《Heart under Siege》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The heat from the man''s body surrounded her slowly from behind as the moisture in his breath came closer to her ear when he whispered, ¡°Is this your first time?¡± The unfamiliar atmosphere near her ear sent a chill down her spine, yet she dared not make any sound. Lin Xinyan could feel the man paused for a bit, then came the man''s voice again, ¡°There is still time to say no.¡± She nervously clenched her hands, shook her head, and said ¡°I will not regret it.....¡± She was 18 years old. This was supposed to be the most wonderful years in her youth but yet..... It hurts! The excruciating pain made her trembled in the man''s arms. Keeping the only dignity left for herself, Lin Xinyan bit her lips and stayed quiet the whole time. This was her first sexual experience. She was nervous and fearful of the man. At the same time, she could feel his muscr body with unbelievable strength. He didn''t seem to tire out and kept conquering her body, fulfilling his lust in this long and miserable night. After he was done, the man got up and entered the bathroom. Lin Xinyan rose from the bed exhausted; she put on her clothes and left the room. In the hotel lobby, stood the middle-aged women who sealed the deal for her. When she saw Lin Xinyaning out, she passed her a ck stic bag and whispered, ¡°This is your reward.¡± Lin Xinyan took the bag without hesitation and hurried out of the hotel with the money. She rushed to the hospital in the shortest possible time and paid no attention to the pain in her abdomen. The corridor was quiet before daybreak. Two stretchersid waiting before the operation theatre. They were blocked for they hadn¡¯t make the payment yet. When Lin Xinyan saw that, she was devastated and started sobbing, ¡°I have money, I have the money! Please save my mother and brother......¡± While sobbing, she quickly handed the money to the doctor. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Then the doctor had the nurse counted the money and ordered the staff to push her mother into the operating to prepare for surgery. Seeing that her brother was not being pushed into the operating theater, Lin Xinyan begged the doctor, ¡°Please save my brother as well.¡± ¡°I''m sorry. It is toote. There is nothing we can do now.¡± The doctor answered with a heavy heart. Toote? The truth hit Lin Xinyan like a heavy club shattering all of her hopes brutally. The pain was so unbearable that it felt like she was stabbed on the chest with a knife while the cramps and spasms made her weak and she was unable to stand on her feet. Eight years ago, when she was ten, her father had an affair and left her and her pregnant mother. He had them sent overseas to a ce that waspletely strange to them. After that, her brother was born. He was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. This brought more hardships to their already tight financial situation. She and her mother worked many part- time jobs to get by. When the ident struck suddenly, she feltplete hopelessness as she had no rtives, no money nor the support of this cold and ruthless society. As thest resort, she sold herself. Yet, she was not able to bring her brother back to life. She felt miserable but she had not lost herself just yet. Life was very cruel but she had to take it with a smile for she had her mother to take care of. Her mother needed her. After the treatment, her mother was slowly recovering. But, she waspletely heartbroken after knowing that her son had passed away. Lin Xinyan cried as she hugged her and said, ¡°Mom, I''m right here. Please be tough and continue to live on.¡± For one month in the hospital, Zhuang Zijin always sat by the bed and was in a daze all day. Lin Xinyan knew that she was missing her brother. If it was not for her, her mother would have died along with her brother. She was expelled from school as for her long absence as she had to take care of her mother. Luckily, her mother was getting better by the day. The woman brought some food to the hospital. Just when she was about to open the door into the ward, she heard some voice from inside. It sounded familiar to her. Even though it had been eight years, she could still remember the look on his father''s face when he forced her mother into a divorce. He never came to see them even once after bringing them here; his sudden appearance today baffled them. ¡°Zijin, you were once very close to the madam from the Zong family and you agreed to an arranged marriage. ording to the promise, your daughter should marry a member of the Zong family.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Lin Guoan?!¡± Zhuang Zijin wanted to beat him up so badly with her weak body that was yet to fully recover from the injuries. How inhumane he was to do this to her! He never cared about them after moving them to this god forsaken ce. And now he was here to take her daughter back to have her marry the Madam''s son. ¡°Young Master Zhishen is your best friend''s son. He is good-looking and his family is very well off. If she marries into the family, she would surely be having a much easier life there¡±. He softened his voice as he spoke. Young Master Zhishen was virtuous and good-looking. But one month ago, he was bitten by a poisonous snake when he was on a business trip overseas. That ident paralyzed his nervous system, leaving him disabled and impotent. Once married, she would not be happy there. ¡°I will marry him.¡± Lin Xinyan opened the door and said, ¡°I will marry him but on one condition.¡± Lin Guoan was stunned when he saw Lin Xinyan. She was only ten when hest saw her. Now she had grown up with a fair and beautiful skin, yet she looked seriously skinny and physically underdeveloped. He had another adorable daughter in the family. She wasn''t beautiful though. With that look, it would still be reasonable for her to marry an impotent person. That made Lin Guoan feel better. He then asked, ¡°What are your terms?¡± ¡°I want to go home with my mother and you need return everything that is rightfully hers. Only then will I marry him.¡± Said Lin Xinyan slowly as she calmed down. Although she was not in her home country, she had heard so much about the Zong family''s great sesses and remarkable wealth when she was little. Lin Xinyan thought that the offer was too good to be true because Young Master Zhisen could be a man who was very ugly with birth defects. Even so, this was a good opportunity for her to go home. With that, she could im her mother¡¯s dowry she brought with her when she married her father. ¡°Yan Yan...¡± Zhuang Zijin tried to advise her because a marriage was a serious matter. After all the hardships they went through, she did not want her daughter to risk marrying the wrong person. Worried that Lin Xinyan could be persuaded by Zhuang Zijin to turn down the marriage proposal, Lin Guoan quickly said, ¡°Alright, you can go home as long as you promise to marry him.¡± ¡°What about my mother''s dowry?¡± Lin Xinyan asked him with an emotionless tone. When Zhuang Zijin married Lin Guoan, she brought with her a considerable amount of dowry. It would be very difficult for him to give it back. ¡°Dad, I suppose my younger sister is very pretty. Therefore, she deserves a better life. She would be doomed if she marries an impotent man. Furthermore, you and my mother are divorced. Which means you should return everything she brought into the family.¡± Lin Guoan looked away from her diffidently. How did she know that Young Master Zhishen was impotent when she had been living overseas all these years? Lin Guoan did not know that Lin Xinyan was just assuming. The man then reluctantly said, ¡°I''ll give it back to you once you marry him.¡± With her pretty look, why would his younger daughter marry an impotent man? Being impotent was no different from being useless regardless how distinguished the man was. Thinking about that gave Lin Guoan a sense of relief. But now he hated Lin Xinyan even more for ripping him off. Lin Guoan smirked at the young woman and barked, ¡°How rude of you! I see your mother has not been educating you properly!¡± Lin Xinyan thought that it should have been his responsibility also. He left her here and had not cared about her since. However she knew she mustn''t say that because she had no bargaining chip over him. Annoying Lin Guoan would not be a wise move. ¡°Get ready, we are leaving tomorrow.¡± Lin Guoan then threw his arms out of his vest and walked out of the ward. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¡°Yan Yan, getting married is a lifetime decision. I will not let you marry him.¡± Zhuang Zijin knew why Lin Xinyan wanted to do that. Lin Xinyan put down the food on the cab beside the bed and said, ¡°I''m not marrying an outsider anyway. Isn''t he your friend''s son?¡± ¡°She passed away many years ago. I don''t know her son at all. You should marry the man you really like, even if it means to break the promise. You should not use as marriage as your bargaining chip. I would rather stay here for the rest of my life.¡± The one she likes? Even if she meets one, she would not be worthy of that. It wasn¡¯t important to her who she would be marrying. What really mattered was taking back everything they took away from her mother. Zhuang Zijin didn''t manage to convince Lin Xinyan to change her mind. They went back to the home country the very next day. Lin Guoan didn''t let them in the family home of the Lins because he disliked them. Instead, he had them lived in a rent house. When the day came, Lin Xinyan would have to go to the Lins. Lin Xinyan never wanted to go there because her mother would need to face the woman who destroyed her marriage. Therefore, they would rather stay here. It was quiet. Zhuang Zijin was still worried, and she said, ¡°Yan Yan, the opportunity would note to you if this is a good marriage arrangement. Not even if Madam Zong and I were close. Lin Xinyan didn''t really want to talk about it so she tried to change the topic by saying, ¡°Mom, just eat your food.¡± Zhuang Zijin sighed; she knew that Lin Xinyan didn''t want to continue the topic. Lin Xinyan had suffered with her all these years and now she even had to sacrifice her marriage. Although Lin Xinyan was holding the chopsticks, her appetite was spoiled due to morning sickness. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Zhuang Zijin was concerned about her. Lin Xin Yan didn''t want to worry her so she lied saying that it was jeg. She put down the chopsticks and entered her room. After closing the door, she leaned on it. Although she had never been pregnant before, she had seen the symptoms when Zhuang Zijin was pregnant. Her mother was sickened with the smell of food and lost all her appetite. And now, she had the same symptom. It had been over one month since that night; her period had beente by more than 10 days. She didn''t want to think of the humiliation she endured that night. If it was not for her mother and her brother''s sake, she would not have sold herself. She started trembling...... ¡°You are six weeks pregnant.¡± Even after leaving the hospital, those words from the doctor kept repeating in her mind. That was the result from Lin Xinyan checkup at the hospital without Zhuang Zijin''s knowledge. She was worried and did not know whether she should keep the baby or have an abortion. She could not help but caress her tummy. Although it was both an ident and a humiliation, she was somehow unwilling to have her baby removed. It brought her both the joy and the excitement of being a first-time mother. She sat quietly for a long, long while. When she reached home, she hid the ultrasonography report before opening the door. However, Lin Guoan was also there. Her expression turned grim immediately. Why was he here? From the look on Lin Guoan''s face, he was not in a good mood because he had been waiting for her for some time. He then said without emotion, ¡°Change your clothes.¡± Lin Xinyan asked ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Since you are going to marry into the Zhong family, you and the Young Master Zhishen are going to meet. Are you going to meet him looking like this? Do you want to embarrass me again?¡± What was the feeling that came with pain? She thought she would be numb after selling herself and losing her brother. Yet the heartless words from Lin Guoan still caused her pain. He had never cared for her since he sent her and her mother to a poor western country. Where would she get money from? If she had the money, her brother would not need to die because of a dy in treatment. She clenched her fists. Lin Guoan seemed to have noticed that. His looked a little awkward and said, ¡°Let''s go, the Zong family should be there already. Don''t make them wait for too long.¡± ¡°Yan Yan......¡± Zhuang Zijin was worried and still tried to convince Lin Xinyan. She had lost her son and now she just wanted to take good care of her daughter. Wealth was not important anymore. She would not want her daughter to go near the Lins nor the Zong family. As everything in rich families could beplicated. What more, they did not know the character of the young master yet. Her mother was worried. ¡°Mom.¡± Lin Xinyan gave her theforting look to give her a sense of relief. ¡°Hurry up.¡± The man was afraid that Lin Xinyan would change her mind and he urged her hurriedly, grabbing her by the arm. Lin Guoan did not like her and in return Lin Xinyan had no affection for her father as well. Their bond as a family hadpletely vanished in this eight years of separation. Unwilling to bring Lin Xinyan to meet the Zong family with her poor appearance, Lin Guoan brought her to a boutique and bought her some decent clothes. Once they got inside the store, a shop assistant weed them. Lin Guoan pushed Lin Xinyan forward and said, ¡°Rmend some clothes for her.¡± The shop assistant nced at her and estimated her size as she said, ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± The shop assistant then brought her a light blue dress and said, ¡°Please try this on in the fitting room.¡± Lin Xinyan took the dress and walked to the direction she pointed. ¡°Hao, must you marry the Lins?¡± The woman''s voice wasced with grief. Lin Xinyan turned her head towards the room next door when she heard voicesing from it. She peeked through the gap and saw a woman circling her arms around a man''s neck, and said shyly, ¡°Don''t marry another woman, alright?¡± Zong Jinghao looked at the woman with the slightest interest. He had no control in this matter. This was N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. a marriage arranged by his mother and he could not turn his back on it. And yet when he thought of that very night, he felt that he could not bear to disappoint her. ¡°Was it very painful on that night?¡± About a month ago, he had gone abroad to a developing country for a project. He was bitten by a poisonous snake and would have died if he did not go to bed with a woman as that was the only way out. It was Bai Zhuwei who gave herself to him as an antidote. And he knew how out of control he was at that time. It had been said that it could be painful for a woman doing it the first time but he never showed her any mercy. Now that he thought about it, it must have been rather painful for her? Yet she endured the pain quietly. All she did was trembling in his arms. He knew Bai Zhuwei was interested in him from the beginning but he never gave her a chance. One of the reasons was he had no affection for her and there was an arranged marriage made by his mother. Yet she had always stood by him quietly. After that incident, he felt it was only right for him to give her a ce she deserved. Even until now, he could remember that striking crimson on the sheet. Lying on his chest, Bai Zhuwei hummed softly. She had always been in love with Zong Jinghao. She found a way to stay by his side as his secretary. She could not let him find out that she was no longer a virgin as she knew how seriously a man would take a woman''s virginity. And so, she paid a local a handsome amount of money to send a virgin to take her ce that night. And when the girl left, she entered the room and made it look like it was her all along. ¡°If you like the clothes from this store, you can buy more.¡± Zong Jinghao said lovingly as he patted the top of her head. ¡°That room is reserved only for VIPs. Turn right for your room.¡± The shop assistant reminded Lin Xinyan. In all luxury boutiques, every fitting room was an individual space. For the VIPs, these fitting rooms were even more extravagant. There was a space inside for fitting and the section outside was a lounge for apanying guests to rest. ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Xinyan walked towards the room on the right. As she changed in the fitting room, she thought about the couple. If she had not heard wrongly, she had overheard them talking about The Lins. Perhaps the man was¡ª Chapter 3 Chapter 3 After putting on her clothes, she took a peek to the left as she walked out of her fitting room. However, the door was now closed. ¡°It fits you perfectly.¡± The shop assistant had good fashion sense and could dress someone up with almost no effort. Lin Xinyan was wearing a long light blue dress which made her skin looked even fairer. The ribbon by her waist insinuated her figure. Although she looked a little skinny, her delicate facial features made up for it. Lin Guoan looked at her for another time and went to the cashier when he was satisfied. It was only then did he realize that the dress was 30,000! However, seeing that this was the dress she would be wearing to meet the Zongs, he paid somehow. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He said coldly. Lin Xinyan was used to this attitude of indifference but the coldness in his tone still gave her a wave of sorrow. She followed him into the car with her head lowered. In a blink of an eye, the car stopped in front of the Lin¡¯s vi. The driver opened the door for Lin Guoan and Lin Xinyan walked after him. For a few second, she stood still in front of the vi. Her father and his mistress had been enjoying the time of their life here while she and her mother were living a miserable life taking care of her ill younger brother. She clenched her fists unconsciously. ¡°What are you doing there?¡± Lin Guoan looked back when he realized that there were no signs of her. He took a quick nce and saw that she was still standing by the entrance. Lin Xinyan came out from her thought and caught up with him. When they arrived, the maids told them that the Zongs had yet to arrive so Lin Guoan told her to wait in the living room. Near the French windows was a Seidl & Sohn piano made in Germany. It was an expensive gift from her mother when she was five. She loved it since young. She had started learning to y the piano since she was four-and-a-half- year-old but stopped when she was sent away. She had not touched the piano since then. Without realizing it, she reached for the piano. It was a familiar presence that excited her. Her thumb gently pressed onto the keyboard. Plink. A clean sound rang in the room. Her fingers were stiff from theck of practice. ¡°That''s mine! Who gave you the permission to touch it?¡± A clear voice came from behind her and it sounded angry. Her piano? Lin Xinyan turned around and saw Lin Yuhan standing behind her. Lin Xinyan could almost see the steaming out from the other girl''s ears. Lin Yuhan was now seventeen; she was younger than Lin Xinyan by a year. Lin Xinyan could see that Lin Yuhan took after Shen Xiuqing''s genes as she was beautiful. She felt angry that she was gritted her teeth and stared at her. ¡°Yours?¡± They destroyed her mother''s marriage and took the money. And now even her mother''s gift to her belonged to Lin Xinyan? She clenched her fists and told herself to calm down. She did not have the power to im the things that belonged to her yet. She could not afford to be act recklessly now! She was no longer the little crybaby who was sent away from her father eight years ago. She had grown up. ¡°You''re Lin Xinyan!¡± It was now that Lin Yuhan realized that today was the day the Zongs wereing and her father had brought the mother and the daughter back from overseas. Lin Yuhan could still remember the pitiful look on Lin Xinyan''s face on the day when Lin Guoan sent Lin Xinyan and her mother out of the country. Lin Xinyan knelt down and begged her father not to send her away. ¡°Weren¡¯t you happy that dad went to pick you up?¡± Lin Yuhan crossed her arms and looked at her in disdain. She said, ¡°Don''t be so happy. You''re back just to marry into the Zongs. I heard that man¡ª¡± Halfway through her sentence, Lin Yuhan started sneering. She couldn''t help but felt gleeful when she thought about Lin Xinyan marrying an infertile, handicapped man. Marriage was one of the major events in life. It would ruin Lin Xinyan''s life if she were to marry a man like that. Lin Xinyan frowned. And at this moment, the maid came over and told them, ¡°The Zongs are here.¡± Lin Guoan went to the door and invited them into the house. The instant that Lin Xinyan turned around, she could see the man being wheeled in. He had strong facial features and looked dignified. Despite being in a wheelchair, she doubted that anyone would ever look down on him. His face... wasn''t this the man she saw in the fitting room? He is Young Master Zong? Yet back at the fitting room, she saw clearly that he could stand and hug the woman! She saw nothing wrong with his legs then. What was going on? Before she could find out why the man was pretending to be handicapped, Lin Guoan called her over. ¡°Xinyan,e here quickly. This is Young Master Zong.¡± Lin Guoan had a look of reverence on his face then he bowed and smile. ¡°Young Master Zong, this is Yan.¡± A wave of sympathy rose in Lin Guoan''s heart. He was the young master of the Zongs but he was now nothing but a handicapped. Zong Jinghao''s gaze fell onto Lin Xinyan. She looked quite young and skinny. He frowned as she was so skinny as if she was malnourished. This was the marriage his mother had arranged for him. As her surviving son, he could not break the promise. That was why when he was bitten by a snake, he made sure the news about him never recovering from the poison spread like wildfire. Now everyone believed that he was handicapped and N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. impotent. That was his n to make the Lins back out of the engagement instead. However, he had miscalcted. The Lins never did back out of it. Zong Jinghao remained silent with a gloomy face and Lin Guoan thought he was not happy with his daughter. He exined quickly, ¡°She''s only eighteen and still young. She''ll be a beauty when she grows older.¡± Zong Jinghao sneered in his heart. He could not see any beauty. Instead, he saw the abnormality for a father to eagerly marry off his daughter to him, a ¡°handicapped¡±. He had sharp features but it looked more like a smirk when he smiled. ¡°I had a serious injury when I was abroad so I won''t be able to walk nor fulfil the duties of a husband¡ª¡± ¡°I don''t mind.¡± Lin Xinyan responded instantly. Lin Guoan had promised her that as long as she married into the Zongs, he would return her mother''s dowry to her. Even if she were to marry into the family for only one day and was divorced the next day, she would still agree to the marriage. After taking a moment to digest the information, Lin Xinyan had finally realized what was going on. He could stand but came here to the Lins in a wheelchair instead. That meant that he was not keen on keeping this engagement because of that woman but he was hoping for the Lins to break the engagement. What he had not considered was that Lin Guoan was willing to sacrifice unworthy daughter to fulfil the promise. Zong Jinghao watched her with his eyes half-closed. Lin Xinyan felt a shiver running down her spine when she noticed he was watching her. She too was reluctant and did not want to marry into the Zongs. Yet if she did not, she would not be able toe back here and im what was rightfully hers? She lifted the corner of her lips and gave a bitter smile, ¡°We were engaged since young. I should still marry you regardless of what you are now.¡± The look on Zong Jinghao''s face became even gloomier. This woman was good with her words. On the other hand, Lin Guoan was aloof and didn¡¯t pay much attention. He asked, ¡°The wedding date...¡± There was an expression of mixed emotions on Zong Jinghao''s face before he settled into a calm look. ¡°Of course we''ll stick to the promise. This is an oath and I wouldn''t back out on it.¡± Lin Xinyan looked down and put her emotions aside. She dared not looked at him as he was clearly unhappy about the arrangement. She was merely fulfilling the promise. ¡°That''ll be good.¡± Lin Guoan was joyous. To be able to marry a in daughter into the Zongs was something to jump at. Although the Lins were also rich, they were nowherepared to the Zongs. If the Zongs were a shark, the Lins were only shrimps. There was noparison. Lin Guoan said as he bowed, ¡°I have told the maids to prepare dinner. Please stay and have dinner with us.¡± Zong Jinghao frowned as he was disgusted by Lin Guoan''s two-faced attitude. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I still have some matters to settle.¡± Zong Jinghao rejected. On the way out, he went past Lin Xinyan. Zong Jinghao raised his hands to signal to Guan Jing for a pause. He raised his head and asked, ¡°Would Miss Lin be free?¡± Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Even though that was a question, there was no space for rejection. Lin Xinyan nodded. It seemed like he had something to tell her. It was perfect as she wanted to speak to him too. Lin Guoan eyed Lin Xinyan with a warning look and said, ¡°You should know how to read the situation.¡± If she had offended him even before marrying him... Looking at Zong Jinghao''s face, it seemed like he was dissatisfied with Lin Xinyan. The Lins needed the Zongs; they would be useful for their business. He would not allow Lin Xinyan to mess up this marriage. Lin Xinyan pretended that she saw nothing and followed closely behind Guan Jing. She knew exactly what Lin Guoan was thinking. Why was he thinking? Did he expect her to help him after marrying into the Zongs? Just because he was her father? Yet he had never treated her like his daughter. Did he even know how she lived through these eight years? Lin Xinyan was lost in her thoughts until she bummed into something hard with her head. When she lifted her head, all she saw was that perfect face, watching her from above. As¡ª As expected, he could stand! And it meant that her guess was right. Lin Xinyan could feel the hair standing up on her arms. She looked at him pretending to be calm and said, ¡°You were pretending to be handicapped, weren''t you?¡± Zong Jinghao narrowed his eyes. It did not feel great to have someone read through his mind. His tone was intimidating as he asked, ¡°Why marry me even if you knew I was handicapped? What did you see in me? Money? Do you wish to be a wealthy mistress?¡± Under his gaze, she felt a draft seeping through her body. Her heart was gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and she could barely breathe. However, she showed of that none on her face and replied, ¡°I was two when this marriage was arranged. Could I have understood the concept of wealth at that age by begging my mother and yours to engage us?¡± She paused to catch her breath before continuing, ¡°When I was two, you were already ten. You''re older than me by eight years. Have I everined that you''re old?¡± Zong Jinghao sneered in his heart. Not only was this woman good with her words, she was also quick- witted! Very well! Him? Old? There was a whiff of gunpowder in the air. Two pairs of eyes looked at each other. Sparks flew and no one wanted to back down. Her hands that rested on the sides were clenched into fists. The only reason she had agreed to this marriage was because Lin Guoan promised that he would return her mother''s dowry to her. Making him the enemy was not her goal. She softens her tone and said, ¡°Mr. Zong, I know you don''t want to marry me. Actually, it''s not that bad¡ª¡± She paused intentionally to watch Zong Jinghao''s expressions. He hid them well but she still spotted them. ¡°Mr. Zong, let''s make a deal.¡± Lin Xinyan said. She never really thought about marrying into the Zongs. She had agreed to the marriage but it was just to return to this country and take back what was hers. ¡°Ha.¡± Zong Jinghaoughed. It sounded like a joke to him. He would never strike a deal with her. Lin Xinyan swallowed. Her back wasyered with cold sweat from being nervous. Zong Jinghao was tall, and she had to look up to talk to him. ¡°I know that you''re pretending to be handicapped to make the Lins back out on this marriage. I will agree to keep the promise for I have my reasons.¡± This caught Zong Jinghao''s interest. ¡°What do you want?¡± A deal that came with conditions. ¡°A month. We''ll marry for a month, then we''ll go for a divorce.¡± A month was enough. Once she got hold of her mother''s dowry, she would go for a divorce. ¡°This is the deal you want to make with me?¡± Zong Jinghao frowned. ¡°Yes, this is a marriage we would have go through. This was the promise made by our mothers, we can''t back out of respect for them. After we got married, we could say that we weren''t a good match then file for divorce. You could carry on with your life so I don¡¯t see this can be unfavorable to you.¡± She slowed down. ¡°I believe there is someone else that you like. That''s why you''ve been trying so hard to make the Lins back out from the engagement.¡± Zong Jinghao''s face turned gloomy. There was a slow but steady anger in his voice as he said, ¡°Aren''t you smart?¡± Yes, he wanted to give Bai Zhuwei a ce she deserved. He was touched by her sacrifice and quiet suffering at that time. Zong Jinghao rested his gaze on her pretense. ¡°What about you? What is that you gain for a one- month marriage?¡± Zong Jinghao would never believe that she did just thinking of his interest. Lin Xinyan felt a shoot of worry. She couldn¡¯t say that she did it for her mother''s dowry, could she? And yet if she does note up with a reason, he would not believe in her. ¡°My mother was very worried about this marriage. She''s not the best in health, so I didn''t want to disappoint her.¡± She nced elsewhere when she said this. She was lying as her mother never wanted her to marry into the Zongs. Zong Jinghao''s tone held a hint of intimidation, as if he knew what she was thinking about. ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin Xinyan felt as if there were thorns pressing onto her back. His gaze was so sharp like he was reading through her mind. When she was thinking hard for the next move, the phone in his pocket rang. Zong Jinghao gave her onest nce before taking out his phone. When he saw the name on the screen, his was softened. He turned around to pick up the call but turned back again and said, ¡°If it''s just for a month, there will be no need for a wedding.¡± Lin Xinyan had no choice but to say yes. On the twelfth of August, Guan Jing came for Lin Xinyan. From N?velDrama.Org. There was no ceremony nor a wedding. There was just signing of the marriage certificate. Lin Xinyan didn¡¯t fell too upset as she knew that this was just a deal between them. They would never have crossed paths if it was not for the engagement. After some time, the car stopped in front of a vi. Under the bright sunlight, the magnificent stone-built vi seemed impressive. ¡°Do go in.¡± Guan Jing signaled her. He showed no passion nor interest in her. He just did his job as usual which meant that he knew that her marriage to Zong Jinghao was just to keep the promise. She was not a ¡°real¡± young mistress in the Zongs. Although the house wasrge, there was barely anyone around but only a maid. Guan Jing barely introduced her around before leaving her in the house. Lin Xinyan did not feel veryfortable. ¡°This is Young Master''s house. I take care of him. You can call me Aunt Yu.¡± Aunt Yu brought her to the room, and told her, ¡°If you need anything please ask for me.¡± A month was not a long time and Lin Xinyan brought her own things. It was unlikely that she would ask for anything from Aunt Yu but still she replied, ¡°Alright.¡± Aunt Yu opened the door, turned around and looked at her. She hesitated then sighed and said, ¡°Young Master might not being home tonight. It''s Miss Bai''s birthday today.¡± Although they did not have a wedding, she was still his wife in paper. This was the first day of their marriage and yet he had gone out to spend time with another woman. Aunt Yu felt pity for Lin Xinyan; this was only the first day and she had already been treated poorly by Zong Jinghao. What will be of her in the near future? Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Lin Xinyan seemed to have guessed the reason behind Aunt Yu¡¯s reaction. She gave no exnation and just smiled. Her rtionship with Zong Jinghao was strictly business so she had no rights to question his private life. In fact, she felt less restrained when he was not around. Lin Xinyan entered the room and looked at the decor. The design was unique for it looked monotonous and minimalistic but yet there was a sense of sophistication and luxury. It was splendid. ¡°This is Young Master''s bedroom.¡± Aunt Yu smiled. Now that they were husband and wife, they would be sleeping together naturally. Lin Xinyan opened her mouth but realized she shouldn¡¯t say anything so she just nodded. It was a challenge to fall asleep in a new ce especially on the first night. She leaned her back on the headboard to rest while she opened a job hunting app on her phone. She could only take care of her mother and the child in her if she has a stable job. Huh? Lin Xinyan saw a job posting for trantor. A job for trantor was quitemon but what not the Country A was the country she was sent to by Lin Guoan. It was a developing country in the tropical region. Not many people would learn thenguage. Mostnguages used widely werenguages from developed countries. The sry and benefits were not bad. And so she applied for it. Then she put aside her phone andid down to sleep The moonlight shone through the window like white silk so soft and gentle and the night was silent. Soon, she fell into deep sleep. A beam of headlight shone from the outside into the house. A Maybach drove in and stopped at the porch. The door opened and a tall figure came down from the car. He walked into the house swaying a little unlike his usual steady steps. He pulled his cor. His mouth felt a little dry so he poured a ss of water when he entered the room. His adam''s apple moved as he drank where his dark pupils were almost red from intoxication. He finished the ss of water and it soothed the burning sensation in his throat. He drank quite a lot of white wine at the gatherings and then a few more sses of red wine at Bai Zhuwei''s birthday. His alcohol tolerance was good but now he felt a little drunk. He threw his jacket onto the sofa and went straight to his room. The room was dark but he did not turn on any lights as he knew where the bed was. Heid down on it. In her deep sleep, Lin Xinyan felt the movement but it stopped quickly. She curled her body and continued sleeping. Morning came. The rays of light brightened up the room like golden strings. On the bed, the woman curled in the arm of the man still fast asleep. They could make a sweet couple. The man''s eyshes moved and he slowly opened his eyes. He had a hangover and wanted to take a shower to clear his heavy head. He moved his arm to sit up and realized that there was something lying on it. He turned his head and saw a woman in his arm. The girl''s dark hair was voluminous and syed over his arm. She had fairplexion and her eyshes were curled like butterfly wings. Her pink lips were slightly opened and she was breathing softly. His gazed downwards and he saw a slim neck sitting on delicate corbones and the rising and falling chest in rhythm. She was sleeping on her side. Through the cor of her pajama, he could see the fullness of her bosom. Her breathing made her chest rise and fall and that was seductive. He swallowed his saliva. He had never felt such impulse with Bai Zhuwei but he could feel it with this woman who he had only met twice. He frowned as he irked his manly instinct but yet he could not take his eyes off her. In her dreams, Lin Xinyan found herself in the African grasnds. She was being watched by a ferocious lion and it was about to eat her. She woke up in a fright. When she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of dark pupils that was trying to stay calm. Her mind nked out. She opened her eyes wide and covered her chest then questioned him, ¡°You! What are you doing in my bed?¡± The man shifted his gaze calmly and pulled the nkets away slowly. ¡°This is my bed.¡± Lin Xinyan opened her mouth and was about to rebut but seeing the circumstances, she just kept quiet. ¡°Hadn''t you gone to celebrate your girlfriend''s birthday? Why are you back?¡± Lin Xinyan came down from the bed and stood on its side. There was a hint of questioning in her tone. When Aunt Yu said he was noting backst night, she let down her guard and fell into a deep From N?velDrama.Org. sleep. She didn¡¯t even hear him entering the room. She slept on the same bed with this man the whole night! Her face flushed when she thought of her how she was sleeping in his arms. Her head drooped. Zong Jinghao was unbuttoning his shirt as he did not feelfortable as the creased shirt still had the scent on alcohol lingering on it. He did not take off his shirtst night. He looked at woman standing by the side of the bed and gave her a cheeky smile. ¡°My girlfriend''s birthday isn''t as important in Lin Xinyan was speechless. This was just a deal and they were not husband and wife. What ¡°first night of marriage¡± was he babbling about? Zong Jinghao took off his shirt. Lin Xinyan turned around immediately. This man was taking off his clothes in front of her! After that night, she rejected men. Any form of intimacy with men. She panicked and said, ¡°I¡ª I''ll go out.¡± And ran out of the bedroom instantly. Zong Jinghao paid no attention. He took off his belt and went into the bathroom. He needed to take a shower to clear his mind. The gushing sound of the water came from the toilet. An hourter, there was a scent of fragrance that flowed out of the bathroom. His short dark hair was slightly damp and messy. The white shower robe shielded his slim figure with its cor slightly opened showing his firm chest that was honey-colored. It was an enticing sight of masculine charisma. He walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. He saw a sunflower-printed bag in his wardrobe when he was about to take out his clothes. His stopped. Is this the woman''s bag? It was flower-printed. How could she be so childish? It seemed like she had made herself at home and ced her things inside his wardrobe. He frowned and took his clothes. However, he identally knocked over her bag when he was putting the hanger back. The bag was not zipped so its contents spilled out. They were just simple clothes and daily necessities. He knelt down and was about to pick the things up when he saw an ultrasonography report. Lin Xinyan, female, eighteen. Early pregnancy, six weeks. That woman was pregnant? Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Zong Jinghao frowned, feeling deceived. Aunt Yu had already woken up to prepare breakfast in the living room. When she saw Lin Xinyan sitting on the sofa alone in her pajamas, she smiled and asked, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night?¡± She thought Zong Jinghao would stay with Bai Zhuwei and would note backst night. However, she heard some noises during the night. As she got up to check what happened, she saw that Zong Jinghao had returned and slept in his room. This was the wife chosen for the young master by his mother, and she was certainly good. Aunt Yu who had always been taking care of the young master felt happy to see him finally got married. Her tone and expression were too enthusiastic and inexplicably intimate. Lin Xinyan gave a rigid smile and replied, ¡°I slept quite well.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go and change your clothes quickly. I will prepare breakfast and you can eat soon,¡± Aunt Yu said as she walked into the dining room and started to make breakfast. Lin Xinyan looked down at her pajamas and the clothes she brought were still in the room. The man inside the room should have gotten dressed by now, shouldn¡¯t he? She stood up and walked towards the bedroom. As she stood at the door, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. No one answered. She knocked again, but there was still no response. Having no other alternatives, she tried pushing the door. It was not locked from the inside and the door opened as soon as she pushed it. The moment the door was opened, she was hit with a cold atmosphere that was like winter in December, swept by the chills from the icy wind that made her shiver. The man was sitting on the edge of the bed as he stared coldly at a piece of paper. That paper- Soon after, Lin Xinyan saw what he was holding in his hand clearly and saw a mess on the floor. A sense of humiliation of being spied on and her privacy being invaded rushed into her. She ran into the room and snatched the paper, ¡°How could you? You went through other people¡¯s things without their consent. Do you understand what privacy is?¡± Haha. Zong Jinghao sneered, ¡°Privacy?¡± His false smile looked particrly scary. ¡°You married me while carrying a bastard in your belly. How dare you talk about privacy now?¡± ¡°I¡­I¡­,¡± Lin Xinyan wanted to exin, but she could not find a suitable exnation at that moment. Zong Jinghao stood up. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, and they were especially rhythmic. Every step was like the atmospheric pressure closing in. Dark clouds tumbled over his sharp eyebrows, ¡°Tell me. What is your motive?¡± Was she nning to make him raise someone else¡¯s child without knowing, and let the child be the eldest grandson of the Zong family? Was the previous deal just an expedient of hers? The more he thought about it, the more his face sank. Lin Xinyan pursed her lips as her body trembled. She kept moving back, guarding her abdomen with her hands, for fear that he would hurt the child inside her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hide this from you. Since our marriage was just a transaction, I didn''t tell you about it. There was absolutely no motive.¡± Zong Jinghao''s tone was inexplicably creepy and intimidating, ¡°Really?¡± Lin Xinyan guarded her lower abdomen as she withdrew calmly. Holding on to herposure, she said, ¡°It¡¯s true. How can such a matter be bluffed through? If I have any improper thoughts, I''ll suffer a painful death. Besides, if I really deceived you, I think you have the means to crush me, don¡¯t you?¡± Although her movements were very subtle, Zong Jinghao still noticed them as his gaze swept past the abdomen that she was protecting. His gaze was fixed on her face, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you exin it clearly in the beginning?¡± Zong Jinghao did not believe her so easily. Her hands guarded her abdomen as they clenched tightly. Being pregnant with this child was too unexpected for her, but this was her family member rted to her by blood. She had lost her brother, so she wished to give birth to this child. From now on, it could be like the past. The three of them can depend on one another. Thinking of that night, she could not help but tremble with cold sweat on her palms, ¡°I... I just found out not long ago.¡± She didn''t even dare to tell Zhuang Zijin that she didn''t dare to put the check-up list in the hospital because she was afraid that Zhuang Zijin would find it. She didn''t expect to cause such a big disturbance. And caused Zong Jinghao to suspect her of having impure motives. She was only eighteen years old, and she actually¡ª How promiscuous was her private life? Zong Jinghao''s face was extremely gloomy when he warned her, ¡°You better behave yourself during this month. If I find out that you stir any trouble-¡± ¡°No, I absolutely won''t. I''ll behave myself and if I overstep the mark, I''ll leave myself at your disposal.¡± Lin Xinyan promised quickly. Even if she could not gain his trust, she must not make him doubt her motives. She was already in a difficult situation, and if she got one more enemy, it would be disadvantageous for her to regain her things. Zong Jinghao stared at her, looking closely, as if he was judging the credibility of her words. ng, ng- Auntie Chen came over at this moment, ¡°Breakfast is ready.¡± Zong Jinghao narrowed his gaze and restrained his anger, ¡°Clean up the floor.¡± After that, he turned around and left the room. As soon as Zong Jinghao left, Lin Xinyan''s legs became weak. She leaned on the low cab behind her and took a long time to regain her strength. Then she crouched down and picked up the clothes that were scattered on the floor. When she saw the baby''s ultrasound scan in her hand, tears rolled down her face and dripped on the paper. She wiped her face. She should not cry as it was a sign of weakness. She must not be weak since her mother and the child in her belly needed her. She folded the paper and put it in her bag. Then she changed her clothes and left the room. There was no one in the dining room. Also, there were empty coffee cups and empty tes on the dining table. He probably had finished eating and left. Lin Xinyan breathed a sigh of relief. It felt really repressive spending time with that man. Then she went to the dining table and ate. After breakfast, she went out as she told Zhuang Zijin that she was going back. She was also afraid that Zhuang Zijin would be worried about her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. As soon as she entered the door, she was held back by Zhuang Zijin who asked, ¡°The eldest master of the Zong family-¡± ¡°Mom.¡± Lin Xinyan''s tone was very serious as she did not want to say more about this, ¡°He''s a very good man. Don''t worry about me.¡± Zhuang Zijin sighed. Her daughter who had grown up had her own opinions and did not like to hear too much nagging. Zhuang Zijin could not help but felt a sense of loss, ¡°I cared about you.¡± She was worried that he would treat her daughter badly. Lin Xinyan hugged her. She did not mean it, but confronting Zong Jinghao and trying hard to convince him had drained her to the point of exhaustion. ¡°Mom, I''m just a little tired and I didn''t mean it.¡± ¡°I know, I didn''t me you,¡± Zhuang Zijin stroked her back. She seemed to be able feel her exhaustion, ¡°If you''re tired, sleep and rest for awhile.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. Although she did not want to sleep, she felt exhausted indeed. Subsequently, she fell asleep after she went to the bedroom. At noon, Zhuang Zijin finished preparing lunch and asked her to wake up and eat. Sitting on the dining table, Zhuang Zijin served rice to her daughter, ¡°I cooked fish. That''s your favorite.¡± Zhuang Zijin felt guilty towards her daughter. Although she gave birth to Lin Xinyan, she failed to provide her with a happy childhood and let her suffer. Lin Xinyan nced at the sweet and sour fish prepared by her mother on the table. It had a faint sweet and sour aroma. It used to be her favorite dish but now, it turned her stomach upside down when she smelled it. She could not hold back. Ugh- ¡°Yan.¡± Covering her mouth, Lin Xinyan did not have time to exin. She went straight into the bathroom and retched while leaning on the side of the sink. Zhuang Zijin was worried and came along. Being someone who had given birth before, her face turned slightly pale when she saw her daughter''s reaction. However, she did not believe it as her daughter was very conservative and honest, and she never had a boyfriend at school. She is someone with moral integrity. Zhuang Zijin''s voice trembled a little, ¡°Yan, what''s wrong with you?¡± Lin Xinyan''s body suddenly stiffened. Her hands sped tighter and tighter onto the edge of the sink. Since she decided to keep this child, Zhuang Zijin would need to know sooner orter. She turned to look at her mother and mustered her courage. ¡°Mom, I''m pregnant.¡± Zhuang Zijin could not steady herself for a moment and stepped back. She could not believe this. Her daughter was just eighteen. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¡°What happened?!¡± Zhuang Zijin asked as she seemed to realize something in an instant. ¡°Didn''t the moneye from thepensation given by the perpetrator?¡± Apart from arranging her son''s funeral, she was injured in a car ident. A lot of money was spent as a result. Before returning to China, Lin Xinyan even gave her some money which she said was the money left from thepensation. Lin Xinyan did not know how she could exin as it was too difficult to talk about it. And her silence was clearly acquiescence. How could a girl raise such arge amount of money? Zhuang Zijin was heartbroken and she did not dare to believe this, ¡°Did you betray yourself?¡± She grabbed Lin Xinyan''s wrist and said, ¡°You can''t keep this baby. Go to the hospital with me now!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lin Xinyan tried to move away from her grip. ¡°Your life will be ruined if you give birth to this child!¡± She must not give birth to this child. She was married and if other people found out about it, she would be ruined. ¡°Mom, please let me keep the baby.¡± Lin Xinyan cried and begged. No matter how Lin Xinyan begged, Zhuang Zijin remained determined and stayed firm on her stand. Eventually, Lin Xinyan was dragged to the hospital that day. When she said she did not want to go there, Zhuang Zijin threatened tomit suicide. Hence, Lin Xinyan had to go there. Several checks and scans were required before the abortion. When Zhuang Zijin went to collect the scan forms, Lin Xinyan sat on the bench at the corridor alone, with her hands covering her belly. Her tears could not stop rolling down her face. She felt sad and helpless. ¡°Hao, I''m fine so don''t worry too much. It''s just a mild burn,¡± Bai Zhu smiled slightly. She was wearing a ck tight dress which entuated her shapely figure, and a suit jacket over her shoulders. Zong Jinghao was wearing a white shirt with folded sleeves, revealing his strong arms. He looked worried, ¡°If the scalding burn isn''t treated properly, it may leave scars.¡± Bai Zhuwei''s body leaned into Zong Jinghao''s arms, ¡°Will you despise me if I end up having scars?¡± ¡°You keep talking nonsense!¡± Bai Zhu giggled slightly. She knew that Zong Jinghao was not a superficial person. This voice- Lin Xinyan raised her head slowly and saw Bai Zhuwei leaning on Zong Jinghao as they walked towards her direction slowly. They look like a perfect match. On the other hand, she was like a clown who lost her innocence at such a young age and got pregnant without knowing who the father was. Just as she became engrossed while watching them, she saw something that took her by surprise. ¡°Next patient,¡± The operation theatre''s door opened and the nurse was standing at the door. Behind him was a young woman, clutching her abdomen as she walked out of the room. She kept muttering, ¡°Painless abortion...why is it still so painful?¡± Zong Jinghao frowned and his eyes fixed on Lin Xinyan''s face. When she was in front of him, she acted like she cared a lot for the baby in her belly. Yet, within just a short while, she turned around and tried to get an abortion at the hospital. He sneered in his heart! Bai Zhuwei''s eyes followed Zong Jinghao''s gaze and looked over there. The moment she saw Lin Xinyan, she felt a sense of familiarity, but she could not remember where she had seen her. Then she looked at Zong Jinghao and asked, ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°I don''t know her,¡± Zong Jinghao raised the corners of his lips coldly. In his heart, he had tagged manybels on Lin Xinyan. Her private life was promiscuous and got herself knocked up at only 18 years old. Also, she disyed maternal love in front of him and yet, she came to the hospital for an abortion. What a scheming person! ¡°Have you considered carefully?¡± The nurse repeatedly sought confirmation. Lin Xinyan did not want them to see her in such a pitiful and embarrassing situation. Even though she was reluctant, sad and helpless, she nodded, ¡°I have already thought it through carefully.¡± ¡°Then follow me in.¡± Lin Xinyan lowered her head and avoided looking at anyone as she followed the nurse into the operating theatre. When the door of the operating theatre closed, she was isted from everything outside the room. In the meantime, Bai Zhu was slightly disturbed since she could feel Zong Jinghao''s anger. She stretched out to hold his arm and said softly, ¡°Hao.¡± Zong Jinghao said coldly, ¡°Let''s go.¡± Bai Zhuwei held his hand tighter and looked back at the closed door of the operating theatre. She took a look at Zong Jinghao''s reaction again. It did not seem that he did not know that person, but after being by his side for so long, Bai Zhuwei had never seen him with a woman before. She knew this very well, so who was that woman? Why was he so angry? ¡°Hao, that girl...¡± Zong Jinghao hugged her and did not want to talk about this topic, ¡°For those who don''t matter, don''t take it to heart.¡± Bai Zhuwei could only shut her mouth and stopped talking although she was curious. In the operating theatre, Lin Xinyan flinched after seeing those cold instruments. No, she cannot abandon this child. No! ¡°Lie down.¡± The doctor gestured. ¡°I don''t want to do it anymore,¡± Lin Xinyan shook her head and ran away. She ran very fast. She was panicky and did not pay attention to the path ahead until she ran into a man N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. who was amongst the oing crowd. She covered her forehead and kept apologizing, ¡°I''m sorry. I''m sorry¡ª¡± ¡°Lin Xinyan?¡± He Ruize thought she looked like her but he was not sure, so he tried to ask. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Lin Xinyan raised her head slowly and saw the man''s face clearly. She eximed in surprise, ¡°Doctor He.¡± Seeing group of people standing behind him, Lin Xinyan was even more surprised, ¡°Why are you N?velDrama.Org content rights. here?¡± Her younger brother had autism and He Ruize was his doctor. Lin Xinyan and he got to know each other during her brother''s consultation visits. He Ruize smiled gently and before he could open his mouth, the director of the hospital spoke, ¡°Doctor He is here to deliver a speech.¡± He Ruize was a well-known psychiatrist and he was exceptionally knowledgeable in autism. ¡°How about you? Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell?¡± He Ruize asked. Lin Xinyan thought of her mother''s resolute attitude and trembled. ¡°Yan!¡± Zhuang Zijin ran from the other side of the corridor hurriedly while holding the examination checklist in her hand. She was startled when she heard from the nurse that Lin Xinyan had ran away. Now that she saw her, she let out an emotional shout. Lin Xinyan pursed her lips and she felt like crying, ¡°Mom-¡± He Ruize said to the director of the hospital who was standing beside him, ¡°Please go back first as I have other matters to attend to.¡± ¡°Dr. He, we won''t bother you since you have other matters to attend to. That said, I sincerely invite you to work in our hospital. If you have any requirements, please feel free to let me know and I''ll do my best to satisfy your requirements.¡± He Ruize replied gently, ¡°I''ll consider.¡± ¡°Auntie, let''s go outside and talk about it. It''s not appropriate to discuss it here.¡± The hospital was full of people and it was not a suitable ce for them to have a discussion. Zhuang Zijin also knew He Ruize. There were times when she could not afford to pay for her son''s medical fees and Dr. He often helped her to pay the outstanding amount. As such, she respected He Ruize very much. She held Lin Xinyan''s wrist tightly for fear that she would run away again. Just as they stepped out of the hospital, Lin Xinyan knelt in front of Zhuang Zijin, ¡°Mom, please, Xinqi was gone already. Please let me keep him.¡± He Ruize frowned as he wondered what she meant. Then he arrived at a realization very quickly and his eyes were fixated on her abdomen. Seeing the examination checklist in Zhuang Zijin''s hand, it became almost clear to him that she was pregnant. Shocking and unbelievable! He wanted to know what happened, but that was not the right time to ask. Lin Xinyan rarely cried in front of Zhuang Zijin. Even when her younger brother died, she cried secretly, and she never shed tears in front of Zhuang Zijin. Zhuang Zijin did not mean to force her, but would she still have a future if she gave birth to this child? Nheless, being a mother would make someone stronger. Judging from Lin Xinyan''s reaction, it was going to be very difficult to make her give up. Zhuang Zijin sighed, ¡°Let''s do what you want.¡± After speaking, she turned around and left. She felt miserable and did not know how to face her daughter. Lin Xinyan squatted down slowly. She was pushing herself to be strong, but she could not hold back her tears. She did not want to cry, but she could not help it. The burden of grief and pain in her heart engulfed her. Before returning to China, he went to look for them and found out that they had returned to China, and her brother died in a car ident. He did not know what happened during this period. He Ruize squatted down and looked at her. She was just a teenager when he first met her, but she was already very sensible and took care of her younger brother and mother. Once, he saw that she only had enough money to buy two meals. Then she gave the meals to her mother and younger brother. Although she did not eat anything, she told Zhuang Zijin that she had already eaten. She was so sensible that it made him feel sorry for her. He Ruize stretched out his hand to touch her head andfort her, but before his hand fell on her, Lin Xinyan suddenly raised her head and looked at him, ¡°Thank you for your help in the past. When I have money in the future, I''ll definitely return it to you.¡± He Ruize''s hand paused above her hair. He slowly grasped and retracted his palm, and said with a smile, ¡°Fool, I helped you all willingly so there is no need to return the money to me.¡± Lin Xinyan shook her head, ¡°You are kind, but I remember your help.¡± When I have the ability in future, I will certainly repay you. He Ruize helped her up, ¡°Where do you live? I''ll take you home.¡± Lin Xinyan was worried about Zhuang Zijin at that time, so she nodded and gave him her address. When they arrived at the destination, Lin Xinyan pushed the door open to get off the car. He Ruize asked her, ¡°Will you go back there in the future?¡± Lin Xinyan turned around to look at him. She shook her head, ¡°I won''t go back.¡± After a lot struggling and difficulty, Lin Xinyan finally returned. The moment she came home, she saw Zhuang Zijin sitting on a chair. Her heart seemed to be torn apart as she wiped her tears. Without looking at Lin Xinyan, Zhuang Zijin continued to wipe her tears and said, ¡°I''m fine. You can go back.¡± ¡°Mom-¡± ¡°It''s me who didn''t take good care of you.¡± Zhuang Zijin wiped her tears away, but her tears kept falling and she could not stop crying. Lin Xinyan rushed over and hugged her. Both of them hugged each other and cried, venting out the pain in their hearts. After a long time, they finally calmed down. Lin Xinyan then told Zhuang Zijin about her transaction with Zong Jinghao, so that she would not worry. Zhuang Zijin was very shocked and she wondered how marriage could be a trifling matter. Although she did not approve of the transactional marriage, she thought that it was fine since her daughter was pregnant and she was no longer innocent. Most probably, Zong Jinghao could not ept it either. She would take care of her daughter in the future. Lin Xinyan returned to the vi in the evening. Zong Jinghao was not there. After dinner, she took a walk in the courtyard of the vi to help in her digestion and to see the surroundings of the vi. As it was alreadyte, she went back to her room. However, she made her way to the kitchen afterwards to get a ss of water as she was feeling thirsty. When Lin Xinyan was about to go back to her room to sleep after drinking half a ss of water, she heard the sound of the door handle being turned and then the door was pushed open within moments. A tall figure stepped in immediately, followed by a beautiful figure stepping out from behind. Lin Xinyan was stunned for a moment. She did not expect Zong Jinghao would bring the woman that he liked home at suchte hours. Bai Zhuwei was also taken aback when she saw her. She thought, ¡°Wasn''t this the woman we saw at the hospital that day?¡± She raised her head to look at Zong Jinghao. His chiseled face looked cold and stiff. Why was he angry that day? Was it something to do with this woman? Women''s minds were always sensitive. Hence, Zong Jinghao''s abnormal reaction made Bai Zhuwei wary of Lin Xinyan. ¡°Well, I''ll go back to my room first.¡± Lin Xinyan did not want to be the annoying third wheel. ¡°Wait,¡± Zong Jinghao looked at her with a heavy gaze. She was wearing a conservative pajamas. With the white skirt extending to her ankles and her slim fair arms exposed, she looked quite pure and innocent. Nheless, he felt more disgusted after thinking of what she did, ¡°Zhuwei is the owner of this ce other than me. Do you know what I mean?¡± Lin Xinyan felt that it was entirely unnecessary. After all, she never regarded herself as the owner, so why would he need to emphasize that? ¡°I know. I''ll go to sleep then.¡± Lin Xinyan turned around and walked towards the room. ¡°Ms. Lin.¡± Bai Zhuwei looked at her, ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Lin Xinyan was confused and looked at her in surprise. Her face was deeply apologetic, ¡°Although you have a marriage arrangement with Hao, but Hao and I have known each other for a longer time. If it weren''t for you, it would be me who marry him. We''re in love, so-¡± ¡°So what?¡± Lin Xinyan thought this woman was very strange. She clearly knew where she stood and she did not hinder them. Why did Bai Zhuwei say these words? ¡°I just feel guilty that you''re married to Hao, but he doesn''t love you because of me.¡± ¡°There is no need for that.¡± ording to normal people''s thinking, shouldn''t the parties in such an awkward rtionship try not to interfere with one another? Did Bai Zhuwei say all these to show off her kindness in front of Zong Jinghao? Inexplicably, Lin Xinyan did not have a good impression of her. Zong Jinghao squinted his eyes and stared at her face, ¡°What kind of attitude is this?¡± Lin Xinyan pursed her lips. All she wanted was to spend this month in peace. She wanted to get what belonged to her, and leave. This woman was the strange one who came here to say these words. How should she answer? ¡°How do you want me to answer?¡± She did not know how to respond to Bai Zhuwei''s words. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 ¡°How do you want me to answer?¡± Lin Xinyan did not know how to respond to Bai Zhuwei''s words. Should I apologize and say that I should not have a marriage arrangement with Zong Jinghao and split the both of you up? That would be so hypocritical. Moreover, the marriage was decided by the two mothers. What could she do? From N?velDrama.Org. Zong Jinghao squinted his eyes and stared at her. He began to walk with steps that were not too rushed or too slow. Unconsciously, a repressive atmosphere filled the room and Lin Xinyan could not help stepping back, ¡°I didn''t provoke you, right?¡± Bai Zhuwei came up and took his arm, ¡°Hao, don''t be angry. It is my fault since I shouldn''t talk about this. She just married you and I shouldn''t havee. You should rest early and I''ll go back first.¡± ¡°You aren''t the one who should leave.¡± Zong Jinghao held her wrist and they went upstairs. Bai Zhuwei was filled with joy. Although Zong Jinghao had already indicated that he would be with her, he never had any thoughts about her. His action today made her felt over the moon. After all, it was not her that night. She could grasp his heart firmly only when they shared a substantive rtion. Lin Xinyan did not look up. She just turned and entered her room silently. Bai Zhuwei turned her head and saw the back of Lin Xinyan as she entered the room. Her figure was weak and slender, and Bai Zhuwei suddenly found that it resembled the back of the girl that night. That night, she overcame the jealousy and hatred in her heart and got a virgin for Zong Jinghao, which was her greatest limit already. She did not want to see the girl who made love with Zong Jinghao. She briefly saw the girl''s thin figure only when she left. No wonder she had been pondering why she found Lin Xinyan familiar. It turned out that this familiarity did note out of nowhere. The thought of Lin Xinyan might be the woman that night made Bai Zhuwei panic. She must not let Lin Xinyan stay by Zong Jinghao''s side. Close contact is needed, so as not to let Zong Jinghao discover the truth. After all, this was the woman who had been intimate with him. Once they entered the room, Bai Zhuwei held no reservations. She hugged Zong Jinghao''s toned waist, buried her head in his arms, and said charmingly, ¡°Hao, let me be your woman again.¡± As she spoke, she came up to kiss him. Zong Jinghao''s expression was slightly focused, but he did not have the impulse that a normal man should have for Bai Zhuwei''s initiative. He had no desire for her except for that night! Just when Bai Zhuwei''s lips were about to touch his, he turned his head and Bai Zhuwei''s kiss fell through. ¡°It''ste, go to bed soon.¡± Zong Jinghao pulled his cor which was actually not tight, feeling a little irritable. He did not know what the irritability was for. He was vexed as he did not have the impulse that a normal man should have towards her and it made him feel abnormal. Bai Zhuwei clenched her hands tightly and the feeling of being aggrieved was shown on her face, ¡°Hao, do you dislike me-¡± ¡°Don''t imagine things.¡± Zong Jinghao kept his voice down and put his arm around her shoulder, ¡°Sleep here tonight.¡± Bai Zhuwei was a woman and she understood too well what it meant for a man to be uninterested in her. Sheid down on the bed obediently. Her eyes were red and tears rolled in her eyes, but they never fell. The aggrieved look that was obvious, was forbearing at the same time. Zong Jinghao''s heart moved slightly. She was so forbearing that night too. No matter how much he got her down, she never said anything. His feeling became tenderer as he covered her with a quilt and sat on the side of the bed, ¡°Don''t imagine things. When we be husband and wife, I... will definitely want you.¡± Bai Zhuwei nodded. She had been around Zong Jinghao for a long time and had some understanding of his temperament. Even if he did not love her, he would be ountable for her due to his sense of responsibility. Zong Jinghao took off his jacket and stepped out of the room. Then he went downstairs, threw the jacket on the sofa and he sank into the sofa. With his long slender legs leaned on the coffee table and his head leaned back on the sofa, he looked a little tired. The next morning. When Lin Xinyan washed up, got dressed and walked out of her room, Zong Jinghao was sitting at the dining table, reading Today''s Finance. Bai Zhuwei seemed to know him well and made him a pot of hot ck coffee. Aunt Yu had already prepared breakfast. Lin Xinyan reduced her presence by not saying anything and sitting at the end of the table to distance herself from them as she ate the porridge with her head down. When Aunt Yu served the fried eggs and saw Lin Xinyan''s unpromising manner, she frowned. She was his wife but why was she so humble in front of the mistress? Aunt Yu said aloud deliberately, ¡°Young Mistress, you should sit next to Young Master.¡± Ehh? Lin Xinyan looked up. Zong Jinghao also put the financial newspapers down. They were stunned for a moment as their eyes met. Lin Xinyan shuddered when she thought of how coldly he looked at herst night. Zong Jinghao''s mother died when he was very young. It was Aunt Yu who took care of him. And he respected this elderly woman who took care of him. As such, Aunt Yu spoke quite freely. In this marriage, they all got what they needed. Lin Xinyan felt that she should not disturb his private life. After finishing the porridge, she smiled, ¡°I''m done. Enjoy your meal.¡± From what happenedst night, Lin Xinyan could tell that Zong Jinghao cared a lot about Bai Zhuwei, so she should be careful in how she behaved. She walked quickly as if there was a monster chasing after her. Zong Jinghao looked at the rushing Lin Xinyan''s back and narrowed his eyes slightly. Bai Zhuwei restrained her thoughts and said in a low voice, ¡°Maybe she isn''t veryfortable because I''m here. In the future-¡± Zong Jinghao ced a ss of milk in front of her, ¡°She''ll leave in a month.¡± Bai Zhuwei lowered her eyes. This month was simply too long for her. Lin Xin Yan returned to her room and turned on her mobile phone. She saw a reply in response to her message on the 58* tform. She was invited to attend a job interview. When Zong Jinghao and Bai Zhuwei left, Lin Xinyan also walked out of the vi to take a taxi and made her way to the venue for the interview. Wanyue Group was situated at a skyscraper, towering into the clouds. How magnificent! Lin Xinyan stood in front of the building, took a deep breath, and walked in. She did not graduate from university, and it was not easy to find a suitable job, so she really wished to seed in her application for this job. The interview area was full of people. All of them were in their formal wear, holding their resumes in their hands, and seemed to be very well-prepared for the interview. On the other hand, Lin Xinyan looked a little out of ce in a white t-shirt and jeans. She did not look like she was here for the interview. Ignoring the strange gazes cast on her from time to time, she stood quietly and waited. It took nearly an hour before Lin Xinyan was called. Washing dishes and delivering newspapers could not be considered a work experience. In addition, she had no academic qualifications. Therefore, she did not prepare a resume. The interviewer frowned slightly about herck of work experience, ¡°How did you know thenguage of country A?¡± After all, this was not amonly knownnguage. The job advertisement was posted for a long time already but there were no applicants. Lin Xinyan recalled the past and held her hands tightly, ¡°I have lived there before. To better This voice- Bai Zhuwei was passing by the interview area with a document in her hand when she heard this familiar voice. Then she followed the voice and looked inside. Once she saw Lin Xinyan, her heart suddenly stopped. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 She even knew thenguage of Country A. If she was still unsure whether Lin Xinyan was the girl that night earlier on, then she can be sure of it now! ¡°Ms. Bai?¡± Her subordinate did not understand why she stopped suddenly and reminded, ¡°The meeting is about to begin.¡± Bai Zhuwei handed the document to her subordinate, ¡°You take the documents to Mr. Zong first, and I''ll be there in a short while.¡± ¡°Then youe over here tomorrow.¡± There were just too few people who knew thenguage of this country. Although Lin Xinyan had no work experience, it was sufficient since she knew thenguage of Country A. Lin Xinyan stood up from the chair and leaned forward slightly, ¡°Thank you.¡± And she walked out of the interview room happily. As soon as she left, Bai Zhuwei walked into the room. ¡°That woman you interviewed just now doesn''t meet the job requirements, so we can''t recruit her.¡± ¡°Although she has no work experience, she knows-¡± ¡°What I said is useless, isn''t it?¡± Bai Zhuwei snapped. She was Zong Jinghao''s secretary and girlfriend, and she might marry into Zong family. Who would dare to offend her? Although the interviewer felt it was a pity, he obeyed with a ¡°Yes¡±. Lin Xinyan came out of the building with joy. She felt that she had seen the hope of life. Life was getting on the right track bit by bit. She hailed a taxi from the side of the road and went to the Lin''s residence. Soon, the car stopped in front of the Lin''s vi. She paid and alighted from the taxi. She walked into the vi with light and steady steps. In the living room, Shen Xiuqing was wearing silk pajamas and sitting enchantingly on the sofa. Seeing Lin Xinyan, she raised her delicate eyebrows, ¡°Oh, isn''t this Lin Xinyan?¡± Lin Xinyan''s gaze fell on the jade bracelet that Shen Xiuqing was wearing. She had seen it in her mother''s jewelry box when she was a child, and her mother said that it was given to her by Lin Xinyan''s maternal grandmother. It had fallen into Shen Xiuqing''s hands now. Lin Xinyan suppressed the emotions inside her, ¡°I''m here to look for Lin Guoan.¡± Shen Xiuqing fiddled with her beautifully painted nails and without raising her eyelids, ¡°Since you are married to a crippled man, I suppose you aren''t having a good life, right?¡± ¡°Well, don''t let it bother you.¡± Lin Xinyan said lightly, and asked again, ¡°Is Lin Guoan here?¡± Shen Xiuqing raised her eyes and assessed Lin Xinyan, ¡°You look like a t eggnt. Even that crippled man from the Zong family isn''t interested in you, is he?¡± Lin Xinyan could not help but sneer. At this moment, she was a little grateful to Zong Jinghao for pretending to beme on purpose so that she had a chance toe back. If she knew that Zong Jinghao was not crippled, would she regret not marrying her own daughter to him? As far as men were concerned, Zong Jinghao was indeed handsome, capable and rich. Many women would flock to him in droves. Lin Guoan was not there and she did not want to waste her time on unnecessary verbal exchanges with Shen Xiuqing. From N?velDrama.Org. She turned and left. When she was at the gate, a car drove towards her from the side of the road and stopped at the gate. Lin Xinyan knew that the car belonged to Lin Guoan. Within moments, the driver pulled the door open. Lin Guoan got out of the car and saw Lin Xinyan standing at the gate. When he thought that she might havee to ask him for Zhuang Zijin''s dowry, his face sank; and before she could speak, he said, ¡°If you want to get your mother''s dowry back, you have to do something for me.¡± Lin Xinyan frowned, ¡°You said that as long as I marry into the Zong family, you''ll return my mother''s things!¡± Lin Guoan snorted coldly, ¡°Why do I want you to marry into the Zong family? Because it''s helpful to the Lin''s, especially in the career prospect!¡± Lin Xin was trembling with anger, ¡°How can you break your promise? Are you still a man?!¡± ¡°Sure enough, you''re an ill-bred brat!¡± Lin Guoan''s expression was very unpleasant, ¡°I''m your father. How could you talk to me like this?¡± Lin Xinyan felt cold. Her body felt cold and her heart felt even colder! He actually broke his promise! ¡°If you want those things, tell Zong Jinghao to give me the developer rights for Repulse Bay, then I''ll give them to you.¡± After saying that, Lin Guoan walked past her and went into the courtyard. He subsequently stopped at a few steps away from Lin Xinyan, ¡°That piece ofnd is very important to me. As long as you persuade Zong Jinghao to give it to me, I''ll return all the things that your mother brought here, including the piano that your mother gave you as a birthday present.¡± Lin Xinyan never expected that Lin Guoan would be so shameless! Since he was so untrustworthy, Lin Xinyan did not believe him anymore. If she wished to get those things back, she would need to find another way. Lin Xinyan narrowed her eyes. Thend he wanted was in Zong Jinghao''s hands... If she wanted to grasp Lin Guoan''s weakness, it seemed that she had to put some effort into her ''newly wedded husband''. But how should she begin? Although they were husband and wife, they were more unfamiliar with each other than strangers. Lin Xinyan still could not think of a way when she returned to her residence. However, she received a telephone call to inform her that her job application was unsessful. ¡°Didn''t you tell me to start working tomorrow?¡± Lin Xinyan said anxiously. ¡°Sorry, we can''t employ you because you don''t meet our recruitment requirements.¡± After saying that, he hung up. Lin Xinyan looked at the phone and did note back to her senses for half the day. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Lin Xinyan frowned. They were satisfied with her at the time, could it be that they found a better fit? Lin Xinyan found it easier to ept after thinking this way. At night, Zong Jinghao locked himself in his study upon returning home, seemingly due to his work. In the afternoon, Lin Xinyan found out about Zong Jinghao''s favorite dishes from Aunt Yu and prepared the dinner herself. Aunt Yu smiled and said, ¡°This is what a wife should do.¡± Lin Xinyan smiled with her head down. If it weren''t for the fact that she needed his help, she wouldn''t take the initiative to please him. Aunt Yu sighed. ¡°Madam passed away long time ago, so Master has remarried, and Young master seldom goes back. He values rtionships very much despite his indifference.¡± Lin Xinyan said nothing and listened to her quietly. ¡°Miss Bai saved young master when she was a kid. After she grew up, she has been following young master. Young master didn''t like her as well, but ever since they returned from that business trip, his attitude toward her has changed. However, don''t you worry, you''re his rightful wife.¡± Aunt Yuforted her while patting her on the shoulder. Lin Xinyan lowered her head and smiled bitterly. I really have no say in whom he is close with. From N?velDrama.Org. Despite being husband and wife, they were like strangers. She had a clear understanding about this marriage. Lin Xinyan nced at the study. Thinking of the ck coffee made by Bai Zhuwei this morning, she asked, ¡°Aunt Yu, where''s the coffee bean? I want to make coffee for him.¡± At this, Aunt Yu thought that she was starting to pay attention, so she took the coffee bean for her and told her, ¡°No sugar and milk. Young master doesn''t like sweet stuff.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded and quickly made a pot of coffee. She poured the coffee into an exquisite coffee cup and brought it to his study herself. Zong Jinghao was on the phone in the study, looking irritated. ¡°What''s wrong with the HR Department? Is it so hard to recruit a trantor?¡± He knew a lot ofnguages, but he really didn''t know about thenguage of A Country. Due to the project. ¡°Tell the HR Manager, he has one day to get someone for me. Otherwise, he''ll be sacked!¡± Knock knock. There was a sudden knock on the door when Zong Jinghao was in a fit of anger, so he didn''t tone down and said coldly, ¡°Come in!¡± Lin Xinyan felt her heart skip a beat. Is he in a bad mood now? She had knocked on the door, so she had to go in even if it was a bad time. Lin Xinyan tried hard to smile. ¡°I made coffee for you.¡± Zong Jinghao''s gaze slowly moved from her face to the coffee in her hand, as he narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering, she avoided me in the morning, and yet now she takes the initiative to send me a cup of coffee? Heh, this woman is so fickle! Putting away the phone, Zong Jinghao sat down and quietly watched her. He wanted to see what she was up to! ¡°I don''t know if it suits your taste.¡± Lin Xinyan put the cup of coffee on the table. Without moving, Zong Jinghao rxed his body even more, and leaned against the chairzily. Lin Xinyan said ingratiatingly, ¡°Want to try?¡± Zong Jinghao raised his eyebrow, suddenly realizing the possible reason for her change in attitude. He mocked, ¡°Do you want to ask me about thend in Repulse Bay by disying such a sudden hospitality?¡± Lin Xinyan froze, not expecting him to think of it so soon. Suddenly, Zong Jinghao grabbed Lin Xinyan''s chin. ¡°Is this why the Lins wanted to marry you to me even though I''m ame man?¡± His fingers were very strong, so Lin Xinyan felt a sharp pain. Opening her mouth, she wanted to exin. But how? Do I say that I''m the one being abandoned? Will he believe me? ¡°I''m not¡ª¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Zong Jinghao let go off her forcefully. Being let go so suddenly, Lin Xinyan identally knocked over the cup of coffee with her arm, and the ck liquid wetted the documents on the table, making Zong Jinghao''s face into a thunder. Lin Xinyan didn''t expect it to end up like this, so she quickly wiped it. Zong Jinghao took the documents away and scolded fiercely, ¡°Can''t you hear that I said, get out?!¡± He disliked the way such a brown-noser looked! Lin Xinyan could only leave. ¡°Wait. Take all this thing out!¡± Zong Jinghao was annoyed at the sight of it. Lin Xinyan took the coffee cup out. During dinner, Zong Jinghao returned to his room after he was done eating. Lin Xinyan quietly sighed. He had such a bad personality, making it hard for her to get close with him, not to mention getting thend and winning the initiative from Lin Guoan. After Lin Xinyan showered andy on the bed, she kept tossing and couldn''t sleep, so she got up from her bed. Thinking of the coffee she spilled on the documents when she sent coffee to Zong Jinghao, she felt a little sorry, and wanted to make up for it, so she went to his study. Turning on the light, she saw the wet documents were still on the table and realized that the documents were written in A country''snguage. Parts of the documents that were soaked with coffee had be almost illegible. She found clean papers and copied down the words on the document. Lin Xinyan knew that the the domestguage so that he could read them. It was already three in the middle of the night after tranting and jotting down the contents of the dozens of documents. Putting down the pen, she rubbed her sore wrist, and put the documents in order, before putting them on the desk, and then going back to her room to sleep. When Zong Jinghao was having breakfast the next morning, Lin Xinyan didn''t wake up, as she went to bed toote and was fatigued from her pregnancy. Zong Jinghao frowned. ¡°She didn''t get up?'' Aunt Yu lowered her head. ¡°No. You''re her husband, and yet you actually asked me, the outsider.¡± Understanding what Aunt Yu meant, Zong Jinghao said, ¡°Forget it.¡± Zong Jinghao wasn''t good at exining, even to Aunt Yu, who took care of him since he was a kid. ¡°Young Master, I know that there''s no feelings between you and Miss Lin. But this marriage was agreed upon when Madam was still with us. Moreover, I think she cares about you too. After she came back at noon yesterday, she asked me about your favorite food. The dinnerst night was prepared by her, and she even made coffee for you.¡± Wasn''t her sudden hospitality to get thend in Repulse Bay for The Lins? Cares about me? Zong Jinghao found it ridiculous. He turned around to look at Aunt Yu. ¡°Don''t be fooled by her appearance.¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 He knew best what kind of woman she was! Thinking of the documents stained with coffee, he went to his study to bring the documents back to the As soon as he entered his study, Zong Jinghao found that someone touched his stuffs on the table. Other than Auntie Chen and Guan Jing, no one, even Bai Zhuwei, had ever entered his study. Who would it be? Did that woman sneak into my study? He walked up to the table and found a handwritten tranted document on it. He reached out to pick it up and studied the neat and graceful handwriting. He frowned. Did the woman write this? Does she know thenguage of Country A? Zong Jinghao couldn''t believe it. Just when he put down the document and wanted to go to the woman to ask her about it, a sticky note fell out of the document, and it read, ''I¡¯m sorry to enter your study without your consent, but your documents were stainedst night because of me, so I want to do my best to help you fix it. The mypensation for staining your documents.¡ªLin Xinyan'' Holding the sticky note, Zong Jinghao looked at the contents of the ten pieces of tranted documents, which were all handwritten, and his anger toward her for entering his study without his permission eased a little. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Staring at the graceful handwriting, he suddenly became a little curious about this woman. She actually knew such an unpoprnguage. Zong Jinghao put down the sticky note and went to thepany with the documents. It was already noon by the time Lin Xinyan woke up, and Aunt Yu had prepared food for her. She was a little embarrassed for getting up sote. Aunt Yu said with a smile, ¡°It''s usually very deserted here. Young master never sleeps in. After you move in, it seems to have be a little livelier here.¡± Lin Xinyan smiled. ¡°Didn''t Miss Baie often before?¡± Aunt Yu froze. Is she jealous? Lin Xinyan really didn''t mean anything else and was just asking. Yet, she regretted it after asking. ¡°Not very often. Young master was indifferent toward her before¡ª¡± Aunt Yu was wondering too, why does his attitude toward her change after a business trip? He didn''t fall in love with her all these years, so why would he fall in love with her in a few days? Aunt Yu was puzzled. Lin Xinyan thought, it is said that women''s minds cannot be understood. It looks like men''s minds are the same as well. Particrly men like Zong Jinghao. The job fell through, and Lin Xinyan didn''t want to remain idle like this, as she needed to have a stable job. Meanwhile, she would definitely not be able to get back her mother''s stuff for the time being. She didn''t have much money left either. Although she didn''t need to spend much living here, her mother needed money. After having her meal, she went out. It was really difficult for those without academic qualifications and work experience¡ªlike her¡ªto get a job. After being rejected everywhere, Lin Xinyan could only find some low-end jobs. A high-end restaurant was hiring waitress. This position didn''t require her to have any academic background, and it would be fine as long as she was clever and quick to respond. She now had to make sure that she had money in her hands, so she went in to apply for the job. Despite her failure to get an academic qualification, Lin Xinyan had gone to college, so her speech and demeanor were very logical, and she could react quickly. The restaurant manager asked her toe to work tomorrow. Now that Lin Xinyan finally had a job, she was in a better mood. Aftering out from the restaurant, she wandered by the road alone. As the setting sun went down, a hint of red, bright light was left on the horizon, illuminating the street, and making Lin Xinyan''s shadow longer. She was alone, which made her look a little lonely. ¡°Xinyan.¡± After hearing it, Lin Xinyan turned her head to look at the source of the sound, whereas He Ruize ran over from across the road. ¡°I thought I was seeing things.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°Doctor He.¡± Lin Xinyan was also surprised for seeing him again. ¡°Why are you still here in China?¡± He looked at Lin Xinyan, and said hesitantly, ¡°I came back to work here.¡± Thinking of how the director poached him himself at the hospital the other day, Lin Xinyan understood it. ¡°The remuneration package that the hospital offered is very attractive, right?¡± Lin Xinyan said with some envy. As she needed to take care of her mother, she didn''t get her graduation certificate, so it was really hard for her to get a job now. He Ruize smiled gently and said, ¡°Yes, it is.¡± If it weren''t for the fact that she wasn''t going back, he wouldn''t opt to stay in China no matter how good the remuneration was. There were too many people and things that he didn''t want to think about in China. Looking up at the sky, Lin Xinyan saw that it was getting dark. It was almost two months since she came back, and now she was actually a little confused and lost. It was not easy to take back the things that were once theirs. Sensing her emotions, He Ruize reached out to put her messy hair behind her ear, and said, ¡°Tell me if you faced any difficulties.¡± He had helped her a lot in the past, so Lin Xinyan shook her head with a smile. He had been with her for a long time, and always knew what she was thinking. She would rather suffer than owe others any favors. ¡°You''re too stubborn.¡± So stubborn that it made others'' heart ache. Lin Xinyan pursed her lips. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to owe others any favors, she was just afraid that she couldn''t afford to repay them. She had nothing. ¡°It''s getting dark. Don''t you want to go home, Doctor He?¡± Lin Xinyan asked. Lin Xinyan always called him ''Doctor He'' in the past. ¡°Yan.¡± He Ruize looked at her. ¡°Don''t call me Doctor He from now on, all right?¡± He looked at Lin Xinyan seriously. ¡°Call me by my first name, orst name. We have known each other for such a long time, and yet you keep calling me Doctor He, which makes us feel like strangers. What do you think?¡± Lin Xinyan thought for a moment. He was elder than she was and used to take care of her like a big brother. ¡°So, I''ll call you Ruize?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He Ruize took the opportunity to get close to her, and reached out to hug her, smiling. ¡°Call me Ruize from now on.¡± ¡°Hao, is that Miss Lin?¡± Zong Jinghao, who was driving, didn''t notice the people on the roadside. Hearing Bai Zhuwei''s reminder, he looked over¡ª Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Lin Xinyan''s body stiffened, not expecting He Ruize to hug her so suddenly. Coming back to her senses, she struggled to her feet. From Zong Jinghao''s point of view, there was a bit of coquetry, so he couldn''t help frowning. Bai Zhuwei pretended to say unintentionally, ¡°Unexpectedly, she actually has a boyfriend.¡± Zong Jinghao was inexplicably annoyed. mming on the elerator, he sped to leave. Bai Zhuwei pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Are you mad?¡± Zong Jinghao sneered. ¡°Why would I be?¡± She was pregnant, so she must have a man! Knowing she had a man was different from actually seeing her with the man, as he just felt inexplicably upset! Soon, he stopped the car at Bai Zhuwei''s house. She didn''t get off the car immediately, but looked at Zong Jinghao, saying, ¡°Would you like toe to my ce?¡± Seemingly afraid that he would refuse, Bai Zhuwei hurriedly added, ¡°Hao, I''ve prepared your favorite food¡ª¡± ¡°Zhuwei.¡± Zong Jinghao interrupted her. He didn''t know what was wrong with him either, as he felt a little confused. Then, he reached out his hand to smooth her hair. ¡°I won''t go to your ce today. You should rest early.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Bai Zhuwei didn''t finish her sentence in the end, and obediently got out of the car. ¡°Drive safe.¡± Zong Jinghao answered softly in acknowledgment and left. He drove almost all the way at full speed, and Lin Xinyan had not returned when he reached home. Unbuttoning his shirt, he asked, ¡°When did she go out?¡± ¡°At noon.¡± Aunt Yu took the coat from him. ¡°Do you want to have dinner now?¡± ¡°Maybeter.¡± He had no appetite now. He only undid two buttons of his shirt. It wasn''t tight, and yet he felt stuffy somehow. This strange feeling made him very ufortable! Pushing open the door of his study, the sticky note that Lin Xinyan left for him was still on the desk. He picked it up and sneered. ¡°One moment, you put on a show in front of me, and the next you''re hanging out with a man. Well done, Lin Xinyan!¡± The sticky note crumpled into a ball in his hand. Lin Xinyan took a taxi back. He Ruize wanted to send her back, but she didn''t want him to know about her rtionship with Zong Jinghao, so she refused. There was only Aunt Yu at home, and Lin Xinyan thought that Zong Jinghao wasn''t home yet, so she felt rxed a lot. Seeing her good mood, Aunt Yu asked, ¡°What makes you so happy?¡± There was none actually. Lin Xinyan smiled. ¡°I just feel freer with him not here.¡± Aunt Yu was speechless. ¡°Are you saying that I''m a redundant?¡± His slender figure leanedzily against the door of the study, looking casual yet sarcastic. This voice¡ª Lin Xinyan turned around stiffly, and saw the man leaning against the door with a gloomy look. W-Why is he at home? Not seeing him when she was back, Lin Xinyan thought that he wasn''t home, so she didn''t think much when she spoke. ¡°I¡ª¡± Lin Xinyan was about to exin when Zong Jinghao walked past her to the dining room and asked Aunt Yu to serve them dinner. Sitting at the dining table, Lin Xinyan tried to exin several times, but failed to find the words to exin. Zong Jinghao didn''t look at her at all, and only when he finished his meal did he say, ¡°Come in with me.¡± Putting down the chopsticks, Lin Xinyan followed him into the study. Zong Jinghao sat at the desk and ced the documents that she tranted on the desk before ncing at her drily. ¡°Do you know thenguage of Country A?¡± Lin Xinyan nodded her head. This made Zong Jinghao feel curious. ¡°Why did you learn thisnguage? It''s not widely-used internationally.¡± The mention of the ce where she spent eight years of her life brought pain to her heart. However, no one could understand the pain, and only she herself knew how embarrassing and unbearable that period of time was. She didn''t want to show it in front of others. Forcing a seemingly rxed smile, she replied, ¡°I just learnt it because I like it.¡± Zong Jinghao knitted his brows. The emotion that she covered up seemingly well, and the sorrow that quickly disappeared from her eyes didn''t escape his eyes. What exactly is she hiding? ¡°Come here,¡± he said in a deep voice. Lin Xinyan was reluctant. She couldn''t understand this man, but now she had to deal with him. She went over with light footsteps. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Zong Jinghao ced a document in front of her. ¡°Since you know thenguage, you will trante this document for me.¡± Looking down, Lin Xinyan noticed the words ''Wanyue Group'' printed on the top right corner of the document. She was upied with tranting the documentsst night and didn''t notice the mark on the upper right corner of the document. She couldn''t help but raise her head. ¡°Have you not recruited a trantor?¡± Zong Jinghao raised his eyebrows slightly. Taking the document, Lin Xinyan said in a low voice, ¡°I had an interview at yourpany for the trantor job. They were quite satisfied with me at first, butter, they said that I was unsuitable. I don''t know why.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Every word and expression on his face set people thinking, with unfathomable meaning hidden in it. Lin Xinyan said yes. There was no need for her to lie. ¡°I can help you with the trantion of this document, but¡ª¡± It wasn''t that Lin Xinyan was greedy and wanted to get some benefits from it, but now she had nothing, so she could only be presumptuous. Looking at her calmly, Zong Jinghao gave her a warning shot before she could speak. ¡°If you want to talk about thend at Repulse Bay, I won''t agree to it. The Lins don''t have the ability to take it.¡± Lin Xinyan really wanted to talk about this earlier, but it was definitely not for Lin Guoan. She wanted to ask him to give her, so that she would have a bargaining chip to make a deal with Lin Guoan. It was obvious now that he refused. It was obviously impossible to get thend in exchange for the trantion of documents. ¡°Give me money then.¡± Since she couldn''t take back her mother''s dowry for the time being, she would first make some money for her mother, and then her baby in the future. She needed to make a lot of money for them. Lin Xinyan flipped through the document, and there were more than twenty pages. ¡°One hundred per page. I won''t overcharge you.¡± Zong Jinghao was rendered speechless. Is the Lins so short of money? Why does this woman''s behavior be more and more mysterious? Zong Jinghao said nothing, so Lin Xinyan thought he didn''t ept it. ¡°It''s really not expensive. If you think it''s too expensive, how about I... lower the price a bit?¡± ¡°No. Just follow the price that you asked for.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Lin Xinyan picked up the document and got up from the desk. ¡°I can''t finish this now. I''ll bring it back to my room and send it to you after I''m done tranting.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Lin Xinyan looked at him in confusion. His gaze was heavy, looking like a warning. ¡°There''s one thing I need you to understand.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Xinyan was confused. Zong Jinghao stood up from the chair and walked up to her against the light, taking steady and slow steps. Finally, he stood in front of Lin Xinyan and said condescendingly, ¡°For as long as we''re still husband and wife, don''t simply make out with other men.¡± Regardless of the reason to get married, she must not cuckold him during their marriage! This was his limit, and his dignity as a man! Lin Xinyan didn''t react for a long time. With whom did I make out? She instinctively retorted, ¡°Aren''t you spending the night here with another woman? Do you want me to ask you to do the same too as a wife?¡± Zong Jinghao''s frown deepened. ¡°I didn''t sleep with her.¡± Lin Xinyan was stunned for a moment. Bai Zhuwei had clearly spent the night herest night. Who would believe that he didn''t sleep with her? Hold on. Sleep with her or not, what does it have to do with me? The expression on Zong Jinghao''s face changed. What am I doing? Lin Xinyan didn''t want to get in a fight with him, so she softened her tone. ¡°I''ll try my best to do what you ask me to do. So I...¡± She waved the document in her hand, and her meaning was clear. Zong Jinghao replied drily in acknowledgment, with a bit of anger in his tone. He wasn''t angry at Lin Xinyan, but at himself! Why should I exin myself to her?! I must be insane! Such unusual behavior made him very ufortable and even feels disgusted! Lin Xinyan got hired for the job at the restaurant, so she wanted to finish this document that needed to be tranted as soon as possible. By 12 o''clock in the morning, she had only finished half of it, and was already very sleepy. In order to refresh herself, she brought the document to the living room. The whole vi was quiet at this hour, and Zong Jinghao and Aunt Yu should be sleeping soundly now. Putting the document on the coffee table, she went to the kitchen to pour herself a ss of warm water. Then, she put down the ss, and returned to the living room to sit on the carpet before continuing with the trantion on the coffee table. Zong Jinghao was thirsty, so he went downstairs to get water in the middle of the night. When he saw that Lin Xinyan was still tranting documents, he frowned slightly, but didn''t say anything. Lin Xinyan saw him, but also didn''t take the initiative to greet him. Zong Jinghao was used to having no outsiders at home. So when he saw the ss of water on the table, he picked it up and drank it. ¡°Umm¡ª¡± Lin Xinyan wanted to remind him that she had used the ss earlier, but Zong Jinghao had already used it, so she didn''t know how to finish the rest of her sentence. After taking a look at her, Zong Jinghao seemed to have understood her mid-sentence pause. His gaze was fixated on her face for a few seconds, and then he lowered his head. Under the bright light, he found that there was a partly-ovepping faint lip print on the rim of the ss. Half of it was the ce where he had just drunk the water. It was obvious that the ce where he had just drunk from was used by someone. Combined with Lin Xinyan''s reaction just now, he was sure that it was her. With her head down, Lin Xinyan pretended that she didn''t see anything, and that nothing happened. However, she felt her face inexplicably warm. They were very unfamiliar with each other, so sharing a ss was overly intimate. Although he didn''t mean it, Lin Xinyan still felt embarrassed. Moving his lips, Zong Jinghao licked his lower lip with the tip of his tongue. He didn''t know what he was thinking either, so he simply poured the remaining water in his mouth. Putting down the empty ss, he walked over and looked up at the clock. It was already one o''clock. ¡°Aren''t you going to sleep yet?¡± Lin Xinyan drooped her head and didn''t even dare to look up. ¡°I''m not sleepy yet.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Zong Jinghao looked at her in silence for two seconds before turning around to go upstairs. When he walked to the staircase, he suddenly remembered that she said that she had a job interview at hispany but was not epted. Finding it strange, he went back to his room, picked up his phone, and called Guan Jing. Guan Jing was in a bad mood after being woken up by the phone call while he was deep asleep. He angrily grabbed the phone on the bedside table and was ready to swear at the caller. But when he saw the name on the screen, he immediately became timid as he rubbed his eyes and answered the call. ¡°Mr. Zong.¡± ¡°Go and find out why the HR Department refused to hire a trantor.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Before Guan Jing could understand what was going on, the caller had already hung up the phone. He looked at his phone. Did he just call me for such a minor thing in the middle of the night? Guan Jing twisted his face. He had really disturbed my sleep. He was justining and didn''t dare to neglect it. The next day, Aunt Yu woke up to find Lin Xinyan sleeping on the table. She couldn''t understand the pile of papers in front of her, but she knew that it might be work. She sighed secretly. ¡°You don''t have to work so hard that you don''t even sleep.¡± Although she didn''t understand, she still went into her room to get a nket and put it over her. At the same time, Zong Jinghao wasing down from upstairs, and saw Aunt Yu putting a nket over Lin Xinyan. The thin lines at the corners of his eyes deepened, with a hint of magnanimity from the years he had been through. Walking over, he bent down to pick up the documents she tranted. There were 22 pieces of documents that she finished tranting by hand. After all this was done, it would have been almost dawn. Did this woman not sleep all night? Zong Jinghao couldn''t help but take another look at her. Not knowing what to say, Aunt Yu sighed, and turned to prepare breakfast at kitchen. When Lin Xinyan woke up, Zong Jinghao was already having his breakfast. Rubbing her eyes and supporting herself on the table to get up, she found that both of her legs went numb. She rested for a long time before she could walk. She went to the bathroom to wash up and take a shower, so that she could be energetic. After Lin Xinyan put on her clothes and came out, she ced the tranted documents in front of Zong Jinghao. ¡°It''s done.¡± She sat back on her seat to take her breakfast. After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°If it''s convenient for you, give me the money now.¡± Lin Xinyan was afraid that he would forget. Zong Jinghao put down the coffee cup and looked at her for two seconds. ¡°I don''t carry cash with me. You can find me at thepanyter.¡± After speaking, he got up from his seat. Taking a sip of the milk, Lin Xinyan didn''t mind, as long as he acknowledged it. Lin Xinyan tried her best to finish tranting the documents, because she didn''t want to affect her job today. Not long after Zong Jinghao went out, Lin Xinyan went out as well. There was a uniform at the restaurant. Therefore, Lin Xinyan put on a white shirt, a ck vest, bow tie at the cor, and a fitted skirt, revealing a pair of her straight and slender legs. Sitting by a window, Bai Zhuwei was in a particrly good mood, as Zong Jinghao took the initiative to ask her out to eat together. Although Zong Jinghao had made their rtionship official, and also promised that he would marry her, he had never taken the initiative to ask her out, and she had always been the one that took the initiative. ¡°Hao¡ª¡± ¡°I heard that it was you who rejected Lin Xinyan''s job application for trantor, is that true?¡± Guan Jing told him when he came to thepany early in the morning. It was Bai Zhuwei who was behind the rejection of Lin Xinyan''s job application. Bai Zhuwei clenched her fists. How did he find out about this? Zong Jinghao leaned back on the chair. With the warm sun outside the window shining down on his body, hezily supported his jaw with his hand, his gaze deep and inquiring. At this moment, he found himself no longer understood this kind-hearted woman who had saved him when he was a kid and had made him an antidote. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Suppressing the panic in her heart, Bai Zhuwei lowered her gaze slightly, her eyes slightly watery. ¡°She has been with you all day long. If she joins thepany as a trantor, she''ll be even closer to you. I''m afraid that you will have feelings for each other as time passes.¡± Now that she couldn''t hide it from him, she didn''t want to hide it anymore. Instead, she told him frankly to dispel his suspicion. She was just afraid that she would lose him. With her big, watery eyes, she added, ¡°You''ve known me for a long time, and you know how I feel about you¡ª¡± Bai Zhuwei continued to hold back her tears. ¡°I was so afraid that I would lose you. That''s why I acted on my own when I saw her application for the job.¡± Zong Jinghao frowned hard. ¡°I told you, we''ll get divorced after a month.¡± Bai Zhuwei knew it. If she didn''t know that Lin Xinyan was the girl on that night, she would be willing to wait. She had been waiting for so many years, so another month was nothing. But now, she could not wait anymore. I couldn''t let her get too close to Zong Jinghao! No way! ¡°Lin Xinyan, bring this over to table no. 2.¡± Lin Xinyan replied in acknowledgment. Somehow, due to herck of sleepst night and frequent standing at work today, she felt a slight pain in her lower abdomen. She walked toward table number two with the tray of food. Before she got to the seat, she saw Bai Zhuwei, with Zong Jinghao sitting across from her. She hesitated for a very short time. This was her job, so she couldn''t avoid it. Keeping a standard smile on her face, she said, ¡°Here''s your food.¡± Bending over, Lin Xinyan took out the food from the tray. When she ced the te in front of Zong Jinghao, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± His voice sounded slightly cold, with a questioning tone. His gaze lingered on her body. She wore a white shirt with a ck vest, and a short fitted skirt that only covered her hips, revealing a pair of fair, straight legs. His gaze lingered on her legs for a few seconds, as his face grew overcast. What kind of attire is she wearing? To whom is she showing her skin to? She''s a married woman, what is she doing here? Lin Xinyan kept a smile on her face. ¡°I''m working.¡± Zong Jinghao frowned, with slight anger on his face. Besides tranting the documents and asking for money from him, she was now even doing such a job. Did the Lins really fall to such a state? ¡°Could you please let go of me?¡± Lin Xinyan didn''t see it as a big deal, as she made money with her own hands. Bai Zhuwei reached out to grab Zong Jinghao''s hand. ¡°Hao, people are watching. Let''s go out and talk.¡± No one knew about the marriage between Zong Jinghao and Lin Xinyan. Bai Zhuwei didn''t want Zong Jinghao to make this matter clear. Staring at Lin Xinyan, Zong Jinghao was only able to suppress his inexplicable anger after a long time and let go of her. ¡°I don''t want you to work here.¡± Lin Xinyan only felt the pain in her lower abdomen grew in intensity, while beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. she wanted to exin, but she felt weak, so she left with the food tray without saying anything. She put down the te and went into the toilet. This feeling scared her. Fortunately, she didn''t bleed. Coming out from the cubicle, she washed her hands by the sink. She then lowered her head and touched her belly. ¡°Be good, my baby.¡± Mommy needs to make money. Only when I have money could I take good care of my mother and the baby in my tummy. Bai Zhuwei came in and happened to hear what she said. She fixed her eyes on her belly while her face turned pale. Seeing her pale face, Lin Xinyan exined, ¡°This isn''t Zong Jinghao''s. You don''t have to look so pale.¡± Then, Lin Xinyan pulled herself together, walked past her, and went out of the toilet. ¡°Your pregnancy, has it been two months?¡± Bai Zhuwei turned around. Lin Xinyan stopped and turned around. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I-I''m just making a guess.¡± Bai Zhuwei struggled to hold on. S-She''s actually pregnant with Zong Jinghao''s baby?! As expected, this woman must not stay here! At this moment, Bai Zhuwei wanted to get rid of this woman badly, and make herpletely disappear from Zong Jinghao''s world! After Lin Xinyan walked out of the toilet, she was grabbed by Zong Jinghao in the wrist, and pulled out of the restaurant. She was already feeling unwell, and after being dragged away by Zong Jinghao, she only felt that the eased pain became serious again. ¡°Let go of me!¡± She wanted to shout at him, but she didn''t have enough strength, so there was ack of vigor in her tone. Zong Jinghao only released her after dragging her all the way to the roadside. He said sternly, ¡°You can just tell me if you need money. You don''t need to pretend to be pitiful in front of me!¡± He didn''t believe that the Lins had fallen to such a state. Lin Guoan even took his wife and daughter to shop at a luxury store two days ago. Yet now, she actually came to work as a waitress at a restaurant? Lin Xinyan leaned against the advertising sign on the roadside; otherwise, she would not be able to From N?velDrama.Org. stand it. She tried hard to calm herself down. ¡°Although you and I are husband and wife, we both know that we''re just making a deal. A deal that allows us to get what we want. You don''t have to be so angry about what I do, Mr. Zong.¡± ¡°Since you''re my wife, doing this kind of job is a disgrace to me!¡± Zong Jinghao was puzzled by this woman. Her behaviors were always inscrutable. Pursing her lips, Lin Xinyan quietly endured the pain. Just as she couldn''t hold on any longer, He Ruize ran over to her. ¡°Yan, I came here to look for you. I didn''t expect that I would really¡ªAre you feeling unwell?¡± As a psychiatrist, he was very observant of the human bodynguage. Although Lin Xinyan tried her best to endure the pain, he noticed her difort. After he parted ways with her that day, he went to Zhuang Zijin at her house. He learned everything about Lin Xinyan from Zhuang Zijin, including how she got pregnant. He couldn''t name the feelings in his heart, but he didn''t feel good. Why didn''t she go to me after encountering such difficulties?! He wanted to look for her, but he didn''t know where she lived, so he came to the ce where they met yesterday to try his luck. He didn''t expect that he would really find her. Lin Xinyan couldn''t bother to care about anything now, as the pain in her lower abdomen made her panic. So she grabbed He Ruize in the arm. ¡°Please send me to the hospital.¡± He Ruize looked at her lower abdomen. When he bent over to hold her, he felt a sudden grip on his shoulder. He turned around. Zong Jinghao''s face clouded over, while he said, ¡°She''s my wife.¡± His tone was neutral, yet fearsome! As if he was warning He Ruize that she was his wife and others couldn''t touch her! He Ruize smiled mockingly. ¡°You''re husband and wife?¡± Before Zong Jinghao could react, he added, ¡°You''re just making a deal. You won''t marry a woman that is pregnant.¡± Zong Jinghao narrowed his eyes, while a dangerous auraing out from him. ¡°The child is yours?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 That day, Lin Xinyan had been hugging him. If it was not his, who''s would it be? He Ruize''s heart ached. If she had found him on the day of the ident, she would not have been in such a mess. In Zong Jinghao''s eyes, He Ruize''s action was a silent acknowledgement. Zong Jinghao scoffed, ¡°She''s just eighteen¡ª¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± He Ruize chastised. His eyes were red. He knew what Zong Jinghao was about to say; it was nothing else but that Lin Xinyan behaved inappropriately. That she was improper, that she had gotten herself pregnant at the age of eighteen. Yet did he know what she had gone through? He Ruize took a good look at Zong Jinghao. On him was an expensive suit, and its price was likely an average person''s annual sry. ¡°You were born with a golden spoon; would you have ever known the difficulties in life? Do you know how difficult it is sometimes to have a simple meal? Do you know what it feels like to be helpless and choiceless? You don''t! You don''t know how she had survived until today!¡± Lin Xinyan held onto He Ruize and shook her head. She needed no sympathy nor pity from others. She just wanted to try her best in life and take care of her mother and the baby in her. That was enough for her. ¡°Please send me to the hospital.¡± She could barely stand. ¡°Alright.¡± He Ruize bent down and carried her. Lin Xinyan looked at Zong Jinghao, who seemed a little shocked at He Ruize''s words. ¡°Sorry, but I can''t give up on the job. Don''t worry, I won''t let anyone else know my rtionship with you. I won''t let you be embarrassed.¡± Zong Jinghao frowned, and his eyes flickered. His gaze passed over her face. This woman¡ª No one else but He Ruize knew how Lin Xinyan was right now. He could feel her trembling in his arms. He carried her into the car, and consoled, ¡°Don''t worry, there isn''t any blood, you''ll be fine.¡± He Ruize hurriedly entered the car and drove her to a hospital. Zong Jinghao stared at the car disappearing in the horizon, his mind still reying He Ruize''s words. What secrets did Lin Xinyan held? She did have many strange actions. To clear his head on the matter, he called Guan Jing. ¡°Do a check on Lin Xinyan.¡± ¡°What do I check on?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± And Zong Jinghao ended the call. ¡°Hao.¡± Bai Zhuwei ran out from the restaurant and held onto his arm. ¡°Are you still angry with me for not letting Lin Xinyan into thepany? I know I''m in the wrong. I just love you too much¡ª¡± ¡°No, let''s go home.¡± There were no emotions on his face nor in his voice. He hid his feelings deep inside him until no one could see through him. Bai Zhuwei just felt anxious. Who had he been calling just now? At the hospital. Lin Xinyan was pushed into the operating room. He Ruize waited on the outside. Waiting was always a long process, and once in a while, he would peek into the operating room. Around an hourter, the door of the operating room opened, and Lin Xinyan was pushed out. He Ruize rushed forward, and asked, ¡°How is she?¡± The doctor pulled down his mask, and replied, ¡°She had signs of miscarriage because she was exhausted. She''s alright now, but she has to rest, or else she might not be this lucky the next time.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± He Ruize pushed her into the hospital room. Lin Xinyan looked at He Ruize, and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you for always helping me.¡± He was always there for her when she needed help. ¡°As long as you''re fine.¡± He Ruize had his usual gentle smile on his face. ¡°You paid for my hospital bills, right? I''ll pay you backter.¡± Her movements in speaking pulled on her dry lips. ¡°Let''s talk about thister. You needed rest.¡± He Ruize did not like that she was still so distant from him. As they entered the room, Lin Xinyan looked at him and said, ¡°Tell my mom toe over.¡± She did not want to bother He Ruize beyond this. He Ruize thought she missed Zhuang Zijin. After all, anyone would want their family to be with them in their moment of weakness. He took the phone and called Zhuang Zijin. He told her that Lin Xinyan was in hospital and asked her to Zhuang Zijin panicked, and asked, ¡°What''s wrong with Yanyan?¡± ¡°She''s fine, she just needed some rest. She missed you.¡± It was now then Zhuang Zijin dared to take release her breath. She came to the hospital as quick as she could. When Zhuang Zijin arrived, Lin Xinyan told He Ruize that he could now leave. ¡°Sorry to have bothered you.¡± Zhuang Zijin apologized. ¡°It''s fine. I''ll go back now. I''lle and visit you tomorrow.¡± He Ruize looked at her, and said, ¡°Rest well.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zhuang Zijin sat on the side of the bed once He Ruize left. She covered the nket on her daughter, and asked, ¡°Is there anything you want to eat?¡± Lin Xinyan shook her head. Her face was pale. Zhuang Zijin felt upset. ¡°You could''ve had a good future, but for me, you lost your chance to study. And now¡ª¡± When Zhuang Zijin thought about the baby in her daughter''s stomach, she felt her heart ache. ¡°You said that this was from Country A. What if it''s a baby with golden hair and blue eyes?¡± Zhuang Zijin was worried that it was the local from that night. ¡°Regardless, it''s my child, and your grandchild.¡± Lin Xinyan did not want to think about that night. After all, it was nothing but a bad memory for her. ¡°Country A?¡± Zong Jinghao hade to the hospital to visit Lin Xinyan. He was about to knock on the door when he realized that Zhuang Zijin was also inside. He stopped, not wanting to disturb the mother and daughter. ¡°Yes, regardless if the baby was fair-skinned or yellow-skinned, they''re my grandchild.¡± Zhuang Zijin moved on. As long as her daughter was happy, she would agree with her and take care of her. Perhaps it was fate to meet with this child. After all, it was just once. Zhuang Zijin smoothed her forehead, and said, ¡°My good daughter, you have suffered with me.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°She didn''t abort the baby?¡± To Zong Jinghao, she was bing more and more of a mystery. On that day, she had undoubtedly entered the operating room. They were still talking and he did not want to disrupt them. He turned around and left. When he reached the entrance of the hospital, the phone in his pocket rang. He took it out, and on the screen was Guan Jing''s name. He picked up the call. ¡°I have gathered information on her.¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Zong Jinghao nodded, his strong jawline tensed, and he softly said, ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Eight years ago, Lin Guoan and Zhuang Zijin divorced. He sent the mother and daughter to Country A. They never returned until recently, when Lin Guoan brought them back.¡± Zong Jinghao frowned. So was that why she knew how to speak Country A''snguage? It was because she once lived there? ¡°That''s all?¡± Evidently, these would not satisfy him. Guan Jing hesitated, and continued, ¡°After Zhuang Zijin was sent to Country A, she gave birth to a boy who was autistic. They lived a difficult life there. Before they came back here, the boy died from a car ident.¡± Zong Jinghao frowned, and the look on his face became more serious. So thest time he saw the sadness in her eyes, it was because of her brother?¡± The baby in her... ¡°Nothing else? No other men in her life?¡± ¡°No. Just a psychiatrist who was close to her.¡± Guan Jing looked at the information the investigators sent him. ¡°No one else. She never had a rtionship in school, and no boys or men were close to her.¡± This meant that it was likely that the baby in her was the psychiatrist''s. The reason she was brought back by Lin Guoan was because of their engagement. And as to why she loved money was because she had a difficult life in Country A. That''s why she worked as a trantor for him, and also worked in a restaurant. Now that he thought about this, Lin Xinyan''s actions were no longer a mystery to him. And he now understood what He Ruize''s words meant. He felt conflicted. He turned around and looked at the hospital for another time, before walking down the stairs, and leaving the hospital in his car. In the hospital. Lin Xinyan had not had lunch, and now she was hungry. ¡°Mom, I want to eat Eight-Treasure Rice.¡± Lin Xinyan had the sudden urge for sweet food. Zhuang Zijin had been through pregnancy. She knew that pregnant women had cravings and were picky with their food. The old saying was that sour cravings were for baby boys and spicy cravings were for baby girls. Will she be having a granddaughter or a grandson? ¡°I''ll make it at home.¡± Zhuang Zijin stood up, but she was worried that no one would take care of her daughter in hospital. Lin Xinyan seemed to know what her mother was thinking about. She said while smiling, ¡°I''m fine. The doctor just said to rest.¡± If it was not worrying about her baby, she would not even be in the hospital. Zhuang Zijin nodded and reminded her to rest well before leaving the room. As Zhuang Zijin walked into the district, she was suddenly stopped by a few women. They were all from this district. Although they had not been staying here for long, they had no qualms with the neighbors. Zhuang Zijin frowned and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Your daughter is pregnant before marrying? She has a bastard in her, is that right?¡± The one who spoke first was a fat, middle-aged woman. She lived beside Zhuang Zijin''s house. ¡°The both of you always looked like decent people. I can''t believe your daughter is this type of person. Didn''t you say thest time that your daughter was just eighteen?¡± The fat woman aggressively said as she ced her hands on her waist. The colors on Zhuang Zijin''s face flickered between red and white. Her voice trembled as she said, ¡°Where¡ª Where did you hear this nonsense from?¡± ¡°Did we make a mistake? Is your daughter not pregnant?¡± Zhuang Zijin''s hand trembled. Her daughter was indeed pregnant. ¡°A disgrace!¡± ¡°That''s right! Seducing men at such a young age. I thought she looked like a na?ve girl but turns out she''s a whore!¡± ¡°Hear, hear! Her na?ve looks are to show the world. Secretly she has been doing filthy things¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up! You have no rights to say this!¡± Zhuang Zijin was furious, her usually gentle face was twisted into a mask of anger. ¡°If you did it, you shouldn''t be afraid of gossips!¡± Zhuang Zijin held onto her chest, and sternly said, ¡°My daughter isn''t the type of person you say she is!¡± She felt like her heart was about to be torn apart by others. Her daughter was not that kind of person. Why did they wanted to hurt her like this? ¡°No? Then why does she have a bastard in her at eighteen?¡± Zhuang Zijin could not find words to rebuke that. It was a fact that Lin Xinyan was pregnant. N?velDrama.Org content rights. She knew that getting pregnant before marriage would invite judgment, but she had not expected this onught of fault-finding. ¡°Move aside!¡± Zhuang Zijin pushed them aside and hurriedly walked into the district. Although her heart was filled with frustration, but when she thought about her daughter in the hospital, she pushed it aside to focus on making the dessert for her daughter. She thought she had her emotions well when she went back to the hospital with the food. Yet her daughter had seen through her fa?ade. ¡°Mom, you¡ª¡± ¡°I''m alright.¡± Zhuang Zijin did not want her daughter to know the words that she had heard today. Lin Xinyan stared at Zhuang Zijin, who was looking away. She could not make lies; when she lied, she could not look into other people''s eyes. So, obviously, she lied. Lin Xinyan said nothing about it and took the Eight-Treasure Rice. It was so sweet, yet she could not taste the sweetness, only the bitterness. With lowered eyelids, she said, ¡°Mom, I''ll be discharged tomorrow. I''lle home and apany you for a few days.¡± She had thought that the reason for the paleness on Zhuang Zijin''s face was because her mother missed her son. That had been her mother''s trauma. Zhuang Zijin was shocked and rejected her in an instant. ¡°No.¡± How bad would she feel if she were to hear those words? ¡°Mom¡ª¡± Lin Xinyan frowned. ¡°Listen to me.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter if it''s a deal or something else. Now that you''re married to the Zongs, you should be staying there.¡± Zhuang Zijin pretended to be stern. Zhuang Zijin''s actions were too unusual for her, Lin Xinyan could not help but overthink. She remained silent. The food in her mouth was tasteless; she only ate for the baby in her. She was restless throughout the night. Only when the sun was about rise then did she fall asleep. Though, it was only for a while before she woke up. In the morning, He Ruize came, and Zhuang Zijin went home to cook for Lin Xinyan. When Zhuang Zijin left the room, Lin Xinyan came down from the bed. He Ruize moved over to support her. She raised her head and looked at He Ruize. ¡°I think my mom is hiding something from me.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± He Ruize asked. ¡°I don''t know, so I want to find out.¡± She hesitated a while before she asked, ¡°I was hoping that you can do me a favor.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I want to follow her.¡± And find out why her mother did not want her to go home. Earlier, Zhuang Zijin had said that she hoped her daughter woulde home, so she could take better care of her. Yet she reacted so heatedly yesterday. It was obvious that something was going on. The only family she now had was her mother. She was not going to let her mother take on burdens by herself. He Ruize made sure that she could walk before agreeing to help her. The road there was smooth. Zhuang Zijin alighted the car when she reached the area and entered the building. Lin Xinyan followed closely. Coming down the stairs, Lin Xinyan saw the state of their house. The door and walls were written with criticizing words like ¡°disgrace¡± and ¡°non-marital pregnancy¡± and was covered in paint. Zhuang Zijin stood in front of the door, trembling in fury. She swayed and copsed. ¡°Mom¡ª¡± He Ruize ran over and caught the copsing Zhuang Zijin. ¡°Let''s send her to the hospital first.¡± Evidently she was provoked by the words on the wall. Lin Xinyan choked back a sob and nodded. Ever since the ident where her brother died and her mother was injured, she had been physically weak. She would have been furious to have seen these. To copse so suddenly... Lin Xinyan was worried. Zhuang Zijin was sent to the emergency room. Lin Xinyan stood in front of the door, still, as if her soul had left her body. He Ruize hugged her shoulders and consoled, ¡°Don''t be too worried.¡± When Zong Jinghao reached home and realized that Lin Xinyan was still in the hospital, he started his car and went there. Perhaps it was because he knew Lin Xinyan had an unfortunate life, or perhaps it was because she was his wife, he now felt a littlepassion for her. He did not see her in the room. On the way out, he saw Lin Xinyan hugging He Ruize at the corridor. A ball of fire started growing in his heart. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 A ball of fire started growing in his heart. It came so sudden, and he did not even know why. ¡°You''re being lovey-dovey here?¡± His tone was ice cold. This voice¡ª Although she had not been with him for long, Lin Xinyan instantly knew who this voice belonged to. She stiffened and turned her head. Of course. He was not standing far, and his expression was grim. ¡°You''ve forgotten what I''ve said thest time?¡± Lin Xinyan subconsciously struggled out from He Ruize''s hold. She was worried about Zhuang Zijin just now, so she had not realized that she was touching He Ruize. ¡°I¡ª¡± Just as Lin Xinyan was about to exin, He Ruize grabbed onto her wrist. He looked at Zong Jinghao. ¡°Your marriage was just a one-month''s deal. What reasons do you have to interfere with her private matters?¡± He Ruize felt heartbroken and pity for Lin Xinyan after knowing about her story. Now he wanted to cherish and protect her. Zong Jinghao stared at He Ruize''s hand on Lin Xinyan''s wrist. A mocking scoff came out from his throat. ¡°You let a woman with your baby marry someone else, and now you''re wanting her back?¡± The sneer by his lips dropped, and his gaze was as sharp as a sword as he pressured onto He Ruize. ¡°Can you even be called a man?¡± Lin Xinyan''s heartbeat skipped. She felt ashamed and at a loss. He thought the baby in her was He Ruize''s. All she had for He Ruize was gratitude and respect; she would never make him stand near her filth. She struggled out of He Ruize''s grasp and looked at Zong Jinghao. ¡°If you want to critique me, please just focus on me, don''t drag in anyone else.¡± Zong Jinghao had not expected Lin Xinyan''s protectiveness. How loving! Yet in his eyes, this was ridiculous and rage-inducing. She was now his wife, but she was showing off her rtionship with another man in front of him! The inexplicable fire burned in his chest. He Ruize was right; their marriage was just a deal. He had no rights to critique her. He just did not want to see them together. ¡°Thend at Repulse Bay. If you still want it,e and look for me.¡± He turned and left after saying it. Lin Xinyan was surprised and in a trance for a few seconds. She could not believe that he was giving her another chance after she had given up on it. For her, this was tempting. If she had the rights to thend, she would have the power to be on equal terms with Lin Guoan. And not just go with his flow. ¡°Yanyan.¡± He Ruize was worried. It seemed like she had taken Zong Jinghao''s words seriously. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Lin Xinyan shook her head. After twenty minutes, Zhuang Zijin was pushed out of the operating room. She had copsed from the intense emotions. She was left with a daughter now. Zhuang Zijin had been ufortable when she heard the others smearing her daughter''s name. Combined with seeing the words on the wall, she could not take it and had copsed. ¡°The patient won''t be able to withstand intense emotions. Try and let her stay calm.¡± The doctor informed after sending her to the hospital room. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. Lin Xinyan knew that her younger brother''s death took a toll on her. If she had not been there, she had no doubt that her mother would have followed after her brother. She had thought that bringing her mother away from the sad ce would make her happier. And yet now, her mother was still suffering from her matters. But who was it? There were not many who knew about her pregnancy. Why did they do it? What were they hoping to achieve? He Ruize knew what she was thinking about. He walked over and said, ¡°That ce is no longer suitable for living. I''ll help you to look for a new ce.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. That ce was indeed no longer suitable, she would not continue staying there and risking her mother''s health. ¡°I want to find out who did this.¡± Lin Xinyan believed that this was not a coincidence. Someone must have had arranged it. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± He Ruize smiled. ¡°I''m Ruize, I''m your family too.¡± Lin Xinyan looked at He Ruize. Her nose turned red. He was too nice to her, and she did not know how to repay him. She lowered her head and said nothing. In her heart, she made a promise to repay him when she bes capable. And now she needed someone to investigate on this matter. Or else she would be restless. Who knew if they would follow them to the new house and continued to disturb Zhuang Zijin? When she thought about Zong Jinghao''s words, she felt distressed. He Ruize thought she was tired, and said, ¡°You should go back to rest. I''ll be here.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°I''m already working at this hospital; I have an office and a resting room. I can take care of your mother.¡± Lin Xinyan looked at Zhuang Zijin, who was still unconscious. After a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°Call me if anything happens.¡± Lin Xinyan left her phone number with He Ruize before she left the hospital. There was only Aunt Yu back at the vi. She frowned and asked, ¡°Is he not home?¡± Aunt Yu looked into the study. ¡°He''s inside.¡± Lin Xinyan changed her footwear before entering, then walked straight towards the study. She hesitated before knocking the door. Even after a few knocks, no one answered. She frowned, and quietly pushed open the door In the room was Zong Jinghao, who was leaning on the backrest of the chair. His eyes were shut, but she did not know if he was faking a sleep or he was really asleep. Lin Xinyan slowly walked over to the front of the desk, and quietly asked, ¡°Mr. Zong?¡± Zong Jinghao gradually lifted his eyelids and stared at the woman in front of him. This was the first time anyone had called him by Mr. Zong. He had always gotten ¡°Chairman Zong¡± and ¡°Young Master Zong¡±. Lin Xinyan sped her mmy hands, and asked, ¡°You said, you would give me thend at Repulse Bay?¡± With half-lidded eyes, he gave her a calcting smile. ¡°I''m a businessman, I don''t do anything for free.¡± Lin Xinyan''s heart dropped. That''s right. She should have known that. How could this man help her without expecting any gains in return? She had nothing on her that she could use to exchange for thisnd. ¡°I''m sure thisnd is important for you.¡± Zong Jinghao could sense her backing down. Lin Guoan had sent her mother and herself to that country. It was not an easy life there, and her younger brother was now dead. To Lin Guoan, she must have felt hatred. He once thought Lin Xinyan had wanted thend for Lin Guoan. It seemed like he had thought this wrong. ¡°There is nothing of mine that I can exchange with you.¡± Indeed, Lin Xinyan wanted thend. Zong Jinghao looked at her, his gaze had a hint of matured masculinity. ¡°You do.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You.¡± It took Lin Xinyan a while before she responded. ¡°Me?¡± Zong Jinghao stood up and walked towards Lin Xinyan. He was too close, and Lin Xinyan instinctively backed up. Zong Jinghao grabbed her shoulder and asked, ¡°What are you backing up for? I don''t bite.¡± Lin Xinyan did not know why she was afraid of him. She just felt that he was not as calm as he was showing outwardly. The corner of lips turned upwards into an odd smile. ¡°Did you do something wrong? That''s why you''re feeling guilty now.¡± What did she do wrong? Lin Xinyan raised her head, and said, ¡°What do I have to feel guilty for?¡± She had raised her chin high, and he could feel her hot breath at the tip of his nose. This feeling was familiar. His expression froze for a second, before he grabbed her face. His tone was dangerous as he said, ¡°You''re a married woman. You''re being too close with other men. You''re not being faithful to me.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Lin Xinyan thought that he was being ridiculous. Was he not with Bai Zhuwei too? Regardless, her rtionship with He Ruize was not the same as what he was thinking. Why did he think that he could interfere with her life? ¡°I''ve never interfered with your life, so please don''t interfere with mine¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, her lips were blocked. The words pooled at her tongue, but it could not leave her mouth. ¡°Mmm¡ª¡± Lin Xinyan finally realized what was happening and pushed him away. His wits came back to him, and Zong Jinghao took a step back. And stared at the woman in front of him in disbelief. What did he just do? Bai Zhuwei had always been initiative, but he had never felt the urge to be intimate with her. Yet when he was looking at this woman''s pink lips opening and closing, his mind went nk, and he lost control and did an unexpected thing! After that night, Lin Xinyan had never been so intimate with any men. She felt ashamed and in shock. ¡°How¡ª How could you?¡± Lin Xinyan felt invaded. She was not someone who gave herself up to anyone. What rights did he have to do this? Zong Jinghao faced her with his back, and said, ¡°You''re my wife.¡± So anything he did was not crossing the line! Lin Xinyan widened her eyes. This was twisted logic! ¡°We''re not husband and wife. This is just a deal!¡± Lin Xinyan''s voice trembled. She feared intimacy with men. It was a nightmare for her that night. She rejected all intimacy between men and women. Lin Xinyan was so furious that she did not realized that Zong Jinghao was acting unusual. His calm If Lin Xinyan had been calm, she would have saw that Zong Jinghao''s ears had reddened. ¡°Even if it''s a deal, you have never said that during this time, we couldn''t do things that husband and wife do.¡± He slowly turned around and looked at Lin Xinyan, who looked like she was about to break down. He frowned. Was his kiss so poisonous that she had to break down? Or was it because she was saving it for that man? He slowly walked towards her. ¡°A man who can''t protect the woman he loves, what kind of man is he? What do you see in him that''s worth saving it for him?¡± Lin Xinyan did not know what he was talking about. What did he mean by this? Was he talking about He Ruize? Just as Lin Xinyan was about to ask more, Zong Jinghao had returned to his state of calmness. He walked and sat on the front of the desk. He waszily leaning backwards, one of his hand casually ced on the desk. His face was emotionless, as if nothing had happened. ¡°I can give you thend at Repulse Bay but,¡± he paused, ¡°not for free.¡± Lin Xinyan clenched her hands tightly and trembled. A million thoughts flew past her mind, but she managed to suppress her feelings from Zong Jinghao''s frivolous behavior. ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked calmly. Zong Jinghao dazedly said with half-lidded eyes, ¡°I haven''t thought about it. I''ll ask for it when I know what I want.¡± This was, perhaps, the most impulsive thing he had ever done in his life. Unexpected! Uncontroble! Lin Xinyan pursed her lips. It was not easy to get back her things from Lin Guoan, so it was ideal if she could get something that could put her on equal terms with Lin Guoan. ¡°I won''t ask you to murder or do immoral acts.¡± Zong Jinghao said temptingly, seemingly knowing what her worries were. ¡°Alright.¡± Lin Xinyan replied after a moment of hesitation. She had nothing to lose, what would she be afraid of? The faster she could take back her things, the earlier she could bring her mother to leave this ce and settle into a quiet life. ¡°I''ll repeat this. You''re still my wife, you can''t have any other men!¡± His chest burned with an indescribable fire when he thought about her hugging He Ruize. ¡°About that¡ª¡± ¡°You can leave now!¡± She had not finished her sentence before she was cut off by Zong Jinghao''s voice. He did not want to hear Lin Xinyan talking about her stories with that man. It only made him frustrated! Lin Xinyan''s lips twitched, but she said nothing and left. The moment the door closed, the calmposure of Zong Jinghao disappeared. He rubbed his forehead. He had been too impulsive just now. His lips unconsciously turned upwards into a faint smile when he thought about that brief kiss. It left a deep impression in him. His fingers brushed past his lips, and he thought he could still taste her on his lips. He did not realize he was smiling. It was absurd yet memorable. Her lips were really soft. It was like Bai Zhuwei''s. Yet after that night, he could no longer find that fascinating scent on Bai Zhuwei. Was it because of his body on that night? This felt strange. After leaving the study, Lin Xinyan did not stay at home. Her mother was still in the hospital and she had to take care of her. Just as she left the house, she met Bai Zhuwei, who hade to the vi. Every time she saw her, Bai Zhuwei was dressed prettily, and she looked dignified with her delicate makeup and well-fitted clothes. ¡°You''re going out?¡± Bai Zhuwei asked with a smile. ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Xinyan answered softly. She did not want to have any further interaction with this woman. She looked na?ve, but it was unlikely she was truly na?ve. ¡°Ms. Lin, you''re carrying someone else''s baby yet you married Hao. I hope you''re clear that I am the one he loves, and he had only married you because of his mother''s arrangement.¡± Bai Zhuwei''s words were straightforward. How could Lin Xinyan not understand it? Zong Jinghao loved her, that Lin Xinyan knew. Did she have to repeat it in front of her again? Was she feeling insecure? ¡°I know where I stand. Ms. Bai doesn''t need to remind me about it.¡± Lin Xinyan smiled. Bai Zhuwei was rendered speechless and frowned. This girl was young, but she was matured. At this moment, she realized that the study had opened. It was just a blurry figure, but Bai Zhuwei knew it was Zong Jinghao. The gears in her mind turned, and she pushed Lin Xinyan. Lin Xinyan was pregnant, and as a mother, she was constantly aware of her baby''s safety. When Bai Zhuwei was about to touch her, she pushed her back almost instinctively. ¡°Ah!¡± Bai Zhuwei was wearing high heels, and she could not bnce herself after being pushed. She fell. And this was seen by Zong Jinghao, who had just walked out of the study. He quickly walked over and caught Bai Zhuwei. In Zong Jinghao''s arms, Bai Zhuwei''s heart thumped loudly. She took the opportunity to circle her arms around his neck and said with a scared tone, ¡°Hao¡ª¡± She did not finish her sentence, she just showed him a look of fright. From N?velDrama.Org. Lin Xinyan broke out of her trance and looked into Zong Jinghao''s breathtaking eyes. Zong Jinghao stared at her and asked, ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Lin Xinyan was about to exin before Bai Zhuwei cut her off. Bai Zhuwei shook her and said, ¡°It''s nothing. It''s not Ms. Lin''s fault.¡± If Lin Xinyan had not understood what Bai Zhuwei''s intentions were earlier, she would be a fool not to understand it now. She knew that her rtionship with Zong Jinghao was just a deal. Why did she still have to frame her? What was she afraid of? Lin Xinyan ignored Zong Jinghao''s questioning look, and calmly said, ¡°I didn''t do it, but it doesn''t matter whether you''ll believe me or not.¡± She turned and walked out the moment she finished. She would not admit to things she had not done. Nor would she let anyone harm her child. Even if the clock turned back, she would still do the same. ¡°Stay right there!¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Lin Xinyan stopped and turned. She saw Zong Jinghao let go of Bai Zhuwei and walked towards her with steady steps. The cold smile on his lips was like a sword swinging towards her. ¡°Apologize to Zhuwei!¡± Lin Xinyan did not move. She looked back stubbornly at his angry face. ¡°I won''t apologize to her.¡± Even if she was afraid of him. She was not in the wrong; it was Bai Zhuwei who was about to push her. She was just protecting herself. It was an instinct. Why did he think she would apologize? Zong Jinghao''s gaze stayed on her stubborn face and frowned. He had never really paid attention to her looks. Even when he lost control and kissed her, he had never properly looked at her. She was on the skinny side. Her face was small, only the size of a hand. She had delicate features that radiated naivety. At this very moment, those starry eyes were looking at him, stubborn and determined. Two pairs of eyes stared at each other, and no one wanted to take a step back. ¡°You pushed her, so you have to apologize!¡± His tone was still cold, but it was now missing its From N?velDrama.Org. sharpness. It seemed like he was shocked by her expression. ¡°Hao, I''m really fine. It was an ident, it''s not Ms. Lin''s fault.¡± Bai Zhuwei quickly walked over to interrupt the confrontation between the two. She held onto Zong Jinghao''s arm and said, ¡°Hao.¡± She shook her head at Zong Jinghao. Her eyes were watery; she looked like she was quietly suffering from being wronged. ¡°Hao, I wasn''t standing right earlier. It might be because my heels were too high. It really wasn''t Ms. Lin''s fault.¡± She tried her best to defend for Lin Xinyan. Zong Jinghao looked down at her heels. It was high, but he had saw Lin Xinyan push her. What was going on? ¡°Hao, I think I might have twisted my ankles. It''s painful.¡± Bai Zhuwei''s pretty face crumpled in pain. Unlike her usualposed self, it looked cute. Zong Jinghao reached out to tuck her messy strands behind her ears. This woman had been following him wordlessly withoutints, and she had sacrificed herself when he was poisoned. Even when he wanted her, she did not ask for any official status to stand by him. She just continued to quietly stay by him. And it was that moment that Zong Jinghao wanted to give her an official status. He did not love her. He had never loved any women. He did not believe in love. It was merely a month after his mother''s death before his father had married someone else. How could there be love in this world? Absurd and ridiculous! ¡°Are you silly?¡± Bai Zhuwei leaned into his arms and said, ¡°As long as I can follow you, I''ll do anything you asked. I don''t think I''m silly, I think I''m fortunate.¡± Lin Xinyan did not have the heart to continue watching them. She turned and walked towards the door. A faint smile appeared on Bai Zhuwei''s face as she looked at Lin Xinyan walking away. She should not have the time to be staying in the vi and spending time with Zong Jinghao now. She thought she had hidden her expressions well, but Zong Jinghao had seen it. Yet he said nothing nor asked anything. He just turned and walked into the room. ¡°Hao¡ª¡± Bai Zhuwei hurried behind him. Zong Jinghao looked back at her with a t look, his thoughtful gazending on her high heels. ¡°Don''t wear heels that are too high, in case you actually fall the next time.¡± He then continued walking towards the study. Before he entered, he paused and said, ¡°I''m busy today. You should go back.¡± Before Bai Zhuwei could respond, the door to the study was closed. She stood there, staring at her high heels. What did he mean? Was he concerned with her? Yet it seemed like it meant something else. Bai Zhuwei walked forward and was about to knock on the door before Aunt Yu stopped her. ¡°Didn''t Young Master told you to go home?¡± Bai Zhuwei always knew that Aunt Yu did not like her. She had tried many times to get onto her good side, but the results had been unfavorable. Aunt Yu was not a simple maid. She was the one who had taken care of Zong Jinghao since young. Her words meant something to Zong Jinghao. ¡°Aunt Yu, I just want to apany him. He doesn''t seem to be very happy¡ª¡± ¡°Young Mistress can apany him. It''s best if Ms. Bai was toe less frequently next time, just in case someone was to say that you''re his mistress. That''ll ruin your reputation.¡± Even before the marriage between Zong Jinghao and Lin Xinyan, Aunt Yu had never liked Bai Zhuwei. Ever since Zong Jinghao married Lin Xinyan... Bai Zhuwei''s frequent visits and intimacy with Zong Jinghao made her look like she was his mistress. And no one liked mistresses. Especially for the people from the older generations, like Aunt Yu. ¡°The one that Hao likes is me. He did not marry someone from the Lins willingly. You raised him; do you not want him to be happy?¡± It took everything from Bai Zhuwei to not have shouted this out. She was just a maid. How despicable of her to act like she had authority here! ¡°I believe that Madam had her own reasons when she arranged this marriage. Young Master is already married. Does Ms. Bai want to be the destructive third wheel in someone else''s marriage?¡± Despite saying harsh words, Aunt Yu still remained polite. She bowed slightly at Bai Zhuwei, posed herself into a stance of invitation. ¡°Ms. Bai, please.¡± Bai Zhuwei''s hands on her sides clenched tightly and trembled in anger, but she could not say anything. She could only leave. The moment Bai Zhuwei stepped out of the house; Aunt Yu instantly closed the door. She stiffened and turned around to look at the tightly shut door. There were many expressions on her face, ugly and ferocious ones. Zong Jinghao stood in front of the window and looked at her expressions that he had never seen her make in front of him. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Young Master, will Ms. Line back for lunch?¡± She had note backst night, and she was only here for a brief while today. Aunt Yu was not happy with it. She was already married into the Zongs and was Zong Jinghao''s wife. She should act like one. Furthermore, they were just married and she had been staying out all night. It did not sound great. Zong Jinghao thought about her admittance into the hospital, and said, ¡°She''s not feeling well, as for lunch...¡± Yes. Zong Jinghao had no idea whether she would be back in the afternoon. He had only realized now that he did not even have her contact details. Aunt Yu sighed. What was with the young people nowadays? Married couples did not act like married couples. They were married, and yet they did not sleep together nor know where the other party was. Were they really husband and wife? ¡°I really don''t understand why Madam had insisted on this marriage.¡± Aunt Yu sighed. After Madam passed away, Zong Jinghao had moved out and rarely went home. She thought that Madam had her own reasons for the engagement. Now, they were married. Yet¡ª Zong Jinghao''s face turned gloomy. ¡°I''ll look for her.¡± Aunt Yu was speechless. Aunt Yu felt even more mncholic. They were not acting like husband and wife; they were acting like strangers! Zong Jinghao put on the jacket that was on the sofa and left the house with the car keys in his hand. On the way to the hospital, Zong Jinghao thought of something, and called Guan Jing. ¡°Organize the contract for thend at Repulse Bay and send it to me.¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Lin Xinyan came to the hospital and saw He Ruize sitting at the corridor outside the rooms. His hands were ced on his knees, his back arched, and he seemed to be thinking. He did not even realize that Lin Xinyan was already standing beside him. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± He Ruize looked up. He kept his emotions to a minimal when he saw it was Lin Xinyan. He looked towards the room and said, ¡°Your mother''s moody.¡± ¡°Alright, take a rest, I''ll stay here.¡± Lin Xinyan was prepared. He Ruize nced at her stomach. ¡°You need rest too.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I can take care of myself.¡± Lin Xinyan gave him an effortless smile. He Ruize nodded after a moment of silence. ¡°Call me if there''s anything you need.¡± Lin Xinyan hummed as an answer. He Ruize stood and walked out. Looking at his back, Lin Xinyan pursed her lips. Despite knowing him for a long time, she still did not know anything about him. She knew nothing about his family nor his background. He was obviously thinking hard about something earlier, or else he would not have spaced out. At this moment, He Ruize stopped and turned around to look at Lin Xinyan. ¡°I heard from those woman. Someone had bribed them to say those things and ssh paint on your house.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. ¡°Alright, Ruize. You can talk to me if there''s anything you''re worrying about too.¡± Lin Xinyan looked at him. ¡°I''m good.¡± He Ruize chuckled. Lin Xinyan did not press on. Everyone had something that they did not want to discuss with others. After He Ruize left, she did not enter the room. Instead, she thought about the identity of the person who bribed those neighbors. Lin Yuhan? Shen Xiuqing? Although, they did not know that she was pregnant. Then¡ª Crash! Suddenly, there were shattering soundsing from the room. Lin Xinyan''s heart dropped. She hurriedly pushed the door open and saw the broken ss cup under Zhuang Zijin''s feet. She walked over and bent down to pick up the ss fragments. ¡°Mom, are you thirsty? Sit down, I''ll clean this up and pour for¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Zhuang Zijin grabbed onto her wrist, her expression nk. ¡°Yanyan.¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Lin Xinyan raised her head and looked at her mother. Zhuang Zijin seemed conflicted; she only grabbed onto Lin Xinyan''s hand tighter. ¡°The baby in you. Can you abort it?¡± This was just the start. The baby was not going to have a father, and if the baby had blond hair and blue eyes, how would the others judge them? Lin Xinyan knew that her mother was in a shock, but she had not thought that she would repeating about this again. ¡°Mom¡ª¡± Zhuang Zijin let go of her, and repeated in a trance, ¡°You don''t want to. I know you don''t want to.¡± She sat then curled up near the bedrest, and said, ¡°I lost Xinqi, I lost Xinqi...¡± Lin Xinyan was shocked and in disbelief. What¡ª What was happening to her? Lin Xinyan rushed to call for the doctor. Zhuang Zijin was not cooperative, and had signs of self- harming behavior, so the doctor gave her a sedative. ¡°My preliminary judgment is that the patient might be having a psychological disorder.¡± The doctor said after checking her. Lin Xinyan swayed, and only when she used her both hands to hold onto the wardrobe then could she stand still. ¡°Why is it so serious?¡± ¡°Have your mother ever undergo any psychological trauma? This doesn''t happen after one trauma, only when everything is umted in her mind, then would this happen.¡± Lin Xinyan''s lips trembled. Ever since her mother was sent out of the country by Lin Guoan, she had never smiled; surely she was traumatized. After that, her younger brother was born with autism. Her brother died and she was pregnant. These were all traumatic events for her. This was thest straw. Her endurance had reached its limit. If anyone were to touch the fragile string in her heart, she would lose control. ¡°How¡ª How do you treat this?¡± Lin Xinyan''s words were incoherent. She was just holding on purely on willpower. ¡°It''s not easy to treat psychological disorders. Aren''t you close with Doctor He? He''s a psychiatrist, I''m sure he can help you.¡± The doctor sighed. Lin Xinyan thought about He Ruize''s earlier behavior. Maybe he had realized something by then. He just had no idea how to inform her about it. ¡°I''d suggest you transfer your mother to the psychiatric ward.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. After the doctor left, Lin Xinyan copsed onto the floor. She stared at Zhuang Zijin''s self-made scratched marks on her face. Her heart ached so much that she felt like she could not breathe. The moment of her mother''s insanity and self-harming behaviors kept reying in her mind. On the same day, Zhuang Zijin was transferred to the psychiatric ward. As she was a psychiatric patient who had unstable moods and destructive behaviors to herself and others, there was a visit limitation ced on her, even for family. It was a treatment that almost kept her away from the rest of the world. After leaving the hospital, Lin Xinyan packed Zhuang Zijin and her things, and ended the rental lease of the house. She could not get the deposit back because of the paint on the door. Even the medical bills for Zhuang Zijin was now paid forward by He Ruize. She felt like she was owing more and more to He Ruize. In her time of spacing out, the car had already stopped at the vi. She took her bag, paid for the fare, N?velDrama.Org content rights. and alighted. In front of the vi, she stood still in a trance. She never thought that she would ever have toe to this ce to seek refuge. Just as she was about to enter the house, a car drove in. She had not been staying here for long, but she could recognize Zong Jinghao''s car. She remained on the spot. Zong Jinghao came down from the car and looked at Lin Xinyan, who was just standing there. His tone was cold as he asked, ¡°Where did you go?¡± He went to the hospital, and the hospital told him that she had already been discharged. What had she been doing the entire time? Lin Xinyan did not bother with an exnation. She was already tired after dealing with Zhuang Zijin''s matters. ¡°I had matters to do.¡± She said softly. Zong Jinghao frowned. What kind of attitude was she having with him? He strode over¡ª For a moment, there were many other faces ovepping with his angry look. Lin Xinyan''s consciousness gradually blurred, and she copsed as her vision went dark. Zong Jinghao caught her swiftly just as she was about to crash onto the ground. Her waist was thin, as if she was not pregnant, and her body was soft. With this close distance, he felt a sense of familiarity. Zong Jinghao frowned. It felt subtle. He could not really pinpoint onto what it was. They had not known each other for long. Why was there this odd feeling? Before he could think further, two people came from the door. Guan Jing and Bai Zhuwei. The both of them were stunned after seeing Zong Jinghao carrying Lin Xinyan. Especially Bai Zhuwei. If it was not Zong Jinghao in front of her, it was likely that she would have stomped her foot in anger. She was going mad on the inside! ¡°Hao, she¡ª¡± Zong Jinghao carried Lin Xinyan and turned to enter the house. Guan Jing took a look at Bai Zhuwei, who was still standing there. ¡°Although Mr. Zong had married Ms. Lin without love, they were still husband and wife. He couldn''t have left her unconscious on the floor, could he?¡± ¡°She looked fine. How could she have copsed unless it was to deliberately seduce him?¡± Bai Zhuwei sneered. Guan Jing had yet to respond before Bai Zhuwei continued, ¡°She wasn''t sickly nor traumatized. Isn''t it suspicious that she copsed?¡± It sounded reasonable. Inparison with Lin Xinyan, Guan Jing had more trust for Bai Zhuwei. After all, they knew each other for a longer period of time, and they were business partners. Although Lin Xinyan was also an unfortunate woman, she had family, unlike Bai Zhuwei. All those years, Bai Zhuwei had followed after Zong Jinghao. He was naturally biased towards her. Zong Jinghao, who had been carrying Lin Xinyan into the house, ced her on the bed. When he was about to get up, his cor was suddenly grabbed by Lin Xinyan. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 ¡°Mom, I''m sorry, don''t leave me¡ª¡± Zong Jinghao was taken aback. He looked downwards at her hands holding onto his sleeve, and his gaze slowly stopped at her face. She looked like she was in pain, as if she was in a nightmare. ¡°Lin Xinyan?¡± Zong Jinghao frowned. Lin Xinyan could not hear him. She looked like she was trapped in some horror. She looked anxious, but quickly, she returned back to a state of calmness. Her hand let go of Zong Jinghao, and she fell into a deep sleep. Zong Jinghao slowly got up and looked at her for two seconds, before leaving the room. Bai Zhuwei was sitting on the couch, her hands gripped tightly onto the cup. Even an additional second of Zong Jinghao staying in the room was a torture for her. Wasn''t this woman supposed to be in the hospital taking care of her mother? Why did she have time toe back? Bai Zhuwei had found out that Guan Jing was investigating on Lin Xinyan earlier. So when Guan Jing sent someone to Country A to check on her life, Bai Zhuwei''s men had went even earlier and killed the woman who introduced Lin Xinyan to the job on that night. They made sure to make it look like an ident where the woman fell to her death from an upper floor. And that was why Guan Jing did not find out the vital part of that night''s happenings. She spent much effort, fearing that Zong Jinghao would spend too much time with Lin Xinyan. She bribed the neighbors in Zhuang Zijin''s district to force her into the hospital, so that Lin Xinyan would not have time to spend with Zong Jinghao. What she had not expected was that this woman was not staying at the hospital! And she was even carried by Zong Jinghao in his arms. The more Bai Zhuwei thought about it, the more she wanted to break down. And she did not realize that her thoughts were all showing on her face. When Zong Jinghao walked out of the room, he saw Bai Zhuwei''s facial expressions before she managed to control them. He walked over silently. Bai Zhuwei stood up; her questioning tone nearly seeped out before her rationality took over. ¡°Is Ms. Lin sick?¡± Zong Jinghao did not answer her immediately. Instead, he sat on the couch, crossed his long legs, then looked up at Bai Zhuwei with an ambiguous look. Bai Zhuwei''s heart dropped. She was afraid of this Zong Jinghao. Carefully, she said, ¡°Hao¡ª¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± There was a faint smile on his face. It seemed like there was nothing wrong, and so Bai Zhuwei felt herself rx. She carefully sat near him, and he did not reject her. Her anxiety lessened. ¡°This is the contract for thend at Repulse Bay.¡± Guan Jing handed to folder to Zong Jinghao. The reason why Bai Zhuwei had followed Guan Jing here was because she had heard him saying that Zong Jinghao wanted the contract for thisnd. Thisnd was at Repulse Bay, and there were mountains and water that surrounded it. It was a good ce for tourism, and so there were many who wanted it. Except that two years ago when thisnd was up for bidding, Wanyue Group had gotten the rights to thend. Although they had the rights to develop thend, they were not interested, so it was auctioned off. Now that Zong Jinghao had suddenly wanted thisnd''s contract, she felt a little worried. After all, when Lin Guoan went to thepany to request for thend, Zong Jinghao did not even bother meeting with the man. Lin Xinyan was the daughter of Lin Guoan. She was afraid that Zong Jinghao would give thisnd to the Lins because of Lin Xinyan. Her focus was not on thend, it was on how Zong Jinghao was treating Lin Xinyan! ¡°Wasn''t thisnd meant to be auctioned off?¡± Bai Zhuwei asked, as if she had no idea. Although she had asked it casually, who was Zong Jinghao to not realize this form of questioning? Although he said nothing about it, he reached out to hold onto her shoulder. ¡°Zhuwei, when did you From N?velDrama.Org. change?¡± Bai Zhuwei froze. What did he mean? ¡°When¡ª When did I change?¡± Bai Zhuwei did not understand. Zong Jinghao gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. ¡°You never ask this kind of questions back then.¡± Looking into his eyes, Bai Zhuwei was startled. She had never seen this coldness in his eyes. She could not help but feel nervous. ¡°I¡ª¡± Unlike her usual obedient and dignified self, she lost control and said, ¡°I''m afraid! I''m scared!¡± She struggled out of Zong Jinghao''s arms and covered her face with her hands. She sobbed, ¡°I''m scared you''ll give thisnd to Ms. Lin. I''m scared you''ll fall in love with her because she''s your wife. I''m scared. I''m scared you won''t want me anymore¡ª¡± Bai Zhuwei started crying as she said. She looked sorrowful. Zong Jinghao had never seen this look on her. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows. His expression wasplicated, and no one could decipher what it meant. After a while, Bai Zhuwei''s crying turned into sobbing. She knew that she had to be stoic at times, but sometimes the tears and upset had to be shown to capture a man''s heart. Zong Jinghao opened his eyes, his feelings now calm. He reached out to pull her back into his arms. ¡°Do you feel that bad?¡± Bai Zhuwei leaned into his arms, and sobbed, ¡°I''m just afraid to lose you.¡± Zong Jinghao sighed, ¡°You won''t.¡± She might have been a little devious and calcting unlike her na?ve appearance. Yet it was a fact that she had followed him for many years. He did not want to dig deep into this. In the house. Lin Xinyan''s phone''s notification sounds woke her up. It was He Ruize who had sent her messages. It was a photo, and she could see the face of a neighbor from the district. It seemed like the neighbor was talking to a woman. The back of this figure... Lin Xinyan felt a sense of familiarity, but she could not think of why she felt it. Just as she was still thinking of who it might be, her stomach cramped. ¡°Ugh¡ª¡± She ran out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. She sprawled at the side of the sink as she retched. Guan Jing, who was in the living room, was stunned. Lin Xinyan hade out too suddenly. And her bathroom door was not closed. She seemed to be suffering as she sprawled there retching. ¡°Ms. Lin is pregnant.¡± Bai Zhuwei looked at Lin Xinyan who was retching and said. She thought Zong Jinghao did not know. She wanted him to know. ¡°It should be that man''s baby, the one that she was hugging the other day.¡± Bai Zhuwei deliberately ¡°named¡± a father for the baby in Lin Xinyan. Like this, Zong Jinghao would only feel hate towards her. On the other hand, Guan Jing''s jaw dropped in surprise. Zong Jinghao''s wife had another man''s baby in her? Does that not mean that he became a cuckold by marrying her? He carefully raised his head to observe Zong Jinghao''s expression. He thought he would be furious, but he was wrong. Instead, there was only calmness. Even Bai Zhuwei thought it was unbelievable. Was he not angry? Did he not hate her? ¡°Hao...¡± Zong Jinghao leaned back on the couch, his face clearly showing her that he did not want to hear from her. Bai Zhuwei could only shut her mouth. Although she felt like vomiting, nothing hade out, it was just all retching. After that moment of difort, Lin Xinyan rinsed her mouth before walking out of the bathroom. Now then did she realize that there were people in the living room, and she saw Bai Zhuwei who was in Zong Jinghao''s arms. She did not want to disturb them, so she turned to enter the room. Suddenly, an image shed in her mind. Bai Zhuwei. She turned around and looked at Bai Zhuwei, then back at the picture on her phone. Chestnut-colored wavy hair, and she was about the same height. Her pupils constricted. The woman who had bribed the neighbors was her? When she thought about Bai Zhuwei trying to push her then frame her, Lin Xinyan suddenly realized what was going on! She must have thought that by marrying Zong Jinghao, she was taking her position, and so she hated her. That''s why she had bribed the neighbors to nder her and caused her mother to suffer from mental illness! The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached¡ª Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Lin Xinyan stood by the door and stared at Bai Zhuwei. Her staring made Bai Zhuwei ufortable, and she tried to see her phone screen. It was far, and she could not see what was on the phone. She had to stay dignified in front of Zong Jinghao, so she could only ask quietly, ¡°Ms. Lin, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Bai Zhuwei''s voice brought back Lin Xinyan''s focus. There was a split moment that she had wanted to impulsively rush and question her in front of Zong Jinghao. Yet after she had calmed down, she did not do it. Bai Zhuwei was the woman that Zong Jinghao loved. Whatever it is that she had done, Zong Jinghao would not punish the woman he loved for her, a wife in a marriage deal. She gripped tightly onto the phone in her hand, and it took her a while before she could calm herself down. She just gave Bai Zhuwei a smile. ¡°I just think that Ms. Bai is too pretty, so I couldn''t take my eyes off you. I hope Ms. Bai wouldn''t mind.¡± She walked over to them as she said, and her gaze fell onto the folder on the coffee table. She reached out to pick it up. It was the contract for Repulse Bay. She looked up at Zong Jinghao and smiled as she asked, ¡°Is this for me?¡± Zong Jinghao, who had never shown any changes in expression, hummed in response. Bai Zhuwei widened her eyes. He¡ª He was really giving this to Lin Xinyan? Why? Bai Zhuwei could notprehend! Lin Xinyan looked up at Bai Zhuwei, who was obviously angry but was restraining herself, and she sneered, ¡°Ms. Bai, I''m Mr. Zong''s wife. It shouldn''t be a big deal if he gave me something.¡± Bai Zhuwei trembled in anger. This damn woman was really thick-skinned! Who was she to call herself Zong Jinghao''s wife? If Zong Jinghao was not here, Bai Zhuwei would have given her a p! ¡°Of course.¡± Bai Zhuwei lowered her head, and her tears fell as a silentint. ¡°Ms. Lin is the real deal, who am I to say anything?¡± ¡°You''re the woman that Mr. Zong likes. You''ve followed him so many years, and yet¡ª Why do you still do this to yourself?¡± Guan Jing looked up at Lin Xinyan. Not only did she act improper, this woman was thick-skinned! It was clearly a deal; did she think that she was the real young mistress? However, she was indeed Zong Jinghao''s wife, so he could not publicly disrespect her even if he did not like her. So all he could do was to side with Bai Zhuwei and deliberately target her. Lin Xinyan remained serene, as if she had not heard their sarcastic words to iste her. She smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Bai, since you have acknowledged my status, please, move aside.¡± It was as if time had stopped. All eyes looked at Zong Jinghao, who had yet to speak. Did he acknowledge her status? If he did, where would that put Bai Zhuwei at? The flickering and dimmed lights could not cover the grimness of Zong Jinghao''s face. ¡°What status?¡± She could smell an inexplicable scent of foreboding danger. Lin Xinyan held firm and looked into his eyes. ¡°We''re husband and wife. Even if it''s just for an hour, we are still husband and wife. In this duration when we are still married, is there any wrong for me to ask to sit by your side?¡± Lin Xinyan used his words to reply him. She had been bullied for a long time. Even if she was wronged, it did not matter. Yet for Bai Zhuwei to use Zhuang Zijin and cause her to have mental illness, that was not something she would tolerate! If Bai Zhuwei was afraid that she would be close to Zong Jinghao, then she would deliberately be close to him. Right in front of her! Zhuang Zijin was her only family left, and she was her baseline. ¡°Ms. Bai, although your rtionship with my husband is strong, we have yet to divorce. Ms. Bai, please control yourself!¡± Bai Zhuwei looked at Zong Jinghao. Right now, his gaze was at this witty woman. This woman changed her attitude quick. She was acting hurt and helpless earlier, but now she was aggressive. What kind of woman was she? Zong Jinghao''s expression was unreadable, even for Guan Jing, but Guan Jing knew that the two woman could not be in the same room now. Although Guan Jing had not fully understood what was going on, he was clever, as seen in this moment. He stood up and patted Bai Zhuwei''s shoulder. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Bai Zhuwei was discontented. She wanted to see where she stood in Zong Jinghao''s heart. Yet if Zong Jinghao really chose Lin Xinyan, she would be doomed. All her efforts in the past would have gone to waste. She knew that Zong Jinghao did not love her. Zong Jinghao was only good to her because of that night, and that she had followed him for so many years. There was no liking nor love. She could not gamble on this. She would not be able to take the loss. ¡°I won''t force Hao. You win.¡± Bai Zhuwei wanted to make things favorable to her before she left. She was not admitting defeat, she just did not want Zong Jinghao to be in a dilemma. She was kind; she knew how to see the big picture. Soon, the room quieted down. It was so quiet that even the soft breathing sounds could be heard. Thissted for three minutes, and Lin Xinyan''s back had ayer of cold sweat. After a long while, she finally found her voice. ¡°I''ll go back to my room.¡± She only acted this way because of Bai Zhuwei. Now that she was gone, she had no need to stay here. Just as her foot lifted, her wrist was grabbed by Zong Jinghao. He pulled roughly, and Lin Xinyan''s body turned in an arc, and fell into his embrace. She instinctively struggled, but her wrist was held firmly by him, and she could not move. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lin Xinyan panicked. Heh. ¡°Why? Weren''t you witty earlier?¡± Zong Jinghao grabbed her chin and said, ¡°It seems like I''ve underestimated you.¡± If it was not for Bai Zhuwei, she would not have wanted to offend him. She knew the difficulties in life. From ten until eighteen, she had grown both in age and in maturity. If she was gentle, others would only think that she was an easy target, so she could not be that in front of people who wanted to hurt her. She had to protect her mother and the baby in her stomach. She had to be strong, she had to be brave. Lin Xinyan was motionless. She closed her eyes and stopped focusing on her sight and hearing. Zong Jinghao had never been treated this way by anyone. This woman¡ª ¡°Lin¡ª¡± Lin Xinyan was wearing a white shirt with a round cor. Now that she was half-lying in his embrace, the view of her chest was looming in front of his eyes. She was skinny, but her breast development was not bad. Even in this looming state, he could somewhat see the two white buns, round and perky. Her chest was rising and falling with her breaths, and it held a hint of seduction. There was a fiery heat in him, rushing through his veins, before settling at his lower abdomen. When Lin Xinyan did not hear Zong Jinghao''s response, her eyshes fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes. She saw his stoic face that seemed like he was trying to stay calm. His gaze¡ª Lin Xinyan followed his eyes, and looked down¡ª The anger of being looked at unleashed the hidden strength in her bones, and Lin Xinyan pushed him away. It happened so sudden that Zong Jinghao could not react in time. He was now half-lying on the couch, N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. a disheveled look. Lin Xinyan covered her chest, and shouted, ¡°Thug!¡± She stood up from the couch in a hurry to leave this ce, but perhaps she was too panicked as she did not notice what was on the floor. She tripped on Zong Jinghao''s leg and fell towards Zong Jinghao. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Zong Jinghao could not move away in time. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Zong Jinghao could not move in time, and he could only stare as Lin Xinyan fell onto him. Her forehead knocked onto his chin, and it was painful. And her lips touched a shaped solid, a familiar yet foreign sensation. For a moment, Lin Xinyan was stunned. Her rationality came back to her and she hurriedly got up. It was now then she realized that her lips had touched onto his Adam''s apple. She held onto her aching forehead, her face was burning red. From shame. Zong Jinghao''s thoughts were also muddled up for a second after that moment. He slowly raised his eyes to look at her. ¡°If I''m a thug, what are you?¡± Without waiting for Lin Xinyan''s reply, he slowly sat up and adjusted his cor, intentionally tracing his finger across the ce that she had just kissed him. His smile was cunning as he said, ¡°We''re husband and wife. If you want to kiss, you can just tell me. I don''t mind.¡± Lin Xinyan was rendered speechless. Who wanted to kiss him? That was just an ident! ¡°I would never want to kiss you!¡± Lin Xinyan turned and left; she wanted to leave the living room quickly. Zong Jinghao sat motionless on the couch. He was angered by herst sentence. ¡°Who do you want to kiss then?¡± He scoffed, ¡°That man who impregnated you?¡± In that moment, fear and humiliation bled all over her. She did not want to talk about how she was impregnated. She only felt heartache from hearing Zong Jinghao''s heartless words. She had to stay strong, even when her heart felt like it was about to shatter. ¡°Of course... of course I like the father of my child.¡± Fantastic. This woman was amazing. ¡°I hope Ms. Lin hadn''t forgotten that she still owes me something.¡± Zong Jinghao stood up, brushed off the imaginary dust from his shirt, and raised his head slowly. He looked at Lin Xinyan, who froze by the door of the bedroom. ¡°I need a trantor. Come to the office and start work by tomorrow.¡± She had taken the contract; he would have a request in return. That''s fine, that meant she no longer owed him anything else. ¡°Alright.¡± She answered, then pushed open the door to enter the room. When she thought about the incident earlier, her face heated up again. To avoid seeing Zong Jinghao, she never came out of the room until Aunt Yu told her toe out for dinner. Zong Jinghao was already at the dining room. Aunt Yu served the food. Lin Xinyan sat down and started eating, her eyes only on the food. The atmosphere at the dining table was ambiguous. Aunt Yu could not understand them. They were husband and wife, yet they acted like strangers. She served a te of green broli in front of Lin Xinyan, and said, ¡°Young Master likes to eat this.¡± Zong Jinghao preferred light vors, especially vegetarian. Aunt Yu, who had taken care of him, knew him the best. Lin Xinyan was stunned for a moment. She did not understand what Aunt Yu meant. If he likes it, just put it in front of him, she thought. Aunt Yu gave her a wink, hinting at her to pick some vegetables to Zong Jinghao. It took Lin Xinyan a while before she understood what Aunt Yu wanted. And in this while that it took for Lin Xinyan to understand, Aunt Yu''s eyes could have started cramping. Lin Xinyan reluctantly picked up a piece of broli and ced it in Zong Jinghao''s bowl. Zong Jinghao looked up at Lin Xinyan, who smiled. She could not do anything about Aunt Yu''s enthusiasm. Her intention of matchmaking them was too obvious. Zong Jinghao slowly picked up the broli. It was covered in ayer of light oil, and the light that shone on it reflected into his energetic eyes. ¡°Aunt Yu knows my taste buds best.¡± Aunt Yu smiled. ¡°Young Mistress will learn it soon. She had just married into the family; she isn''t as familiar with it yet.¡± Aunt Yu had changed the way she called her, she used to call her Ms. Lin. Although she was unhappy with the way she spent her nights away from the house, she was still the one that Madam had chosen for Young Master. She would naturally want the best for them, and hope they lived up to the Madam''s wishes. Lin Xinyan nearly bit her tongue in surprise at hearing ¡°Young Mistress¡±. She lowered her head even more and finished the food in her bowl hurriedly. ¡°I''m done. Take your time.¡± The moment she finished her sentence, she ran straight into her room. ¡°What is with her?¡± Aunt Yu felt confused. Zong Jinghao stared after the disappearing figure of Lin Xinyan. There was a smile on his lips and in his eyes, and on him it was a touch of unruly righteousness. ¡°Maybe she''s not used to your matchmaking.¡± Aunt Yu sighed, ¡°I''m doing this for you.¡± She turned and left. The only person left at the spacious dining room was Zong Jinghao. The glittering light from crystal chandelier from the ceiling shrouded him. He picked up another broli and slowly chewed. The next day. After Zong Jinghao went to the office, Lin Xinyan also left the house. Since she had promised to work in the office, she had to quit her work at the restaurant. She would have to go to the restaurant. When she was changing her shoe at entrance, Aunt Yu walked over and asked, ¡°Are you going out?¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. ¡°Come back earlier, don''t stay out the entire night. You''re a married woman.¡± Aunt Yu reminded her. ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Xinyan went out after wearing her shoes. And walked to the intersection of the main road to call for a cab. There was no public transport here. When she just started working, Lin Xinyan had requested for leave. And now, she was quitting the job. The manager was not too happy. ¡°If you didn''t want to work, whye for the job? You''re just disrupting our flow.¡± Lin Xinyan felt apologetic. ¡°I''m sorry, I''m really sorry,¡± The manager''s face was gloomy. He was about to open his mouth again when the foreman walked over and told him that they needed help. The managed looked at Lin Xinyan, and said, ¡°You can help for now. When we''re less busy, you can leave.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Xinyan agreed to it out of professional ethics. Lin Xinyan changed to her work clothes. It seemed like it was a busy day today. ¡°These are for Room 88.¡± The chef informed her as she served the food. Lin Xinyan hummed in response, ced the delicate dishes on the tray, and went towards the room. With one hand bncing the tray, she pushed open the door with another hand. The room was spacious and brightly lit, yet it still maintained a sense of privacy. In front of the round mahogany table were two people, and she knew one of them¡ªZong Jinghao. They were both surprised to see each other. Tang Che, the president of HSBC, seemed to have been telling Zong Jinghao something. When someone entered the room, he stopped. Lin Xinyan lowered her head and served the dishes from her tray to the table. ¡°The waitresses in Court Lan Gui are getting younger.¡± There was a smile on Tang Che''s face, and his eyes looked up and down at Lin Xinyan. Lin Xinyan felt disgusted. She was about to leave when her wrist was grabbed by Tang Che. He looked at Zong Jinghao and smiled as he said, ¡°Let her stay here and pour the drinks for us.¡± The smile on Zong Jinghao''s slowly froze, and it hid under his serious, dark look. ¡°President Tang, do you know what we are talking about?¡± He looked up. His gaze fleeted across Lin Xinyan''s face, and said, ¡°There''s no need for you here.¡± Lin Xinyan hurriedly left with her tray. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Guan Jing, who was behind Zong Jinghao, frowned. He was not happy with Lin Xinyan''s appearance. Why was she here? If anyone were to know about her rtionship with Zong Jinghao, how would the public gossip about this? It would be an embarrassing matter for Zong Jinghao. His dislike for Lin Xinyan deepened. ¡°Court Lan Gui is getting better in managing their business. The food is good, and even the servers are unique. The one just now, her skin was as fair as a white jade, and I''m sure I can hold her waist with a hug¡ª¡± ¡°President Tang, let me pour some wine for you.¡± Guan Jing interrupted. It was only now then did Tang Che notice Zong Jinghao''s grim expression. He smiled apologetically. ¡°I was going off topic just now.¡± When Lin Xinyan walked out from the room, she sighed deeply. She never thought that they would meet so quickly after this morning. After the peak hours, the manager had let her off. She changed her clothes, walked out, and saw Guan Jing standing by the entrance. And he did not have a happy expression on his face. He nced at her coldly. ¡°Mr. Zong is waiting for you. Let''s go.¡± Lin Xinyan followed him out. ¡°Mom, I saw a Chanel dress that I liked. Can we buy it after eating?¡± Lin Yuhan walked over, her hands holding onto Shen Xiuqing. ¡°Of course, the best for my daughter.¡± The mother and daughter were talking merrily as they walked over. It seemed like they were alsoing to Court Lan Gui to eat. Lin Xinyan footsteps faltered when she saw the mother and daughter. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 When Lin Xinyan saw the mother and daughter, her footsteps faltered. When Shen Xiuqing saw her, she frowned. ¡°Mom, isn''t that Lin Xinyan? Why is she here?¡± Unlike Shen Xiuqing, Lin Yuhan could not restrain herself as much. ¡°She''s here to eat?¡± The dishes here were exquisite in appearance and taste, and the price was not what an average person could afford. Lin Xinyan could now afford toe to this kind of restaurant for food? Shen Xiuqing sneered. ¡°She married into the Zongs. Although that man is a handicapped, he still has societal status and wealth. It''s not unusual for her to be able to enter these kind of ces.¡± Lin Xinyan did not want to interact with them, but as she started leaving, she was stopped by Lin Yuhan. ¡°You just married a handicapped. Even if youe to these high-end ces, you''re still a low-ssed girl.¡± Her eyes judged her appearance as she said it, and she could not help but mockinglyughed at her. ¡°Move aside!¡± Lin Xinyan coldly said. Lin Yuhan did not move aside. ¡°What are you frustrated with? Are you angry that I said you married a handicapped?¡± Guan Jing frowned. He was about to stop Lin Yuhan from acting like a shrew when he saw Zong Jinghao walking over. He kept back his hand that had reached out for her. ¡°Lin Xinyan, you had married into the Zongs but you''re still living so miserably? Is it because even that handicapped thinks you''re not worth it?¡± Lin Yuhan covered her mouth as she sneered, ¡°Don''t be like your mother. She couldn''t even keep a man by her.¡± By this time, Lin Xinyan had also realized that Zong Jinghao was walking over. She widened her eyes. Lin Yuhan saw the unnatural look on Lin Xinyan''s face, and thought it was because she was mad. She became even more presumptuous as she said, ¡°Lin Xinyan, this is the rest of your life. The first half of your life you were abandoned by your father and sent to another country to fend for yourself. The other half of your life, you''re meant to serve a handicapped and live lonely.¡± ¡°I''m afraid to disappoint you.¡± A low and rich male voice appeared. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . It came silently, yet it left a deep impression, forcing the people who heard it to focus on it. ¡°Who do you think you¡ª¡± Lin Yuhan turned around and was about questioned who he was to say that, but she saw the man who was standing nearby. He wore a suit, and his slender figure made him unusually tall. Especially those long legs that were wrapped in his suit pants. He had high nose bridge and sexy lips. His facial features were defined, and those deep eyes held a hint of coldness in them. His steps were steady; every step he took was silently pressuring the people around him. His indifference and calmposure brought out his noble temperament. He walked in the sacred light. And stole everyone''s attention. Especially Lin Yuhan''s, whose jaw dropped in surprise. Wasn''t¡ª Wasn''t he a handicapped? Shocking and unbelievable. How could this be? Under Lin Yuhan and Shen Xiuqing''s watch, he held onto Lin Xinyan''s shoulder. ¡°It''s time for us to go.¡± Lin Xinyan was stunned for a few seconds. She raised her head. ¡°You¡ª¡± His gaze darkened, and his faint smile radiated love and care. ¡°What''s wrong? Have you gone silly?¡± Lin Yuhan stared at his legs; her eyes were about to pop out from surprise. ¡°Weren''t you handicapped?¡± Then she quickly covered her mouth, realizing that it was inappropriate. Shen Xiuqing could note out of her trance. This was unbelievable. Zong Jinghao felt nothing but disgust, and he left with Lin Xinyan. Guan Jing sneered, ¡°Shallow.¡± Then he stopped looking at their faces, twisted ugly from shock. He hurried to the car. Shen Xiuqing''s eyes were still staring straight. She mumbled to herself in fright and in fear. Her legs trembled uncontrobly. ¡°How could this be? Zong Jinghao wasn''t handicapped?¡± ¡°How could this be?¡± Lin Yuhan was also grabbing Shen Xiuqing''s arm in a frantic. ¡°Why were Zong Jinghao''s legs functional?¡± It took a long while before Shen Xiuqing could get a hold of herself. Did he not say that it was untreatable? ¡°Mom¡ª¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Shen Xiuqing felt like her head was buzzing, and she felt terribly frustrated. ¡°I don''t even know if your father knows about this.¡± Zong Jinghao''s legs were fine. This matter felt unbelievable. She lost her mood for food, and she dragged her daughter along with her to the Lin Group''s office. Lin Guoan was mad. The real estate invested by the Lin Group had copsed, and now thepany was facing awsuit. There was no moment where Lin Guoan did not feel worried. Knock knock. Who was bothering him at this time? Lin Guoan was about to have an angry outburst when the office door was pushed open. Shen Xiuqing looked at Lin Guoan, her heart dropped as she asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Lin Guoan was not in a good mood. He sat on the chair. ¡°What are the both of you doing here?¡± Shen Xiuqing did not have the time to bother with why Lin Guoan was in a bad mood. Instead, she walked over and asked, ¡°Did you know that Zong Jinghao could now stand?¡± Lin Guoan was stunned for a moment, before he frowned and looked at Shen Xiuqing. ¡°He was poisoned with snake venom. Wasn''t it untreatable? How could he stand now?¡± As expected, Lin Guoan had not known about this too. Shen Xiuqing''s face turned serious. ¡°He can stand¡ª¡± ¡°Who did you hear this from?¡± Shen Xiuqing was cut off by Lin Guoan before she could finish her sentence. ¡°We saw it with our own eyes.¡± Lin Yuhan cut in. She had calmed down after a period of time. She walked towards the desk and looked at Lin Guoan. ¡°Dad, we must have been tricked.¡± He had clearly said it was untreatable, and yet he was standing now! Lin Guoan frowned. He felt shocked and confused at this matter. ¡°Then why did he spread news about him not being able to stand?¡± Shen Xiuqing also could not determine why he had let out such news. She guessed, ¡°Was it because he didn''t want to fulfil the promise with the Lins, but did not want to break the promise? So he spread this news so we would break it instead.¡± The entire office fell into a silence. It was so quiet that even if a needle fell to the ground, one could hear it. ¡°Are you sure it''s because of this?¡± ¡°What else could it be?¡± Lin Yuhan affirmed Shen Xiuqing''s guess. She sat on the couch, frustrated. ¡°If we had knew about this earlier, we wouldn''t have needed to bring Lin Xinyan and her mother back here.¡± And she could have married Zong Jinghao. Lin Guoan felt a headacheing on. This was indeed out of his expectations. He had wanted to use his daughter to establish a rtionship with the Zongs. Yet if it was like what Shen Xiuqing had said, then marrying his daughter to Zong Jinghao not only had not pleased him, but it also offended him. He had wanted to look for help from Zong Jinghao as thepany was encountering troubles, but now it seemed like it was not a feasible n. Lin Guoan''s face was grim. No wonder thest time he went to Wanyue, Zong Jinghao did not bother with meeting him. ¡°Mom.¡± Lin Yuhan grabbed tightly onto Shen Xiuqing''s arm. ¡°Mom, why wasn''t it me that was married to Zong Jinghao?¡± She liked that man. This was the first time she ever liked a man. She could have had the chance the marry him, yet she had lost it. She regretted it. She regretted it so badly. If she had not given a thought to Zong Jinghao''s handicap and married him, perhaps her dedication for him despite his handicap will make him fall in love with her. However, all of these became Lin Xinyan''s. She did not feel that it was fair. ¡°We need to strategize.¡± Shen Xiuqing was not content. They could have established a rtionship with the Zongs, but they missed the opportunity. Lin Guoan could only feel the headache. He was at a loss now that the matter had developed this way. How could Zong Jinghao trick them by pretending to be a handicapped? On the other side, Lin Xinyan had followed Zong Jinghao into the car. She sat quietly on a side. Zong Jinghao seemed busy; there were documents on his leg. He lowered his eyes and pulled on his loose cor. Lin Xinyan quietly sat on the side, not wanting to disturb him. When Guan Jing was about to reach Wanyue''s office building, Lin Xinyan asked for him to stop the car. ¡°Do you need to do something?¡± ¡°It doesn''t look too good for me to enter with the both of you.¡± After all, her marriage with Zong Jinghao was not meant to go public. In case there were any unnecessary misunderstandings. Guan Jing could not understand her actions now. Clearly, she was trying to ruin Zong Jinghao''s reputation, but now¡ª Lin Xinyan came down from the car, and Guan Jing drove the car into the underground parking. Zong Jinghao came down from the car and entered the elevator with Guan Jing following behind him. Guan Jing was particrly curious about Zong Jinghao''s opinion towards Lin Xinyan, so he tentatively asked, ¡°Mr. Zong, do you like Ms. Lin or Ms. Bai better?¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Zong Jinghao gave him a side-eye. ¡°Don''t be so curious about my matters.¡± Guan Jing smiled apologetically. ¡°I was just curious. Ms. Bai had been with you longer; I think she''s more suitable.¡± ¡°Guan Jing.¡± Zong Jinghao''s words were slow, and it formed into a wave of inexplicable pressure. Guan Jing shuddered, and was about to exin before he saw his insincere smiling eyes. ¡°You sound very interested in my personal matters. Why not we take a seat and talk about it?¡± Guan Jing broke into a cold sweat, and he smiled apologetically, ¡°I wouldn''t dare to.¡± At this moment, the elevator stopped. Guan Jing hurriedly took a step back, distancing himself from Zong Jinghao. Zong Jinghao looked at him, indifferent, and walked out of the elevator. As if she knew Zong Jinghao would return at this time, Bai Zhuwei was standing by the door with documents in her hand. When she saw Zong Jinghao, she quickly walked over. ¡°I need your signature for this document.¡± She mentioned nothing ofst night''s incident. Being unreasonable would only make him feel disgusted. Being well-behaved and sensible, that was the true soft sword that could reach into a man''s heart. Zong Jinghao reached for the document, signed it, and returned the document to her. ¡°Let''s have ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . dinner together tonight,¡± he said. Was this apensation? Bai Zhuwei smiled, and said, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Pick a ce. Somewhere you like.¡± He had a responsibility towards this woman. Bai Zhuwei followed behind him and reported his schedule to him as they walked. When they reached the office entrance, Bai Zhuwei closed her book, and asked, ¡°Is there anything you would like to drink?¡± ¡°A cup of coffee.¡± He walked into the office. When Bai Zhuwei was making coffee in the pantry, she saw that the new HR Manager was bringing Lin Xinyan towards her side. She tensed. Why was Lin Xinyan here? She put the coffee pot down and walked out to stop the manager. She looked at Lin Xinyan and said, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Her eyes were defensive and shocked, as if she was not expecting to see Lin Xinyan in thepany. ¡°I''m the trantor.¡± Lin Xinyan smiled. Bai Zhuwei''s hands clenched tight as she red at her. After she left on that day, Lin Xinyan must have seduced Zong Jinghao. Or else why would she be in thepany? Lin Xinyan leaner towards her and whispered, ¡°My husband wanted to see me all day long. That''s why he wanted me toe to work, so that he could see me often.¡± ¡°Don''t act all high and mighty!¡± Bai Zhuwei red at her angrily. ¡°What do you think you are? You think Hao really likes you? Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror?¡± Although she was furious, but the rationality that she still had in her mind had told her not to identally spill out her rtionship with Zong Jinghao. The entirepany knew that she was the woman that Zong Jinghao would marry. Lin Xinyan sneered when she saw Bai Zhuwei stomping her feet. Ever since she had caused the mental illness in Zhuang Zijin, they would never be able to see each other eye-to-eye. Quickly, rationalization returned to Bai Zhuwei. This was her territory. If she wanted to y with her, it was an easy feat. Bai Zhuwei''s gaze fleeted across her stomach. She would never let this babye into this world. ¡°Does Ms. Bai know Ms. Lin?¡± The HR Manager had realized that there was something going on between the two, but they did not say anything. The HR Manager just pretended to know nothing. No fools could work in these kind ofpany. There was a usual smile on Bai Zhuwei''s face, and she casually said, ¡°I do. Since she''s the new trantor, hand her over to me and I''ll do the arrangement.¡± ¡°That''ll be good.¡± The manager smiled. After the manager left, Bai Zhuwei deliberately left Lin Xinyan alone, and went back to make her coffee in the pantry. Lin Xinyan frowned. Why was this woman so childish? What would this do to her? ¡°Ms. Bai, if you''re busy, I''ll just go to my husband''s office. He''ll¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Bai Zhuwei had just calmed down before she was annoyed by her words again. Why couldn''t this woman just die? ¡°If you don''t want someone to know, you shouldn''t have done it. Ms. Bai, it was you who started this.¡± Lin Xinyan smiled. She¡ª She knows? How much did she know? No, no. She could not have known. The only woman who knew was already dead. How could she have known? She suppressed the anxiety in her, and calmly said, ¡°I don''t know what Ms. Lin is talking about.¡± ¡°Mingwan District. Have you never been there?¡± Lin Xinyan stared at her face and asked. Bai Zhuwei was stunned for a moment. So she was talking about this instead. She was not expecting her to know about it that quickly. As long as it was not that other matter. Regardless, she would not admit to it. She pretended to be confused as she said, ¡°Mingwan District? Is that where Ms. Lin stays?¡± Lin Xinyan sneered, but did not continue. The both of them knew what was going on. ¡°Where is my spot?¡± Bai Zhuwei pointed at the innermost corner position. ¡°There.¡± ¡°Even if I was ced at a corner, we''re still living under the same roof.¡± Lin Xinyan said to spite her. She then walked towards the spot. Wanyue was developing a new project in Country A, and there were many documents that were sent into the country. The documents were all backlogged as they did not have a trantor previously. Bai Zhuwei gave it all to her, and requested her to finish everything in two days, not allowing her a moment to take a break. When it was time to go home, Lin Xinyan was still buried in between mountains of trantion documents. When Zong Jinghao walked out of the office, Bai Zhuwei had already changed away her work clothes. She now wore a long white dress; with her chestnut-colored hair and delicate makeup, she looked beautiful and dignified. She greeted him and held onto Zong Jinghao''s arm. ¡°I''ve booked a spot at Fan Kong. I know you like the food there.¡± Zong Jinghao quietly hummed in response, he was not that interested. He unintentionally nced at Lin Xinyan, who was at a corner, and he raised his eyebrows. Bai Zhuwei hurriedly exined, ¡°There was only one empty spot left, so I could only ce her there.¡± At the end of the sentence, she added, ¡°I was biased.¡± Even if she did not say it out, Zong Jinghao would have seen through her actions. And so she would rather admit to it. That she did not like her. ¡°Am I being too petty?¡± She lowered her head. What could he say to this? She was already being so honest with him. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He was calm, and nothing could make a wave in his heart. He could not understand what he felt towards Lin Xinyan, not to mention Guan Jing. He hated her, pitied her, and wanted to know more about her. Her cries and herughter. What other secrets did she have that he had yet to find out? She was such a conflicting woman, and he was interested. When Zong Jinghao did not get angry nor said anything on her behalf, Bai Zhuwei felt more relieved. Lin Xinyan must not take up much ce in Zong Jinghao''s heart. Perhaps it was just because of his dead mother. After all, this was a marriage arranged by his mother. When she thought about it like that, she felt much more relieved. Lin Xinyan had seen Bai Zhuwei holding onto Zong Jinghao and leaving, she just pretended not to have seen it. It was until the elevator doors closed then did Lin Xinyan raised her head. They were loving. She did not understand why Zong Jinghao liked Bai Zhuwei. She looked simply, but she was devious. Though that has nothing to do with her. She lowered her head and smiled bitterly. Just before twelve, she finally finished her work. There was barely anyone in the building at this hour. Even the cars on the road were much lesser now than in the day. Without the noise, it seemed more peaceful. She stood at the side of the road waiting for a cab. Not too long, a cab came. She waved for it. The car stopped beside her, and she pulled open the back door, and said to the driver, ¡°Number 138, Tongfu Road.¡± The cab driver started the car. Lin Xinyan looked at the speeding scenery. Her eyes were half-closed. She felt sleepy. She shook her head in an attempt to wake herself. After a while, she realized that the car was going in the wrong direction. ¡°Mister, I''m going to Number 138, Tongfu Road.¡± The cab driver turned and looked at her, and he smiled as he said, ¡°I''ve been a cab driver for a long time. I know the shortcuts.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. After all, she was not familiar with the ce. After ten minutes, the cab had not reached the destination. If he had followed the usual route, they would have reached by now. Furthermore, the cab driver said that he was using a shortcut... She realized that there was something wrong. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Lin Xinyan calmed herself. ¡°Mister, please turn back, I left something back at mypany.¡± The cab driver pretended that he heard nothing. Lin Xinyan raised her voice as she said, ¡°Please stop the car!¡± The cab driver sped up. Instead of the gentle tone from earlier, he now had a cold tone. ¡°We''re not there yet.¡± In that moment, Lin Xinyan felt her breathing quickened. Her remaining rationality told her not to panic now. She moved her hand quietly to her side in an attempt to take out her phone to call for help. The cab driver saw her intentions, and he stamped onto the brakes. Unprepared, the phone that Lin Xinyan just took out fell from her hand. ¡°Who¡ª Who are you? What do you want?¡± Lin Xinyan forced the wave of panic and fear to calm down. The cab driver stepped onto the elerator and looked at her through the rearview mirror. ¡°Did you offend someone, Miss? I''m just doing what I''m paid for.¡± Her heart thumped, and her hands shivered. Who wanted to hurt her? Bai Zhuwei? ¡°I can pay you too!¡± Lin Xinyan tried to strike a deal with him. The cab driver took a look at her. She was wearing a set of cheap clothes, unlike what a rich person would wear. The cab driver did not believe in her words. The ce seemed to be getting more and more remote by the second. Lin Xinyan steeled her heart. If she were to jump off the car, she might have a chance in living. If she continued to stay on, she did not want to imagine the consequences. She sped her hands, and finally decided. She opened the safety lock and pushed open the door. The cab driver nced at her. ¡°Even if you don''t die from jumping, you''re going scrape yourself bloody. You can''t escape!¡± Even if she could not escape, she would not continue to stay in the car with the cab driver, that''ll be disastrous! She was afraid, but she had no choice. She rubbed her stomach. ¡°Baby, please stay strong.¡± The strong wind whooshed, and it tangled it her hair. She was determined. It took her all her courage to jump. The car had been speeding. When she came off, her knees came into contact with the floor first, and she sprawled onto the floor. Instantly, fiery pain rushed into her knees, and the blood gushed out in sync with the waves of pain. She did not have the time to look at it; she got up and started running. The cab driver had not thought that she had the courage to jump. He stopped the car and started chasing. Lin Xinyan was limping and could not run fast. Every time her legs lifted; she could feel immense pain. She persevered, because she knew that once she stops, she''ll be doomed! ¡°Stay there!¡± In a blink of an eye, the cab driver seemed about to catch up with her. She just desperately ran. And ran. There were lights not far into the woods. Perhaps it was someone. She could only seek for help now; she could not escape by herself. She ran into the woods towards the light. She screamed help as she ran, hoping to catch the attention of the person. The cab driver was strong, and Lin Xinyan was hurt. She was caught by the driver. ¡°Don''t think of running away!¡± The cab driver dragged her towards the road and tried to stuff her back into the car. Lin Xinyan turned around to bite on his arm. The cab driver screamed and pped her. ¡°B****, how dare you bite me?¡± Lin Xinyan held on. Her mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood. The cab driver released her in the pain, and she struggled out. This time, she ran even faster. ¡°Stop right there!¡± The driver continued chasing, but he tripped. And that was extra time for Lin Xinyan to escape. Only when she was near the lights then did she realize they were from a vi. She knocked hard on the door. ¡°Is there anyone home? Help me¡ª¡± The door shook under her heavy knockings. By now, the cab driver had caught up. He stared at Lin Xinyan, who was trapped, and said, ¡°Run! Keep running! Let''s see where else you can run to!¡± Lin Xinyan ignored him and knocked with renewed vigor. ¡°Is there anyone¡ª¡± Before she finished her sentence, the door slowly opened and a slim figured emerged from behind it. He stood against the bright light, so Lin Xinyan could not see his face. She squinted her eyes as she said, ¡°Help me.¡± Just as her words left her mouth, her legs gave out and she copsed. Blurrily, she saw the slim figure rushing to catch her. ¡°Yanyan.¡± He Ruize called out worriedly. Lin Xinyan gave a difficult smile. It was He Ruize. ¡°Ruize¡ª¡± They knew each other! The cab driver turned and ran off when he realized that the situation was unfavorable to him. He Ruize gave a short glimpse at the cab driver who ran away but he gave no chase. Lin Xinyan was the priority. He carried Lin Xinyan into the house. Now that there was light, he finally saw the bloody state of her knees. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, concerned. Lin Xinyan could not find the strength to speak now that she felt relieved. He Ruize ced her on the couch. ¡°I''ll get the first aid kit to treat your wound. We''ll see how bad it is.¡± ¡°Ruize, who is she?¡± A woman with a high hair bun and matching clothes asked. On her finger was a At this moment she was watching at Lin Xinyan, who was sitting on the couch. Lin Xinyan looked at the woman and her clothes. She did not seem like an average person. Here¡ª The interior of the house was decorated with European-style. There was arge crystal chandelier, the light reflecting off the crystal onto the living room. It looked luxurious. Was this He Ruize''s house? He¡ª He was also a wealthy man? He Ruize did not answer the woman. Instead, he took out the first aid kit from the cupboard and opened it on the table. He kneeled in front of Lin Xinyan. ¡°It might hurt when the antiseptic touches the wound. Hold on for a bit.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Lin Xinyan nodded. The woman seemed unhappy with He Ruize''s attitude. ¡°It''s been many years since you lost Lin. How long are you nning to punish yourself?¡± ¡°Mom, go back.¡± He Ruize was not keen on hearing her talk about this. ¡°Ruize¡ª¡± ¡°Mom.¡± He Ruize''s looked at his mother and deepened his tone as he said, ¡°I don''t want to talk about things from the past. Now that I''m here, I''m never going back.¡± Xia Zhenyu was overjoyed. All these years he had been abroad and alone. He never told his family where he was, and he only sent a letter home to inform them that he was still alive and safe. So many years of missing him, and only waiting for him toe back. She felt d that he had finally walked out of the shadow from losing Lin and returned back to the country. Xia Zhenyu was worried that he would still leave; she hoped that he could stay here for long. She wanted her son to marry here so that someone could anchor him here. However, He Ruize did not like the idea, and she did not dare to push him too much. ¡°Alright, I won''t disturb you.¡± Xia Zhenyu took her bag and went towards the door. When she reached the door, she paused, and turned to look at Lin Xinyan. He Ruize was carefully cleaning her wound. His eyes were lowered, and there were unspeakable emotions in them. So many years, he had been ming himself for what happened to Lin. Now that he suddenly came back¡ª Her gaze stopped on Lin Xinyan''s face for two seconds. It''s likely it''s because of this girl. She took a deep breath. She had never seen this girl amongst the rich families. As if Lin Xinyan had sensed her gaze, she turned around and saw Xia Zhenyu looking at her. She smiled. ¡°Aunt.¡± Lin Xinyan had found out her identity through her conversation with He Ruize. She was He Ruize''s mother. Xia Zhenyu nodded as response and walked out of the house. Lin Xinyan lowered her head looked at He Ruize who was cleaning her wound. ¡°Ge, I can''t believe you''re someone rich¡ª¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 He Ruize''s hand paused. Money did not make him happy. Lin Xinyan opened her mouth but closed it again. This ¡°Lin¡± that his mother was talking about, was she his female friend? It seemed like He Ruize did not like others to talk about it. And so she did not ask. He Ruize looked up and saw fingerprints on her face. He frowned and asked, ¡°Who was it this time?¡± Lin Xinyan did not know, but she guessed it was Bai Zhuwei. She was a threat to Bai Zhuwei; she was afraid that she would be close to Zong Jinghao. ¡°I don''t have any evidence.¡± After all, a guess was not an answer. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . He Ruize reached out and caress her face. Lin Xinyan instinctively back up, and he did not touch her. He felt a little disappointed, but he faked a look of anger. ¡°Ruize can''t even touch your face?¡± Lin Xinyan did not deliberately avoid him; it was just that she instinctively resisted any touch from the opposite sex. He Ruize smoothed her hair. ¡°Yanyan is feeling shy.¡± Then his face turned grim. ¡°The wound on your knee¡ª¡± Although it did not reach bone, it was still quite serious. ¡°Bear with it for a little while.¡± He just cleaned the wound earlier. Now he was going to wrap it up, and the process of applying medication was going to be painful. Lin Xinyan nodded. She had bear through the pain when He Ruize was cleaning her wound. She knew that no one could take the pain for her. No one would feel sad for her. She could only stay strong. ¡°Mmm.¡± She pursed her lips. He Ruize looked at her for a second before trying to make herugh. ¡°If you really can''t bear it, you can bite on my hand.¡± Lin Xinyan smiled in cooperation, but her heart was heavy. Bai Zhuwei did not seed this time; would the next time be even worse? Suddenly, she realized she had nothing. How would she be able to fight back? He Ruize''s head was lowered as he dabbed the medication and did not notice her expression. He was afraid that she would focus on the pain, so he kept talking to her. ¡°This medication won''t affect your baby, don''t worry.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. He Ruize was thoughtful. She ced her hand on her stomach. Perhaps this was the most joyful event she has had recently. The baby was fine. She did not feel pain nor difort in her stomach. Her child was a brave and strong baby. ¡°Rest here tonight.¡± He Ruize finished wrapping her wound, looked up, then realized that her forehead was filled with perspiration. ¡°If you need anything, just ask it. I''m your Ruize.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded. Now she had to find out whether it was Bai Zhuwei or not. She was working at thepany. It was convenient for her to investigate as she was near Bai Zhuwei. He Ruize stood up and went to get a pail of cold water. He wiped her sweat and iced her face. ¡°Who did you offend?¡± They were so rough with her. Lin Xinyan thought for a moment, then she said, ¡°I have no evidence, but I''m assuming it''s Bai Zhuwei, Zong Jinghao''s girlfriend. She hates me, and I''m assuming it''s because I''m married to Zong Jinghao.¡± On hearing her rtionship with Zong Jinghao as husband and wife, He Ruize felt his heart numbed, but at least it was only for a month. ¡°I''ll take care of you from now on.¡± After she is divorced from Zong Jinghao, he was going to confess. And he would take care of her from there on. No harm wille to her. Lin Xinyan did not hear his full sentence, but she hummed in response. Lin Xinyan did not go home this night. Combining the fact that this was a foreign ce and that she had gotten a fright in the night, she had woken up early the next morning. He Ruize was very considerate. He had bought her new clothes; the ones on her was no longer wearable. ¡°It''s a dress. It''s more suitable to wear this considering your wound.¡± He Ruize handed the clothes to her. Wearing jeans would rub onto the wound. The dress was long, and it could cover the knees. Excluding her mom, He Ruize was the nicest to her. This kindness was a pressure to her. She did not know how to repay him. ¡°Could you be less nice to me?¡± Her voice was rough. He Ruize deliberately gave an easy smile. ¡°Silly, you''re calling me Ruize. Isn''t it normal for me to take care of you? No need to be so polite with me.¡± He tapped her nose as he continued, ¡°You''re a mother soon, don''t cry now.¡± Lin Xinyan sniffed and smiled at him. She took the clothes into her room. She took off her bathrobe and changed into the clothes. After breakfast, He Ruize sent her home. ¡°I need to go to Golden Harbor.¡± There was still time, and she needed to go to the Lins. She had the contract for Repulse Bay given to her by Zong Jinghao, and that meant that she now had a bargaining chip to make an exchange with Lin Guoan. She needed to take back those things. Only when she has money then could she fight back with those who wanted to hurt her. Although it was not a lot, at least it solved her most urgent problem. And the money that she owed He Ruize. Although he told her that there was no need to pay him back, she could not really do that. He Ruize turned the car around and went towards Golden Harbor. In a moment, the car stopped. Lin Xinyan got down from the car. Although she could walk, every step was painful on her knees. She bore with it and walked into the house. Inside, the maids were preparing breakfast. They did not seem to be awake yet. ¡°Do you need to wake¡ª¡± ¡°No need.¡± Lin Xinyan interrupted. She once lived here. Thest time she was here, she had been in a rush, and she did not look at her old bedroom. Although her memories of this ce were not great, it was still a ce she once lived as a child. She still felt nostalgic. She went to the second floor. She was about to open the door to the bedroom she once stayed in when she realized that there were voicesing from within. She pushed open the door lightly and realized that it was already taken over by Lin Yuhan. Lin Yuhan was lying on the bed, and Shen Xiuqing was sitting by the bedside, seemingly disappointed. ¡°I can''t believe she ran away.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lin Yuhan sat up from the bed abruptly. ¡°How did she get away?¡± Shen Xiuqing''s face was grim. ¡°I was too careless. I thought a man could take care of a girl. Who knew that man was so useless, he couldn''t even catch a girl!¡± Lin Yuhan shouted in anger. ¡°If she doesn''t get ruined, how would Zong Jinghao get sick of her, then divorce her? If there''s no divorce, where would my chance be at?¡± Shen Xiuqing covered her daughter''s mouth. ¡°Speak softer. Don''t let your father hear you.¡± Lin Yuhan softened her voice. ¡°I''m angry¡ª¡± ¡°Am I not?¡± Shen Xiuqing face was contorted. ¡°Now that Zong Jinghao likes her, she''lle and seek revenge with the Zongs at her back. We''ll be doomed.¡± ¡°So we need to get rid of her now!¡± Lin Yuhan said viciously. Shen Xiuqing was more cautious. ¡°We didn''t seed this time. I''m afraid she''ll be prepared for the next. It''ll be difficult to mess with her the next time¡ª¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Lin Yuhan saw the person standing by the door and jumped from the bed. She pointed at Lin Xinyan who was standing by the door, and snapped, ¡°Why¡ª Why are you here?¡± Lin Xinyan had been so sure it was Bai Zhuwei, she had not thought that it was Shen Xiuqing and Lin Yuhan. Shen Xiuqing was also surprised to see her. ¡°When did youe upstairs? What did you hear?¡± Lin Xinyan sneered. She stole her mother''s husband, took her father, and used her mother''s dowries. All she wanted was to take back her mother''s and her things. And yet, she wanted to hurt her! Hah. Was she afraid that she''ll have the Zongs to back her up? ¡°What did you hear?¡± Lin Xinyan stared at Shen Xiuqing, and sneered, ¡°Everything I needed to know.¡± Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Lin Xinyan had never thought about it, that one of the reasons that they wanted to hurt her was Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. because she might take revenge on them with Zong Jinghao supporting her. It was true that she never thought about it, but now it was different. Now they were a threat to not only her, but also her baby! In their eyes, herpromise was a sign of being weak. ¡°So what if you''ve heard it?¡± Since she could not cover it up, Shen Xiuqing gave up the pretense of not knowing. ¡°That''s right. What do you think you are? You''re just an abandoned¡ª¡± ¡°So noisy in the morning¡ª Why are you here?¡± Lin Guoan was about to start scolding but changed his topic when he saw Lin Xinyan. Lin Xinyan took a look at Shen Xiuqing and Lin Yuhan, and finally looked at Lin Guoan. ¡°Didn''t you want thend at Repulse Bay?¡± Lin Guoan was stunned. ¡°You''ve got it?¡± At the same time, Shen Xiuqing and Lin Yuhan gave her a scathing look. They seemed surprised. Zong Jinghao was treating her well. Or else he would not give her the contract for Repulse Bay. Lin Xinyan took in their expressions. She would have to use the power of Zong Jinghao''s name today. And pretend that she was powerful too. She faked casualness, and on her face was the look of a shy woman happily in love. ¡°We''re husband and wife. What''s wrong with him giving me something?¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Lin Yuhan did not want to believe her words. She had been trying to brainwash herself that what she had seen were all an act. Zong Jinghao would never fall in love with her! Shen Xiuqing grabbed onto Lin Yuhan and shook her head, signaling her not to be agitated. If Lin Xinyan really had thend at Repulse Bay, Lin Guoan''s attitude towards her would have drastically changed. After all, the Zongs was arge tree. And it was a tree that Lin Guoan was keen on climbing, now that hispany was in trouble. Indeed, after Lin Guoan heard Lin Xinyan''s words, a smile had crawled onto his face. ¡°Have you had breakfast? If not, do eat here before you leave.¡± It was not that Lin Guoan did not smile; it was that he had never smiled towards Lin Xinyan. Looking at Lin Guoan, Lin Xinyan felt bitter. Did he change his attitude because he saw that he could use her? In his heart, was she only worth using? This was her biological father. How sorrowful was this? ¡°I''ve eaten. I''m just here to tell you to pack up my mother''s dowry and my things. I''ll bring it over tomorrow.¡± She turned and went down the stairs. The pain on her leg was nothing inparison with the pain in her heart. Lin Guoan followed her and said, ¡°Come back. You haven''t eaten here at home. You should leave only after you''ve eaten.¡± ¡°What else are you trying to achieve?¡± Lin Xinyan turned her head to look at Lin Guoan. He would not care for her if there was nothing he wanted. That was the kind of man Lin Guoan was. Even when his intentions were found out, Lin Guoan still softened his tone and said frankly, ¡°Yanyan, there are some troubles that thepany has been facing recently. Could you ask Zong Jinghao to help me out?¡± Lin Xinyan held onto the handrails as she walked down. ¡°What happened to thepany?¡± She asked with an indifferent tone, not looking at him. ¡°A real estate we invested in had copsed¡ª¡± Thepany was facing awsuit, and their reputation was taking a hit. The public had lost interest in anything thepany had invested in. He could barely collect the profits now. Even if Lin Xinyan had given him thend at Repulse Bay, he had no funds to invest into it. His priority was to solve the copse incident. If Zong Jinghao had appeared to suppress the news then they might be able to ovee the difficulties. Lin Xinyan looked up the stairs. ¡°I can''t help you for free. We''ll be making a deal.¡± Lin Guoan''s expression froze, as if not expecting her to make deals. What did she want this time? His face turned grim. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t want your money. Just return what belongs to me and my mother to me. It''s not a problem for me to help you, but¡ª¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Guoan asked. ¡°Divorce Shen Xiuqing. Then I''ll help you.¡± Lin Guoan was in a dilemma. Lin Xinyan did not say anything else. She wanted to see how much her father wanted this woman. More than hispany? ¡°Yanyan¡ª¡± ¡°I''m only asking for this. If you''re not interested, I won''t force you.¡± Lin Xinyan said. Lin Guoan, did he really fall love? Lin Guoan was stumped. ¡°Yan Yan, I know you still mind that I sent you away. It''s because Shen Xiuqing was pregnant with a son, that''s why¡ª that''s why¡ª¡± ¡°That''s why you sent me and mother away. Did she give birth to a son for you?¡± Lin Xinyan sped her hands tightly. Did he know that her mother that he sent away was also pregnant? The divorce had made her depressed during pregnancy, that''s why her child was autistic. Lin Guoan felt very sorry about that matter. ¡°She had a miscarriage. So if I don''t want her now, it would be really unfair to her¡ª¡± ¡°Thepany or Shen Xiuqing. Pick one!¡± Lin Xinyan did not want to hear him say that it was unfair to divorce Shen Xiuqing because she once carried a son. What about her mother? She deserved to be abandoned? She deserved to have an autistic son? He was nostalgic now that she asked him to divorce Shen Xiuqing? Did he felt nostalgic when he sent she and her mother away? Lin Xinyan walked steadily out of the Lins'' vi as her heart broke. Outside the entrance, He Ruize was leaning on his car. The morning sun was gentle, softlynding on him, and it made him look kind and ethereal. Lin Xinyan''s footsteps paused. He Ruize pulled open the door to the backseat when he saw here out. ¡°Don''t stand there, get on the car.¡± Lin Xinyan walked over and entered the car. He Ruize closed the door and sat onto the driver''s seat. He turned to look at her. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Wanyue.¡± Lin Xinyan leaned on the window. ¡°I''m working there.¡± He Ruize frowned. ¡°If I have better jobs¡ª¡± ¡°It''s a deal with Zong Jinghao to work there.¡± So she could not leave. He Ruize started the car. He felt anxious, he thought that she was too involved with Zong Jinghao. About twenty minutester, the car stopped at Wanyue Group''s office building. He Ruize came down to open the car door, but Lin Xinyan had already pushed open the door. She saw him walk over, and she smiled. ¡°I can do it myself.¡± He Ruize supported her. ¡°Don''t you know that you''re hurt? Take care of yourself. Call me if there''s anything you need.¡± Lin Xinyan nodded, and walked away from the car. At this moment, there was another car that stopped at the entrance. A tall figure came down from the car, and Lin Xinyan looked over. Zong Jinghao was standing beside the car, his gaze at her was like the coldest moonlight. A light touch, and she would shiver from it. Zong Jinghao look was so unfriendly, that even He Ruize spotted it and moved in front of her to block the gaze. Zong Jinghao was already angry at Lin Xinyan for not going homest night. And now, He Ruize was there, protecting that woman in front of him. He just felt the scorching frustration in him, threatening to burn him up. She had not gone home the entire night, and it was to apany this man? The more he thought about it, the more the fire in heart burned... Chapter 30 Chapter 30 The fire burned and burned, and it was about to swallow him up. He lowered his voice, and a corner of lips turned upwards. His tone was cold with no hint of joy nor anger. ¡°What I''ve said to you, it''s not important, is it?¡± Lin Xinyan instinctively shuddered. ¡°Your marriage is just a deal; you have no rights to request anything from her.¡± He Ruize''s tone was also cold. ¡°If I don''t have to rights, you don''t too. Regardless if it''s a deal or not, you''re thinking of someone else''s wife, that''s not what a gentleman does.¡± He looked away from He Ruize but gave a side-eye to Lin Xinyan. ¡°I''ll give you a minute.¡± He walked into the building. He Ruize turned around to look at Lin Xinyan. ¡°Don''t worry, I''m here. I''ll apany you in and exin to him.¡± Lin Xinyan shook her head. She was in the wrong. She promised him thest time, but now she broke the promise. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°It''s alright, Ruize. You should go, I still need to work.¡± Lin Xinyan walked into the building. Zong Jinghao had already went up. Lin Xinyan took the elevator up. Standing out Zong Jinghao''s office, she steeled her heart and knocked the door. ¡°Come in.¡± She pushed open the door and was about to exin before Zong Jinghao cut her off. ¡°Let''s end our marriage now.¡± He looked up at her. ¡°A month is too long. Let''s end it now.¡± Lin Xinyan could not stop her lips from trembling. She thought she had been strong and brave, but she was not. It was not enough. She could not save herself when the danger came. If she had not found He Ruize, she might not have gotten out of there. Perhaps she would have been killed by Shen Xiuqing and Lin Yuhan. Zong Jinghao did not want to continue his words. He picked the phone and said, ¡°Lawyer Lee, draft me a divorce¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Lin Xinyan rushed over, covered his phone, and shook her head. ¡°I really didn''t mean to not go home. There were some thingsst night, that''s why¡ª¡± Hah. Zong Jinghao''s eyesnded on the dress she wore, and heughed gloomily, the sound seemed to pass through her flesh and blood. ¡°I''m giving you what you want, isn''t that good?¡± She was clearly wearing jeans and shirt yesterday, and today she was wearing a dress. How crazy wasst night, that her clothes were no longer wearable? Perhaps she had her charms, but she was wild. His time was not worth spending on this kind of woman. ¡°No.¡± Even if they were to have a divorce, now was not the time. If she were to lose Zong Jinghao as he supports, she would return back to her state eight years ago. A fish out of the water, helpless. Zong Jinghao stared at her. She was stunned, panicked, and disoriented like a deer in headlights. She was hesitating and at a loss. He was caught off guard by the sudden throb in his heart but he sneered. She was fooling around with other men, but she wanted to keep the marriage? Absurd! Ridiculous! He remained indifferent and distant. ¡°I''m giving you the chance to be with that man together and forever, but you''re telling me no?¡± Lin Xinyan was in a panic, and she was fearful. She was afraid Zong Jinghao really wanted to divorce her. In that moment, Lin Xinyan thought about his unexpected kiss. Without further thoughts, she leaned over and kissed him. The time froze. Zong Jinghao was stunned for a moment. He lowered his eyelids and stared at the woman who was kissing his lips. He had forgotten how to react. She was slutty in her real life, but her kissing techniques were like a beginner''s. And there was this sense of familiarity, that made him not push her away within a second. His rationality returned, and Zong Jinghao pushed her away roughly. Unprepared for the push, Lin Xinyan''s knees turned into jelly and she fell backwards. Her dress rode up and her legs were exposed. The wound tore open again, and the bandage on her knees were seeped with blood. It was attention- grabbing. Pain shot into her knees. She trembled. Zong Jinghao was shocked. Her legs¡ª Lin Xinyan ignored the pain on her knees and crawled to stand up from the ground. She looked at him and continued to beg him. ¡°Don''t divorce me.¡± She was afraid. Afraid that she would lose everything. She finally managed to stand on equal terms Lin Guoan as Zong Jinghao''s wife, and now this was floating away from her hands like bubbles. Her tears fell in fear and in bewilderment. Zong Jinghao walked to her, bent over, and pulled up the edges of her dress. Both of her knees were wrapped with white bandages, the bright red on it was eye-catching. She was hurt? His voice held a tone of distress that was barely detectable. Perhaps even he did not realize it, that he would feel distressed when she was hurt. ¡°What happened?¡± Lin Xinyan wiped the tears on her face and took the chance to exin. ¡°I was going homest night in a cab, but it turns out someone had arranged for the cab driver to hurt me. To escape, I jumped from the car, and that''s where my knees were hurt. I didn''t mean to not go back. I was only with He Ruize because he saved me.¡± Zong Jinghao did not want to admit that he felt his heart softened when he saw the wound on her knees. He straightened; his expression was still cold. ¡°Do you know who had wanted to hurt you?¡± ¡°Shen Xiuqing and Lin Yuhan. It''s because I married you. They were afraid that you were going to support me if I take revenge on them, and so they decided to get rid of me first.¡± She had nothing to hide for this matter. She had to convince Zong Jinghao not to divorce her. That was her priority. So her unwillingness to divorce was not because she liked him but was because she was afraid of others waiting to harm her. He was surprised to find himself a little disappointed. He turned around to face the French windows, showing her a lonely back. ¡°This is why you don''t want to divorce me?¡± Lin Xinyan did not deny it. ¡°Our deal was for a month, so can we wait until then?¡± Zong Jinghao closed his eyes and frowned. He was obviously disinterested to discuss further. Instead of agreeing or rejecting her, his tone was cold as he said, ¡°Get out!¡± ¡°I won''t be staying out all night. In this duration as your wife, I will be doing what a wife does. Don''t worry, Mr. Zong.¡± Lin Xinyan guaranteed. Zong Jinghao was frustrated, and his tone was freezing cold. ¡°Get out!¡± Lin Xinyan hesitated for a second, then limped out. When the door closed, Zong Jinghao held his forehead andughed mockingly at himself. He was He lost control of himself because of this insignificant woman. He had never done this. He knew that she was not pure nor naive. Yet he could not restrain himself from acting unlike himself whenever she was involved. Lin Xinyan returned to her spot. She pulled apart the bandage, and the blood from her wound bled out. She took out the medication that He Ruize gave her and poured it on her wound. She did not wrap it up again. It was time for work, so the employees were slowlying into the office. She quietly tranted her documents. She was so quiet; it was as if she was not there. Even Bai Zhuwei did not appear to look for trouble with her. In the afternoon, everyone went out for lunch. Lin Xinyan was not with the others. She had bought packed lunch and ate it at her spot while looking through the documents. Bai Zhuwei had told her to finish the trantions by two days. She had only tranted half yesterday, and there was still half left. She was busy today. To avoid Bai Zhuwei finding fault with her, she had to finish tranting within the time given. For lunch, Bai Zhuwei went to the office cafeteria with Zong Jinghao. Naturally, they came back together. Zong Jinghao never asked anything regarding Lin Xinyan. This made Bai Zhuwei feel relieved. She had been too agitated and nervous thest time because Lin Xinyan was the girl of that night. The baby in her stomach was Zong Jinghao''s child. Now that she had time to think, she realized that Zong Jinghao would never know the truth of that night as the only woman who knew about it was already dead. As long as she could keep Zong Jinghao''s heart to herself... As for Lin Xinyan, she knew someone would get rid of her soon, and¡ª The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!