Chapter 221: Failed Escape

She would never leave him.

Hearing these words, and thinking of those sweet times they shared, of the intimacy between them, she had believed herself to be the happiest person.

Thinking of those scenes of affection, she clutched the clothes over her chest tightly, a bitter sob spilling from her lips.

Reality slapped her across the face.

She had decided to gamble one more time, only to end up deceived; she was a complete fool, played like a puppet in the palm of someone's hand.

If she hadn't stumbled upon that scene tonight, she might never have discovered in this lifetime that Sheng Yu had an illegitimate child.

Because as long as he intended to hide it, she would never know.

She slowly took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She hadn't seen her phone since waking up; she could guess that Sheng Yu had hidden it, and she could almost guess what he wanted to do.

If that were truly the case, she would spend her whole life like a bird that had lost its freedom, bearing his children while also having to compromise with the existence of his illegitimate child.

As for that sick child, it wasn't certain that Sheng Yu wouldn't have a moment of soft-heartedness; what would happen after he acknowledged the child? Could he really ignore the child's birth mother?

Even if he ignored her, didn't the child need a mother?

The mere thought of their family of three and his deception felt like two thorns pricking at her heart.

No one but herself could pull them out.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the person in his arms remained motionless; Sheng Yu gripped her shoulders, turned her around to face him, and pulled her into his embrace.

Her trembling eyelashes proved she was not yet asleep.

Sheng Yu gently stroked her hair, "Yuanyuan, are you hungry?"

Just as Yuan Fengye had said, when a woman is in a bad mood, take her to eat something delicious.

Zhu Yuan slowly opened her eyes; her beautiful almond eyes were red and swollen from crying. Sheng Yu lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her eyes, "Don't cry like this in the future, does your eyes hurt?"

"I want to eat Zha Jiang Mian." Her voice was very slow and hoarse.

She clearly saw that after she said this, Sheng Yu's black eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "I'll go make it for you right now. You stay here and lie down obediently waiting for me to return, okay?"

Zhu Yuan closed her eyes again, saying neither yes nor no.

Her demeanor still showed she was unwilling to speak much with him.

The hand holding her loosened, and she heard the sound of Sheng Yu getting out of bed. The next second, a cool sensation touched her lips; Sheng Yu pried open her teeth, kissed her gently for a moment, and said, "It won't be that fast, get some sleep first, and wait for me to come back."

The sound of the door closing followed.

Zhu Yuan opened her eyes and looked at the tightly shut door.

Hungry?

How could she possibly eat anything now?

Without a second of hesitation, Zhu Yuan threw off the quilt, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and walked straight toward the door. She pulled it open, and as she expected, there was no one outside.

Sheng Yu was a man who cared about appearances; she would definitely argue with him after waking up, and he would never let his subordinates hear such things.

She walked into the elevator and quickly pressed the button for the underground garage.

Only then did she see that it was already three in the morning.

She had seen Sheng Yu's car parked in the garage when she arrived earlier; Situ was not here now, so he was likely guarding the first floor with the Bodyguard.

Neither her car keys nor her phone were with her.

The only place she could escape from was the underground garage.

Watching the numbers on the elevator change, Zhu Yuan's right hand involuntarily rested on her flat lower abdomen.

Did she really not want this child?

She hadn't thought it through clearly yet, but keeping the child was simply unfair to the child; was she supposed to let them end up like Ning Huaiqing's child in the future?

Keeping the child meant remaining entangled with Sheng Yu.

Zhu Yuan's mind grew more chaotic the more she thought; she pushed the question of the child aside for now—the most urgent thing was to leave this place.

The elevator finally reached the first basement level.

Zhu Yuan's heart rate spiked. The moment the elevator doors opened, it felt as if a cold wind blew in. She stared blankly at the man with cold, clear features standing outside the elevator, a chill running down her spine.

The moment their eyes met, Sheng Yu's gaze turned into a pool of gentle water; he stepped into the elevator and took her hand, "Are you uncomfortable from lying down for too long?"

Zhu Yuan didn't speak; the faint color that had finally returned to her face turned deathly pale the moment she saw him.

"Why are your hands so cold?" Sheng Yu tightened his grip on her hand, tucked it into his coat pocket, and gently kneaded her fingers to soothe her emotions.

He pressed the button for the first floor, "The air in the underground garage isn't very good; I'll take you for a walk on the first floor."

"Didn't you go to make me Zha Jiang Mian?" Zhu Yuan pulled her hand away with all her might, unable to endure it any longer.

However, Sheng Yu's strength was far greater than hers; even though he didn't hurt her, she still couldn't break free from his grasp.

Sheng Yu wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. As the elevator doors opened, he led her out, his tone devoid of any irritation, "I will make it for you whenever you want to eat, provided that you truly want to eat."

"I want to eat it right now." She had to come up with a way to escape.

Sheng Yu looked down at her for a few seconds, then suddenly curled his lips, "Alright."

Two minutes later, Sheng Yu appeared with Zhu Yuan in the kitchen of the hospital suite. He held Zhu Yuan's hand and turned to instruct Situ, "Bring over a comfortable chair."

Situ moved a high-backed chair with a leather cushion and placed it on the kitchen floor.

Sheng Yu touched the leather, which felt a bit cool in this weather, took off his coat to pad it, and pulled Zhu Yuan's hand to make her sit down, "Wait for me here; you'll eat it while it's hot."

As his words fell, the kitchen door closed.

Situ stood guard outside the door.

Sheng Yu rested his hands on the back of the chair, leaned over to look into Zhu Yuan's eyes, and said gently, "Yuanyuan, you are in your first trimester of pregnancy; you must be extra careful. I cannot let you run around as you please. Be good and listen to me."

He kissed Zhu Yuan on the lips, stood up straight, and began rolling up his sleeves as he walked toward the counter, where a grocery bag from the supermarket sat—the ingredients he had just had someone buy.

With the sound of rushing water, Sheng Yu stood before the sink washing vegetables.

Zhu Yuan looked at his broad back, clad in a black shirt; he didn't need to turn around, yet it was as if an invisible rope were tied to her, leaving her with no way to escape. Her clenched fists began to tremble involuntarily.

Sheng Yu poured the minced meat he had cut into the oiled pan and stir-fried it; there was a range hood in the kitchen, so he was not worried that the cooking fumes would bother her.

However, he had overlooked the smell released by the sautéing meat.

In the past, Zhu Yuan would have found this smell very fragrant, but now that she was pregnant, the moment she smelled it, she could not help but dry heave.

She covered her chest, and the moment she let out a dry heave, Sheng Yu dropped his spatula and turned around; seeing her looking so uncomfortable, his heart tightened, and he scooped her up by the waist and carried her out of the kitchen.

Placing her on the hospital bed, he lowered his head and looked with a nervous expression at her complexion, which had turned poor from the dry heaving, then turned back and said sternly, "Call Qiao Mai here!"