Chapter 7 No IVF Allowed In the darkness, he pushed open her door…

The fact that she would send a woman to her husband was something Song Qingran found strange. She hadn't understood it before, but now she could.

On the way back, she thought that this might be a good idea. If Cheng Wang had eaten his fill outside, he wouldn't bother with her anymore. It would be great to be a couple in name only. She would cover for him, and he would protect her.

Lost in thought, Song Qingran arrived at her apartment building without paying much attention to her surroundings. It wasn't until someone pulled her from behind into a dimly lit corner that her pupils refocused. She tried to call for help in fear, but the other person covered her mouth.

"It's me, don't shout."

She would never forget that familiar voice.

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Song Qingran's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She stopped struggling, became quiet and obedient, and the other party breathed a sigh of relief and released her restraints.

The man approached her from behind.

He was dressed in all black casual wear, with a black baseball cap on his head and a black face mask covering his face completely, only revealing his eyes, but she knew who he was at a glance.

She suddenly raised her hand and slapped him with all her might. As she left, her fingertips slightly hooked, lifting his mask and leaving several bloody marks.

He Jinzhou winced in pain and screamed, "Song Qingran, are you crazy!"

He covered his face in disbelief. When he realized she had seen the terrible state of his face, he hurriedly picked up his mask from the ground and put it back. Song Qingran turned to leave, but he strode forward and pulled her back.

"Why did Cheng Wang save you? What is your relationship with him? He actually broke with the He family for your sake."

"Didn't you just ask for some money?" Song Qingran was stunned. What did that mean? Cheng Wang had fallen out with the He family for her sake? She didn't know, and Cheng Wang had never said anything about it.

Before she could reply, He Jinzhou moved closer again, his hands tightly gripping her shoulders, preventing her from moving an inch. His voice grew colder and harsher: "He Jinzhou, have you made enough of a scene? Let go."

He tightened his grip, staring at her with a sinister gaze, and interrogated her, each word sharp and menacing: "You slept with him? Or became his mistress? Song Qingran, how could you be so shameless as to sell your body to get revenge on me? Aren't you supposed to be so high and mighty? Where's your pride?"

Song Qingran was almost cornered by him. Listening to the man's vicious words, she felt waves of nausea rising in her chest.

She remained silent, took out a stun gun from her bag, and was looking for the right moment to attack He Jinzhou. The next moment, however, he was kicked away by a strange man who approached silently.

This person is very capable.

However, her guard and vigilance were quickly broken by his own words, "Young Madam, I am the Old Master's driver. I heard your voice and came to check. What should we do with this person?"

Song Qingran's face suddenly stiffened. Instead of relaxing because of these words, she felt somewhat embarrassed, wondering if the old man would misunderstand her.

"Young mistress? How could this be? Impossible!"

He Jinzhou stared wide-eyed, struggling to get up from the ground in disbelief. Song Qingran walked over with her bag and slammed it down on him, almost knocking him unconscious. She kicked him a few more times before he could calm down.

She took a deep breath and said to the driver, "Thank you for helping me, don't worry about him."

The driver nodded and wisely left.

Song Qingran tidied her slightly messy hair, but instead of going upstairs, she went to the convenience store on the corner, bought a pack of women's cigarettes and a lighter, and returned to her floor. The hallway was quiet, with only the sound of the lighter flickering between her fingers.

She was very agitated. With He Jinzhou's appearance and his insults, this emotion overwhelmed her like a tsunami, bringing her back to that withered memory of the past.

Eighteen is the most beautiful age for a girl, and it was also the happiest time for Song Qingran. She had the support and love of her parents, got engaged to her childhood sweetheart right after graduation, and had a bright future ahead of her.

But that year, she and her classmates went on a graduation trip abroad. He Jinzhou insisted on flying over to see her, but the plane crashed on the way. He was never seen alive or dead. From then on, her world was turned upside down.

She was condemned by everyone and suffered beatings and insults from the He family. Her parents, who had once doted on her, only blamed her, breaking her bones inch by inch, and forcing her to kneel in front of the He family's door to repent.

She felt guilty towards He Jinzhou, silently endured it, and gave up her studies to search for him year after year. Heaven rewards those who persevere, and she finally found him on a small island abroad. But by then, he had lost his memory, fallen in love with a Chinese girl who saved him, and even had twins with her.

Although she was sad, she had no choice but to accept reality.

Despite her best efforts, she was misunderstood when she brought him and Guo Shanshan back to the He family. The He family did not accept Guo Shanshan and still wanted to maintain the marriage agreement with the Song family. She refused, but her parents insisted.

Later, everything spiraled out of control.

This world felt increasingly alien to her, like a series of dramas unfolding under the cloak of the sky. She inexplicably became, in He Jinzhou's eyes, a vicious supporting character who ruined marriages and ruthlessly harmed his wife and children; a wretched daughter in her parents' eyes; and an abandoned child destined for a tragic end...

Song Qingran couldn't understand why.

The wisps of smoke blurred her gentle and beautiful face. She pursed her red lips into a cold smile, stubbed out the cigarette, and crushed it with her toe.

Perhaps only by trampling them one by one underfoot can we get to the bottom of this.

*

The phone screen shows 6 PM.

Song Qingran composed herself, forced a faint smile, and entered her home.

The old man and Cheng Wang were still there. She shouldn't have gone out for so long and not come back. She had to think of a good excuse. However, as soon as she entered the room, she found that the old man was not there. Cheng Wang was still in the same position as in the morning, asleep on her big bed.

Song Qingran covered his open chest with the blanket. Seeing that he was still asleep, she raised her hand and touched his forehead. He still had a slight fever, so she put a fever-reducing patch on his forehead.

She thought to herself, "I'd better eat something light tonight." But as she turned to leave, she paused.

Her hand was held by the man, held very tightly.

She struggled, but couldn't break free. Instead, she felt like she was waking him up. He Jinzhou's words flashed through her mind, and her heart softened. She stopped struggling.

Cheng Wang's hands were large, delicate and long, like a strong tiger's claws enveloping her kitten's paws, completely covering them. The warmth of his palms inexplicably calmed her restless heart.

Long, long ago, she too had been held tightly in her parents' hands, one on each side, their large hands enclosing her small ones.

Song Qingran sat quietly on the edge of the bed, lost in thought for a while. Once Cheng Wang was completely asleep, she quietly withdrew her hand and left the room.

There was a nice porridge shop downstairs. She went down to throw out the trash, and after throwing out the trash, she was about to go to the porridge shop to buy dinner when the headlights of a private car parked next to her turned on.

The driver's side door opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out. The man was tall and imposing, with a restrained demeanor. He gestured for her to proceed from a distance of two meters.

It was the driver who had helped her earlier.

"Young Madam, the old master wants to talk to you."

Song Qingran's heart skipped a beat, and she got into the back seat with a sense of unease.

"grandfather."

She called out softly, not daring to meet his gaze.

Song Qingran didn't know Cheng Wang, but she was very clear about Old Master Cheng's glorious deeds. He was one of the most powerful people among the group who took up arms and pioneered a new era. Although he had retired, his influence was still deeply entrenched and no one dared to provoke him.

His eyes were unlike anyone she had ever seen; they were cold and stern, stained with countless lives, and held a sharp edge that held the power of life and death.

The old man expressionlessly took a brown paper document bag from his seat and carefully unwrapped the loose thread. Song Qingran clenched her fist, feeling that the scene before her was extremely familiar, except that the last time was half a year ago.

At that time, she had just learned that the Cheng family had chosen her for a marriage alliance.

The next day, as soon as I stepped out, a group of bodyguards in black escorted me to a secluded spot where a modified car was parked. I couldn't tell the brand, but it exuded understated luxury, and the car body was made of bulletproof materials.

The car window slowly rolled down, and she saw Old Master Cheng for the first time. The way he looked at her was like the way she occasionally glanced at an ant on the ground—indifferent and disdainful. That look deeply stung her.

He looked down at her and handed her a brown paper bag containing a substantial check. He ordered her to talk to Cheng Wang and break off the engagement, as he looked down on her as his granddaughter-in-law.

She was terrified at the time. After much deliberation, she still didn't want to give up the olive branch that Cheng Wang had offered, so she refused Old Master Cheng.

She knew the old man had come to her because he couldn't handle Cheng Wang, so she took a gamble and won.

Now, the same scene is repeating itself. Is the old man trying to get rid of her again?

"What are you spacing out for? Take it."

Song Qingran looked up and saw that Old Master Cheng had taken out the documents from the leather bag and placed them in front of her for a long time. She hurriedly took them, glanced at them briefly, and was shocked.

"Grandpa, what is this?"

The old man rolled his eyes at her again, "If you can't read, then look at it again."

She stood there dumbfounded, head down, carefully flipping through the documents. The more she read, the more shocked she became, her eyes wide and bulging like a bull's, clear yet foolish.

Seeing her like this, the old man's pent-up anger suddenly dissipated, and he thought to himself: It's better if she's a little slow.

The document in her hand wasn't some check to get rid of her, but a huge gift contract for a manor valued at two hundred million.

"Now that you're married, settle down and work together as a couple. Once his leg is healed, have a child as soon as possible. If he wants to inherit the Cheng family, he has to give me a grandson. No, a granddaughter will do too."

The more Song Qingran listened, the more confused she became.

After getting off the car, the old man's words kept echoing in my mind.

"You can have children the way other couples do, but the Cheng family doesn't allow IVF!!"

Even after the old man's car drove away, she still felt like it was a dream.

*

Cheng Wang's temperature rose again, and he was delirious with fever. She wasn't heartless, so she didn't chase him away. She woke him up, ate his porridge, gave him his medicine, and then left him alone.

She tidied up the second bedroom, took a shower, and went to sleep. It had been a very eventful day. Although she was physically tired, she was still mentally alert. She was conflicted about whether or not to get a divorce.

Divorce is fraught with difficulties.

It seems that the Cheng family has accepted her, whether it's Cheng Wang or the old man, they are all generous to her, but she may have to take on marital obligations, or even have children.

Reason told her that she should accept Cheng Wang, try to have a child to secure her position, and then she wouldn't care what he wanted to do. But deep down, she didn't want to be trapped for life.

She laughed at herself, realizing she really did want both.

I thought about it until midnight, and finally felt sleepy.

The door creaked open, startling her.

In the darkness, she heard the sound of a wheelchair rolling, but she didn't make a sound. She wanted to know what Cheng Wang was planning to do.

When the man opened his arms and lifted her onto his lap, then carried her back to the master bedroom, she was terrified. Just when she thought this was the limit, he lowered his head and gently sniffed her neck.

His warm, thin lips brushed against her cheek, sending shivers down her spine like an electric current through her body, leaving her as stiff as a piece of dried wood.

There was only one thought in my mind: escape.

A note from the author:

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