Three days after the two checked in, a man arrived at the villa. Zhao Li introduced him as her cousin, Hu Shuo.
Hu Shuo is tall and handsome, with a charming demeanor and exceptional speech. He is dressed head to toe in designer brands, clearly indicating his considerable wealth.
Most importantly, he was incredibly good at sweet-talking people, and Zhao Li kept trying to bring them together. Under his passionate pursuit, Ji Xiaoli couldn't resist and quickly fell for him.
The two started dating, and half a month later, at Hu Shuo's urging, Ji Xiaoli quit her job in her hometown and planned to develop her career in Yuncheng.
Of course, she didn't tell her parents about her relationship. Instead, she used Zhao Li as an excuse, and Ji's parents believed her. After all, the two girls had always been very good friends.
Ji Xiaoli stayed at Zhao Li's villa because Zhao Li said that the villa was vacant and would just sit empty anyway, so she might as well lend it to Ji Xiaoli to make it more lively.
Unable to refuse Ji Xiaoli's hospitality, she had no choice but to stay.
Hu Shuo also came to the villa, and the two, living under the same roof, quickly crossed the line.
Under Hu Shuo's deliberate scheming, Ji Xiaoli quickly became pregnant. She anxiously told Hu Shuo about it, not knowing what to do.
Hu Shuo was overjoyed. He said he was going abroad soon, and when he returned, he and Ji Xiaoli would visit his future in-laws, get their consent, and then get married.
Ji Xiaoli believed it to be true, and she didn't tell her parents about it, thinking she would tell them in person.
Who knew that Hu Shuo would encounter various unexpected events during his business trip? He first said he would be away for a month, and then used the excuse that something unexpected had happened at the company, which would delay his trip.
After delaying for three months, Ji Xiaoli grew increasingly anxious as her belly grew larger.
Hu Shuo kept apologizing, saying that it wouldn't look good to hold a wedding now because of her large belly. He also wanted to give Ji Xiaoli a perfect wedding, so he suggested that the wedding be held after the baby was born.
Ji Xiaoli felt that her belly was too big and not pretty, so she had no choice but to agree.
Hu Shuo still couldn't return to China. He said his visa had expired and he had been detained. He needed to reapply for a visa, so he would have to wait for a while.
Then another three months passed, and Xiao Li lived alone in the spacious villa, her only thought each day was waiting for Hu Shuo to come back.
Finally, Hu Shuo booked his plane ticket, but then he ran into the snowy season abroad. In any case, there were always various excuses preventing him from returning to China.
This delay meant another two months passed, and Ji Xiaoli was about to give birth.
With Zhao Li's help, she went to a private maternity hospital in Yuncheng and gave birth to twin boys.
Just as Hu Shuo bought another boat ticket and confirmed his return date, Zhao Li brought him some news.
The giant ship that Hu Shuo was on encountered a storm and wrecked at sea.
Ji Xiaoli had just given birth when she heard this devastating news, and she fainted from shock.
When she woke up, she discovered that her twin sons were also missing. Zhao Li said that she had been so focused on taking care of Ji Xiaoli that she hadn't paid attention to the children.
The children were born with severe congenital diseases and could not be saved; they all died.
Ji Xiaoli was going crazy. She had carried the baby for ten months and finally gave birth to the child, but now the baby was gone.
Despite her weak condition, she insisted on going to see the children, but Zhao Li quickly stopped her.
"Aji, don't be sad. The children have been dealt with. It's all my fault for not taking good care of them."
The nurse next to her quickly chimed in, "It's not entirely Ms. Zhao's fault. You were overthinking things during your pregnancy, which led to the children's congenital deficiencies."
Ji Xiaoli couldn't face this fact, nor could she blame her best friend. She could only feel guilty and blame herself for harming the children.
Ji Xiaoli almost lost her life after a series of blows, but fortunately she survived in the end.
After staying in the hospital for half a month, she felt a little better and wanted to leave this place of sorrow. Zhao Li helped her pack her things and took her to the station. She went back to her hometown alone.
Zhao Li looked at Ji Xiaoli, who had arrived youthful, beautiful, healthy, and rosy-cheeked, but was now pale and frail, and smiled smugly.
When Ji Xiaoli returned home, her parents were shocked. Their perfectly healthy child had been away for a year and returned in such a state.
No matter how they asked, Ji Xiaoli wouldn't say a word. Looking at her daughter's bloated figure, Ji's mother had a guess in her mind.
She called Zhao Li, who casually recounted the events, and Ji's mother felt as if the sky was falling.
She was shocked to learn that her daughter had suffered such a terrible ordeal, and at the same time, she began to have doubts about Zhao Li.
After settling their daughter in, she and her husband secretly went to investigate. Zhao Li had already taken care of everything; the hospital's security cameras had all been replaced, and they couldn't find a single clue.
When Ji's parents confronted Zhao Li, she was so annoyed that she bribed a thug to stage an accident in which both of Ji's parents perished.
Ji Xiaoli never saw her parents again. After learning of their accident, she completely broke down and became somewhat delirious.
When the neighborhood committee learned about her situation, they sent volunteers to help her and also invited a psychologist to counsel her. After a year, she finally recovered.
The past two years have felt like a nightmare; she has lost so much.
She was very grateful for the help from the volunteers and the neighborhood committee, and she decided to become a volunteer to help more people in need.
Ji Xiao left the volunteer association and became a volunteer herself, receiving only a meager subsidy and traveling from place to place every day.
During a trip through Yuncheng, she had let go of many things and decided to visit her old friend, even though the two had not been in contact for over a year.
She didn't make a phone call; instead, she took a taxi to the Cheng family's house alone, only to witness a scene that infuriated her.
Zhao Li and Hu Shuo—or rather, Cheng Jiacheng—were holding hands intimately. Two identical one-year-old babies were playing on the grass. This family of four was the envy of everyone who saw them.
Ji Xiaoli recognized them at a glance; they were her babies. The two children looked exactly like her when she was a child.
As for Hu Shuo, she also understood his identity; this family was truly ruthless.
She angrily stepped forward to question Zhao Li, but Zhao Li calmly quoted a price.
"Aji, you've already enjoyed my man. You've had his tenderness, everything about him. Why bother?"
As Zhao Li finished speaking, she glanced at Cheng Jiacheng, who touched his nose and gave an awkward smile.
“Aji, actually I envy you. You are beautiful and many people like you, while I only have Acheng, but he was also good to you before.”
I believe you were also moved, right? Since you were in love, let's not make things so ugly. Name your price, and we'll never contact each other again.
Ji Xiaoli could hardly believe her ears. This was her best friend, her confidante.
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