A hidden dagger is hard to guard against; a wealthy tycoon commits adultery during his marriage!

After leaving the Xiao family in utter despair, Yan Xiaonian rented a tiny apartment in a desolate corner of the city, where she licked her wounds in solitude. The room was dim and damp, with only a small window allowing a few stray beams of light to illuminate her increasingly gaunt frame. Her eyes were hollow, the former vitality and spirit she possessed consumed by endless sorrow, leaving her a mere shell of her former self. Yet, the child in her womb became the only flicker of light that sustained her in the darkness; whenever she gently stroked her abdomen, a trace of warmth would flash in her eyes.

Su Yao, upon discovering that Yan Xiaonian was pregnant, felt jealousy and a sense of impending crisis slither through her heart like a viper. She would never allow this child to become an obstacle to her own ascent. Thus, a meticulously planned conspiracy began to unfold.

Su Yao bribed thugs near Yan Xiaonian's apartment to learn her daily routine. Learning one day that Yan Xiaonian would be going to the hospital for a prenatal check-up, she made the necessary arrangements in advance. Just as Yan Xiaonian stumbled out of the hospital gates, clutching her medical report and wearing a faint, fragile smile of burgeoning motherhood, a van screeched to a halt beside her. The door flew open, and two menacing men jumped out, grabbing her without a word.

Terrified, Yan Xiaonian struggled desperately. "What are you doing? Help!" Her cries were swallowed by the bustling street noise.

Ignoring her resistance, the men dragged her into the vehicle. In her panic, Yan Xiaonian noticed a tattoo on one of their sleeves that matched the thugs she had seen loitering near her apartment, and she realized in an instant that this was no coincidence.

"Su Yao sent you, didn't she?" Yan Xiaonian demanded in a fury.

The men merely sneered, offering no reply as they shoved her into the van and sped away.

The vehicle stopped at an abandoned factory. As Yan Xiaonian was pushed out, barely able to keep her footing, Su Yao emerged from the shadows. Walking toward her with a triumphant, twisted smile, she said, "Yan Xiaonian, if there is one thing you shouldn't have done, it was to get pregnant with this child."

Protecting her stomach, Yan Xiaonian glared at her. "Su Yao, how could you? This is a life!"

Su Yao scoffed. "In my eyes, you and the mongrel in your belly are nothing but stumbling blocks." With a wave of her hand, a seedy-looking man appeared from the side, holding crude medical instruments—clearly an unlicensed back-alley practitioner.

"Get rid of the thing in her stomach, and make it quick!" Su Yao commanded viciously.

Yan Xiaonian turned pale with fright and kept retreating. "No, you can't do this!" But she was no match for their brute force and was soon pinned down.

Just as the illegal practitioner was about to begin, Yan Xiaonian, fueled by a surge of adrenaline, broke free, grabbed a nearby iron rod, and swung it wildly. "I'll fight you to the death!" In the ensuing chaos, she spotted an opening and bolted toward the factory gate.

Seeing this, Su Yao shrieked in frustration, "Chase her! Don't let her get away!" But relying on her familiarity with the surrounding terrain, Yan Xiaonian took several turns and finally managed to shake off her pursuers.

Tattered and tear-stained, she returned to her apartment, physically and mentally exhausted, collapsing onto the floor. As blood began to seep slowly down her legs, she realized in horror that the child might not be saved. "My baby..." she wailed in despair, her wretched cries echoing through the small space as if trying to tear a rift through the dark world.

Meanwhile, Xiao Sheng happened to learn from a private investigator that Yan Xiaonian was pregnant and had gone missing. He was shaken, and his trust in Su Yao developed its first crack. He began searching for her everywhere, but in the vast sea of people, could he find her in time? And if he did, how could he face the wreckage of it all? Guilt and regret began to drown him like a rising tide.

Yan Xiaonian lost consciousness in a pool of blood. She did not know how much time had passed before a cacophony of noise awakened her. In a daze, she felt herself being lifted onto a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. Sirens wailed, but it all felt as if viewed through a thick fog—so surreal.

When she finally regained consciousness, she was in the sterile, white room of a hospital. The smell of disinfectant was pungent, and the rhythmic beeping of monitors was monotonous and heavy, each sound seemingly striking at her shattered heart. She instinctively reached for her abdomen, but felt only a flat surface. In that moment, her eyes went blank, as if her soul had been ripped away.

"My baby..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, her cracked lips trembling as tears flowed uncontrollably, soaking the pillow.

Just then, a nurse walked in. Seeing that she was awake, a glimmer of pity crossed the nurse's eyes. "Dear, don't be too sad; your health is what matters." Yan Xiaonian seemed not to hear, merely murmuring "the baby" over and over.

The nurse sighed and placed a cup of warm water by the bedside. "When you were brought in, you were hemorrhaging severely. We couldn't save the baby. You need to pull yourself together and focus on your recovery." Yan Xiaonian suddenly grabbed the nurse's hand, her nails digging into the skin, and stared wide-eyed as she demanded, "Why didn't you save my baby? Why?" The nurse looked troubled. "We did everything we could, but by the time you were brought in..."

Yan Xiaonian broke down in agonizing sobs, the sound echoing through the hospital corridor. The sweetness of her past with Xiao Sheng and her dreams for the child now transformed into the sharpest of blades, slicing through her heart with every passing second.

Before long, the hospital room door was pushed open gently, and Xiao Sheng stood in the threshold, looking utterly haggard. Seeing Yan Xiaonian’s expression of total despair, his heart gave a painful tug, and he walked toward the bed with heavy steps.

"Xiaonian..." he whispered, his voice thick with guilt and self-reproach.

Hearing that familiar voice, Yan Xiaonian slowly raised her head, looking at him with hollow eyes as if he were a stranger. "What are you here for?" she asked coldly, every word sharp as shards of ice.

Xiao Sheng opened his mouth, but he knew not how to explain. Looking at Yan Xiaonian's pale face and dried tear tracks, he felt for the first time the true weight of the unforgivable mistake he had made.

"Xiaonian, I am sorry. I never imagined..." Xiao Sheng choked out.

Yan Xiaonian suddenly erupted into hysterical laughter. "Never imagined? You and that woman caused me to lose my child, and now you say you never imagined?" She laughed and cried simultaneously, her state bordering on madness.

Xiao Sheng reached out to take her hand, hoping to offer a sliver of comfort, but Yan Xiaonian jerked away. "Don't touch me! Get out!" Her eyes were filled with hatred; the love she once felt had been utterly eroded by this catastrophe.

Xiao Sheng stood frozen, staring at Yan Xiaonian, his heart filled with remorse. He knew that the chasm between them was now deeper than any abyss, and wondered if the happiness he had destroyed with his own hands could ever be reclaimed.