Volume One, Chapter 53: Impossible

Sharp nails dug into delicate skin.

The wound in her palm, still not fully healed, throbbed with a dull ache.

Lin Zhi’s eyes blazed with anger, and deep within them lurked a venomous malice, barely perceptible.

Jiang Wan saw it all.

By now, she could be certain: Lin Zhi not only knew she was Lu Wenzhou’s former lover, but also knew everything that had transpired between them since he arrived in Rong City. And so, she had concluded that Jiang Wan was the one seducing Lu Wenzhou.

“Whose is it?” Jiang Wan asked, though she already knew the answer. Lin Zhi stared at her in disbelief.

Yet Lin Zhi could not bring herself to utter that name. Instead, she tightened her grip around Jiang Wan’s wrist, as if she wished to break it.

“Jiang Wan, so this is what you’ve become. Shameless,” Lin Zhi’s anger twisted into a mocking laugh, her gaze fierce and unforgiving.

“I’m just like the rest of you,” Jiang Wan replied, her smile cold and hollow. “Why should I be expected to play the saint?”

From beginning to end, she had never taken the initiative to harm anyone.

Every injustice had its perpetrator, every debt its debtor.

She refused to be the scapegoat.

Vengeance should be paid to the right person.

Jiang Wan’s response caught Lin Zhi off guard.

While Lin Zhi was still stunned, Jiang Wan shook free her hand and strode out of the restroom.

*

The entire conference lasted nearly three hours.

That night, Jiang Wan collected countless contacts from foreign investors—a bountiful harvest.

Before parting ways, Yan Yan made no offer to escort Jiang Wan home, but handed her a contact.

“At nine tomorrow, go to Renxin Medical and find her.”

Renxin Medical was the most prestigious private hospital in Rong City.

High-end facilities, first-rate service, renowned experts, and absolute privacy for its patients.

Virtually every member of Rong City’s elite sought care at Renxin Medical.

Yan Yan had assigned her a responsible physician, someone Jiang Wan had glimpsed before when secretly reading Gu Huaixu’s medical report.

Most likely the doctor for the entire Gu family.

Once Jiang Wan’s test results were released, Yan Yan would be notified.

“Alright,” Jiang Wan agreed.

She knew escape was impossible; refusing would only make Yan Yan more suspicious.

As they said their farewells, Lin Zhi and Lin Luoyao emerged from the elevator.

After exchanging distant smiles, Lin Zhi marched straight across the lobby to where her driver waited outside.

When she looked away, her face was stripped of all pretense, forcefully suppressing the ferocity threatening to break free.

The two left in their car first.

*

Jiang Wan, after seeing Yan Yan off, exited through the lobby doors.

She took out her phone and searched for a nearby pharmacy.

Just in case, she needed to buy a pregnancy test.

And… if the doctor examined her tomorrow, what excuse could she give?

Deep in thought, phone in hand, Jiang Wan followed the navigation toward the pharmacy, all the while keeping an eye on the surveillance cameras along the street.

But before she reached her destination, a grey car approached from behind.

Under the streetlights, the paint shifted from grey to silver, gleaming with brilliance.

The car slowed as it drew alongside her.

The Rolls-Royce logo on the wheel hub caught her eye.

Jiang Wan frowned.

She didn’t turn to look, but the rear window slid down.

Inside sat a broad-shouldered man, only his body visible from the tie down: a crisply pressed bespoke suit and strong hands resting on his knees.

A platinum Patek Philippe glinted in the dim light.

“Get in,” Lu Wenzhou’s steady voice cut through the night.

“Come with me to see the doctor.”

Hearing his intent, Jiang Wan’s pupils contracted sharply.

He hadn’t attended the conference that evening, so how had he found her—and why was he taking her to the hospital?

Lin Zhi’s words echoed in her ears: Don’t think you’ll bear his child.

“Did Lin Zhi tell you?” she asked, continuing along the sidewalk.

The Rolls-Royce kept pace beside her.

Lu Wenzhou said nothing, tacitly confirming.

“Heh,” Jiang Wan laughed coldly. “You act fast. Hear a rumor and immediately—ugh—”

She never finished her sentence. A wave of nausea forced her to stop, doubling over as her stomach churned.

Jiang Wan tried to fight it, but her body refused to obey.

“Ugh—”

She rushed forward, steadying herself against a tree as she vomited into the shrubbery.

She had thrown up several times that day.

Hardly eaten anything.

Now, nothing was left but sour stomach acid, burning her throat.

In her peripheral vision, the car pulled over.

The man emerged, long legs stepping over the greenery, coming to her side and reaching out to steady her.

But as soon as his hand touched her arm, Jiang Wan reacted violently, shaking him off: “Don’t touch me!”

Under the yellow streetlights, her striking eyes held only disgust, sharp as blades.

Lu Wenzhou ignored her.

*

His hand reached out again, firmly wrapping around her shoulders.

Jiang Wan tried to push him away, but the relentless nausea left her powerless.

“Ugh—”

Meanwhile, Qi Mo got out from the driver’s seat, handed Lu Wenzhou a bottle of water, then returned to the car.

When Jiang Wan finally finished, she straightened, catching her breath.

Lu Wenzhou offered her the opened bottle.

She didn’t take it, turning her gaze aside.

“Rest assured. I take my pills every time. There’s absolutely no way I’m pregnant.”

Her voice pierced the cool night, reaching Lu Wenzhou.

His hand paused, water droplets spilling from the bottle, soaking his shirt cuff.

But he didn’t withdraw.

He stood frozen, brow furrowed.

“What are you saying?” Lu Wenzhou’s expression was grave, his dark eyes fixed on her.

Seeing his feigned confusion, Jiang Wan sneered, wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and meeting his gaze with irritation.

“I said, I fear bearing your child more than you do. It’s impossible—I’ll never be pregnant, not in this lifetime! Don’t bother dragging me to the hospital to deal with your problem.”

She spoke with icy finality.

“Are you satisfied now? Can you rest easy?”

With Jiang Wan’s biting sarcasm, the water bottle in his hand twisted, cold droplets splashing everywhere.

Lu Wenzhou’s face darkened, his eyes heavy with pressure, like a brewing storm ready to destroy everything.

Her qipao was soaked, the sudden chill startling her, and the man before her exuded a sinister, terrifying aura.

They stood less than a meter apart, yet it felt as though a chasm had split the ground between them.

Hostile currents clashed and repelled.

In the deadlock, Jiang Wan caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye—a taxi with its “available” sign approached from afar.

But before she could make her way to the curb, as she turned, Lu Wenzhou swept her up in his arms.

“Lu Wen—”

Her words vanished, swallowed by the enclosed car interior.

He pushed her into the back seat, looming above her like a net that blocked out the sky.

The yellow light illuminated half his face; Lu Wenzhou’s expression was dark and forbidding, his black eyes cold and pressing down upon her.

“So, your wings have hardened now? You dare treat me this way?”