Chapter 169 - 168: I Hate You

Ignoring his own injuries, Ye Xuan pulled Yang Bingyu into a tight embrace, desperately trying to calm her down.

She screamed frantically, thrashing against him.

If this were any other patient suffering from a manic episode, a simple sedative would have been enough to quiet them down. But Yang Bingyu was pregnant; such drugs were entirely out of the question. Ye Xuan was out of options. Forcibly restraining and soothing her was the only choice he had left.

Suddenly, the thick, metallic scent of blood hit Ye Xuan’s nose. His heart skipped a beat. He slowly lowered his gaze to her lower body. Blood was pouring down her legs, yet she remained completely oblivious to it.

Panic seized him. Left with no alternative, he delivered a swift, precise chop to the back of her neck, forcefully knocking her unconscious.

"Ah! Hurry, get her to the hospital!"

Standing outside the door, Lin Aoxue turned deathly pale at the sight of all the blood. She quickly grabbed the car keys and rushed them to the hospital.

The emergency surgery lasted for nearly five hours. Yang Bingyu had suffered a massive hemorrhage. The baby could not be saved.

When the official notice was handed to them, Ye Xuan nearly collapsed to the floor. He had never imagined that he would lose his first child just like this.

Lin Aoxue tried to comfort him, but he pushed her away. Retreating to the hospital stairwell, Ye Xuan chain-smoked one cigarette after another.

"Ye Xuan, the surgery is over. Yang Bingyu is out of danger."

After the operation, Lin Aoxue had instructed Yu Ling to stay by Yang Bingyu’s side while she came looking for Ye Xuan. Seeing the ground littered with cigarette butts and how haggard he had become in just one night, her heart ached so much that she was left speechless.

"Is she... awake?" Ye Xuan crushed out his cigarette, his voice hoarse and bitter.

"Not yet. The doctors gave her anesthesia. They said she won’t wake up until this afternoon." Lin Aoxue gently shook her head and walked over to him. "If you... if you’re really hurting, just let it out and cry."

She wrapped her arms around him tenderly, patting his back.

Ye Xuan stiffened for a couple of seconds before suddenly throwing his arms tightly around her waist.

"I’m such a bastard! I promised Chen Hao that I would protect Bingyu!

"But look at what I’ve done! I’m completely useless!"

After shouting those words, he broke down and sobbed in Lin Aoxue’s arms. His heart was consumed by fear and guilt. He was terrified that once Yang Bingyu woke up and learned their child was gone, she would hate him forever. He also blamed himself for failing to protect her and their baby.

No one knew better than him just how much this child had meant to her. Without this baby, she would undoubtedly fall apart.

"It’s not your fault. Don’t be like this." Lin Aoxue didn’t know how else to comfort him; all she could do was hold him and repeat those words over and over.

No one was to blame for what happened. It was simply that this child had arrived at the wrong time.

Having stayed awake for a full day and night, the emotional exhaustion finally caught up to Ye Xuan. He ended up falling asleep right there in Lin Aoxue’s embrace.

By the time he woke up, it was already noon. Seeing Lin Aoxue still holding him, he felt a wave of affection and gratitude.

"Why didn’t you wake me? Your legs must be numb," Ye Xuan said apologetically, looking at her as she sat on the cold stairs.

Lin Aoxue smiled softly and shook her head. "You looked so exhausted. I couldn’t bear to wake you."

He had slept for about two hours, and she had sat completely still on the stairs the entire time, holding him. Due to the lack of blood flow, her legs had lost almost all sensation. She grabbed the handrail and tried to stand, but her legs gave out, sending her pitching straight forward.

Though she wasn’t very high up—only two steps—falling face-first would have definitely caused some injury.

Ye Xuan quickly caught her, pulling her into his arms with one hand gripping her arm and the other wrapping securely around her waist. The intimate contact made Lin Aoxue blush instantly. Once she regained her balance, she shyly asked him to let go.

"I-I’m fine now. You can... you can let go."

Instead of listening, Ye Xuan easily swept her off her feet into a bridal carry.

"Put me down, quick! It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us," Lin Aoxue muttered awkwardly, giving his chest a gentle push.

"You haven’t fully recovered from your own injuries. I’m taking you back to your room." Turning a deaf ear to her protests, Ye Xuan carried her out of the stairwell with wide strides.

The doctors and nurses passing by all cast glances their way—some envious, some jealous, and others disdainful. Flustered, Lin Aoxue buried her face in his shoulder, her heart racing.

"Miss, you can’t do this! You just had surgery; you need to stay in bed and rest!"

Suddenly, a frantic voice rang out from a nearby ward. A moment later, Yang Bingyu stumbled out of the room. She was wearing a hospital gown, her face deathly pale and her footsteps unsteady.

When she saw Ye Xuan holding Lin Aoxue, she froze as if rooted to the spot. Two nurses rushed out from behind her and forcefully held her back.

"Can’t you understand a simple instruction? We told you, you just had surgery and can’t move around. Hurry up and get back to bed!"

"Exactly. So what if you lost the baby? You’re still young; you’ll have more children in the future."

The two nurses grumbled callously as they tried to drag her back inside.

Seeing Yang Bingyu’s vacant, stunned stare, panic seized both Ye Xuan and Lin Aoxue. Ignoring the numbness in her legs, Lin Aoxue immediately scrambled out of his arms. Ye Xuan stood there helplessly. He wanted to explain, but it felt as though a heavy lump was lodged in his throat, rendering him speechless.

"Heh... Ye Xuan, from now on, you’re free. We’re done." Two trails of tears slipped down Yang Bingyu’s cheeks, her eyes brimming with utter despair.

She never could have imagined that while she was agonizing over the loss of their child, the baby’s father would be out here acting so intimately with another woman. That was his child! Did he really not care at all? Was he not sad in the slightest?

"Bingyu, it’s not what you think! My legs went numb and I couldn’t walk, so Ye Xuan just—"

"Shut up! I don’t want to see you!"

Lin Aoxue tried to explain on Ye Xuan’s behalf when she realized Yang Bingyu had misunderstood, but before she could finish, Yang Bingyu cut her off fiercely.

With bloodshot eyes, she glared at Ye Xuan like a vengeful spirit. "Ye Xuan, I hate you! You killed our baby, and you will pay for it!"

Her words struck Ye Xuan like a thunderbolt. He stumbled, falling back two steps in shock.

When did things between him and Yang Bingyu deteriorate to this point? How had the girl with the once radiant smile ended up looking like this?

"Bingyu, I was wrong. I was so wrong. Can you please forgive me?" Ye Xuan reached out to take her hand, but she slapped it away mercilessly.

"Heh. You’re not wrong. The one who was wrong is me.

"I never should have agreed to let you be my bodyguard, and I certainly never should have fallen in love with you."