Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 45

The timing was just right for a release of emotion. Jian Chun’s tears dampened her lashes, pooling in her eyes before she forced them to stay within the rims of her eyelids.

Yu Siyi’s hand moved in a comforting rhythm against her back. Her soft, almost spellbinding voice calmed Jian Chun’s breaking composure, helping her regain her senses. People continued to hurry past, seemingly oblivious to the scene—or perhaps simply accustomed to it. In a hospital, nothing is out of the ordinary.

Once her tears had fully receded, Jian Chun looked up. She gently pushed Yu Siyi back and tilted her chin to look into the eyes hidden beneath the brim of the woman’s hat.

“Why are you here? There are people everywhere,” Jian Chun whispered, glancing around. “What if you’re recognized?”

“No one will notice,” Yu Siyi replied, pulling her hat down a fraction lower.

Avoiding the gaze of passersby, Jian Chun asked, “How is Niannian? Have you seen her?”

Noticing Jian Chun’s frantic worry, Yu Siyi teased her slightly. “I thought you didn’t care about her anymore.”

“How could that be possible?” Jian Chun blurted out.

Seeing that Yu Siyi wasn’t in a rush to take her to the child, Jian Chun felt a strange sense of relief. Yu Siyi’s gaze was indifferent, and while Jian Chun wanted to meet her eyes, she instinctively looked away.

“Let’s go,” Yu Siyi said, reaching out her hand.

Jian Chun looked at the hand—slender, fair, and perfectly manicured. She spent a few seconds debating whether to take it, but before she could decide, Yu Siyi withdrew it. Jian Chun looked up, surprised. Yu Siyi simply smoothed a stray lock of Jian Chun’s hair. Before Jian Chun could even think to protest the intimacy, Yu Siyi had already turned to lead the way.

The Incident at School

Niannian was fine; her medical examination was already complete.

The conflict had started with a boy in her class named Lu Tianhao, a notorious troublemaker who enjoyed pestering the girls. Niannian usually ignored him, which only spurred him on. By the time their teacher, Ms. Yuan, arrived, both children were in tears.

Currently, Niannian was being comforted by her nanny, while Ms. Yuan explained the situation. Jian Chun spotted them and immediately nudged Yu Siyi toward the side.

“I’ll handle the talking,” Jian Chun said. “You go comfort Niannian.” She pushed Yu Siyi toward a nearby bench and walked over to the nanny, Auntie Li. “Take Niannian and sit over there for a bit.”

Auntie Li spotted Yu Siyi and nodded. “Madam…”

“It’s fine. Go on, I know what I’m doing,” Jian Chun reassured her.

As soon as Niannian saw Yu Siyi, she rushed into her arms, her face a mask of grievance, seeking the comfort only a parent can provide.

Ms. Yuan looked relieved to see Jian Chun. The two nannies, Auntie Li and Auntie Wang, were older and quite protective; they had been quite sharp with the teacher, demanding to know how a child left in her care could be bullied.

Ms. Yuan was roughly Jian Chun’s age. If she hadn’t had a few years of experience dealing with parents, she likely would have been moved to tears by the pressure. The other child, Lu Tianhao, had a red scratch on his face and had been taken by his parents for a full-body checkup. Compared to Jian Chun’s side, the Lu family was far more aggressive. Despite both children crying, they focused solely on the fact that Niannian had no visible injuries.

“Lu Tianhao is usually mischievous, but nothing like this has happened before,” Ms. Yuan explained guiltily. “When I arrived, they were both crying, and he was on the floor with a scratch on his face.”

“What did the other children say?” Jian Chun asked.

“They said Tianhao intentionally sought Niannian out, said a few things, and then the fight started.”

Jian Chun sighed. “Teacher, you know Niannian is the most obedient child. If she got into a fight, the other party must have been the problem. Of course, as a parent, I’m biased. The hospital atmosphere is grim; since they are still doing checkups, we’ll wait at the tea restaurant outside.”

Confrontation at the Restaurant

In the restaurant, Niannian clung to Yu Siyi. “Mother is back,” she whispered.

“I came back specifically to see you,” Yu Siyi soothed.

Niannian pouted. “Niannian wasn’t being bad.” She looked at Yu Siyi, fearing punishment.

“Come here, baby. Let Mama hold you,” Jian Chun said, crouching down. But before Niannian could move, Yu Siyi scooped the girl up herself.

“Niannian, did that classmate bully you?” Jian Chun asked as they walked.

Niannian nodded, then hesitated. “Lu Tianhao said I only have a Mama and no Papa. He called me an orphan and laughed really loud. The other kids followed him and laughed at me too.”

Jian Chun went silent. She realized that while she wanted to be a good mother, her actions were often too slow.

“They’re just little fools,” Auntie Li chimed in. “Your two mothers are more powerful than all their parents put together!”

“Mama, am I useless? I don’t even know how to curse back,” Niannian asked with watery eyes.

“No, our Niannian is the best,” Jian Chun comforted her.

Suddenly, Yu Siyi asked coldly, “What happened to that brat’s face?”

Niannian shrank back like a little quail.

“Don’t be so stern, you’re scaring her,” Jian Chun chided. She turned to Niannian. “Tell Mama, who gave him that scratch?”

“I… he insulted me, so I pushed him,” Niannian whispered. “He tried to push me back, so I hit him.”

“Good for you!” Auntie Li exclaimed. “If those boys don’t follow the rules and try to touch you, you hit them back hard!”

“Auntie Li, that is not how you teach a child,” Yu Siyi said, her voice laced with a coldness that made Niannian freeze.

The Lu Family Arrives

Soon, Ms. Yuan arrived with the Lu family. Mrs. Lu, a fashionable but haughty woman, marched in.

“There she is! That’s Niannian’s mom!” the boy, Lu Tianhao, shouted.

Mrs. Lu eyed Jian Chun with disdain. Jian Chun didn’t wait. “Tell me, how much money do you want for the medical bill?”

“You think you can afford us?” Mrs. Lu snapped. “A divorced woman like you… what could you possibly have? You’re probably raising an illegitimate daughter. No wonder she has no upbringing.”

The air turned cold. Jian Chun hadn’t even divorced yet.

“Speaking of upbringing,” Jian Chun said calmly, meeting the woman’s eyes. “A mother who encourages her son to bully girls and then comes here to cast blame is the one who needs to be ‘re-educated.'”

“My son is still undergoing tests for internal injuries!” Mrs. Lu shrieked.

“I asked you for the price,” Jian Chun repeated.

“You b*tch,” Mrs. Lu hissed. “You and your illegitimate daughter—”

SLAP.

The sound of the slap echoed through the restaurant. Mrs. Lu’s head snapped to the side, her hair falling into a disheveled mess. Ms. Yuan stood frozen in shock—the gentle Jian Chun had actually struck someone.

As Mrs. Lu lunged forward to retaliate, the restaurant staff and Ms. Yuan scrambled to pull them apart. Amidst the chaos, Mrs. Lu’s husband, Mr. Lu, arrived.

After hearing his wife’s histrionics, Mr. Lu turned to Jian Chun. “Madam, my son said one word and your daughter attacked him. Is that correct?”

“If you want to take it out of context, fine,” Jian Chun replied. “I’ve offered to pay for the scratch. But you should also estimate the cost of the mental distress caused to my daughter, as well as a settlement for your wife’s verbal slander. You can discuss the details with my lawyer.”

“Are you joking?” Mr. Lu laughed. “You clearly don’t know which ‘Lu family’ we are.”

“Please, excuse us.”

A melodious, commanding voice cut through the crowd. Yu Siyi walked forward, holding Niannian. She didn’t look at the chaos. She simply reached into her bag and pulled out a business card, holding it between two slender fingers.

“We have to go home for dinner,” Yu Siyi said smoothly. “Since the compensation is settled, you can contact me.”

Mr. Lu took the card with a sneer, but as his eyes scanned the name, he froze. His face went pale.

Yu Siyi.

The name alone was enough to crush him, not to mention the power of the family behind her. The restaurant went deathly silent. Mrs. Lu snatched the card, looked at it, and let out a strangled gasp. Her husband quickly grabbed it back, tucking it away as if it were a holy relic, his previous arrogance completely vanished.

The Drive Home

In the car, the silence was heavy. Jian Chun felt a sense of failure—as a teacher, she had skipped her exam, and as a mother, she had let Yu Siyi step in to finish a fight she started.

“I’m sorry…” Jian Chun murmured. “I couldn’t hold back.”

“Show me your hand,” Yu Siyi said, referring to the hand Jian Chun had used to slap the woman.

“I’m fine.”

Jian Chun looked at Yu Siyi. It was a strange feeling—when Yu Siyi was clingy, she wanted to run away. But now that Yu Siyi was acting distant, she felt unsettled.

“Mama, you were so cool!” Niannian broke the tension.

Jian Chun smiled, her heart fluttering beneath a calm exterior. She knew that without Yu Siyi standing behind her, she wouldn’t have had nearly as much confidence.