"Xiao Jia..." "I told you, if we met again, we wouldn't be sitting together calmly." Lin Xujia said coldly, no longer looking at Xia Yan. She lifted her head and walked past her. Xia Yan narrowed her eyes, her heart calm as she watched Lin Xujia's retreating figure. She really was meddling. Her relationship with Lin Xujia was exactly as Lin Xujia had said—it would never be the same as before. Letting out a sigh, Xia Yan passed the nurse's station and vaguely overheard two nurses talking. "I really don't understand what girls these days are thinking. You know? That girl who just left, she's so young and she came to get an IUD." "No way, are you sure you didn't see wrong? That girl looked barely over twenty." "How could I be wrong?" "Forget it, forget it. If the head nurse catches you, you'll get scolded again." Xia Yan didn't know if the young girl they were talking about was Lin Xujia, but her gut told her it was very likely. After leaving the hospital check-up, she got into the car and saw Xiao Han sitting inside. Xiao Han rested his chin on his hands, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Xia Yan. "Sister Yan, are you tired? Why do you look so gloomy?" "I'm fine. Why are you here, Xiao Han?" "I had the bodyguard bring me. Sister Yan, ever since Dad said I couldn't live with you, I've missed you every single day. I want to see you every day." "Come here, let me see. Did our little Xiao Han secretly eat some honey today? Your mouth is so sweet." "Sister Yan, every word I say comes from my heart." Xiao Han said with utmost seriousness. Hearing this, Xia Yan couldn't help but pinch his soft, tender cheeks. Seeing him pout, she smiled and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen over her forehead behind her ear. "Since you're being so good today, how about Sister Yan takes you to eat some cake?" "Great! That's absolutely wonderful. But I'd rather eat cake made by Sister Yan herself." "Sure, but then we'll have to go to the supermarket first. We've run out of some ingredients at home." Xia Yan used to bake cakes often because Xiao Lanzhi liked them. After Xiao Lanzhi left, Xiao Han became the one who loved them. But lately, Xiao Han had been at the villa, and since the ingredients were used up, she hadn't bothered to restock. Xiao Han tilted his head, nodded, then suddenly shook it. "No, it's okay. Sister Yan has to take care of the baby now, so let's just eat out." "It's fine, the baby is—" "I said no, so no." Xiao Han's stern face made Xia Yan feel like she was looking at a miniature Lu Zhengting sitting beside her. That resolute attitude, tsk, was exactly like Lu Zhengting's. Xiao Han directly ordered the driver to head to the cake shop. Xia Yan had no choice but to let him take charge. On the way to the cake shop, Xia Yan noticed the driver's usually serious face grow even more grim. She touched her belly and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?" "Miss Xia, we're being followed." "Followed?" "Yes, Miss Xia. Please hold on tight with the young master." The words had barely left his mouth before Xia Yan's mind could react, but a growing unease settled in her heart. She looked down at the small hand resting on hers, reached out to stroke Xiao Han's head, and asked, "Are you scared?" "I'm not scared. I'm used to it. But Sister Yan, your face looks really pale." Xiao Han held her hand, worried. Xia Yan didn't know how to describe her feelings. The car suddenly swerved left and right, and she instinctively pulled Xiao Han into her arms, saying tensely, "Don't be afraid. Sister is here with you." Hearing this, Xiao Han blinked. His expression was far calmer than Xia Yan's, but at her words, tears seemed to well up in his eyes. "Can I call you Mom?" Xia Yan stared at the tears Xiao Han was holding back and silently nodded. As if in an instant, the car was violently hit with a screech. Xia Yan shielded Xiao Han in her arms while protecting her belly. Before the driver could react, a large truck suddenly sped toward them from the front, its speed seemingly increasing. A deafening sound tore through the sky. The car carrying Xia Yan and Xiao Han collided head-on with the oncoming truck. At the last critical moment, the driver swerved, causing the car to flip. Sparks scraped along the ground around the vehicle. In her final second of consciousness, Xia Yan still held Xiao Han tightly in her arms. When Lu Zhengting received the driver's call and heard the crash through the phone, he shot up from his chair, startling everyone in the meeting room into silence. No one dared to breathe, exchanging confused glances, unsure of what had happened. After a few seconds of silence in the room, Lu Zhengting suddenly pushed back his chair and rushed out, ordering the driver to head to the hospital where Xia Yan had her check-up. Xia Yan was taken by ambulance to the city hospital. Upon receiving the news, Lu Zhengting immediately ordered his driver to turn around and go there. He also contacted Ning Xi to investigate the cause of the accident. The first to arrive at the hospital was Jiang Mingxiu. Xia Yan and Xiao Han were both sent into surgery. Aunt Chen accompanied Jiang Mingxiu outside the operating room. When the surgery light went out and Xiao Han was wheeled out, his face was pale, but thanks to Xia Yan's protection, he only had minor injuries. Knowing Xiao Han was only lightly hurt, Jiang Mingxiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She reached out to touch the unconscious Xiao Han, lost in thought. But just then, no one expected that things weren't over—they were escalating. Xia Yan was still in emergency surgery, while Lu Zhengting, speeding, collided with a small car at an intersection. When Jiang Mingxiu received the news, she nearly fainted. She had already lost one son and couldn't bear to lose another. Lu Zhengting was also sent to the city hospital. At that moment, both Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting were in surgery. When Ke Yaru arrived, she saw Jiang Mingxiu sitting pale-faced on a chair, with Aunt Chen silent beside her. Suddenly, Xia Yan's operating room door opened, and a doctor hurried over to Jiang Mingxiu, speaking quickly, "The patient's condition is not optimistic. The baby likely can't be saved." "Can't be saved? Why can't it be saved?" Jiang Mingxiu asked angrily. Standing nearby, Ke Yaru pursed her lips, puzzled by Jiang Mingxiu's sudden change in attitude. The doctor didn't give Jiang Mingxiu much time to decide before returning to the operating room. Ke Yaru helped Jiang Mingxiu back to her seat and then asked Aunt Chen to return to the villa to make some chicken soup for Xiao Han. On the quiet corridor, only Ke Yaru and Jiang Mingxiu remained. Seeing Ke Yaru hesitate to speak, Jiang Mingxiu frowned and asked, "Yaru, has something else happened?" "No, nothing." In no time, news of the Lu Group chairman and his fiancée's car accident appeared on the covers of major newspapers in Jiangcheng. Three days passed, and the news still hadn't cooled down. Jiang Mingxiu's mood remained low. Lin Xujia had been by her side these days, helping handle matters. Xiao Han woke up on the second day, only suffering from some scrapes on his legs and a mild concussion. After Lu Zhengting woke up, he demanded to see Xia Yan immediately. Not long after he regained consciousness, Xia Yan also woke up. He came to her hospital room and looked at her pale face on the bed, unable to hide the pain in his eyes. He walked over, took her hand, and kissed it. Xia Yan slowly lifted her arm, which was hooked up to an IV, and reached toward her belly, staring blankly at the ceiling. "The baby is gone." "There will be more in the future." Xia Yan stared wide-eyed, unable to speak. She didn't want to believe that the baby was no longer in her belly, but after waking up, she felt an emptiness inside. In a faint voice, she said softly, "No one told me the baby was gone, but I can feel it myself. Do you believe it? Believe in a connection between hearts?" "I do." "The baby is gone." Xia Yan repeated again. Lu Zhengting leaned down and placed a kiss on Xia Yan's forehead, replying gently, "I know." "Why did this happen?" Xia Yan closed her eyes, her voice choked with sobs. Hearing this, Lu Zhengting looked at the helpless, heartbroken woman in his arms, wishing he could kill whoever caused this. "It's all my fault. I didn't protect her well, so she left me. She must blame me, think I'm not a good mother... she must." Xia Yan shook her head, muttering to herself, seemingly trapped in deep guilt. Xia Yan's emotions were hard to stabilize. Every time she woke up, she fell into endless self-blame. No one's words could help. She seemed immersed in another world, disconnected from everything around her. A week later, Lu Zhengting handled Xia Yan's discharge. He didn't take her back to the Dongshan Villa but to her apartment instead. Xiao Han's injuries had mostly healed, and Jiang Mingxiu took him back to the villa to care for him. Ning Xi had immediately hacked into the traffic system and obtained the video of the bridge accident that day. The footage captured the entire incident. Now, the video was in Lu Zhengting's hands. Lu Zhengting held the mouse and clicked pause. Ning Xi sat on the sofa nearby, glanced over, and said, "Based on the video, I've identified some suspects and sent them for investigation." "Good. Let me know as soon as you have news." "By the way, how's the little sister-in-law now? Still the same?" As for Xia Yan, Lu Zhengting had no way to pull her out of her despair. Every day at home, she would wake up and just stare into space, not speaking to anyone, so quiet she seemed almost nonexistent. Ning Xi sighed. He was terrible at comforting people, especially someone like Lu Zhengting. Usually, a good fight was the best consolation.