Chapter 206: The Heartache is Real

‘I was so committed to faking that faint, I forgot to tell Li Hanchen it was all an act.’

Seeing him like this, her heart clenched.

She dug her nails into her palm, trying to clear her head.

But her chest felt tight, and her breathing grew shallow.

The physical pain was fake, but the heartache was real.

It was her turn to be examined.

The doctor had just placed the stethoscope on her chest when he frowned.

“Her heartbeat is too rapid, and her breathing is erratic.”

‘But was it really a physical problem?’

‘No, it was seeing Li Hanchen like that. I was heartbroken and furious at the same time!’

‘If that psycho He Wei and her mother hadn’t been raising hell like a pair of mad dogs, would my husband have had to run himself ragged and cry his eyes out?’

‘That’s why my heart was pounding against my ribs, why my breathing was a mess. It was pure rage.’

The doctor sighed. “Let’s admit her. We’ll observe her for a couple of days.”

Li Hanchen shot to the bedside in a single stride, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

“Doctor… my wife… what’s wrong with her?”

The doctor shook his head.

“It’s hard to say right now. We’ll have to wait for the observation results.”

“Don’t you…”

He suddenly threw up a hand, shoving Shen Rongdan aside.

Then, he quickly leaned down, wrapping his arms protectively around Song Yao.

Shen Rongdan: “…”

He couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

‘Seriously, this Li Hanchen is impossibly jealous.’

He took half a step closer, lowered his voice until his lips were almost touching Li Hanchen’s ear, and said deliberately, “Don’t panic! It’s an act! It’s all an act!”

Li Hanchen: “Huh?”

“That woman and her mother came looking for trouble today. They cornered her at the entrance of the guest house and started cursing Song Yao to her face right in front of several staff members. Every word was vile, more hurtful than the last. Song Yao was completely fed up. She didn’t want to put up with it anymore, so she decided to use her pregnancy to hit back hard.”

Just as Li Hanchen opened his mouth to ask another question, the doctor pushed up his glasses and spoke.

“Has the family considered admitting her for a two-day observation?”

“It would be best to keep her here. How many months pregnant are you now?”

The doctor glanced down at his notes, the tip of his fountain pen scratching lightly on the paper. He looked up and asked Song Yao.

“Seven months.”

Song Yao leaned against the headboard, her voice light and weak.

“You’re getting close to your due date. Complications can arise at any time, so we really need to monitor you closely.”

The doctor nodded, closing his notebook with a serious expression.

“Admit her! She must be admitted! Immediately!”

Shen Rongdan quickly chimed in.

The doctor quickly scribbled out the admission forms.

“Go pay the fees. Have a family member take care of it.”

Shen Rongdan snatched the forms and clapped Li Hanchen on the shoulder.

“You stay with Song Yao. I’ll go pay the fees!”

Just as the paperwork was finished, Director Cheng rushed into the inpatient ward with several people in tow.

Song Yao had already told Li Hanchen the truth.

She had orchestrated this whole drama herself. He Wei was constantly giving her dirty looks, getting more and more brazen, and making passive-aggressive remarks every other day.

So she decided to use her pregnancy as a shield, slap He Wei back hard, and do it in a way that would leave her with no one to complain to.

That’s why when Li Hanchen saw Director Cheng, his expression wasn’t quite so terrifying.

His brows were still furrowed, but his eyes were no longer shooting fire, and his breathing had steadied somewhat.

Director Cheng was still a bit intimidated, however. He paused at the door of the hospital room for a few seconds before asking tentatively.

“Director Li, your wife and the baby… are they alright?”

Li Hanchen shook his head and paused before speaking.

“She was terrified. She’s having waves of stomach cramps, so the doctor wants her to stay for observation. The paperwork is already done.”

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Shen Rongdan came out of the hospital room.

The moment he saw Director Cheng, he called out loudly.

“Director Cheng!”

Director Cheng froze, looking embarrassed. He replied in a small voice.

“Rong Dan…”

Shen Rongdan nodded, then immediately went on the offensive.

“Do you have any idea how badly my sister would have been bullied today if I hadn’t shown up?”

Director Cheng opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Shen Rongdan grew more furious as he spoke.

“It’s one thing for her to show up and cause trouble every other day, but today she dragged her mother along to run wild! What do they take my sister for? Some kind of pushover they can just walk all over?”

“Acting like our family has no one to stand up for her, is that it?”

“My sister is pregnant! Just because we’re not around, does that mean they can just verbally and physically assault her whenever they please? That they can treat her however they want?”

He grew more and more agitated, his face flushing red.

Director Cheng nodded repeatedly.

“It’s outrageous! Absolutely unacceptable! I’ll report this immediately. I guarantee a thorough investigation!”

Shen Rongdan put his hands on his hips, panting heavily, and demanded,

“And where are they? Did they think they could just assault someone and walk away scot-free?”

“She’s in the hospital, and not a single word of apology?”

Director Cheng quickly waved his hands.

“I rushed over as soon as I heard. I really didn’t have time to…”

As he spoke, he raised a hand and beckoned to the staff member with him.

“Quick, get Yang Lei! Tell him to bring his wife to the hospital at once!”

“And his mother-in-law!”

Shen Rongdan added through gritted teeth.

“Calling my sister a sow to her face? If we don’t teach that venomous old woman a lesson, what will she do next?”

At Yang Lei’s house, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Wu Xin was just grabbing her bag to sneak away when she suddenly saw her son-in-law charging up the stairs, his face dark with fury.

Yang Lei shot a glare at his mother-in-law, then at his wife cowering in the corner of the sofa. He lifted his foot and kicked the door panel.

BAM!

The door slammed hard against the wall, making the entire frame shake.

Yang Lei’s voice was tight.

“He Wei? I thought you left a while ago.”

“What are you doing back here?”

He roared the last sentence, loud enough for the whole building to hear.

The neighbors downstairs who hadn’t left yet immediately pricked up their ears.

But Wu Xin immediately stepped forward.

Relying on her status as his mother-in-law, she put on an elder’s airs before she even spoke.

“Yang Lei! Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Xiao Wei came running home saying she’d been wronged, and at first, I didn’t believe her at all! I told her she was just looking for trouble. ‘Yang Lei is such an honest man,’ I said. ‘I’ve seen it with my own eyes for years, he wouldn’t do that!’ I practically had to force her to come back here… And for what?”

She jabbed a finger at Yang Lei’s chest, her fingertip trembling.

“So… so this is how you treat her at home? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog? How has our Xiao Wei ever wronged you?”

As she spoke, she actually gave Yang Lei a hard shove.

“She started following you when she was barely twenty! Back then, you were just a company commander. She couldn’t even get a permit to live with you on base. You two would go weeks without seeing each other. She couldn’t get pregnant, and when she visited your family, she had to constantly walk on eggshells around your parents and put up with all their crap!”

“What, now that you’ve been promoted and life is a little easier, you think she’s too unsophisticated? An eyesore?”

Wu Xin berated Yang Lei until his face went pale, then she suddenly turned and grabbed He Wei’s wrist.

“Let’s go! We’re done serving him! If you can’t live with him, Mom will take care of you!”

“Hmph, you think I can’t afford to support one daughter?”

Her words were tough, but she kept sneaking glances at Yang Lei’s face.

She was just waiting for him to lose his temper.

Yang Lei’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

Just as the mother and daughter were stepping over the threshold, he let out a low growl.

“Stop!”

Wu Xin shot a quick wink at He Wei, the corners of her eyes curving in a smug arc.

“See? Got him right where we want him.”

When she turned back, she immediately put on an expression that said, ‘I’m only doing this for your own good.’ ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.

“Xiao Lei, darling, Mom isn’t playing favorites, but this whole situation…”

“You’re coming with me to the hospital.”

The second half of her sentence had barely begun, her lips not yet fully formed around the words, when Yang Lei cut her off coldly.

Wu Xin froze, blinking rapidly.

“To the… hospital?”

Before she could process it, Yang Lei’s next words slammed down on her.