Chapter 174 Pregnancy Care
Suddenly, a dagger was pressed against the mother's throat, and the mother closed her eyes in terror.
Bai Li accidentally knocked over her coffee cup, drawing sidelong glances from her roommate.
She replied, trembling, "Please don't hurt my mother... I... I'll raise the money right away..."
"If you call the police, you can forget about ever seeing your mother again," Scarface said before hanging up the phone.
Bai Li, not daring to risk being killed, went to the agreed location alone.
The warehouse was filled with the smells of mildew and smoke, and five or six burly, tattooed men were either standing or sitting.
The mother was tied up in a corner, her face covered in fresh bruises.
"Miss Bai is indeed filial." Scarface clapped as he stood up. "But with your part-time job salary, it's not even enough to pay off the interest."
Suddenly, the younger brother grabbed Bai's mother's hair, and Bai's mother let out a painful whimper.
"Stop!" Bai Li rushed forward but was stopped. "What do you want?!"
Scarface suddenly grinned: "Actually, our boss has a win-win suggestion."
He took out his tablet, which contained a surrogacy contract, and showed it to Bai Li.
“A big shot is in need of a highly educated surrogate mother… Sign this contract and someone will pay your money back.”
Bai Li's eyes widened: "Don't even think about it! This is illegal—"
Before she could finish speaking, her younger brother's dagger had already slashed Bai's mother's cheek, and blood immediately seeped out.
"Either sign," Scarface shoved the pen into her hand, "or..."
He gave a wink, and his underling moved the tip of his knife toward Bai's mother's eyes.
Bai Li's tears fell onto the contract, and the pen trembled in her hand like a leaf in the wind.
The next day, Bai Li was helped into the sterile operating room.
Under the glaring operating lights, she was placed on the operating table like an object awaiting disposal.
The smell of disinfectant mixed with the coldness of metal sent a slight shiver down her exposed skin.
"Please relax, Ms. Bai." The nurse adjusted the IV stand. "Embryo implantation is just a minor procedure."
She heard the sound of the instrument cart wheels rolling, all sounds amplified infinitely in the empty operating room.
The moment the anesthesia mask was pulled down, she struggled violently.
"Wait! I—"
"Hold her down." The doctor's voice came through the mask, eerily calm.
Four hands pressed down on her shoulders and knees at the same time.
The sweet, cloying gas from the mask flooded her nostrils, and Bai Li's vision began to blur.
In her last moments of consciousness, she saw a scarred face's sinister smile flash past the glass window, and the cold gleam of metal instruments in the nurse's hand.
Two weeks later, the doctor adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and handed the examination report to the butler standing to the side.
"Congratulations, the embryo has successfully implanted and all indicators are perfect."
Bai Li sat blankly on the hospital bed, a corner of the medical curtain being blown up by the wind.
"Miss Bai, please come with me." The butler gestured for the bodyguard to open the consultation room door. "The master specifically instructed that you be given a more comfortable room."
The extended Bentley drove directly into the underground garage of the Luo family's old mansion.
Bai Li was helped into the elevator, where the mirror reflected her pale face and slightly protruding belly.
The elevator smoothly ascended to the third floor, and Bai Li was helped into a suite comparable to a five-star hotel.
The spacious living room is covered with thick cashmere carpets, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a pleasing view of a traditional Chinese courtyard, although each window is fitted with sturdy, explosion-proof glass.
The housekeeper opened the wardrobe, inside which hung dozens of sets of silk maternity wear: "These clothes are made of special fabrics that are absolutely soft and will not irritate the skin."
He pointed to the call button by the bedside, "Please press the bell anytime if you need anything. The maid is on standby next door 24 hours a day."
Bai Li's gaze swept across the room, and she saw that all the furniture edges were covered with soft rubber, even the tableware was made of unbreakable material, and the books placed on the bedside table were all carefully selected prenatal education materials.
Every detail of this cage was calculated perfectly.
"Your task now is to rest and focus on your pregnancy." The housekeeper bowed at the door. "Meals will be delivered daily, and the doctor will come to check on you every three days."
The butler closed the door.
From then on, Bai Li was imprisoned in the old house. Although she lived a life of luxury every day, she was like a delicate canary in a cage.
She should be cultivating new strains of bacteria in the laboratory and publishing papers in academic journals, but now she can only stare blankly at the sealed windows.
"Miss Bai, it's time for lunch."
Aunt Cao pushed the food cart in, and the aroma of nourishing soup wafted from under the silver lid.
This woman with fine lines around her eyes always reminded Bai Li of her own mother.
Same age, same rough yet warm hands.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Bai Li suddenly grabbed Cao Sao's wrist: "Auntie..."
Her voice trembled, her nails almost digging into the other person's skin, "My mother must be frantic with worry right now... You have children too, right? Please help me..."
Aunt Cao hurriedly withdrew her hand, looked around, and lowered her voice: "Miss Bai, you can't say such things. The family has treated you well, so just focus on your pregnancy."
"But this is illegal!" Bai Li pointed excitedly to her swollen belly. "I'm only 22 years old, I still need to go back to school..."
"Shh—" Aunt Cao's face changed drastically, and she quickly closed the door. "Miss Bai, your father owes a lot of money to loan sharks, and now the interest has probably ballooned to fifty million. If it weren't for the family intervening, your mother would have already..."
She made a throat-slitting gesture, saying, "Please bear with it for the sake of your family."
Bai Li slumped back onto the bed, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the silk quilt.
Before leaving, Aunt Cao suddenly turned around and said, "The doctor is coming for a prenatal checkup tomorrow, so... please prepare well."
She glanced at Bai Li's belly with a complicated expression. "This child is the golden grandson that a great man has been hoping for for over a decade. Why don't you take this as an opportunity?"
Bai Li stared blankly at Cao Sao.
“An opportunity?” She suddenly sneered. “Aunt Cao, do you have a daughter? If she were the one locked up here right now, would you still call this an opportunity?”
Aunt Cao's face turned pale.
"My life, my studies, my future..." Bai Li stood up, her belly clearly showing, "They're all ruined!"
She grabbed the prenatal education book from the bedside table and smashed it hard against the bulletproof glass window. With a muffled "bang," the window didn't budge.
"Miss Bai! Please don't do this!" Aunt Cao cried out in alarm, pressing her down. "You'll hurt the child!"
"The child?" Bai Li laughed hysterically, then burst into tears. "What you care about has never been me, nor this child, but only the continuation of the family line!"
Aunt Cao stood there helplessly, and finally just sighed and silently cleaned up the spilled dishes.
It was late at night.
Bai Li stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her fingers stroking her bulging belly.
The reflection in the mirror showed a pale face with dark circles under the eyes.
A faint fetal movement came from the skin beneath her fingertips, but it only made her gaze grow colder.
Take three steps back. Press your lower back against the cold, tiled wall.
Inhale. Clench your teeth.
She suddenly lunged at the marble sink, but just as her abdomen was about to hit the sharp corner—
He placed his hands heavily on the table first, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.
Her distorted expression was reflected in the mirror. She suddenly snapped out of her hatred, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
"no……"
That bastard child deserves to die, but if I were seriously injured or even killed...
She cannot die.
The mother was still waiting for her to fulfill that promise, the future that the mother and daughter had made together in the dead of night.
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