Chapter 126: Their Child—Then What Does That Make Her?

Shi Runrun felt groggy, her eyelids heavy, her consciousness drifting in and out.

A sharp, throbbing pain radiated from the top of her head. Dazed, she opened her eyes to see circles of white light above and the pungent scent of disinfectant filling her nostrils.

She wasn't dead?

The sound of that gunshot—the one the policeman had fired so suddenly—still rang deafeningly in her ears. She remembered the searing agony as the bullet grazed her skull, followed by the void of unconsciousness.

So, she was in a hospital? She had survived!

Shi Runrun’s eyes were unfocused. As she tried to move, a doctor gently pressed her down. A crisp, graceful female voice spoke softly: "Miss Shi, please don't move. You were very brave; you didn't even panic when you were held hostage. Now, let me disinfect and bandage your head injury."

So, it was true—she hadn't died. The bullet had merely grazed her scalp, tearing the skin. Heaven had surely looked after her.

The doctor continued to speak, but the words blurred into nothingness as Shi Runrun’s consciousness slipped away once more into darkness.

Meanwhile, a shaken Chi Wanwan had just emerged from the examination room. She wasn't seriously injured, but she had been frightened. Still, she insisted on being admitted to the hospital, firmly demanding a full-body check-up.

She had two motives.

First, she needed to ensure the child in her womb was safe. This was the precious great-grandchild her grandfather doted on, her trump card to bring down Shi Runrun; it could not suffer the slightest harm.

Second, she knew that Shi Runrun had been admitted to this very hospital. She hadn't expected the medical agitator to fail to kill Shi Runrun with a single shot—how utterly useless! She had thought she could dispose of that wretch without lifting a finger. But no matter.

Chi Wanwan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and curled her red lips into a cold smirk. Since Shi Runrun was here, Xiao Xuezheng would surely arrive once he heard the news. She would stay, too, and put on a show for them to watch.

After securing the doctor’s consent for admission, she walked through the corridors of the inpatient ward, checking each room until she found the one where Shi Runrun lay. Curling her lips into a faint smile, she pointed to the room and said to the doctor, "I want this room. It’s a double room, right?"

"Miss Chi... patient rooms are assigned randomly..." the doctor said, looking troubled.

Chi Wanwan pulled a stack of red banknotes from her small bag and stuffed them into the doctor’s hand. "This should be enough, right? Go and arrange it. Don't worry, if anything happens, I take full responsibility."

With that, she turned her beautiful, shifting eyes toward the sleeping Shi Runrun. She smiled, a beautiful, chilling sight. The play was about to begin.

...

In the double room, a curtain separated the two beds.

Shi Runrun was jolted awake by the pain in her head. Because she was pregnant, the doctors had avoided using strong painkillers, so as she drifted into consciousness, her head throbbed violently.

The sterile, white room greeted her, the scent of disinfectant heavy in the air. She collected her thoughts, instinctively placing a hand over her abdomen. Her consciousness sharpened instantly; thankfully, there was no pain in her belly. The babies were fine.

Just as she felt a wave of relief, a familiar, pleasant voice drifted from behind the curtain.

"Nurse, I'm pregnant. My husband is coming soon! You must take good care of me!"

The voice was familiar, but perhaps due to the shock or her injury, Shi Runrun couldn't immediately place who the patient in the next bed was.

The next second, the door to the ward was pushed open with a thud.

Shi Runrun sensed someone enter. She heard footsteps bypass her bed and stop at the one next to her, followed by a deep, masculine voice.

It was a voice Shi Runrun would never forget in this lifetime. It was deeply familiar, etched into her very marrow, a voice that haunted her dreams in the dead of night.

Xiao Xuezheng...

"Is the baby alright?"

Shi Runrun: "..."

Her breath hitched in that instant. Her eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

Then, the pleasant female voice from the next bed rang out again: "Xuezheng! You’re finally here! It’s fine! Don't worry! Our baby is safe!"

Chi Wanwan, in the next bed, had intentionally raised her voice, emphasizing the words "our baby" for Shi Runrun to hear.

In that moment, Shi Runrun felt as if her heart had been pierced by countless blades. Sharp knives drove deep into her chest, slicing her heart into pieces, leaving it bleeding and raw.

It was Chi Wanwan in the next bed... Shi Runrun finally recognized the voice.

Yes, it was definitely Chi Wanwan. But who was she calling? Who was her husband?

Xuezheng?! Their baby?!

If they were husband and wife, if they had a child, then what was she?

What was she to him? She was nothing but a colossal joke.

Her eyes turned red in an instant, and tears welled up, uncontrollable and unstoppable.

Next door, Chi Wanwan seemed to hear her sobbing. The triumph and cold mockery in her heart were impossible to contain. But it wasn't enough; she needed to add more fuel to the fire.

She raised her voice even higher. "Xuezheng! You don't know how terrified I was! That man almost took my life—and if he had, our baby wouldn't have survived! Thanks to..."

Before she could finish, *clatter!*

Shi Runrun ripped the curtain aside.

With bloodshot eyes, and through a veil of tears, she stared, her eyes wide with agony and fury, not at the woman, but at the man beside her.

And he... the man standing beside Chi Wanwan...

Xiao Xuezheng stood there, stiffening as he saw the sudden appearance of Shi Runrun. His tall frame shuddered, and he looked at her, his voice trembling as he spoke: "Runrun..."

Shi Runrun had expected his expression to be dramatic upon seeing her.

But it wasn't.

He was calm, perfectly composed, his brow merely knitted slightly. He didn't seem surprised at all.

Why? Was it because he had lied to her so many times that he had grown accustomed to it? Did he no longer care at all to see her heartbroken and in pain?

He was terrifying. How good was he at lying? He was so deceitful... it was terrifying... so terrifying.

In this moment, Shi Runrun realized she would never trust anyone ever again.

Yet, Chi Wanwan had to add insult to injury. "Sister Runrun! Why are you here? I haven't had a chance to introduce you yet! It was this sister who saved me and our baby!"

*Their* baby...