"I can help pay off your family's debt, but you must give birth to a grandson for me!"
When the Lady Wang Qi said these words to Liu Yanxia, she thought she had heard wrong.
A month ago, the Liu family went bankrupt.
Liu Yanxia, who was once a wealthy young lady, went from being the top socialite to a destitute debtor.
Her father committed suicide by jumping off a building and her fiancé disappeared. Creditors constantly came to her house asking for money, and some people, who got emotionally agitated, even took her belongings by force.
Today, she was trembling in a street corner, hiding from creditors, when Lady Wang Qi appeared before her, clad in a black dress and red-bottomed high heels.
"My son fell into a coma two years ago due to an accident and our family needs offspring."
"Just have a child for my son, and all the problems you are facing now will be resolved effortlessly."
If Liu Yanxia were still that spoiled rich lady, she would not hesitate to berate the lady for treating someone else's womb as a tool.
However, after her family's bankruptcy and hiding in a street corner from debtors, she was facing a completely different reality.
"Alright."
She bit her lip and agreed to this absurd deal.
A few days later, she lay on a hospital bed, her legs splayed for the doctor to harvest her eggs.
"Spread your legs a bit wider."
"Egg retrieval might be painful, you'll have to endure it."
The doctor was patient and considerate in his words, but the torturous pain inside made her bite her lip until she tasted her own blood.
Yet, her suffering was not in vain.
A few months later, she not only became pregnant but also with triplets.
Madam Wang Qi could hardly contain her delight at the news. She immediately arranged for her to stay in the top suite at the most prestigious care center. A dedicated butler, doctor, nurse, and nutritionist were on standby round-the-clock.
Every day at noon, after her meal, the nutritionist would present her with strange-looking nourishment dishes.
She had to stave off the overwhelming nausea in her stomach and make sure to finish every last bit.
After all, Madam Wang Qi had insisted that no matter how sickening it was, she had to consume it all as it was all for nourishment for the babies.
One would feel obligated to someone who offered their assistance, and grateful to someone who provided their sustenance.
However, Liu Yan Xia was genuinely thankful to Madam Wang Qi. Without her, she might still be living in fear.
With her son still in a coma and her daughter-in-law pregnant, Madam Wang Qi was running herself ragged every day. Seeing her in this state, Liu Yan Xia wanted to help share some of the burden.
"Mom, I've never even met my husband. I used to study medicine, and my morning sickness has improved now. I think I can help you take care of him," she offered.
Upon hearing this, Madam waved her hand, "You should focus on taking care of yourself. For now, he's still unconscious. When he awakens, we can arrange for you two to meet."
Madam treated Liu Yan Xia well except for one odd thing: she didn't allow her to see her husband.
So other than knowing he was Madam Wang Qi's son and currently unconscious, she knew nothing else about him.
Her mind filled with speculations: was her husband disfigured? Or perhaps his injuries were horrifying, thus Madam did not want her to see him?
But regardless, Madam never took the initiative to mention her son, nor spoke of his situation. Like this, she endured the pregnancy full of unresolved questions.
Nine months later, her expected delivery date arrived.
As the imminent mother of triplets, her belly was intimidatingly large. The doctors said that multiple births could only be delivered through a caesarean section, otherwise it would be extremely dangerous.
Madam Wang Qi had previously arranged with the hospital, scheduling her surgery for three in the afternoon.
However, now the wall clock in the ward showed two minutes past three. Liu Yanxia had already started to feel faint pains in her abdomen, yet Madam Wang Qi was nowhere to be seen.
The ticking of the clock made her feel slightly uneasy.
Suddenly, the ward door was pushed open with a loud whoosh. She looked towards the door to see Madam Wang Qi, holding a leather document bag and walking in with a furious expression.
"Mother, you're here---"
Before she could finish, Madam slapped her face with a loud smack.
This smack left not only a bright red handprint on Liu Yanxia's face but also caused a paper cut on her cheek from the sharp edge of the document bag.
She covered her face, her countenance filled with shock and bewilderment: "Mother, what's wrong?"
"You still have the audacity to call me mother?!"
Madam Wang Qi, appearing as though she wished she could strangle her, pointed at the document bag that fell onto the hospital bed, "Look at it yourself!"