Ning Shu was pregnant!
Sitting on the sofa in the living room of her home, she stared excitedly at the pregnancy test report, her fingertips trembling with joy.
Her husband, Fu Yanshen, didn’t know yet. She wanted to surprise him.
But Ning Shu had no idea…
At that very moment, Fu Yanshen was busy planning to bring his three-months-pregnant white moonlight, Meng Xuan, into their home.
And arranging for Ning Shu to personally take care of her!
When Ning Shu received the call, she was completely stunned.
Clutching the pregnancy test report in her hand, the joy on her face turned into disbelief and shock.
Fu Yanshen said over the phone, “Fang Chen died in the line of duty. Meng Xuan is three months pregnant and has no one to take care of her. In a few days, I’ll bring her home, and she’ll stay with us until she gives birth. Ning Shu, the responsibility of caring for her falls on you.”
For a full two minutes, Ning Shu couldn’t utter a single word.
Fang Chen’s face flashed through her mind.
That man, biting a cigarette butt, a roguish smile on his face but with deep red at the corners of his eyes, had once said to her, “Do you really like Fu Yanshen that much? Even death wouldn’t make you consider me? Fine, I’ll step aside for you. Meng Xuan also asked me to marry her. If I marry her, wouldn’t that count as being loyal to you?”
He… was dead??
Fu Yanshen’s voice broke through her thoughts again, “What? Suddenly realizing you loved Fang Chen?”
Ning Shu snapped back to reality, her nails digging into her palm, her eyes turning deep red at the news of Fang Chen’s unexpected death. “Even if you don’t consider him a brother, you at least grew up together. He’s gone… Is there any point in saying such things?”
Ning Shu took a deep breath, suppressing the trembling in her heart. “Don’t you know who I love? Why say such things?”
Of course, it was Fu Yanshen she loved—everyone in the capital’s social circle knew that.
Fu Yanshen remained silent.
Ning Shu curled her lips.
Right.
To Fu Yanshen, her love wasn’t something good—it was a curse, a torment, something he despised the most.
Because Fu Yanshen’s true love, that white moonlight in his heart, was Meng Xuan!
Now, before she could even mourn Fang Chen, she had to face Meng Xuan.
Her thoughts swirling, Ning Shu suddenly crumpled the pregnancy test report into a ball and demanded, “Are there no one left in the Meng or Fang families? Why does Meng Xuan have to stay in our home, and why do I have to take care of her?”
Fu Yanshen’s tone turned displeased. “She’s suffered such a heavy blow. How can she get through it with just her family’s company? What she needs is the companionship and care of someone her own age!”
Care…
Ning Shu sneered. “Such pretty words! Someone her own age? Why don’t you just say it’s you?”
Her tone angered Fu Yanshen. “Stop being sarcastic! Think and say whatever you want. This is my decision, and it’s your responsibility to fulfill it! I’m informing you, not discussing it with you.”
He was always so high and mighty, ruthless and decisive.
But this time, Ning Shu was also provoked. “Why is it my responsibility? Do I love you so much that I have to take care of your white moonlight too? Fu Yanshen, you’re ridiculous.”
Facing Ning Shu’s sudden outburst of anger, Fu Yanshen lit a cigarette calmly. “Isn’t that Fang Chen’s child too?”
With just that one sentence, Ning Shu was shattered.
Suddenly, Ning Shu didn’t know what to say.
Fu Yanshen hung up the phone, giving her no chance or room to say anything more.
Ning Shu clenched the pregnancy test report tightly into a ball, the sharp edges of the paper cutting painfully into her palm, but it was nothing compared to the anger in her heart.
She hadn’t even had the chance to share the happy news of her pregnancy with Fu Yanshen.
Now, Fu Yanshen was ordering her to take care of another pregnant woman?
And his white moonlight, no less!
She was carrying Fu Yanshen’s child!
Hah.
How ironic.
Yet, Fu Yanshen had once again precisely grasped her weakness.
Meng Xuan was also carrying Fang Chen’s child.
With Fang Chen gone, this child would be his only remaining bloodline in this world.
For a moment, Ning Shu didn’t know what complex emotions she was feeling.
It was like being struck with a heavy blow—painful.
She lowered her gaze and tore the pregnancy report in her hand to shreds.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Thinking it was Fu Yanshen, she picked it up, only to see it was her best friend Tang Yue’ai.
Ning Shu answered.
“Have you heard about what happened to Fang Chen?” Tang Yue’ai’s voice was choked, low and tense.
Her tone made Ning Shu’s heart ache as well. She nodded, her voice trembling, “I just found out. Fu Yanshen told me.”
Tang Yue’ai was on the verge of breaking down. “How could this happen? Damn it, how could this happen? A perfectly fine person… just gone… just like that?”
Ning Shu cried along, shaking her head. “I… don’t know.”
Tang Yue’ai sobbed as she spoke, “Tell me, he was a perfectly good military commander. Why did he volunteer for the peacekeeping force? Didn’t he know how dangerous it was? Did he want to be a hero?”
Ning Shu’s eyes widened. The word “hero” suddenly made her heart tighten, suffocating her.
Did Fang Chen want to be a hero?
No…
Could it be because of her??
Just then, a male voice came through, his tone equally heavy. “What else did Fu Yanshen say?”
Ning Shu fell silent for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. “Meng Xuan is pregnant. He wants to bring her into the house for me to take care of her.”
Before the male voice could respond,
Tang Yue’ai exclaimed first, “What? What does he mean by having you take care of Meng Xuan? Is he insane? Are there no people left in the Meng and Fang families? Or are all of us friends dead? How could he even think of such a thing? He might as well just say he wants to divorce you and marry Meng Xuan! That bastard!”
Tang Yue’ai’s words turned Ning Shu’s expression cold.
She didn’t speak.
Silence fell on the other end of the phone as well.
Suddenly, the sound of a lighter broke the silence, followed by a sharp “snap,” as if the lighter had been tossed onto a table in frustration.
The male voice was icy cold. “Are you just going to let him bully you like this?”
Ning Shu frowned.
The male voice continued, “Has he gotten used to bullying you, or have you gotten used to accepting his bullying?”
“I…” Ning Shu wanted to argue back.
The male voice cut her off. “Pathetic.”
Ning Shu fell silent.
After a brief pause,
the male voice spoke again, “What? Has the famously thorny rose of the capital had all her thorns plucked clean? Ning Shu, have you been kneeling for so long that you can’t stand up anymore? Or do you actually enjoy kneeling?”
These words finally stirred the anger in Ning Shu’s heart, and she couldn’t help but retort, “Xie Jinghong, you bastard!!”
Xie Jinghong, biting the cigarette between his lips, chuckled. He exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone neither heavy nor light. “Fang Chen’s coffin will be returning in a few days. Let’s go together to receive him.”
Ning Shu’s eyes widened slightly, a sharp pain rising in her throat. “Okay.”
Tang Yue’ai snatched the phone back. “Sweetie, are you okay?”
Hearing this, Ning Shu’s eyes reddened even more, and the pain in her throat intensified.
She shook her head. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Tang Yue’ai sighed in relief. “That’s good. Do you need me to come over and keep you company? Or take you out for a drink?”
Ning Shu only felt exhausted. “No need.”
Tang Yue’ai understood that she needed some time alone.
No one could simply get through something like this with just a friend’s comfort.
Tang Yue’ai could only say, “Alright, get some rest. No matter what, you have us.”
After speaking, she glanced at the man deeply smoking nearby and deliberately added, “And also, Hong Ye.”
Ning Shu nodded, “Mm, got it.”
Tang Yue’ai hung up the phone and looked at Xie Jinghong.
This man, now known as the “Living King of Hell in the Capital,” was also the most accomplished and powerful figure in their circle of wealthy second-generation childhood friends.
Tang Yue’ai took a breath and smiled, “Shouldn’t we also prepare to break up?”
Xie Jinghong raised his eyes to look at her.
Those deep and cold eyes, perhaps irritated by the smoke, seemed slightly red.
He spoke casually, “Tired of it?”
Tang Yue’ai laughed, but there was no mirth in her eyes. “You think you’ve hidden it well. But isn’t this also an ‘open secret’? It’s just that you refuse to admit it. Fu Yanshen has already brought Meng Xuan home, which means neither of them has let go. They’re probably going to rekindle their old flame. So—”
She paused, staring into Xie Jinghong’s eyes. “Well, your chance has come.”
Hearing this, Xie Jinghong stood up.
At 189 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he cut an imposing figure.
Especially his face—handsome to the point of being strikingly aggressive.
It made one almost afraid to look directly at him for more than a few seconds…