Chapter 18

The doctor came out, his face grim.

“The patient was about three weeks pregnant. She’s had a miscarriage and needs a curettage procedure. Please sign the consent form.”

Xu Wangzhi, who had just stood up, froze completely at the words.

“What… what did you say?”

The doctor frowned and repeated,

“The patient has already miscarried. She’s unconscious right now and needs a curettage. Please sign.

Young people these days—so reckless. Pregnant and still messing around? Don’t you know that in the first three months, you mustn’t have intercourse? And the patient had a miscarriage not long ago. Now again. Her body is badly damaged. Whether she’ll be able to conceive in the future is uncertain. And even if she does, she’ll have to take extreme care. If she miscarries again, she’ll be infertile for life.”

Xu Wangzhi’s head spun.

Pregnant. The child was gone. Her body gravely harmed.

Every word was like a blade cutting into him.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he looked at the doctor and spoke solemnly:

“As long as my wife is safe, nothing else matters.”

The doctor shot him a scornful look.

“And where was that concern earlier? She hadn’t even finished her postpartum confinement before you got her pregnant again. Do you take her life so lightly? If this keeps up, she won’t even live long enough to bear another child.”

It was the same doctor who had treated Wen Jianxin during her previous abortion. Seeing her pregnant again, his contempt for the man responsible overflowed. His words were harsh, stripped of courtesy.

Xu Wangzhi clenched his fists, barely holding back, but in the end he snapped.

“Didn’t you say you need a signature? The situation is this serious, and you’re still wasting time lecturing me? If my wife’s treatment is delayed, you won’t need to be a doctor anymore!”

The doctor’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Are you threatening me?”

Xu Wangzhi nearly lost control and kicked him then and there.

“Enough nonsense! Give me the papers!”

Perhaps it was the terrifying look on his face—as if he might lash out at any moment—that made the doctor reluctantly shove the form and pen into his hands.

Huang Heli’s expression darkened.

“A doctor should be racing against time to save a patient. Words can come later. My daughter-in-law’s health cannot afford even the slightest delay. Bring your director, Wang Dehai, here immediately.”

Her sharp eyes and commanding presence made the little nurse at the side break into a cold sweat. Clearly, these people weren’t ordinary. The physician had provoked someone far beyond his standing. She quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Doctors are meant to heal, not quarrel. Dr. Su treated this young lady last time, and now again. He only spoke out of concern for her. Please wait a moment, I’ll call for the director right away.”

Hearing the elder woman mention the director, Dr. Su simmered with fury. But he also knew well enough that some people simply couldn’t be offended. He lowered his head, muttering an apology.

“Forgive me. I let my emotions get the better of me. Treating patients is my duty. I will do everything I can to help her recover. Please rest assured.”

Taking the signed consent form from Xu Wangzhi, he turned stiffly and went back into the emergency room.

He had always been respected, had never suffered such humiliation. That the first time it happened was because he had cared too much for a patient, because he had spoken a few words too many, burned him inside.

Yet he did not regret what he said. Nor did he believe he was wrong.

Two miscarriages within a single month—did that man even understand what it meant?

No, men only knew how to take their pleasure. Only women understood the tearing pain of it.

When Wen Jianxin regained consciousness, she saw many figures standing at her bedside.

Their faces were complicated, their expressions hard to read.

She felt only exhaustion, an emptiness inside, and a heavy drowsiness tugging at her.

Xu Wangzhi’s eyes lit up with joy when he saw her awaken. He gripped her hand tighter.

“You’re awake! Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”

His unusual tone made Wen Jianxin wary. She eyed him sharply.

“What are you plotting now?”

Xu Wangzhi lowered his head, hiding the turmoil in his eyes.

“You miscarried not long ago, and now you were injured again. The doctor says you need a full month of bed rest. I just want to take care of you—nothing else. You don’t need to be on guard.”

Wen Jianxin didn’t believe him. His behavior was strange, and suspicion coiled in her chest.

Uncomfortable, she withdrew her hand.

“It’s just a fall. Nothing serious. I don’t need to lie in bed for a month. Get the discharge papers. I don’t want to stay here.”

Xu Wangzhi’s brows furrowed deeply.

“No. You need to stay under observation a few more days. Only when the doctor says you’re fine can you leave.”

She tried to get up, but her body was too weak. Exhausted, she gave up, sighing.

“Fine. Tomorrow, then.”

But Xu Wangzhi still refused.

“No. You’ll leave when I say you can leave—when the doctor says so, not before.”

The air thickened with tension as the two clashed.

Shang Lingzhu stepped forward.

“Enough. Stop arguing. Listen to Xiner. If she wants to be discharged, then she’ll be discharged. But she won’t be going back to the Xu family—she’ll come home with us to the Wen family.”

Her words struck like thunder. Everyone turned toward her at once.

A flicker passed through Huang Heli’s eyes. She quickly stepped forward and grasped her hand.

“Lingzhu, isn’t it a bit improper for Xiner to return to her maiden home right after marrying into the Xu family?”

Lingzhu smiled faintly.

“What Xu family, what Wen family? From today on, the Xu family is Xiner’s home. I will take care of her properly—you needn’t worry.”

But disappointment clouded Shang Lingzhu’s eyes.

“Heli, we’ve known each other for years. I should be able to entrust my daughter to your family. But too much has happened in so short a time, and now this. How can I feel at ease? I don’t want the next phone call I get to be news of another accident. I’m too old to bear that kind of shock.”

Regret churned in her heart. She should never have married her daughter into the Xu family.

On the very first day, Xiner had fallen down the stairs, had miscarried.

And now the Xu family wanted to hide the truth, refusing to tell her daughter what really happened.

She was heartbroken and resentful—even toward her own husband.

Power was a double-edged sword. It harmed others, and it harmed oneself.

Wen Jianxin, still weak, couldn’t quite grasp why a simple fall seemed to be driving the two families to the brink of hostility.

“Mom…”

She couldn’t help but call out, her eyes searching.

Shang Lingzhu’s expression softened into a smile.

“Do you want to come home with me?”

Wen Jianxin instinctively nodded.

“Yes.”

She wanted to be at the Wen household more than anywhere else.

At least there, she would not be forced to share a bed with the man who had destroyed her life.

At her answer, veins bulged on Xu Wangzhi’s forehead. His eyes burned with a violent fury.

“Except for staying by my side, you are not allowed anywhere else!”

His terrifying expression chilled everyone present.

Shang Lingzhu’s voice cracked like a whip.

“With me here, you dare to threaten my daughter? I can only imagine how you treat her when I’m not around. This is settled—Xiner is coming home with me.”

She cursed herself for her blindness.

How could she have given her daughter to such a man?

So volatile, so dangerous—how could she entrust her child’s future to him?

In truth, she had always known what kind of man Xu Wangzhi was. She had only lied to herself, persuaded herself, persuaded her daughter to endure.

But now, seeing her daughter like this, not even knowing if she would ever conceive again, her guilt overwhelmed her.

No matter what, she would never again push her daughter into the fire pit.

The Wen family had the means to support her forever. She needn’t suffer another day in the Xu household.