“Uncle!”
Gu Ciyuan stood up, his expression revealing he was suppressing his fury with immense restraint.
The source of his anger was precisely those words Zhao Jun had spoken.
“Over these years, you and Aunt have treated me like your own child. I’m deeply grateful and know you have my best interests at heart. But regardless of whether it’s you or Aunt, I hope you won’t say such things again.”
Gu Ciyuan continued, “If you’re worried the child isn’t mine, you can rest assured. I’m not a fool—I wouldn’t fail to recognize something so basic. Nor am I so recklessly kind-hearted as to abandon my own future to raise another man’s wife and child.”
Hearing this, Zhao Jun knew further arguments would be useless.
He could only release a long sigh.
“Since that’s the case, let’s pretend I never said anything today. It was my mistake, and I apologize. Regardless, your aunt and I ultimately have your wellbeing in mind. Our words might have been excessive, but please don’t hold it against us.”
Zhao Jun’s concession wasn’t surrender. Unlike Zhang Fang, despite being an uncle by marriage, they lacked blood ties.
Pushing further would only make him appear unreasonable.
He had fulfilled his duty as an elder. The remaining concerns could be left to Gu Changsheng, the biological father.
“I’ve always remembered Aunt and Uncle’s kindness toward me. I, Gu Ciyuan, am not an ungrateful person. In my heart, you’re more like my real parents.”
After expressing his respect, Gu Ciyuan departed.
The sun hung high, baking the road beneath his feet until it scorched.
Gu Ciyuan walked along the roadside, pushing his bicycle with one hand. Despite his long legs, his steps were deliberately slow, clearly in no hurry to return.
Although his decision to marry had been made quickly, it hadn’t been made lightly.
When Su Wantang insisted the child was his, beyond initial bewilderment, he had questioned its truth.
But carefully recalling that night’s events—though clouded by drugs and unable to clearly see who it was—Gu Ciyuan hadn’t been completely without memory.
At the very least, he remembered knocking Su Ye unconscious, remembered opening the door when someone crashed into his arms, then completely succumbing to the drugs’ effects and committing that mistake.
The person who’d thrown themselves against him had struggled, but their strength was too feeble to resist.
That night, his sharpest memory was of those hands he’d so easily restrained.
That petite body pressed against the table, yielding to his actions…
Mentally superimposing Su Wantang’s image onto that memory made him feel like a beast. Yet thinking of her becoming his wife somehow made it seem justified.
Enough—overthinking was pointless.
Since it had happened, regardless of consequences, he couldn’t retreat and let a woman face it alone.
Whether the organization could accept it or not, he must shoulder his responsibility.
At worst, he’d leave the military.
These were peaceful times now—the necessary wars had been fought. Whether Gu Ciyuan remained or not likely made little difference.
Only… that girl was accustomed to being pampered. He wondered if she could endure a life of hardship following him.
Gu Ciyuan was a stubborn man. Since he had seriously asked if she wanted to marry him and she had nodded, there was no room for regret—whether she could endure it or not.
Whether life would be good or bad, she could only spend this lifetime with him!
Though he thought this way, when passing by the supply and marketing cooperative, he still went in to buy some biscuits and preserved plums.
He had asked the doctor yesterday—severe vomiting called for something sour.
While they could still live decently, he shouldn’t let her suffer.
He didn’t know how things were before, but just looking at the past two days, her vomiting was indeed severe.
It was precisely because his mother had died along with his unborn sister during childbirth that he understood how difficult pregnancy was for women.
When he returned home, however, he was met with an empty room.
He thought Su Wantang might have gone out because she was bored staying home, but since the bicycle was gone, she couldn’t have gone far.
He waited at home for a while, but she still didn’t return.
Growing uneasy, Gu Ciyuan went out and ran into a neighbor, whom he asked about her.
Only then did he learn that Su Wantang had been taken away by two people in military uniforms.
It couldn’t be someone from the military. If the Political Commissar wanted to speak with Su Wantang, he would have notified Gu Ciyuan to bring her along first.
That left only one possibility…
It seemed his aunt and uncle had long reached an agreement to prevent him from marrying Wantang.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent him away and notified that person.
Unaware that Li Cuiping had seen him take Su Wantang for a checkup yesterday and learned the results, he assumed his aunt had spoken to Gu Changsheng, feeling somewhat disappointed.
But for now, finding her was the priority.
In his heart, Su Wantang was still like an innocent child.
Forced to endure so much due to others’ mistakes was heartbreaking enough.
Now, taken away and likely subjected to harsh words, she must be terrified.
Where would Gu Changsheng have taken her?
He first called the Gu residence. At this hour, those in school were at school, those at work were at work—only Li Lan would be idle at home.
During his few visits back, he had sensed Li Cuiping’s scheming in keeping Li Lan at home.
Gu Ciyuan had no choice but to play the villain, coaxing Li Lan into revealing Su Wantang’s whereabouts.
Learning that she hadn’t been taken to the Gu residence by Gu Changsheng, Gu Ciyuan hung up immediately, stood, and rushed out, unable to hide the panic in his expression.
If his suspicions were correct, Gu Changsheng must have taken her to the hospital where Li Cuiping worked.
After all, Su Wantang was pregnant before marriage, so an abortion couldn’t be done through formal procedures. As head nurse, Li Cuiping had the means to manipulate such matters.
Gu Ciyuan confronted Li Cuiping, demanding, “What have you done to Su Wantang?”
Clenching his teeth, the ferocity in his eyes reminded Li Cuiping of when he, just ten years old, had nearly hacked her to death with a kitchen knife after she forced her way into the Gu family to demand marriage.
That incident had caused the rift between father and son, leading Gu Ciyuan to leave for Nan Province.
She, meanwhile, had brought her two children into the Gu family and enjoyed several years of comfort.
With Gu Changsheng absent, Li Cuiping dared not provoke this killer.
Though she tried to remain calm, her trembling voice betrayed her deep-seated fear of Gu Ciyuan.
“Your father originally planned to have her abort the child. After taking her to the hospital, Su Wantang said she needed to use the restroom, then disappeared. Your father took people to search for her—whether they found her or not, I don’t know. In any case, she never came back here.”
Gu Ciyuan couldn’t verify the truth in her words, but Gu Changsheng’s intention to make Su Wantang undergo an abortion was certainly real.
He had no time to waste.
“You’d better be telling the truth. I don’t care what Gu Changsheng does, but if you dare interfere and have my child aborted, I’ll make sure you experience the pain of losing a child yourself.”