“Lu Shaoting, you have to help me. Otherwise, I’ll scream at the top of my lungs that you, as a military officer, raped a female comrade. I don’t believe the organization will tolerate this.”
She was quite bold, but her body trembled slightly as she clung to him.
Lu Shaoting seemed to see right through her fragile psyche with ease.
He calmly watched Gu Xia, who looked as if she were playing house.
He remained unmoved by her overtures of seduction.
Gu Xia sensed it too—Lu Shaoting truly seemed to have no reaction to women. This made her attempts at seduction appear rather ridiculous and comical.
She let go of his hand on her own and took a step back.
Then she said, “Well, you’ve got to give me some kind of explanation for this. You can’t just let me carry this child for nothing.”
She was certain that, with her limited intelligence, she’d never be able to seduce Lu Shaoting.
Lu Shaoting replied coldly, “How am I supposed to explain this to you? Gu Xia, let’s get one thing straight: did I get you pregnant? You’re the one who drugged me, which is what caused your pregnancy. Don’t shift all the blame onto me.”
“And now you’re asking me for an explanation?”
After Lu Shaoting finished speaking, he saw that Gu Xia remained silent.
At that moment, Gu Xia truly didn’t know what to say. In the dim light, she looked even smaller and more pitiful; with her eyes cast down, she appeared all the more vulnerable.
Lu Shaoting felt mostly anger toward Gu Xia. Before the incident at the Gu family’s home, he had always thought of her as a quiet young relative. Even when they occasionally crossed paths, she would merely greet him politely and demurely: “Hello, Uncle Lu.”
He would nod in response.
They’d never had much interaction beyond that.
Gu Xia was even younger than his niece. If it hadn’t been for that incident with the drugged drink, he would never have had a physical reaction to her.
Watching her stand there, eyes downcast and at a loss, Lu Shaoting felt a wave of irritation wash over him, though he couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking.
He simply said coldly, “Have an abortion, and I’ll give you some money. As for your parents’ and sister’s jobs, take the money and go figure it out on your own.”
Gu Xia’s mind went blank; all she could make out was Lu Shaoting telling her to have an abortion, giving her money, and something else…
She felt as if her brain were a runny egg, spilling out in all directions; she was losing control of herself.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness swept over her, and Gu Xia collapsed straight to the ground.
Lu Shaoting quickly reached out and caught her.
“Gu Xia, what kind of nonsense are you up to now?”
Gu Xia muttered hoarsely, feeling dizzy and miserable.
Only then did Lu Shaoting notice that Gu Xia’s body was burning hot. He reached out to touch her forehead and confirmed it: she had a fever.
Lu Shaoting had absolutely no idea how to take care of someone, and besides, this rented apartment had absolutely nothing in it.
His only option was to take Gu Xia to the hospital first.
Arriving at the hospital late at night, the doctor, after examining her, immediately wanted to administer medication but first asked Lu Shaoting—the man who looked like an elder of the girl.
“Does she have any drug allergies?”
Lu Shaoting replied, “I’m not sure about that. Oh, by the way, doctor, she’s pregnant.”
The doctor glanced at Lu Shaoting and began performing some tests on Gu Xia. Gu Xia woke up during the examination and watched as the doctor’s hands moved back and forth over her stomach.
“Doctor, are you going to perform an abortion now?”
“Abortion?” The doctor gave Gu Xia a puzzled look. “Did you come to the hospital for an abortion? You’re carrying twins—are you sure you want to terminate the pregnancy?”
Gu Xia was stunned.
“Twins? How is that possible? I just had a checkup not long ago, and it was a single pregnancy.”
Lu Shaoting was waiting outside the examination room, unaware of what was happening inside. He felt exceptionally restless at that moment. If it weren’t for Gu Xia, he’d be going about his daily routine as usual—working and resting.
Why else would he have to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night?
Gu Xia emerged from the examination room feeling dizzy and disoriented. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Lu Shaoting standing there, looking slightly irritated.
Thinking of Lu Shaoting when he was furious and losing his temper, Gu Xia felt a bit intimidated.
“Let’s talk outside.”
“Talk about what?” Lu Shaoting asked bluntly.
Gu Xia hesitated for a moment before whispering, “The doctor just examined me and said it’s twins. If you’re sure you don’t want them, I promise I’ll have an abortion.”
“I’m not feeling well right now; it’s not a good time for an abortion. Besides, the hospital requires a marriage certificate, and my husband has to sign the consent form in person—I can’t have it done there.”
She’d have to go to a small clinic.
After she finished speaking, Gu Xia glanced at Lu Shaoting. Seeing that he showed no reaction, she knew there was nothing more she could say.
She’d thought that by playing the victim and appealing for sympathy, Lu Shaoting might soften his heart just a little.
As it turned out, she was completely wrong.
She was a total failure.
She wasn’t tough enough to threaten him—she just didn’t have what it took.
She wasn’t alluring enough to seduce him either; she was as stiff as a board.
She didn’t even know how to feign pity or hurt—all she could do was cry, which was just annoying to anyone watching.
“I’m going home now.”
“After the abortion, how will I get in touch with you?”
Gu Xia knew Lu Shaoting didn’t want her to go to the Lu family home. Even if she did go, the Lu family would block the door, and she wouldn’t be able to get in.
Seeing that Lu Shaoting hadn’t answered her, Gu Xia turned and walked out with her head down. Perhaps Lu Shaoting was just trying to coax her into having the abortion right now, and his promises to give her money afterward were just a lie to fool her.
Lu Shaoting didn’t leave the hospital until he’d picked up some medication. He saw Gu Xia standing alone at the intersection, vigorously wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
He didn’t even need to get closer to know she was crying.
“Get in the car. I’ll drive you home.”
Gu Xia didn’t refuse.
At this hour, she was still feeling quite unwell. The doctor had given her an injection, but her body remained weak and limp, and her mind was foggy.
Once in the car, she obediently sat in the back seat.
When Lu Shaoting drove up to her apartment building, he called out to Gu Xia twice. Seeing that she didn’t respond, he got out of the car and opened the back door, only to discover that Gu Xia had curled up in the back seat and fallen asleep.
He reached over and shook her gently, then leaned down and said, “We’re here. Get out.”
Gu Xia mumbled a response and began to get out of the car, somewhat flustered. She didn’t even notice that she had stumbled right into him. Still struggling to keep her eyes open, she mumbled a dazed apology.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Lu. I didn’t mean to.”
Hearing her call him “Uncle Lu” as obediently as ever, Lu Shaoting felt, for a moment, that Gu Xia was just an innocent young girl who hadn’t seen much of the world. She’d been sheltered by her family since childhood and had never known hardship—what did she really understand?
“Here’s the medicine. The instructions are on the label.”
“I’ll come see you in a few days. You don’t need to come find me.”
Gu Xia murmured a soft “Mm-hmm” and whispered, “Got it.”
As she walked toward her rental apartment, her steps were unsteady and wobbly. Lu Shaoting watched her enter the building, and as he closed the car door, he noticed the medical report she’d been holding the whole time.
Twins.
What a fateful twist of fate. Just one night—not only had he slept with Gu Xia, but she was now pregnant with his children—twins, no less.
The children were innocent, but what about him? Was he really going to marry Gu Xia?
Or should he let Gu Xia give birth to those two children, then take the children and leave her behind?