Chapter 19: The Mad Dog Kept Outside Bites Indiscriminately

Gu Pingsheng lifted his head, gazing at her as her face suddenly turned pale. He cupped her cheeks, pressing his forehead gently to hers. "Xiaxia, don’t look at me like that. We don’t need an unnecessary child between us."

Unnecessary?

Wen Zhixia pushed him away, feeling as if she was growing ever more estranged from him. Gu Pingsheng grabbed her hand just as she was about to open the car door. "Where are you going?"

She shook off his grip without a word, got out, and left.

Gu Pingsheng watched her retreating figure, slamming his fist heavily against the steering wheel. When he looked up, he caught sight of Zhang Zhiyan in the distance, and the words from that old recording echoed involuntarily in his mind: "Zhiyan, I love you!"

Like a ghost that would not rest.

Wen Zhixia wandered aimlessly, her mind a muddled chaos. She had brought up the matter of having a child with Gu Pingsheng after she’d resigned and stayed at home, but every time, he’d shown strong resistance. And today, he had even said something so absurd as having someone else bear their child, something she could not accept at all.

They were perfectly fine—why should another woman give birth to a child that belonged to them?

A fit of coughing seized her, and she pressed her lips, feeling even more suffocated.

"Hu Qianjiao, the only reason you’re his fiancée is because you once saved his life. He agreed to the engagement under pressure—otherwise, what makes you think you deserve him?"

A woman’s shrill voice, accompanied by the sound of a slap, drew Wen Zhixia’s eyes toward them. She saw Hu Qianjiao, struck to the ground, her white dress stained and filthy with spilled coffee.

"That’s not true!" Hu Qianjiao retorted, her eyes red as she sat on the ground.

Lin Huixian sneered, bending down as her long nails dug into Hu Qianjiao’s arm. "Not true? Look at yourself. Once the darling little princess everyone adored, now a fool despised by all. Who is Qing Qi? Do you think he could ever care for an idiot like you?"

Hu Qianjiao shook her head, tears brimming, but her responses were slow, her words faltering—the lasting consequence of the head injury she’d suffered. Seeing her like this, Lin Huixian’s laughter grew louder. Passersby stopped occasionally, pointing and whispering, but none intervened.

Suddenly, Wen Zhixia seized Lin Huixian by the hair and returned the slap in full. Lin Huixian staggered back, clutching her face. "How dare you hit me?"

"Wen—Sister Wen," whispered Hu Qianjiao, tears streaming down her cheeks as Wen Zhixia helped her up.

"Why are you crying? If she hits you, hit her back," Wen Zhixia said, wiping away her tears. "You’re the eldest miss of the Hu family, born with the world at your feet. No one has the right to slap you. Do you understand?"

Stunned by the reprimand, Hu Qianjiao finally nodded, belatedly catching on.

Wen Zhixia turned to Lin Huixian, her eyes icy. "A slap’s a slap—why wait for the right moment? Where’s Qing Qi? If he’s going to let his rabid dog run wild, shouldn’t he leash her himself?"

"Wen Zhixia, what did Hu Qianjiao offer you to make you protect her like this?" Lin Huixian, stung by the slap, dared not retaliate in public.

"Who I protect is none of your concern," Wen Zhixia replied coolly, fiddling with her phone. "I’ve recorded your little assault. I’d love to see if the Hu family hears of this, whether Qing Qi can still shield you."

Lin Huixian clenched her fists, biting out, "I won’t let you get away with this!"

Only after Lin Huixian stormed off, still clutching her face, did Hu Qianjiao finally burst into tears.

"Enough, don’t cry," Wen Zhixia frowned.

Between sobs, Hu Qianjiao choked out, "Am I really that useless?"

"How could you be useless? Have you forgotten? You were the pride of the Hu family, you’ve won provincial awards, you were once admitted to the national youth class..."

And then?

Wen Zhixia’s words faltered. After that, the brilliant, beautiful, noble Miss Wen—destined for an enviable life—was struck down while saving a man named Qing Qi. The injury left her slow and diminished, the subject of endless ridicule. Qing Qi, heir to the Qing family, had a marriage contract with her, so the families arranged an early engagement. Yet after, he tangled with Lin Huixian, making Hu Qianjiao the butt of society’s gossip.

The Hu family felt for their daughter and considered breaking off the engagement, but Hu Qianjiao liked Qing Qi, and the Qing family elders, having watched her grow up, admired her as a daughter-in-law. So the matter dragged on.

Wen Zhixia had met Hu Qianjiao by chance at a competition—Wen was in the university group, Hu in high school. When Hu Qianjiao was caught off guard by her period and hid in the restroom, it was Wen Zhixia who, risking her own match, ran out to buy her sanitary pads. That was how they became acquainted.

After the competition, Hu Qianjiao, all smiles, popped a candy into Wen Zhixia’s mouth and called her "Sister Wen." From then on, Wen Zhixia truly saw her as a younger sister.

Later, when Wen Zhixia and Gu Pingsheng started their business, Hu Qianjiao often helped out with her family's influence. Now, with her lost halo, the many who once envied her were likely mocking her misery behind her back. Wen Zhixia couldn’t help but ache for her.

But love and affection—who but those involved could truly understand? All Wen Zhixia could do was be a comfort when Hu Qianjiao was down, and perhaps, in so doing, find a little solace herself.

"Come on, let’s go sing, go shopping—do whatever you want," Wen Zhixia said.

Hu Qianjiao broke into a wide smile. "Okay."

They splurged freely at the mall, and when tired, carried their spoils into a karaoke bar. Wen Zhixia sat quietly, watching as Hu Qianjiao sang with reckless abandon, off-key but utterly heedless, pouring her heart out.

"I love you but you love him / I gave you my heart / Yet in your dreams you call his name... What made you fall for him / Is he really better to you than I am..."

She sang out of tune, yet Wen Zhixia could hear an uncontainable sorrow in every note.

Hu Qianjiao sang herself hoarse, yet could not stop. Eventually, she ordered a few bottles of alcohol, drinking as she belted songs. Wen Zhixia tried to dissuade her, but failed. She called Qing Qi, but as soon as he heard the name "Hu Qianjiao," he curtly replied, "I’m busy," and hung up.

No matter how mild her temper, Wen Zhixia was angered by Qing Qi’s heartless attitude. If not for saving him, how would Hu Qianjiao have ended up like this? What right did he have to act so put upon?

If he was unwilling, why not refuse the engagement from the start?

Supporting the staggering Hu Qianjiao, Wen Zhixia headed out.

"There they are!"

Lin Huixian reappeared with a group, blocking their path.

Wen Zhixia’s gaze turned cold. "Before you do anything reckless, you’d best consider the consequences."

"You… hic… wicked women!" Lin Huixian began, but as Wen Zhixia intimidated her, Hu Qianjiao, like a vengeful kitten, bared her claws and leapt at her.