Chapter 1140: A Quiet Transformation

Chu Chen took his time to pour her some water. "Boss has good intentions, why do you treat him this way? Do you know how dangerous it was for you? Pei Zhenyuan is an old sly fox, and you actually believed him?"

Xia Ling scoffed weakly. "Dangerous? Isn't he just helping me with the abortion?"

Chu Chen looked at her. "He wanted the doctor to remove your uterus, did you know that?"

Xia Ling was utterly stunned by his statement. She would never have expected such an evil person to exist. He actually thought of removing her uterus without letting her know? Pei Zhenyuan really hated her this much? She was in disbelief. "No, impossible. Chu Chen, don't lie to me... this must be a lie that you and Pei Ziheng came up with!"

Chu Chen said, "Why would we lie to you?"

Xia Ling replied, "Aren't you trying to stop me from getting Pei Zhenyuan's help?"

Chu Chen looked at her a little sympathetically. "Xiao Ling, you're so foolish. You'd rather believe an outsider than trust Boss and me? Boss hasn't slept in 24 hours. He was preparing to travel to the US tonight and was taking a rest in the airport lounge. In less than a minute after he received news that you'd been abducted, he dropped everything at once and gathered his men to rescue you. Do you know how much loss he's making?"

Xia Ling sneered. "Do I care?"

But deep inside, her heart fluttered a little. Why was it that each time she was so sure about hating him to the core, he'd come up with new unforeseen ways to tug at her heartstrings again?... It's all a delusion, she told herself. Xia Ling, it's all a delusion.

Chu Chen patiently spoke to her, "Think about it logically, it's not hard to see why Pei Zhenyuan would want to hurt you this way—he's always been against you being with Boss. Since you've asked him for a favor now, it'd be foolish of him not to take this opportunity to get rid of potential problems in the future. Pei Zhenyuan is well-known for his cruelty in the commercial world. What makes you think that he'd be any nicer to you, the thorn in his flesh?"

Xia Ling kept quiet. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Chu Chen made a lot of sense.

The words that Pei Zhenyuan said to her before she was wheeled into the operating room still echoed in her mind. That old geezer had not allowed her to leave. He had wanted her to remain in Imperial Entertainment and continue being their cash cow. Under these circumstances, the only way to stop her and Pei Ziheng from doing anything more was to remove her uterus and deem her infertile.

Xia Ling felt a chill down her spine. She was truly aware of the severity of the matter now—had Pei Ziheng not made it in time, would she have lost her reproductive abilities by now? It would've been too late to change anything.

Still caught up in her own thoughts, she suddenly heard Chu Chen's polite address. "Boss."

Xia Ling looked up and saw that Pei Ziheng had walked in. His tall stature was against the dim light of the night, and his cold, handsome face seemed a little more haggard than before.

He looked down at Xia Ling before instructing Chu Chen. "Give us some time."

Chu Chen stood up and bowed slightly before leaving in silence.

There were only the two of them left in the ward. Pei Ziheng sat by her bedside and said solemnly, "Just what more are you trying to do? Are you going to stop when Pei Zhenyuan removes your uterus?"

She was slightly hurt by his words but maintained her demeanor. "It's none of your business!"

Pei Ziheng smirked. "None of my business? Xia Ling, believe it or not, if you dare to abort this baby, I'll have the doctor remove your uterus as well!"

She flinched evidently. After a pause, she said, "How dare you."

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Pei Ziheng glared at her frail and pale face. "Besides having a child with me, who else will you have a child with? Since you aren't willing to have my child, what's the point of having a uterus?"

She was lost for words. That's right, besides having a child with him, who else would she have a child with?

In this lifetime, she couldn't imagine herself falling for another person. Maybe this was her destiny, with him being her only man—she would live for him and die for him.

Seeing that she was keeping quiet, Pei Ziheng toned down a notch. He softened his expression and his words. "You still have feelings for me."

She stubbornly denied. "I don't."

"You're deceiving yourself, and me too." Pei Ziheng's voice became even more tender. He reached out and pulled her into an embrace, regardless of her struggles. He caressed her like she was a frightened little pet. "Keep this baby, Xiao Ling. Don't make things hard for yourself, don't pit yourself against destiny."

"I don't want such a destiny!" She cried out like a dying prey.

Pei Ziheng did not say anything more as he continued stroking her back. He was so gentle with his touch, she felt safe and loved. She cried for a long time, until she was out of breath and fatigued, before falling asleep in his arms. When she woke up in the morning, she realized that he was still holding her. He had fallen asleep beside her, his body bent over on that little hospital bed. The scene was rather amusing, but also a little heartbreaking.

The rays of dawn spilled into the ward.

Xia Ling looked at the man beside her in his deep sleep. She thought, Just how long has it been since I last took a good look at him? It seemed like he really hadn't slept a wink in more than 20 hours, like what Chu Chen said earlier—the dull green under his eyes had not faded away, and some stubble was growing out and pricking her face a little.

It was destined that this man would never be her husband, and yet he was the father of her child.

Xia Ling's nose scrunched up and she felt like crying again. What would the future hold? She hadn't been sure for a while now. Perhaps, all she could do was to take each day as it came. Since there was no way she could abort the baby, then... have him she shall.

She made up her mind and felt a weight off her shoulders. Although there was some sadness to it, it was a relief too. She stroked her abdomen and, while it might be a delusion, she seemed to be able to feel a slight bump already. The thought of carrying a life inside her now filled her heart with love.

After all, it was her flesh and blood.

She struggled to get out of his arms and get off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

Xia Ling turned around and found that he had woken up and was looking straight at her. She did not want to argue with him anymore. It would be a pointless fight, and she was afraid her rage would be bad for the baby. She simply said, "I'm a little hungry, I'll go look for something to eat."

He acutely sensed the change in her attitude. This was a good sign. He decided to get up too. "I'll go with you." Having squeezed onto a small bed for the night, he felt sore and aching all over. Even so, he still felt recharged and energetic.

Xia Ling tried you decline his offer. "I can go on my own."

Pei Ziheng said, "I want to eat too." That was all it took to override all her rebuttal.