TMDP CH 9

Chapter 9: Look at What a Scumbag I Am!

Han Junzhou got Xia Ye settled, then pulled Han Mingxiu out of the hospital room, leading him all the way back to his office.

“Mingxiu, I found it. I know why your test showed zero viable sperm.” Han Junzhou looked both excited and exasperated. “Do you remember two years ago, when there was news about a medical equipment company shutting down? Weiquan—does that ring a bell?”

“No… hmm… maybe?” Han Mingxiu struggled to recall. He vaguely remembered an instance when his father and his second uncle, the director of the affiliated hospital, were discussing something in the president’s office. Han Mingxiu had come in to look for a document and overheard bits and pieces. It seemed the hospital’s medical equipment supplier had gone bankrupt, leaving the hospital short on supplies and scrambling to find a replacement.

“Then, do you know why Weiquan shut down?” Han Junzhou asked. Han Mingxiu shook his head.

“Ah, how do you not know anything? That news was huge.” Han Junzhou was so frustrated he nearly wanted to smack him. “Weiquan’s medical supplies were contaminated!”

“Contaminated with what?” Han Mingxiu, who had studied trade and economics, wasn’t well-versed in hospital-related issues.

“Weiquan was an established supplier of medical equipment, with a strong reputation for quality. Most hospitals in the city worked with them. A few years ago, Weiquan’s elderly CEO suddenly passed away from a heart attack, and the entire company was handed over to his son, who ran it into the ground. To put it simply, the successor was utterly corrupt, only cared about making money, and neglected quality control. Things got so out of hand that the senior staff couldn’t stand it anymore and, knowing that lives were at stake, exposed everything.

“The investigation found that equipment that was supposed to be sterilized wasn’t sterilized properly, expired medical supplies that should’ve been disposed of or re-sterilized were given new labels and sent back to hospitals, and even basic sanitation materials were stored haphazardly. It was only when patients at hospitals affiliated with Weiquan kept developing infections that these hospitals realized the source of the problem. The hospitals banded together to demand compensation, and when Weiquan couldn’t pay up, it went bankrupt,” Han Junzhou shook his head regretfully.

He looked at Han Mingxiu with sympathy. “The reason you tested as having zero viable sperm might also be due to this. Our hospital’s sample cups at the time were from Weiquan. Sample cups need to be sterile, but Weiquan’s cups not only failed to meet sterility standards but were stored with other chemical reagents before being sealed. That could’ve led to the sperm being killed off.” Han Junzhou paused to take a sip of water, then continued, “I just confirmed with the affiliated hospital of University A—they also used Weiquan’s sample cups during that period.”

“What?” Han Mingxiu was in disbelief. “With so many people testing as having zero viable sperm all at once, didn’t the hospital suspect anything?”

“There weren’t that many people affected. You just had terrible luck,” Han Junzhou sighed. “Generally, Beta sperm isn’t as sensitive to that chemical agent; at most, their motility might decrease a bit, but it doesn’t reach the level of zero viable sperm. And very few Alphas come in for reproductive testing, and the tests are spread out over time. Initially, there really wasn’t any noticeable spike in cases, so no one suspected the issue was with the medical equipment.”

“…” Han Mingxiu was livid. He wanted to sue Weiquan and the hospital. But wait—Weiquan was already bankrupt, and the hospital was owned by his own family. Damn it, he had no one to demand compensation from.

“Hey, you can’t put all the blame on the hospital either,” Han Junzhou defended his department. “I just asked around, and our hospital did inform you at the time. You said you’d gone to another place for a follow-up.”

Back then, Han Mingxiu wasn’t a prominent figure in the corporation, so the hospital’s staff didn’t know who he was. The case manager followed the procedure and notified him to come back for a reexamination, but after he told them he’d gone elsewhere, they closed his file.

As for the hospital at University A, Han Mingxiu recalled that about six months after his initial test, someone did call him. The person spoke cautiously, probably to avoid stirring up trouble, and only mentioned that to ensure the accuracy of his test, they suggested he return to the hospital for a retest. But at the time, he was overwhelmed with a new project, and part of him was avoiding the issue, unwilling to face another confirmation of infertility. So he ignored it, even blocking the number when he saw it was from University A. In the end, he had no one to blame for the trouble that followed—he himself bore part of the responsibility.

What do they call this? The Swiss cheese theory. One mistake leading to another, each one lining up to form a path straight to disaster.

Han Mingxiu slumped lifelessly onto the small sofa in Han Junzhou’s office, at a loss for words to describe his feelings. He wanted so badly to declare himself a blameless victim. But compared to his own avoidance, denial, and assumptions, the one lying alone in the hospital room right now was the true innocent.

Xia Ye had done nothing wrong; he had just been unlucky enough to conceive a child for the man he loved.

And that man turned out to be a scumbag. No protection, then claiming he wouldn’t go all the way, but he did—and assured Xia Ye he wouldn’t get pregnant. Trusting and pure-hearted, Xia Ye had believed him, only to end up pregnant and then abandoned.

Look at what kind of scumbag you chose. Look at what kind of scumbag I am!

Han Junzhou, seeing Han Mingxiu so devastated, couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He gently suggested, “If you still have doubts, how about getting tested again?”

“No need. I won’t get tested.” Han Mingxiu lifted his head abruptly and shouted, “I’ve already insulted Xia Ye once; I can’t let it happen again. Xia Li is one hundred percent my son.”

Han Junzhou also took a sharp breath. “I wasn’t asking you to test your son. I’m not talking about a paternity test—I meant testing yourself. At least confirm you aren’t infertile.” He handed Han Mingxiu the pre-prepared test order and a sample cup. “Go on, find out the truth about your own body.”

Han Mingxiu, looking utterly defeated, went to the specimen collection room to… get himself a sample.

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– End of chapter –

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