After Being Forced to Take the Role of the Scumbag Protagonist - Chapter 14

The faint scent of disinfectant drifted into his nostrils. Between the ebb and flow of his consciousness, a sliver of light pierced through Xu Ying’s world.

His trembling eyelids slowly fluttered open, squinting with difficulty until he could discern the vast expanse of white on the ceiling and the silhouette of an IV stand.

“…”

Everything before him seemed to be spinning. Through a thin curtain, he could hear the stern voice of a doctor and the low murmur of constant discussion.

Xu Ying’s mind was still hazy, his brain struggling to restart. His body felt stiff and immovable. He could only watch as a doctor in a white lab coat pulled the curtain back with a sharp whoosh. A cold, clinical gaze swept across his face for a split second before the doctor turned away, asking as if for confirmation:

“Is the patient awake?”

Xu Ying wanted to nod, but he couldn’t manage the motion. He could only move his lips weakly, responding in a breathy whisper: “…Yes.”

“Threatened miscarriage,” the doctor delivered the diagnosis with icy brevity. “The symptoms are quite severe. You’ll need to stay in the hospital for two days of observation.”

The moment the words were spoken, Xu Ying’s pupils contracted sharply. A violent shudder went through him, and his fingers gripped the bedsheets with sudden force. He tried to sit up but couldn’t do it alone; it was only when the kind older woman who had brought him in helped him up that he managed to find some leverage. He took a sharp, ragged breath and gasped in disbelief:

“…Miscarriage?!”

He opened his mouth, looking utterly lost. “Me?”

“You didn’t know?” It was the doctor’s turn to be surprised. “You’re seven weeks pregnant, nearly two months. You weren’t aware?”

Xu Ying opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instinctively, he pressed his palm against his lower abdomen.

There’s a tiny new life in here… belonging to Wu Yunzhi?

The realization sent a flicker of joy through him, yet it was immediately followed by a crushing urge to cry. He couldn’t process such complex, conflicting emotions. A sour lump lodged in his throat, and he sat there in stunned silence, staring at the doctor like a frightened child.

A flash of pity crossed the doctor’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by professional indifference.

“Don’t worry, the child is still there for now. If you truly want to keep it, stay for observation and rest.” The doctor glanced at Xu Ying’s youthful, immature face. “How old are you?”

“Twenty…” Xu Ying answered obediently, his brain still in a tailspin.

“Haven’t finished university yet?” The doctor frowned, noting the age on the chart. “And the father?”

“I’m a senior, I graduate this year.” Xu Ying paused, pointedly skipping the second question. He asked anxiously, “Doctor, you said it’s a ‘threatened’ miscarriage… does that mean the baby won’t survive? That I won’t be able to have it?”

“If you aren’t careful, yes,” the doctor replied. “Your emotional state is unstable, and your abdomen suffered a severe trauma. These are fatal risks for a fetus that needs a healthy, safe environment to grow.”

“Then what should I do?” Xu Ying’s heart pounded. “I…”

He licked his lips, wanting to say he desperately wanted this child. But then, the image of Wu Yunzhi covered in debt flashed in his mind, and the words died in his throat.

“Stay in the hospital. Bed rest.” The doctor’s instructions remained brief. “Go down and complete the admission paperwork.”

Xu Ying lowered his head, his fingers picking nervously at his palms. After a long silence, he whispered, “Doctor, I don’t have any money.”

Staying in the hospital for even one night cost over a hundred yuan. A few nights would equal a month’s rent.

The crease between the doctor’s brows deepened. He looked down at the crown of Xu Ying’s head. Hearing that he was a student with no money, the doctor could fill in the blanks: another student deceived by someone in society, now facing an accidental pregnancy.

Xu Ying wasn’t the first case, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. Such situations often ended in either a panicked abortion or a rushed marriage that ended an education and derailed a career. The doctor had seen too many to be moved. If someone couldn’t be responsible for themselves, how could they be responsible for a child?

Ultimately, Xu Ying chose not to stay. He borrowed a small amount of money from the kind woman, bought some medicine to stabilize the pregnancy, and went home.

The apartment was still a mess. When he walked in, he found Wu Yunzhi lying on the bed, looking pale. The blow from the bottle had likely caused a concussion; he was nauseous and miserable.

Seeing Xu Ying return, Wu Yunzhi pulled himself up and looked at him. “Why were you gone so long?”

“…My stomach hurt, so I went to get some medicine.” Xu Ying didn’t mention the pregnancy. He only asked, “Can I make you some dinner?”

Wu Yunzhi stared at Xu Ying’s equally haggard face and beckoned him over. Xu Ying sat down obediently, even reaching out to take Wu Yunzhi’s hand.

“Listen… don’t come here for a while. Go back to your dorm,” Wu Yunzhi said quietly. “I’ll figure something out about the money.”

Xu Ying didn’t answer immediately. He knew Wu Yunzhi was trying to push him away for his own safety, but since he was half the reason Wu Yunzhi was in this mess, how could he leave now? He looked into Wu Yunzhi’s calm eyes, sniffled, and slowly shook his head.

“I’m not leaving,” he said. “I’m staying to help you.”

Wu Yunzhi chuckled weakly. “And how are you going to help?”

“I’ll do the laundry and cook. Whatever I can do, I’ll do it.” Xu Ying lowered his eyes to Wu Yunzhi’s bandaged hand, his heart aching. “Your hand is hurt… how are you going to type?”

“It’s fine,” Wu Yunzhi said. “There’s always a way.”

What way could there be? Xu Ying thought. They were penniless. Forget about a million yuan by next week, they could barely scrape together a hundred for dinner.

Xu Ying looked down at his stomach again, his eyes flickering with hidden pain.

This child had come at the wrong time. If he allowed it to be born, both he and Wu Yunzhi would only suffer more. Check-ups, delivery, formula—all of it cost a fortune they didn’t have. They couldn’t afford a child. They couldn’t have it.

Tears began to spill over, cold against his cheeks. He blinked, meeting Wu Yunzhi’s startled gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Wu Yunzhi reached out with his good hand to wipe the tears away, his voice softening. “Why are you crying?”

Xu Ying shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he lied. “I’ll go make dinner.”

With those final words, Xu Ying stood up abruptly. As if trying to hide something, he stumbled away, heading straight for the kitchen.

Wu Yunzhi instinctively reached out to stop him, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit him the moment he stood up. He was forced to sink back onto the bed, clutching his forehead in silence. A cloud of doubt filled his mind—what exactly is wrong with Xu Ying?

In the kitchen, Xu Ying began preparing dinner, but his mind was elsewhere. He was so distracted that the knife slipped, slicing deep into his finger.

He dropped the knife and hurried back to the living room to look for a bandage. Just as he reached the table, his phone vibrated.

Assuming it was a professor or a classmate, Xu Ying picked up. “Hello?”

Silence met him on the other end, save for the sound of steady, heavy breathing. Xu Ying frowned, repeating himself several times, but the caller remained mute. Feeling unsettled, he hung up.

He assumed it was a scam call or a wrong number, but the second the line cut, a text message popped up:

“Xu Ying.”

The person knew his name. Xu Ying’s heart skipped a beat. He gripped the phone tight, his eyes locked on the screen as a second message appeared:

“I won’t let you off.”

Silence followed. It was a warning, sharp and clear. But Xu Ying wasn’t a fool; in a flash of terrifying clarity, he realized exactly who was behind this.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. His palm pressed into a stray glass shard he hadn’t swept up earlier, cutting him. The stinging pain radiated from his skin to his heart. He slumped against the table, the urge to cry overwhelming him.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew this was Xu Congrong’s handiwork. What chilled him to the bone was that Congrong was using the debt to drive Wu Yunzhi into a corner. The debt that was supposed to be paid in installments had suddenly been demanded in full by next week—that couldn’t be a coincidence.

Congrong, with his pride trampled at the wedding, would never let this go. And against the power of the Xu family, Wu Yunzhi and Xu Ying were nothing. If they couldn’t produce a million yuan by next week, Wu Yunzhi would…

But he’s a writer, Xu Ying thought desperately. He can’t lose his hands.

“Xu Ying?”

A voice startled him. Wu Yunzhi, seeing that dinner was taking too long, had come out to check on him. He found Xu Ying sitting on the floor while a pot in the kitchen was boiling over.

Wu Yunzhi quickly turned off the stove and helped Xu Ying up. “What happened? Did those thugs scare you that much?”

“No,” Xu Ying shook his head, lying through his teeth. “I was just… thinking about how to pay back that million.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Wu Yunzhi said with a weary smile. “The worst they can do is kill me.”

“You can’t die!” Xu Ying’s voice spiked with sudden emotion. “You…” You’re the father of the child in my womb, he wanted to scream. But realizing he couldn’t even afford to raise a child, the words died in his throat. Even if the debt vanished tomorrow, how could they support a baby?

Unaware of the turmoil in Xu Ying’s heart, Wu Yunzhi pulled him onto the sofa, kissing his temple comfortingly. “Go back to the dorm next week, okay? Be good. Don’t be stubborn.”

Xu Ying huddled in his embrace, his expression unreadable. He began picking at his nails again. A dark thought crossed his mind: since he was already facing a threatened miscarriage, why not just let it happen? Throw away the medicine, end the pregnancy… the child would only be a burden, a weight dragging Wu Yunzhi down. He couldn’t make things even more difficult for him.

“Stop worrying,” Wu Yunzhi coaxed, misinterpreting his silence. “Want to hear some good news?”

“What?” Xu Ying asked softly.

Wu Yunzhi pulled out his phone and showed him a chat log with an editor. “The editor sent a contract invitation. Once it’s processed, I can start earning money from serializing my novel online. Also, the payment for that short story I sent to the magazine just arrived. We have money for now.”

Wu Yunzhi didn’t tell him that this was just a stepping stone. He planned to return to screenwriting. In his past life, he had been a titan in the industry, with numerous blockbuster hits and awards under his belt. He knew how to make money this way; it just took time.

“Trust me, okay?” Wu Yunzhi said. “It’ll get better.”

Xu Ying looked down at his ruined cuticles. After a long pause, he whispered, “Okay. I trust you.”

Will it really get better? Xu Ying wasn’t sure. The only thing he could do now was believe in Wu Yunzhi, and try his best to ensure he didn’t become a burden.

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