Chapter 92: Yi Huayang is Pregnant

My mother was saying something to me, but I couldn’t hear her. She repeated herself, but all I caught was her calling my name—the rest was lost in a blur. I shouted back, “Mom, what are you saying? I can’t hear you.” She pulled me into her arms and began to cry, as if she believed I’d spend the rest of my life with only one ear, as if she thought my life was ruined for good.

I tried to comfort her: “It’s all right, I’m just tired. You should go home now. I need to sleep.” After she left, I lay in bed telling myself over and over that it was nothing, it wasn’t as if I were going to die, there was no reason to cry. I repeated it countless times until tears soaked my face.

When my wounds had scabbed over, I was discharged from the hospital. My grandfather insisted on bringing me back to the courtyard house, regardless of my mother’s protests. She could do nothing about it. Because my injuries needed daily medication, my mother took on the task herself, coming to the courtyard three times a day—morning, noon, and night—bringing nourishing soups she had brewed.

After a few days, I told her to stop coming, worried she’d exhaust herself. She refused, so I suggested to Grandpa that I move back home. He rolled his eyes at me, promptly sent my mother away, and that was that.

For several days, my mother stayed away. Fortunately, my recovery was nearly complete, and with Shu Congxuan keeping me company, I didn’t feel lonely.

I thought everything was finally settling down, but a few days later, I received a call from Luo Ange. I answered, only to hear a droning buzz. It took me a few seconds to realize that I’d put the phone to my right ear—I couldn’t hear him. I switched it to my left ear and asked cautiously, “What did you say? Could you repeat that?”

His voice was cold as ever: “Yi Lanshan, I really underestimated you.” His tone was like a dormant demon awakening, reminding me of the humiliation I had once suffered from him—and that there were some things, some people, I could never escape.

I said nothing, half-wondering if I’d misheard, half-fearing that I had lost hearing in my other ear as well.

He let out a cold laugh. “Since you’ve decided to declare war on me, you’d better be ready to lose.”

The more I listened, the more confused I became. “Luo Ange, what nonsense are you spouting?”

“Yi Lanshan, aren’t you the mad one here? So we slept together—so what? It was consensual. I didn’t expect you to be such a sore loser.”

At the mention of that, I lost my temper. “Luo Ange, stop barking like an insane dog.”

He chuckled derisively. “Who do you think you are? You sleep with me, then act like something’s wrong, and now you dare come asking me for compensation? Who do you think you are?”

I was stunned for half a minute before I understood what he was getting at, but before I could ask for clarification, he’d already hung up in a huff.

I sat there, my head splitting with pain, his contemptuous laughter echoing in my ears, mocking me for being a fool, an idiot, a complete imbecile.

Yes, I wasn’t worthy. He’d only slept with me out of charity—I wasn’t worthy. Just a few simple words, and everything good that had come before was erased, as if I’d been nailed to a cross.

I didn’t dwell on it. That afternoon, my mother stormed in, ranting, “Look at the man you picked! What’s wrong with asking him for a little compensation for lost youth? Look what he’s done to you!”

Suddenly it all made sense—my mother must have called Luo Ange. I was furious and humiliated. “Mom, how could you? Who told you to do that?”

She grew even more indignant. “Your sister said that man is rich. She said a girl’s chastity is her most precious thing, you can’t just let a man ruin you for nothing.”

I was angry and amused at once. “Mom, I’ve told you a thousand times, nothing happened between me and that man, we never—”

My mother seized my hands, delighted. “Really? Is that true?”

I nodded. “It’s true.” She patted her chest in relief. “That’s good. That’s good.”

I warned her, “Don’t listen to a word Yi Huayang says in the future. She’s just spouting nonsense.”

From the doorway came Yi Huayang’s sarcastic laughter. “Yi Lanshan, you really are fooling yourself. If you didn’t sleep with him, why did you take birth control pills?”

Her smug face sickened me, as if everything she did was justified and I, for even glancing at a man, should gouge out my own eyes and sever my veins. Why should I?

My mother was thoroughly confused and asked, “Did you suffer any loss or not?”

I replied firmly, “No, I didn’t.”

Yi Huayang suddenly interjected, “It’s easy enough to prove your innocence. Do you dare go to the hospital with me for a hymen exam?”

I grabbed the ointment in front of me and hurled it at her. “My life is none of your business. Get out!”

She dodged skillfully, then looked at my mother. “See, Mom? She’s lying. She’s done shameless things and dares to call herself pure. Wants to be a prostitute and a saint at the same time.”

Every word, every punctuation mark out of her mouth was a venomous arrow flying at me from all directions.

I’m not impervious to all poison. I get hurt, I have a heart; there are times I can’t bear it, times when I lose control.

Neither Yi Huayang nor my mother expected my sudden rage. I snatched up the feather duster from the coffee table and tried to drive her out. People who gossip maliciously are the most detestable.

Yi Huayang backed away step by step under my advance. My mother rushed over to restrain me, but fury had clouded my mind—I couldn’t hear a word she said.

Yi Huayang flitted around me like a fly—I just wanted her gone. She grabbed the feather duster, shouting, “Yi Lanshan, you dare hit me? Go on, try it again if you have the guts!”

Try it? I’m not even afraid of a pig, why would I fear a fly like you?

I yanked the feather duster from her hands with a backward step—perhaps I used too much force, for she suddenly fell backwards, landing hard on the floor.

Then she started screaming, “My baby, my baby, my child…”

Suddenly, I snapped out of my rage and saw her lying on the floor clutching her belly. On her white pants, a faint patch of blood was beginning to seep through.

My mother wailed and rushed to her, shouting for me to call someone.

It dawned on me then—my mother had tried to tell me moments ago that Yi Huayang was pregnant, that I needed to be careful.

Yi Huayang sobbed, clinging to my mother. “Mom, Mom, please save my child…”

In a panic, I tossed aside the feather duster, pulled out my phone, and dialed emergency services.

But the hospital said the soonest they could get there was half an hour—time does not wait. I ran outside to seek help from the neighbors.

As I reached the street, I saw Shu Congxuan returning. I ran to him, clinging to him and sobbing, begging him to save my sister.

Yi Huayang was taken to the hospital and quickly wheeled into surgery. I sat biting my fingers, trembling uncontrollably, while my mother wept nearby.

My mind was a chaotic mess, my ears filled with a pounding roar until I could hear nothing at all, not even Shu Congxuan’s words as he held me.

Rong Luozheng soon arrived in a flurry and, seeing the scene, seemed to understand immediately. He rushed over, mouthing words at me that I couldn’t hear, his face contorted in accusation and anger.

I saw Shu Congxuan say something, saw Rong Luozheng’s lips quivering. I saw him raise his hand to strike me.

Shu Congxuan stepped in front of me. I pulled him aside and said to Rong Luozheng, “It’s my fault. Go ahead and hit me.”

I closed my eyes, thinking I’d just put on a show—surely a grown man wouldn’t really hit me.

But I had underestimated him, or perhaps overestimated my place in his heart. He really did slap me.

I was already numb to pain—my father had slapped and whipped me enough times as a child, and after what I’d just been through, I felt I’d survived the worst. But when Rong Luozheng’s palm landed on my shoulder, a subtle ache seeped from my skin into my body, darting through my veins, rampaging through my organs, finally flooding me entirely.

I thought I was invulnerable, only to realize my resolve was still too weak. My heart still hurt.

I cried out. Shu Congxuan, thinking I was injured, punched Rong Luozheng in the jaw.

Rong Luozheng wasn’t about to back down and fought back. The two men soon became entangled, trading blows.

Shu Congxuan, trained as he was, quickly gained the upper hand. Rong Luozheng was soon left battered and bruised.

Everything was already in chaos. Terrified, I rushed over and clung to Shu Congxuan, begging him to stop.

Who would have thought someone else would suddenly charge in and punch Rong Luozheng?

It was Du Fanchuan!

Now Shu Congxuan was holding me back, not letting me intervene, while Du Fanchuan and Rong Luozheng brawled.

The scene was utter mayhem. My mother clung to Rong Luozheng, weeping. Doctors and nurses hurried over to intervene. Du Fanchuan, flushed with anger, pointed at Rong Luozheng and said something. Onlookers formed a circle. But I could hear none of it—I only felt a stabbing pain in my ears.

I was sobbing, unable to utter a word, watching helplessly as nurses helped my mother lead Rong Luozheng away for treatment.

Du Fanchuan rushed over and grabbed me, checking if I was hurt, speaking to me anxiously.

The whole world suddenly went silent. I could sense my own heartbeat racing faster and faster, but I couldn’t hear it.

I was completely undone, unable to say anything—only able to cry.

He shouted something, waving his hands in front of my face. At last I managed to speak. “Du Fanchuan, I can’t hear anything.”

He said something—he must have thought Rong Luozheng’s blow had deafened me for good. He started to rush off to confront him, but I clung to him, begging him not to go.

Shu Congxuan pulled me over, opened his mouth wide, and shouted something. I clutched his shirt desperately. “Shu Congxuan, Shu Congxuan, I can’t hear anymore. I’m scared.”

I was truly afraid—my father hadn’t beaten me to death, but now I was completely deaf. Perhaps dying would be better.

I was truly, truly terrified—more than ever before. Du Fanchuan ran to get a doctor. He stumbled and fell, scrambled up, and ran again, like a child learning to walk.

Shu Congxuan cupped my face, speaking to me urgently. My hearing returned just the faintest buzzing, but I still couldn’t make out a thing.

Seeing me slap my ears in frustration, he panicked and grabbed my hands, shouting something.

Soon, several doctors hurried out of the office. Amid the buzzing in my ears, I caught a distant voice, as if from the edge of the world: “Don’t worry…”

I knew it was Du Fanchuan calling to me. I pushed past the doctors, shrinking against the wall, shaking with fear.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past me, and I felt blows rain down on my head. Only then did I realize—it was my father hitting me.