Chapter 252 Barrier
Lu Rang stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
"Awu, I'm sorry, our fate with this child was just too short." He said with a tender tone, "You're still young, taking good care of your health is the most important thing..."
Shang Wu let him hold her, like a lifeless puppet.
She didn't cry or make a fuss, she just silently shed tears.
She remained depressed for the next few days.
She neither ate nor drank, nor did she speak much; she just stared blankly out the window.
Lu Rang was heartbroken.
He tried all sorts of ways to coax her, feeding her and telling her jokes, but she didn't respond.
"Awu, please eat something, okay? I'm begging you." Lu Rang held the porridge, almost kneeling down.
Shang Wu finally turned her head and glanced at him, her eyes tired and distant.
"I want to be alone."
Lu Rang dared not provoke her any further, so he put down the bowl and silently left the ward.
After a while, Lu You came in carrying some fruit.
She sat on the edge of the bed and gently held Shang Wu's cold hand.
"Awu, I know you're sad."
"But what's done is done, and we have to look forward."
"You're still young. Once you've recovered, there's still a chance for everything."
"Don't torture yourself like this. Ah Rang feels even more pain than you do."
Shang Wu remained silent, her eyes unfocused.
Lu You sighed, knowing she couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she sat with her for a while before leaving.
Shang Wu was left alone in the ward again.
It was eerily quiet.
After a moment, two nurses came in to perform a routine check-up on her.
They worked on the equipment while talking in hushed tones, their voices filled with sympathy.
"Oh, Miss Shang, please eat something. You can have another child if you lose it. This is not your fault."
"Yes, but there was no other way. The situation was too critical at the time, so we had to prioritize saving the adults."
"Yes, Mr. Lu was decisive, choosing the option that would cause you the least harm..."
"Shh! The director forbids us from saying this!"
The two nurses realized they had spoken out of turn, quickly shut up, finished the examination, and left.
Their words, however, resonated loudly in Shang Wu's ears.
Should priority be given to protecting adults?
Did they choose the option that would cause her the least harm?
So it wasn't that the child couldn't be saved, and Lu Rang gave up the child to save her?
This realization, like a poisoned dagger, pierced Shang Wu's heart!
Her eyes widened suddenly, and her whole body trembled violently!
So that's how it is...
It turns out that Lu Rang decided not to have her child.
Just then, Lu Rang and Cheng Zhou, carrying exquisitely packaged lunch boxes, pushed open the ward door.
The ward was unusually quiet.
Shang Wu leaned against the headboard, gazing out the window, her face deathly pale.
The sound of them coming in didn't seem to attract her attention.
Lu Rang's heart sank slightly. He walked over quietly and placed the lunchbox on the bedside table.
He spoke softly, "Awu, are you hungry? I brought your favorite porridge."
Shang Wu slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on his face. Her eyes were terrifyingly calm, devoid of sadness or anger, only a deathly coldness.
She didn't look at the lunchbox, but simply stared at Lu Rang, her voice as soft as a wisp of smoke, yet each word clear: "Why?"
Lu Rang's body stiffened, and the gentleness on his face froze instantly.
Cheng Zhou stood to the side, sensing that something was wrong, and his heart skipped a beat.
Shang Wu's gaze remained fixed on Lu Rang's face as she repeated, "Why did you abandon the child?"
Lu Rang felt as if something was blocking his throat; he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
Seeing this, Cheng Zhou hurriedly stepped forward, trying to explain, "A-Wu, don't misunderstand A-Rang! The situation was urgent. The doctor said that although that medicine could save the pregnancy, it was extremely harmful to the mother and might leave permanent sequelae! A-Rang was..."
"Cheng Zhou." Shang Wu interrupted him, her voice still calm, but carrying an undeniable coldness, "Please leave. This is between him and me."
Cheng Zhou's words caught in his throat. Looking at Shang Wu's calm eyes and then at Lu Rang's pale face, he finally sighed, helplessly left the ward, and gently closed the door behind him.
Only the two of them remained in the ward.
The air was so oppressive it was suffocating.
Lu Rang walked with difficulty to the bedside, squatted down, looked up at Shang Wu, and tried to hold her hand, but she gently dodged away.
His hand froze in mid-air, and a sharp pain shot through his chest.
He took a deep breath and spoke in a hoarse voice, describing the moment that made him decide: "The doctor said you were bleeding heavily and there were two options. One was to use strong medication, which could save the baby as much as possible, but it would cause great damage to your uterus and bodily functions, and you might never be able to get pregnant again."
"Another option is relatively mild, but the child is very likely to die."
His voice began to tremble, and his eyes reddened: "Awu, I can't just watch you take such a big risk for an uncertain outcome. I'm scared, I'm scared of losing you. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, I can't bear it."
He raised his head, his eyes filled with pain and pleading: "I'm heartbroken that the child is gone, that was our child! But in my heart, you are the most important! No one, nothing is more important than you!"
Shang Wu listened quietly, her face expressionless.
She blinked slowly after he finished speaking, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
Shang Wu didn't look at him; her gaze remained fixed on a point in the void. Her voice was so soft it was as if she were talking to herself: "So, you made the choice for me."
"You chose me."
"You think this is for my own good."
She suddenly gave a very faint laugh, a laugh filled with endless sorrow and self-mockery.
“Lu Rang, do you know…” Her voice finally choked up, but she still tried to remain calm. “As a mother, in that situation, even if there was only a one percent or one thousandth chance, I would have given anything to save my child.”
"Even at the greatest cost."
"That's my child."
Her tears finally fell silently, one by one, landing on the snow-white quilt and spreading small damp marks.
"You can't understand, you never will..."
She stopped speaking, simply closing her eyes wearily and turning her head to the other side, too exhausted to even glance at him.
It's not resentment.
Rather, it is an unspeakable sense of powerlessness and alienation.
Looking at her resolute profile and the tears that kept rolling down her face, Lu Rang felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
He wanted to explain, to comfort her, to tell her how much he loved her and how afraid he was of losing her.
But all her words seemed so pale and powerless in the face of her maternal sorrow.
He ultimately couldn't say anything; he simply stood up silently and remained there for a very long time.
Then, he quietly left the ward.
From that day on, Shang Wu never spoke a word to Lu Rang again.
She cooperated with the treatment and ate on time, but the light in her eyes was gone.
Like a delicate doll that has lost its soul.
Lu Rang would come to the hospital every day, bringing things she might like, and carefully stay with her.
But she remained silent.
It was as if he were a completely invisible being.
Two days later, Shang Wu was discharged from the hospital and returned home to recuperate.
Lu Rang tried to carry her into the car, but she gently pushed him away.
She walked slowly and steadily, leaning on her cane.
Back home, she remained silent.
Lu Rang put away all sharp objects and even added safety bars to the windows.
He was afraid she would do something foolish.
But he knew she wouldn't.
Her silence was a punishment more heartbreaking than crying or arguing.
That day, Lu You and Cheng Zhou came to visit Shang Wu together.
When Lu opened the door, he saw that they seemed to have come together, and the atmosphere between the two was not as confrontational as before, which made him feel a little relieved.
At least, there's another couple outside who are slowly getting better.
Looking at her younger brother's haggard and exhausted appearance, Lu You sighed with heartache.
She asked softly, "A-Wu... still won't talk to you?"
Lu Rang nodded bitterly, his eyes filled with helplessness: "Yeah. Not saying a word."
Lu You patted his arm and comforted him, "Give her some time. I know she's not blaming you. She just can't get over this hurdle in her heart. She feels like she didn't protect the child well, but she can't blame you because she knows you were doing it for her own good and it was a choice she had no other option. She just needs time to process it herself."
Lu Rang understood this principle perfectly well.
But seeing his beloved so close yet feeling as if they were worlds apart was an agony that nearly drove him mad.
He gestured to Lu You: "Go up and keep her company, talk to her, maybe she'll be willing to talk to you."
Lu Youdian nodded, turned around and went upstairs.
Lu Rang watched her retreating figure and said to Cheng Zhou, "I'm going out for a bit to take care of some things at the law firm. I've been delayed for too long. Do as you please."
Cheng Zhou nodded understandingly: "Go ahead and get busy, I'll keep an eye on things."
Lu drove to the law firm.
The backlog of work has piled up like a mountain.
He plunged into his office and began processing documents efficiently.
Midway through, his partner Yan Yue came in to get his signature.
Behind him was a tall, beautiful young female assistant.
After Lu Rang finished signing, he looked up at the female assistant and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He looked at Yan Yue, his tone flat but tinged with displeasure: "Didn't I say that we should try not to hire people who are too conspicuous for receptionist and assistant positions?"
He didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, especially during this sensitive time.
Yan Yue quickly explained, "Lu Rang, you've misunderstood. Assistant Su has a master's degree in political science and law, and her professional abilities are extremely strong. She was selected through a rigorous selection process via formal interviews; she's not just a pretty face. Moreover,"
He lowered his voice and added, "She has a boyfriend she's in a stable relationship with, and they're very happy together."
Upon hearing this, Lu Rang's expression softened slightly, and he nodded: "Yes. As long as the ability is up to par."
Yan Yue breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and suggested, "By the way, Lu Rang, today is my birthday. I've organized a gathering tonight for the partners to get together and relax. You haven't participated in any group activities in a long time."
Lu Rang instinctively wanted to refuse.
He's not in the mood for any parties right now.
But he swallowed the words back down his throat.
Perhaps going out for some fresh air and changing one's mood would be good.
However, he had to tell A-Wu.
He took out his phone and opened his chat with Shang Wu.
Their last conversation was when he told her that the doctor had agreed to discharge her from the hospital.
She replied with a cold "Mm".
Lu Rang carefully considered his words and typed in cautiously.
【Awu, it's Yan Yue's birthday today. There's a gathering at the law firm tonight, so I might be home late. Enjoy your meal, and call me anytime if you need anything.】
The message has been sent.
He stared at the screen, his heart tightening slightly.
Waiting.
I wonder if she will reply.
Even just a simple "hmm" would be fine.
At least, it proves she's still reading his messages.
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