Chapter 54: Give Me Back My Child’s Life!

The most crucial thing between a husband and wife is trust—absolute, unreserved trust. Trust that the other will never abandon you, betray the years you've spent together, or break the promise made at the beginning. Yet... Reality often proves otherwise; suspicion creeps in again and again when doubt piles up.

In the past, Wen Zhixia never could have imagined that one day she would have a crisis of trust toward the young man who once vowed, in all his youthful glory, never to leave her side.

"Meow." The little kitten, repeatedly ignored, nudged Wen Zhixia's leg discontentedly.

But Wen Zhixia only held her phone, her palm supporting her chin, as if lost in some deep and distant thought.

Gu Xia Group.

"President Gu, perhaps I’m overthinking this, but... I feel as if someone intends harm toward Miss Zhao’s unborn child. Could it be... that someone doesn’t want this baby to be born?"

Gu Pingsheng, mid-signature, paused slightly. His dark eyes lifted to regard Li Yueting, who had spoken.

Li Yueting couldn’t read his thoughts, but she pressed on: "Miss Zhao has been emotionally unstable these last two days. Yesterday’s incident seems to have left her with psychological trauma. Should we find a doctor for some counseling?"

"When did you become so close to Zhao Fuhe?" Gu Pingsheng asked in a low voice.

Li Yueting froze at his words. "I—I just felt sorry for Miss Zhao, so... I wanted to look after her a little more."

Gu Pingsheng’s gaze lingered on her face briefly, then he went back to his paperwork. "Focus on your own responsibilities. Leave."

Li Yueting looked at the solemn man before her, all business and gravity—seemingly unattainable, yet able to make women line up willingly for him. "Yes, sir."

Chengya Residence.

Zhao Fuhe had abandoned her usual alluring attire for soft, comfortable loungewear. She sat on the sofa, head bowed over a book, the very picture of quiet contentment.

When Gu Pingsheng walked in and saw her, for a fleeting moment, he felt as if he’d returned to Lan Lake County.

"Senior, you’re here."

Hearing his footsteps, Zhao Fuhe closed her book and turned to him, her smile the exact curve Wen Zhixia often wore.

Gu Pingsheng’s gaze darkened slightly. "Are you feeling better?"

Zhao Fuhe pressed her cheek to his chest. "As long as you visit me every day, I’ll be just fine."

"Go pour me a glass of water." Gu Pingsheng pushed her aside and sat down on the other sofa.

Zhao Fuhe went to fetch water, while Gu Pingsheng casually picked up her book and flipped through a couple of pages. "You’re a little different today."

"Does Senior like me this way?" Zhao Fuhe handed him the water and leaned against him.

Gu Pingsheng took a sip but didn’t answer, his eyes falling to the health supplements on the table.

"Senior had those sent over—I’ve been taking them on schedule every day," Zhao Fuhe said, following his gaze.

"Once you finish them, I’ll have more sent to you," he responded.

Zhao Fuhe, thrilled and moved, nestled against his shoulder. "I know you’re looking forward to this child as much as I am. I’d like to go shopping for the baby this afternoon. Will you come with me?"

Gu Pingsheng glanced at his watch. "You can go by yourself. I have things to do."

He stood up, hesitated at Zhao Fuhe’s disappointed look, and spoke before her smile could fully form: "I had the police report deleted. I hope there won’t be a next time."

Zhao Fuhe protested, "Senior, are you blaming me…"

"She is my wife." That single sentence was statement enough.

After he left, Zhao Fuhe, furious, swept everything off the table to the floor: Wife? She’s just a hen who can’t lay eggs, so why does she always have to take precedence over me?!

Why, after Wen Zhixia caused the death of their child, does he still stand by that wretched woman—just because Wen Zhixia is his wife and she’s merely the mistress?!

The surge of emotion made Zhao Fuhe clutch her abdomen in sudden pain, forcing her to sit down.

Huacheng Road Shopping Plaza.

"Sister Wen, you’re even lazier than Sweet Bean," Hua Qianjiao complained, picking a dress from the rack and turning to ask, "Does this look good?"

Sitting on the sofa, Wen Zhixia glanced up. "It doesn’t suit you. Try that little sundress next to it."

Hua Qianjiao walked over. "It’s not for me—it’s for you, Sister Wen."

Wen Zhixia chuckled. "Jiaojiao, I already have plenty of clothes."

She never enjoyed shopping, so every season, brands would deliver new collections in her size directly to Lan Lake County.

Hua Qianjiao eyed Wen Zhixia’s outfit, then the dress in her hand. "But…"

"Assistant, wrap up the one in her hand for me."

As Hua Qianjiao was still hesitating over how to say the dress really suited Wen Zhixia, a woman’s voice came from the entrance.

Hua Qianjiao looked from the dress in her hand to the woman at the door, whose resemblance to her Sister Wen was striking. She pouted and hid the dress behind her.

The store clerk, troubled, looked at Zhao Fuhe, who had just entered. "Um…"

Wen Zhixia’s eyes lifted slightly. Though she didn’t turn, it was clear she already knew who was behind her.

"Put it on my card." Zhao Fuhe tossed her card onto the counter.

The clerk’s gaze flickered between Hua Qianjiao, Wen Zhixia, and Zhao Fuhe before going to Hua Qianjiao and whispering, "If you’re not planning to buy this dress, could you let this lady have it?"

Hua Qianjiao frowned. "I saw it first."

The clerk hesitated. "Are you sure you want to purchase it?"

Hua Qianjiao looked to Wen Zhixia, as if seeking her opinion. Wen Zhixia calmly lifted her gaze and said to the clerk, "Wrap up all the dresses my sister picked as well."

Miss Hua bought on a whim, never giving a thought to prices—just the kind of customer salespeople loved. Including the one in her hand, she’d already picked six or seven. The clerk beamed, "Of course, I’ll have them all packed up for you right away."

As the latecomer, Zhao Fuhe was clearly overlooked.

"Senior, must you compete with me over a dress, too?"

Just as the clerk took the dress from Hua Qianjiao to pack it, Zhao Fuhe suddenly reached out, snatching it away and storming up to Wen Zhixia.

Only then did Wen Zhixia turn her gaze on her. "Do I need to explain the principle of first come, first served to you?"

"You didn’t want it at first—you only changed your mind when you heard I liked it. Just like back at school: you rejected Gu Pingsheng’s proposal in public, but when I went to confess, you showed up and took him away."

Even now, she still acts so high and mighty, almost killing my child yet looking so blameless!

"Miss Zhao, you’re overthinking things," Wen Zhixia replied coolly.

"Am I, or are you targeting me? You have so much already—what would it hurt to let me have this? Didn’t I already forgive you for nearly killing my child? I let it go."

Zhao Fuhe caressed her barely showing belly, aggressively pressing her point.

The clerk hadn’t realized there was such animosity between these two; apparently, the dress was merely a trigger.

"Miss Zhao, if you have any evidence I harmed you, by all means, report me to the police. If not, slander in public is grounds for a lawsuit," Wen Zhixia said softly.

"Who says I don’t have evidence? If Senior hadn’t protected you, how could you still be safe and sound now?" The thought of her child nearly lost stoked the hatred Zhao Fuhe had long harbored against Wen Zhixia. "Senior, you haven’t had a child all these years—perhaps you’re just too scheming."

Too scheming was a euphemism; if not for her reservations, Zhao Fuhe would have said ‘vicious.’

All these years and still no child of her own…

Wen Zhixia’s eyes narrowed.

"You have a child, but it’s fatherless—a bastard," Hua Qianjiao suddenly interjected, hands on her hips.

Zhao Fuhe didn’t know what status Hua Qianjiao held, but she’d seen her around Wen Zhixia before. She sneered, "How do you know my child doesn’t have a father? Maybe someday I’ll need your Sister Wen’s help."

With the child, Zhao Fuhe felt emboldened—her hostility toward Wen Zhixia only deepening.

With motives compounded, she forgot Gu Pingsheng’s rules and brazenly flaunted her superiority in front of Wen Zhixia.

"Sister Wen would never take care of your wicked child!" Hua Qianjiao snapped.

Though she was different from most, Hua Qianjiao could still sense malice and repaid Wen Zhixia’s kindness with genuine loyalty.

Zhao Fuhe ignored her anger, turning instead to Wen Zhixia. She picked up the dress. "I’ll take this as an apology from you, Senior."

With that, she started to instruct the clerk to wrap it up.

Wen Zhixia stood, but before she could move, Hua Qianjiao rushed over to snatch the dress back. "That belongs to Sister Wen, you wicked woman!"

Zhao Fuhe fought her for it. As they struggled, Wen Zhixia frowned and, coming up behind Hua Qianjiao, gently shook her head. "Jiaojiao."

Seeing Wen Zhixia’s disapproval, Hua Qianjiao drooped, let go, and withdrew.

Then, without warning, as Hua Qianjiao let go, Zhao Fuhe sneered at Wen Zhixia—"Such a hypocrite"—and yanked the dress hard.

One loosened her grip, the other pulled back violently; Zhao Fuhe lost her balance and crashed to the floor.

A sharp pain shot through her. "Ah!"

"My stomach…"

"My baby!"

Zhao Fuhe’s shrieks filled the store. Blood quickly pooled beneath her, stunning everyone.

"Call 911!" Wen Zhixia commanded the stunned sales associate.

Hua Qianjiao, terrified by the blood, reached out trembling to help her up, but Wen Zhixia stopped her. "It’s too dangerous to move her now—wait for the ambulance."

"Sister Wen, will she… will she die?"

Watching Zhao Fuhe carried away, screaming, Hua Qianjiao burst into tears. "I didn’t mean to—I never wanted to hurt her… sob…"

Miss Hua had been pampered all her life. After her earlier accident, her family protected her even more fiercely. So when trouble came, she had no sense of autonomy and instinctively clung to whoever she could rely on.

Wen Zhixia patted her shoulder. "It was just an accident. Let’s go check on her together."

Wen Zhixia wanted her to wait in the mall for the Hua family’s driver, but with her emotions so unstable, Wen Zhixia dared not leave her alone and took her along to the hospital.

The light above the emergency room burned for over two hours.

When the doctor finally came out, he assumed Wen Zhixia and the red-eyed Hua Qianjiao were Zhao Fuhe’s friends and said regretfully, "…We did everything we could. The baby was too premature and unstable… We couldn’t save it."

Wen Zhixia paused. "The child… is gone?"

She was stunned; Hua Qianjiao was petrified with terror, staring at her hands. Even when Ye Lanzhou rushed over, she hadn’t recovered.

Ye Lanzhou had been visiting the Hua family. Seeing it was late, he called to check on Hua Qianjiao and offered to pick her up.

But as soon as the call connected, he heard her sobbing. He asked for the address and rushed over.

"What happened?" Unable to get anything coherent out of Hua Qianjiao, he turned to Wen Zhixia for an explanation.

Wen Zhixia recounted the events. Ye Lanzhou looked at the traumatized Hua Qianjiao, who blamed herself for killing Zhao Fuhe’s child, and sighed softly. "If the child’s gone, then it’s gone. It was never…"

He broke off, glanced at Wen Zhixia, and wiped the tears from Hua Qianjiao’s face. "…It wasn’t your fault."

"But the baby is gone…" Hua Qianjiao sobbed, "The little baby is gone."

Ye Lanzhou comforted her for a long time before she finally stopped crying.

Wen Zhixia gazed at the hospital room, lost in thought.

Half an hour later, when Zhao Fuhe awoke, her first reaction was to clutch her belly and screech at the doctor, "Did you save my baby? Is my baby still alive?"

The doctor regretfully informed her she had lost the child. "You’re still young—you’ll have more…"

"Ah!!" At the news, Zhao Fuhe screamed, clutching her ears. "You quacks! You couldn’t even save a baby! It was you—"

Seeing Wen Zhixia in the doorway, Zhao Fuhe’s eyes reddened with hatred, her finger stabbing at her. "It was you! You brought these doctors to kill my child! You wretched woman! You have no children of your own, so you’re jealous of mine!"

The doctors, sympathetic to her loss, still felt she was being completely unreasonable. As physicians, they had done everything they could to save her and her fetus. To accuse them of murder was intolerable.

"This was an accident, and we bear some responsibility. I’ll cover all your medical and nutritional expenses—please focus on your recovery," Wen Zhixia said.

Hua Qianjiao came forward to apologize as well. "I didn’t mean to let go. I didn’t know you’d pull so hard on the dress. I’m sorry."

"Sorry? What good is sorry?! Who wants your filthy money?! You killed my child—I want your life in return! Wen Zhixia, you wretch! You’ll die a miserable death! I want you buried with my child!"

No one had noticed—her body weak after surgery—that Zhao Fuhe suddenly leapt from her bed and lunged at Wen Zhixia, her fingers sinking into Wen Zhixia’s neck.

Ye Lanzhou, seeing this, released Hua Qianjiao’s hand and, with the doctors, pried Zhao Fuhe’s hands away.

A bloody mark was left on Wen Zhixia’s pale neck—shockingly vivid.

"Let me go! Wen Zhixia! You wretch, give me back my child!"

"Sedative—inject her now!" the doctor shouted.

"Sister Wen, your neck is bleeding." Hua Qianjiao, watching the blood, wanted to press it for her but didn’t dare.

Wen Zhixia, seeing Zhao Fuhe slip into unconsciousness from the injection, pressed a tissue to her own neck. "It’s nothing, just a scratch."

"Go get that treated—she’ll never accept your kindness," Ye Lanzhou said.

Wen Zhixia’s eyes lifted. "I just pity that lost child."

Ye Lanzhou replied, "…Perhaps it was never meant to be born. Otherwise, why would it have been lost so easily?"

Wen Zhixia looked at him. "It seems Young Master Ye is hinting at something."

Ye Lanzhou smiled and shook his head. "I just think perhaps everything is fated."

His words were inscrutable, their meaning unclear.

Ye Lanzhou left with Hua Qianjiao, but Wen Zhixia remained, waiting for the test results.

Zhao Fuhe’s sudden miscarriage meant she didn’t have to wait until the next prenatal check for a paternity test.

She wanted to know whether the child was truly Gu Pingsheng’s.

Meanwhile, in the car, Ye Lanzhou sent a message to Gu Pingsheng: As you wished, Zhao Fuhe’s child is gone.

In his office, Gu Pingsheng gripped his phone for several seconds, then stood, took his coat, and strode toward the elevator.