After everyone was reborn, I was strictly disciplined.

Xie Weiyao bent down and took the cane from Xie Xingran's hand. "Stay here and wait quietly."

His voice was calm and steady as he instructed, "I'll be back in a bit."

Upon hearing this childlike tone, Xie Xingran instantly exploded again, "My leg is broken like this, do you think I can run on air? Xie Weiyao, do you think I'm a three-year-old?!"

Xie Weiyao didn't reply, but just looked down at him for two seconds.

Her gaze swept over his puffed-up face and then over the phone in his hand, her meaningful look like a bottomless pool of water.

He then turned around and walked out of the private room.

As soon as Xie Weiyao left, the bathroom door was pushed open.

Bai Yueyue walked out, leaning against the door frame. Her eyes were red, and her gaze towards Xie Xingran was both resentful and sorrowful, her face full of grievance.

"you--"

She was about to speak when Xie Xingran's angry shout cut her off.

"Bai Yueyue, are you sick?!" Xie Xingran tried to sit up straight on the sofa, but the sudden movement aggravated his injured leg, causing him to gasp in pain. His anger, however, only intensified.

"Why were you making those noises in the bathroom?!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, pointing a finger at Bai Yueyue: "Do you even know Xie Weiyao is here? Are you trying to get me killed?!"

"I didn't!" Bai Yueyue took a few steps forward abruptly, tightly grasping Xie Xingran's hand, tears streaming down her face. "Xingran, I really didn't mean to hurt you. I was just... just afraid you would leave."

She choked back tears, her voice broken and fragmented: "I know you have to go back to the Xie family to recover from your injuries, and you'll be under Xie Weiyao's watchful eye... If I hadn't stopped you today, I would never have seen you again!"

Bai Yueyue lowered her eyes to look at her flat stomach, where a small life was hidden, her only bargaining chip to hold Xie Xingran.

She knew Xie Xingran's personality too well. He was impulsive and hated trouble. Once he returned to the Xie family, with Xie Weiyao keeping an eye on him, even if he thought of her, he would never risk being exposed by meeting her.

How will she survive these ten months all by herself?

"I'm really impressed."

Xie Xingran scratched her hair in frustration, making the stray hairs on her forehead messy.

Looking at Bai Yueyue's wailing and lamenting appearance, and recalling Xie Weiyao's gaze earlier, he felt a surge of anger welling up inside, unable to vent it.

He knew that if he didn't give a definite answer today, Bai Yueyue could cause trouble until Xie Weiyao returned, and then things would really be over.

He sighed heavily, softened his tone, and comforted her, "Alright, don't cry, Yueyue. I can marry you."

"Really?" Bai Yueyue looked up abruptly, tears still clinging to her face, but her eyes instantly lit up. "Xingran, you're not lying to me?"

"But not now." Xie Xingran immediately interrupted her, her gaze unconsciously drifting to her lower abdomen. "Look, we're all in such a mess right now. My leg is injured, and my family is keeping a close eye on us. This child... came at the wrong time."

As he spoke, he discreetly observed Bai Yueyue's expression.

The radiance on her face slowly faded, and her lips pressed into a pale line, but she didn't immediately react.

Xie Xingran breathed a sigh of relief, her tone softening slightly: "Let's get rid of this child first. Once I'm fully healed and have settled things at home, I'll marry you in a grand and proper ceremony. How does that sound?"

Bai Yueyue lowered her eyes to look at her flat stomach, remained silent for a moment, and then said softly, "But... this is also our child."

Her hand stroked her lower abdomen, as if she could touch the little life inside her, and her eyes welled up with tears again: "He's already inside me, a living, breathing life, how can I just throw it away?"

"Yueyue, I understand what you're thinking."

Suppressing his emotions, Xie Xingran tried to lean forward, but the cast on his leg was too uncomfortable, so he had to sit back down. "We'll definitely have another child in the future, there's no rush."

He looked up at Bai Yueyue, his gaze unusually focused. "I injured my leg. The doctor said it will take at least three months to remove the cast, and then I'll need rehabilitation. It won't heal anytime soon."

"What kind of spectacle is this, holding a wedding at a time like this? Am I supposed to go to pick up the bride in a wheelchair, making a laughingstock of the Xie family to everyone?"

He paused, reached out to hold Bai Yueyue's hand, and seeing that she didn't pull away, continued, "If we keep dragging this on, your belly will show sooner or later."

"Think about it, I haven't even officially married you yet, and you're already heavily pregnant. What will outsiders say about you? What will they say about the Xie family? Both our families' reputations will be ruined."

At this point, Xie Xingran's eyelashes suddenly trembled slightly, as if something had pierced his heart. He turned his face away, took a breath, and when he turned back, his eyes were already veiled with a faint tear, and even his voice was a few decibels lower and hoarse:

"Besides... I don't want him to be born with the stigma of being an illegitimate child like me."

He lowered his head slightly, his eyes reddening, the glistening tears making him look exceptionally vulnerable: "I've had enough of those gossips since I was a child; wherever I go, people point and whisper behind my back."

"They said I was a child who couldn't be brought into the light. I never want my children to experience that feeling again."

Bai Yueyue naturally knew Xie Xingran's background. Looking at her lover who was so fragile, Bai Yueyue's face showed heartache, and the determination in her eyes was gradually replaced by hesitation.

Xie Xingran is right; she can't let her child live in controversy from the moment he's born.

"Yueyue, wait for me a little longer."

Xie Xingran seized the opportunity to tighten his grip on her hand, his tone full of coaxing, "Once my leg is healed, I'll come to your house to propose marriage right away, and marry you in a grand and glorious way."

"Then let's have another child of our own, a legitimate one, okay?"

Weird.

Looking at Bai Yueyue's innocent face, Xie Xingran felt an undisguised sneer welling up inside him.

Wait until his leg heals? Wait until he marries this troublemaker?

That's simply a fantasy.

He had already planned it all out: as soon as the cast was removed and his leg could put weight on it, he would immediately buy the earliest flight to R country.

There was his residence permit, which he had obtained last year, and money hidden in his private account.

Over the years, the pocket money, birthday gifts, and various subsidies given to him by the Xie family have long since allowed him to accumulate enough capital to live a comfortable life.

Even if he runs out of money, he can still go find Silica.

The blonde beauty I met in college, whose eyes crinkle into crescents when she smiles, was holding a glass of red wine in our last video chat and said she would always wait for him.

Just thinking about Silica's warm embrace and the champagne in the sunshine made Xie Xingran's lips curl into a smile.

As for Bai Yueyue and the child in her belly?

He doesn't care!

Once he arrives abroad, he'll change his phone number and block all contact methods, ensuring that the Xie family and Bai Yueyue will never be able to find him again.

"Okay, Yueyue?" Xie Xingran coaxed deliberately.

He leaned forward and gently took Bai Yueyue's hand: "Once we're officially married, let's have two babies, preferably a boy and a girl."

"The boy looks like me, with handsome features; the girl looks like you, with fair skin."

"Then we'll move to a house with a yard, plant it full of your favorite hydrangeas in the spring, and roast sweet potatoes around the fireplace in the winter. Wouldn't that be wonderful for the four of us?"

Bai Yueyue half-squatted in front of him, her body as stiff as a sculpture.

She didn't answer, but kept her head down, her dark hair falling like a curtain, the warm yellow light shining on the top of her head, casting a blurry shadow.

Xie Xingran couldn't see her expression clearly, but could hear her soft, almost suppressed breathing.

Xie Xingran's patience was slowly eroded by this silence.

He released Bai Yueyue's hand, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together. His gaze quickly swept over the clock on the wall, the minutes ticking away at a steady pace.

Xie Weiyao will be back soon.

Xie Xingran's voice suddenly turned cold, a crack appearing in her gentle facade, revealing her urgency and impatience:

"Yueyue, stop being so temperamental. Time is really tight. Xie Weiyao will be back soon, and if he sees you here—"

He paused, then gave a firm order, "Leave here first, go to the hospital and get an abortion, okay? This is for our future."

"not good."

The two words, spoken with resounding force, abruptly broke the silence in the room.

Bai Yueyue suddenly raised her head, her loose hair being tossed behind her shoulder, revealing an unusually calm face.

Her eyes were still red, but the hysterical anger was gone, and even her usual ingratiating gentleness had vanished.

It was a deathly stillness after experiencing extreme disappointment, like the surface of a lake after a storm, seemingly calm but hiding utter desolation.

Xie Xingran was taken aback by this sudden rebuttal, and all the words she had prepared stuck in her throat.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say.

The Bai Yueyue in front of him was so unfamiliar that he subconsciously tensed up.

Bai Yueyue slowly stood up. She raised her hand and gently tucked the stray hairs behind her ear with the back of her fingers. Her movements were composed, as if she had become the pampered young lady of her family again.

She bent down slightly, her gaze level with Xie Xingran's, her clear eyes like washed glass, staring straight into his eyes.

The gaze was so bright that Xie Xingran felt a little flustered and subconsciously tried to look away, but she reached out and pressed her cheek.

Her fingertips were slightly cool as they touched his warm skin, sending a shiver down his spine.

This is the face! Exquisite eyebrows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and when he smiles, his eyes seem to be filled with stars, bright and dazzling.

It's so beautiful!

"Yueyue..."

Xie Xingran's cheeks went slightly numb from the pressure, and her tense demeanor instantly deflated, even her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.

"What are you doing? Let's talk this out."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yueyue suddenly chuckled softly.

It wasn't the shy, shallow smile from before, but a smile that overflowed from the depths of her chest, tinged with a hint of self-deprecation.

Her eyebrows were curved, but the corners of her eyes lacked their usual gentleness and instead revealed a hint of coldness.

"I never knew your voice could be so gentle."

Her fingers traced his delicate face, as if trying to capture the panicked expression he had just displayed.

"I thought you only used this tone when you were dealing with the Xie family."