As of now, the entertainment industry did not belong to the Ye Family, the Lu Family, and least of all Yan Huan. It belonged to the public. If an actor or actress were to commit a shameful act, they would be booed out of the industry before they know it. Some sins aren’t easily forgiven; she knew that better than anyone.
The loud crack of a slap stilled the air. All the noises died away, and everyone turned to stone.
Ye Jianguo’s hand hovered in the air, beside Yan Huan’s slanted face where five conspicuous fingerprints had formed. Ye Jianguo used to be a soldier, and he had not held out on that slap, despite the debt of gratitude their family owed her, and despite the fact that she had dug his grandson out from the rubble. Right now, he cared only about his granddaughter.
Yan Huan touched her face lightly. No one had slapped her this hard in a long time. She quelled an urge to cry. Yes, she might not have a mother or grandfather, but that didn’t give someone else’s grandfather the right to bully her.
Staring at Ye Jianguo coolly, she slowly put her hand down.
“Who do you think you are to hit me?” She took a step forward. “To hit someone else’s daughter? Someone else’s granddaughter?”
She didn’t give a damn about his stature—no one had the right to hit her face if she didn’t do anything wrong.
If she didn’t have a grandfather to back her up, she’ll just have to stand up for herself.
So she slapped Sun Yuhan across the face. Pa! She had to settle for the younger one since she couldn’t touch the older one. Like she said, don’t mess with her and expect her to suck it up.
Shaking the soreness off her hand, she swaggered out on heels. She doubted Ye Jianguo had it in him to clobber her in public, anyway.
Sun Yuhan froze at the hit, and it took her a good moment to recover from her stupor. When she did, she realized that the people around her were pointing at her and sniggering. She still had wine stains on her dress, which made her an amusing sight, as affirmed by Su Muran’s look of contempt. To top it off, Lu Qin witnessed the whole thing.
She spun around and pounced at Yan Huan, knocking her to the ground before mounting her to haul her hair and hit her head.
Before Yan Huan could get up and deal with her assailant, a sharp pain from her tummy made her curl up. The pain from her tummy was so bad that it made her injured scalp feel like nothing.
It hurts. It hurts so much. What should I do?
“Lu Yi, Lu Yi…”she muttered softly.
Just as Sun Yuhan was winding up another blow, a hand lifted her off the ground.
“Stop it right now, Lu Yi!” cried Ye Jianguo. Where was his sense of urgency when his granddaughter was on the attacking side? Why didn’t he intervene and put an end to the fight then? Why was he only concerned when his granddaughter was in peril?
“You put her down right now,” hissed Ye Jianguo.
Lu Yi ignored him. Suddenly, he slammed her to the table like a sandbag. It was good that there weren’t many people present; the other members of the Ye Family had done a good job clearing out most of its guests. The ones that remained were on good terms with the Ye Family, and they were sure to be tight-lipped about the incident.
“What on earth is going on here?” cried Ye Shuyun, who walked on his son slamming Sun Yuhan on the table. Sun Yuhan was wailing in pain.
Lu Yi hunkered down to help Yan Huan up. She looked terrible. Even her makeup couldn’t hide the paleness of her skin, or the large beads of perspiration that had formed on her forehead.
Lu Yi was aghast.
“Lu Yi, Lu Yi…” Yan Huan grasped his hand. “My tummy hurts.”
The pain was nearly driving her to tears. Her skin was clammy from all the cold sweat.
“Calm down. I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”
Lu Yi quickly scooped her up and marched to the door. It was chaos inside the house; Ye Jianguo was seething, and Sun Yuhan was still wailing on the ground.
But Ye Shuyun didn’t have time to care about them. She quickly followed her son, worried that something might happen to Yan Huan.
Lu Yi ran a few red lights in a row, his face sullen and inconsolable.
He Yibin rushed up to attend to Yan Huan when he brought her to the hospital. When Lu Yi looked at his hands, he realized they were covered in blood.
Where had all this blood come from? He looked down again and the corner of Yan Huan’s dress soaked in blood.
Is she having a period?
Yan Huan’s period had come nearly a monthly late, which he imagined to be a result of her foul mood recently. When he consulted He Yibin, he told him that it was normal for a woman’s period to come a month late. Plus, it wasn’t as if she could get pregnant.
He Yibin asked Yan Huan where her pain was. Befuddled by the pain, Yan Huan kept whimpering with her hands on her stomach.
“Is she having menstrual cramps?” asked Lu Yi with uncertainty. Only that could explain why she was in such pain.
“Cramp my ass!” said He Yibin unhappily. “Does it look like menstrual cramps to you? We might be dealing with a miscarriage here.”
Lu Yi’s head buzzed, as though something had hit him.
“What did you say? A miscarriage?”
“Yes,” said He Yibin confidently. He quickly summoned the nurse and told them to get the obstetrician. “Have you ever seen anyone in so much pain from a menstrual cramp?” He put a hand on Yan Huan’s abdomen. “You bloody idiot, Lu Yi! Have you not felt the bulge in her tummy?”
“I thought…”Lu Yi passed a tongue across his dry lips. “I thought she was just getting plumper.”
“How can all the fat only go to her tummy?” He Yibin felt like he was talking to a halfwit. “Her tummy is bulging, and you thought… Have you ever heard of menstrual cramps that made a woman’s stomach swell?”
The obstetrician appeared before long. He Yibin was equally distraught by the thought of misfortune befalling Yan Huan. She had been diagnosed with infertility, and this could potentially be Lu Yi’s only chance at having a child. The Lu Family’s lineage was riding on the life of this child!
