Chapter 111 The Child Was Kidnapped
I smiled at Huang Minwei and said, "Long time no see."
Huang Minwei quickly walked towards me and looked at me with some surprise.
"Xiao Wan, I didn't expect it was really you. When I first saw you, I was a little bit unconvinced. I stared at you for a long time before I called out uncertainly. I was thinking that I might have recognized the wrong person. Why did you come to Los Angeles?" She looked at me happily.
I smiled at Huang Minwei. I hadn't seen her for a year. She looked much prettier and friendlier than before. I turned around and saw a dessert shop nearby. I pulled Huang Minwei in, and Mrs. Zhu followed behind me.
After ordering three desserts, Huang Minwei's cell phone rang.
"I met a friend and will be back soon. OK, I got it."
Huang Minwei hung up the phone. I looked up at her with a smile and asked her if she had a boyfriend. She nodded shyly and said they had just confirmed their relationship a week ago.
"My boyfriend is ten years older than me and has a five-year-old child." Huang Minwei said, looking up at me and asking me not to misunderstand her, she was not doing it for money.
I shook my head and said I didn't think so, because she had changed a lot, I could see that. I asked her to tell me the story of her and her boyfriend.
Huang Minwei smiled and started talking to me.
After leaving South City, she came to Los Angeles with the same idea as me, because the winter in Los Angeles is so beautiful, and here she can find the tranquility she wants.
After coming to Los Angeles, she found a job as a nurse in a hospital, hoping to live an ordinary life.
Huang Minwei's boyfriend is Su Ze. Her first job is to take care of his terminally ill wife. Occasionally, the nanny will bring his children to see their mother, and Huang Minwei will take care of them at the same time.
In this way, Huang Minwei took good care of him for two months and became good friends with his wife.
Huang Minwei said that at that time, she and Su Ze had only met two or three times, and when they met they only talked about his wife's illness.
Later, a few days before her death, his wife told Huang Minwei that she was a good girl and hoped that she could help take care of her children after she was gone. Huang Minwei agreed.
"Later, she told me that she hoped to find a suitable woman for Su Ze and wanted to introduce me to him. I disagreed at first, but she said she was afraid that the child would suffer if she left. The child was also familiar with me and said he liked me very much. He begged me and told me that Su Ze was a good man. Later, I felt sorry for her and agreed."
"At that time, I was just trying to comfort her. After all, she didn't have many days left. After she passed away, as a caregiver, I naturally wouldn't bring up this matter. I also didn't want to be someone else's stepmother. You know, being a stepmother is not an easy thing these days. If you treat the child badly, people will accuse you of abuse. If you treat the child well, people will accuse you of having bad intentions."
Huang Minwei said that at that time, she had only agreed verbally, wanting her to leave with peace of mind, and would not tell Su Ze about this matter.
"Later, she really left. When she left, I cried for a long time. After all, we had been together for more than two months and had developed feelings for each other. I was thinking about finding another job, but Su Ze asked me to go to his house to take care of her child. I thought that he was a man and really didn't have the time or energy to take care of a child, so I agreed."
Huang Minwei said, "I took care of him for a whole year. It wasn't until last month that I learned that before his wife died, she told Su Ze and the child about the promise I made. This year was a test for Huang Minwei by Su Ze. Perhaps because they had been together for so long, they had developed some feelings for each other." Huang Minwei said, "Su Ze's son is particularly adorable. After a year of being together, they did have feelings for each other. So after they talked it out and thought for a while, they felt it was a good fit and got together."
"Don't think he doesn't love his wife. When his wife passed away, he knelt in the ancestral hall for a whole day and night. Every month, he would take the children to visit his wife at the cemetery. He told me that he would always have a place in his heart for his wife, but life is still long, and he and his children need a woman. This is also his wife's wish."
"And I am no longer the Huang Minwei of the past. I also told him about my past, but before I could finish, he told me to stop and said that the past is over."
"That's true. I think this is good, as long as you feel happy." I looked at Huang Minwei and sincerely wished her well.
It was at this time that Huang Minwei noticed my belly and was a little surprised.
"Pregnant? How many months?"
"She's about to give birth. It's just winter now, and you're wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket, so it might not be noticeable." I smiled at her.
"Ah, you're about to give birth. Why don't you stay in Nancheng and come to Luocheng? Is Jiang Ruohe coming too?" Huang Minwei asked me.
This is the first time I have heard someone mention this name since I came to Los Angeles. Although more than half a year has passed, my heart still aches every time I think of this person.
I lowered my eyes dejectedly and shook my head and said no. Huang Minwei looked at me and asked me cautiously if something had happened between Jiang Ruohe and me.
I looked up at Huang Minwei, hesitated for a few seconds, and told her everything that happened between me and Jiang Ruohe in Nancheng.
"What? Someone injected that thing into you, causing your body to become abnormal and killing Grandpa Jiang. Oh my God, who is that person? So scary that he wants to use this thing to commit a murder. It's really terrible." Huang Minwei looked at me worriedly.
I sighed and said that the person who gave me the acupuncture was silenced, and the mastermind behind it has not been found yet. So, Jiang Ruohe still hates me for what happened with Grandpa Jiang, and he may never forgive me in this life.
"From Jiang Ruohe's perspective, it's normal for Grandpa Jiang to say hurtful things to you without knowing you're in poor health. After all, you're his relative, and everyone has their impulses."
"But after the incident, he will slowly calm down and notice your abnormality. No matter who you tell about this, everyone will know that you did not mean it. Jiang Ruohe is not an unreasonable person. As long as the two of you talk it over, he will definitely know that it was not you who really killed Grandpa Jiang, but the murderer behind the scenes." Huang Minwei looked at me.
"Do you really want to never see him again for the rest of your life just because of this? You have to think about your child. He needs a father."
I lowered my head and said that it was not that I didn't want to meet Jiang Ruohe, but that he didn't want to meet me. I had explained to him, but he refused to listen, and even denied our child because of my grandfather's death.
"How is that possible? Jiang Ruohe is not that kind of person." Huang Minwei looked at me.
"How did you explain it to him?"
I said Shao Han had someone take Tian Rong there, but Grandpa had just passed away, and he was probably angry and kicked Xiao He and Tian Rong out. Two days later, I asked Shao Han to go, and he threw my recordings into the trash. I even had a fight with Shao Han afterwards.
"When Shao Han told him I was pregnant, he said he had taken all the necessary precautions, which only meant the child wasn't his."
"How could Jiang Ruohe say such a thing?" Huang Minwei looked at me in surprise.
"But that's what he said."
Thinking of Jiang Ruohe's heartless words, I felt increasingly distressed. After all, we'd been together for half a year. Didn't he know what kind of person I was? He actually said the child wasn't his...
Huang Minwei wanted to say something, but Mrs. Zhu called me and said that the snow was getting heavier. I suddenly remembered the baby clothes hanging on the balcony. I didn’t want to continue this topic, so I stood up and told Huang Minwei that I wanted to go back.
"Where do you live?" Huang Minwei asked me.
I talked to Huang Minwei about it, and she smiled and said that Su Ze's house was close to hers.
"Then come and see me when you have time." I smiled at her and we exchanged phone numbers.
After returning home, I quickly took down the clothes on the balcony. Fortunately, they were not wet. After drying them in the dryer, I put them away.
I stood in front of the window, looking at the snowflakes outside, and remembered what Huang Minwei said. She said that Jiang Ruohe was not an unreasonable person, but he really hated me. And I was thinking about him, thinking about him day and night.
Over the past six months, I've pulled out my phone several times, wanting to call him or go to Baidu to search for information about him, but ultimately I didn't dare, fearing he'd say something cruel or see something I didn't want to see.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door. I turned around and it was Shao Han. I smiled at him and walked over.
"Didn't you come here half a month ago? Why are you here again?"
"What? You don't welcome me?" Shao Han looked at me and handed me a few sets of baby clothes. He also told me that he bought some of my favorite food and asked Mrs. Zhu to put it downstairs.
I took it with a smile and said it was not that I didn't welcome him, but that he also had his own things to do. If he came to see me, I would be afraid of delaying his work and I would feel embarrassed.
"You're about to give birth, so of course you have to be more diligent, otherwise I'll be worried."
I looked at Shao Han gratefully and said thank you. Then we went downstairs together. Mrs. Zhu had already started preparing lunch in the kitchen.
I poured Shao Han a cup of tea, and we sat on the sofa. I asked about Shao's business.
"Not bad. We launched several jewelry chains this year, and everyone likes them. We made a lot of money this year. When the dividends are distributed at the end of the year, I'll transfer them to your bank account."
"Why would I do that? I haven't contributed anything to the Shaw Corporation. You don't have to give me anything. If you do, I'll return it to you."
Shao Han looked at me and wanted to say something.
"Don't tell me again that I am the granddaughter of the Shao family and you are an adopted son. To me, the Shao family is yours." I smiled at him.
Shao Han was stunned and looked at me with a complicated expression.
"Think about it, it was because of you that Grandpa adopted you. It was because of your companionship that he had the conviction to run Shaw Brothers. What's more, because of Shaw Brothers, you haven't even had a girlfriend until now. Do you know what Grandpa said to me before he passed away?"
"He said he wanted to give all of Shaw Brothers to you and asked if I had any objections. I said I had no objections at all. I also felt that handing Shaw Brothers over to you would make it stronger. Later, what Grandpa was most worried about was that you didn't have a girlfriend."
Shao Han looked at me, a trace of struggle flashed across his eyes, but quickly turned into calmness.
"I don't want to talk about feelings right now."
I rolled my eyes at him.
"You still don't want to talk about love? When do you plan to talk about it? You are already in your thirties, find someone quickly, otherwise, grandpa will not rest in peace." I urged Shao Han.
Shao Han lowered his head and said he would talk about it after a while.
"If you find someone you like, you must pursue her." I smiled at him.
After lunch, I went upstairs to rest. In the evening, after having dinner with Shao Han, Shao Han left. He said that he would come back to see me two days before my due date.
After seeing Shao Han off, I went upstairs feeling a little lonely.
Because it was the late stage of pregnancy, I had to sleep on my left side. I lay on my side in bed, looking out the window quietly, thinking about something.
Just then, the little thing in my stomach kicked me a few times. I lowered my eyes, looked at my bulging belly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of my mouth.
"Xiaobao, we will meet soon."
After saying that, I fell asleep.
I had a dream that I gave birth to a girl. Jiang Ruohe was there too, holding the baby with a look of joy on his face, saying we finally had a child. Lying on the hospital bed, I was also very happy, but the next second, Jiang Ruohe's expression changed. He looked at me with a gloomy face and said that he would give the child to Grandpa Jiang to make amends. After that, he took the child and left. I searched like crazy for her, but couldn't find her. Just like that, I woke up crying.
I threw back the quilt and walked to the window. I opened it and the cold wind blew in, instantly sobering me up a bit.
I stood by the window for a while, thinking about this nightmare, thinking about Jiang Ruohe, thinking about Grandpa Jiang, I wondered if this was the right way to escape? Should I go back to South City and take on the responsibilities that I should bear?
The baby moved in my belly, and I came to my senses, closed the window, and returned to bed.
The next afternoon, Huang Minwei came to see me and bought some baby clothes.
"Xiaobao already has a lot of clothes. I should have told you earlier so that you wouldn't have to buy more." I looked at Huang Minwei gratefully and said.
"Oh, no matter how much, it was bought by others. What I bought is my gift." Huang Minwei gently stroked my belly.
"Little baby, auntie is waiting for you to be born!"
I put the brewed tea on the coffee table and looked up at Huang Minwei.
"How about letting you be my godmother?"
Huang Minwei looked at me happily and nodded repeatedly. When I sat on the sofa, she took my hand.
"I'm so happy that we're friends again. I treated you like that back then, and I never thought we'd be sitting together so calmly."
I smiled at her and said I was happy too.
Huang Minwei let go of my hand and said that she came today mainly to tell me something.
"I think there must be some misunderstanding between you and Jiang Ruohe."
I asked Huang Minwei why she felt so.
"I understand him, just like I understand you. I believe you didn't intend to kill grandpa. I also believe Jiang Ruohe is not so unreasonable." Huang Minwei looked at me.
I remained silent.
"Xiao Wan, how about this? After the baby is born, I'll go back to South City with you, and we'll go find Jiang Ruohe and talk things over face to face. No matter what his attitude is, you have to talk it over face to face and give each other another chance. If he's still ruthless, then we'll just let it go..."
Huang Minwei looked around and saw Mrs. Zhu busy in the kitchen. She leaned over to my ear and whispered, "Sometimes, there are some things that you can't let others say. You still have to say it clearly in person. That time, Tian Rong told me that you said a lot of bad things about me in front of her, but you said you didn't say anything at all."
I was stunned for a moment and told Huang Minwei that Shao Han was not that kind of person.
"Of course, I'm not saying Shao Han is like Tian Rong, but think about it. Shao Han is a man. If someone with bad intentions says something about you and Shao Han in front of Jiang Ruohe, causing him to misunderstand something, then Jiang Ruohe will definitely have the same attitude. Men, after all, are irrational at times, and there are many times."
"I think this is a big deal. You should talk to Jiang Ruohe in person." Huang Minwei continued.
I looked at Huang Minwei, thought about it, and said that what she said did make sense. Combined with the nightmare I had last night, I thought that escape was not a solution.
"Well, after the baby is one month old, I will go back to South City and look for Jiang Ruohe."
At this time, Mrs. Zhu came out of the kitchen, cut some fruit, and placed it on the coffee table. I asked Huang Minwei to stay for dinner, but she said no.
"Su Ze took Xuanxuan and me to the amusement park tonight, and then we promised Xuanxuan that we would go to KFC for hamburgers."
After Huang Minwei sat with me for a while, she received a call and told me that Su Ze had come to the door to pick her up. I stood up and said it was a good opportunity to take a look at her boyfriend.
When I arrived at the door, I saw the man named Su Ze. He had very fair skin and you couldn't tell that he was ten years older than Huang Minwei. Sitting next to him was his son Xuanxuan, who was also very cute. Huang Minwei walked to the front of the car and said something to Xuanxuan. Xuanxuan looked at me and called me Auntie.
At this moment, the rear window suddenly rolled down and I saw a familiar face.
"Miss, long time no see."
It was Su Bai. When I saw him, my face turned pale. I never expected to see him in Los Angeles. When Huang Minwei told me that Su Bai was Su Ze's younger brother, I was shocked and even broke out in a cold sweat for Huang Minwei. But since Su Bai was here, I couldn't say anything to Huang Minwei in person.
"Sister, do you want to play together?" Su Bai looked at me and smiled.
I shook my head quickly.
After Huang Minwei got in the car, I quickly sent her a text message, telling her that Su Bai was a dangerous person and not a good person, and asked her to stay away from Su Bai.
After a while, Huang Minwei sent me a text message, telling me that Su Bai was Su Ze's half-brother, and their relationship was just so-so. Su Bai was always away and only came back once or twice a year. She asked me not to worry, as she would keep her distance from Su Bai.
Hearing her say this, I breathed a sigh of relief and reminded her again to stay away from Su Bai.
I went into the house with my phone.
At nine o'clock in the evening, my cell phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number, so I picked it up.
"Su Bai."
"Oh, little sister, you're so smart. You guessed it was me right away."
I rolled my eyes and said that only he could be that boring.
"Don't say that. After all, Miss owes me two favors. At least she should treat me to a meal as a thank you."
Although Su Bai is annoying, he did help me. I told him that I owe him these two favors. As for treating us to a meal, I'm not in a good condition right now.
"Miss, it's okay as long as you remember it. Actually, I just want to ask, when will you return to South City?"
I was stunned and asked him how he knew that I wanted to go back to South City.
Su Bai said, "I guessed it's time for Miss to go back to South City, otherwise things will change."
"What's going to change?" I looked depressed.
"You'll know when you go back, sister. I'll be waiting for you in South City then." Su Bai said and hung up the phone.
I don't know why, but Su Bai's words made me feel a little uneasy. I looked at the time and thought, when the baby is one month old, I should go back to South City. I have to face what I have to face.
A few days passed and it was Christmas. I have to say that Xiaobao came just on time. On the morning of Christmas, I had my period and my stomach started to ache slightly.
Shao Han was there at the time, and he immediately took Mrs. Zhu to the hospital. At 11 a.m., when my cervix was dilated to three centimeters, I was sent to the delivery room.
The pain lasted until 3:30 in the afternoon. I felt like I had used up all my strength before the baby came out. When the baby was born, I only heard the midwife say it was a girl, and then I heard the baby crying. Maybe it was because I was too tired. I fainted.
When I woke up, it was already night. When I opened my eyes, I saw Shao Han standing beside me. I looked around and hurriedly asked Shao Han, "Where is my child?"
"In the neonatal ward."
I breathed a sigh of relief, looked at him with a smile, and said I thought my child was gone.
"I want to see my child. Can I?"
Shao Han said yes, called Mrs. Zhu beside him, and asked her to go to the baby room and bring Xiaobao over.
"I saw her when the nurse carried her out. She was very cute and looked especially like you..." Shao Han looked at me.
I smiled and was thinking about what to name the child when Mrs. Zhu pushed the door and entered the ward in a panic.
"Oh no! Just as I was carrying Xiaobao over here, a crazy woman suddenly appeared at the stairs, snatched Xiaobao away, and pushed me to the ground. I quickly called a few people in the corridor to help me chase her."
When I heard that Xiaobao was taken away, I was anxious and quickly lifted the quilt to get out of bed, but because of my weak body, I fell to the ground. Seeing this, Shao Han hurriedly carried me back to bed.
"Don't worry, the hospital has surveillance cameras, and kind people have already gone after him. I'll be there right now and will definitely find Xiaobao."
I looked at Shao Han with red eyes and said that the child was my life and he must help me find the child, otherwise I couldn't bear it.
Shao Han ran out quickly, feeling a little worried, so I went on. Mrs. Zhu came over and told me to take care of myself.
"My child has been taken away, how can I take care of my health?" I cried anxiously.
Mrs. Zhu looked at me, put her arm around me, and said she would help me go out to find the child.
As soon as I left the ward, I saw Shao Han stopped not far away. Huang Minwei came up from the stairs holding the baby, and Su Ze followed behind her. Su Ze was walking towards me, holding the crazy woman who had snatched the child.
Many years later, when I think of this thrilling moment, I feel so grateful to Huang Minwei. If it weren't for her, I'm afraid my child...
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