Chapter 16 Lost

Xia Mo sat up in bed and eyed the clock on the wall. It was ten. She then put on a coffee-colored, floral maternity dress, wore a light pink jersey over it, and crept down the stairs. She then steathily ran away from the house. She brought nothing with her and didn’t know where she was heading either. She only knew that she had to escape from there, find a place where no one could find her, and birth the child. She didn’t want the child whom she had longed for to be given to someone else! She didn’t have a penny on her, nor did she know where she could turn to. With tears in her eyes, she had held onto her large belly, crossed the street, and kept going straight until she couldn’t walk anymore. She then sat on a long bench by the sidewalk and gingerly massaged her swollen legs. Lost and confused, she looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. All of a sudden, a car with glaring headlights honked as it drove past her, giving her a good scare. Xia Mo noticed the car’s license plate number. It was all 8’s. “How rich. Amazing.” There was obvious admiration in her voice. If she was rich, how wonderful would that be? She wouldn’t have to be here in the first place and carry someone else’s child. She would be sitting in the classroom, studying alongside her classmates, and preparing for the gaokao. Instead, not only did she not have money, her family had owed large sum of debt too. As a result, she could only sell herself to pay it off. The car that had passed her by suddenly braked from a dozen meters ahead, swiftly turned around, and drove back. With a screech, it stopped beside her. A tall man wearing silk pajamas stepped out of the car and slowly walked towards her. “What are you doing?!” The man’s voice was thick with anger. Sitting on the bench, Xia Mo raised her head up and looked at the man who had not appeared in more than half a year already with a shocked expression. “It’s the dead of night. Where do you plan to run off to?” Her silence made the man deeply furrow his brows. “I...” Upon suddenly seeing the man, the unexpected feelings of grief and sorrow overtook her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes. She lightly fluttered her long lashes and answered, “I just... I just want to take a walk.” Ling Yichen stared at her pitiful face, clenched his jaw, and continued, “You couldn’t walk out during the day?! You just have to walk when it’s pitch-black outside?!” His relentless, interrogative tone rendered Xia Mo unable to voice out her feelings. They were stuck in her throat. She inwardly derided herself. My brain must have short-circuited for a moment there. Can’t believe that I developed the urge to tell him everything. He, Mrs. Feng, Xiao Cui, Mrs. Wu, and Madam were together on the same boat. She was alone. She had lost all interest in talking. Xia Mo propped her belly up with an arm, stood up, and turned around to walk back home. “Where are you heading?” Ling Yichen pulled her by the arm. His eyes stared fixedly at her belly. Why is it so big? “Apologies. It’s late, and I have troubled you by making you come after me. Thank you for everything.” Xia Mo gently shook his arm off and stubbornly continued to walk. “I am going home now.” Ling Yichen eyed her big belly and dared not to use force on her again. He coldly commanded, “Get in the car.” Xia Mo didn’t know what was wrong with her. She felt more and more aggrieved, yet she knew that what she had done today was a perfidious act. It was indeed her fault. However, this was just too agonizing for her! It was unbearable! She just wanted to be... That’s right! Impulsive! She wanted to be impulsive for once! Yet, she knew herself well. She was simply not that type of person. “Get in the car!” The man impatiently repeated. “I want to walk home!” Despite Xia Mo holding back her indignation, the persistence in her voice was still noticeable. “It’s midnight! You’re a pregnant woman! How are you supposed to walk?!” His blood boiled with rage, but he could not vent his anger on her upon seeing her big belly. “I’ve said it already! I want to walk home!” Xia Mo’s beautiful glowered at him with her beautiful eyes. “Seriously, what do you want?” Ling Yichen sucked in a big gulp of air, suppressed his anger, and asked, “Wasn’t the checkup a positive one?” “The baby’s good, but I’m not!” Xia Mo looked at the man before her. With a blink, two teardrops rolled down her face. She could not speak her mind to Lu Wanru because Lu Wanru was her employer. However, this man was different from Lu Wanru. He was her child’s father. Even though she disliked him and was even afraid of him, he had a different presence in her heart. She had a deeper personal connection with him than anyone else. “Are you ill? What’s wrong?” Ling Yichen didn’t understand her. “I now regret it. I don’t want to give the child away. Can you please tell Madam about it? Tell her not to take away my baby. I’ll return all of the money to her. Just make her not him away. Please?” Her mind went blank. She abruptly rushed up to the man, grabbed his arm, and begged him with endless tears streaming down her cheeks, “Selling a child is illegal. It’s immoral. I can’t go against my conscience. If one day he knows that his mom had him sold, how hurt will he be? How heartbroken will he be?” “Once this child is birthed, you will no longer have any ties to him.” Ling Yichen’s voice was frosty. Even his aura turned frosty. “Wasn’t this agreed upon at the beginning?” Does this woman wish to become his child’s “Mother”? “You should’ve known this from the very start. Now you want to go back on your word?” The man berated once more. Xia Mo looked at the contempt and anger written all over the man’s handsome, charming face. She then curled her lip, wiped the tears with the back of her hand, and shouted, “No! I will not go back on my word!” The man narrowed his eyes in contemplation of just how truthful her words were. The woman had no intention of talking to him any further. She looked at him pitifully with a bitter smile. Xia Mo then opened the rear door of the black Benz, stepped inside, shut the door, lowered her eyes, and leaned back in her seat. Ling Yichen’s chest tightened at the sight of her lonely, anguished yet beautiful smile. Just like that, this smile of hers had been imprinted in his mind until many years later, he would still be able to recall that same sad, beautiful smile that tugged at his heartstrings. He stood outside for a while longer. He did not want to drive while being angry. Ling Yichen had never truly understood the woman. He had never even bothered to ask for her name and age. He had always thought of her as a baby making machine; however, he had been avoiding her since he had realized, since a couple of months ago, what a wonderful feeling it had been to see her in his arms when he had woken up. As a businessman, he knew well that a monetary relationship was the simplest relationship of them all. Everyone had to observe and respect the rules when conducting deals. Otherwise, it will bring about unnecessary troubles. Over these past few days, he had given considerable thought to their relationship. Once this woman gives birth to their child, she would no longer have any connections to the Ling family. This is a must. This was the best outcome for the child, Lu Wanru, and himself. Therefore, he could not allow himself to foster any feelings for her other than that of an employer. Even if there was one, he would stifle it in a timely manner. If not, it will come back to haunt him in the future.