Evening found Su Qianqian slowly waking.
Her eyelids felt heavy, and she blinked with effort before the familiar surroundings of the master bedroom in the Cloudtop Apartments came into focus.
Gu Chengyu was sitting by the bed, his eyes gazing at her with deep affection, filled with heartache and anxiety.
"Qianqian? You're awake? Do you still feel unwell anywhere?" His voice carried the careful tenderness of someone who had narrowly escaped a disaster.
Su Qianqian still felt utterly weak, her throat somewhat dry.
She frowned slightly, her voice soft and coquettish with a hint of grievance as she complained to him, "I'm dizzy, and I have no strength. What happened to me?"
Gu Chengyu hurriedly picked up the cup of warm water that had been kept at the ready beside them and carefully helped her take a few sips. Then, he gently wiped the traces of water from the corner of her lips with his thumb.
Looking at her still-pale face, his voice grew low and solemn. "Qianqian, listen to me. Don't be afraid, and don't get agitated."
"You're pregnant. We're going to have a baby."
Su Qianqian froze, as if she hadn't heard him clearly, or hadn't understood. Her watery, almond-shaped eyes blinked in confusion.
Pregnant?
A baby?
Hers and Gu Chengyu's?
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Gu Chengyu, then instinctively reached out a slender, pale hand to rest on her own flat stomach, which showed no sign of any change.
Was there really a little life... there?
Su Qianqian felt shock and bewilderment, but even more, a wave of panic.
She wasn't ready for this.
"How could this..." she murmured to herself.
"Haven't you always been getting the injections?"
She lifted her eyes, looking at Gu Chengyu with confusion.
Gu Chengyu's heart clenched. Meeting her gaze, he bowed his head in shame.
He tightened his grip on her hand and confessed with difficulty, "I'm sorry, Qianqian. It's my fault."
"Before... I was jealous because of the whole Zhou Yu'an situation, and you were always thinking about leaving... I was so afraid..."
"So, I not only had people keep an eye on your schedule, but I also secretly stopped the injections..."
Su Qianqian went rigid.
She looked at the man before her, his head bowed like a child who had done something wrong.
He... he actually...
Plotted against her?
She didn't care about the surveillance of her schedule.
But how could he, without her knowledge, secretly make her pregnant just to tie her down?
She pulled her hand back, her voice rising, though her weakness robbed it of force, making her sound even more aggrieved:
"Gu Chengyu! How could you do this? How could you make me pregnant without my consent?"
Her eyes reddened with anger. Calculating the time, it must have happened that night in Sanya.
No wonder he had held her down like that that night. Even when she tried to turn and run, he had pulled her back, making her endure it even when she couldn't take it anymore. So that was what he had been planning all along.
"It was that time in Sanya, wasn't it?" Her voice trembled, a sob catching in her throat as she accused him.
Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, Gu Chengyu felt a panicked fluster. He quickly tried to take her hand again to soothe her. "Qianqian, please don't get upset. The doctor said you mustn't let your emotions fluctuate."
"It's all my fault! You can blame me however you want, just don't hurt yourself or the baby..."
"Don't touch me!" Su Qianqian slapped his hand away sharply, tears finally spilling over.
She turned her head away, not wanting to look at him anymore, her voice choked with sobs. "Get out. I don't want to see you right now. I need to be alone..."
"Qianqian..." Gu Chengyu felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart. Seeing her tears, he was overwhelmed with regret.
He didn't dare upset her further. He could only slowly stand up, glancing back at her every other step, his eyes filled with worry.
"I'll be right outside. Call me if you need anything at all. Please, don't get agitated. Just rest well..." He repeated his instructions, finally closing the bedroom door softly behind him.
The door separated inside from out.
Hearing the click of the latch, Su Qianqian's tears fell harder.
She curled up, her small hand resting on her abdomen, her mind a tangled mess.
The baby, Gu Chengyu's scheme, the storms of the outside world...
Everything was jumbled together, leaving her utterly lost.
Outside the door, Gu Chengyu leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped, feeling powerless and consumed by remorse.
It seemed he had messed everything up, yet again.
