After divorcing the mute girl, President Gu knelt down and begged for reconciliation.

Chapter 18 Self-indulgent
Before, he only had eyes for her, but now, he has eyes for another woman.

Song Jin'an stared intently at him, even feeling as if Gu Xijue's body had been replaced by a different soul.

How could he possibly speak up for me?

Gu Xijue sneered, pulling Song Jin'an back to reality: "Don't flatter yourself. As long as you occupy the position of Mrs. Gu, you'll only bring shame to the Gu family."

Song Jin'an was awakened by his words and took all the sarcastic remarks to heart.

Yes, she was an illegitimate child who was not worthy of being presented to the public. She was raised by servants who were considered inferior. She should not have been born into the Gu family as a daughter-in-law. She was only fit to kneel to the side and carry shoes for them, the upper class.

There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart. Song Jin'an wrote words on a piece of paper and held it up so that Gu Xijue could see them.

—Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce on the day I'm discharged from the hospital. You let me go, and I'll let you go.

Gu Xijue glanced at her coldly and said in a deep voice, "Song Jin'an, what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for! Who was it that lay naked in my bed back then?"

He has never been very patient and would never allow a mute person to defecate or urinate on his head!
Song Jin'an didn't understand. Wasn't it him who wanted a divorce? Now that she had let go, why was he unwilling? Her throat tightened, she looked straight at him, and then wrote down a line.

—Isn't divorce what you've always wanted?
Gu Xijue frowned deeply, and looking into her calm, lifeless eyes, a surge of anger instantly rose within him. He shouted, "Song Jin'an!"

She listened to his voice, filled with gritted teeth: "When this shameful marriage ends is my decision, and you have no right to decide!"

Song Jin'an clenched her palms tightly, knowing what he meant.

He wanted to crush her last shred of dignity under his feet. Song Jin'an smiled bitterly, her emotions surprisingly calm.

If time could be turned back, she might have jumped after her father before he did, and perhaps she wouldn't be in so much pain now.

She remained silent, offering no further explanation, knowing that this marriage was not one she could end at will.

Gu Xijue looked at her with her eyes downcast, looking as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind, and sneered again: "Don't think that you can soften my heart by showing this kind of appearance. You are not worthy."

Song Jin'an could feel the chill emanating from Gu Xijue, and his eyes were filled with intense violence.

At this moment, even though he wouldn't lay a hand on her, he was enough to fill her with fear.

"Hasn't she come back? I'm stepping down to let you two be together, aren't you happy?"
— Su Ruoya started causing trouble for me as soon as she got back, just so I would be smart enough to give up the position of Mrs. Gu. I know you think so too, and I know you have been resenting me. Now that she is back, I can leave!
Song Jin'an didn't want to be so hysterical, nor did she want to keep getting entangled with the two of them; she was truly exhausted.

She didn't want to appear so lowly, and every time she woke up in the middle of the night, she would dream about how Liu Qin drugged her and put her on Gu Xijue's bed, and she would suddenly wake up from her dream.

Actually, she was the victim, something she didn't want to talk about.

But her scars are repeatedly rubbed and scorned by groups of people, and she doesn't even have the right to defend herself.

Really, I'm so tired.

She didn't want to live in someone else's shadow anymore.

A few seconds later, Gu Xijue raised his gloomy face: "As long as I don't free you, you can forget about leaving the Gu family!"

"Even if you die, you must die in the Gu family and be buried in the Gu family's ancestral grave!"

Gu Xijue knew what words could make her wish she were dead, so after saying them, he turned and left the ward.

Song Jin'an was left alone in the ward. She sat on the bed, her knuckles, which were pale and bluish, as she held the pen. She didn't understand, she really didn't understand.

The person he loves has returned, so why does he still want to keep her trapped in the Gu family's cage, humiliating and wasting her time?
……

Song Jin'an spent another two months in the hospital to protect her pregnancy, and during those two months, the doctor ordered her not to even get out of bed.

She was discharged from the hospital only after the expert consultation concluded and it was announced that she was able to get out of bed and walk and resume a normal life.

She appeared once again at the villa that Gu Xijue had purchased, with her five-month pregnant belly.

Song Jin'an didn't dare tell Grandpa Gu about the near miscarriage, fearing that he would worry and become so angry that he might do something wrong.

Fortunately, during the two months that Song Jin'an was hospitalized to protect her pregnancy, the old man did not mention that she should go back to the old house for a visit. His health was deteriorating day by day, and he was afraid that his illness would pass on to the Gu family's great-grandchildren.

Once the old man's health improved a bit, he asked Song Jin'an to come back again, as he was eager to see him.

However, the first person Song Jin'an saw upon returning to the Gu family's old house was not the old man, but her father-in-law, Gu Donglin.

"Young mistress, the master is waiting for you in the study."

Song Jin'an didn't expect it to be her father-in-law who was looking for her. In the years since she married into the family, she had never spoken to Gu Donglin alone, and they had hardly ever spoken.

Inside the study, Gu Donglin was reviewing Gu's documents when he heard the butler outside say that the young mistress had arrived, so he said, "Come in."

After Song Jin'an entered the study, she stood silently to one side until Gu Donglin looked up and glanced at her belly, which was no longer concealed by her clothes.

That's when a touch of warmth appeared: "Standing is tiring, sit down."

His voice was somewhat serious, but Song Jin'an still had the foresight to watch him sit down before she sat down herself.

Gu Donglin looked at her and, without beating around the bush, asked directly, "Have you found out if it's a boy or a girl?"

Song Jin'an was stunned. She hadn't expected that this matter had reached his ears. Just as she lowered her head to type it into her phone...

Gu Donglin waved his hand and said coldly, "We can find out the gender even without a blood test after five months. This is not a discussion, but an order. If the test shows it's a girl, our Gu family will not treat you unfairly. When you take her away, we will give you a substantial child support payment."

Song Jin'an wasn't surprised by what he said. She simply reached out and stroked her lower abdomen, biting her lip lightly, and typed on her phone screen: "Does the Gu family really not tolerate their daughter?"

Gu Donglin glanced at her coldly: "You're mute, so the probability of you giving birth to a mute daughter is much higher than that of a son. Our Gu family can't afford to lose face any longer!"

Song Jin'an's face turned pale, and she gripped her phone tightly.

Gu Donglin's voice reached her ears again: "I can allow the Gu family to have one mute person, but I will never allow another one. If this child is a son, then you have the opportunity to stay in the Gu family and continue to live. But if you give birth to a daughter, you can either choose to have an abortion or leave the Gu family!"

Song Jin'an's palms were sweating, her body stiffened, and she suddenly stood up and left the study without a word.

Only a bang remained—her silent protest!
Just as she was going downstairs, she saw Mrs. Gu sitting on the first floor drinking tea, with Su Ruoya sitting next to her.

"You're still so thoughtful. If you were by my side during the Western Conference Finals, I wouldn't be so worried."

(End of this chapter)