1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 196 avenged the baby in the most brutal way.

Zhang Xiaoqian was also injured, and the two were taken to the hospital together.

When Gu Bin arrived at the hospital, he was furious and barely managed to restrain himself from strangling her on the spot.

Zhang Xiaoqian drank alcohol before driving and tried to get away with driving under the influence.

Gu Bin insisted on filing a lawsuit, but things didn't go as planned.

Zhang Xiaoqian's mother publicly presented a hospital certificate in court, stating that her daughter suffers from schizophrenia.

The cause of her illness is related to her father's death. Before going to the United States, Zhang Xiaoqian was traumatized by her father's death, which led to her mental breakdown.

The mother and daughter thought that they could escape punishment by using mental illness as an excuse, but God would not let them off so easily.

Before Gu Bin could even make a move, some people couldn't wait any longer and preemptively struck.

The court acquitted them and released them. The mother and daughter wanted to take a plane to leave Shanghai.

The night before returning to the United States, Wang Fan saw Zhang Xiaoqian drowning her sorrows in a bar. He used this as a pretext to distract Liu Rushi, who was seeing her off, and told her the truth about her father's death.

“You shouldn’t have saved Gu Bin. He was the one who sent your father to hell with his own hands, and you saved your father’s killer.”

He whispered in her ear, seemingly flirting with her, but in reality, he uttered the cruelest words.

Zhang Xiaoqian only realized at this moment that her father's death was related to Gu Bin.

Unable to accept the cruel reality, she suffered another mental breakdown under the influence of alcohol, rushed out of the bar, and ran into the middle of the road.

On another night of torrential rain, a speeding car struck and sent him flying.

Wang Fan watched all this coldly, showing no intention of saving anyone. After the ambulance arrived, he turned and left indifferently.

Zhang Xiaoqian succumbed to her injuries.

Her mother believed that Gu Bin had killed her daughter and went on a crazy quest for revenge.

Gu Bin did not dodge when the knife was thrust at him, and took the blow head-on.

He avenged his unborn baby in this brutal way.

Zhang Xiaoqian's mother was arrested and imprisoned for intentional homicide and was punished by law.

Both mother and daughter paid the price for their actions, and this ill-fated relationship that began with the emperor's bed came to an end.

On New Year's Eve of the Year of the Rabbit, a pair of star-crossed lovers spent the night in a hospital ward.

To avoid worrying their loved ones, they didn't tell anyone; the only ones who knew the truth were Wu Meng and her brother.

And, there's another person who has been secretly caring for Lin Xiyu all along.

-

Hospital, ward.

“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. If you keep dragging this on, your health will collapse.”

"I'm not that delicate. The doctor said everything will be fine after the D&C, so don't worry about me anymore. Take care of yourself."

Gu Bin underwent surgery and is out of danger. Lin Xiyu stayed by his bedside, taking care of him without changing her clothes, and refused to leave no matter how he tried to persuade her.

"You're punishing me."

Gu Bin smiled wryly, "I didn't take good care of you and your son."

"It's a punishment for you."

Lin Xiyu poked his wound with her finger: "Let's see if you dare to joke with your life again."

"hiss."

Gu Bin gasped in pain: "I won't feel at ease until I send that woman to prison. I'm afraid she'll come back and hurt you again."

"Then you don't need to risk your life to do it, do you?"

Lin Xiyu's eyes reddened; the thought of him being stabbed in the abdomen and unconscious made her heart ache.

"This is the fastest and most effective method."

Gu Bin raised his arm and gently and affectionately stroked her face.

"I'll let you off this time."

Lin Xiyu softened and couldn't bear to be harsher anymore: "But you must promise me that before your body is fully recovered, you can't work as hard as before, staying up all night for a case."

"Okay, I promise you."

Gu Bin's eyes were gentle: "Once I finish the cases I'm working on, I'll take a break and stay home with you."

"Dudu."

As he was speaking, his phone vibrated slightly; the caller ID showed a law firm's number.

"Who?"

Lin Xiyu frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in her expression: "Calling the hospital at this time."

"I'll pick it up."

Gu Bin took the phone, pressed the answer button, and the law firm director's slightly apologetic voice came through the receiver: "Xiao Gu, I have some bad news for you."

Lin Xiyu sensed something was wrong, and her mood sank to the bottom.

-

Zhang Xiaoqian hit someone with her car, and after the person died, her mother sought revenge. The incident escalated, and the identities and backgrounds of the parties involved were exposed. Five years ago, Gu Bin's mother's corruption and bribery were also revealed.

The head of the law firm made it clear on the phone that some clients had heard the news and requested to replace their lawyers. He also subtly indicated that he could take a longer break and that the time when he could take on cases again was yet to be determined.

"Fine, if you don't want me to do it, that's fine. I don't want you to go back to that law firm anyway."

Seeing that Gu Bin was in low spirits, Lin Xiyu hugged him with heartache.

"It's ok."

Gu Bin tried his best to hide his grief and indignation, and instead comforted himself: "Before I returned to China, I thought that this kind of thing might happen. After all, the national conditions in China are different from those abroad. The crime of being the son of a corrupt official is a shackle that I can't get rid of, and I will be bound by it for the rest of my life."

"This is why my grandparents forced my older brother and me to sever ties with our mother. They had lived a whole life and knew better than us how bad the impact could be. It was my own choice to take the most difficult path."

"I don't blame anyone. The only person I feel guilty towards is you. Even knowing it would drag you down, and even our child, I still selfishly wanted to have you and didn't want to let you go."

-

I'm not afraid of being implicated.

Lin Xiyu's gaze was resolute: "Even if everyone misunderstands you, I will firmly support you. At worst, I will resign and stop being a teacher. We can start our own business together."

"Didn't you want to be a teacher since you were little?"

Gu Bin gently stroked her hair, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes: "Give up so easily, can you really bear to?"

"For you, there's nothing I can't give up."

Lin Xiyu revealed her true feelings: "Five years ago, you carried everything on your own. I was unable to share your burden, and I have been feeling very sad ever since."

“This time it’s different. I want to face the difficulties with you and share the responsibilities. You have to remember that I am your wife and the mother of your future children. You can no longer hide anything from me, and you can no longer abandon me and irresponsibly walk away.”

"No, never again."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Gu Bin hugged her tightly: "I will never leave you again. Even if you chase me away, I will not leave. I will stick with you for the rest of my life and I will never let go."

"You said it, don't regret it."

Lin Xiyu was pleased to hear this, but she didn't let him off the hook: "If you dare to use the excuse of doing it for my own good and leave without a word again, I'll never talk to you again. The moment you leave, I'll find someone else to marry. I'm in high demand; plenty of people want to marry me."

"Besides me, who else would you like to marry?"

Gu Bin's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Why are you being so fierce?

Lin Xiyu deliberately made a scene to ease his grief: "I'm not like you, with a bunch of confidantes and saviors, who got entangled with certain people as soon as they returned to the country, working for them under the guise of repaying their debts."

"I really didn't do this to repay a debt of gratitude."

Gu Bin sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "If she weren't a lawyer and had opened a law firm, I wouldn't have any connection with her at all."

"But she happens to be a lawyer."

Lin Xiyu wouldn't budge: "She's your senior, your boss. You two see each other all the time, I don't believe there's not a hint of something between you." "I swear, I swear, okay?"

Gu Bin's lips curled into a bitter smile as he resolutely revealed his true feelings: "Actually, before I was injured, I had thought that Zhang Xiaoqian's drunken outburst was inextricably linked to Liu Rushi. There was a high probability that she had instigated it, but the evidence was insufficient to bring her to justice."

"I felt that the woman was hostile towards me."

Lin Xiyu felt another pang of pain in her heart when she thought of the miscarried fetus: "She likes you, and that strong possessiveness can't be hidden. She's more insidious and more terrifying than Zhang Xiaoqian."

"I won't let her hurt you again."

An indescribable sense of frustration flashed in Gu Bin's eyes.

"If the lawyer doesn't want to do it, then so be it."

Lin Xiyu genuinely didn't want to have anything to do with Liu Rushi anymore: "It's fine to be an idle person with nothing to do; I'll support you."

"hehe."

Upon hearing the last four words, Gu Bin's grief and indignation vanished instantly.

"why are you laughing?"

Lin Xiyu glared at him: "Are you looking down on me? Do you think I'm incompetent and can't afford to support you?"

"No."

Gu Bin stopped laughing and said seriously, "Wife, please don't think that way. Actually, I'm easy to take care of. I don't eat much and I can stay home and watch the house. As long as you don't mind that I'm a kept man, that's fine."

"You really think of yourself as a pet?"

Lin Xiyu was amused by the words "guarding the door" and subconsciously thought of her cousin's dog.

"As long as my wife is happy."

Gu Bin could easily coax someone with words like, "I'm willing to be your pet for life."

Lin Xiyu laughed in exasperation: "Your wound doesn't hurt anymore, huh? You're getting cocky now that I'm calling you fat."

"I really am."

Gu Bin wanted to express his sincerity and say a few more emotional words when the ward door creaked open from the outside.

Wu Meng and her brother Zhao Yuncheng came running in, each carrying two large plastic bags full of food, panting heavily.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. The feast is here, and the New Year's Eve dinner can begin."

"Mengmeng, thank you for your hard work."

Lin Xiyu immediately shifted her attention, smiled, and stepped forward to take the plastic bag from Wu Meng's hand.

"smell good!"

The disposable lunchbox was opened, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. Wu Meng sniffed with delight: "The food made by a chef from a five-star hotel just doesn't taste the same."

"Where did you two order your New Year's Eve dinner from?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "A five-star hotel? You two are really extravagant. How much did this cost?"

No, that's not true.

Wu Meng's eyes darted around, a little guilty: "Actually, it doesn't cost much. Food at a big hotel isn't as expensive as you think."

"How much money do you two even make?"

Lin Xiyu didn't believe it: "This meal cost half a month's salary."

"It's not that bad."

Wu Meng chuckled, not revealing that the meal was actually sponsored by a big shot, and she and her brother didn't spend a penny.

"Sister Xiyu, don't worry about the money."

Zhao Yuncheng was more eloquent and knew how to handle things than his cousin: "You and Brother Bin both need nourishment, so it's only right that my sister and I spend some money to treat you to a good meal."

"How about I give you the money for the meal?"

Lin Xiyu's face was filled with gratitude: "You two didn't go home for the New Year and took care of us here. I already feel very bad about it. I can't let you spend any more money."

"You're being too polite."

Wu Meng pressed her hand down, preventing her from taking money from the drawer: "We're like family, talking about money with me will hurt our relationship."

"That's right, Sister Xiyu."

Zhao Yuncheng chimed in from the side: "I'm Brother Bin's assistant. I rely on Brother Bin for everything, from eating and drinking to using the restroom. Since Brother Bin is injured, it's my duty as his little brother to run errands and buy him food."

"Don't use such vulgar language, what do you mean by eating, drinking, and relieving yourself?"

Wu Meng rolled her eyes at him with disdain: "You always talk about poop and pee, it's so uncivilized."

Zhao Yuncheng protested with a bitter face, "I was just saying that, how is that uncivilized?"

"Alright, alright, it's Chinese New Year, stop acting like an older cousin and scolding your younger brother."

Once the two distracted her, Lin Xiyu lost interest in arguing with them about the expenses.

"Hehe, Sister Xiyu is so great!"

Zhao Yuncheng flattered him shamelessly: "Unlike my cousin, who has disliked me since I was a child and always beats and scolds me."

"So what if I hit you? You dare to complain?"

Wu Meng started nagging him again: "If I hadn't brought you to Shanghai, you'd still be stuck in that poor mountain village. You wouldn't have the good life you have now."

"Cough cough."

Gu Bin suddenly coughed lightly twice, a hint of displeasure on his face.

"Sis, why are you bringing this up again?"

Zhao Yuncheng felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about his initial purpose for coming to Shanghai.

"Oh, I misspoke."

Wu Meng regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, and explained awkwardly, "It's all this brat's fault. He made me angry the moment he opened his mouth, and he made me confused."

"What are you talking about?"

Lin Xiyu didn't think much of it and was a little confused: "Why didn't I understand?"

Gu Bin's eyes turned cold: "Are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending?"

Lin Xiyu laughed in exasperation: "I didn't do anything wrong, what's there to pretend about?"

"You have such a bad memory."

Gu Bin didn't say anything and looked away.

"You"

Just as Lin Xiyu was about to tease him, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she suddenly understood.

The words "Why are you picking a fight during the New Year?" were about to slip out, but he swallowed them back.

"I remembered?"

Gu Bin's lips curled up slightly; without even looking at her expression, he could guess the source of her subtle change.

"The food at fancy hotels isn't that great either."

Lin Xiyu sniffed, pretending to be confused this time: "Did you put too much vinegar in? It's so sour."

"No way?"

Zhao Yuncheng, true to his role as a personal assistant, promptly took the blame for his boss: "How could a five-star chef make such a mistake? Could it be that we picked up the wrong food when we went to get it?"

"That's a lame excuse."

Wu Meng rolled her eyes at him again: "Who would believe that if I told them? You're trying to fool a fool."

"hey-hey."

Zhao Yuncheng chuckled awkwardly, touching his nose, and then remained silent.

"Boom."

A deafening sound of firecrackers rang out outside the window, and several fireworks shot into the sky, exploding in the night sky, their dazzling colors illuminating everyone's eyes.