Chapter 18: She Was No Longer the One Who Defended Him

Taking advantage of the moment the man left the house, Fangyu Gu quickly slipped out as well. She had already briefly explained the situation to Qiliu Jiang over the phone.

By the time Fangyu Gu arrived, Qiliu Jiang had already been discharged from the hospital.

“How is it? Is everything taken care of?” Fangyu Jiang’s brows knit tightly, disbelief etched across her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s strange. I never instructed anyone to do this, yet your medical records have been altered—and so perfectly that no one could spot a single flaw.” Jiang found it hard to believe such a thing could happen in their own hospital. Who could possibly have such capability?

“I asked Old Jiang; he had no idea.”

They exchanged a glance and fell silent. Soon enough, they both suspected one person—Chenhao Xie. With the resources of the Xie family, fabricating a medical record would be no trouble at all.

Jiang’s worry deepened. “We absolutely cannot let Hanchen Gu find out about this.”

Otherwise, with Hanchen’s temper and his fierce protectiveness of his sister, who knew what might happen.

Fangyu Gu was fully aware of this as well. More importantly, she could no longer afford to have even the slightest connection with Chenhao Xie.

With this matter resolved, Hanchen Gu likely wouldn’t notice anything in the short term.

But the medical check-up three days from now was the biggest challenge.

Fangyu Gu pulled Jiang into her car to sit for a moment. She also told her about how Chenhao Xie had returned and immediately broken off his engagement with Yao Gu.

Jiang hadn’t expected him to be so resolute this time.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

She shook her head. “Someone took photos of us at the hospital that day and sent them to the Gu family.”

At this point, it was too late to terminate the pregnancy. Once the examination happened, everything would be exposed.

The two of them were at a loss when Fangyu Gu’s mother called.

“Come home early tonight. Your father and I have invited the Xie family over. This whole thing started because of you. You need to set the tone when you get back—don’t let yourself get caught up between Yao Yao and Chenhao and ruin things.”

Fangyu Gu was stunned. After hanging up, her expression grew somewhat somber.

“Is something wrong?” Jiang asked, concerned.

“The Gu family wants to rebuild the engagement between Yao Gu and Chenhao Xie.”

“Well, that’s perfect—it means this family won’t be suspicious and hostile toward you all the time.”

Fangyu Gu sighed but said nothing. Deep down, unease gnawed at her; she felt something was about to go wrong.

When she returned, the Xie family was already there, but Chenhao Xie was nowhere to be seen.

Yao Gu was nearby, arguing with her mother, her eyes red from crying. When she saw Fangyu Gu come back, her gaze turned fierce and hostile.

“Mom, it’s all because of her that Chenhao is so determined to call off the engagement now,” Yao Gu said, hatred burning in her eyes.

Fangyu Gu didn’t want to get involved, claiming she was tired and heading upstairs.

She thought, since none of these people liked her, it was best to avoid them as much as possible.

But Yao Gu deliberately targeted her, stepping forward to grab the handbag in her hand.

“Yao Gu, what do you think you’re doing?”

Ignoring her, Yao Gu pulled out Fangyu Gu’s phone from the bag. “Fangyu Gu, can you honestly say you haven’t been in contact with Chenhao?”

She unlocked the phone and held it up in front of Fangyu Gu’s face.

Fangyu Gu’s heart raced. There were chat records between her and Jiang on the phone. If those were found, none of her secrets would remain hidden.

She reached out to snatch the phone back.

“Fangyu Gu, what are you grabbing for? And still, you say you haven’t been in contact? Aren’t you scared now?”

“Don’t you know any common decency? You’re invading my privacy right now!”

Yao Gu, spoiled and arrogant, didn’t take her seriously at all. “I think you’re just guilty! Fangyu Gu, your sly nature is about to be exposed.”

As they struggled, it was unclear who pushed whom.

Suddenly, a scream rang out. Yao Gu collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain.

Fangyu Gu was stunned, holding the phone she had just reclaimed.

Fangyu Gu’s mother snapped out of her shock, forcefully pushed her aside, and knelt to support her daughter. “Yao Yao, don’t be afraid. Mom is here. We’re going to the hospital right now!”

Pushed aside in the chaos, Fangyu Gu lost her footing and began to fall.

Seeing that she was about to hit the corner of a table with her belly, she mustered all her strength to twist away. A sharp pain shot through her ankle—it must have twisted.

In that instant, everyone was focused on Yao Gu, completely ignoring her.

…

At the hospital.

Fortunately, the examination confirmed that both Yao Gu and the baby were unharmed.

Chenhao Xie was summoned by his parents.

Fangyu Gu was forcibly brought along to apologize.

Smack!

Fangyu Gu’s mother trembled with fury as she slapped her hard across the face. “Yao Yao has done nothing to you. Why do you want to hurt her like this?”

The pain was sharp, and five clear finger marks instantly appeared on her fair cheek.

Chenhao Xie, standing nearby, suddenly stepped forward and pulled her behind him. “I’m the one calling off the engagement. This has nothing to do with Fangyu Gu. Don’t take your anger out on her.”

Fangyu Gu instinctively tried to shake off his hand.

He glanced back at her, silently conveying: don’t be afraid; I will protect you.

But Fangyu Gu did not need his protection. In fact, the more he shielded her, the crazier Yao Gu became.

Sure enough, seeing this, Yao Gu on the hospital bed immediately broke down hysterically.

“Chenhao Xie, how dare you say it’s not because of her? Don’t think I don’t know about all those times you secretly met her behind my back, standing under my window in front of her room, lost in thought.”

Fangyu Gu suddenly looked up, staring at his profile in bewilderment.

She truly didn’t know about any of this.

Chenhao Xie had no intention of hiding it; he squeezed her hand tighter.

He openly admitted, “Yes, I can’t forget Fangyu Gu. From beginning to end, the one I wanted to marry has always been her.”

“Chenhao Xie!” Yao Gu was devastated.

But Chenhao Xie cruelly tore away her self-deception. “You know better than anyone how our engagement came about. You schemed against me and morally blackmailed Fangyu Gu to force us apart. Fangyu Gu is kind-hearted and would be swayed by your family’s moral pressure, but I won’t.”

Hanchen Gu, silent until now, finally spoke.

“There is only one daughter in the Gu family, and the Gu and Xie families are old friends. Whether it’s the wishes of the parents or Yao Yao’s own feelings, they all favor you. As a man, once you make your choice, you must take responsibility.” His tone was calm but carried an indescribable pressure. “Yao Yao’s outburst is because you never gave her enough security and have been avoiding the issues between you.”

As Hanchen Gu spoke, Yao Gu quietly sobbed, clearly feeling deeply wronged.

“Today, in front of both families, you should make your position clear.”

From the moment he began speaking, Fangyu Gu’s complexion had grown pale, now ashen.

In the past, when she suffered grievances, Hanchen Gu would have stood up for her.

But now, he only defended Yao Gu.

Just a single phrase—there’s only one daughter in the Gu family—placed her in an awkward position.

She was nothing more than an outsider living in the Gu household.