had come to terms with things, but rather like a patient who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and was now calm in utter despair.

Still, what needed to be said had to be said: “That’s the situation. All malignant tumors have been ruled out. There really is a gestational sac in your abdomen, about two months along,” Evelyn Turner said. “I told you my guess during the ultrasound this morning. Now, combined with the other test results, I think I’m right.”

He gestured as he spoke: “It’s probably due to a developmental mutation in the mesodermal cells. The mesonephric duct didn’t completely regress, and an abnormally developed uterus and bilateral adnexa formed in your body cavity. There’s a thin soft duct between the cervical opening and the intestine. My preliminary guess is that it’s due to adhesion between the sinus tubercle of the urogenital sinus’s posterior wall and the wall of the primitive gut.”