Chapter 13 Saint? Dictator?_2

Without proper anesthesia, the correct breathing techniques were the key to helping reduce the pain of childbirth.

"Hand me the flashlight."

An Zhizhen used the flashlight to carefully observe the pregnant woman's cervical dilation, and after confirming it was fully dilated, she carefully guided the pregnant woman to push.

"Can you feel the contractions here? Yes, follow my rhythm, take it slow..."

Bit by bit, the baby was slowly delivered, she sterilized a pair of clean, sharp scissors with hot water, and carefully attended to the umbilical cord.

She checked whether the baby's airways were clear, gently patted the baby's back to make sure it would cry out, and concurrently examined the pregnant woman for any signs of further bleeding or complications, ensuring the mother's condition was stable. After completing all the necessary initial checks and confirming that both mother and child were safe, she again picked up another clean, warm towel to wrap the baby...

Not to mention delivering babies, An Zhizhen, who usually spent most of her time in the laboratory, didn't even have the chance for clinical surgery, relying entirely on textbook knowledge.

However, her actions were decisive, showing none of the nervousness one might expect from a novice.

...

Dozens of minutes later, An Zhizhen walked out of the tent, handing the baby over to his father.

Cheers erupted from the campsite, the newly-made father thanked her profusely, almost wanting to kowtow to her; An Zhizhen smiled, gently shook her head, and instructed him on how to care for his wife and child in the future.

Her forehead was covered in glistening sweat, her eyes weary, but more than that, they shone with joy and satisfaction.

Cen Dongsheng stood not far away, silently watching everything. From the beginning to the end of the procedure, he had not left.

When An Zhizhen came out holding the child, the sky was still pitch dark—

But when the dim lights around her fell upon her, he seemed to see a kind of sacred radiance.

At that moment, a stone in Cen Dongsheng's heart loosened.

Even after living with An Zhizhen for two months, becoming close enough to address each other as siblings, he still harbored doubts.

He didn't believe that the gentle and approachable elder sister was all there was to An Zhizhen, thinking she must be hiding something. Maybe it was because the image of the lofty dictator An Zhizhen had too strong an impact on him...

But seeing her emerge from the tent with the baby, he felt a complex and indescribable, yet very strong emotional impact, almost as if he was witnessing a saint depicted in religious paintings.

He believed then, believed that the current An Zhizhen and the one from his memories were truly different.

Someone like her, who treated others with respect, loved life, and was trusted and adored by those around her, it was hard to imagine that she would become a cold, heartless dictator in the future.

Various thoughts surfaced in Cen Dongsheng's mind: "the past An Zhizhen" and "the An Zhizhen he knew" presented two entirely different impressions; "the memories of eight years" and "the two months of interaction", scenes flicked back and forth in his mind.

Like the sea surface bubbling up with countless bubbles before the waves hit, his thoughts were so chaotically complex that he found them indescribably bewildering.

*

Stepping away from the gathered crowd, An Zhizhen sighed softly and sat down by herself on a chair nearby, rubbing her temples wearily.

"You worked hard."

A voice came from beside her, a hand holding a steaming towel stretched out to her.

An Zhizhen turned her head and after seeing the familiar face of the young man, she smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Dongsheng."

She took the towel and wiped the sweat from her face.

"At times like this, only you would think of me."

"Mhm, because I've been watching you."

"..."

Sister Zhi Zhen blushed. She promptly covered her face with the towel to hide from his view, quietly muttered words only she could hear.

"It's like this again, a sudden attack... so sly."

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"I didn't say anything."

An Zhizhen's hands dropped down, her back sliding half an inch down the chair she leaned on. The ordinarily graceful woman appeared lazy and lost her form, likely because she was indeed tired.

"You worked hard."

Cen Dongsheng sat down beside her, holding his knees and looking in the direction where the sun would rise. Six days ago, after it had set, it hadn't risen again.

He reminisced a little about the dawn that hadn't appeared for nearly a week.

"Hey... what have I to be tired about?" An Zhizhen's voice muffled from beneath the towel, "You're the one who's had it tough, right? Always busy dealing with ghosts in the building, trying to find ways to get everybody out."

It wasn't "everybody", it was "you and me" together.

But at this moment, such words were no longer necessary to repeat, as they both clearly understood. He simply said calmly,

"Are you anxious? My luck hasn't been very good, I still haven't found the 'core' location. However, there are not many unexplored areas left, I think by tomorrow I might be able to..."

"I'm not in a hurry."

An Zhizhen removed the towel, looking earnestly at him.

"Even if it's more than a week, it's okay, I will explain to everyone. But the truly dangerous person is you, though I'm really reluctant, I can't help with this... you have to be careful by yourself, don't overdo it."

Cen Dongsheng fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.