Chapter 73: Wishing You Were Dead

"It's nothing, we were just talking about lunch," Zhang Xiluo cleared her throat and made something up for Li Mingye. Ouyang Chen studied her for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth drooping slightly, and said meaningfully, "Mm, it really is time."

Li Mingye stepped forward, revealing Zhou Yao who had been following behind him. Zhou Yao wore a smile on her face. "Sister, Mr. Ouyang."

"Get out. You're not welcome in my house," Zhang Xiluo didn't even look at her and issued a direct order to leave. "If Mr. Li feels sorry for her, he can leave with her, too."

She wasn't a saint, and she could not forgive someone who repeatedly plotted against her.

Zhou Yao's expression darkened. She retreated a step, her voice aggrieved as she handed the bag in her hand to Li Mingye. "Mr. Li, please give this to my sister for me. I'll be going now."

"Take your things with you, I don't want them," Zhang Xiluo showed her no courtesy at all. In Li Mingye's eyes, she seemed unreasonable and ill-tempered.

Li Mingye frowned deeply, gave her a long, searching look, then turned and followed Zhou Yao out.

"Since you dislike her so much, why do you want me to chase after her?" Ouyang Chen couldn't help but ask from the side.

"She stole my husband. Am I supposed to like her instead of hating her?" Zhang Xiluo decided for now to keep Zhou Yao's misdeeds to herself. She hoped Zhou Yao's schemes were aimed at her alone.

Zhou Yao was Qin Xiaoxiao’s substitute, a shadow of the white moonlight in Li Mingye's and Ouyang Chen's hearts. Even if she told them, they might not believe her, especially Li Mingye.

"But you're different. She's the white moonlight in your heart. Look at Li Mingye—doesn't he love her to death?"

"That's true," Ouyang Chen nodded.

Their conversation drifted aimlessly, and soon, it was noon. Zhao Chengyi and Jiang Xueting invited everyone to lunch. Considering Zhang Xiluo's injured knee, they decided to have a seafood hotpot at home.

"Lolo, we're heading back this afternoon. Will you be alright on your own?"

Jiang Xueting and Zhao Chengyi were going back to discuss their wedding. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, and the two families were planning to have dinner together.

"Of course," Zhang Xiluo replied, genuinely happy for her. Watching Jiang Xueting and Zhao Chengyi holding hands tightly, she couldn't help but feel a ripple in her heart.

Li Mingye had never once interlaced his fingers with hers.

Her gaze drifted to the doorway; she guessed Li Mingye wouldn’t be coming to lunch, probably off somewhere sweet with Zhou Yao.

Ouyang Chen sat beside her with Xu Xinyi, both helping her with food.

Ouyang Chen placed a lobster on her plate. She was just about to thank him when a strong fishy smell hit her, making her stomach churn violently. She quickly covered her nose and mouth.

Xu Xinyi noticed and immediately helped her to the bathroom.

Zhang Xiluo retched uncontrollably, almost to the point of cramping. It was the first time she’d experienced morning sickness since arriving here.

When they returned, Ouyang Chen was watching her closely, making her uneasy.

"Is your stomach upset?"

"Mm, old problem," Zhang Xiluo lied without batting an eye. After sitting down, she forced herself to eat some vegetables despite the nausea.

Lunch ended quickly, and everyone packed up to leave. Before departing, Xu Xinyi reminded Zhang Xiluo several times to take care of herself and rest well.

The past few days had been eventful, so much had happened in such a short time. The happiest moment for Zhang Xiluo was witnessing Jiang Xueting's happiness firsthand.

She couldn't eat the seafood at lunch, and soon after, hunger struck. She called Hu Minxing, asking him to bring her some roasted sweet potatoes.

She dozed off on the sofa. Just as she was drifting off, she heard a knock at the door. She hadn’t reached it before the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted over.

"Why is it you!"

Zhang Xiluo opened the door to see Zhou Yao, holding a bag from the guesthouse.

"Sister, do you really dislike seeing me so much?" Zhou Yao feigned innocence, winking at Zhang Xiluo. "Your little boyfriend had something to do, so he asked me to bring these to you."

Zhang Xiluo took the bag, intending to close the door, but Zhou Yao blocked it with her foot.

"Sister, are you pregnant?" Zhou Yao probed, her gaze fixed on Zhang Xiluo's belly. "Don’t bother lying—I've already figured it out."

A wave of panic washed over Zhang Xiluo. Frowning, she replied, "If you already know, why ask?"

"It's Mr. Li’s child, isn’t it?" Zhou Yao pressed on, a flash of malice crossing her seemingly harmless face. "If Mr. Li finds out, he definitely won’t let you keep the child."

"If you want to leave, you should go far away. Long City is a day’s trip from here and back. I can be a stepmother, but I don’t know if the child can handle it—after all, I’m still just a girl myself."

Though Zhou Yao’s intentions were far from pure, her words weren’t without reason.

"Are you finished?"

"So you admit you’re pregnant!" Zhou Yao’s shock was plain as she glared at Zhang Xiluo’s abdomen.

Zhang Xiluo smiled faintly, feigning nonchalance. "You seem awfully afraid of me being pregnant. If I’d known, I would have tried harder before the divorce."

Zhou Yao’s face shifted through a range of emotions, unable to tell if Zhang Xiluo was telling the truth, so she kept probing, "I heard you vomiting in the bathroom, saw you protect your stomach first when you fell. You can’t fool me. You’re pregnant."

Zhou Yao’s keen observation surprised Zhang Xiluo. She realized again that Zhou Yao was not only scheming but also clever, quick to notice anything that threatened her.

"So, do you want me to be pregnant, or not? If I say I’m not, you don’t believe me. Seems you’d rather hear me say yes," Zhang Xiluo didn’t want to argue further and pressed the door harder.

Zhou Yao winced in pain but didn’t back off.

"I hope you die!"

Suddenly, Zhou Yao’s expression twisted as she lunged at Zhang Xiluo with all her strength.

Zhang Xiluo’s injured knee made her unsteady; all her weight was on her hands. Zhou Yao’s attack sent her sprawling backward.

She reacted quickly, trying to break her fall with her hands, but still landed heavily on the floor.

A sharp pain stabbed her lower abdomen, and she felt something flowing out. In the next moment, blood soaked her pants.

"Call an ambulance!" Zhang Xiluo screamed at Zhou Yao, terror rising as blood pooled beneath her. "Zhou Yao, call an ambulance!"

Zhou Yao stood frozen for a few seconds, then picked up the bag on the floor, as if showing off her cunning. "See? I told you you were pregnant, but you still wouldn’t admit it."

"Zhou Yao!"

"But now the baby’s gone. You and Mr. Li—there’s no more bond between you. Isn’t that better? Clean and simple." With that, Zhou Yao turned and left, even taking care to close the door behind her.

Despair overwhelmed Zhang Xiluo. She crawled with difficulty to the sofa, fumbling for her phone and dialing emergency services.

Time ticked by slowly. She could feel the life inside her slipping away.

The intense pain gradually dulled her consciousness.

She didn’t know how long had passed before someone lifted her up. She tried to speak, but suddenly her throat felt as if it were being squeezed shut. Her breath grew tighter, and in an instant, she sank into unconsciousness.