Chapter 34: If Anything Happens to the Child, I Won't Forgive You

That night, Jiang Ciyou couldn’t sleep. Even after exhausting herself physically in bed, slumber eluded her. She got up and spent the night in the wicker chair on the balcony, watching as dawn slowly crept in.

She was entangled in a dilemma. Despite all the years and all the wrongs Xia Ling had done to her, she hadn’t driven her to ruin. After all, it was Jiang Ciyou who had pulled Xia Ling out of hell. But now, Xia Ling, I will push you back into the abyss, because that’s where you truly belong.

As the first light of day touched the sky, Jiang Ciyou picked up her phone and dialed a number.

“Aunt Xia? Did you know Xia Ling is back in the country?”

At eight in the morning, the entrance of the television station was bustling with people coming and going. Jiang Ciyou’s car was parked nearby. After a while, she saw a hunched woman appear at the station’s entrance. It was Xia Ling’s mother, Xia Xiufen.

Disheveled and dressed in rags, she looked every bit the beggar, yet her sharp, greedy gaze clung to everyone entering the station. At last, she spotted Xia Ling.

Xia Xiufen grabbed Xia Ling’s arm fiercely. “Xia Ling, so it is you! You ungrateful daughter, you returned and didn’t even say a word!”

At first, Xia Ling didn’t recognize the woman, but once she saw that familiar face, terror flooded her eyes.

“Mom, how did you get here?”

Suddenly, her hair was yanked by the old woman, who unleashed a storm of punches and kicks. Despite her beggar’s appearance, Xia Xiufen was strong. She clutched Xia Ling’s hair tightly and began to make a scene.

“Everyone, come look! Look at this ungrateful daughter of mine! I struggled to raise her, sent her to college, and now that she’s grown, she ignores her parents! She’s off with her boyfriend, enjoying the good life, while her father lies crippled in bed and she doesn’t care at all! She’s heartless!”

The crowd was drawn in. Some recognized Xia Ling and hurried to pull the two apart.

Xia Xiufen threw herself onto the ground, rolling and wailing. “Oh, what a bitter fate! Raised a thankless wolf! What kind of host is she? She doesn’t even care for her parents! Heaven above, when I gave birth to her, I suffered for three days and nights. If I’d known this would happen, I’d have drowned her in a bucket right then!”

Xia Ling lay trembling on the ground. Her fear of Xia Xiufen was bone-deep; she couldn’t utter a word. But beneath her terror, her eyes blazed with hatred.

The crowd watched, their expressions of pity and disdain piercing Xia Ling to the core.

Desperate, Xia Ling screamed, “I don’t know her! She’s insane—I don’t know her at all!”

Jiang Ciyou sat calmly in her car, observing the scene. When she saw Xia Ling rip off her facade and descend into hysteria, Jiang Ciyou coolly put on her sunglasses and drove away.

Just two hours later, Jiang Ciyou received a call from Yan Feng.

“Jiang Ciyou, get yourself to the hospital!”

“What’s the matter?” Her voice was icy.

“Xia Ling is being resuscitated. If we lose our child, I won’t let you off.”

After hanging up, Jiang Ciyou felt a surge of irritation. Xia Ling’s child was in danger? She had told Xia Xiufen about Xia Ling as a taste of her own medicine, never intending for Xia Ling to lose her baby. Jiang Ciyou always believed children were innocent.

In the end, Jiang Ciyou drove to the hospital.

When she arrived, Xia Ling had already been moved from the emergency room to an upscale VIP ward. Jiang Ciyou approached the door, which stood slightly ajar, allowing her to see everything inside.

Xia Ling, like a frightened rabbit, nestled in Yan Feng’s arms, sobbing. “Only Ciyou knew about my family. We don’t even have a TV at home, and my mother can’t read a word—she never watches the news. It must have been Ciyou who told her.”

“She knows my mother is a leech, a specter who’s controlled and tormented me since childhood. I nearly died at her hands.”

“Now she’s made a scene at the station, and everyone knows my mother’s a lunatic. I can never show my face to my colleagues again.”

“Director Tang called—he said I should rest and not worry about tonight’s hosting duties.”

“I worked so hard to earn this position. Why did Ciyou do this to me?”

“She’s so cruel…”

Yan Feng held her tightly, soothing her gently. “It’s okay, you still have me. Even if you don’t work, I’ll take care of you for life.”

Jiang Ciyou raised her hand and knocked on the door. Both heads turned toward her.

Upon seeing Jiang Ciyou, Yan Feng’s anger flared instantly.

“Jiang Ciyou, you actually dared to come.”

Jiang Ciyou’s face was calm. “I asked the doctor—your child is fine.”

Yan Feng sneered, “You seem disappointed. Are you only satisfied if our child dies? You’re venomous as a viper.”

Jiang Ciyou’s gaze darkened. “I never intended to harm your child.”

Xia Ling’s eyes brimmed with grievance and innocence. “Did you tell my mother about me?”

Jiang Ciyou didn’t deny it. “Yes.”

Tears poured down Xia Ling’s face. “Ciyou, why did you do this? You know my mother is a monster—why push me into hell? Why treat me like this?”

Jiang Ciyou replied coolly, “We’re just returning the favor.”

Xia Ling was stunned.

She sobbed, “I know you must think those posts online were written by me. I didn’t do it, I swear on my unborn child…”

“Don’t swear,” Jiang Ciyou interrupted. “I fear your retribution will fall upon your child.”

Xia Ling’s face drained of color.

Yan Feng, unable to contain himself, stepped forward, raising his hand to slap Jiang Ciyou.

But Jiang Ciyou caught his wrist mid-air, her smile alluring yet icy. “Yan Feng, have you forgotten? You never beat me in a fight, not once.”

She squeezed his arm painfully. Despite her delicate appearance, Yan Feng knew Jiang Ciyou had always been a violent force since childhood.

“Jiang Ciyou, you’re insane. My biggest regret in life is loving you, spoiling you, making you lawless and cruel.”

Jiang Ciyou’s smile deepened. “Did you ever really love me?”

“If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have let Xia Ling’s words turn you against me.”

“If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have stabbed me twice when I was at my lowest.”

“After all we’ve been through, did you never once doubt Xia Ling?”

It wasn’t that it didn’t hurt.

They’d been childhood friends, playing together from the time they were toddlers. Even without love, there were more than twenty years of camaraderie. Once, they’d been confidants, each other’s first crush and the excitement of youth. Now, all that remained was mutual hatred.