Ye Ran chose silence.
She quickly pulled her hand back and took two steps away. As if afraid someone might misunderstand, she deliberately kept a certain distance from Nanchen.
A trace of displeasure flickered in Nanchen’s eyes. He took a sharp breath, raised his hand, and lit a cigarette with a lighter.
He knew exactly what kind of person Ye Ran was: she thought of everyone else first and always put herself last. Although he didn’t know the ins and outs of her marriage to Lu Linshen, he had seen it clearly for a long time.
Ye Ran loved Lu Linshen.
In an extraordinary, deep, and profound way.
There had always been an unbridgeable chasm between them, which predestined this unrequited love to end in tragedy.
But regarding matters of the heart, Nanchen couldn't offer any advice. He could only watch as she inevitably hit the wall and gave up, but how much hurt would she endure during that process?
Nanchen closed his eyes, thinking this conversation would end in nothing, just as he was about to speak, he heard Ye Ran muster the courage to say, "I’m pregnant."
"Lu Linshen doesn’t know yet, but he won’t want this child, so I don’t intend to tell him."
It turned out that when a monumental event was finally blurted out, it didn't seem like much after all.
Ye Ran exhaled in relief, turned around, and looked up at the bustling skyscrapers. The outlines of various blended lights made her fair, lovely face even more beautiful, and those soft, pretty eyes shone like stars, looking breathtakingly stunning.
Nanchen watched her, his Adam’s apple bobbing involuntarily, and he was instantly unable to look away.
"I’m going back to work at the hospital. I’ve already completed the onboarding process. This opportunity is very rare, and I won’t miss it or give it up again."
"As for Lu Linshen and me..."
Ye Ran paused, a hint of imperceptible sorrow dyeing her beautiful eyes. With a light sigh, she added, "I’m preparing to divorce him, and I’ve already moved out of Liyuan."
Unrequited love never had a good outcome, especially when the person you loved was Lu Linshen.
For three years, she had suffered enough.
She didn’t want to taste the bitterness of such feelings anymore.
Nanchen finally collected himself and realized what she had just said. He hurriedly stepped forward, his expression grave. "Divorce is the right choice—cutting your losses in time. But this child... do you intend to hide it from Lu Linshen and raise it alone?"
"The child is innocent, and it’s a piece of me. I don’t want others to vent their anger on my child."
Ye Ran’s soft eyes were filled with determination. "I will give birth to the child and raise them well."
Nanchen crushed his cigarette and blurted out three words without hesitation: "I’ll help you."
Ye Ran was stunned. Before she could understand what he meant, she heard Nanchen add, "I’ll take care of you and the child."
Ye Ran hesitated for a few seconds, then curled her lips into a smile.
She shook her head slightly, raised a hand to block Nanchen from coming any closer, and explained, "No need. I have a job now, so I can maintain a stable income. I can manage to raise a child."
Although the salary wouldn’t be high and life might be frugal, she was still young. She would work hard for herself, her baby, and her mother, and life would only get better.
Ye Ran didn’t like to complicate things; she preferred to take things one step at a time. Determination and perseverance were enough.
"Ranran, raising a child isn't that simple. You..."
Not letting Nanchen continue, Ye Ran insisted on interrupting, "I know you mean well, but I really can do it on my own."
"It’s getting late, Nanchen. Go take Su Ying to the hospital."
Ye Ran smiled, took off the coat and returned it to Nanchen, then stepped past him and walked down the street.
She was completely unaware that Nanchen stood there for a long time watching her retreating figure, his eyes dark and gloomy, and he didn’t look away even when Su Ying approached him.
Naturally, he also didn’t notice a Porsche parked by the side of the road, where Tang Yiyi was staring at Nanchen with resentment through the lowered window.
Her eyes shifted to the distant figure of Ye Ran.
That bitch was actually pregnant.
And with Lu Linshen’s flesh and blood, no less.
Wouldn't this make for a good show?
Tang Yiyi curled her lips in a cold sneer and sent the two photos she had just taken to Lu Lingshuang.
As expected, a call came through quickly.
"Sister Yiyi, you ran into Ye Ran? There was a man with her? What’s going on?"
Hearing the voice on the phone, Tang Yiyi smiled coquettishly, looked down to fiddle with her nude-colored manicure, and spoke in a soft, gentle tone: "Who knows? I just happened to be driving by."
"Unbelievable! The bitch already has my brother, yet she dares to flirt with other men? Who gave her the nerve? I think she’s really itching for a lesson!"
Lu Lingshuang’s arrogant streak was laced with savage sharpness.
Having achieved her goal, Tang Yiyi signaled the driver to move on and spoke soothingly into the phone: "Lingshuang, how can you talk like that? She is your sister-in-law after all, don’t be so disrespectful."
"She doesn't deserve it!" Lu Lingshuang gritted her teeth, brimming with absolute hatred.
After hanging up, the irrepressible Miss Lu picked a supercar from the garage and headed straight for Liyuan.
The villa, which was usually brightly lit, was pitch black at this moment.
Because Lu Linshen did not like strangers in his home, the servants at the old family estate were all long-time employees who had been there for decades. After he married and moved to Liyuan, he hadn't arranged for any housekeepers or staff.
Furthermore, after the car accident, Lu Linshen’s condition had been critical.
As the only designated heir to the Lu Group and a core figure in the spotlight, outside speculation was rampant. His health could cause widespread panic and market instability, so Ye Ran had agreed that no outsiders should be arranged in the home.
She had done everything herself, caring for and accompanying him.
For two years, Ye Ran had happily accompanied Lu Linshen through his darkest, most helpless, and most painful days.
Now that things had changed, Lu Lingshuang turned on the lights only to find no trace of Ye Ran upstairs or downstairs.
"What time is it? Where the hell did that bitch go?"
The young Miss Lu grumbled in dissatisfaction. Just as she was about to leave, she caught sight of the slightly ajar door to the walk-in closet. She walked over and pushed it open, only to find that all the female clothing was gone.
What was going on?
With growing suspicion, Lu Lingshuang searched more carefully and discovered that all of Ye Ran’s belongings had disappeared.
The villa was so clean, inside and out, that not a single hair could be found.
It was as if Ye Ran had never lived there at all.
"Did she find a new host and pack up and leave?"
Lu Lingshuang muttered to herself in confusion, then suddenly paused and changed her tune: "No! That bitch’s mother isn't dead yet; she hasn't sucked enough money from the Lu Family, so how could she be willing to leave?"
She must be using some clumsy tactic to play hard-to-get with her brother!
How cheap!
Lu Lingshuang was fuming with rage. She immediately dialed a number, wanting to have someone find out where Ye Ran was, but then she had a second thought: why not play along and use this trick to teach that bitch a real lesson?
"Ye Ran, it’s not going to be that easy to crawl out of my family’s house. Just wait and see how I strip the skin off you!"
Lu Lingshuang narrowed her eyes, filled with malice, her expression one of arrogant certainty.