Gu Mian’s fingertips trembled slightly, her heart aching as if pierced by needles.
In his heart, she might not even compare to a pet dog he kept.
While Yin Luoxue was his most treasured possession, for whom he was willing to oppose anyone at any cost.
Suppressing the pain in her heart, Gu Mian spoke, “I understand. I’ll keep my distance from Mr. Pei from now on. Please don’t make things difficult for my uncle anymore – he’s my only family left. Ting Shen, I’m begging you.”
Li Tingshen took a drag of his cigarette. “Is this how you beg someone?”
Gu Mian froze.
If he still had any thoughts about her, it was only about what happened in bed.
But she didn’t want to use her body as bargaining chip. Even with the man she loved most, she found it humiliating.
Moreover, she was currently pregnant and couldn’t be intimate with him.
Yet her uncle’s situation was urgent.
Seeing her conflicted and pained expression, Li Tingshen’s voice turned colder. “You were all smiles in front of Pei Jinchuan. Why do you look so lifeless around me?”
“Ting Shen, I…” Gu Mian struggled to speak. “Can I… use my hands to help you?”
“What did you say?” Li Tingshen didn’t understand at first, but when he did, he laughed instead of getting angry. “What? After one meal with him, you want to guard your chastity like jade for him? Won’t even let me touch you now?”
“That’s not…”
Before Gu Mian could finish, he interrupted sharply, “Bring it in.”
The office door opened as his assistant pushed in a food cart. The aroma of steak instantly filled the room.
Li Tingshen took Gu Mian’s hand and led her to the table.
“You like eating, don’t you? I’ll let you eat your fill. Finish all these steaks, and I’ll stop troubling your uncle.”
Looking at the five steaks on the table, Gu Mian gritted her teeth, sat down, and began eating with knife and fork.
Li Tingshen sat opposite her, holding a wine glass as he sipped red wine, watching her leisurely.
It was already past midnight, and Gu Mian was somewhat hungry, so she managed the first steak without trouble.
But after finishing one steak, her stomach felt full, and she gradually slowed down.
Li Tingshen took a sip of wine. “I forgot to mention – my time is limited. You have half an hour. Gu Mian, twenty minutes left.”
Gu Mian felt both anxious and wronged. “You’re making things impossible.”
“You came begging to me. No one’s forcing you if you don’t want to eat.”
Knowing she couldn’t defy him, Gu Mian hurriedly continued eating the steak.
Perhaps she ate too fast, or maybe the steak was too greasy – when she reached the fourth steak, Gu Mian suddenly felt nauseous. She rushed to the bathroom and vomited violently into the toilet.
Li Tingshen’s hand holding the wine glass paused. “Take it away,” he ordered in a low voice.
“Yes, sir.”
The assistant quickly removed the steaks, feeling sorry for the mistress.
Gu Mian vomited for a long time before finally recovering, sitting on the floor catching her breath.
The man’s low, cold voice reached her ears. “Will you dare do it again?”
Gu Mian’s nose stung, tears nearly falling.
She held back her tears and shook her head slightly.
Li Tingshen turned to leave. “Take the mistress home.”
The assistant entered. “Mistress, let’s go.”
Returning to her rented apartment, Gu Mian took a hot shower and collapsed exhaustedly onto the bed.
Li Tingshen’s controlling nature was too overpowering. If she stayed in the Imperial Capital to give birth, he would undoubtedly find out.
It seemed that before her belly grew noticeable, she not only had to get a divorce but also leave the Imperial Capital, finding a remote place to have the baby.
Gu Mian raised her hand and gently stroked her lower abdomen.
As long as she could safely give birth to the child, even if she and her child never returned to the Imperial Capital in the future, it would be perfectly acceptable.
After all, there was nothing here worth her attachment.
…
Early the next morning, Gu Mian received a call from Wang Shulan, whose attitude was surprisingly pleasant.
“Gu Mian, are you up yet? Have you had breakfast?”
Gu Mian went straight to the point, “Aunt, has something happened?”
“I just got a notification that your uncle’s shop doesn’t have to move anymore. You must have gone to see Tingshen last night, right?”
Gu Mian neither confirmed nor denied it, “Can it start operating now?”
“Not yet. That’s exactly why I called you.” Wang Shulan got straight to the point, “Gu Mian, your uncle and I rely on this shop to make a living. Keeping it closed for even a day means we have no income. How can we manage like this? Hurry up and reconcile with Tingshen so we can resume business as soon as possible.”
“Aunt, I understand.”
“Now that’s a good, obedient child.” Wang Shulan continued, “Tingshen has bought the shop now, which makes him our landlord. If you can win him over, he might even reduce or waive the rent if he’s pleased. He’s so wealthy—he might even give us the shop outright!”
“Aunt, you overestimate me.” Gu Mian replied honestly, “I can only beg Tingshen to let you continue operating. As for anything else, I don’t hold that much weight in his heart.”
Wang Shulan immediately became displeased, “Listen to you—not even willing to try for your uncle and aunt’s sake. All our affection for you was wasted… But you’re right. If he cared about you at all, he wouldn’t have sent you to prison himself… Fine, hurry up and go see him so we can reopen soon. I must have had the worst luck marrying into your Gu Family—never enjoyed a single day of happiness, just working myself to death in that shop…”
Gu Mian waited for her to finish venting before saying goodbye and hanging up.
She went out, bought two steamed buns at the entrance of her residential complex, and took the bus to the hospital.
Just after finishing feeding Xiaobao breakfast, Pei Jinchuan walked in. “Gu Mian, good morning.”
“Mr. Pei, good morning.” Noticing the dark circles under his eyes, Gu Mian asked, “Xiaobao said you didn’t sleep at all last night and were working the whole time, right?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Pei, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Let’s talk outside.” Gu Mian handed a toy to Xiaobao and went with Pei Jinchuan to the small lounge before speaking, “I promised you yesterday that I would take good care of Xiaobao, but I have to go back on my word. Once you find a new caregiver for Xiaobao, I won’t be coming anymore.”
Li Tingshen had allowed her uncle’s shop to remain, which was a step back, but he hadn’t agreed to let it reopen.
It meant he was still angry.
After much thought, she realized that only by quitting this job could she appease him.
“Has something happened?” Pei Jinchuan seemed to guess, “Is it because of your husband, right?”
Gu Mian didn’t want to complicate things and shook her head, “It’s my own decision.”
Pei Jinchuan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is it because you’re pregnant, right?”
Gu Mian was taken aback. “How did you know?”
Even her closest uncle didn’t know about her pregnancy!
Afraid that Li Tingshen would find out, she had been putting off going to the hospital for a check-up and had only secretly bought some folic acid to take for the time being.
Pei Jinchuan smiled. “It seems my guess was correct.”
Gu Mian pleaded urgently, “Mr. Pei, you must keep this a secret for me.”
“Of course. I won’t tell anyone without your permission.”
Only then did Gu Mian breathe a sigh of relief.
Outside the door, Yin Luoxue’s eyes widened in disbelief at what she had just heard.