Volume One, Chapter Seven: Pregnancy

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“Your mother? She’s not pregnant, you must have heard wrong!” Lin Xi dismissively pulled back her sleeve. According to old sayings, the first three months of pregnancy are the most critical, especially it must be kept from the child.

Since Dong Shuanghuan didn’t know, she couldn’t reveal it either, so she casually sent her back next door.

Seeing Dong Jianbei, who had already fallen asleep crying, she suddenly remembered her original purpose. After an entire day, she still didn’t know where Dong Qianqian was!

With that thought, she forced a hollow smile and suggested, “It’s been a long day, you must be hungry. Auntie will go make you some food!” Then, feeling extremely guilty, she hurried away.

From a young age, Dong Shuanghuan had been highly perceptive of others’ moods. Judging by Third Aunt’s expression, she was sure her mother was really pregnant.

So, when Third Aunt took Dong Qianqian away during the chaos, it was to prevent her from disturbing the baby in her womb?

They had clearly agreed that as long as she was there, it was enough. Now, things were changing.

Did they really want a biological child that badly? Looking at the sleeping Dong Jianbei, although his features were soft and chubby, both he and Dong Qianqian shared identical dimples when they smiled—a clear blood relation at first glance.

Their mother doted on him the most, as if he were her own flesh and blood; sometimes even pushing her, her own daughter, aside.

What would happen to her in this family once her mother had a biological child? Would she become the only outsider in the entire household?

No, this couldn’t happen. Whether it was a brother or sister, no sibling could be born.

As dusk approached, Dong Shuanghuan could wait no longer.

She didn’t care whether Dong Qianqian had disappeared or been abducted; it would be best if she never returned.

That way, she could openly play the piano and wear beautiful clothes. For now, Dong Qianqian’s disappearance was the perfect excuse.

After settling on this reasoning, Dong Shuanghuan left before dark, heading to the city before 5 p.m., hoping to catch the last bus.

She deftly avoided the Dong family members and ran along the main road back to the city. To lighten her burden, she even left Dong Jianbei behind.

In her heart, she told herself not to blame her; after all, they were a family with blood ties and surely wouldn’t let him go hungry. She returned to the city with no guilt.

After enduring hardships and returning to the city in a bedraggled state, she found her home completely empty—only the load-bearing walls stared back at her.

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Completely unaware of what her beloved daughter might do upon seeing their home as if it had been ravaged by a storm, Lin Xuehua’s greatest concern now was for her precious unborn child.

Lying in a hospital bed, she cradled her belly and anxiously asked the nurse, “Nurse, how is my baby? Is he going to be alright? What did Dr. Sun say?”

“Don’t get upset! It’s only been a month. Normally, there’s nothing noticeable yet. Your husband went to inquire.”

“Rest assured! Dr. Sun might not see problems with other illnesses, but he’s renowned here as a master in gynecology!” The head nurse comforted Lin Xuehua, then left once her husband arrived to attend to other patients.

Upon seeing Dong Ercheng, Lin Xuehua grasped his hand tightly.

She had so much to say. Today’s events were utterly outrageous to her—so absurd she didn’t even know where to begin.

Fortunately, as a scheming couple, they could read each other’s minds with a glance.

“Don’t worry, the baby is fine! Dr. Sun prescribed two courses of medicine. If we take good care of her, everything will be alright.”

“I went home to check on the house. It’s so strange—nothing was left behind. Just the walls and stairs. I don’t know what kind of criminal gang did this.”

“They targeted only our house in the entire sixth row, almost as if they were aiming at me specifically. Maybe Factory Director An was behind it.”

Lin Xuehua’s heart clenched. She had fainted precisely because nothing was left.

Thinking of the money, clothes, antiques, the rosewood wardrobe, and the household registration booklet she needed for registration—all gone.

Coupled with Dong Ercheng’s baseless suspicion, she felt she might faint again.

But the man before her showed no empathy. Instead, he touched her belly happily and said,

“This child is truly a lucky star. Since he came, our family has a new house.”

“What do you mean? Our home was completely robbed. All the savings we accumulated over the years are gone! And you’re glad? Where would we find money for a new house?”

At these words, Dong Ercheng’s smile faded. “What savings? You’ve never seen the house my father-in-law used to live in.”

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“That was truly magnificent, with gilded doors; compared to the shabby house assigned by the factory, it can’t even compare.”

After speaking, he put his arm around Lin Xuehua’s shoulders, trying to comfort her.

“I know you cherish our belongings, but most of the furniture at home was arranged by my ex-wife. They were all things she liked. I haven’t cared for them in a long time.”

“We’ve been married so long. Let’s take this opportunity to buy a new set of furniture that truly belongs to us.”

“Really? We still have money?” Lin Xuehua found it hard to believe. If they had money, who wouldn’t want to move into a new home with furniture, clothes, and jewelry to their liking?

“I’m not lying to you! The Zhao family does business abroad and earns in US dollars.”

“Every year, they secretly send money to Zhao Yunlei’s account. I haven’t told them that Zhao Yunlei died during childbirth.”

“When they heard she had given birth again, they doubled the amount this time. The exchange rate alone is quite high.”

Though Lin Xuehua was pleased they still had financial support and wouldn’t end up homeless, she was also angry.

He still maintained contact with that side, yet this huge matter had never been told to her.

But she knew this wasn’t the time to lose her temper. She hadn’t yet given birth to their son.

She couldn’t just demand he cut ties completely.

So she cautiously asked, “Other things can be bought and replaced, but what about the rosewood wardrobe? Didn’t you say Factory Director An might be involved? That contained…”

Dong Ercheng quickly covered her mouth and looked around.

At this hour, most people were having dinner, so no one should overhear.

“Keep your voice down. I’ve thought about this before the incident happened. But that place is well-hidden; ordinary people can’t find it.”

“Moreover, most of the bills inside have no proof and can’t serve as valid evidence, so even if we got them, they’d be useless.”

“They’d only show that we knew each other before, with some emotional entanglement. Even if Factory Director An wanted to promote his brother-in-law to director, he wouldn’t use this as leverage.”

“After all, his own love life isn’t spotless. I have his weaknesses.”

“I’ll keep an eye on the secondhand market these days to see if that thief tries to sell anything.”

“The police said thieves get more brazen around the New Year. They’re cracking down hard, so we should get most of our things back.”