"Doctor, I want to terminate the pregnancy," Tong Yushi said to the doctor once more.
The doctor frowned at her. "Have you thought this through? There’s no going back from a decision like this."
"I’ve thought about it, I want to terminate the pregnancy." This child cannot be kept.
"Okay, you need to go through a series of tests to check your physical condition first. If you’re in good health, I’ll arrange the procedure for you," the doctor said, looking down to write out the test order. Tong Yushi took the order and went out.
After completing one test after another, Tong Yushi returned to the doctor’s office with the results. The doctor, examining the data, frowned, "Your health isn’t particularly good and the fetus is too mature already. If you go through with the termination, it could very likely result in you never being able to beco a mother again. Knowing this, do you still insist on terminating the pregnancy?"
At those words, Tong Yushi froze. "Never beco a mother. How could that be possible?"
"You’re not as healthy as the average person. So won recover in a few months after termination, but in your case..." The doctor trailed off, and Tong Yushi understood her aning. She bowed her head, staring blankly at her protruding belly.
Her hand moved to her stomach, and suddenly she felt a force from within: the child had kicked her. Tears welled up in Tong Yushi’s eyes.
Seeing this, the doctor quickly spoke up to persuade her, "Look, it’s not uncommon for couples to fight. They say make-up sex is the best, right? Whatever the issue, you two could sit down and talk it over. Don’t take this out on the child; the child is innocent."
"Plus, you look well taken care of during your pregnancy. It seems your family cares about you deeply. If you decide to abort the child just because you’ve had a fallout with your husband, it might be rather impulsive. I advise you to go ho and think it through, whether to keep the child or not."
Tong Yushi left the doctor’s office and sat on her sofa at ho in silence for a long ti.
She wanted to get rid of the child because it wasn’t Li Bo Ming’s flesh and blood, but the offspring of so unknown man. She feared that every ti she saw the child, she would be reminded of the night she had gone into the wrong bed, a constant reminder of the mistake she had made.
Just the thought of such a life filled Tong Yushi with despair. Rather than regret in the future, she preferred to put an end to it now.
But as that doctor and the old lady had said, the child was already five months along, well ford within her womb. She could feel the child’s movents, and the child could surely feel her intents. Was the kick in the hospital the child’s way of telling her that it did not want to leave the world, that it wanted to see this world even just once?
Moreover, during the past few months, when Li Bo Ming didn’t want to see her, even despised her, the only company she had was this child. She talked to the child about Li Bo Ming every day. Speaking of his virtues, their eting, and all the monts they shared, it was this child that helped her through those difficult tis.
Tong Yushi cried, gazing at the investigation and dical reports she had thrown carelessly on the table, her eyes landing on the na Ding Minghui and the photo of that man. A trendous hatred swirled in her tearful eyes; if it wasn’t for this man, her life wouldn’t have turned this tragic.
Tong Yushi directed all her hatred toward Ding Minghui.
The address wasn’t on the investigation report, but Tong Yushi had a way to find Ding Minghui.
The previous night had found Ding Minghui in a bar. Ever since Ning Ke’s divorce announcent, he had barely set foot in the Ning Family’s doors, spending his days in bars and hotels, indulging at night and during the day, and neglecting his company position entirely. As a nominal vice president, his presence or absence hardly mattered. His attendance only served as a joke to others.
Ding Minghui, reeking of alcohol, left the bar. Today, he intended to return to the Ning Family’s place—if only briefly—since he had almost spent all his money and needed to ask Ning Ke for more. As soon as he stepped out, a pregnant woman blocked his way.
"Are you Ding Minghui?" Tong Yushi asked the man before her.
Ding Minghui frowned at the woman, "Yes, that’s . And you are?"
"Were you, perchance, at the Bolan Hotel on the night of April 15"? Tong Yushi asked directly, holding on to the last sliver of hope that perhaps this issue had been a mistake made by Li Bo Ming and the others.
Ding Minghui regarded her coldly, like one would a lunatic. The woman’s nonsensical question about where he spent the night on April 15th made her sound like a madwoman. He moved to brush past Tong Yushi, but she blocked him again, "On the night of April 15th, were you at the Bolan Hotel? Were you in room 1806?"
Seeing Tong Yushi, Ding Minghui thought she seed familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen her. However, on the ntion of room 1806, it sparked a faint mory—could it be the woman from that night?
It wasn’t surprising that Ding Minghui rembered Tong Yushi; that night was intense and passionate, with their encounter burning in his mind, impossible to forget.
"Is it any of your business whether I’m here or not?" Ding Minghui retorted.
Of course, it mattered! Tong Yushi scread inside her head.
The mont Tong Yushi saw Ding Minghui she was utterly disappointed—a drunken man, no, a slovenly drunken man, was the biological father of the child inside her.
At that mont, Tong Yushi felt like fate was playing yet another cruel joke on her. Why did it have to be this man?
"What does it matter to you if it was ? What if it wasn’t?" Ding Minghui asked indifferently. Tong Yushi bit her lip, the last shred of hope shattered, and she felt a surge of despair. She felt like charging at Ding Minghui and tearing him apart—this man in front of her had thrown her life into chaos.
Ding Minghui suddenly stepped closer, leaned in slightly with a teasing tone, "What, you missed ?"
Tong Yushi stepped back in shock, staring at him. Ding Minghui laughed, "I didn’t recognize you at first, but now I rember. Don’t be so shocked. Yes, I was drunk that night, but I didn’t lose my mory." He had been with many won, but only a few left a mark, and as luck would have it, Tong Yushi was one of them.
"So, the person that night really was you," Tong Yushi asked coldly.
Ding Minghui shrugged, "Correct." He then smiled slyly, "Are you here today for another round? I don’t mind, but I’m not sure about you..."
His gaze lingered on Tong Yushi’s swollen belly for a few seconds, the implication clear. Tong Yushi’s face turned white, then darkened; the man was a complete scoundrel.
Not just a scoundrel, but a shaless, married scoundrel.
Tong Yushi sighed inwardly at her misfortune. The man she loved had married another, and now she had ended up in bed with a stranger, pregnant, and the absurd part was she had thought the child was Li Bo Ming’s. Now, in Li Bo Ming’s mind, she would definitely be seen as a woman of loose morals. The latter was even more unacceptable to Tong Yushi, all brought upon by this man before her.
"I’m pregnant, and the child is yours," Tong Yushi said straightforwardly.
Ding Minghui laughed mockingly, "Miss, while I was quite satisfied with your services that night, I’m not a three-year-old child. You expect to just believe whatever you say? Given your profession, are you even sure that child is mine?" He had always assud Tong Yushi was an escort.
Realizing what he ant, Tong Yushi’s face darkened, "You’re the escort, your entire family are escorts."
Ding Minghui frowned, "Hey, why are you insulting people?" It wasn’t just insults—Tong Yushi felt like killing him at that mont.
"Because of you, I’m pregnant, and you must take responsibility for this." After seeing Ding Minghui, Tong Yushi had silently made this decision—the child couldn’t have such a father, so it must not be kept. But she wasn’t about to suffer in vain. She needed to get so compensation from this man, the Vice President of Shuangcheng International. He must have plenty of money, so paying her off seed fair.
The smile on Ding Minghui’s lips grew colder as he looked at Tong Yushi as if she were a fool. "You want to bla for this consensual act, for your failure to take precautions afterward? I’m even more baffled—I’ve been with plenty of people, yet nobody ever ca to claiming they’re carrying my child. You..." Ding Minghui paused, "You mustn’t know who fathered that bastard child, finding no one to extort so you decide to pin it on ?"
Tong Yushi didn’t expect Ding Minghui to believe her right away—after all, no man would. Consider it: which woman would keep a child from a one-night stand?
But Tong Yushi wasn’t in a hurry, she pulled out a docunt from her bag, "This is the DNA report for the child in my belly and you. Take a look yourself."
Ding Minghui didn’t bother to take it, hands pocketed, and spoke coldly, "How do I know whether that report is real or fake? I’ll give you that we had a night together, but who knows if that child is mine? I’m not going to admit to anything."
In Ding Minghui’s view, Tong Yushi was an immoral woman; he had been with her, and that was that. Now suddenly she cos forward claiming the child in her belly is his, and she wants him to take responsibility—ridiculous. Ding Minghui had no children and wasn’t about to acknowledge one so casually.
Tong Yushi looked at Ding Minghui coldly, "So you plan to deny everything."
Ding Minghui shrugged, "It’s not my child to begin with, so of course I can’t acknowledge it." With that, he walked away.
Tong Yushi watched Ding Minghui’s retreating figure, her eyes filled with icy hatred. She had anticipated this, but no matter, if Ding Minghui didn’t care, didn’t take the bait, soone else would.
Tong Yushi stood alone at the street corner, her eyes gleaming strangely. She took a taxi directly to Shuangcheng International Group. Yet, as soon as she arrived at the entrance of Shuangcheng, she was stopped.
"Hello, I’m looking for President Ning Ke," Tong Yushi said politely.
"Do you have an appointnt? You need one to et with the Chairman," the receptionist said dutifully.
Tong Yushi had no appointnt; she ca on the spur of the mont. "I don’t have an appointnt, but I have sothing very important to talk to her about, really very important, I must see her right now, please let in."
The receptionist refused, "I’m sorry, you can’t go in without an appointnt."
No matter what Tong Yushi said, the receptionist wouldn’t let her through; having no other choice, Tong Yushi waited in the lobby for Ning Ke; she simply didn’t believe that Ning Ke would not co down when work finished.
The receptionist glanced at Tong Yushi and silently speculated about this woman’s relationship with Ning Ke. Her gaze swept over Tong Yushi’s pronounced belly and suddenly she had a bold guess: could it be their company’s sorry excuse for a vice president had incurred a debt of passion outside, and now so mistress was confronting the legitimate wife for justice?
Turns out, the receptionist guessed correctly.
Tong Yushi’s luck wasn’t too bad today; Ning Ke had to visit a subsidiary for an inspection and ca out of her office early.
Tong Yushi did not know the young miss of Shuangcheng International but had seen photos of Ning Ke, so when Ning Ke ca down, she recognized her imdiately and rushed up to her, "President Ning, I have sothing to tell you."
Ning Ke frowned at the woman before her, "Who are you?"
"Who I am is not sothing you need to know yet, but I have sothing very important to tell you, concerning the reputation of the Ning Family. And about your husband, Ding Minghui."
Ning Ke sized up Tong Yushi and her pronounced belly, having a suspicion in her heart. She nodded to her secretary who then left.
"Don’t you want to talk? Let’s go," said Ning Ke indifferently, walking out ahead.
Tong Yushi followed her, heading to the café on the ground floor of the company building.
"You want to tell , after a night of passion with Ding Minghui, you had his child, and now you need him to be responsible?" Ning Ke spoke first. She had seen enough of this type of drama on TV shows; after Tong Yushi sought her out and ntioned Ding Minghui, she had guessed it.
Tong Yushi pursed her lips, "Yes."
Hearing this, a flash of anger crossed Ning Ke’s heart – that damned man, constantly testing her limits, ti and again.
"Although I really don’t want to say this, President Ning, it is indeed the case: the child in my belly is Ding Minghui’s, whether you believe it or not. But I didn’t an to be with him; I was drunk that night and knew nothing," said Tong Yushi, a fleeting look of disgust flashing in her eyes when she ntioned Ding Minghui.
"So you an to say Ding Minghui took advantage of you while you were drunk?" There was a fundantal difference between a night of passion and assault, and Ning Ke naturally wanted to be clear about it.
Tong Yushi felt awkward. It wasn’t assault, after all, she had mistakenly entered his room first that night; she didn’t an to say that Ding Minghui had assaulted her.
"If it wasn’t assault, then it was consensual. What are you doing here then? You found , so you should be aware that my relationship with Ding Minghui is average," Ning Ke’s anger subsided a bit. If it got out that the vice president of Shuangcheng International took advantage of soone’s drunken state, assaulted them, and got them pregnant, it could lead to turbulence in the company’s stock prices.
Of course, Tong Yushi knew that Ning Ke didn’t have a good relationship with Ding Minghui, but Ning Ke was the young miss of the Ning Family and the Chairman of Shuangcheng International, while Ding Minghui was just a son-in-law who had been stripped of his power by his wife; he had no real authority at all, and the financial power within the family was likely not in his hands. If she wanted compensation, she could only go to Ning Ke.
After seeing what kind of person Ding Minghui was, Tong Yushi understood that she absolutely couldn’t keep the child in her belly, but she couldn’t suffer this loss for nothing either.
"I want 20 million," Tong Yushi stated bluntly, "This child is your husband’s, and as husband and wife, you should be responsible for this matter."
When Ning Ke heard 20 million, she simply raised an eyebrow without any particular reaction, but she smiled at Tong Yushi’s next words, "So?"
Tong Yushi felt annoyed inside. Was there really any need for her to explain further? Was this woman truly naive or just playing dumb?
"I won’t keep this child; I’m going to have an abortion, but as the child is your husband’s, and it’s already five months along, the abortion will greatly harm . A compensation of 20 million isn’t too expensive, is it?"
With a cold smile, Ning Ke responded, "Miss Tong, isn’t it? How do I believe that this child is Ding Minghui’s?"
Tong Yushi placed the DNA test report in front of Ning Ke, "This is the evidence."
Ning Ke picked it up, glanced at it, and put it back down, "Since this child is Ding Minghui’s, you should seek compensation from him, coming to is useless."
Tong Yushi’s expression stiffened, "Don’t you think you should..."
"What should I? Pay for Ding Minghui’s behavior? Miss Tong, although Ding Minghui and I are married, I am under no obligation to foot his bills." Ning Ke stood up to leave, feeling that she was simply wasting her ti at this point. With the ti she had, she’d rather go back and review a couple more docunts.
"So you’re not afraid I will tell the dia about this and tarnish the reputation of Shuangcheng International?" Tong Yushi spoke.
Ning Ke paused, turned around, and stared at Tong Yushi resolutely, "Go ahead."
Ning Ke was not one to be intimidated. If today Tong Yushi had spoken to her nicely, perhaps, out of humanitarian consideration, she would have given her a little help. But this woman would either make outrageous demands or threats, which irritated Ning Ke, naturally leaving her in no mood to be pleasant. Tong Yushi didn’t expect Ning Ke to not fall for this tactic and was at a loss when Ning Ke walked away.
Ning Ke went straight ho and didn’t see Ding Minghui there. She asked the maid and learned that Ding Minghui hadn’t co back at all these past few days. With a grim expression, she called Ding Minghui and demanded he co ho imdiately.
Ding Minghui was actually planning to co ho to ask Ning Ke for living expenses, so when he received Ning Ke’s call, he sauntered back. Ning Ke saw him return completely drunk and her face imdiately turned as black as the bottom of a pot. She grabbed a cup that was set aside and splashed the contents onto Ding Minghui.
Caught off guard, Ding Minghui was drenched, "Ning Ke, what are you doing? Have you gone mad?" he bellowed.
Ning Ke snorted coldly, "Are you sober now?"
"Are you freaking sick?" Ding Minghui was doused head to toe, though the water was warm.
"Today, a woman with a big belly ca to the office looking for , claiming to be carrying your child. Don’t you think you owe an explanation about what’s going on?"
Ding Minghui’s face tensed up, not expecting Tong Yushi to have actually gone to the office, "There’s nothing to explain. She’s just a crazy woman, that’s all. Just ignore her." He didn’t take it seriously.
"Ding Minghui, just sign this agreent," Ning Ke took out the divorce papers again. If the last ti their divorce stalled because Ning Minghui’s demands were too high, this ti Ning Ke was determined to see it through.
"Why are you bringing this up again? You’ve always known about my affairs. Are you trying to make a mountain out of a molehill now?"
"Ding Minghui, have you forgotten our rules? Let remind you, rule number three: you can play around as much as you like, I won’t interfere with any woman you play with, but if any of them co to under your na and jeopardize the reputation of Shuangcheng International, then you are out of the Ning Family." Ning Ke said gravely.
"Ning Ke, you know all you’re doing is making an issue out of this," Ding Minghui was irritable, other won had approached Ning Ke before, and she dismissed them with just a few words. But now things were different with Tong Yushi; in Ding Minghui’s eyes, Ning Ke was doing this to withhold his shares of the company.
Ning Ke looked at him with an indifferent expression, "Are you planning to take this to court?"
"Whatever you say. I’m not getting a divorce unless you give 3% of the company’s shares; otherwise, let’s not even talk about it."
"Then wait for the lawyer’s letter. I, too, am curious to see what the courts will award a cheating man in the end."
Ding Minghui didn’t care, if they went to court, that would be fine too. In the past few years, Ning Ke had earned a lot, and it was their marital property. Splitting it would certainly be worth far more than 50 million.
Ning Ke saw right through Ding Minghui’s intentions, "Believe , if we go to court, you’ll leave with nothing."
Ding Minghui’s face turned a shade of ash, "Ning Ke, don’t go too far. If you dare to be this ruthless, I’ll tell the world that your son is just a bastard with no known father!"
"Slap." The word ’bastard’ deeply stung Ning Ke and in anger, she slapped Ding Minghui across the face.
Ding Minghui hadn’t recovered before another slap landed on his other cheek. Ning Ke looked at him coldly, "If I ever hear those two words again, your whole family can get out of Beijing."
Ning Xiuji was Ning Ke’s Achilles’ heel; Ding Minghui should never have brought him into this.
"Is there any part I got wrong? He really is..." The last two words got swallowed as Ding Minghui retracted them under Ning Ke’s murderous gaze. He snorted disdainfully and stord upstairs.
"Ding Minghui, you have three days to sign the agreent. Take the 50 million and the two houses that belong to your family, or we’ll see in court." Ning Ke’s voice was calm but carried in the stillness.
Ding Minghui paused, his lips quivered, but in the end, he didn’t say anything and retreated to his room.
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