While Lu Mengjie was unconscious, Han Yizhou remained by her side the whole time after she was transferred to a private room in the hospital. At the same time, he already messaged his men, ordering them to keep an eye on his son who was in the NICU. He wanted to make sure that no harm would be done to him by opposing forces that were keeping an eye on them.

A knock interrupted him from his thoughts. He turned to see the person who entered the room. It was Si Hongqi.

In an instant, Han Yizhou's gaze turned cold. He knew that he was still in a disguise, hence the other man wasn't able to recognize him but he remained indifferent. "What are you doing here?"

"My name is Si Hongqi, I am a friend of Lu Mengjie. Who are you?" His gaze landed at his hand who was affectionately holding the unconscious woman's hand.

"I am her husband." Oh how badly he wanted to say these words to him but he held back and instead, replied, "I am her bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" The other man raised a brow, obviously doubting his relationship with Lu Mengjie. No bodyguard would hold their master's hand while they sleep. Instead, they should be standing outside, guarding the room.

"Ms. Meng is currently unconscious. If you have something to say, say it to me." He finally released the woman's hand as he stood up from her seat and finally faced his body to him.

"Earlier… she gave birth…" he paused and looked rather hesitant. "To whose child?"

"Mine."

Of course, he couldn't just answer him this way despite wanting to. There was no way at all or else, everything would be ruined. "Mr. Bai Jingye's."

Si Hongqi's eyes went dark. His eyes were suddenly clouded by something that Han Yizhou wasn't even able to recognize since it quickly disappeared as soon as it came. "I see. When she wakes up, do let me know about it."

"Why should I?" He crossed his arms, glaring at the man. He didn't want to see him approaching Lu Mengjie.

"Never mind. I'll come back tomorrow." He turned away and left, shutting the door as he did.

A sigh escaped Han Yizhou's mouth by the time he left, his tensed shoulder finally relaxed.

'That woman is your weakness. By allowing her in your life, you've planted another weakness for your enemies to take advantage of.'

Weakness… He scoffed at the word. That may be true but… "She may be my weakness now but… she is also my strength."

'You're putting her life in danger by staying beside her.'

That was the total opposite of why he stayed. It was to protect her and now, he also has a son to protect.

'He's not your son.'

"You're right. He's not just my son. He's our son," Han Yizhou corrected.

Finally, the voice inside his head stopped bothering him. A small smile crept out of his face. Once again, he sat down at the chair beside the bed. He held her hand in his before he leaned down, gently placing a kiss at the back of her hand. He didn't fall in love with her because he was lonely or lost, he fell in love because after getting to know her, he realized that he wanted to make her a permanent part of his world. Oh, how he wished that he could turn back the clock just so he could find her sooner and love her longer.

"Mengjie…" He stared at her soft features. A sad smile crept upon his lips as he whispered, "happy birthday sweetheart."

…

The room was dark. Only a dim light coming from the bedside lamp filled the room. Lu Mengjie woke up and found herself in a similar situation to when she woke up after fainting in front of Han Yizhou when they met again. Just like the last time, the man was there, sitting on a chair beside a bed. She was silent for a while, recalling the memories she gained. She squeezed his hand, alerting Han Yizhou of her wake.

Relief was evident on his face the moment he saw her regain her consciousness. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry…" she said with a small smile on her lips.

"Ah, yes. Of course, you are." He was about to release her hand from his hold but just as he did, he felt her hand tightened around him, unwilling to let him go.

He cast his eyes at her, blinking a few times in confusion. "Anything else?"

"I remember him, Yizhou… earlier. I saw Si Hongqi."

His body went stiff. He thought that maybe she would just forget what she saw earlier but of course, she wouldn't.

He sighed inwardly. He looked at their hand and entwined their fingers together. "Do you remember him then?"

She nodded a bit. It was not just memories of him but memories during her seventh birthday.

Now that she thought of it, that day was her birthday as well. Ever since Si Hongqi remained in the mainland, he would always accompany her knowing that she was down because of her papa's death anniversary.

Who would have thought that she would end up meeting him this time on her birthday? Was fate trying to play something on them? Aside from that… her son… she gave birth to her son on her birthday. It was their birthday.

A precious life was taken from her during her once-a-year day for herself but years after constant grief and sorrow, an invaluable life was given through her, introducing happiness back on her important day.

"Now that you remember him. Did your feeling for him come back?" It was such a straightforward question coming from Han Yizhou.

She averted her gaze from him and instead at the ceiling. Despite such actions, she retained her hold on his hand, not letting go. "He was the last person I was with that night."

That was not an answer to his question.

"We fought, you know. We fought because of you, because I wanted to be with you… but you know what happened next? For an instant, I… changed my mind after learning his true feelings for me."