Chapter 229: She Is Pregnant

Later, the news of Xia Xi dropping out of school spread throughout the school; everyone's first reaction was surprise, second reaction was confusion.

Everyone who shared Xia Xi's major knew that her grades had consistently ranked in the top three since enrollment, scholarships came easily, she never missed any competition, and she was a true academic ace. She faced no problem getting recommended for graduate study at her own school, and even Li Zongyu, a renowned professor in the architecture field, praised her incessantly and had early on agreed to be her advisor.

This is something countless architecture students dare not even dream of, yet she actually gave it up.

People sighed with regret, suspecting Xia Xi had lost her mind; otherwise, how could she be so unwilling to continue and drop out at a crucial time?

Is she trying to go to heaven?

Someone really curious about the reason cornered Xia Xi's roommate for questioning; the roommate said they didn't know.

Even the roommates who lived with her day and night were unaware of the details, let alone others.

This is quite thought-provoking.

For a while, a gust of gossip swept the campus; everyone's after-meal chat revolved around Xia Xi, after all, she was a prominent figure.

No one knows who started it, but Xia Xi went abroad to study.

Studying abroad—seems understandable as her choice.

Early summer arrived, and Xia Xi had already faded from everyone's sight for a long time; it was rumored that she and Xu Yanfeng had broken up, though no one knew whether it was due to the long-distance relationship being unreliable or some other reason—aside from the parties involved, probably few knew the truth.

The rumor of their breakup sparked another round of discussion; everyone sighed incessantly, a match made in heaven, how could they just scatter? It's a pity there was no good outcome.

Some also spoke with hindsight, saying, "I said they couldn't last long," while many claimed they were a good match, but compatibility wasn't about looks; that one came from a wealthy family—do you think aristocratic circles are that easy to enter? Back then, many didn't believe me, thinking I was sour grapes; now, please call me a prophet!

After a long while, Xia Xi's name was rarely mentioned; the posts she once made on the campus forum became legendary, a check-in spot and wishing well for many admirers.

They no longer mentioned Xia Xi, as if forgetting she had ever appeared in their lives, but Xu Yanfeng could not forget her. Compared to those who had merely interacted with her, he was someone who had truly possessed her—how could he forget?

The ongoing biomedical project was cast aside by him, and Xu Junmo had to take the lead, traveling back and forth domestically and abroad without rest.

What was Xu Yanfeng doing? He had taken up smoking, shutting himself in his apartment all day, seeing no one. He sat on the Mediterranean-blue carpet where Xia Xi once sat, the ashtray at his feet piled with cigarette butts; to him, day and night were indistinguishable.

A few childhood friends took turns trying to cheer him up, finally dragging the decadent Xu Yanfeng out of that apartment. He was like a half-dead dog; they accompanied him in boxing practice and drinking, teaching him to vent the resentment, unwillingness, and anger bottled up in his chest.

Regarding Xu Yanfeng's strike-like behavior, Xu Guanshan instead had not a word of blame, waiting for him to come out on his own; after all, he didn't believe his son Xu Guanshan could collapse over love.

Zhong Yinghong noticed her son's abnormality, repeatedly asking, but couldn't pry open his mouth; she vaguely guessed the reason, unwilling to touch his pain, and eventually stopped asking.

Not long after Xia Xi arrived abroad, whether due to water and soil incompatibility or the exhaustion of handling enrollment procedures, she suffered various discomforts—dizziness, nausea, inability to eat, sleepless nights. In just two weeks, she lost so much weight that her old clothes no longer fit.

She thought she could endure it, but she suddenly fainted while waiting for a bus on the roadside.

A kind-hearted person sent her to the hospital, where the doctor told her, "You are pregnant."

Xia Xi lay on the hospital bed with no relative nearby; after the doctor said that, she first doubted her English listening ability. She moved her lips, her voice hoarse: "Could you say that again?"

The doctor, understanding, slowed his speech.

This time Xia Xi heard clearly; she had a child, her and Xu Yanfeng's child, in her womb.

Xia Xi knew nothing about reproduction; upon learning of the child's existence, she felt no joy, only panic and helplessness. Unable to care for herself, she wondered how to nurture him, give birth, and raise him.

Just thinking about it made her feel it would be extremely difficult.

Although Xia Xi had many concerns, she never once entertained the idea of abandoning the child.

She clearly knew that giving up under the current circumstances would be the suitable, rational, advantageous choice; keeping the child would add many troubles to her future path—she was still in school, still needed to work, and the money Xu Guanshan gave her was enough to settle her family's problems and then live carefree for several more years; she couldn't live off her savings, she had to work and earn money… yet she still wanted to keep this child.

Xia Xi accepted the gift bestowed by fate, began adjusting her condition, keeping a regular schedule, focusing on nutrition in her diet; while attending classes, she nurtured the tiny life of unknown sex in her womb, feeling it grow bit by bit within her body.

She was very thin; in loose clothing her pregnancy bump was hardly noticeable. During this period she studied a lot of reproductive knowledge, making thorough preparations.

Xia Xi felt fortunate that the child in her womb was well-behaved, aware that carrying him was hard on his mother; aside from the initial discomfort when she didn't know of his existence, the rest of the days went smoothly, giving her great confidence.

The following year, Xia Xi's life gained a child, a boy. When first born, he looked very much like Xu Yanfeng; as he grew, he resembled him less and less, and not much like her either.

Xia Xi once felt disconsolate, thinking the child's appearance inherited nothing from his parents, completely random. What was comforting was that he was very handsome, delicately carved like jade; as long as he didn't become deformed, he would surely be a handsome man.

To better care for the child and herself, Xia Xi went through great effort to find a Chinese nanny.

From then on, her world became lively, of course also very busy; she wished she could split each minute in half to use. Another comforting fact was that the child had been emotionally stable since birth, rarely crying or throwing tantrums that left people flustered; when needed, he would just murmur and whimper.

Xia Xi felt the child's temperament might take after his father.

Thinking of Xu Yanfeng, Xia Xi felt a wave of dazed sorrow, the sadness coming on fiercely, just as when she had first left him.

She didn't know how long it would take before thinking of Xu Yanfeng could bring her peace of mind.

Three years? Five years? Ten years? Perhaps she could never achieve it in a lifetime.

No one else would ever captivate her the way he did, making her want to give her all for him.

Late at night, Xia Xi dreamed of Xu Yanfeng again; in the dream he was faring poorly, she woke with a start and couldn't sleep, the room lit by a nightlight, the child lying in a small crib with guardrails beside the big bed; she sat up and glanced at his peaceful sleeping form, her heart settling considerably.

The vibration of her phone shattered the gradually calming lake of her heart.

It was a call from Su Jinru; Xia Xi, afraid of disturbing the child, took her phone outside to answer.

Xia Yue had encountered trouble—she had been in trouble for a long time. Su Jinru knew Xia Xi was busy with studies and part-time work, plus caring for a child, and had kept it from her; only when there was no alternative did she make this call.

Xia Xi took leave from school and returned to China with the child.

She blamed Su Jinru for not telling her sooner; she had almost missed the appeal deadline.

Su Jinru tearfully said, Zhou Hongsheng has relatives working at a law firm, with broad connections; this is a criminal case, very hard to turn around.

Xia Xi had made psychological preparations beforehand, consulted a lawyer, and indeed, even if she filed an appeal, there would be little room for maneuver. Finding her guilty of negligent homicide would be nearly impossible; the evidence is insufficient, and the second trial would likely uphold the original verdict.

After changes occurred in the Xia family, Xia Yue's husband Zhou Hongsheng's attitude toward her changed drastically; she was pregnant, and her mother-in-law Wang Yuzhen moved in under the pretense of caring for her, but actually often gave her grief, while Zhou Hongsheng turned a blind eye and deaf ear.

Previously, Xia Yue was a young lady of privilege, with her in-laws pampering and providing for her; seeing her lose support, lacking family backing, they changed their attitude.

After Xia Yue gave birth, her body and mind suffered severe blows; she herself realized she shouldn't accept the status quo, but had no way out. For the child's sake, she gritted her teeth and endured, struggling in the mire of marriage.

The deeper she sank, the less she could see any hope.

That day after waking from a nap, Xia Yue heard the child's crying from the kitchen; she had caught a cold, her head felt a little dizzy, she leaned on the wall and walked over, and saw a scene that broke her heart to death.