Chapter 41: Commendable Courage

Huadong Hospital stood in the heart of Jing City, a private institution nestled amid the bustling urban sprawl.

Lin Miaomiao lay on her hospital bed, terror flickering in her eyes as she stared ahead, her body instinctively recoiling. Every movement tore at her with the pain of a recent miscarriage.

As the other party drew closer, step by step, her fear mounted, and she cried out, “What are you doing here? I warn you, Ting Shen will be back soon, you—”

Fu Wenzhou let out a cold, dismissive laugh. His handsome features bore a sharp, icy edge, and his long, narrow eyes were filled with chilling indifference.

“Hush. Save your strength,” he said.

He pulled a chair up beside Lin Miaomiao’s bed and sat down, legs crossed, chin propped on his hand, the earlier menacing aura replaced by a look of detached amusement.

Unhurriedly, he held out a voice recorder and pressed play.

“I won’t keep this child! How could a Down syndrome baby possibly be my child?”

“But, Sister Lin, if you get rid of the baby, how will you ever become the mistress of the Fu family? And if Brother Fu finds out the child had Down syndrome, he’ll definitely—”

“Shut up!” Lin Miaomiao’s voice was sharp with urgency and anger. “Once I marry into the Fu family, I’ll find a chance to pretend it was an accident, or maybe even pin it on Song Qingyou. Hmph! Kill two birds with one stone!”

“Right! We’ve framed her so many times before, what’s one more? I say we just find an opportunity to blame it on her. Then Brother Fu will hate her for sure!”

“Go bribe the doctor who did my prenatal checkup. Make sure he doesn’t say a word.”

“Understood, Sister Lin.”

The recording continued, but Lin Miaomiao was already in a panic. In a flurry of movement, she snatched the recorder and hurled it to the ground, glaring up at Fu Wenzhou in fury. “How did you get this?”

Fu Wenzhou’s laughter was low, his voice dark and languid. “What do you think will happen if I send this recording to Fu Tingshen and the media?”

Lin Miaomiao froze. If this got out, to Fu Tingshen and the press, her life would be ruined—utterly ruined!

She could not possibly bear such consequences. In her eyes, Fu Wenzhou was now more terrifying than the King of Hell himself.

Ignoring the pain from her wounds, she tumbled from her bed and dropped to her knees before him, tears welling in her eyes.

“I’m begging you, please don’t send it out! I’ll do anything you want! I know you like Song Qingyou. I promise I’ll behave from now on, I’ll never trouble her again. Wenzhou, I’ll be part of the Fu family too. We’re family!”

She sobbed hoarsely, as if truly repentant.

Fu Wenzhou’s eyes stabbed at her with a cold gleam. “Anything?”

Lin Miaomiao thought she saw a glimmer of hope and nodded desperately. “Anything! Just don’t release the recording.”

“Then crawl around the room like a dog,” he replied, his voice a chilling whisper.

Lin Miaomiao’s face twisted in disbelief. “What did you say?”

“Can’t do it?” Fu Wenzhou made as if to rise.

She clutched at his pant leg, sobbing through gritted teeth, “I can!”

And so, like a dog, she got down on all fours and crawled slowly around the hospital room. The shame and humiliation burned her cheeks, while the pain from her wounds nearly made her faint.

Fu Wenzhou leisurely took out his phone and began to record, his tone cool and mocking. “You know, you’re quite convincing.”

By the time she’d finished the circuit, Lin Miaomiao was drenched in sweat, dizzy with pain. Clutching the bed frame, she forced herself to stand and, despite the hatred burning inside, managed a fake smile. “Are you satisfied, Mr. Fu?”

Fu Wenzhou put away his phone. “Not bad.”

“The recording—”

“Did I promise you anything?” he cut her off, a blood-chilling smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Fury contorted Lin Miaomiao’s face. “You tricked me!”

“So what if I did? I just enjoy watching someone forced to the brink, groveling for mercy.” He let the smile fall away, voice icy. “You dared to lay a hand on Qingyou. Should I call it arrogance, or commend your courage?”

His eyes were utterly cold; from start to finish, he hadn’t regarded Lin Miaomiao as worthy of his attention.

The door closed behind him, and Lin Miaomiao’s anguished scream echoed through the ward.

—

On the asphalt road.

Song Qingyou suddenly called out to Song Chang, “Uncle Chang, stop the car.”

He pulled over to the curb. “Miss, is something wrong?”

Scrolling through the trending headlines on Weibo, she replied calmly, “No need to go anymore.”

“Huh?”

She inhaled lightly. “Someone’s already leaked Lin Miaomiao’s recording.”

She raised her eyebrows slightly. Who could it have been, moving so quickly?

Song Chang hurriedly unlocked his phone. The top two trending topics were #LinMiaomiaoDownSyndromeChild# and #LinMiaomiaoFramesSongQingyou#.

Not only that, but there was even a video of Lin Miaomiao crawling on the ground like a dog.

Song Chang clicked his tongue. “There’s no way Lin Miaomiao is getting into the Fu family now.”

The autumn wind carried a trace of dampness, lifting the woman’s soft hair as she gave a faint smirk. “I wonder who she managed to offend. Their methods are even more ruthless than mine.”

With such a humiliating video made public, Lin Miaomiao would likely never regain her footing in Jing City.

But then again, with Fu Tingshen to shelter her—hadn’t he always forgiven her as soon as she shed a few tears? This time would probably be no different.

Song Chang cleared his throat. “Miss, don’t say that—you’re quite kindhearted, actually.”

Song Qingyou’s expression remained gentle, her clear eyes as calm as undisturbed water.