Chapter 13: Whose Child Is It?

Gu Fangyu could not be bothered to pay her any mind and turned to leave.

Gu Yao stepped forward and grabbed her arm: "Gu Fangyu, you stand right there."

Gu Fangyu turned back, a cold smirk playing on her lips: "Why so nervous? Even if there really were another man, it wouldn't be your precious Xie Chenhao. What are you afraid of?"

That single sentence seemed to touch a raw nerve. Gu Yao raised her hand to strike her.

Gu Fangyu caught her wrist firmly and warned in a low voice: "Be a good bride, or one day when I’m not in a good mood, I might just take him back."

Leaving a stunned Gu Yao behind, she walked away without looking back.

Just as she stepped outside, Lin Mu was waiting by the roadside. Seeing her emerge, he hurried over: "Miss Fangyu, Mr. Gu asked me to take you home."

"No need." Gu Fangyu refused without a second thought.

She was still fuming; the mere thought of this family constantly making trouble for her put her in a foul mood.

Lin Mu looked troubled.

Gu Fangyu sighed softly: "There’s still someone inside for you to take. Don't worry, if Gu Hanchen blames you, I’ll take the heat."

Lin Mu had no choice. After she hailed a taxi and left, he called to report: "Mr. Gu, Miss Fangyu refused to take your car and hailed a taxi herself."

The man had just arrived at the office. Hearing Lin Mu’s report, he couldn't help but frown.

"Understood." He reached up and yanked at his tie, an inexplicable wave of irritation rising in his chest.

Inside the taxi, Gu Fangyu saw Lin Mu standing by the road on his phone through the rearview mirror and knew he was reporting to Gu Hanchen.

A flash of disgust crossed her eyes.

For the past few years, she had lived a life devoid of freedom. Everything about her was under Gu Hanchen’s control and surveillance.

Gu Fangyu felt a sudden tightness in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Fortunately, a message from Jiang Qi arrived at that moment.

[Done.]

Her hand gripping the phone tightened slightly.

Gu Fangyu thought to herself that as long as the surgery went smoothly, even if she couldn't escape his clutches right now, she could at least sever this blood tie between her and Gu Hanchen.

To avoid any complications, Jiang Qi scheduled the surgery for the morning after next.

She only needed to find a way to evade Gu Hanchen’s watchful eyes tomorrow to complete the pre-operative examinations.

...

That night, Gu Fangyu lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

A vague sense of unease grew stronger as time passed.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.

She sat up abruptly, staring at the door with guarded eyes. At home, she always locked the door to keep Gu Hanchen out.

Soon, the door opened, and the imposing man walked in.

He had clearly come from a social engagement; having consumed alcohol, his usually sharp gaze was somewhat dulled.

Gu Hanchen began to undress as he walked, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt in a fluid motion.

He looked at Gu Fangyu, who sat on the bed watching him with intense caution, walked over in a few strides, and bent down to kiss her cheek: "Still awake?"

As he leaned in, Gu Fangyu caught the scent of alcohol on him.

She couldn't help but frown: "You’ve been drinking?"

And quite a lot, too. This was a rarity.

Most of the time, Gu Hanchen kept himself sharp, so even at social gatherings, he would only drink sparingly. After all, given his status, no one dared to force a drink on him.

"Mm." The man straightened up as he spoke.

He naturally took pajamas from a nearby cabinet and headed to the bathroom with practiced ease.

Gu Fangyu didn't even know when he had started keeping his clothes there. The thought of what would happen if Mother Gu walked in and discovered them made her scalp tingle.

She threw off the covers, rushed to the closet, and checked.

It was true...

Gu Fangyu felt the world go dark. Was this man insane? This was the Gu family home!

Gu Hanchen finished a quick shower and, upon coming out, saw her standing by the bathroom door with her hands on her hips, looking like an angry, bristling cat.

"What's wrong?"

"Go back to your own room."

The man paused, then pulled her into his arms: "I'm exhausted tonight. Don't cause a scene."

He half-pushed her toward the bed and pulled her down into the covers with him.

Gu Fangyu struggled instinctively.

The man kept his eyes closed and gave her a light swat on the bottom: "If you want to continue what happened this morning, then keep moving."

Recalling the scene in the fitting room where they had nearly lost control, her face turned red instantly.

She grew still.

Gu Hanchen curled his lips in satisfaction. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he looked much softer than usual.

It was unsettling to see him without his usual cold, stern demeanor.

Yet, Gu Fangyu dared not relax her tensed nerves.

She knew this man’s true face too well; he was by no means as easygoing as he appeared right now.

She thought about the entanglement and grievances between them over the years, and now, they had even created a child.

Her life had been easily destroyed because of him.

To say she wasn't sad or resentful would be a lie.

In the prime of her youth, her world had been covered in darkness and mire because of him.

Gu Fangyu didn't know when she had fallen asleep.

Perhaps because he was there, even in deep sleep, her slender brows remained tightly furrowed.

In the darkness, the man slowly opened his eyes. Bathed in moonlight, his obsidian-like gaze lingered on her for a long time.

Within those eyes lay a complex depth that no one could decipher.

...

When Gu Fangyu woke up, he was already gone.

Even the clothes he had discarded the night before were missing.

She turned over and lay flat, staring at the ceiling in a daze for a long time.

She didn't know what had possessed Gu Hanchen to sleep in her room last night. Such occurrences were rare in the Gu household.

But she had never been able to read that man anyway.

She decided not to dwell on it. She got up, washed, and went straight to the hospital.

Jiang Qi had already made arrangements. Seeing her arrive, she asked once more, still uneasy: "Are you sure about this?"

It wasn't that she feared offending Gu Hanchen, but she feared Gu Fangyu would regret it. She feared even more that if that bastard Gu Hanchen found out, he would unleash all his rage upon Gu Fangyu.

"Yes." Gu Fangyu replied softly, her expression resolute. "Let's go."

"Alright, follow me. Let's start with an ultrasound to check the position of the embryo."

Gu Fangyu nodded.

As they spoke, their focus was entirely on tomorrow's surgery, so they failed to notice Xie Chenhao standing not far away in the crowd.

The payment slip in the man's hand was crumpled into a ball, and his peach-blossom eyes glinted with a terrifying fierceness.

With a rigid face, he pushed through the crowd and followed them quickly.

Just as Gu Fangyu entered the examination room, he rushed up to Jiang Qi.

"Fangyu is pregnant." His voice trembled the moment he spoke.

It wasn't a question, but a statement of certainty.

"Whose child is it?"