Chapter 10
"Get the hell out of here!"
Zhou Zeyu burst out of the hospital room, roaring at Lin Yaqi like a man on the brink of collapse.
His face was twisted with fury—he looked like he might explode.
Lin Yaqi flinched, clearly stunned. She had probably never seen Zhou Zeyu this enraged before.
But the very next moment, she squared her shoulders, cradling her swollen belly as if drawing strength from it. Her expression hardened.
"If you dare betray me, I'll die right in front of you!" she screamed. "And you better figure out what to do with your son, or I swear—you'll regret it!"
With that, she turned and stormed off.
Zhou Zeyu stood there, body trembling with rage, fists clenched so tight they shook.
I watched it all unfold from the side—like a farce.
"Do you think I deserve this?" he suddenly asked, turning to look at me.
The smile tugging at the corner of my lips vanished.
"I don't comment on things that have nothing to do with me," I replied coolly.
"I just didn't expect… after she got pregnant, it was like she became a different person."
"What goes on between you and her isn't my concern." I kept my tone steady. "I came to see my son."
He fell silent.
I walked into Zhou Yiran's hospital room.
He was lying there quietly on the bed, eyes red from crying.
Clearly, he had heard the shouting.
When he saw me, his eyes lit up instantly.
"Mom!" he called out with excitement, almost in disbelief.
I gave a small nod—no warmth in it.
Just a brief inquiry about his condition.
He told me he had come home from school, met Lin Yaqi on the stairs, and that she had deliberately pushed him.
Lin Yaqi, of course, told a different story. She claimed he tried to shove her first—to kill the baby inside her—because he was jealous, afraid the unborn child would take all the love away from him.
She said she pushed Yiran in self-defense.
But what Yiran told me next didn't surprise me at all.
"Mom, Auntie Lin is really mean to me," he said, voice trembling. "She used to pretend to be nice. But ever since she married Dad, she's been hitting me—when no one's watching—and calling me names. She says I'm a wild child, that no one loves me."
He wiped his tears but they kept falling.
"She gives me chicken legs and burgers for dinner, like she's being generous. But I don't even want them. She forces me to eat it and says it's all I'm good for—junk food for a junk kid."
The more he talked, the more he sobbed.
But I remained calm, even detached.
"You shouldn't be telling me these things," I said, voice steady. "You should tell your father. Or your grandmother."
"They won't believe me. They never do. They only listen to Auntie Lin." His shoulders trembled. "All they care about is the baby. No one loves me anymore. Mom… please… can I come with you?"
He grabbed my hand tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I promise I'll be good. I won't ever say anything bad about you again. I know now—you were the one who loved me most. It was all my fault before. I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't have hated you. Please… I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"
He cried and cried, full of desperation.
Terrified that I wouldn't take him back.
But…
I gently pulled his hand away.
And in a soft but distant voice, I said:
"Yiran… everyone has to live with the consequences of their own choices. When you chose Auntie Lin, I stepped out of your life."
"But I regret it! I know I was wrong…"
"Then you need to change yourself," I told him firmly. "Not try to change me."
"My life now won't change for anyone."
Not for him.
Not for Zhou Zeyu.
I turned and walked out of the hospital room without looking back.
There would be no forgiveness.
I had no intention of forgiving anyone.
"Shen Xi!" Zhou Zeyu blocked my path outside the room. His voice was hoarse with disbelief. "When did you become so cold-blooded? That's your son in there. You really don't care about him anymore?! Don't you feel guilty?!"
I looked at him.
There was no anger in my eyes. Just clarity.
And perhaps, a little peace.