FAST-FORWARD CHAPTER — The Child She Was Never Meant to Keep
The rain that day was fierce, falling in thin, icy spears against the hospital windows. The world outside was gray, but nothing compared to the storm that had already taken root inside Shi Yunxi's chest.
She stared blankly at the ultrasound sheet in her trembling hands.
Three tiny heartbeats.
Three small, flickering lights.
Three lives.
"Pregnant…" she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "I'm… pregnant?"
Her legs weakened. She nearly lost her balance.
The nurse looked at her with pity.
"You're expecting triplets, Miss Shi. You should… contact the father."
The father.
A faceless shadow.
A night stolen from her.
A memory wrapped in fog and fear.
Contact him?
She didn't even know who he was.
Before Yunxi could gather herself, hurried footsteps echoed down the hospital corridor.
Qin Yuchan.
And behind him, Shi Roulan.
Her heart sank like a stone.
"Yunxi!" Qin Yuchan arrived first, rushing to grab her wrist. His expression flickered—shock, then anger, then disgust. "The doctor called us. Is it true?"
Yunxi tried to pull her wrist back, but his grip tightened painfully.
Roulan stepped beside him, eyes gleaming with feigned concern. "Sister… how could you hide something so important? Father is furious. He wants you home immediately."
Yunxi swallowed hard, her voice shaking.
"I didn't hide anything… I only just found out."
"And who is the father?" Qin Yuchan demanded coldly.
The question stabbed her like a blade.
"I—I don't know."
Roulan let out a soft gasp, covering her mouth delicately.
"Oh my… You went so far as to sleep with someone you can't even name?"
Yunxi's breathing grew uneven.
"That's not what happened—"
Qin Yuchan's eyes turned icy.
"We're not here to argue. Get your things. The doctor has already arranged an appointment."
Yunxi froze.
"Appointment… for what?"
"For an abortion."
Her blood turned to ice.
"No."
She shook her head violently. "No, you can't—these are my children!"
Qin Yuchan's expression darkened.
"You're not in a position to keep them, Yunxi. The Shi family's reputation is already fragile. What do you want people to say? That the eldest daughter got pregnant by a stranger?"
Roulan stepped closer, pretending to comfort her but her eyes were sharp and cold.
"Sister… be sensible. Father said if you insist on keeping them, you can leave the Shi family immediately. You'll have nothing."
Yunxi felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
Nothing?
She already had nothing.
But these babies…
They were hers.
The only innocent things left in her shattered life.
Her voice trembled. "I won't get rid of them. I won't."
Qin Yuchan's grip tightened again until her wrist throbbed.
"Yunxi, don't be stubborn. You are not capable of raising even one child, let alone three. Do you want to die during childbirth? Triplets are dangerous."
Roulan leaned in, her lips close to Yunxi's ear.
"It's better if they don't exist. You won't have to remember that shameful night."
Yunxi flinched backward, her entire body shaking.
"No. No. I won't allow it."
Her protectiveness surged like a wildfire. Her hands moved to her stomach instinctively, defensively.
"These children are mine," she whispered. "I won't let you take them."
Qin Yuchan's expression twisted with irritation.
"Then we'll drag you inside if we must."
He reached for her again, but Yunxi stumbled back, panic rising in her throat.
At that moment, a doctor in a white coat rushed toward them—Dr. Xu Wen, one of the Mu Corporation's top private physicians.
His arrival was sharp, authoritative.
"What are you doing? She's in a delicate condition! Stressing her like this could endanger all three babies!"
Qin Yuchan's tone turned instantly cold.
"Stay out of this. This is a family matter."
"This is a medical matter," Doctor Xu said firmly. "And I won't let you bully a patient."
Roulan's eyes flashed sharply, but she maintained her innocent facade.
"Doctor, she's making an irresponsible decision. She doesn't even know who the father is—"
"That has nothing to do with health," Dr. Xu interrupted. "I will not sign any abortion request unless she consents."
And she did not.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but resolute:
"I won't abort them."
Qin Yuchan's expression hardened with quiet rage.
Roulan's teeth clenched behind her sweet smile.
But in that moment, Dr. Xu made a choice that would change everything.
He stepped protectively beside Yunxi.
"If you want the procedure done," he said coldly to Qin Yuchan, "go to another hospital. Because here, I will not harm this woman or these babies."
Yunxi's breath hitched—relief and fear mixing painfully.
Qin Yuchan grabbed Roulan's hand.
"Fine. Do whatever you want."
He shot Yunxi a deadly look. "But remember this—you won't get a drop of support from our family."
They stormed out of the hospital.
Yunxi swayed, knees buckling—but Dr. Xu caught her just before she fell.
"Miss Shi," he said softly, "don't worry. I won't let them hurt you."
She held her stomach, tears finally falling.
Three small heartbeats.
Three fragile lives.
Her life was collapsing—
But her determination had never been stronger.