"Don't cry."

"I'll take responsibility after this."

The man gnawed at her neck. His husky, rich masculine voice jolted in her ears. She was terrified and scared, her cries begging for mercy, but they couldn't stop his dominance as he aggressively ripped through her clothes.

"Ah!"

Yu Chu suddenly sat upright, her forehead drenched in cold sweat. She covered her chaotic heartbeat and took a while to recover.

It was that nightmare again.

She dreamt of that night more than three months ago, when a strange man dragged her into a strange room and forced himself upon her.

To this day, it still haunts her, keeping her up at night.

She didn't dare to tell anyone about this because she has a husband.

Her husband was the second young master of the Qin family, Qin Du.

More than a year ago, the old lady from the Qin family invited a grandmaster to do a divination, saying that the Qin family would face a major crisis within the two years. To avert the bad luck, they needed a girl born at 9 o'clock in the morning on the ninth day of the ninth month to marry into the family.

And she was caught in this plot.

The poverty-stricken girl who had always struggled for survival suddenly became the wife of the second young master of the wealthy family. The bride price was 5 million, this huge amount of money bought her two years of freedom and ensured that her family had nothing to worry about in terms of food and drink.

Her duty was to accompany the old lady in practising Buddhism and copying sutras in the ancestral hall for two hours a day to ensure the peace of the Qin family while upholding the reputation of Qin Du.

Qin Du was naturally licentious, playing with women everywhere. His personal life was scandalous.

If she hadn't gone to handle Qin Du's lover that night, she wouldn't have encountered such a thing.

With a pained expression, she closed her eyes. Her delicate little face was so pale it was almost transparent, her emotions choppy, the pain unbearable.

She rolled over, curling herself up, quietly suffering in silence.

After an indefinite period, she suddenly opened her eyes, threw off the quilt, and looked at her still flat belly.

The warning alarm in her mind suddenly rang out loudly!

She hadn't had her period for a long time!

The next day, in the closed bathroom, You Chu stared at the two bars on the pregnancy test stick, stunned and rigid, as though struck by lightning.

How could she be pregnant?!

That night she did not know who the man was. Afterwards, she fled, not going to find Qin Du's mistress and ran directly back to Qin's house. Upon reaching home she had not slept for two days and nights, and in her panic she neglected to take contraceptive pills.

She had been living in confusion during these past few days, had it not been for the signs she noticed yesterday night, sneaking out today to steal the maid's pregnancy test stick, she would not have discovered this big problem.

To her, it was as unexpected as a bolt from the blue!

Qin Du never laid a hand on her because he rejected their marriage. If the Qin family knew that this child was not Qin Du's, they might skin her alive.

Only three months left, she was supposed to regain her freedom, how could she be pregnant at this time!

No, she had to go to the hospital to check it out, what if the pregnancy test stick was faulty?

She tossed the pregnancy test stick into the toilet and flushed it away, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Lady Qin." Yun's mother, who had been waiting outside, greeted her.

Due to Yu Chu's vegetarian lifestyle, her complexion was quite pale, and she appeared frail, as if a gust of wind might blow her away.

"I'm going out for a while."

"Let me accompany you. Where would you like to go?"

Yu Chu knitted her thin eyebrows. For over a year, the Qin family kept a tight leash on her to prevent any potential cravings for meat, never allowing her to go out alone. No matter where she went, someone kept an eye on her unless she went to seek Qin Du.

Seeing Yu Chu silent, Yun's mother suggested, "Perhaps Lady Qin should stay, the eldest young master will be back from abroad for dinner tonight. Why don't you call Young Master Qin and ask him to join for dinner?"

Perfect.

Yu Chu dialed Qin Du's number.

As soon as the call connects, a noisy crash came from the other side of the line, followed by an impatient voice, “Can you stop annoying me, always checking in? I'm busy, if you have something to say, get to the point!”

Yu Chu remained calm, already used to Qin Du's brusqueness, and calmly replied: “Grandmother asks you to come home for dinner.”

“Fine, I know!” He was about to hang up, but suddenly Yu Chu chimed in, “Wait a moment! Have you packed your contraceptives? Or do you have enough condoms? I can deliver them for you." She needs a valid and openly acknowledged reason to leave the house.

There was a brief pause on Qin Du's end, followed by his bellowing laughter: "Yes, the more condoms, the better, hurry up and send them, Room 3806, Jiangnan Hotel."

Call ended.

Yu Chu turned to Yun's mother, "I need to deliver something to Master Qin."

Yun Ma smiled placatingly, "Alright, I'll arrange for a car."

Soon, a Bentley arrived. Besides the driver, there was also a bodyguard occupying the co-driver's seat.

Despite being dubbed a bodyguard, his real role was to keep a watch on her, to stop her from secretly eating meat, which could potentially ruin the Qins' plan of celebrating a new birth.

She climbed into the car, and the three of them rode silently toward Jiangnan Grand Hotel. Along the way, she noticed a small community clinic.

She wondered whether this clinic could perform examinations. It was a gamble, but she assumed that such a small establishment would not require registration, blood drawing, or real name identification.

"Stop the car, I need to go to the clinic to buy something for Young Master Er," she instructed.

The bodyguard asked, "Second Madame, what do you need to buy? I can do it. A few months ago, when you returned to the hotel alone, the Head Madame was furious. So..."

You Chu interrupted him, "Contraceptives. He needs them urgently."

The bodyguard choked up. It was indeed better for the Second Madame to purchase such private items. He stepped out of the car and opened the door for her.

You Chu headed toward the clinic, with the bodyguard tailing behind.

By the end of October, the chill of late autumn had already settled in.

Outside the clinic, she shivered slightly and asked the bodyguard to retrieve her coat from the car. After glancing back at the clinic and deciding there was nothing edible inside, the bodyguard returned to the car.

As soon as he left, You Chu donned a face mask, darted into the clinic, and found a doctor. In a hushed voice, she asked, "Can I get an ultrasound here?"

"Certainly."

She had made the right gamble!

"Please make one for me, quickly!"

Seeing her so anxious, the doctor thought something had happened that might affect the child. He hurriedly led her to the consulting room inside and closed the door.

Especially in the beginning, she was worried about the door, fearing that the bodyguard would come in, and urged the doctor to be quicker.

She was as anxious as if on hot bricks, her heart pounding like a drum. She gave a fake name.

The doctor murmured as he checked, "Don't worry... Congratulations, it's been over three months."

She didn't catch what he said afterwards, her mind going blank, as if struck by lightning.

The hope that the test strip was inaccurate was also gone.

When the check-up was over, the doctor started writing a prescription. "When the child is four months old, go to the big hospital..."

The breath of You Chu became hurried, and the sweat on her back was pouring. Before he could finish speaking, she asked anxiously, "Can it be aborted?"

"Ah? More than three months is equivalent to inducing labor, it's not recommended to have an abortion. And even if you want to have an abortion, you have to bring your husband, he has to agree."

You Chu lied, "I don't have a husband, I don't want this child."

"I don't have the facilities for an abortion here. You need to go to a big hospital. But I advise you..."

Knock, knock—

The knock on the door sounded, forceful as always.

The bodyguard had come looking for her.

A drop of cold sweat rolled down from Yu Chu's forehead. She quickly wiped it off, trying her best to stay calm.

She left a sum of money under the blanket, asking the doctor to keep this a secret.

She touched the mask on her face. It was still in place.

She then left to open the door.

The bodyguard, upon seeing her, heaved a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that the Second Madam might sneak out for a feast.

“Second Madam.”

“Mm, I came to check on my knee. My knee hurts, let's go."

"Understood."

The bodyguard knew that the Second Madam had a habit of kneeling often in the ancestral hall. Her knees were already injured. With no suspicion, he left.

Before leaving, he glanced at the room and saw the doctor wiping the medical equipment with a puzzled expression.

He didn't think too much about it.

Yu Chu got back in the car with her purchases, her confusion, impetuousness, and annoyance peaking.

Only when the bodyguard announced their arrival at the hotel did she open her eyes.

She got out and headed upstairs. The bodyguard, knowing she was there to deliver something to the Second Young Master, and that there was nothing for her to sneak a taste of, decided to wait downstairs, just as he did the last time.

Yu Chu knocks on the door of Room 3806.

A minute later, the door finally opened. She didn't look up, only saw a men's muscular abdomen, wrapped in a bath towel. The man’s masculinity was in full display and his body was adorned with glistening water droplets, adding a seductive element to the scene.

She was unwilling to look at Qin Du's face and handed the things she was holding. “Here is the medicine and condom you asked for.”

The man didn't take them.

Annoyed, she looked up.

She stared in surprise.

It was not Qin Du.

Instead, a handsome and well-defined face appeared before her, a clean-cut hairstyle, with those deep eyes staring at her just like a wolf would.