Chapter 19
A burning, searing pain spread across my body, and I felt utterly helpless.
They were completely unreasonable. Maybe their real purpose was just to vent their anger; asking for a bride price was secondary.
I curled up on the ground, enduring the pain, hoping that someone would come to save me.
“What are you doing?” A familiar voice rang out.
The fists raining down on me decreased, and my father-in-law’s grip loosened.
I quietly opened my eyes. Tang Li was pushing away my father- and mother-in-law, his face full of anger.
He turned back and, filled with concern, lifted me from the ground. “Yan Shuang, are you okay?”
I hugged my arm, which ached faintly, lowering my eyes. I shook my head, not daring to look at his expression.
Perhaps this was heaven’s punishment for me—always making me encounter Tang Li at my most helpless.
My father- and mother-in-law seemed somewhat wary of Tang Li and didn’t strike again, though their words remained vicious.
My mother-in-law cursed, “Adulterer and harlot! Meng Yanshuang, you shameless woman! I won’t let you off easily!”
They stormed off, still shouting.
I struggled to stand, trying to pull away from Tang Li’s strong embrace, but the pain in my legs made me collapse back into his arms.
Looking at the injuries on me, Tang Li said firmly, “I’m taking you to the hospital!”
I had wanted to refuse, but my body hurt too much, so I went along silently.
On the way, he said tenderly, “That Yu family… they’re inhuman. How could they do such things?”
“If I hadn’t been worried about you and come to check, I really don’t know what would have happened.”
His words made me feel a bit embarrassed, and I snapped angrily, “Stop talking.”
Although I knew Tang Li cared, his words sounded more like ridicule than concern.
He fell silent. When we were almost at the hospital, he quietly said, “Why don’t you ever think about me?”
By then, the pain had made it impossible for me to sit up, and I pretended not to hear him.
The nurse was shocked by my injuries and quickly took me for an examination.
Because the injuries were severe, I needed to be admitted.
I grabbed the nurse’s hand, my voice pleading, “Can you take photos of my injuries?”
The young nurse, looking at my battered state, felt a pang of sympathy and nodded.
I thought, since the elders of the Yu family insisted on holding me down, I wouldn’t hesitate to turn ruthless.
Although I didn’t understand much about the law, these injuries clearly counted as minor bodily harm, punishable under criminal law.
As the nurse took pictures of my wounds, her eyes were full of pity. “Miss, this is just too…”
I finished her sentence for her: “Too terrible, right?”
The nurse nodded, finishing the photos and tucking my blanket around me. “How could someone be so cruel?”
I couldn’t help but think ironically: how could the Yu family be incapable of hurting me?
If I weren’t lucky, I’d have been tortured to death long ago.
I had the nurse help me report it to the police.
I refused to believe the Yu family could still act arrogantly in front of law enforcement.
After a sleepless night and the recent ordeal, the moment my head touched the pillow, I drifted into drowsiness.
I thought, finally, I could rest properly.
But when Tang Li returned with my test results, my sleepiness vanished instantly.
I still didn’t know how to face Tang Li, so I stayed silent.
He too seemed hesitant, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
I sensed something was wrong, bit my lip, and cautiously asked, “Did something happen?”
Tang Li’s gaze gradually became complicated. As if he had made a heavy decision, he said with difficulty, “You’re pregnant.”
At that moment, my mind went blank.
I… am pregnant?
