Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 101 - Who Needs the Child More?
Chapter 101: Who Needs the Child More?
It took three whole days. He Qingchi’s high fever finally subsided, her body temperature returning to normal. When she woke up, she found herself in a hospital room, lying under white blankets, feeling as if the entire world had suddenly gone quiet.
Outside, the sun was bright, lighting up even the corners of the room. A few bouquets of fresh flowers sat nearby, adding a bit of color.
The morning light fell warmly across He Qingchi’s eyelashes. After a few faint trembles, her consciousness slowly returned. She couldn’t remember anything that happened during the fever; by the time she became aware again, she was already in this unfamiliar room, wearing a loose hospital gown, her long black hair messy over her shoulders. The fingers under the blanket were still ice-cold.
Suddenly, the ward door opened. A nurse walked in, and upon seeing her awake, let out a breath of relief. “Miss He, how are you feeling? The little baby in your belly is just as strong as you are. You’re not feeling any discomfort, right? Dr. Li said you wouldn’t wake up today—I came to give you a nutrient drip, but looks like there’s no need anymore.”
For a moment, He Qingchi stared blankly, her dark eyes resting on the nurse as if she couldn’t understand a word of the long explanation.
The nurse adjusted her bed, then brought her a cup of warm water with a gentle smile. “Moisten your throat first. Want to drink some porridge?”
He Qingchi stiffly touched the rim of the cup. After wetting her pale lips, her dry voice rasped, “What did you say?”
She repeated the question, looking straight at the nurse.
The nurse beamed. “Your fever has gone down, Miss He. And the little baby in your belly is very strong—pulled through together with you. The doctor checked you this morning—everything looks healthy.”
From that whole string of words, He Qingchi grasped a few key ones.
She lowered her head, staring at the oversized hospital gown. It felt unreal. Slowly, she raised her hand and placed it on her stomach. Her waist was so slender it was impossible to imagine there was already a child inside.
Seeing her reaction, the nurse assumed it was just a first-time mother’s excitement.
“The baby is only one month old—tiny right now. In a few months, they’ll grow bigger inside your belly.”
He Qingchi’s eyes gradually reddened. It was as if she was finally beginning to sense the child’s existence. Her palm rested lightly on her abdomen, afraid to press down, her cold fingertips trembling. Her throat tightened. Her chest swelled with tangled emotions—and even a bit of helplessness.
This child had arrived so suddenly that neither parent had been prepared.
And the scene before her was the complete opposite of what she once imagined. She lay alone in a hospital bed, with no one to share her joy.
The nurse carefully tucked in her blankets, opened the window to let in fresh air, then turned around and saw He Qingchi still staring at her stomach. For some reason, the nurse felt the woman looked far too thin—pale and delicate, like a fragile porcelain doll that might shatter with the lightest touch.
By evening—
The hospital had already notified the He family that she had woken up. She had just finished half a bowl of porridge and was resting when the door suddenly pushed open from the outside.
For a moment, she lifted her half-closed eyelashes, expecting to see a familiar figure.
But instead, Father He rushed in, panting, suit jacket draped over his arm and his tie still on—clearly having hurried from some event. Only when he saw her awake did he finally relax.
“Are you still feeling unwell?”
That had become the first question everyone asked upon seeing her.
He Qingchi looked calm. It felt like the worst part of her breakdown had passed along with the fever. Seeing her father’s worried expression and the words he seemed hesitant to say, she took the initiative to speak first. Her voice was still weak. “The nurse told me… this is my and Wen Shuchen’s child.”
Based on the timing, she had gotten pregnant the night before Wen Shuchen’s father’s funeral.
He had said he wanted a child. She never expected it would actually happen.
Father He’s expression darkened. He looked at her stomach. Just days ago, he had briefly considered secretly taking care of the situation while she was unconscious—she wouldn’t know anything once she woke up.
But once the thought surfaced, guilt consumed him.
This was his own grandchild.
He Qingchi lowered her eyes, though no tears fell. After a couple of seconds, she spoke again. “Dad, once my knee heals, I won’t go looking for Wen Shuchen… but you have to promise to help me with one thing.”
Father He’s eyes lit up instantly. Since last month, this issue had plagued him without end.
They couldn’t lock her in the house for years. Once she recovered enough to walk and run again, she could still leave the country or return to Jiangcheng to find Wen Shuchen.
He had stayed awake many nights wondering how he would keep her from being taken away again.
So whatever she wanted now, he was prepared to agree. “Daughter, even if you want me to arrange an abortion this very moment, Dad will support you!”
Perhaps he was too emotional—he had accidentally revealed his true thoughts.
If the child was born, He Qingchi and Wen Shuchen would be bound for life.
So much for cutting ties—completely impossible.
He Qingchi looked at her father for a long moment, too tired to even argue. Her slender throat tightened several times before she finally forced the words out: “Wen Shuchen is completely alone now in the Wen family. He needs this child more than I do… Dad, when the baby is born, please deliver the child to him yourself. I won’t see him—you can rest assured.”
“Daughter… you’re not joking with me?”
Father He never expected her plan was to give birth and then give the baby away.
Pregnant for ten months—would she really bear to part with the child?
“The night before the funeral… Wen Shuchen asked me to take pity on him…” Her eyes filled repeatedly with tears, her chest tightening with the weight of all her emotions. Her attempt at a smile looked worse than crying. “I was afraid he wouldn’t make it through, Dad. I want to give him the child.”
Father He fell silent for a long time. He knew Wen Shuchen was receiving treatment abroad—Qiu Jin’s poison wasn’t fatal but had caused significant damage. After the recovery period, Wen Shuchen would still need strength to deal with the predators lurking within the Wen family. That was why Father He had always opposed He Qingchi returning there.
This internal conflict—no matter who won or lost—
As long as it didn’t involve his precious daughter, Father He couldn’t care less.
Sending away this child who carried the Wen family’s blood was fine too. That way, it had nothing to do with the He family anymore.
The more Father He thought about it, the more he felt this was the perfect solution.
“Baby girl, have I ever refused anything you asked for? You’re the most important person in the He family now. As long as you focus on healing your knee and safely growing the little one in your belly, your dad would kneel down for you if he had to.”
Father He spoke to her with heartfelt sincerity, pouring out the hardships of being a father. Afraid she would feel lonely in the hospital, he even called over their young relative, He Li, to keep her company.
After a full week in the hospital and complete physical recovery, He Qingchi was discharged.
She still needed a wheelchair. The news of her pregnancy was tightly sealed within the He family. They couldn't risk word reaching the Wen family in Jiangcheng—some ruthless people might even set their sights on the tiny heir in her belly.
Father He was extremely cautious, assigning more than twenty bodyguards to accompany her at all times, along with two nannies.
Because of her injured leg, He Qingchi barely left the house.
She hadn’t been doing well recently. Being pregnant, she couldn't take most medications, so she endured everything on her own. The physical discomfort was manageable—the psychological problems were the real burden.
She woke from nightmares at midnight, remembering fragmented images of her childhood kidnapping, and she constantly suffered from insomnia.
Any one of these problems alone was enough to make Father He fall to his knees in distress.
The only consolation was that the child in her belly was quiet and obedient. After three months, she could already walk again. Her thin waist had begun to fill out with a soft, healthy roundness, and whenever she went for checkups, the doctors would praise how well-behaved the baby was.
Except for her growing belly, He Qingchi had otherwise become much thinner—slender arms and legs, nothing like before.
During this period, her life in the He residence was completely shut off from the outside world. Even when her debut film premiered, she didn’t show up for promotions. She didn’t even touch her phone, which stayed with her father. It was as if her entire world had been sealed behind an invisible wall.
Qin Chuan and Qu Bixin had to travel all the way from Jiangcheng just to visit her.
No one expected that in just one year, He Qingchi would become a completely different person—colder, more distant. That morning, she sat on the attic balcony basking in the sun, a thin cotton blanket draped over her waist and abdomen. Her posture was the same as ever, her long black hair now trimmed shorter, her face pale and thin.
Qin Chuan walked over, washed fruits for her, and poured tea. “Little ancestor, because of this one illness of yours, I almost felt like I should apologize to your old man with my life.”
If he had known that marrying Wen Shuchen would lead to this—
Qin Chuan would’ve chopped off his own dog head before encouraging that match.
Since getting pregnant, He Qingchi had taken a liking to cherry tomatoes—perhaps the bit of sourness appealed to the little one in her belly. She picked up a freshly washed tomato and ate without saying much.
In the He residence, most of the time, other people talked while she listened.
Even breathing felt like it required extra effort. Talking exhausted her.
Qu Bixin sat nearby with her slender legs crossed, lounging comfortably on the sofa. She rolled her eyes at Qin Chuan. “Then why don’t you jump off the balcony for her? Uncle He says Qingchi hasn’t smiled happily in a long time. If you jump and make her laugh, wouldn’t that be worth it?”
“Are you crazy?!”
Qin Chuan nearly rolled up his sleeves to strangle this venomous little green tea. He was only speaking metaphorically!
Who wanted to actually die?!
But more importantly—when no one else was around—Qin Chuan leaned in to quietly whisper to He Qingchi: “I heard Wen Shuchen came back to Jiangcheng a few days ago. His people covered it up too well, so that’s all I could find out. Do you want me to help you sneak out of the He residence…?”
At this, He Qingchi showed no excitement—her expression remained calm.
It was Qu Bixin who immediately stopped Qin Chuan from doing something stupid. “If Uncle He finds out, Qin Chuan… he’ll skin your dog hide alive and hang it at the door.”
Qin Chuan protested, “I’m doing this for Qingchi! The man she’s been thinking about day and night is back!”
Qu Bixin scoffed. “If Wen Shuchen wants to pick her up, he’ll come himself. Why should Qingchi throw herself at him? Just because she’s pregnant, you think he won’t send her back?”
Her few sentences left Qin Chuan speechless. She then looked at He Qingchi’s thin face, speaking with unusual seriousness. “Don’t listen to these useless men.”
He Qingchi didn’t listen to either of them. After finishing her fruit, she slowly stood up, supporting her waist. “I’m going to nap. Stay or go as you like.”
With that, she left them behind and returned to her room.
Qin Chuan and Qu Bixin stared at each other.
—See? Now they’d upset her.
She closed the door gently behind her, shutting out their bickering.
He Qingchi walked slowly to the vanity and sat down. The mirror reflected her face—indeed much thinner. The wedding ring on her ring finger, once a perfect fit, now felt loose on her slender hand.
After sitting quietly for a moment, she opened the top drawer.
She took out a diary and a fountain pen. Her elegant handwriting filled page after page as she recorded everything that happened during her pregnancy—what she ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, how she felt each day.
This diary, along with the child, was something she planned to give to Wen Shuchen in the future.
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