55. Deep-Seated Hatred

The moment the emergency room doors flew open, Jun Lengche rushed forward instantly.

The complexion of Tong Zhenzhen, lying on the surgical gurney, was several shades paler than the white sheet covering her.

"Doctor, how is... she?" Jun Lengche's voice carried a faint tremor.

Seeing his tense expression and expectant gaze, the doctor decided to share the good news first. "The adult is fine, but... we couldn't save the baby."

Grief and relief surged through Jun Lengche simultaneously.

He was relieved that Tong Zhenzhen was safe.

He was grief-stricken that the child was gone.

As the saying goes, as you sow, so shall you reap. Aside from hating himself, he had no one else to blame.

With his heart feeling as though it were being sliced by knives, Jun Lengche steadied the gurney and wheeled Tong Zhenzhen to the prepared VIP ward.

Long Tianyu and Yang Yang followed closely behind.

*Thank goodness Zhen'er is all right,* Long Tianyu thought with a heavy sigh of relief, his resolve to snatch her away from Jun Lengche growing even firmer. Although he felt a pang of pity for the lost child, a trace of subtle joy lingered in his heart. Without this tether, would Zhen'er finally be able to leave?

Yang Yang’s sense of guilt also lessened somewhat. If anything had happened to Tong Zhenzhen, how could he ever forgive himself?

"Go back, please." Reaching the doorway of the ward, Jun Lengche stood in the threshold, spreading his arms to block the two men.

"Jun Lengche, what do you think you're doing?" Long Tianyu's phoenix-like eyes turned icy, glaring at him with intense hostility, as if he wanted to rip the flesh right off his face.

"My wife needs to rest. Unrelated people can take their leave now." Jun Lengche glared back coldly, refusing to budge an inch.

Indeed, Tong Zhenzhen was Jun Lengche's wife; he had every right to act this way. No matter how deeply uncomfortable Yang Yang felt inside, he could not deny this fact.

"What a joke! Now you remember to say Zhen'er is your wife? When you abandoned her at the wedding, tangled yourself up with another woman, and raised your hand to hit her, why didn't you mention it then?!" To Long Tianyu, the word "wife" felt like a double-edged dagger piercing his heart. He roared in fury, raised his fist, and lunged forward to strike Jun Lengche again.

"This is a hospital! Please keep your voice down!" A nurse ran over, but shrinking back under the murderous glare of Long Tianyu, she faltered and retreated.

"Let's head back first. Don't disturb Tong Zhenzhen; she needs rest more than anything right now." Yang Yang hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Long Tianyu's arm.

Hearing Yang Yang's words, Long Tianyu recalled the deathly pallor of Tong Zhenzhen as she was wheeled out moments ago. He snorted coldly. "Fine, Jun Lengche. For Zhen'er's sake, I won't settle accounts with you today. But mark my words, I will definitely collect this debt!"

With that, Long Tianyu flicked his sleeve and stalked off in a fury.

"Please take good care of her," Yang Yang pleaded.

Jun Lengche’s expression grew even frostier. "She is my wife; I will take care of her." Without another word, he stepped inside and closed the door.

Yang Yang clenched his hands into fists. What an infuriating bastard. Watching Long Tianyu's departing figure, a pensive look crossed his eyes. *Could I possibly recruit him to become Jun Lengche's adversary?*

With this thought, Yang Yang hurried after Long Tianyu.

Inside the room, once the door was shut, it grew so quiet that even heartbeats could be heard.

Yet, without listening closely, one might have thought only a single person was present. Tong Zhenzhen's heartbeat was so feeble, as if her grief had paralyzed her entire being.

Jun Lengche pulled a chair over and sat down beside the bed.

He enveloped her right hand—currently hooked up to an IV drip—within his large palm.

Normally, her hands were always pleasantly warm. Now, however, it felt like a block of ice, several degrees colder than his own body temperature.

She, who had never feared anything in the world and always bared her claws before him, was lying quietly now. If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, one might have mistaken her for being dead.

Every few moments, Jun Lengche would check to see if she was still breathing.

The room remained icy and silent.

He pressed her hand against his cheek, and a stinging sensation filled the corners of his eyes.

*How did it come to this?*

*How could I have hurt her?*

*How could I have murdered my own child?*

Questions battered his mind relentlessly, threatening to blow his sanity apart.

Throughout the entire night, he sat by the bed like a statue, moving only to summon the nurse to change the IV fluids, otherwise guarding her without a single motion.

He knew how much weight the child held in her heart. This baby was also something he had anticipated all along—the crystallization of their love.

Regrettably, some things in this world were like a drawn bow; there was no turning back.

At two o'clock in the morning, the hand within his own moved.

He saw Tong Zhenzhen slowly, with agonizing sluggishness, open her eyes. Her gaze lacked any focus, entirely vacant, as though she had lost her soul.

"Little girl..." He tightened his grip on her hand and leaned in, a storm of complicated emotions churning within him.

Yet, the moment she laid eyes on him, tears streamed down her cheeks.

She closed her eyes once more, spat out a single syllable, "Scram—", and then tried with all her might to yank her hand away.

His lips parted and closed several times, but he had no words to say. He only gripped her hand tighter, refusing to let her pull away.

Lacking the physical strength to struggle, she gave up after a few futile attempts. Even so, she kept her eyes firmly shut, refusing to look at him.

He slumped back despondently and leaned down to kiss her hand, only to feel it trembling.

As the primary culprit, what could he possibly say at a time like this?

An apology? Penitence?

Would any of it matter?

All he could think of was holding onto her, terrified that the moment he loosened his grip, she would vanish forever.

Waking up from the anesthesia, Tong Zhenzhen's consciousness had not yet fully returned. She only felt bone-deep exhaustion and a biting chill.

Yet upon opening her eyes and seeing Jun Lengche—even though he looked thoroughly battered—she would have recognized him instantly even if he turned to ash.

It was him!

This beast! He had killed her baby!

Though she had been under anesthesia, through the hazy blur, she had caught snippets of the doctors' discussion.

How could this murderer possibly have the gall to appear before her?

She wished she could tear his flesh apart and drink his blood!

Yet her body refused to obey, leaving her no choice but to close her eyes and shut out the person she hated unto death.

With her eyes closed, she just wanted to sink into oblivion.

Perhaps upon waking, all of this would turn out to be nothing more than a nightmare.

The instinct to protect herself dragged her back into unconsciousness.

*Where was she? Why was she surrounded by boundless, thick white fog?*

*What was that sound?*

She groped blindly toward the direction of the faint noise.

She heard it.

*Was that a baby crying?*

*Where was it? Why couldn't she find it, couldn't see it?*

The infant’s cries were so piercing. Was it hungry? Was it cold?

She ran frantically through the dense fog, desperate to find the child.

*What was that?*

She saw it.

A mass of blood and mangled flesh—that was what was crying.

"Mommy, I'm cold. Why didn't you want me?" The bloody mass actually called her "Mommy."

Could this be the child she had lost?

She rushed forward, wanting to scoop it into her arms.

Yet, her baby faded away into nothingness, leaving only its weeping behind.

The overwhelming white fog transformed into a stinking, bloody rain pouring down from the sky, drowning her, suffocating her.

She sank deeper into the mire of her nightmare.

As the night slowly receded in mutual silence, the horizon gradually turned a pale, sickly gray.

With a shrill scream, Tong Zhenzhen jolted awake, only to be pulled tightly into a solid embrace.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." Who was whispering tenderly and comforting her so meticulously in her ear?

She lifted her head and caught sight of Jun Lengche's haggard face.

"Let go of me." Her voice was glacial, demanding that this demon release his filthy hands and loosen his repulsive embrace.

Instead, Jun Lengche held her even tighter.

How was she to shake him off? Without a second thought, she bared her teeth and bit down hard on his chest.

She wanted him to taste this agony; she would make him repay this blood debt!

To Jun Lengche, the physical pain felt almost like a form of redemption; he refused to let her go.

She let out a strange, shrill laugh like a vengeful ghost demanding a debt, a deeply venomous, resentful aura radiating from her.

His heart actually trembled.

She truly hated him now.

At that moment, the doctor arrived for morning rounds, temporarily breaking the deadlock between them.

Once the checkup was complete, the doctor pulled Jun Lengche aside to warn him privately, "She’s young and has a resilient constitution, so the physical damage appears minimal. But you must pay close attention to her mental state. The agony of losing a child leaves an indelible scar on any woman."

After bidding the doctor farewell and returning to the ward, Jun Lengche found that she had grown extraordinarily quiet. She neither spoke nor wept, merely staring blankly out the window.

Outside the window stood a solitary wutong tree with nearly all its leaves shed, yet it held her complete and undivided attention.

She was entirely docile, complying with all his requests.

Brushing her teeth, washing her face, eating...

Yet her silence unnerved him far more than any outburst of madness could have.

It felt as though she had retreated to another realm entirely, a terrifying thought that drove him to the brink of insanity.

Around ten-thirty in the morning, a large group of people trooped into the ward.

Commander Jun, Madam Jun, his second uncle's family, and Qin Zhixue.

Madam Jun immediately pulled Jun Lengche aside. Though startled by the bruises on his face, her primary concern remained, "How is the child?" Her lingering resentment was plain to see. That morning, Mo Chuchu had visited their home, claiming that Tong Zhenzhen was hospitalized and that the baby was in jeopardy. Consequently, the entire family had rushed over.

Despite her dislike for Tong Zhenzhen, Madam Jun placed immense value on this great-grandchild.

Jun Lengche's gaze darkened, his voice raspy. "Grandma, I hit her, and the baby... the baby is gone."

Hearing this, Madam Jun's blood pressure spiked. She swayed unsteadily, but fortunately, Qin Zhixue caught her just in time.

"What?!" Commander Jun flew into a rage upon hearing the news. He strode over and kicked Jun Lengche hard in the shin. "You punk, you've really grown bolder, haven't you? Daring to beat your own wife!"

Madam Jun and Qin Zhixue immediately grabbed the elder man from both sides, trying to soothe him.

Second Uncle, Major General Jun, glanced at the dazed Tong Zhenzhen, his brow furrowing as he noticed her reaction seemed far from normal. He exchanged a knowing look with his wife.

Second Aunt walked over to the bedside with intuitive understanding, gently patting Tong Zhenzhen's hand to avoid startling her out of her trance. "Zhenzhen, we've come to see you."

Tong Zhenzhen turned her head blankly. Why had so many people suddenly appeared in the room?

Who was this woman before her, looking at her with such affectionate pity?

At that moment, Tong Zhenzhen felt a tug at her hem. Looking down, she saw a chubby Qin Yiwen.

The little fellow stood by the bed, tilting his head up and clutching the edge of her hospital gown, asking in a sweet, childish voice, "Auntie, Wenwen came to see you. Are you being disobedient, or are you sick?"

His round eyes were so clear, brimming with pure concern, that Tong Zhenzhen felt her heart shatter. If her child had survived, wouldn't it have grown to be just as adorable as him in a few months?

Tears burst forth like a breached reservoir, blurring her vision. She leaned forward and gently stroked Qin Yiwen's cheek. "Thank you, Wenwen."

Qin Yiwen widened his eyes, baffled as to why an adult like Tong Zhenzhen was crying. Catching sight of the IV drip, he pursed his little lips, rummaged through his pocket, and pulled out a few candies, pressing them into her palm. "Auntie, don't cry. Getting shots isn't scary. I'll give these to you."

"Wenxin, take Wenwen outside. I have something to say," Commander Jun stated, walking up to Tong Zhenzhen's bedside.