The private hospital was an hour’s drive from the Fu residence.
The so-called Fu residence was actually just a detached villa in the suburbs where Fu Beichen’s parents and younger sister lived. Fu Beichen had bought it when his business had begun to take off.
Before the family became wealthy, the Fus had all lived in a run-down house in an old urban village.
Thinking about seeing the Fu family soon, Nan Xin pressed her lips together.
After some thought, she set up an automatic message on her phone. Unless something happened to her at the Fu residence, the message would never be sent.
But if the Fu family tried anything against her, she would no longer hold back out of consideration for their past relationship.
An hour later, the car stopped smoothly in front of the Fu family villa.
When the servant saw Nan Xin, disdain flashed across her eyes.
“Madam, what took you so long? Master and Madam have been waiting for you.”
Nan Xin glanced at the servant, then raised her hand.
A crisp slap landed across the servant’s face.
The servant stared at her in disbelief.
“How dare you hit me?”
“Do you know how to speak to your mistress now?”
Nan Xin’s voice was icy.
“If you still haven’t learned, I don’t mind doing it again.”
The servant was completely stunned.
Everyone in the Fu family knew that their young madam was weak and easy to bully. Whenever she came to the Fu residence, she would practically walk with her head bowed, afraid of upsetting her in-laws.
Yet Nan Xin seemed like a completely different person now, exuding an intimidating aura that made it clear she was not someone to be trifled with.
Without waiting for the servant to recover, Nan Xin walked straight inside.
The living room was bustling.
Besides her in-laws, Nan Xin’s parents were there as well. They were sitting on the sofa, chatting animatedly with Fu Changlian and Su Limei.
As Nan Xin entered, she happened to hear her mother say,
“Dear in-laws, since Xiaoyu and Nan Xin are sisters anyway, I’ll make the decision. Let Nan Xin divorce Beichen and have Xiaoyu marry him instead. That way, our two families will still be in-laws.”
Nan Xin’s hand hanging at her side clenched tightly.
Were her own parents really this eager to make room for her sister?
“Sister-in-law.”
Someone grabbed Nan Xin’s arm.
She turned around and met the eyes of her sister-in-law, Fu Yueling.
Fu Yueling was only twenty-two years old. She had delicate, charming features that naturally made people like her.
She put a finger to her lips, signaling Nan Xin to keep quiet, then quietly pulled her into the nearest guest room.
After closing the door, Fu Yueling’s gaze immediately fell on Nan Xin’s prominently rounded belly.
Her eyes widened.
“I thought all those rumors were false! Sister-in-law, your belly is already this big!”
At the time, Nan Xin had been afraid that she might lose the baby, so she had kept the pregnancy hidden from everyone, including the Fu family.
She knew that if they found out the baby might not survive, they would certainly force her to divorce Fu Beichen.
Su Limei often said, “What use is a hen that can’t lay eggs?”
That was why Nan Xin had desperately tried to keep the baby.
Fu Yueling’s expression immediately fell before Nan Xin could say anything. Suppressing her anger, she said,
“My brother has gone too far! If he already had a child before getting married, why did he marry you in the first place? Wasn’t he just ruining your life?”
So the Fu family already knew.
“Yueling, did they call me here today because they want me to divorce your brother and make room for Nan Yu?”
Nan Xin asked directly.
Fu Yueling nodded, then shook her head.
“My brother did bring that woman back and wants her to marry into the Fu family, but Mom and Dad haven’t agreed yet. At least, they haven’t made their position clear so far.”
Even as she said this, she clearly lacked confidence.
Nan Xin smiled and reached out to pat Fu Yueling’s head.
“Thank you for telling me all this, Yueling.”
Fu Yueling grabbed Nan Xin’s hand, hesitating before saying,
“Sister-in-law, you have to be careful today. I just have a feeling that something is wrong with your parents. It seems like they’re plotting something…”
“All right. I know.”
Nan Xin understood.
If even an inexperienced young woman like Fu Yueling could sense something was wrong, then there was undoubtedly something going on.
Fu Yueling had only graduated from college this year. Perhaps because she didn’t spend much time at home, she hadn’t picked up the Fu family’s unpleasant, calculating nature. Instead, she was innocent and lively.
When Nan Xin had first visited the Fu residence, her in-laws had treated her coldly. Only this young girl had blushed shyly and secretly slipped a delicate sculpture into her hands.
“Sister, it’s our first time meeting, and I don’t know what you like. I made this at school and won an award for it. I hope you don’t mind.”
The sculpture had been carefully wrapped with a ribbon tied into a bow. Even now, it was still displayed on Nan Xin’s bedside table.
Later, Nan Xin had given Fu Yueling some gifts in return, and the two often kept in touch.
Nan Xin felt that even if she divorced Fu Beichen, she would never be able to treat Fu Yueling coldly.
After a while, someone knocked on the door and called them to dinner, so the two left the guest room together.
Neither of them knew what the two families had discussed, but when they sat down at the dining table, everyone acted as though nothing had happened.
When Nan Xin appeared, her father unusually took the initiative to speak to her kindly.
“Xinxin, come sit beside Dad.”
Hearing this, Fu Changlian and Su Limei also looked toward Nan Xin.
Su Limei’s expression immediately changed.
She shot up from her chair.
“You… How did your belly get this big?”
Nan Xin calmly walked over and sat beside Fu Yueling in the two seats at the far end of the table, leaving space between herself and everyone else.
She lowered her eyes and gently touched her belly with a smile.
“Almost eight months.”
Su Limei secretly cursed her son.
“That stupid boy. Nan Xin is pregnant, so why didn’t he tell the family?”
She gritted her teeth inwardly, but outwardly she forced a rare smile.
“Nan Xin, if I had known you were carrying Beichen’s child, I would have gone to take care of you much earlier.”
Nan Xin smiled faintly, though the smile never reached her eyes.
“Mom, I don’t blame you.”
She looked around the table in confusion.
“Did you call me back today because there’s something you wanted to tell me?”
Nan Xin’s mother cleared her throat.
“Yes, there is something I need to tell you. Nan Xin, things have already reached this point, so there’s no need to hide anything anymore. You and Beichen should—”
“It’s nothing!”
Su Limei suddenly interrupted her.
Nan Xin’s mother stared at her in disbelief.
They had clearly agreed just moments ago to have Nan Xin divorce Fu Beichen and let Nan Yu marry into the family. How had Su Limei suddenly changed her mind?
“Dear in-law, didn’t we agree on this?”
“Who agreed with you?”
Su Limei completely ignored Nan Xin’s mother.
Instead, she approached Nan Xin with a smile, took her hand, and asked expectantly,
“Xinxin, have you gone to the hospital for an examination? Is the baby a boy or a girl?”
Nan Xin sneered inwardly.
The reason Su Limei had changed her attitude so quickly was obvious.
Nan Yu had given birth to a granddaughter, while the baby in Nan Xin’s belly might be the grandson she had been longing for.
“Not yet, Mom. Beichen has never been home, and I kept putting it off until the pregnancy was already this far along. I thought I’d just wait until the baby is born to find out.”
The moment she finished speaking, the dining room fell into an awkward silence.
Nan Xin could feel several pairs of eyes fixed intently on her belly. The calculations and weighing of gains and losses were almost tangible.
Just then, a steady and familiar engine sound suddenly came from outside the villa, growing louder as the car approached.
The sound made the fingertips resting on Nan Xin’s belly tremble almost imperceptibly.