Power and Wealth

Afternoon.

In the Land Rover.

Dong Xuebing had almost floored the accelerator, his hands on the steering wheel trembling continuously. Inside, he felt the excitement of his son being born, but more than that, he was worried about his wife. When Yunxuan was giving birth, Dong Xuebing was dealing with the earthquake in Fenzhou City, and later, he got injured, so he was not around Yunxuan at all. He didn't know much about childbirth; he had never seen it before. Dong Xuebing saw Huilan's face full of pain, her complexion pale, and large beads of sweat dripping down her elegant face, making her maternity dress wet. Huilan leaned against the passenger seat, gritting her teeth, looking extremely frightened.

"Huilan."

"Mm."

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"Mm."

"We're almost at the hospital. We'll be there soon. You must hold on for me, okay? Don't panic, please. Don't panic."

"You're panicking."

"I'm not panicking. Phew, I'm very calm, very calm."

"Focus on driving."

"Okay, okay, I'll drive. Drive. Don't talk."

Originally, it was supposed to be Huilan who was suffering the most, but compared to her, Dong Xuebing was indeed several times more flustered. He was utterly at a loss, with only one thought in his mind: to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. When he saw a slow-moving car ahead, he didn't care about traffic rules. He changed lanes and overtook it, not even stopping at red lights. The Land Rover was like a fierce tiger, charging forward aggressively, unstoppable by anyone.

"Xiao Bing."

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"Call my family."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. I'll call now."

Dong Xuebing was usually very stable when there was no trouble at work and in life. But whenever someone he cared about was in trouble, Dong Xuebing usually couldn't remain calm. He was deeply concerned and loved Huilan and their child too much. He almost forgot to call Huilan's family. Firstly, such a big event needed to be communicated to the Xie family, and secondly, the hospital was arranged by his mother-in-law, so he needed to inform them in advance so that Huilan could be taken directly to the operating room once they arrived, which would be safer.

Call.

Call.

As Dong Xuebing drove, he hurriedly searched for his phone. It was clearly in the right pocket of his coat, but he trembled four times before finally pulling out his phone. He immediately dialed Han Jing's number.

Ring, ring, ring.

Ring, ring, ring.

For a long time, no one answered the phone.

Why isn't anyone picking up? Hurry up, Mom.

Seeing that he couldn't get through, Dong Xuebing quickly dialed the landline number of Huilan's house.

This time, it rang as soon as he dialed, and Han Jing answered the phone, "Hello, who's this?"

"Mom, it's me." Dong Xuebing overtook another car ahead. The hospital was not close, so he had to drive fast whenever possible. Dong Xuebing couldn't care about so much anymore.

Han Jing chuckled, "Xuebing, have you finished dinner with Huilan?"

Dong Xuebing quickly said, "Huilan's amniotic fluid broke, and she's in so much pain."

"What?" Han Jing's tone immediately changed. "Where are you now? What's the situation?"

"We're on the way. I'm driving there now," Dong Xuebing gasped.

Han Jing decisively said, "Don't worry. It's common for the amniotic fluid to break before the due date. Huilan is one week early, so there shouldn't be any problem. Now, what you need to do is to get to the hospital as soon as possible. I'll contact the hospital right now, and your dad and I will be there within half an hour."

Dong Xuebing exclaimed loudly, "Alright, leave it to me. I'll be there within fifteen minutes."

"The more critical the situation, the calmer you need to be. Pay attention to your driving, and don't get into an accident."

"Mom, I know. Don't worry," Dong Xuebing replied, feeling slightly relieved after hearing Han Jing's voice.

"Alright, it's up to you now. Remember, try to keep Huilan's buttocks up and let her raise her abdomen. She should lie flat, not sit," Han Jing urgently advised.

"I understand."

The call ended.

Dong Xuebing quickly turned to Huilan and said, "Huilan, don't sit like that. Mom wants you to lie down, preferably flat. Lethelp you."

Huilan moved slightly but didn't have the strength.

Reaching out, Dong Xuebing pulled Huilan down, "Don't worry about looking awkward. Lift your legs up and let your buttocks be higher than your head."

"Mm."

"Is that more comfortable?"

"No."

"We're almost there. Hang in there a little longer."

Meanwhile, at the Xie family villa.

After hanging up Dong Xuebing's call, Han Jing dialed a number and then called out to the housekeeper, "Xiao Wang, quickly getsclothes. We're running out of time."

The housekeeper was taken aback, "Madam, what happened?"

The call went through at this moment, and it was Xie Guobang on the other end.

"We're about to have a meeting. What's the matter?" Xie Guobang's voice was still deep and serious.

Feeling anxious and relieved, Han Jing said, "Why are you still having a meeting? Hurry back. Huilan is about to give birth. Xiao Bing is already driving her to the hospital. You go directly there."

Upon hearing this, Xie Guobang's voice trembled slightly, "Alright, I'll be there immediately."

"You're closer to the hospital. Go ahead, I'll call Senior Xie," Han Jing didn't wait to hear what her husband said and hung up the line, then immediately dialed Senior Xie’s house.

The housekeeper also realized what was happening, and her face changed drastically. She quickly rushed into the bedroom to find clothes for Madam. She knew this was a big deal. If the amniotic fluid broke early, there was risk. If things didn't go well, there would be trouble. However, there was a greater chance that the child would be born safely. So, regardless of the outcome, it was an extremely significant event.

The call went through.

Xie Guoliang answered the line.

"Hello, Guoliang," Han Jing said urgently.

Xie Guoliang could tell from Han Jing's tone that something was wrong, "Sister-in-law, what's going on?"

Han Jing quickly said, "You are at Senior Xie’s place. Good. Tell everyone that Huilan is about to give birth and is on the way to the hospital."

"Really?"

"Her amniotic fluid broke early."

"Alright, I'll inform everyone. Xiao Hao and Guojian should be there today for a check-up. I'll call them first and have them arrange everything."

After hanging up the phone, Senior Xie cdownstairs with the help of the health care doctor. "Guoliang, what's going on?" He might have been disturbed by the loud noise.

Xie Guoliang immediately said, "Huilan is about to give birth."

Xie Lao's eyes lit up. "Good."

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

302 Military Hospital.

Dong Xuebing drove the Land Rover into the hospital courtyard.

Huilan's sweat seemed to have dried up, and she looked even weaker than before, holding her belly, her eyelids twitching as if in pain.

"We're at the hospital, Huilan."

"Mm."

"Hold on. Letcarry you."

Dong Xuebing opened the door and exited the car, carefully lifting Huilan from the passenger seat. As soon as he turned around, he saw many medical staff running towards them, and behind them were the figures of Xie Guojian and Xie Hao. Dong Xuebing didn't know how they arrived so quickly and didn't have tto ask. He sprung forward, carrying Huilan, and shouted for people around to make way.

"Brother-in-law!" Xie Hao shouted.

"Is Huilan okay?" Xie Guojian asked.

"I don't know, she's in a lot of pain," Dong Xuebing replied, panting heavily.

Several doctors and nurses rushed over. "Leave it to us. Put the patient on the bed gently."

Dong Xuebing gently placed Huilan down, and the medical staff pushed the bed into the corridor. A female doctor checked Huilan's pulse.

Dong Xuebing followed closely. "How is she, Doctor?"

The female doctor nodded slightly. "The situation is relatively stable. Don't worry, we're here."

The somewhat reassuring answer did not satisfy Dong Xuebing. He becrestless again, and with Xie Hao, he helped push the bed.

Upstairs.

Outside the operating room.

The female doctor said, "Family members, please wait outside."

"I want to go in, too," Dong Xuebing said anxiously, trying to squeeze his way in.

The female doctor and several medical staff quickly stopped him. "You can't go in. Please wait outside."

Dong Xuebing insisted, "I'm also a doctor. I won't cause any trouble. Letin quickly."

Xie Guojian grabbed him. "Xuebing, don't act recklessly. I know how you feel, but let the doctors handle this. You're not an obstetrician."

Dong Xuebing argued, "I can handle emergencies."

"It's no use for you to go in. Listen to me." Xie Guojian advised.

Despite his protests, Dong Xuebing was eventually stopped by Huilan's words from inside the operating room. She lay pale on the bed and said, "Wait outside."

Dong Xuebing immediately softened. "Okay, okay, I'll wait. Don't talk anymore, Huilan. Your husband is waiting outside. If there's anything, let the doctor call me."

Huilan nodded slightly, taking deep breaths.

The operating room door closed with a thud.

Xie Guojian sighed with relief. He knew Dong Xuebing's temper, which could be extremely difficult to deal with once he was stubborn. This situation would have been even more challenging if it weren't for his obedience to his wife. Dong Xuebing had even barged in and out of operating rooms during emergencies before, disregarding city-level officials. If Huilan hadn't spoken up, Dong Xuebing would have pushed his way in. Apart from a few individuals, no one could restrain him.

But Xie Guojian also understood Dong Xuebing's anxiety. He was feeling the sway.

Huilan was the eldest of the third generation of the Xie family, and the child about to be born was the first of the fourth generation, a boy no less, with significant meaning. Not to mention Dong Xuebing and Xie Huilan as the parents, or Xie Guobang and Han Jing as the grandparents, even the second generation of the Xie family and Senior Xie were looking forward to it. There were probably six or seven families that had already arranged marriages for the child before they even knew if it was a boy or a girl. Not to mention now that the child was about to be born.