“Screech—” The driver slammed on the brakes, and the piercing sound of tires skidding filled the air.
Qin Ruoyao was still conscious. Her injuries weren’t severe, but her stomach was in excruciating pain.
“Ah—” Qin Ruoyao clutched her stomach, writhing on the ground in agony. “My baby, my baby… Hurry, call an ambulance…”
The driver quickly got out of the car to check on her.
He saw blood trickling down from between her thighs.
A weight lifted from his chest.
He had planned it all. If her stomach had been unharmed, he would have continued to hit her with a rock to induce a miscarriage.
Even if it meant risking himself, he had to secure that two million!
“Alright, alright, I’ll call an ambulance right away,” the driver said, feigning panic as he pulled out his phone to dial for an ambulance and the police.
After hanging up, he asked, “Miss, are you okay?”
Qin Ruoyao, drenched in sweat and unable to speak from the pain, could only clutch her stomach.
“Wee-woo—”
With the sound of sirens, an ambulance and police cars arrived one after another. Qin Ruoyao was rushed to the hospital and taken into the emergency room.
The driver cooperated with the investigation.
“Officer, my daughter has leukemia. She needs medication every week. I was on my way to Haicheng to get her medicine. I have to work the next day, and it was late at night. I didn’t notice someone standing in the middle of the road. Hitting her was completely unintentional.”
“Officer, you tell me, I have no grudge against her. Why would I want to harm her?”
The police reviewed the roadside surveillance footage.
There was no evidence to prove the driver had acted intentionally.
The incident could only be treated as an accident.
Qin's Mother waited anxiously outside the emergency room.
“Please let Ruoyao and the baby be okay,” she prayed, clasping her hands together.
They couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong.
The “In Surgery” sign went dark.
A doctor emerged from the emergency room.
“Doctor, how are my daughter and her baby?” Qin's Mother asked urgently.
The doctor removed his mask.
“The patient is fine, but…” He sighed. “The baby couldn’t be saved.”
Qin's Mother staggered.
The baby… was gone…
Qin Ruoyao was moved to a regular ward and soon woke up from her unconscious state.
“Mom,” Qin Ruoyao grabbed Qin's Mother’s hand, frantic. “Where’s my baby? Is my baby okay?”
“Ruoyao, listen to me. Stay calm,” Qin's Mother said, holding her daughter’s shoulders.
“My baby…” Qin Ruoyao touched her flat stomach, already sensing the truth. Her emotions were overwhelming.
“Mom, please tell me the baby’s okay, right?”
“Ruoyao, it’s okay. You’ll have another baby in the future,” Qin's Mother comforted her.
The baby… was really gone…
“Mom,” Qin Ruoyao broke down, sobbing into Qin's Mother’s arms. “This baby was my only hope of marrying into the Lin family. Lin Chang and Jiang Shuqin were only kind to me because of this baby.”
“Now that the baby’s gone, Mom, what am I going to do?”
Qin Ruoyao felt as if her world had collapsed.
Qin's Mother’s mind was in chaos too. She didn’t know what to do either.
“Mom, where’s that driver? It’s all his fault. If he hadn’t hit me, my baby wouldn’t have been lost. I’ll make him pay,” Qin Ruoyao said, her voice filled with rage.
The traffic police had already concluded that the accident was a routine traffic incident.
The driver was at fault, but he wouldn’t face jail time. His car was insured, and the insurance company would compensate Qin Ruoyao with a sum of money.
Qin's Mother, afraid of upsetting Qin Ruoyao further, didn’t dare tell her this outcome.
“Ruoyao, weren’t you supposed to be at a class reunion? How did you end up in such a remote place?” Qin's Mother asked, her face filled with confusion.
“A driver took a wrong turn and brought me there,” Qin Ruoyao cried.
Yes.
That taxi driver.
Qin Ruoyao’s eyes burned with fury.
She would make him pay too. He was the root of all this.
Qin's Mother frowned, deep in thought.
There couldn’t be such a coincidence—first, her daughter was taken to a remote location, then a car appeared out of nowhere and hit her, causing her to miscarry.
This had to be a carefully planned scheme.
Qin's Mother immediately thought of Lin Li. He was the most likely suspect.
“Ruoyao, do you think Lin Li could have orchestrated this? Did you notice anything unusual about him when you were together?” Qin's Mother asked.
“It can’t be Lin Li,” Qin Ruoyao shook her head. “He often leaned against my stomach, listening to the baby’s movements. He’s already bought so many baby things, even though it’s still early.”
“He loves this baby so much. How could he harm it?”
Qin Ruoyao’s tone was firm.
Tears fell as she thought of Lin Li’s adoring gaze, filled with love for her and the baby.
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect the baby.”
She was utterly devastated…
Without the baby, Lin Li’s parents would never accept her. What would happen to her and Lin Li? Would he abandon her too?
The doctor entered the room again, holding a report with a grave expression.
“Mrs. Qin, Miss Qin, I have some unfortunate news to share.”
Qin Ruoyao’s heart clenched.
Qin's Mother frowned. “What is it?”
She wasn’t too worried. What could be worse than losing the baby?
The doctor glanced at Qin Ruoyao and said solemnly, “Miss Qin’s abdomen suffered severe trauma during the collision. Her uterus is critically damaged. It’s unlikely she’ll be able to conceive in the future.”
“What?” Qin Ruoyao’s eyes widened in shock.
She would never have a child…
She knew how much the upper class valued heirs.
If she couldn’t bear children, her chances of marrying into a wealthy family were almost nonexistent. Even if she managed to deceive her way in, she’d eventually be cast out.
“Why?” Qin Ruoyao was utterly shattered, feeling as though she wanted to die.
“Mom,” she clung to Qin's Mother, sobbing uncontrollably. “Why is fate so cruel to me?”
Her hopes had been crushed again and again…
“Ruoyao, it’s okay. Everything will be alright,” Qin's Mother said, patting her daughter’s back soothingly.
“Mr. Su.”
Jiang Qing called Su Hua. “We’ve captured Lin Li.”
Su Hua’s eyes turned icy. “Proceed as planned. Make sure Lin Li suffers a fate worse than death, then throw him back to the Lin family. Let A Xuan deal with him.”
The things Lin Li had said to her—if she hadn’t suppressed her anger, she would have locked A Xuan away by now.
Her relationship with A Xuan would have deteriorated.
Anyone who dared to hurt A Xuan would pay dearly.