Chapter 381: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (11)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao wasn’t entirely sure whether she had the D&C procedure. On top of that, these operations were usually confidential. Even doctors couldn’t divulge their details, and so Qiao Anhao contacted a friend who worked at the city hospital for a favor – to find a gynecologist.

As her friend was at work, they couldn’t personally take Qiao Anhao, but she had already prepared everything. Qiao Anhao followed the address her friend gave her to find the gynecologist.

Prior to her arrival, the gynecologist already knew what she wanted done, and so as soon as they saw her, they immediately asked for her name. After Qiao Anhao told them, the doctor entered the name and identification number into the search. Nevertheless, in the end, the computer showed: No record.

“There’s no record of it on our system,” said the doctor, pointing at the computer monitor.

Qiao Anhao looked at the words on the computer screen. She lightly creased her brows. So then that express mail, was someone really trying to play a joke on her?

As though Qiao Anhao wanted to confirm one last time, she asked, “Could there have been some kind of mistake?”

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The doctor shook his head. “That’s not possible. As it’s all confidential, we would document each of our procedures, just in case they were required as evidence for future legal purposes. Currently, I am unable to search for details of your operation, which is to say that you definitely did not have a D&C at our hospital.”

Seeing as the doctor was absolutely certain, Qiao Anhao’s heart suddenly calmed down. She gave her thanks to the doctor, said goodbyes, and left.

As Qiao Anhao walked out of the gynecology and obstetrics block, she didn’t forget to call her friend to give her thanks. Her friend asked what was wrong with her, to which Qiao Anhao smiled and said she’d made a mistake. Her friend on the other line chuckled and told her that someone was definitely playing a prank on her with the D&C forms. She then laughed at how possibly dizzy she could of been to not even know if she had had a D&C.

In the face of her friend’s teasing, Qiao Anhao didn’t explain in detail. She continued with a few polite words, and hung up the call.

With the knowledge that she didn’t have a D&C, she felt a little curious as to why anyone would mess with her, but she was also significantly more relaxed.

Just as Qiao Anhao was about leave the hospital doors, a question suddenly stopped her, “Excuse me, are you Miss Qiao Anhao?”

Qiao Anhao was unavoidably shocked by getting recognized with her hat and mask on. She stared at the person who stopped her and didn’t say a word.

The woman who stopped Qiao Anhao was around thirty, and she wore a nurse’s uniform. Seeing that Qiao Anhao’s eyes were on alert, she added, “I was the one who sent you that express mail. Could I please talk to you for a moment?”

Qiao Anhao looked over at her, stunned. She pointed at her car, which was parked not too far away, and led her over.

The nurse followed right behind her.

Qiao Anhao took the nurse into her car, started it up, and drove to a rather remote place, through an alley into an enclosed courtyard behind the hospital. She then stopped and turned her head to ask the nurse, “Why did you send me that express mail?”

The nurse seemed to struggle to speak. She hesitated for a long while, before she first apologized to Qiao Anhao, and then said, “Miss Qiao, I’m truly sorry, but you did indeed have a D&C. I was there on duty the night of your operation.”

Chapter 382: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (12)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao’s expression became ghastly, and she silently stared at the nurse.

The nurse took a deep breath, and continued to say, “It was Mr. Lu who carried you into the hospital. The doctor gave you a check up. You were already two months pregnant, so Mr. Lu signed for the doctor to carry out an abortion.”

There was a hint of anger in Qiao Anhao’s eyes. “When all is said and done, what is your motive? I just asked in the hospital. I clearly didn’t have a D&C at your hospital!”

“I don’t have a motive at all, and I didn’t lie to you. I just can’t live it down. The only reason you couldn’t find any evidence of your abortion, it’s because Mr. Lu’s assistant already got in contact with the higher ups at the hospital. Moreover, the night of the operation, he also paid the doctor and nurses hush money. The doctor’s was 20 million, nurses were 10 million,” said the female nurse.

She then pulled her phone out, logged into her online banking, and showed her wire transfer history for Qiao Anhao to see. “This is the first time in my life doing such a thing. At first, I wanted to take this money and hold my tongue, but recently, I’ve been frequently having nightmares. I’ve been feeling really guilty for being an accomplice that night, helping to abort your child whilst you were oblivious to what was happening.”

Qiao Anhao stared at the name of Lu Jinnian’s assistant on the phone screen. The anger beneath her eyes transformed into astonishment.

“The only reason why I didn’t dare lease any messages with the express mail, it was because I didn’t dare. I knew that you would definitely come to the hospital after you received the express mail, so I waited early at the hospital doors.

“If you don’t believe me, you can go to another hospital for a check up. It hasn’t been a month since you had the operation. Your uterus hasn’t fully recovered. If you just take a B-scan, you’ll find out the truth.

“Also, today you’re due in for a follow up at our hospital, but Mr. Lu is probably afraid that you’ll find something out. He might’ve not taken you here for a follow up, so you can conveniently change hospitals to get another check up. It’s your body after all. You can take this chance to check for yourself, whether what I said was or wasn’t true

“I’ve told you everything that I should of, so I can now have my own peace of mind. Finally, I’d like to say that I’m so sorry.”

Qiao Anhao stared ahead, in front of the car window, without any reaction. The nurse let out a gentle sigh of relief, then pushed the car door and got out, leaving.

When the nurse took a turn at the corner ahead, she walked for quite a distance more before she pulled a phone from her pocket. It was already in a call mode when she lifted it to her ear. She opened her mouth and said, “Mrs. Xu, I have done what you have asked for. You heard everything I just said, now it’s your turn to follow up on your word.”

About half a minute later, Han Ruchu’s usual calm and composed voice came from the phone. “Send me your account number. A hundred million. I’ll wire it to your account without a cent short, but you must also remember what you promised me. Quit immediately and leave Beijing.”

The called was dropped, and the corner of Han Ruchu’s lips curved into a mocking smile.

Now that her son is awake, Lu Jinnian’s several months long dream would come to an end. Unless her son didn’t want Qiao Anhao, then Lu Jinnian can quit even thinking of stealing her from her son’s hands!

Chapter 383: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (13)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao didn’t quite know how to describe her emotions at that precise moment. The nurse had clearly already left a long time ago, but she still felt her presence, constantly hearing her words her ears, breaking her heart.

She sat there blankly in the car for a long while, until another car drove in head on. Because it was a really narrow alley, the other car honked their horn. The piercing sound shocked her back to her senses. She raised her head to find the other car had carefully driven past her and left.

Nearby, she heard a familiar tune. It was not until the car was out of sight when she then realized it was her phone going off. She lowered her head vacantly. She looked at the screen, which displayed the name, “Lu Jinnian”.

Seeing those two words felt like a needle brutally stabbing her heart. The pain made her fingertips tremble. She used a lot of energy to grab her phone. In the end, it turned out to be Zhao Meng on the phone.

Qiao Anhao tapped to take the call. Before she could speak, Zhao Meng’s anxious voice came through. “Qiao Qiao, where did you drive off to? The entire crew is waiting on you…”

Qiao Anhao’s lips twitched, but she didn’t speak. Then Lu Jinnian’s elegant and sweet voice reached her ears. “Where are you?”

She felt a bitter taste in her mouth. The tip of her tongue moved a little, before she could relax her tone of voice. “Uncle suddenly was looking for me for something urgent, and I didn’t have enough time to tell you all.”

Lu Jinnian had no intention of blaming her. “Are you all done now?”

“Yeah, I’ve finished up.”

“I’m coming to pick you up.”

“No that’s okay, I’m driving…”

Qiao Anhao hadn’t finished speaking when Lu Jinnian spoke again. “Today’s scenes have been canceled, and the people from the commercial you accepted want to see you in the afternoon.”

She hung up the phone. Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes and glanced at the rear view mirror to find that her face was covered in tears. She frantically wiped her face, and took a deep breath. Seeing her face back to normal, she started up the car and stepped on the accelerator, as her eyes became red again.

–

Lu Jinnian was waiting for Qiao Anhao downstairs of the mall in the Qiao estate’s neighborhood. He must of driven into the city ten minutes ago. Through the rear view mirror, she saw his car behind hers.. He slowly stopped beside her with both his hazard lights constantly flashing.

Before his assistant could get out and open the door for Lu Jinnian, he had already gotten out of the car. He walked over to Qiao Anhao’s car, opened the car door, and relaxed when he her sitting there with a calm expression on her face. He asked in a low voice, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Qiao Anhao pulled the corner of her lips into a smile. She grabbed her bag and got out of the car.

Zhao Meng also got out of the car and ran to Qiao Anhao. She pulled her arm and blamed her for leaving without a word. Then Lu Jinnian interrupted Zhao Meng, “Take her car and get back to the set. I’ll take her to see the business partners.”

Qiao Anhao tried hard to look like everything was normal. She even made a little joke during the lunch date. After she put in a lot of effort to entertain, she felt exhausted.

As soon as she got into the car, she fell back into her seat and closed her eyes. As the car slowly moved, the thought of Lu Jinnian’s name on the abortion papers lingered on her mind.

Chapter 384: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (14)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThe air conditioner was on in the car. As Lu Jinnian was afraid Qiao Anhao would catch a cold while sleeping, he grabbed a blanket from the side and pulled it over her.

Qiao Anhao felt Lu Jinnian draw closer. Her whole body stiffened, and her hands balled into fists. She could only calm down after he had moved away. After a while, she heard him say to his assistant driving in the front, “Turn down the air con a little.”

Deep down inside, Qiao Anhao knew she had her suspicions, but because of how considerate Lu Jinnian was towards her, she started lying to herself.

For Lu Jinnian to care about her so attentively, how could he be so harsh as to abort her child? What’s more, that child was his. They say even wild beasts look after their young. No matter how cold Lu Jinnian was, she wasn’t the woman he loved. Yet he shouldn’t be that cruel…

But when the nurse showed Qiao Anhao her phone, it really was Lu Jinnian’s assistant’s name on her wire transfers log. It was from the bank’s systems. It couldn’t possibly have been faked…

Because Qiao Anhao liked Lu Jinnian, her heart wasn’t willing to accept such a devastating truth, and so she started to kid herself and find excuses for him.

The hospital clearly didn’t have her abortion records, nor did she know that nurse. How could she just take her words seriously, and believe that Lu Jinnian aborted her child? Furthermore, who’s to say she was even pregnant in the first place!

So she should ask Lu Jinnian…

–

The reason Lu Jinnian went to find Qiao Anhao today wasn’t to take her to the lunch date, but to take her to the hospital for a follow up.

He didn’t want her to know that she once had a child. Not to mention, when they found out about the child, someone had already killed the baby whilst still in her belly. What’s more, the culprit was someone she considered as family – her Aunt Xu, Han Ruchu.

He wasn’t able to be a good father, so now he was filled with hate and thirst for vengeance, and he chose to bear the burden for her as well.

And so, last night, he thought of a way for Qiao Anhao not to find out the truth and go to the hospital.

He told his assistant the plan in advance. As the assistant was about to reach the city hospital, he looked up at the rear view mirror and met Lu Jinnian’s eyes. Seeing Lu Jinnian slightly nod his head, he immediately understood everything. He checked the condition of the roads left and right, then as he was about to exit the main road ahead, he turned the steering wheel to the left. The car crashed into a fence by the road out of the blue.

–

Qiao Anhao was torn for a long time, before she got the courage to open her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, ready to ask Lu Jinnian. But in the end, just as the word “Lu” was about to leave her throat, the car suddenly shook. Out of the blue, her body smashed into the car door.

As everything had happened so suddenly, Qiao Anhao’s mind was still confused. Before she could figure out what had happened, Lu Jinnian had pulled her over, and worriedly looked her up and down. He anxiously asked, “Are you all right?”

Qiao Anhao composed herself, but before she could speak up, he angrily lashed out at the assistant driving up front, “Do you even know how to drive!”

Lu Jinnian’s screaming made the assistant apologize frantically. With a cold expression, Lu Jinnian silently pushed open the car door and carefully carried Qiao Anhao out. He stopped a taxi on the road and walked over to it.

Chapter 385: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (15)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThe taxi stopped in front of the City Hospital’s entrance. Lu Jinnian paid, then carried Qiao Anhao out and walked in.

Qiao Anhao looked at the City Hospital she had visited just five hours ago. Her mind was full of the nurse’s words that she would come come back for a follow up. For no reason, an unspeakable sense of fear came over her heart.

Previously, when Qiao Anhao had accidents on set, Lu Jinnian would also take her to the hospital for full body checks. This time, it was the same as usual. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary on Lu Jinnian’s face.

There were less people in the hospital than earlier that afternoon. Lu Jinnian put her down on the chair, as he went over on his own to get a ticket number. When he went to register, Qiao Anhao saw him raise his phone and make a call. The hospital was quite noisy, and she couldn’t see the words his mouth made, nor did she know who he was on the phone with. Perhaps, she was being a little sensitive, but that phone call made her feel an unspeakably uncomfortable.

Qiao Anhao wasn’t actually hurt. She sat there on the chair and thought for a while, before she got up and walked over to Lu Jinnian. As she was about to reach his side, he saw her, and his lips moved with no expression on his face. He hung up the call, then stared at her with furrowed brows. “Why did you come over? Are you in pain somewhere?”

She shook her head and smiled at him. “I’m absolutely fine. I was just a little shaken up back there. How about you? Are you hurt?”

Lu Jinnian’s expression relaxed a little, and he said, “I’m fine.”

Qiao Anhao blinked, and said in a gentle voice, “As we’re both fine, how about I not get the check up. I don’t even have a single scrape.”

When Qiao Anhao said this, she stared straight at Lu Jinnian. He was still as water, unchanging. You couldn’t tell his motive at all. With a calm tone, he said without much reaction at all, “Still, let’s get a quick check, just in case.”

Qiao Anhao gave him a slight smile, and didn’t argue with him, “All right.”

After registering, Lu Jinnian took Qiao Anhao directly upstairs, like he did before when she got into an accident on set. As before, she had a full body check up. There wasn’t anything special about the entire process, so she gradually relaxed and thought that perhaps the nurse’s words had really gotten to her.

Qiao Anhao had done many check ups, all of which finished in the evening.

Who knew when, but Lu Jinnian had went out to buy here a bottle of yogurt. Seeing her come out of the examination room, he put the straw into the drink and handed it to her. They waited for the nurse to call out their name. Lu Jinnian let Qiao Anhao wait there, as he went to go collect the check up results.

He was gone for quite some time. When Qiao Anhao finished her yogurt, he still hadn’t come back, and so she went went to throw the empty bottle in the bin on the side. Then she went to find him.

Through the glass door, Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian give the doctor, who she’d just finished the check up with, a nod. He folded the paper in his hands and put into his wallet, then took out some papers from his pocket. He pulled the glass door open and walked out.

Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao and handed her some papers, as he said, “The check up results came out normal.”

Chapter 386: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (16)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGem“I told you I was fine. You’ve wasted so much money and time at the hospital,” whined Qiao Anhao in a nagging tone. Then she casually flipped through the test results and rolled them up into her bag. She raised her head, and from the corner of her eyes, she stared at Lu Jinnian’s wallet in his trouser pocket. She asked, “What took you so long?”

Lu Jinnian’s expression didn’t change when he said, “The doctor was busy, so had to take a call.”

“Oh.” Qiao Anhao looked as though she really believed him, as they walked out from the elevators.

When they left the hospital, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian hailed a taxi. When the driver asked where they were headed, Qiao Anhao rushed to say first, “Mian Xiu Garden.”

The taxi driver responded and started the car up. Qiao Anhao turned her head to Lu Jinnian, and said, “We don’t have a car, and it’s a little inconvenient to go back to the set right now. Let’s go back home and get back to the set tomorrow morning.”

Lu Jinnian gave a light “mmm”, but didn’t give an opinion.

Madam Chen was unusually happy when she saw them back. She asked the two of them if they’d eaten anything for dinner, then she hurriedly ran into the kitchen.

Even though it was late in the evening when they hailed the taxi, it was still hot outside. Qiao Anhao was all sweaty, so when they went back to the bedroom, she went into the changing room to get pajamas and then took a shower. She came out of the bathroom with a towel, wiping her dripping wet hair. Seeing that Lu Jinnian had already taken off his jacket and was sitting on the sofa in a suit, on his phone, she asked, “Do you want to take a shower?”

Lu Jinnian nodded and put his phone down. He walked into the changing room and took off his trousers. He randomly picked up a towel and walked into the bathroom.

Qiao Anhao heard the splashing sounds from the shower and immediately threw the towel away. She softly and quietly walked over to the changing room and picked up Lu Jinnian’s trousers from his dirty laundry basket. She searched for while and pulled out his wallet. As she opened it up, she saw a line of bank cards and some gold cards for clubs and hotels. There was some cash in there too. She opened the inner layer of the wallet to find a piece of paper, and quickly pulled it out, and immediately saw her name.

It was her pelvic examination results with a single line written at the bottom from the doctor. Though it was barely legible, she made out the words: No blood clot, normal thickness, recovered well from the operation.

The splashing sounds from the shower were still there. The hand Qiao Anhao held the paper with trembled uncontrollably. She felt as though something had slashed her heart in half, and her blood flowed like a river.

Who could say how much time went by. When Qiao Anhao heard the shower stop, she hurriedly folded the paper back to how it was. She shoved it back into Lu Jinnian’s wallet, zipped up the inner pocket, and put the wallet back into his right trouser pocket. Then she threw the trousers back into the dirty laundry basket.

She hastily walked out of the changing room and quickly sat in front of the dressing table. She grabbed the hairdryer in a fluster, plugged it in, and randomly dried her hair…

Qiao Anhao had just started blowing her hair when Lu Jinnian came out of the bathroom. He changed into simple cotton pajamas, with his hair rubbed half dry. Seeing her drying her hair, he walked over, naturally took the hairdryer, and helped her dry her hair.

Qiao Anhao didn’t dare look at him at all. She just lowered her head and hid her face behind her hair.

Chapter 387: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (17)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao didn’t dare look at him at all. She just lowered her head and hid her face behind her hair.

The rims of her eyes flared up a few times, but she tried to push down the tears. When her hair was dry, she took a deep breath. She casually tied her hair up, and said, in a tone as though everything was normal, “I’ll go see if Madam Chen has finished cooking dinner.”

Then she walked out of the bedroom.

When Qiao Anhao came to the kitchen, Madam Chen had already finished. The soup made bubbling noises, as it boiled under the high heat. Madam Chen was crouching in front of the bin, peeling garlic. Seeing Qiao Anhao come over, she immediately said, “Missus, dinner will be ready real soon. You can call Mr. Lu to wash his hands and come down now.”

Qiao Anhao nodded and walked over to the stove. She pushed out her head, and glanced at the soup on the hob. She clearly saw that it was pork ribs and corn, but she still asked, “What kind of soup are you cooking?”

Madam Chen said, “Corn and pork rips soup.”

“It smells good,” complimented Qiao Anhao. She didn’t know if it was the hot soup, but tears fell from her eyes and into her casserole.

Qiao Anhao hurriedly wiped them away. Whilst Madam Chen wasn’t paying attention, she said “I’ll go call him for dinner”, and walked out of the kitchen.

She didn’t go upstairs, just turned to the second floor bedroom door and called, “Dinner time”. She walked into the communal bathroom, and locked the door behind her. As she stood there in front of the sink, she looked into the mirror at her frighteningly red eyes.

She didn’t actually want to cry, but the tears still fell uncontrollably, until there were two knocks at the door. Lu Jinnian voice came in, “Qiao Qiao?”

Qiao Anhao wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She shouted “Coming!”, and turned on the tap. She splashed a handful of water onto her face, and quietly spaced out for a minute. When she had calmed down, she turned off the tap and wiped her face with the towel beside her, then walked out.

Lu Jinnian sat in his usual place in the dining room. Madam Chen was carrying the soup. Seeing her come in, she attentively pulled her chair out.

Qiao Anhao sat opposite Lu Jinnian. She took Madam Chen’s soup, and gently said, “Thank you”. She lowered her head and drank her soup.

Her and Lu Jinnian had eaten together many times before. When they ate, they didn’t really interact with each other, and so the table was a little quiet. Qiao Anhao’s appetite wasn’t good, but she forced herself to eat a little. In the end, she couldn’t take it any longer and put her chopsticks down.

Lu Jinnian, who sat opposite her, glanced over at her bowl that was barely touched, and his brows furrowed. “Poor appetite? Or the food is not suitable?”

Madam Chen, who stood to one side, also asked, “Missus, what would you like to eat? I’ll go and cook something else.”

Qiao Anhao’s eyes stung, and tears almost fell. She lowered her eyes. After ten seconds, she looked up at Lu Jinnian and gave him a sad smile. Her voice was calm. “I ate a little too much in the afternoon. I’m not very hungry right now, I’ll eat later.”

Lu Jinnian nodded, and didn’t force her. Qiao Anhao got up and walked out of the dining room. She heard Lu Jinnian say to Madam Chen, “Missus likes to eat swallow’s nest congee. Cook her congee. When she’s hungry, don’t let her eat heated up leftovers.”

Qiao Anhao’s fingertips trembled when she heard those words, and she quickly strode away.

Chapter 388: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (18)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemWhen Lu Jinnian finished his dinner and went back to the bedroom, Qiao Anhao was watching TV. He didn’t disturb her, but sat next to her, accompanying her. At half nine, the drama Qiao Anhao was watching coincidentally finished, and Lu Jinnian asked, “Do you want to eat something?”

Qiao Anhao gave a light nod. Lu Jinnian got up and left. After a while, he came back carrying a steaming hot bowl of swallow’s nest congee.

As Lu Jinnian had said, she really liked eating swallow’s nest congee. Every time Madam Chen cooked it, she’d add a little sugar. Today, Madam Chen made swallow’s nest congee as she usually did, with a little sweetness. However, Qiao Anhao felt like it was like Chinese medicine; difficult to hold down with every mouthful.

She practically forced the entire bowl of congee down without tasting the food. She put the empty bowl on the coffee table and went to brush her teeth. When she came out, Lu Jinnian and the empty bowl on the coffee table were gone.

Qiao Anhao put on a basic layer of cream and climbed into bed. As she pulled her covers, she saw Lu Jinnian come back.

He asked, “Sleepy?”

Qiao Anhao nodded, murmured something unintelligible, and shut her eyes.

Lu Jinnian didn’t make a sound, and walked into the bathroom.

Qiao Anhao wasn’t sleepy in the slightest. She felt Lu Jinnian come out from the bathroom, softly turn off the bedroom lights, and gently get into bed beside her.

The bedroom was very quiet. Qiao Anhao shut her eyes, as she laid there in a daze for a long time, without moving. She felt the long intervals between Lu Jinnian’s breathing beside her, as though he was already deep asleep. Only then did she dare to gently open her eyes, turn her head, and look at him.

With the dimmed yellow night light in the bedroom, Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian’s handsome and flawless complexion. Perhaps it was due to his personality, but he even wore a cold expression between his brows when he slept.

She really wanted to lie to herself like she did later that afternoon. She wanted to help him make an excuse, and then summon her courage to ask if he really did abort her child. But she couldn’t forget the pelvic examination results in his wallet: No blood clot, normal thickness, recovered well from the operation.

Operation? Blood clot? Thickness? If she had done the abortion operation…

That piece of paper crushed all of her fantasies.

She really didn’t want to accept it, but she didn’t even have the chance to kid herself anymore..

That was her child, and it was his! How could he have been so ruthless as to abort his own flesh and blood?

Because Qiao Anhao was so mad, her body trembled, and she had the sudden urge to shake Lu Jinnian awake. But then, she gritted her teeth, and asked herself, why did he do it, why did he kill his own child? Does he not even feel the slightest bit torn or disturbed? How could he possibly sleep so well in the dead of the night?

Qiao Anhao’s tears fell without warning. In the midst of her anger, her face looked unusually pale, and there was an unspeakable pain in her heart for the child she had never even known she’d had.

She remembered how Lu Jinnian was suddenly so nice to her after the operation.

It was because he aborted her child. He felt sorry for her, like he owed her, and so was that why he treated her so nice?

The funny thing was, in these past few days, she had stupidly felt happy and loved by how he had treated her…

Chapter 389: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (19)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemIt was because he aborted her child. He felt sorry for her, like he owed her, and so was that why he treated her so nice?

The funny thing was, in these past few days, she had stupidly felt happy and loved by how he had treated her…

So much so that she even re-imagined that he had feelings for her. She was hopeful for their future together… But now, she finally knew that for the beauty of it all, a life was exchanged!

Qiao Anhao’s tears blurred her vision. She raised her hands to lightly wipe them away, and hurriedly turned around. With her back facing Lu Jinnian, her tears continued to cascade.

No matter how much she wanted to ask him what actually happened, in the end, she didn’t have the courage to wake him up and ask.

Even if the truth was laid out unavoidably in front of her, she still wasn’t willing to face it. Or, perhaps, she was unwilling to accept it.

–

Qiao Anhao didn’t sleep all night. The next day, when it was light out, she climbed out of bed. Lu Jinnian was still fast asleep. She didn’t wake him but stared at this sleeping face for a while, before quietly going into the bathroom. She cleaned herself up and got changed into a simple yet classy light yellow dress. She carried her bag and walked out of the bedroom.

Madam Chen wasn’t awake yet. The enormous living room was particularly quiet. The wall lamps were on, emitting a faint yellow light. Against the gradually increasing light from outside the window, they were a little dim.

Qiao Anhao grabbed her phone and called for a ride. Then she put on her shoes and walked out.

The morning air was extremely crisp. The flowers in the courtyard had bloomed quite a lot overnight. There was a single rose tilted and crushed by a wooden stick. Qiao Anhao walked over, picked up the stick, and supported the flower upright. Then she walked out of the courtyard. The taxi she had called was already waiting at the door. She got into the car, and told the driver to go to the People’s Hospital.

Before the morning rush hour, the streets of Beijing were empty and quiet. The neon lights from the stores on both sides of the street were out, and after a certain distance, she saw cleaners in orange clothing.

The car stopped at the entrance of the People’s Hospital. Qiao Anhao paid the driver, and got out of the car. She walked straight into the department of gynecology and obstetrics. She got a number and waited in line for about half an hour before she saw a doctor. She immediately requested for a B-scan, and then she waited for another half an hour until she could enter the operation room.

After the check up, Qiao Anhao fixed her clothes and sat on a chair in the hall, as she waited for her results. That’s when her phone rang.

Qiao Anhao thought it’d be Madam Chen asking where she was. Because she didn’t want them to know that she was at the hospital, she wasn’t in a rush to pick it up. Instead, she walked to a quiet restroom at the end of the hospital before pulling out her phone. In the end, the name of the phone screen turned out to be Aunt Xu.

Qiao Anhao let out a deep breath, tapped to take the call, brought the phone to her ear, and said in polite and soft voice, “Aunt Xu.”

“Qiao Qiao, you’re awake?” Han Ruchu’s voice was extremely energetic. She paused for a moment, and asked, “Have you been busy recently?”

“It’s been all right…” Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, and asked, “How is Brother Jiamu recently?”

“Jiamu is great. He can now get out of bed and walk, and his speaking is more coherent. It won’t be long before he can come home to rest.” When she mentioned her son’s recovery, Han Ruchu sounded incredibly happy.

Chapter 390: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (20)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao wanted to be happy for Xu Jiamu, but in that precise moment, she couldn’t be happy no matter what. All she could do was force herself to summon her enthusiasm, and say, “I’m really happy that Brother Jiamu is awake.”

“Qiao Qiao…” Han Ruchu called out Qiao Anhao’s name, as though she had suddenly thought of something. She paused for a moment, and said in a very serious tone, “Qiao Qiao, thank you so much during for being here. If it weren’t for your help in upholding the Xu family and Qiao family’s marriage, the Xu family’s assets, who knows what would have been left of the Xu family.”

“It’s nothing, really…” That’s right. How could she forget? The whole reason her and Lu Jinnian were able to be together was all for an act… The corners of Qiao Anhao’s eyes were a little dry. She raised her head to push back the tears, and said, “Aunt Xu, this was something I had to do. Brother Jiamu has always treated me well. I can’t not care about him.”

“Qiao Qiao, you’re a good girl. Aunt and uncle really like you.” When Han Ruchu said those words, a hint of guilt surfaced in her heart, as Qiao Anhao had no clue that it was her who killed her son. Yet, there was no other way. Who allowed for the child in her to be Lu Jinnian’s child? What’s more, the baby was under Xu Jiamu’s name, that’s why the kid couldn’t come to this world!

Han Ruchu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she said in a particularly relaxed tone, “But Qiao Qiao, don’t worry. The doctor said that after one week, Jiamu will be able to come home to rest. By then, you won’t have to act with Lu Jinnian any longer.

“He even called me a few days ago to ask when would be the earliest time Xu Jiamu would be discharged. He’d had enough of living a double life. Perhaps he’d like to get out of it as soon as possible. I believe you and him must be tired from acting as husband and wife, right? But, that’s all right. You’ll be free real soon.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t hear a single word of what Han Ruchu said after. Her mind whirled over the words: Lu Jinnian called me a few days ago to ask when would be the earliest time Xu Jiamu would be discharged. He’d had enough of living a double life. Perhaps he’d like to get out of it as soon as possible….

It was like there was something stuck in Qiao Anhao’s throat. After using a lot of energy, she said in a gentle tone, “Aunt Xu, if there’s nothing else, let’s leave it her for now. I have some matters to attend to. I’m hanging up now.”

“Alright, Qiao Qiao. Take care of yourself.”

“Mm, I will. Thanks and goodbye, Aunt Xu.” Qiao Anhao hung up the phone. She stood in the restroom for quite a long time before she washed her face and wiped it clean. She then walked out into the hall, refreshed.

The check up results she’d just done were out. Qiao Anhao carefully flipped through the results one by one to look for hers. On the second to last sheet, she pulled out her results, and went to see the doctor in their office.

Qiao Anhao followed the doctor’s signal and took a seat. She handed the results to the doctor, who took a quick glance, and asked “You’ve had an abortion?”

With one question, Qiao Anhao’s fingers tightly grasped onto the bag, and she gently nodded.

The doctor pointed at the scan on her results, and said to Qiao Anhao, “The abortion was very successful. The uterus doesn’t have any blood clots anymore, nor are the walls of the uterus any longer thin, but you must rest. Within the next six months, don’t get pregnant.”

Chapter 391: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (1)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao wore a smile, as she nodded to the doctor’s orders. Then she got up, collected her check-up results, and said goodbye.

When she left the doctor’s office, a young woman happened to walk past her. The young woman was on the phone, probably calling her husband. She said that she was over two months pregnant. The pregnant woman was probably quite pampered, as the tone of her voice sounded spoiled.

Qiao Anhao glanced at the woman’s belly. It was still quite flat. She instinctively rubbed her own belly. When her child was aborted, she was also two months pregnant. Her belly was the same as that woman’s. You couldn’t see that there were any signs.

Wait… If she had no idea that she was pregnant, how would Lu Jinnian know?

That night, she was just sleeping in Mian Xiu Garden. The next day, when she woke up, she was still in Mian Xiu Garden. There was only ten hours in that time period. And within those hours, she lost her child…

Lu Jinnian signed the abortion papers, the bank transfer logs were on that nurse’s phone, the follow-up report in Lu Jinnian’s wallet, and now the B-scan in her hands… If one was a coincidence, the second could also be a coincidence, then what of the third and fourth? Were they all coincidences?

Lu Jinnian clearly knew that she was pregnant, yet she had had the abortion. The next day, Madam Chen told her that her period came… Lu Jinnian sure is something! Everyone knew the truth, besides her – the mother!

Qiao Anhao’s eyes filled with tears again. She hurriedly walked out of the hospital block, around the back, and continued into an ally. She walked until there was practically no one around. Then, like the burst of a balloon, she crouched down and wailed.

Since yesterday morning, when she saw his signature on the abortion papers, until now, when she changed hospitals to confirm her abortion… In these twenty four hours, she had been fighting back her own emotions. Now, she could finally let herself go.

She was full of hatred. She hated how ruthless Lu Jinnian actually was. She also hated herself for not immediately realizing that she was pregnant… But if she had immediately realized it, would Lu Jinnian still want the baby?

Just now, Aunt Xu even said it… Lu Jinnian called her to ask when was the soonest Xu Jiamu would be discharged… soonest…

How could she forget? It was just an agreement between the two of them. It wasn’t like they were a real married couple… At first, they agreed that neither of them was allowed to disturb the other, and for a life to suddenly grow in her belly, let alone the fact that the child would be under Xu Jiamu’s name, that was definitely a lot of trouble.

His first thought of not wanting the baby was normal… She was just too in character. She actually forgot that everything was fake. With Xu Jiamu now awake, they were destined to break up. If he didn’t want anything to do with her, then why would he allow for her to give birth to his child?

Qiao Anhao didn’t know how long she cried for, but it felt like no more tears could fall any longer. She calmed herself down and slowly got up off of the floor. She looked all around her to realize that she had actually ran off to the entrance of the hospital’s morgue. No wonder no one had walked by for quite some time.