After that failed attempt to seduce Lu Shaoting while she was ill, Gu Xia completely abandoned her plan to change her family’s fate through him.
Once she recovered, she had been waiting for Lu Shaoting to come and take her for an abortion.
Unexpectedly, instead of Lu Shaoting, it was his Second Sister, Lu Xiaoyan, who showed up.
“Gu Xia.”
Seeing Lu Xiaoyan’s arrival, Gu Xia was somewhat surprised.
Lu Shaoting had forbidden her from going to the Lu family home and kept her separately outside precisely to prevent her from having any contact with his family.
The fact that Lu Xiaoyan could come here to find her suggested that Lu Shaoting must have given her the address.
Gu Xia opened the door and let Lu Xiaoyan in.
“I don’t know why you’re looking for me, but come in and let’s talk.”
Lu Xiaoyan stepped inside and looked around the clean and tidy rented room.
There were very few belongings—just some vegetables on the table, not even basic staples like rice, flour, or eggs.
“Aren’t you pregnant? How come you haven’t bought anything nutritious to eat?”
“Did Shaoting not give you any money? He really is something—no matter what, he should have given you some money.”
Gu Xia was a bit bewildered by Lu Xiaoyan’s sudden concern for her.
If she remembered correctly, the last time Lu Xiaoyan saw her, she had been urging her not to cling to Lu Shaoting.
She had said that Lu Shaoting was already seeing someone for marriage and advised her to have an abortion while it was still early, as it would cause less harm to her.
So why was she suddenly showing such concern now?
Lu Xiaoyan continued speaking on her own, placing the things she had brought with her inside the room.
Only then did Gu Xia ask, “How did you know about this place? Did Uncle Lu tell you?”
Gu Xia thought that Lu Xiaoyan’s sudden concern for her was likely out of a reluctant sense of pity before taking her for an abortion.
Lu Shaoting probably wasn’t coming himself, so he had sent his sister, Lu Xiaoyan, to take her for the procedure.
Gu Xia thought to herself that this was just as well. Once the abortion was over, she would be completely free of any ties to Lu Shaoting.
She would no longer be able to use Lu Shaoting’s status as a military officer to help her parents and sister.
Gu Xia felt anxious inside, but she also knew that Lu Shaoting was a tough nut to crack.
With her limited wits, she couldn’t think of any way to capture Lu Shaoting’s attention.
Lu Xiaoyan hummed in acknowledgment, seeming rather troubled and speaking hesitantly about Lu Shaoting.
Gu Xia didn’t want to ask any more questions.
“I’ll listen to you and have the abortion. But since it’s twins, there might be some risks. After the procedure, I’d like you to stay with me for a while. I…”
It wasn’t that she was afraid of dying—she just wanted to make one last effort to find another way to help her parents and sister.
When Lu Xiaoyan heard Gu Xia mention twins, her eyes widened as she looked at her.
“What did you say? You’re carrying twins? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Don’t have the abortion. Keep the babies. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you. Don’t worry about Shaoting—these children must stay. Just listen to me.”
Gu Xia stared at Lu Xiaoyan in astonishment.
“Uncle Lu and I agreed that the next time he came, he would take me to have the abortion. So, is it his decision to keep the babies?”
How strange.
If Lu Shaoting wanted to keep the babies, why didn’t he come himself? Instead, he sent Lu Xiaoyan to find her?
Lu Xiaoyan said, “Just listen to me on this matter, Gu Xia. Don’t worry, whatever conditions you propose, I will do my best to meet them. But this child must be kept.”
“It’s twins, and I can tell you’re quite fond of Shaoting, so it’s all the more reason to keep these two children.”
With twins, surely one of them would be a son.
Given Shaoting’s current condition, he must at least leave behind an heir…
Lu Xiaoyan spoke with Gu Xia for a while, put down the things she had brought, and before leaving, gave Gu Xia fifty yuan. Her behavior was strange in every way, making Gu Xia feel something was off.
Gu Xia didn’t ask much on the surface. Lu Shaoting wasn’t coming to see her now, but Lu Xiaoyan had come instead, urging her to keep the child.
Gu Xia was currently in the city. If she wanted an abortion, the safer option would be to go to the hospital. But she had no connections in Beicheng, while Lu Shaoting did. His plan was to wait until the day he took Gu Xia for the abortion before letting his doctor friend know about Gu Xia’s existence.
Unless it came to the point of an abortion, he would never let anyone around him know that Gu Xia was carrying his child.
Since Lu Shaoting had a safe method, and Gu Xia herself had no better alternatives, she was naturally willing to follow his arrangements.
After Lu Xiaoyan left, Gu Xia stared blankly at the nutritional supplements on the table.
She was certain that Lu Xiaoyan’s purpose in coming this time was to persuade her to keep the child—and this was before Lu Xiaoyan even knew she was carrying twins.
Why had Lu Xiaoyan suddenly come to persuade her to keep Lu Shaoting’s child?
Gu Xia felt there must be something strange going on.
With this suspicion in mind, and having nothing else to do, Gu Xia later went to the military family compound where the Lu family lived again. She didn’t intend to go inside, but if she happened to run into someone, she would ask about what was going on with the Lu family.
Before she could ask, she spotted a familiar face.
It was Zhou Liyun, the young woman who had gone on a blind date with Lu Shaoting last time, accompanied by a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties.
“Aunt, didn’t Uncle say? Lu Shaoting was injured in a critical area this time, and he’s still lying in the hospital’s intensive care unit. Why are we even coming to their house? Haven’t we already been to the hospital?”
Zhou Liyun had already visited the hospital, going the day after Lu Shaoting’s accident.
She hadn’t seen Lu Shaoting at all, but the area outside the hospital was crowded with people. She had heard that Lu Shaoting had been injured on his way back at night, but the specific cause was classified as a military secret.
The driver who had been driving for Lu Shaoting was also covered in blood, but he wasn’t seriously injured—only grazed by a bullet on his arm. He was crying, insisting on waiting for the commander to wake up and refusing to have his wounds treated.
It wasn’t until a superior officer arrived and scolded him that he was forcibly taken away.
Listening to the hospital staff and several officers discussing Lu Shaoting’s condition, Zhou Liyun grew increasingly agitated.
She had always admired Lu Shaoting, and now that she finally had the chance—with the Lu family arranging a blind date between them—she had thought that, barring any mishaps, she would marry Lu Shaoting.
But then, at this very moment, an accident happened.
“Aunt, why is my fate so bitter? I finally found someone who suited me perfectly, and now he’s injured in that area. I had heard before that Lu Shaoting was rather cold, but now it’s even worse—he’s completely incapacitated…”
Gu Xia’s aunt, Wang Fenlan, glanced at her niece.
Then she said, “Let’s go take a look first. If he really is done for, do we need to say it ourselves? The Lu family will bring it up on their own.”
Zhou Liyun thought that made sense. As she was heading toward the residential compound with Wang Fenlan, her sharp eyes spotted Gu Xia standing outside the gate.
Gu Xia’s pretty face was hard to forget.
“Why are you here again? Looking for Lu Shaoting?” Zhou Liyun walked up to Gu Xia and asked.
Seeing Gu Xia remain silent, Zhou Liyun stared at her pretty face and said with a vengeful tone:
“You probably don’t know yet, but Lu Shaoting had an accident the night before last. He was rushed straight to the intensive care unit. The doctors said there’s a high chance his lower body is permanently damaged. Even if it isn’t, he’ll never be able to function as a man again in this lifetime.”