After the divorce, my ex-husband and son lined up to pursue me.

Chapter 13 No Second Child
The Rolls-Royce sped through the neon lights, the air pressure inside the car so low it was suffocating.

Jiang Xia's wrist was gripped so tightly by Ruan Muhuai that it hurt. She turned her face away from him, but her eyes caught sight of a tiny bloodstain on his chin.

Those were the marks left by her fingernails when she struggled, starkly visible on his pale skin, like an abrupt wound that severed the last vestige of decency between them.

"Let go," Jiang Xia said angrily, but his voice revealed a hint of unspeakable exhaustion.

Ruan Muhuai ignored him and coldly uttered three words: "Give it here."

Although he spoke very politely, he had already forcibly reached out with his other hand and snatched her bag.

Jiang Xia tried to shrink back, but he was pressed down on the shoulder and couldn't move.

The bag strap slipped off her arm, the medicine bottle fell onto the leather seat, and rolled to Ruan Muhuai's feet.

He picked up the medicine bottle, glanced at the label, and his expression changed instantly—

"Compound levonorgestrel tablets?"

Jiangxia's breath hitched.

The medication prescribed by the hospital could easily expose her condition. She was worried that if Teacher Yan and Xu Fei found out, they would dissuade her from taking on the project. She had worked so hard to get this opportunity, how could she give it up just because of her illness!
So I just randomly switched to another medicine bottle and forgot to remove the label.

I never expected it to be something I'd been taking all along...

"What kind of medicine is this?" Ruan Muhuai laughed angrily, but knowing full well that he had asked, he turned his head and lifted Jiang Xia's chin with two fingers: "Hmm? I don't quite understand, can you explain it to me?"

"..."

Jiang Xia held her breath and also raised her hand to push his fingers away.

The cramped space inside the car left her nowhere to hide, so she reached out to grab the medicine bottle back, saying casually, "Never mind if you don't understand..."

He couldn't snatch the medicine bottle; instead, Ruan Muhuai easily grabbed his hands. "How can we let this go? My wife has been using contraception, and she's been doing it behind my back..."

Without finishing his ambiguous remarks, Ruan Muhuai pulled his hand out of the car window, rolled down the window, and tossed the bottle of medicine out.

Jiang Xia was startled and then shocked. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already struggling to lunge towards the car window: "What are you doing! Give me back my medicine!"

"What do you need the medicine for?" Ruan Muhuai grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to his side. Then, remembering that Jiang Xia had already taken a few pills, he sneered and pinched her chin. "What? You're in such a hurry to take the medicine because you think I'll sleep with you as soon as we get home?"

Jiangxia felt a tightness in his chest, and his thoughts became chaotic.

Ruan Muhuai narrowed his eyes. He and Jiang Xia had been together for many years, and it was indeed time for them to reach the seven-year itch.

For the past six months or so, the two have continued to have sex as usual, but the passion has long since faded.

It's just a matter of what's needed to achieve victory.

But Jiang Xia was always obedient and well-behaved. She took care of everything at home, big and small, and looked after her son very well. Even when there were conflicts between her and her mother-in-law or sisters-in-law, she always endured them alone and never said anything to him.

Therefore, Ruan Muhuai really couldn't understand what was wrong with her brain, why she suddenly wanted a divorce.

It's like having a well-behaved little white rabbit by your side, always compliant and submissive, but suddenly it changes its nature and bites you... It's not like you should just throw the little rabbit away because of this, but Ruan Muhuai doesn't want to know what's going on.

I don't have the time or energy for that. Let's just say she's being temperamental; it'll add a little spice to life.

"You're overthinking it," Ruan Muhuai said coldly, then looked away and pushed her away.

She's not a celestial being. Even if she were a delicacy, he would have gotten tired of eating her after seven years. If he didn't find other women unclean, how could he have had only her as his woman for so many years?
But just then, Ruan Muhuai suddenly remembered his mother's nagging and added, "Stop taking that medicine and have a second child."

Otherwise, my mom would always nag, "So-and-so's family has had another baby. It's not like our Ruan family can't afford to raise one. Why do we only have one child, Chaochao?"
"To add people to the family! Otherwise, what's the point of you getting a wife? What does Jiangxia have? Nothing, and she's a woman who can't do anything! What's the point of keeping her around if she's not going to have children?"

"Her belly's been empty for six or seven years! If you don't load her up, are you just going to keep her at home eating for free?!"

"Have children! Second, third, fourth... she has to keep having children for our family!"

His mother's soft, gentle voice sounded like a cacophony in Ruan Muhuai's mind, so noisy that he grabbed his cigarette case.

Jiang Xia managed to avoid him a little, but she couldn't escape the car. The cramped air made her feel suffocated, and her chest felt like it was filled with a cloud of resentment, making it hard for her to breathe.

"A second child?" she managed to say, her voice hoarse, but her bitter smile was incredibly piercing: "Don't even think about it! I'm not a breeding machine. If you want a second child, go find someone else to have one!"

She regretted giving birth to Chaochao so much!

An uncontrollable husband, an ungrateful son—she failed at everything in her marriage, resulting in a complete disaster…

"Jiang Xia." Ruan Muhuai put down the cigarette case in his hand, but his voice also revealed anger.

"We're divorced, you..." Jiang Xia didn't finish her sentence before the car stopped.

The driver lowered the partition with trepidation and said very cautiously, "Um, sir and madam, we've arrived."

Ruan Muhuai stared coldly at Jiang Xia, his gaze never wavering. He casually hummed in response, then opened the door, got out of the car, and almost rudely grabbed Jiang Xia's arm, dragging her into the villa.

"Sir...Madam?"

Aunt Chen ran out upon hearing the noise, and upon seeing Jiang Xia being dragged in by Ruan Muhuai, her eyes lit up with joy. She eagerly stepped forward, saying, "Madam, you're finally back! The young master has been..."

"go out."

Ruan Muhuai's two cold words were still low and slow, yet they carried an undeniable pressure.

Aunt Chen stopped speaking, looked at him in surprise, and tried to smooth things over by saying, "Sir, please don't be angry. You can talk to your wife about it. She's not unreasonable..."

"I'm telling you to get out."

Ruan Muhuai's voice became slightly deeper.

Aunt Chen was at a loss. She could only wink at Jiang Xia, signaling her not to argue with Ruan Muhuai and hurt their relationship, before hurriedly returning to her room.

With no one else in the spacious living room, Ruan Muhuai took off his coat and threw it onto the sofa. His cufflinks hit the armrest with a jarring 'bang,' like a death fuse that instantly chilled the atmosphere to freezing point!
"No second child..."

Ruan Muhuai calmly repeated Jiang Xia's meaning, but his voice was cold and deep, carrying a biting sarcasm: "If you don't want to have any more children for me, then who do you want to have them for? That guy surnamed Song?"

"So, did I ruin your good time tonight?"

(End of this chapter)