Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
She was indirectly divulging the fact that Ning Yuya was the daughter of Madam Zhang’s brother.
Wen Xinya’s words made Ning Shuqian’s eyes widen in shock. Unable to hide the fear and terror in her eyes, she subconsciously turned to look at Wen Haowen.
Wen Haowen chastised sternly. “Shut up, what nonsense are you saying!?!”
Wen Xinya shivered, frightened and terrified.
Ning Shuqian had already turned as pale as a sheet. Wen Haowen’s reaction had already said enough. Although she had convinced Wen Haowen to believe her by banging her head into the wall, Wen Haowen actually knew Ning Yuya’s true identity.
Old Mrs. Wen had always despised Ning Shuqian for having a child out of wedlock and marrying Wen Haowen while having another man’s child. Hence, Old Mrs. Wen felt incredibly embarrassed now that the scandalous matter had been exposed. Glaring at Ning Shuqian coldly, she said, “Since you’ve already married Haowen, you ought to know your place and just perform your duties as his wife well. Stop getting embroiled in the affairs of those irrelevant people. Don’t become a laughing stock and the talk of the town.”
Ning Shuqian did not expect for things to turn out this way. “Mother, I know. I was wrong this time.” She apologized, as pale as a ghost.
Old Mrs. Wen scoffed. “I hope you’ve really realized your mistakes. Look how awful-sounding those captions are. The media is castigating you and accusing you of still being in love with your old flame. They’re saying that you’re using your husband’s money to raise your old flame’s daughter, sister, and niece. In all the years that I’ve been alive, I’ve never seen such disgraceful news about a wealthy man’s wife before. But of course… your relationship with your old flame happened in the past and I have no right to blame you for that, but why did you end up getting involved with the police? Will you only stop after disgracing Haowen?”
Wen Haowen was initially touched by Ning Shuqian’s actions when she banged her head against the wall to prove her innocence. However, he could not help but feel embarrassed and upset with Ning Shuqian, especially after those words from his mother.
Ning Shuqian was at a complete loss for words. Hanging her head low, she stared at Wen Xinya from the corner of her eye. Her eyes were full of resentment towards Wen Xinya, who had caused her to be humiliated and insulted.
Old Mrs. Wen’s face grew increasingly sullen and she continued angrily, “Haowen is genuinely devoted to you, and he has never fooled around with other women. He even allowed your daughter to take on our family’s last name and raised her for fifteen years. What else do you want? If you really want to thank Haowen for treating you well, you’d better do something to give birth to a child for Haowen. Haowen is already in his forties, he’s not getting any younger. You can’t afford to wait any longer to have a child.”
“Mother, I’ll try and think of something,” Wen Haowen said with an austere expression on his face. Her words about him being childless had struck a sour note within him. He stared at Ning Shuqian with reddened eyes.
“Mother, Haowen and I have already gone for physical examinations and the doctor said that there’s nothing wrong with our fertility. I’ve been taking lots of medicinal herbs to nourish my body too,” said Ning Shuqian, who did not notice Wen Haowen’s expression. Old Mrs. Wen’s words were like a million daggers piercing through her heart, which felt like it was bleeding.
She recalled the time when she secretly visited the gynecologist for a checkup, after which the gynecologist informed her that the chances of her conceiving were almost nonexistent because of the excessive thinness of her inner cervix lining.
Although she had always wanted a child, it did not matter as much to her as it did now. Ever since Wen Xinya returned to the Wen Family, Ning Shuqian began to see her as a threat who’d result in her losing her place in the family if she were to remain childless.
Ever since they moved out of the Wen Family’s old mansion, Wen Haowen’s patience towards her grew thinner and thinner and he often lost his temper. Hence, she began to grow more concerned about conceiving and continuously fed herself doses of medicinal herbs and made frequent visits to the gynecologist. She was determined to bear him a child and secure a footing in the family.
Old Mrs. Wen asked Ning Shuqian, “Have you ever tried taking ovulation pills?”
After chancing upon a talk show about infertility, Old Mrs. Wen found that the methods suggested seemed to be feasible.
Ning Shuqian shook her head. She had once intended to try taking ovulation pills. However, the doctor informed her that the side effects of the pills were too severe and had advised her against them. Hence, she decided to drop the idea. She explained, “Mother, the side effects of ovulation pills are too drastic. The doctor explained that the risks of infant mortality would be extremely high, and so would the chances of premature labor. It might also lead to excessive bleeding during labor and result in other complications. On top of that, the fetus might be deformed or suffer from other conditions like Down syndrome, epilepsy, or corneal mutation. In severe cases, there might be clogging of the blood vessels due to blood coagulation, which would directly be fatal.”
“Those are just possibilities. It’s not a hundred percent chance that those complications will occur. You have to try every possible solution there is. Besides, our family is so wealthy, we can afford to hire the best doctor. With a better doctor, those issues you’ve mentioned might not necessarily happen,” said Old Mrs. Wen, who could not be bothered about the risks.
“Mother…” Ning Shuqian murmured, staring at Old Mrs. Wen in disbelief. She did not expect her to be that cruel.
“I think Mother makes a lot of sense,” said Wen Haowen, who could not stand being mocked for being childless despite having been married to Ning Shuqian for so many years.
“Haowen, you…” Ning Shuqian muttered, staring at Wen Haowen, not expecting him to agree at all. She couldn’t help but feel terrified at the thought of Mo Yunyao.
Wen Haowen said to Ning Shuqian, “Please spare a thought for me and the Wen Family. We’ve been treating you well and I’ve always been true to you. Didn’t you say that you love me so much that you’re willing to give up your life for my sake? We’re just asking you to take some ovulation pills now. Is that too much to ask for?”
Ning Shuqian’s face stiffened completely. There was no excuse that she could come up with. She suggested, “I heard that artificial insemination is an effective method, too. The chances of success are higher as well. Why don’t we try that first?”
Wen Haowen stared at his mother, stuck in a dilemma because he did not know much about the available fertility treatments.
Mrs. Wen gave a nod of approval and said, “You shall try artificial insemination first, then. If it still isn’t successful after four weeks, you can try taking ovulation pills while still continuing with the insemination.”
Although the crisis was over for now, Ning Shuqian did not feel relieved, for she was well aware that the chances of the artificial insemination succeeding for her were extremely low. Besides, she might even risk exposing her infertility. Hence, she decided to come up with a solution to keep her condition under wraps.
However, she began to get a major headache at the thought of having to take ovulation pills at the end of the day.
She remembered seeing women who were undergoing ovulation injections at the hospital, all of whom were in great pain. They looked pale, aged, and emaciated. She did not wish to become hideous and haggard-looking… for fear that Wen Haowen would despise her.
Wen Xinya remained silent and watched the show. Ning Shuqian did not expect to be berated and reprimanded during her visit to the Wen Family’s old mansion. Neither did she expect Wen Haowen to use the incident where she banged her head against the wall as an excuse to make her take ovulation pills.
