Chapter 188: I Will Absolutely Never Let You Keep This Child

In the evening, after Zhu Yuan finished her performance, she went to the dressing room to remove her makeup.

Once she had changed her clothes, Enzo told her, "Miss Zhu, Young Master Yu is waiting for you at the back door."

Zhu Yuan grabbed her hat and went out. Sure enough, she saw a car with its hazard lights flashing parked in the usual spot. The scene felt familiar, yet carried a different nuance.

For instance, the man standing by the car door waiting for her right now was not Situ, but Sheng Yu.

Looking at the man standing under the streetlamp, dressed in a long black overcoat with noble and cold features, Zhu Yuan felt as if countless little sparrows were fluttering in her chest. She couldn't help but quicken her pace, eventually jogging over.

Before she could get close, Sheng Yu took a long stride and, before she could throw herself at him, reached out to pull her into his embrace.

A low, deep laugh echoed in her ear, wrapping her in his warm breath.

"So impatient?"

Zhu Yuan wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. Her face, devoid of makeup, was already beautiful enough to keep one's eyes fixed on her. As she spoke, she exhaled a puff of white mist, "Don't speak."

Once in the car, Sheng Yu pulled her close, "You're getting more and more bossy lately. You dare to mute me?"

Zhu Yuan leaned against his chest. Because she had styled her hair in a Republic-era fashion for the performance, it was curled. With her natural red lips, black hair, and exquisite, beautiful features, she had the brightness and charm of a Hong Kong film star.

"I wouldn't dare with others, but I dare with you."

Sheng Yu curled his lips and kissed her eyes.

The car drove into a private restaurant.

Ning Huaiqing, Yuan Fengye, and Qi Jing had all arrived.

The moment Sheng Yu walked in holding Zhu Yuan's hand, Yuan Fengye teased, "A perfect match! A perfect match!"

The other two men, whose names Zhu Yuan knew but with whom she had little contact, joined in the teasing, "Look at this atmosphere! Yu Ge and his sister-in-law are truly a perfect pair!"

Even though Zhu Yuan had seen big scenes before, she still felt a bit shy facing such direct, intense teasing. She feigned composure and said, "Hello, everyone."

Sheng Yu looked down at her ears, which were red enough to bleed. He gripped her hand tighter, swept a glance at Yuan Fengye and the others, and warned, "If you don't want to get beaten up, shut your mouths."

Yuan Fengye teased in a cheeky, low voice, "Oh my, he's fiercely protecting his wife!"

As a result, Sheng Yu shot him a sharp glare, and he immediately behaved, helping Ning Huaiqing invite them to sit down.

The few people at the table all had sharp eyes and noticed that in a hidden spot on the collar of the white coat Zhu Yuan was wearing, there was a character "Yu" embroidered in the same color thread.

Although it was not obvious, they could only spot it because they were familiar with Sheng Yu.

A flash of desolation crossed Ning Huaiqing's eyes, and she sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a number without a contact name.

She ignored it, hung up the call, and ate quietly.

After a few seconds, a text message came through—

【How is that two-year-old child of yours in London doing?】

Ning Huaiqing's grip on her phone suddenly stiffened. Her blood seemed to rush back to her heart, and her whole body turned icy cold.

The words on the text message seemed to keep enlarging before her eyes.

Her entire body couldn't stop trembling.

Fortunately, the others at the table did not notice her abnormality.

She silently deleted the message and exited the interface. Just as she was about to hide the phone in her bag, it rang again. This time, it was an incoming call.

Looking at the strange number, it was the same as the sender of the text message just now.

Ning Huaiqing's heart, which she had been forcing to stay calm, began to panic again.

She covered her phone, stood up, and said, "Excuse me, I'm going out to take a call."

Walking out of the private room, Ning Huaiqing went to a deserted corner before answering the phone.

"Who are you?"

A man's low, rich voice came from the other end of the line, but it sounded vaguely unreal, as if it had been processed.

"You should be worrying about your child's situation right now, not obsessing over who I am."

Ning Huaiqing said calmly, "I don't know who you are, and I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Do you really not understand? Ning Huaiqing, that child was left behind secretly after you and Sheng Yu had a relationship three years ago, right? If Sheng Yu's illegitimate child were exposed now, how would the outside world judge him? Could he still maintain his current wealth and status?"

At first, Ning Huaiqing could pretend to be calm and not be led by the nose, but as soon as the other party mentioned Sheng Yu, she couldn't hold it together. She said in a tight voice, "Don't go after him! He doesn't know anything."

"Of course he doesn't know. If he knew, he would absolutely never let you keep this child. You secretly gave birth to the child and hid it away. Do you know what the consequences will be if Sheng Yu finds out?"

Ning Huaiqing leaned against the corner of the wall in despair.

She thought she had hidden it very well. Her family didn't know, and there was no one in London who was familiar with her. Every once in a while, she would move to a new place just to avoid attracting attention.

But she never expected that someone would still find out.

No matter who it was, as long as Sheng Yu didn't find out, it would be fine.

Ning Huaiqing calmed down, "What do you want?"

"Nothing much. Are you going to London tomorrow?"

Going?

Ning Huaiqing accurately captured the word in the other party's statement.

That meant the other party was not in London, so her child should be safe for the time being.

She gripped her phone tightly, "Yes."

The other party sneered, "I want you to stay in Jingdu City."

"I can't. I've already bought my ticket and invited friends to dinner. They all know I'm leaving tomorrow. If I suddenly stay behind..."

"That's your own business. If you board that flight tomorrow, I will make the information about that child public and ruin Sheng Yu's reputation."

The sound of the call stopped abruptly.

The other party hung up.

Ning Huaiqing stood in place for a long while, her whole body icy cold. She touched her face, which was covered in cold tears.

She could not let the child's information be made public, not even a single photograph.

That child looked a bit like Sheng Yu; anyone with a discerning eye would guess it was Sheng Yu's child upon seeing him.

Ning Huaiqing went to the restroom and looked at herself in the mirror; she had applied makeup, so her poor complexion was not visible, but a person's eyes could not be deceived.

She forced herself to be calm, and then calmer still.

Looking into the mirror again, her gaze returned to its usual gentleness.

Everyone in the private room had finished eating, Zhu Yuan went to the restroom, and Yuan Fengye and the others were smoking in the corridor.

As the lanterns swayed and the candlelight flickered, the contours of Sheng Yu's brows and eyes appeared even more profound and three-dimensional, exuding an indescribable coldness and nobility.

Someone handed Sheng Yu a cigarette, but Yuan Fengye stopped them.

Before Ning Huaiqing could get close, she heard Yuan Fengye say, "Yu Ge doesn't smoke, he's preparing for a baby."

Her footsteps stiffened, and she stopped.

The man said coldly, "Don't talk nonsense in front of her; you all go ahead and smoke, I'm going to the private room to get Yuanyuan's coat."

She silently retracted her steps and turned to walk down another path.

Sheng Yu entered the private room, took Zhu Yuan's white coat, and walked out, only to see Ning Huaiqing entering from outside the door as soon as he looked up.

"Yu Ge," Ning Huaiqing explained, "I came in to get my bag."

The man gave a faint grunt and walked past her.

Suddenly, Ning Huaiqing spoke up: "Yu Ge, will you and Miss Zhu get married?"