Xiao Ai and Liu Jie climbed up to the third floor, both wearing dark, stormy expressions—only to find Tao Ran collapsed by the staircase.
Her hair was disheveled, her face pale and haggard—she looked even worse than she had yesterday.
“Are you insane? Instead of staying inside, you’re lying dead by the door now? What, afraid no one will see how pathetic you look?” Xiao Ai gritted her teeth, her voice low but seething with fury. She wished she could strangle the woman right there.
The truth was, Xiao Ai hadn’t agreed to help Fang Ming clean up this mess purely for his sake.
It was for her own.
Because Fang Ming had promised that once he returned home, he would divorce Tang Ran. He didn’t want the child—he didn’t even want the evidence of their marriage. He didn’t want Tang Ran using the baby or the surgery as an excuse to take a large share of his assets later. The pregnancy had to be dealt with quietly.
Xiao Ai had already started thinking of herself as Fang Ming’s future wife. And wasn’t it true? Whatever Tang Ran took in the divorce would come straight out of her future fortune. The more Tang Ran got, the less there would be for her—especially if that apartment of Fang Ming’s ended up being split in half. What then?
Thinking about it that way, Xiao Ai had eagerly agreed to help him “take care” of the problem.
And Tang Ran’s pitiful performance these past few days only made Xiao Ai despise her more and more.
Now, seeing “Tang Ran” sitting helplessly on the ground, groaning in pain, Xiao Ai couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She reached out and grabbed her roughly.
But the moment she did, Tao Ran let out a piercing scream.
The sharp cry echoed up and down the stairwell.
Startled, Xiao Ai rushed to cover her mouth.
Tao Ran didn’t hesitate—she opened her mouth and bit down hard.
Quick, deep, merciless.
Xiao Ai never saw it coming.
Crying out in pain, she tried to yank her hand back.
“Quiet!” Liu Jie barked, and only then did Tao Ran finally release her bite.
Two neat rows of teeth marks decorated Xiao Ai’s palm—some spots even oozed blood.
Before Xiao Ai could speak, Tao Ran began to sob weakly, her voice trembling with just the right touch of fear and grievance.
“I didn’t mean to… She was choking me just now. She wouldn’t take care of me yesterday, so I tried to boil some water myself last night and fell—I blacked out right away. When I woke up this morning, there was blood all over me… I was so scared. Am I going to die? Liu Jie, you don’t know how much Xiao Ai hates me…”
Her words were nonsense, but the tears streaming down her face made them sound heartbreakingly believable. A little manipulation never hurt—and stirring up a bit of discord was always a nice bonus.
“Enough!” Liu Jie caught Xiao Ai’s wrist. “Can’t you see what state she’s in? She just had surgery! Take her for a checkup first! Keep shouting like this and the whole building will hear!”
That only fueled Xiao Ai’s anger. “What, fainting and bleeding? You can tell she’s faking! You don’t know how good she is at pretending—I didn’t even touch her, and look how she bit me—”
“Shut up! Do you not understand consequences? You think she’s faking going to the hospital? You know how stingy she usually is—would she waste money just to put on a show?”
Liu Jie’s voice dropped low. “You’re jealous of her, aren’t you? At least pretend you’re not. You were wrong to hit her yesterday, and you didn’t even check on her last night. If something really happens to her, what do you think will happen to your plan? Fang Ming would have to take care of her for the rest of his life!”
“I…” Xiao Ai faltered. She knew the woman was faking, but Liu Jie’s words made too much sense.
But… what about the fact that she’d just been bitten?
Meanwhile, Tao Ran kept her head bowed, eyes downcast. That bite was her way of getting back for yesterday’s slap. She’d been itching to return the favor, and when the chance came, she wasn’t about to hold back.
Liu Jie helped the weakly groaning Tao Ran to her feet.
But the moment he did, the faint metallic tang of blood hit his nose again—the same scent from yesterday that had clung to him no matter how many times he’d washed and sprayed himself with cologne afterward.
He grimaced. He really didn’t want to carry her.
“Help me,” he ordered Xiao Ai tersely.
With clear reluctance, Xiao Ai took Tao Ran’s other arm, and together they started down the narrow stairs.
The longer they walked, the heavier Tao Ran seemed to become—her weight gradually leaning more and more toward Xiao Ai’s side, until she was practically hanging off her.
When Xiao Ai glanced up, she caught Tao Ran’s faint smirk and raised brow.
That single look—half mocking, half taunting—made Xiao Ai’s blood boil.
“She’s doing this on purpose!”
In a burst of anger, Xiao Ai shoved Tao Ran toward Liu Jie.
And that was it.
Tao Ran’s foot slipped. She stumbled—her knee shot out, striking Liu Jie squarely in the leg.
At the same time, her full weight crashed into him with extra force.
Liu Jie, who’d just lifted his leg to step down, lost his balance completely and tumbled forward.
He had no hand free to grab the railing—his only instinct was to push Tao Ran upward in a desperate attempt to steady her.
Luckily, it was only three steps. Luckily, Tao Ran landed on top of him.
Liu Jie’s face and elbows burned with fresh scrapes.
He cursed under his breath and turned to scold Tao Ran—when a strong, coppery scent hit him.
Blood.
He froze. Tao Ran was pointing a trembling finger at Xiao Ai. “She pushed me…”
And blood was flowing—dripping down her legs, staining the steps.
“Are you crazy?! You pushed her?!” Liu Jie roared at Xiao Ai.
There was so much blood. Xiao Ai’s face went white. Wasn’t Tang Ran pretending yesterday? Had she made a terrible mistake? The doctor had mentioned her poor clotting—had she actually been telling the truth?
“I… I didn’t know she was this weak…”
“Everyone knows she’s weak, you idiot!”
Liu Jie didn’t waste another second—he scooped Tao Ran into his arms and sprinted downstairs.
He’d only wanted to help for the money—he wanted no part of this disaster now.
He regretted everything. If he’d known, he’d never have gotten involved. Let the people who made the mess clean it up themselves!
…
After that little “accident,” their trip to the clinic went remarkably smoothly.
They hailed a cab, and this time Xiao Ai and Liu Jie were more anxious than Tao Ran herself—urging the driver again and again to hurry.
Yesterday, they’d thought the clinic was shady and even discussed switching to another one. But after seeing this much blood, there was no way they’d risk it. That clinic was already familiar with Tang Ran’s condition—better not to gamble elsewhere.
The whole ride there, Xiao Ai didn’t dare utter a word. She didn’t even dare touch Tao Ran.
But when she secretly brushed her hand against Tao Ran’s side, the sticky wetness on her fingers told her everything—
It really was blood.
What now?
For the first time, Xiao Ai was afraid.