Chapter 81: Past Events 2

In the dead of night, the hospital corridors were nearly deserted, and no one noticed the two figures locked in confrontation in the shadowy corner by the stairwell.

Those last words still hung in the air from Qin Dian’s vicious threat.

Zhou Zhifan swallowed hard. He stood there stunned for a long moment before recovering his wits. He refused to let her earlier words sink in as he looked at her and said, “Bai You is my wife. How could I possibly hurt her?”

The word “wife” struck Qin Dian like a blow, tightening her chest.

She stared at him intently before finally releasing his collar. “You’d better.”

With the demonic claws that had gripped his lifeline finally loosening, Zhou Zhifan went rigid with fear. His eyes remained wide and foolish as he struggled to steady his breathing.

Qin Dian had no desire to argue with him further. She shoved him aside and turned back toward the ward to check on Bai You.

Inside the room, Bai You was propped up halfway in bed, a pillow cushioning her back as she quietly leaned against the headboard, stroking her belly. Now in her eighth month of pregnancy, her belly had grown even larger than the previous month.

“Are you really okay?” In Bai You’s presence, Qin Dian always withdrew all her prickly thorns.

At Qin Dian’s repeated question, Bai You offered a faint smile. “Xiao Dian, I’m fine.”

She spoke softly. “You’re at a crucial stage right now. You can’t afford to slack off. Go back soon. I can take care of myself.”

She didn’t want Qin Dian delaying important work on her account, but Qin Dian replied, “Nothing is more important than you.”

“None of those things matter as much as you do.”

Qin Dian sat beside her, eyes lowered, her voice hushed. She looked faintly shaken.

When she had first heard from others that Bai You had been hospitalized with a threatened miscarriage, Qin Dian had dropped everything without a second thought and rushed to Sumen.

Thinking back on that moment now, Qin Dian felt as if she had been teetering on the edge of an unfathomable cliff, liable to plummet at any instant.

It was an uneasy terror.

Lately, she had been harboring a bad premonition.

And her premonitions were always spot on.

All she could hope now was that this one would prove wrong.

“Bai You.”

Qin Dian called her name.

“Promise me—if anything happens, don’t keep it from me.” Qin Dian clasped her hand and leaned down, pressing her forehead to the back of it. “Okay?”

Bai You’s expression dimmed slightly, but she returned the grip with warm reassurance.

“Okay.”

……

After recuperating in the hospital for a time, Bai You returned home.

Ever since that previous incident, Zhou Zhifan had clearly reined himself in. He no longer restricted her from reviewing company matters and showered her with solicitous care.

Still, Bai You could sense he was deliberately hiding something from her. Her condition left her with no spare energy to investigate further, so she let it slide.

During her recovery at home, Qin Dian’s visits to Sumen grew more frequent.

Whenever she had a free moment, Qin Dian would come to keep her company. When she couldn’t, she sent over advanced household aids for nourishing the fetus—expensive items from the current market.

As Bai You’s due date approached, the deliveries included a stroller, toys, a crib, and more—everything needed, fully equipped.

The house soon filled with such supplies.

One day, Bai You was sorting through a batch of pricey medicinal herbs sent for postpartum recovery, with the nanny assisting at her side.

Zhou Zhifan had just returned home when he spotted the boxes of expensive goods strewn across the floor. “From her again?”

“Yes, Xiao Dian had them delivered.” Bai You finished organizing a bundle and handed it to the nanny. “Here, Aunt Zhang—help me put this over there—”

But before she could finish, Zhou Zhifan glanced around the villa at all the luxury furniture Qin Dian had sent. A sour feeling twisted in his gut, and he cut her off.

“Who’s your man—her or me?”

His words made little sense, laced with sharp bitterness. Bai You furrowed her brow. “Zhi Fan, what are you talking about?”

Zhou Zhifan pursed his lips and fell silent.

But inside, he was seething with curses.

In her spare time, Qin Dian would drop by to review their company affairs.

In the Huanzhou office one day, Bai You consulted Qin Dian about Zhou Zhifan’s proposed real estate investment. The plan had reached its final phase, yet Qin Dian rejected it outright.

“I don’t recommend investing here. Sumen’s development trajectory over the next two years—”

From an objective standpoint, Qin Dian laid out her reasons against it, dismantling Zhou Zhifan’s idea entirely.

Qin Dian had bailed out Huanzhou too many times before, personally resolving multiple funding crises. Zhou Zhifan didn’t dare contradict her openly or press the issue. He kept up a placating smile to her face while clenching his fists behind his back.

Under this repeated contempt, the seeds of pathology gradually took root and sprouted.

……

Even so, with her enterprises so vast, Qin Dian’s time outside work was limited. Toward the end, she inevitably cut back on her visits.

Back in Sumen, Bai You had long noticed Zhou Zhifan diverting funds, which left her uneasy. Later, she overheard a leaked detail from one of his inner circle.

She headed straight to the address.

Entering, she realized it was an underground casino—sprawling across two full floors. Gambling wasn’t all; drugs were involved too.

The staff spotted Bai You and rushed to notify Zhou Zhifan.

They tried ushering her out before she could see more, but with her advanced pregnancy, none dared lay a hand on her. Helpless, they cleared out the entire casino, leaving Bai You to wait in the second-floor gaming area.

“Youyou, why are you out here?”

Zhou Zhifan arrived speaking in gentle tones.

“Come on, let me take you home. Don’t risk the baby…”

Bai You turned her face away, unwilling to look at him.

“Zhou Zhifan. I told you before we married.” Anger paled her lips and set her trembling. “No gambling, no drugs—our family touches none of it.”

Zhou Zhifan cooed, “Okay, okay, I get it. Can we just go home first?”

Bai You brushed off his evasive ploy. “Zhou Zhifan! Do you even realize what you’re doing?”

Her stark accusation landed, and Zhou Zhifan dropped the act. “Of course I do!”

“But I haven’t touched any of it myself. I haven’t whored, gambled, or gotten hooked. It’s them—not me—who’s addicted!”

“You saw it yourself, didn’t you? How many people were here moments ago, how much money changing hands.”

In a frenzy, Zhou Zhifan smacked open a gaming machine and gestured at it.

“See these? How much they rake in is up to me—I control the odds. I can set them for five times payout, ten times, even twenty.”

“And these? You know the margins on drugs? Fatter than the machines, more addictive, way more lucrative than any company project.”

“Look at the crowds—they’re all hooked, throwing their cash at me desperately. Give it time, expand the space, and this money buys us bigger villas. Hell, it can even prop up the company.”

“You’ve had that big plan for Huanzhou forever, but funding always blocked it? Not anymore.”

“No more begging your rich girlfriend in Jinning to plug our holes—we’ll have cash to spare. Plenty of it.”

Madness gleamed in his eyes, as if greed and money were the only things that fit there anymore.

Bai You stared at this stranger of a man in utter disbelief, shaking her head. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

She looked away and turned to leave.

Zhou Zhifan lunged and grabbed her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Bai You’s gaze turned to ice. “Let me go.”

Those frigid eyes met his, mirroring exactly the contemptuous, rejecting chill of Qin Dian’s stare—the same disdain he remembered all too well.

“What’s that look? You think I’m trash like she does?!”

“Why don’t you just let that Jinning woman keep you? She’s so good to you, right? Better off, richer than me.”

Bai You’s eyes widened; she squinted at him in confusion. “What does Xiao Dian have to do with this? Why drag her into it?”

Zhou Zhifan’s grip on her wrist tightened viciously. “Everything.”

“If it weren’t to earn her respect—if not for you, for a richer life—why would I kill myself setting this up?”

“But her name comes up, and you get all worked up? I see it now—you only care about her.”

“I’m your husband, but the house is full of her buys, your stuff’s all hers, she even sticks her nose in the company. Why do I need her approval for every dime?”

“What the hell is she? What are you? Who are you to treat me like this?”

His emotions spiraled out of control. His bellows shook the entire casino, deafening in their fury.

Bai You could no longer reason with his unhinged state. “You’re beyond reason…”

“How am I? Spell it out!” Zhou Zhifan’s roars didn’t let up. Bai You wrenched at his hold, but agony ripped through her body. Her face drained of color as her strength ebbed, her body buckling.

Seeing her agony, Zhou Zhifan’s expression flipped in an instant. He caught her.

“You—what’s wrong? Youyou!”

His eyes dropped to her belly; realization hit like lightning. “Hospital! Hold on, Youyou—I’m rushing you there!”

“Just hold on!”

“Right now!”

“Urgh…” Bai You clenched her eyes shut, sweat beading large on her forehead. The suffocating pain stole her voice.

By the time they reached the hospital, Zhou Zhifan was wheeling her frantically into the emergency room. All trace of rage had vanished, replaced by desperate remorse. “I’m sorry, Youyou. I never should have upset you, said those awful things.”

“I swear, I’ll never touch that stuff again. If you don’t want it, it’s gone. I’ll shut it all down.”

“You can’t… Youyou… you and the baby—you both have to be okay.”

His frantic pleas echoed past her ears again and again, but she was beyond hearing, reduced to instinctive groans of pain.

The door to the delivery room swung shut. Zhou Zhifan wandered outside like a man without a soul, haunted by the image of Bai You’s bloodless face and terrified eyes. He felt as if his entire world was collapsing.

The lights burned steadily through the night.

Inside, Bai You was enduring a difficult labor, teetering on the brink between life and death.

By the time Qin Dian received word again and rushed to the hospital that night, Zhou Zhifan was kneeling before the delivery room door, his head bowed low in repentance.

Qin Dian strode up in her high heels and delivered a sharp kick to his shoulder.

“You bastard! Do you even know what you should touch and what you shouldn’t?!”

The kick sent Zhou Zhifan sprawling to the floor, but he scrambled upright again in a hurry.

“I… I…”

“You know how to kneel now? Back when you were messing around with those things, did you spare a thought for her—or for the child in her belly?”

“Taking her money to chase after the exact vices she despises most—how do you have the nerve?”

Qin Dian’s emotions churned violently as she glared down at him.

“If anything happens to Bai You, don’t think you’ll make it through the night.”

Zhou Zhifan kept his eyes fixed on the ground, not daring to utter a word. He remained on his knees, hands resting on them.

The delivery room door stayed firmly shut, leaving everyone in the dark about the situation inside or Bai You’s condition. Qin Dian’s heart hung in suspense, like a blade poised above it, ready to drop at any moment.

Lu Ming hurried up from behind and steadied Qin Dian.

She braced one hand against the wall, staring at its stark white surface as she gradually reined in her ragged breathing. Even then, her hands trembled with anxiety.

Bai You’s life hung in the balance within the delivery room.

Outside, Qin Dian wept helplessly, her eyes red and swollen.

After what felt like an eternity, the doctor finally emerged.

Qin Dian hurried forward to ask about Bai You’s condition.

“Doctor, how is she?”

The doctor clutched a clipboard. “The mother’s not doing well. Are you family?”

“I…” Qin Dian’s voice quavered. “I’m her friend.”

The doctor reminded her, “Please have a family member come to sign.”