Chapter 18: We Need a Child Between Us

Gu Ping breathed slowly, but it did little to calm her. Instead, in the midst of her labored breaths, he pressed down over her again.

“Gu Ping!” Wen Zhixia did not mind kissing her lover, but she refused to be the outlet for his madness.

“Why are you tangled up with him again?!” He gripped her chin, his scorching breath spilling onto her cheek, tinged with an undercurrent of cold severity.

Wen Zhixia frowned, slapping his hand away. “If this counts as entanglement, then what are you? Gu Ping, did you enjoy your meeting today?!”

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the car froze.

Buzz—buzz—buzz.

Her phone rang—a call from home. Wen Zhixia unconsciously tightened her grip on the device.

“Hello…”

“Your brother has graduated now. He needs a new car for work, and some new clothes. Transfer a million to his account. As his sister, you never worry about any family matters…” Her mother’s voice came through, laden with reproach.

“I already bought him a car when he was a sophomore, didn’t I? Why does he need another one?” Wen Zhixia drew a deep breath.

A freshly graduated intern driving a million-dollar luxury car—how could that be appropriate?

“You said it yourself, that was two years ago. Your brother has a girlfriend now; he needs a car to impress her. Also, have your husband arrange a manager position for him at his company. Instead of working elsewhere and enduring others’ attitudes, he’d be better off at the family business…”

The more her mother spoke, the darker Wen Zhixia’s expression became. “Gu Xia Group isn’t a family business. Without at least three or five years of experience, he can’t possibly be a manager.”

“Three or five years? You…”

Before her mother could finish her scolding, Wen Zhixia’s phone was snatched by Gu Ping.

His voice sounded, and her mother hesitated.

During that pause, Gu Ping’s cold voice carried through the line, “All her money is with me. If you want money, you’d better come to me.”

Her mother seemed somewhat intimidated by him, but for her son’s sake, she pressed on, “Let Wen Zhixia answer. I’m not finished.”

Gu Ping laughed coldly. “From now on, she will not answer any of your calls. Do not harass her again, or I won’t hesitate to reclaim every cent she’s given you over the years.”

“I am her mother!”

“Hah.” Gu Ping sneered, “That’s irrelevant. Stay away from her!”

Over the years, as he rose to power, he had gradually reined in his former wildness. Back then, facing all this, he shielded the disheartened Wen Zhixia behind him, uttering only one word: “Get lost!”

He hung up and blocked the number directly. “You know exactly what they’re like. Why answer their calls? From now on, pretend you never see them.”

“Ping, let’s have a child.” She spoke suddenly.

They had known each other for ten years, and been married for three. Wen Zhixia thought it was time for them to have a child.

He had been busy with work these past two years, leaving her lonely at home.

A child might ease some of that loneliness.

Moreover, Wen Zhixia imagined a child with their blood, inheriting their best features, would surely be adorable and cherished.

Perhaps he, too, would feel a deeper sense of responsibility for this family.

She would give the child all her love, repay in full the warmth she never had as a child.

But Gu Ping gently stroked her cheek, gazing at her with profound eyes. “Xiaxia, we don’t need a child. You have me—that’s enough.”

There was no need for children between them.

But Wen Zhixia insisted. “We do need a child between us.”

Gu Ping’s hand stiffened. He withdrew it, his pupils darkening, pressing his fingers to his brow. “If you want a child, I can find another woman to bear it for you.”

His words stunned Wen Zhixia. For a long moment, she couldn’t recover, even suspecting she had misheard.

Why would such absurd words come from his lips?

She asked, “Why should our child be born to another woman?”

“Which woman are you planning to use? That Zhao Fuhe?!” She was not without temper.