Chapter 326: I’m Sorry (6)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemLu Jinnian heard the footsteps behind him grow further and further away, until in the end, they completely disappeared. Then his body went limp and he dropped to the chair beside him, as though all his strength had been drained. All he could think of was every detail of what had just transpired once more.

Two months pregnant. An intrauterine fetal death…

It was like Lu Jinnian was in a nightmare. His consciousness was only filled with those words.

Qiao Anhao was pregnant. Pregnant for two months now. Two more months, and they’d have known the sex of the baby. Eight more months, and the baby would have been born. A year and eight months later, the baby would have been waddling in front of him, mumbling ‘daddy’ to him…

Such a beautiful thing… Yet how could such a beautiful thing come to such a devastatingly tragic end?

His child… Qiao Anhao and his child… How did the baby die in the womb?

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Lu Jinnian finally couldn’t help but lower his head, and bring his hand to cover his face. His shoulders began to tremble, and a warm liquid trickled down from between his fingers.

Their child, how did the baby die?

Unless it’s because he’s an illegitimate son that shouldn’t exist on this earth. But did his child need to be punished?

–

The assistant downstairs suddenly remembered that he forgot to give Lu Jinnian Qiao Anhao’s operation forms, and so he went back up again. Just as he came out of the elevator, he saw someone sitting on his own in the long corridor. Even though they were quite a distance apart, he saw that the man, who had covered his face, sat with his shoulders trembling.

In that instant, the assistant froze on the spot and didn’t dare walk forward. He quietly looked for a long time, but didn’t disturb the miserable, distressed man=. He only silently retreated into the elevator, as though he hadn’t been there at all, hadn’t seen a thing, and left.

He had been following Lu Jinnian for over seven years. In these long seven years, he had already married and had a kid. Yet, Lu Jinnian, who was older than him by a year, had been all alone in the world.

He was also curious, of whether Lu Jinnian actually had a woman he liked. That was until over half a year ago, when Lu Jinnian promised the Xu family to be Xu Jiamu’s replacement.

At the time, he was strongly against it. After all, it was practically nonsense. But the moment he saw Miss. Qiao, that’s when he knew Lu Jinnian wasn’t actually all alone in this world. He already had someone he loved.

The assistant believed that no one in this world understood Lu Jinnian more than he did. He always knew that his background wasn’t good, and he was an illegitimate child. Though he looked arrogant, cold, a lone wolf, virtuous and condescending, in fact, everyone saw he has a poor attitude…

But who would of thought that although there were two sons of the Xu family, one was a young master with the world around his fingers, and the other had the lowest standing in society. Without relatives or anyone to care for him, he relied on his own hard work to survive his teens. The only reason why he looked like he was heartless was actually because he didn’t want anyone to see his pitiful and weak side.

The assistant believed that no one in this world could make Lu Jinnian feel warmth inside, besides Miss Qiao. Otherwise, when the man wasn’t paying attention, he wouldn’t have caught him staring at Miss Qiao, in a daze. Now that the baby was lost, he must be devastated beyond belief.Chapter 327: I’m Sorry (7)

 Kingbao Editor: DarkGemOutside Han Ruchu’s bedroom, the steward silently called out to her, “Mrs Xu.”

Han Ruchu looked towards the sleeping Xu Wanli, climbing softly off the bed. She took a jacket before leaving the bedroom. With a finger to her lips, she signaled for the stewardess to be quiet while they walked down the stairs.

The stewardess followed behind her closely.

The both of them walked out of the house to the empty garden before the stewardess spoke. “Mrs. Xu, Miss Anhao has just been sent to the hospital, her baby having died in her stomach.”

The night was late and the stewardess spoke in a low voice, emphasizing the last coupe words. Han Ruchu clenched her jacket, forcing a calm expression on her face as she looked at the lotus flower that had blossomed. After a long while, she nodded. “I understand.”

She paused for a bit, then added, “You can leave now, I want to be alone.”

“Yes, Mrs. Xu,” the stewardess replied and left respectfully.

A cold breeze blew past. Han Ruchu looked out at the calm waters, taking a deep breath.

To the eyes of others, she seemed to have the perfect family: a blissful marriage , a loving husband, and a filial son, but who knew that under the facade she had suffered so much?

Until Xu Jiamu was three years old, she had naively believed that her life was indeed blissful, but that all ended when that women carried a child to the Xu family, that was when she knew that her blissful life was such a big joke!

Her husband had actually left a child outside and that child was born on the same day as her son, the day when she was the proudest had actually become a humiliation.

All these years, every time she celebrated her son’s birthday, she would remember the child that her husband had outside.

She hated him, she had also blamed him, and ever since then, her son was her whole world. She pampered him to no end, knowing that her son would never betray her.

She had given all her love to Xu Jiamu, hence when she had found out from Qiao Anxia that her son was in love with Qiao Anhao, she had gone to Qiao family without hesitation to ask for her hand.

Five years ago, the night of Qiao Anhao’s birthday, she had been outside her home and had coincidentally bumped into Lu Jinnian’s assistant. He was preparing to deliver a present for her to the the Qiao family’s helper. At that time, she had intervened. The moment she saw the card from Lu Jinnian, she had helped to break any hope that Lu Jinnian had for Qiao Anhao on behalf of her son.

The reason was simple, Qiao Anhao was the woman that her son loved, no one else was allowed to snatch her from him. Besides, Lu Jinnian was the person she hated the most, hence she told him straight in the face that Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were going to marry, but at that time, the marriage hadn’t been set, as they were both still young.

If it wasn’t for the accident which robbed her of her choices, she would have never let Lu Jinnian interact with Qiao Anhao.

At that time, there wasn’t any other choice, the only one in this world who could act as Xu Jiamu was Lu Jinnian.Chapter 328: I’m Sorry (8)

 Kingbao Editor: DarkGemShe didn’t beg Lu Jinnian for help, but she was sure that he would definitely help her, for he liked Qiao Anhao.

At that time, the situation was too rushed for her to consider it in depth. Who would have thought that the both of them would end up with a child!

Xu Jiamu’s feelings aside, Qiao Anhao was still Xu family’s daughter-in-law to the public.

If the Xu family’s daughter-in-law were to be pregnant, everyone would assume that it belonged to Xu Jiamu, so once the child was born, the Xu family would be forced to accept the child.

Previously, she had strongly objected to Lu Jinnian entering the Xu family, how could she let his child enter now?

Qiao Anhao wasn’t aware that she was pregnant, but as a mother, Han Ruchu knew that she would not bare to abort the child even if it wasn’t planned. At that time, if she were to force Qiao Anhao to abort the child, that would cause tension between the two of them, and to protect her child, the two of them might end up on bad ties, which would not be beneficial to her at all.

As long as Xu Jiamu was not awake, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were still useful.

Hence, that afternoon, after pondering for a while, she decided that the best way was to… not let the baby have a chance to be born.

–

Lu Jinnian sat in a daze for a long while before standing to wash his face in the washroom. He then sat for another thirty minutes before Qiao Anhao was pushed out into her ward.

Her face was pale as she slept in silence, oblivious to whatever had happened.

Abortion wasn’t a major operation, but there were many things to take note of: she couldn’t afford to get cold, and needed plenty of rest, sex was also prohibited. The doctor listed everything out once, and Lu Jinnian memorized everything in detail.

In the end, the doctor seemed to have recalled something, asking Lu Jinnian, “Has your wife always had trouble sleeping?”

Lu Jinnian frowned slightly, he hadn’t slept with her much, so he wasn’t sure of her sleep quality. He turned to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“When I checked her blood, I realized there was a large trace of sleeping pills in her blood stream, which is why I was wondering if she has sleeping problems.”

Lu Jinnian frowned more, he had never known that she was reliant of sleeping pills. His heart clenched slightly, and he pressed his lips together not saying anything.

“Too many sleeping pills would cause a dependency, you should advice her to stop taking it. It’s extremely bad for health and she might have not known that she was pregnant, which is why she didn’t stop her intake. The large amount of sleeping pills won’t affect her much, but it is different for a baby, causing the miscarriage.”

The doctor paused for a while before adding, ” The main reason for the miscarriage were the sleeping pills.”

Chapter 329: I’m sorry (9)

The doctor paused for a while before adding, ” The main reason for the miscarriage were the sleeping pills.”

Lu Jinnian froze, his face paling.

“Besides, the kind of sleeping pills that she is taking has a component that would cause the user to become unconscious, causing her to still be asleep now.

“During the operation, I gave your wife an anesthesia shot. That shot along with the her sleeping pills would let her sleep for a long while more. If she’s fine after she wakes up, she can go home, but she may still be a little weak, so do make sure she has plenty of rest. After the surgery, she’ll bleed for about a week. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, you must come back for a check up.”

The doctor had said a lot and had tried to concise his words, but once he saw Lu Jinnian’s expression, he hesitated and tried to comfort him.

“Mr. Lu, I hope you won’t blame yourself even though you are upset. The fact that the child is here means that you have made an effort with the mutual consent to not use any preventive measures. You might be upset to have lost a child, but your wife will definitely feel even worse, since it’s a mother’s nature.

“Besides, if she were to know that she had caused the death of her child, she would feel guilty. That’s why I decided to inform you about it beforehand, so that she won’t be in shock when she finds out after she wakes up.”

Lu Jinnian couldn’t explain the negativity in his heart. He felt in pain and lost, but his eyes stared calmly at the doctor. Mustering up a lot of energy, he murmured, “Yea, I understand.” After a bit, he added, “Thank you.”

The doctor nodded formally then retreated with the others from the ward, leaving him alone and in silence.

The lights in the ward were dim and yellow, blurring his vision. He stood at the same spot for a long time before turning to look at Qiao Anhao, who was lying on the bed. She had just been through a surgery. Her face was pale but peaceful, unaware of the tragedy that had just happened.

If she were to find out that she had lost a child in her dreams and that the child died because of the sleeping pills that she had taken, what would she do?

Be upset? Regret it? Break down? Or would she be devastated?

In that instance, Lu Jinnian’s mind was filled with the image of Qiao Anhao crying sadly. His heart clenched, and the the nurse’s and doctor’s words echoed in his head.

“Let’s not talk about the damage done to a body after a miscarriage… As a mother, if she knew that her own child had silently passed away, she’d probably be heartbroken to death!”

“You might be upset to have lost a child, but your wife will definitely feel even worse, since it’s a mother’s nature.”

Feel even worse… When he found out that his child had died, he felt as though every cell in his body had exploded; he had never felt such pain in his life.

Chapter 330: I’m sorry (10)

She would feel even worse, how bad would that be?

Just the thought of it made him shudder, making him blame himself more.

They were right, it was indeed his mistake. He had loved her for so many years, and every single time they did it, it seemed like a dream. He never remembered to take contraceptive measures and she had also forgotten, causing the tragedy today.

When they were still in school, boys from his dorm had also had an active sex life, but none of them had ended up killing a life.

He remembered in one physical education lesson, a girl was not aware of her pregnancy and had participated in a marathon. In the last round, she started bleeding heavily. Afterwards, she realized that she had miscarried.

That was back in high school, and the incident had severely damaged the reputation of their school. In the end, the girl was forced to leave. When she left with her belongings, her eyes were red and swollen, but the guy had found another girlfriend soon after. Every time the incident was brought up, the girl would be blamed for her indecency.

There was another time in college, the guy that was living below his bunk bed, who had a relatively good background, had managed to get together with the most popular girl from the Chinese department. She had aborted three times because of him, but he had never cared, even showing off to the others when he got drunk. After he had graduated, he had dumped her, but by then, she wasn’t able to get pregnant anymore.

At that time, he didn’t pay attention to any of those gossips, but today, after Qiao Anhao had a miscarriage and had to have an abortion, the memories seemed to come flooding into his mind.

Back then, he didn’t care, he just felt that the guys were jerks and the girls were pitiful. He had even sworn that if he managed to get together with Qiao Anhao, he would never let her endure such darkness, he would give her the best that he could.

And yet he still allowed her to endure such a tragedy…

If he hadn’t touched her, if he had been able to control himself, if he had thought to take contraceptive measures… If he had thought about pregnancy nausea few days ago when he had touched her… if…

Lu Jinnian’s hands clenched into fists, his throat tight and choked up.

Such a tragedy could have been prevented in so many ways, but he hadn’t taken any.

He had let her down.

He had failed to give her the perfect life that he had promised.

Lu Jinnian stayed up the entire night, guarding beside Qiao Anhao’s bed.

As the doctor had mentioned, the anesthesia lasted a long time. She slept for a long time with no signs of waking. Halfway through, the doctor visited but left without saying much more than that she was in deep sleep.

The next day at 7 am, Lu Jinnian called his assistant to drive him and Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden.

Madam Chen was already awake. When she saw the car, she ran out to greet them. Lu Jinnian carried Qiao Anhao, who was fast asleep, upstairs, into their room.

With concern, Madam Chen asked, “Mr. Lu, what’s wrong with Mrs. Lu?”Chapter 331: I’m sorry (11)

 Paperplane Editor: DarkGemWhen Lu Jinnian changed his shoes, he remembered what Madam Chen had just said. Without shifting his eyes, he carried Qiao Anhao while telling Madam Chen, who was putting the shoes away, in a flat tone, “Nothing much, the missus was just on her period.”

Lu Jinnian paused for a while, then remembered the doctor’s instructions and said, “Make more nutritional foods for the missus to nourish the body.”

As soon as Madam Chen heard that it was the period, she instantly felt relieved and nodded without hesitation in response to Lu Jinnian’s instructions.

The bed cover and quilt cover on the bed had already been changed by Madam Chen. Lu Jinnian put Qiao Anhao down. He pulled over the covers and didn’t forget to turn up the central heating in the room by two degrees. Then he walked out of the bedroom, back downstairs, and out. The assistant was still waiting at the door.

Lu Jinnian silently glanced over at the assistant, but then strode over to the back garden.

The assistant hurriedly caught up.

Lu Jinnian was far away from the mansion by the time he stopped. Having done an all-nighter, he pulled a cigarette out from his pocket. He lit it up and took two hard drags before he told the assistant, “I won’t be going to the office for a while. If there’s anything that can be pushed back, do that. If there’s something really urgent, send me an email. I’ll handle it at night. Try not to call me.”

Lu Jinnian took another hard drag and added in calm voice, “I want to stay at home with her for some time.”

The assistant knew the “her” Lu Jinnian mentioned referred to Qiao Anhao. He nodded and said, “Understood, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Jinnian thought about it for a moment, then instructed him, “Also, her scenes in ‘Alluring Times’ for the next five days, delay them. The doctor says, she needs at least seven days rest.”

“I’ll contact the director.”

Lu Jinnian didn’t say anything.

The assistant waited a while, and said, “Mr. Lu, is there anything else?”

Lu Jinnian’s eyes fell on a rose that bloomed not too far away. He stared straight at it for a long while before turning to say to the assistant, “Her… miscarriage, don’t let her know…”

“But what do we do if Miss Qiao senses something wrong?”

“I’ll tell Madam Chen that her period came, and I’ll talk with the hospital. They won’t leak any information. Also, check to see if anyone followed us and took photos. If they did, then stop them. I’ve spoken to the doctor. They say that after the operation, besides feeling weak, she’ll feel a little bloated, no different from a period.”

Lu Jinnian took another drag, and with hints of sadness in his voice said, “No matter what happens, just do as I tell you to. I just can’t imagine what would happen if I told her when she woke up that she’d lost her child, not to mention…”

At this point, Lu Jinnian felt like something was lodged in his throat. It was unbearably painful. He stopped for a long while. His voice quivered slightly when he spoke again. “This was all my fault to begin with, let me be the only one punished. I really don’t want to see her sad.”

If it weren’t for him, last night’s tragedy would have never had happened.

Considering she spent last night unconscious, and knew nothing, let her continue to stay that way.

The loss of a child. The insufferable pain.

That kind of pain, only he should have to endure.Chapter 332: I’m sorry (12)

 Paperplane Editor: DarkGemThe assistant looked on silently, watching as Lu Jinnian took one drag after another. At that exact moment in time, his face clearly looked laid-back and virtuous, but yet, he gave off hints of devotion and persistence.

In that instant, the assistant didn’t quite know what to say. From the bottom of his heart, he thought that a lot of people made mistakes in this world and worked hard to keep it hidden, but mostly so that others didn’t hate them or because they didn’t dare face the truth in their heart. Yet Mr. Lu was hiding because it was too painful.

The two of them were silent for a long time before the assistant snapped out of his wild thoughts. He broke the silence. “Mr. Lu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be o to the my way to the office now.”

Lu Jinnian nodded with a “mm”. The assistant slightly bowed, then turned to leave.

–

Qiao Anhao woke up at three in the afternoon.

After sleeping for as long as eighteen hours, when she opened her eyes, her mind was a little fragmented, and her memory didn’t quite connect together.

She blankly laid in bed for a while, before she realized that she was in her room in Mian Xiu Garden. Then she slowly remembered that she was clearly watching tv last night when she fell asleep for some reason.

Qiao Anhao tilted her head, and glanced over at the time on the wall. It was already three in the afternoon. She actually slept for that long?

Surprised, she wanted to get out of bed, but she realized that her entire body was so weak that she hardly had any strength in her.

She furrowed her brows, feeling that something was wrong with her body; she had lost a lot of strength. Uncertain, she flipped the covers over and got out of bed.

There wasn’t a single person in the bedroom. Beyond the closed windows, the sun was bright.

Qiao Anhao treaded on the fluffy rug on the floor and walked out of the bedroom. She walked bare-footed across the cold floorboards towards the railings. Then she called downstairs. “Madam Chen?”

Perhaps it was because she had slept for so long, her voice was a little hoarse. She clearly tried to shout, but her voice was very low. So she cleared her throat and tried again, louder this time. “Madam Chen!”

Who would have guessed, Madam Chen didn’t appear, but the study room door nearby opened.

Qiao Anhao turned her head to see Lu Jinnian walk out. She was a little astonished to find him home, and stood stunned for a while. The next second, Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, taking big strides over to her and unexpectedly picking her up in his arms. Then he gently asked, “Why are you calling for Madam Chen?”

Qiao Anhao was a little stunned by Lu Jinnian’s sweep. She blinked, then answered, “I’m thirsty.”

Lu Jinnian turned his head and cried out, “Madam Chen.”

His voice was louder than hers by far. Madam Chen immediately ran out of a room on the first floor. “Mr. Lu, what are your orders?”

As Madam Chen asked, she lifted her head to see Qiao Anhao in Lu Jinnian’s arms. With surprise in her eyes, she immediately asked, “Missus, you’re awake?”

“Pour a cup of water, send it up.” Lu Jinnian impassively threw her those words. With Qiao Anhao in his arms, he walked back into the room and put her down on the bed. He pulled over the covers, then said, “Your body isn’t well right now, you must rest more in bed.”

Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian’s words, then came to the realization that her stomach felt bloated, and there was a sanitary pad in her underwear.

Her period actually arrived whilst she was asleep?

Chapter 333: I’m Sorry (13)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemHer period actually arrived whilst she was asleep?

The sanitary pad, who helped her put it in? Suspicion flashed across her mind.

Madam Chen brought up a cup of water. “Missus, you’re finally awake. You slept really hard last night. You didn’t even notice that you were on your period. In the end, Mr. Lu discovered it.”

Lu Jinnian discovered it? So that’s to say, he came back to Mian Xiu Garden last night?

Madam Chen, who liked to chatter, continued on, “At first, Mr. Lu didn’t know your period came when he saw you bleeding. He thought something had happened to you, so he hurriedly carried you and rushed you over to the hospital. You really firghtened me at the time.”

Was there really such a blunder? Yet Qiao Anhao didn’t want to smile the least bit, because all she could think about was the thought of Lu Jinnian helping her put in the sanitary pad.

Qiao Anhao’s face heated up in a instant, and she couldn’t help but glance over at Lu Jinnian.

Lu Jinnian’s expression was calm as usual. Ever since he took the cup from madam Chen, it was like he felt some warmth. He held it for a while before striding over to the bedside.

As he drew closer, Qiao Anhao’s face heated up, and she couldn’t help but lower her head.

Madam Chen, who still stood to a side, said, “Missus, thank goodness your period came. At the time, I thought you had a miscarriage…”

When Lu Jinnian heard those words, a flustered look flashed across his eyes. But then he quickly regained his composure, casually interrupting Madam Chen, “Missus just woke up, she must be hungry. Did you cook soup? Bring it up.”

Lu Jinnian’s reminder made Madam Chen remember important business. She immediately said, “I’ll go now.”

Then she turned around and ran down the stairs.

Qiao Anhao’s mind was filled with the thought of Lu Jinnian putting in the sanitary pad for her. She simply didn’t pay attention to what Madam Chen had been saying. Not to mention, since she started feeling bloated yesterday afternoon, she though her period was coming, so she didn’t think much of it.

Lu Jinnian saw that Qiao Anhao’s expression looked quite normal, and it left him at ease. He brought the cup to her. “Didn’t you want a drink?”

When Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian’s voice, her face was almost blood-red. She quickly lifted her head and glanced up at him. Then she took the cup, lowered her eyes, and drank the water.

After Qiao Anhao drank half the cup, Madam Chen brought over some food.

Having brought the tray to the bedside cabinet, she picked up the soup, stirred it a little, and was ready to feed Qiao Anhao, when Lu Jinnian, who was standing nearby, said flatly, “Let me.”

By the time he said it, he had already sat down by the bed and was moving to tentatively put two pillows behind Qiao Anhao.

Madam Chen froze, then immediately handed Lu Jinnian the soup with enthusiasm.

Lu Jinnian scooped a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and brought it near Qiao Anhao’s lips.

Qiao Anhao was a little shocked by the affection. She furrowed her brows and hesitated for a bit, to confirm she wasn’t in a dream. Then she opened her mouth and ate the soup.

When Lu Jinnian finished feeding her soup, he started to feed her rice.

Madam Chen made steamed fish. With every piece he picked up, Lu Jinnian was afraid there were bones in it.

His expression was very focused and serious. It was as though he was carrying out really important work.

Qiao Anhao couldn’t help but feel a little stunned. She still felt that this moment she was living now was just like a dream.Chapter 334: I’m Sorry (14)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao blankly let Lu Jinnian feed her, one mouthful at a time, until she shook her head at him, too full to eat anymore.

Lu Jinnian didn’t push her. He put the chopsticks down and shot Madam Chen a look. She instinctively knew to take the tray away and walk out of the room.

Lu Jinnian took the pillows behind Qiao Anhao away for her to lay down, not forgetting to pull the covers over her.

Qiao Anhao had slept for so long. Even though her body was weak, she wasn’t very sleepy. She was a little bored of just laying there, and so she wanted to get up to grab her phone, but then, Lu Jinnian, who had just pulled the covers over her, said, “What do you want to do?”

Qiao Anhao, who was stunned for a moment, lifted her head and innocently looked up at him, saying, “Get my phone.”

Lu Jinnian didn’t say a word but walked to the coffee table, picked up her phone, and handed it over to her.

Qiao Anhao sat up again, embarrassed, and took her phone. She randomly browsed through some websites, but she couldn’t get into it at all. Every now and then, her eyes would look over at Lu Jinnian, who was sitting on the sofa.

Since they’ve known each other, at the calmest times of their relationship, he would always be cold and distant in front of her. However, today, he was so considerate and gentle. There were even hints of docile indulgence and spoiling, which left her a little embarrassed and at a complete loss.

Also, when her stomach was in pain, he had bought her medicine… When she continuously made NGs, and she came out for fresh air, he had come out to give her his jacket… So it was true that he hadn’t treated her that bad recently, but today was particularly nice…

Qiao Anhao started to waver. She really didn’t want to argue about what happened that night of his birthday and would have been glad to comfortably and harmoniously get along with him, yet she was also afraid of when he would suddenly become cold and heartless again.

Her feelings were extremely complicated.

In the end, Qiao Anhao, who was weak from surgery, fell asleep once again.

–

This time, Qiao Anhao only took a short nap. She woke up at seven something in the evening.

As she ate lunch a little late, she wasn’t hungry, and so she sat in her bed watching TV. When it reached nine something at night, she then had dinner.

At eleven, Lu Jinnian ordered Madam Chen downstairs to make her a cup of hot milk.

Madam Chen said she would do so, and went into the kitchen. When she opened th fridge to get milk, she remembered that Qiao Anhao had brought home swallow’s nest a few days ago, so she turned her head, asking Lu Jinnian, “Mr. Lu, there’s swallow’s nest at home, would you like me to heat it up for supper?”

Lu Jinnian answered from upstairs, walking out from his study, “Heat it up just for the missus.”

“Mr. Lu, you’re not eating it? But the missus brought the swallow’s nest home.”

“Missus bought it?” Lu Jinnian asked Madam Chen. His footsteps halted, and he stood listening, interested. He turned his head and looked down the stairs.

“It didn’t seem like Missus bought them.” Madam Chen wasn’t particularly clear on the whole story, and so she hesitated to speak out of turn. “Missus brought them back from set one day, and also, they were unpacked.”

Brought them back from set?

Lu Jinnian suddenly remembered that Qiao Anhao had visited Xu Jiamu in the hospital a few days before, and it was the Xu family’s chauffeur who had taken her back to the hotel that night. At the time, he even gave her two boxes of something. That day, he sat in the parked car far away, and so he couldn’t take a good look at what those two boxes were.

Could it have been the swallow’s nest?

Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, and as though lightning had struck his mind, a series of thoughts flashed through his head…

Chapter 335: I’m Sorry (15)

Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, and as though lightning had struck his mind, a series of thoughts flashed through his head…

He was clear that Qiao Anhao had been vomiting that morning, but he had simply assumed that she had gastric problems. He had even forced her to visit the hospital, but after she entered the car, she had received a call from Han Ruchu regarding Xu Jiamu…

After that day, her vomiting seemed to have subsided, so he assumed that she was getting better and had calmed down a little…

On hindsight, Qiao Anhao never seemed to have gastric problems, the nausea was because of the pregnancy and when she had a miscarriage, the nausea stopped as well.

“Mr. Lu?” Madam Chen looked at Lu Jinnian, who stood by the stairs in silence, his gaze focused on the lamp in the living room. He looked to be deep in thought.

When he came back to his senses, there wasn’t much expression on his face. In his usual calm, frosty voice, he replied, “Forget it, heat some milk for Mrs. Lu, she just ate an hour ago, she’s probably still full.”

“Yes, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Jinnian nodded.

Madam Chen walked back to the kitchen, and Lu Jinnian’s gaze fell back to the lamp.

When Madam Chen heated some milk and brought it out of the kitchen, she noticed that Lu Jinnian was still standing by the stairs. She was mesmerized for a heartbeat. The dim warm lights from above the stairs scattered across his face, blurring his features.

She froze slightly. “Mr. Lu? Why are you still here?”

“Yea,” he replied faintly before looking towards the milk in her hands. “Give it to me.”

Madam Chen hurriedly brought the cup over.

Lu Jinnian turned and walked back up to the bedroom where Qiao Anhao was cuddled in, watching television. When she heard the door open, she took a quick look before focusing her attention back on the television.

Lu Jinnian walked to the bed and passed the milk over. “Madam Chen just heated it.”

Qiao Anhao looked up at him, her gaze staying a while longer, seemingly in a struggle. In the end, she reached out and hugged the cup of milk with both hands, taking small sips as she watched the television.

Lu Jinnian didn’t leave. He stood by the bed, his gaze on Qiao Anhao. Then he suddenly asked, “Have you been sleeping badly?”

“No..” Qiao Anhao was confused by his random question, she shook her head and turned to look at him. “Why?”

“Nothing,” he replied faintly before taking two steps back to lean on the vanity table. After a while, he asked again, “I heard that you brought some swallow’s nest back home?”

Qiao Anhao took another sip of milk before nodding.

“You like it? There isn’t much left, I’ll get Madam Chen to buy more tomorrow,” Lu Jinnian said without emotion in his voice.

Lu Jinnian seemed to be trying to talk to her… Even though Qiao Anhao had been upset and had made up her mind to ignore him, she could no longer suppress herself after all his kind acts.

Chapter 336: I’m Sorry (16)

“It’s fine,” Qiao Anhao rejected decisively, but when she saw Lu Jinnian’s lips press together, her heart clenched slightly. She held onto the cup of milk a little tighter, her eyes lowered. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. “I don’t really like the swallow’s nest, it was given to me by Mrs. Xu a few days ago when I visited her house. I gave a portion to Zhao Meng and kept the rest.”

The swallow’s nest was indeed given by Han Ruchu… when he was downstairs, he had suspected, but he needed a confirmation from Qiao Anhao, besides, she mentioned that she didn’t have trouble sleeping.

Just then, a wild thought entered his mind. He wasn’t sure if it was true, but ever since he was young, he didn’t have a good relationship with Han Ruchu, hence he might be over thinking.

Lu Jinnian remained silent, nodding towards Qiao Anhao before replying causally, “Oh…”

“Yea,” Qiao Anhao agreed faintly, not knowing how to continue.

Silence fell on the room. Qiao Anhao continued to drink her milk, and when she finished, Lu Jinnian reached out his arm to take cup. He then removed the pillow she had used for back rest, then faintly said, ” Sleep.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t reply, she laid down silently and shut her eyes. She could vaguely feel Lu Jinnian standing by the door, looking down at her for a while before leaving the room.

Lu Jinnian placed the empty cup in the kitchen basin and retrieved a paper towel to wipe his wet hands. Instead of returning to the bedroom, he walked to the side of the kitchen to send his assistant a text, [Come to Mian Xiu Garden.]

After less than a minute, his assistant replied. Lu Jinnian placed the phone back into his pocket and returned to the bedroom as though nothing had happened.

Qiao Anhao laid on the bed, seemingly asleep. He switched off the main lights, leaving only a tiny night light on, then walked to the edge of the bed and covered her with a blanket before dimming the night light, after which he walked to the balcony.

Qiao Anhao was still awake. The bedroom was silent, and even though Lu Jinnian had tried to keep quiet, she could still hear and sense him when he was close, or when he had walked away. When he had tucked her in, her entire body was tensed up. After a seemingly long time, she finally entered deep sleep.

Lu Jinnian’s phone vibrated, and when he reached for it, he saw a text from his assistant. He looked out the window and saw a car arriving. He turned, then before leaving the room, he took one last look at Qiao Anhao.

Downstairs, he walked to the kitchen and removed a bottle of swallow’s nest before walking out of the house.

His assistant was already waiting for him.

Deep in the night, there was barely any sound. Lu Jinnian placed his finger on his lips to signal for his assistant to keep quiet as he led them away from the house.