The blood flowing in Lu Yi mostly belonged to her, and the notion of her blood flowing into Su Muran made her sick.
“He’ll come to you again,” Yan Huan prodded Lu Yi’s chest with a finger. “And if you dare give her one more drop of your blood, I will leave you. Along with the two mini you.”
“I get it,” said Lu Yi softly, placing a hand on her forehead. “Alright, chill. Don’t worry about such things, okay?”
Yan Huan wanted to argue, but her indolence got the better of her. Her focus was on herself and her two sons. She would give birth to them, whether or not Su Muran lived.
Before long, Lu Jin returned. He wasn’t empty-handed; he had demanded a land deed from the Su Family in exchange for Lu Yi’s blood, which they yielded when he threatened to make the matter public. Blackmailing wasn’t fair play, for sure, but they were the real victims here! If Su Qingdong felt no qualms blackmailing Lu Yi, two can play the game.
In the end, the Su Family gritted their teeth and surrendered the deed. It wasn’t a spacious land, but well-situated. Lu Jin planned to build playgrounds on this newly acquired land for his grandsons.
In a few days’ time, Lu Yi brought Yan Huan an unexpected piece of news.
“They divorced?” mused Yan Huan as she sipped her soup. It wasn’t entirely surprising. Not many women could tolerate such betrayal, much less a pampered woman who always had her way. “For real?”
“Yes,” repeated Lu Yi. He shoved the soup towards her. “Drink up before it cools.”
“Okay,” agreed Yan Huan. She contemplated the news as she sipped the soup absent-mindedly.
Su Muran and Lu Qin divorced.
It hardly came as a surprise, considering how little Lu Qin had loved her. He was a narcissist that only loved himself.
If he could abandon his wife and unborn daughter for Su Muran, why not abandon the dying Su Muran for another woman?
A woman that was richer and held more influence than Su Muran, and could benefit him way more than Su Muran ever could?
The divorce was bound to happen.
A terminal illness coupled with a divorce. Yan Huan wondered if Su Muran could take such a blow.
The betrayal was not only hurtful, but also humiliating; he had cast his lot with whom he determined to succeed.
But that had nothing to do with Yan Huan, who spent the next few days resting at home sedately, which would not at all have been possible had Lu Yi not stayed at home obediently. A pregnant woman often finds herself emotional and mistrustful. If Lu Yi was out for long, she would suspect that he was going to sell his blood again, despite his numerous assurances.
In the end, Lu Yi had no choice but to compromise and take a long leave to accompany her. Another reason for that was because He Yibin’s biggest worry had come true–as time went on, the babies’ strain on her ovary became overbearing. She had a voracious appetite before the seventh month, but had been under the weather since the eighth. Her appetite dwindled, along with her vigor.
According to He Yibin, this was normal. The babies’ were getting too heavy for Yan Huan, and were pressing against her heart and intestines.
Her loss of appetite made eating a chore and breathing difficult, which in turn gave her insomnia.
Under such circumstances, Yan Huan had to be hospitalized before time. Once Yan Huan cannot carry the weight of her babies, they would have to terminate the pregnancy.
This was the only way to save Yan Huan, albeit detrimental to the babies. The lighter the baby, the riskier it was for them to be delivered prematurely.
Therefore, it was best to delay the pregnancy as much as possible.
Lu Yi spoon-fed Yan Huan carefully. She was visibly skinnier after a long period of not eating well. Despite all the stuff she ate during her pregnancy, the nutrients all went to her babies. Her tummy may look big, but she most certainly wasn’t plump.
Rather, she looked even skinnier than before.
After a few bites, Yan Huan shook her head and refused to eat anymore.
Lu Yi placed his hand on her forehead. She hadn’t eaten well in nearly five days, and he feared that she would starve herself to death soon.
“Shall we proceed with the operation?” suggested Lu Yi suddenly, a conclusion he had arrived at after much pondering. He was truly afraid that the two babies would kill Yan Huan if this dragged on.
Yan Huan opened her eyes, touched his hand feebly, and shook her head.
“Just give me a few more days. Relax, I won’t push myself too hard. I’m aware that lives are at stake here,” she tried to grasp Lu Yi’s fingers, but couldn’t find the strength to do so. She felt so weak, so powerless.
But she had to push on, no matter what.
This was her child, the child she had longed for. The longer they stay in their tummy, the better their health. She was willing to trade her own health for their wellbeing.
Days felt like months to Yan Huan and Lu Yi. Day by day, Yan Huan grew worse, her appearance marked by frailness and anorexia.
In bed she laid, worried of making the slightest movement. Her tummy had swelled up considerably as compared to a few months back, and looked as if it might burst at any moment.
