Chapter 4 — Swapped at Birth

Before the forensic investigators arrived, the hospital tried to pull another stunt. The head nurse wheeled in a tray, announcing she was here to administer my anti-infection medication. I looked at the IV bag. The drug label had been slapped on haphazardly afterward. There was no barcode scanning history. My mother stepped directly in front of me, blocking her path.

Leave the medicine right there and wait for the police to inspect it.

The head nurse’s expression turned unnatural.

Miss Van just underwent a procedure. If she doesn’t take her medication, an infection will set in.

My mother stared coldly at her.

We do not refuse standard prescribed medication. But nothing of unknown origin is entering my daughter’s veins.

Officer Fang ordered someone to check the system. That bag of medicine had absolutely no prescription record. The head nurse turned pale and muttered that she had simply grabbed the wrong one. I couldn't even bring myself to laugh. This wasn't a mistake. They still wanted to knock me out, or genuinely turn me into a deranged lunatic whose words made no sense.

The judicial appraisal center’s personnel finally arrived. The sampling kits were unsealed right on the spot. First came me. Then Xu Qingyi. Next was the deceased fetus. Finally, the baby girl inside the incubator. Xu Qingyi clutched the incubator tightly, refusing to let go, crying to the point of near suffocation.

Zhiqian, say something! They are trying to steal my baby.

Lu Zhiqian clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, remaining silent for a long moment before speaking.

Cooperate a little. It will all be over soon.

Xu Qingyi looked at him with sheer disbelief in her eyes. In that exact fraction of a second, I understood. It wasn't as if he had suddenly rediscovered his conscience. He was gambling. He was the biological father of both children. If they only tested paternal lineage, he truly had nothing to fear.

Once the samples were collected, Officer Fang instructed her men to transport them immediately. Even with an expedited process, it would take time. I sat on a bench in the hallway, my abdomen throbbing with a dull, paralyzing pain. My daughter was inside the incubator not far away, but she was now heavily guarded by both police officers and nurses; I wasn't allowed to hold her. The little girl was unmistakably mine. Yet, I still had to wait for a piece of paper to prove it.

Lu Zhiqian walked over to where I sat. He squatted down, his voice softening.

Tang Yin, if the final results prove that you were wrong, you are going to break down completely.

I looked straight into his eyes.

Are you afraid I'll break down, or are you afraid I won't?

A fracture finally appeared in his composed gaze.

I don't want to hurt you.

That gentle remark made me feel utterly nauseous. I demanded of him.

Then who do you want to hurt? The baby?

I pointed toward the incubator.

Or that dead fetus over there?

His Adam's apple bobbed. At that moment, Officer Fang’s colleague stepped out of Le Manqing’s office carrying a handful of items. Unused sample seal stickers. Two blank infant transport forms. A file folder labeled "Xu Qingyi and Child Transfer." And a thumb drive that had already been unsealed.

Le Manqing’s face drained of all color.

These were just routine backup supplies for administrative work.

Officer Fang opened the file folder, her eyes lingering on a specific paragraph.

To ensure that after the infant leaves the hospital, no third-party identity verification from outside institutions shall be accepted.

As she read those words aloud, the entire hallway fell into a dead silence. Xu Qingyi abruptly jerked her head up.

I didn't write that!

I stared at her.

If you didn't write it, then who signed the name Xu Qingyi?

All the blood drained from her face. Lu Zhiqian snapped in a low, furious voice.

Qingyi, stop talking.

It was already too late. Her momentary panic was far more authentic than any rehearsed explanation. But the final results weren't out yet. They hadn't completely lost. And I hadn't won either.

The baby girl suddenly began to cry inside the incubator. Instinctively, I stood up, but a nurse blocked my path.

No contact permitted at this time.

At ten-twenty-six in the morning, the first expedited results were delivered. When Officer Fang unsealed the envelope, I felt as though I had forgotten how to breathe. Lu Zhiqian stood rigidly by the window, his back straight as a board. Xu Qingyi sat in her wheelchair, her hands gripping the blanket so tightly that her knuckles whitened, her lips bitten raw until they bled.

Officer Fang’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Then, she raised her gaze and looked directly at me.

The deceased fetus and Ms. Van Tang Yin share no biological mother-child relationship.

I closed my eyes. Tears instantly spilled over. I wasn't crazy. That small, cold little body wasn't my daughter.

Officer Fang continued reading.

The deceased fetus and Ms. Xu Qingyi share a biological mother-child relationship.

Xu Qingyi shrieked.

That's impossible!

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze completely. Because that outburst was equivalent to admitting she knew the dead fetus was tied to her in some way. Lu Zhiqian’s complexion turned ghastly pale. Officer Fang flipped to the next page.

The baby girl inside the incubator and Ms. Van Tang Yin share a biological mother-child relationship.

My legs turned to jelly. My mother caught me as I swayed, tears streaming freely down her face.

Tang Yin, it's her. That is your child.

I covered my mouth with both hands, weeping soundlessly. But Officer Fang hadn't finished yet.

The deceased fetus and Mr. Lu Zhiqian also share a biological father-child relationship.

The corridor grew as silent as a tomb. Truong Uyen slowly turned her head to look at Lu Zhiqian.

You and Xu Qingyi...