Three Sentences That Made My Ex-Wife Spit Blood - Chapter 54

When Lu Tong was found, she had been in a fierce struggle with Mu Chengcheng.

Seeing that the person who broke in was the driver who always followed behind Wen Huaxi, she finally let out a breath of relief.

She had been defending herself alone in the office, using whatever she could to hold him off. That was no small feat.

After being rescued, she immediately lost consciousness.

Wen Huaxi gave her a quick check. There were no serious injuries. In fact, Mu Chengcheng looked worse in the photos, with bruises and a busted-up appearance.

Wen Huaxi brought Lu Tong back to her hotel room. It was clear the afternoon’s filming couldn’t continue.

As for how to deal with Mu Chengcheng, the male lead who was supposed to be the film’s major traffic pull and box office draw, the crew went into urgent discussions.

Until they made a decision, this matter no longer had much to do with Wen Huaxi. She followed Xiao Liu to Yan Qinglan’s office.

Yan Qinglan had already said she was welcome to use anything in her office.

Wen Huaxi sat in Yan Qinglan’s chair, leaned back against the soft seat, and took in the familiar scent that always lingered around her lover. It made her feel slightly calmer.

Once Yan Qinglan learned that she was there, she rushed through her meeting and quickly returned to the office.

“Xiaoxi,” she said when she saw her. Her heart tightened immediately.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Your friend is safe now, isn’t she?”

Yan Qinglan quickly walked over and held the girl who still tried to force a smile even though her hair looked dull and her energy was gone.

“I’m alright,” Wen Huaxi replied, resting in her arms. Her hands closed around her a little tighter.

“You’re not alright. I can tell something is bothering you. Can’t you talk to me about it?”

Yan Qinglan kissed her on the forehead. “We’re wives now. Whatever is bothering you, we face it together.”

“Why can’t I ever hide anything from you?” Wen Huaxi sighed softly. She wrapped her arms around Yan Qinglan’s neck and buried her face in her shoulder.

“I just feel a little low.” Saying it out loud helped a little.

She leaned into the person she loved. What she needed most right now was just a hug.

“I want you to hold me.”

Feeling her little kitten snuggle into her, Yan Qinglan gently patted her on the back.

“Will you tell me more about it? Even the smallest thing matters to me. Even if it’s just bad weather or not getting the food you wanted.”

“I don’t think it’s worth mentioning,” Wen Huaxi replied, her voice softer than ever.

Hearing it made Yan Qinglan’s chest tighten.

“It is worth mentioning.” Yan Qinglan had read plenty about pregnancy and the emotional changes that come with it, both before and after birth.

Wen Huaxi had always been full of energy and passion. Her presence could bring smiles to those around her.

But this morning’s lingering anxiety and sadness were not like her. Something was definitely wrong.

“I want to hear everything. Tell me, please.” Yan Qinglan lowered her voice, coaxing her gently.

“It’s really nothing serious. I’m already okay,” Wen Huaxi said hesitantly.

“I still want to know.” Yan Qinglan leaned closer and lightly nibbled her earlobe.

“My sweet Xiaoxi, I’ve been so worried about you.”

Her voice was gentle but firm, close to her ear.

Wen Huaxi paused for a few seconds before slowly lifting her head from Yan Qinglan’s shoulder and finally speaking, though with hesitation.

“I just feel like I’m not ready.”

“For the baby?” Yan Qinglan asked gently. She already had a good idea what the issue was.

“Yes. I’m not ready to be a mother. I’m scared I won’t know how to take care of her. I’m scared something will go wrong.”

She fell silent again and leaned back into Yan Qinglan’s arms.

“Sister Qing, the baby is already almost five months along. Isn’t it terrible that I still feel this way?”

“I love her so much. I’ve been looking forward to meeting her. But today, I suddenly felt afraid. I saw my friend in trouble, and I couldn’t help her right away. Then I started to realize I’m not as strong as I thought I was. I don’t have anything. My film hasn’t even been released. I don’t have money or connections. But my daughter is about to be born.”

Wen Huaxi was scared of her baby’s arrival.

Hearing this, Yan Qinglan’s heart sank. Her emotions dropped with every word Wen Huaxi said.

The scary part wasn’t that Wen Huaxi had these thoughts.

It was that she was hurting so much and still didn’t want to say anything.

She thought her emotions were something small. She believed she should handle it all by herself.

If she hadn’t insisted on checking in, something worse might have happened today.

Yan Qinglan exhaled slowly. Her wife was pregnant. She should have already shifted her priorities and put more of her attention on her family, especially on the woman she loved.

Maybe when Wen Huaxi called earlier, she should have gone to her right away.

That was her mistake.

“Sister, you don’t have to comfort me. It really isn’t a big deal. I’ll be fine,” Wen Huaxi said softly, still trying to sound strong.

She was still holding it all in.

Yan Qinglan pushed her emotions down and tried to speak as gently as she could. She didn’t want to scold the girl who was already hurting. She didn’t want to scare her.

“Baby, it’s not a small thing. Your emotions have never been small to me. You’re allowed to feel unhappy. You’re allowed to feel scared or anxious. But you are not allowed to keep it all inside. And you are not allowed to tell yourself it doesn’t matter.”

She gently stroked Wen Huaxi’s head.

Yan Qinglan knew better than anyone what it felt like to be drained by emotions, to feel weak and unpredictable, to be pushed to the edge by anxiety and depression.

She never imagined her beloved would have to go through that pain too.

This child… why did it have to come now?

“But I really do feel much better now. I just felt helpless earlier. I even thought maybe I shouldn’t have tried to help her, because I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t take responsibility for her. I couldn’t take responsibility for my baby either,” Wen Huaxi whispered, still trying to justify herself.

As she spoke, a single tear fell onto Yan Qinglan’s clothes.

Sadness crept in again, and she tried hard not to cry.

She felt like she couldn’t even handle such a small thing. She kept making Yan Qinglan worry, and now she had even dirtied her clothes.

“You’re still not happy, are you?” Yan Qinglan said gently. “Xiaoxi, you might not have much experience yet. But emotions are not always something you can control. Sometimes they’re driven by hormones, no matter what your mind tells you.”

“We should face them together. Solve them together. Or just accept them together. That’s better than hiding them. It’s better than forcing yourself to act like nothing is wrong.”

“Why do you sound like you’ve been through all this before?” Wen Huaxi muttered, her lips twitching slightly.

She had to admit, Sister Qing was right.

But still, Wen Huaxi did not want to admit that she was afraid of Qingxun’s arrival.

She kept telling herself that this was her daughter, the child she had waited for, longed for, searched for, and loved with all her heart.

In her last life, she had already prepared everything.

So how could she possibly feel fear or resistance toward her daughter?

Did this mean she didn’t really love her little one?

“Yan Qinglan, your self-harming… was it not actually caused by skin hunger?” Wen Huaxi suddenly realized something.

If Yan Qinglan understood emotional instability this well, and considering how in their past life she was never known to enjoy physical intimacy with others—she even had a serious cleanliness obsession—then maybe…

“This is something we can talk about later,” Yan Qinglan said. She wasn’t trying to hide anything.

It was just that Wen Huaxi had never asked before, and she herself had been off medication for several years now. Things had stabilized.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” Wen Huaxi said gently. She never intended to force open someone else’s old wounds.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk. But right now, there’s something more important we need to focus on. Do you want to go home, or should we stay here?”

Seeing that Wen Huaxi was still downcast, her hair still lacking its shine, Yan Qinglan made a decision.

“Let’s go home. Come on, baby. We’re going home.”

Yan Qinglan scooped her up into her arms.

Color finally returned to Wen Huaxi’s face, and a hint of expression warmed her features. She was clearly a little shy.

This was Yan Qinglan’s company after all. Walking downstairs like this meant people would definitely see them.

Even if everyone knew they were married, it was still embarrassing.

But Wen Huaxi wanted to follow her heart and be brave just this once.

She turned her head, wrapped her arms tighter around Yan Qinglan’s neck, and whispered, “Let’s go home.”

“So Xiaoxi, what you’re feeling is a fear that you won’t be able to take care of Qingxun properly. You’re afraid of the responsibility, and that’s made you hesitant about her arrival. Is that it?”

Back home, neither of them sat in a proper position. Yan Qinglan held Wen Huaxi close, and the two of them lay half-curled on the couch.

Yan Qinglan didn’t want her to run away before she could finish saying what needed to be said.

Just a few months ago, she had tied Wen Huaxi up right on this very couch.

And now, only a short time later, they were two people deeply in love, talking openly about their inner thoughts.

Wen Huaxi’s first instinct was to avoid it.

But she wasn’t trying to escape her emotions or avoid Yan Qinglan. So instead, she held on tighter.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked quietly. It was a roundabout way of admitting that yes, she felt this way.

“It’s not bad at all. It’s completely normal. Feeling happy and excited about the baby is normal. After all, she’s our child. But feeling anxious or afraid is also normal. No matter how much we love her, having a baby means taking on a huge responsibility. Everything about her future will depend on us.”

“As her mothers, we will shape who she becomes. It’s natural for you to worry whether you can care for her properly. And I worry too. I’m scared she’ll go down the wrong path, or that we won’t give her enough, or maybe give her too much.”

“We’re both new to this. It’s our first time becoming parents. We don’t have experience. Being afraid of the unknown is completely understandable.”

Wen Huaxi listened carefully. Everything Yan Qinglan said made sense.

“But I really do love her. I truly look forward to meeting our baby. I thought I was ready.”

Seeing how Yan Qinglan gently comforted her, Wen Huaxi began to open up more.

“It’s just… I keep thinking, if I love her this much, then why do I feel scared? Why would I ever not want her to be born?”

Wen Huaxi was, as always, very obedient. With just a little guidance, she could open up deeply.

Yan Qinglan was unexpectedly moved and felt a wave of tenderness. She held Wen Huaxi tighter and patted her head softly.

“It’s not a contradiction. You love her, so you want to protect her, and you want her to have the best. That’s why you feel anxious. That’s how all parents are.”

Yan Qinglan thought of her own mother, Yan Mingzhu.

But unlike Wen Huaxi, she had been stubborn, angry, and difficult. A child who shut herself off from the world and refused to share anything with others.

How long had that counselor spent trying to get her to say just one honest sentence?

She couldn’t even remember clearly.

“I see…” Wen Huaxi nodded. It really did make sense.

Yan Qinglan was worthy of being called the big sister. She was so much more mature and understanding.

Wen Huaxi smiled and leaned against her. “Thank you, Sister Qing.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Baby, have you heard of prenatal depression or prenatal anxiety?” Yan Qinglan asked, watching as Wen Huaxi’s hair regained its healthy glow and feeling relieved.

“So that’s what it is… Does that mean I’ll randomly feel sad again later?” Wen Huaxi thought silently to herself that hormones really were terrifying.

“There’s a chance. Xiaoxi, if anything ever feels off, either emotionally or physically, even the slightest thing, you have to tell me. I’m really scared… I worry about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Yan Qinglan said, pushing away the darker thoughts in her mind.

Wen Huaxi had already decided to stay. Their baby was precious. What mattered most now was taking care of both of them.

“Alright. I understand. You’re the best, Sister.” Wen Huaxi leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

This might have been the first time they had such a calm, honest moment.

There was no teasing, no burning passion. Just the two of them, holding each other and having a real conversation face to face.

It felt like she had gotten to know Yan Qinglan just a little better. And loved her a little more.

After sitting together in silence for a while, Wen Huaxi turned and placed Yan Qinglan’s hand on her belly.

“I really do love our little one. She’s so quiet. Never causes trouble.”

“She’s a good baby,” Yan Qinglan replied. It was mostly love by association, but it felt genuine.

With Yan Qinglan’s hand resting gently on her stomach, Wen Huaxi felt at peace again. Sleepiness crept in.

“Do you want to rest for a bit? I’ll go make something to eat,” Yan Qinglan asked softly, always quick to notice any shift in her mood.

“I’ll nap for half an hour. But wake me up later. I still have something I want to ask you.” Wen Huaxi closed her eyes, content.

Yan Qinglan brushed her hair away from her forehead.

She also needed to think about how to explain her own painful past to Wen Huaxi.

In the kitchen, Yan Qinglan made two bowls of rice wine soup with glutinous rice balls.

When Wen Huaxi opened her eyes again, she planned to feed it to her, one spoonful at a time.

But Wen Huaxi snatched the spoon, wanting to feed Yan Qinglan instead.

They played tug-of-war over it for a moment and eventually decided to take turns feeding each other.

“So, Sister Qing, did you go through something similar before? Depression?”

After finishing the soup, Wen Huaxi finally asked, giving Yan Qinglan plenty of time to prepare herself.

“No. It wasn’t depression. It was bipolar disorder. Also known as manic depression.”

Wen Huaxi blinked, then picked up her phone to look it up.

“You don’t seem like it. I always thought, aside from being a little childish with me sometimes, your emotions were pretty stable.”

Wen Huaxi added softly that her comment didn’t count the moments when Yan Qinglan acted childishly. That conclusion was still fair.

“I’m doing much better now. You could say I’ve basically recovered. I stopped taking medication a few years ago and ended treatment,” Yan Qinglan said calmly.

She looked down at the girl in her arms, who was still scrolling through search results. She gently tapped on one of the links for her.

“At most, I still get irritable or feel low every now and then. Xiaoxi has already seen… the scars on my hands.”

So that was the reason Wen Huaxi had sometimes seen Yan Qinglan hurting herself in the previous life.

Wen Huaxi held Yan Qinglan’s hand gently, her expression filled with worry.

“Don’t be afraid. I don’t have those kinds of overwhelming emotions anymore,” Yan Qinglan reassured her. She had made peace with the disorder and accepted the flawed parts of herself.

Her obsessive-compulsive tendencies and germaphobia were also related, but they no longer seriously affected her daily life, so she hadn’t tried to fix them forcefully.

Wen Huaxi realized this too and felt quietly guilty.

She had once used that very issue to deliberately provoke Yan Qinglan. She couldn’t let her know she had done it on purpose.

She knew it had been wrong. She wouldn’t dare do it again.

“Was there a reason it started, or did it just happen?” Wen Huaxi asked gently.

“There was a reason. It was actually pretty dramatic. If you’re curious, I’ll think about how to explain it.”

Yan Qinglan thought about how her overprotectiveness also stemmed from that experience. It had left deep marks.

“It’s okay, Sister. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to,” Wen Huaxi said, hugging her and rubbing her back.

This was the person she loved, no matter what kind of past she had.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It happened a long time ago, and it wasn’t my fault. I just don’t know where to start.”

Yan Qinglan truly wanted to open up to this girl, to lay everything bare, and trust her to soothe those painful scars.

“Then let’s take our time.”

These were things Wen Huaxi had never known in their previous life.

Looking back, the love she had felt before was mostly one-sided. She had been moved by her own efforts and held onto her feelings alone.

She didn’t know much about Yan Qinglan. She hadn’t been brave enough to respond properly when she saw her hurting.

This time was different. This time, she not only tended to Yan Qinglan’s wounds but asked her to promise not to hurt herself again.

Wen Huaxi found herself deeply attached to this growing sense of mutual understanding.

It felt like they were peeling an orange together. The process was sticky and unpleasant. Juice might splatter on them, and it would get under their nails, leaving their hands messy.

But in the end, they would hold in their hands a sweet, juicy orange. One that belonged only to them.

This kind of experience felt just as intimate and meaningful as kissing or making love.

“It was kind of like being given to the wrong family,” Yan Qinglan said. “When I was about four or five, a couple came to my mother claiming I was their daughter. They had some evidence and brought a little girl who looked a lot like my mother. They said she was her real child.”

“My mom ran a bunch of tests. She thought what they said might be true. After thinking it over, she agreed to their request. She gave me some money, some clothes, and sent me away.”

“But it wasn’t real. They wanted me so they could draw my blood. I never found out exactly what they used it for. I just know that for several months, I lived terribly. There was no food. Everything my mom gave me was taken away. I was miserable.”

“Later, by coincidence, my mom got me back. After that… my emotions were all over the place. It wasn’t until I got a bit older that my mom realized something wasn’t right and took me to see a doctor.”

“She never should’ve sent you away,” Wen Huaxi said, her heart aching just from listening.

Such a small child, left in a place where she was starving, neglected, hurt, and exploited. How could anyone survive that and stay whole?

Knowing this had happened to the person she loved made Wen Huaxi feel pain she couldn’t even put into words.

“I don’t blame her,” Yan Qinglan said quietly. Having finally spoken the truth, she felt lighter.

She had long since forgiven Yan Mingzhu. Even when she brought Yan Qingqing back into the house, Yan Qinglan didn’t resent her.

She had made it sound like it was just a coincidence.

But the truth was, Yan Mingzhu had paid a great price to bring her back.

She had spent a long time recovering, which gave the opportunistic relatives around her the chance to fight for power. That instability eventually led to Yan Qinglan’s unsteady position in the family. Even now, her cousins were still waiting for a chance to take it from her.

But afterward, Yan Mingzhu treated her well.

She never abandoned her, even with all the mental health challenges and strange habits. She accepted her fully.

When Yan Qinglan refused to share food, Yan Mingzhu made her separate meals and stood a bit farther away while she ate, to show she wouldn’t take anything.

When her obsessive-compulsive disorder flared up, she had the maids arrange everything just the way she liked it.

When her germaphobia got worse, the house was kept spotless. She gave her all the hand sanitizer and disinfectant she needed.

People are complicated and naturally self-serving. There aren’t many parents who would go to those lengths.

“Sister… my heart hurts for you,” Wen Huaxi whispered.

She no longer wanted to judge anything. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. And if even Yan Qinglan could forgive Yan Mingzhu, then she had no right to hold onto anger either.

“Just hearing that from you is enough,” Yan Qinglan replied. Her voice was so soft, it felt like it was drifting away.

Wen Huaxi still felt a tightness in her chest. She hugged Yan Qinglan and gently bit her earlobe.

“You really are a little cat,” Yan Qinglan said, amused. Even when upset, she still had to bite her.

“That was a love bite,” Wen Huaxi replied softly. She gave a small lick and left a gentle kiss where she had bitten.

“So, you really are Yan Mingzhu’s daughter?”

“Yes. Later on, after more genetic testing, everything confirmed I was my mom’s daughter. But at the time, when those people showed up, the results were strange. The tests said I wasn’t related to her. Plus, the girl they brought looked so much like my mom. The tests they did with her showed a mother-daughter relationship.”

Yan Qinglan paused. “Even now, I still think it was odd.”

“What happened to that other girl?” Wen Huaxi asked. Something about it felt eerily familiar.

She tried to piece things together in her mind.

“She passed away. Not long after my mom brought me back, the girl got sick and died. It happened very suddenly. The whole thing wasn’t her fault. My mom told me that I could have had a sister.”

It was strange, but Yan Qinglan hadn’t thought about it in years.

“That family who hurt me, my mom made sure they disappeared.”

“My poor Sister Qing.” Wen Huaxi hugged her tighter. “It’s okay. You can borrow Wen Suixue from me.”

“I’d rather not,” Yan Qinglan said quickly. “She might kill me.”

Every time they met, Wen Suixue looked like she was ready to strangle her and never tried to hide it.

Wen Huaxi giggled. “Aluan, do you really dislike my sister that much?”

“I don’t dislike her. I’m afraid of her.”

“My sister is actually really kind. But it’s fine. You can treat me like your little sister.”

“My precious little emotional sister,” Yan Qinglan murmured, biting her ear again. “I love you so much.”

Wen Huaxi’s face turned red. “I… I love you so much too.”

Now that they had truly opened up to each other, now that they understood one another, she felt like she could finally say it.

I love you.

Yan Qinglan leaned in and kissed her. Wen Huaxi responded with passion, holding her tighter and tighter.

How did each kiss taste better than the last? Sweeter, deeper, more intoxicating?

Maybe she really did fall a little more in love with Yan Qinglan every single day. That must be why every kiss felt so unforgettable.

It was pure bliss.

She really, truly loved Yan Qinglan.

By the time they pulled apart, Wen Huaxi was breathless again, collapsed in Yan Qinglan’s arms.

Yan Qinglan ran her fingers through Wen Huaxi’s red hair. Her heart was quiet and full. The feeling was like waking up to soft rain outside and realizing she had no obligations for the day.

Being with Wen Huaxi made every moment feel like a secret kind of happiness.

Wen Huaxi rested for a moment, her thoughts still moving quickly.

Suddenly, something clicked. She nearly shot up.

“Yan Qinglan, doesn’t this whole thing sound really familiar?”

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Yan Qinglan said. She was a little surprised. If not for the gentle mood they shared tonight, she wouldn’t have brought any of this up or even remembered it.

After her mother destroyed that family, after her supposed sister passed away, and after her own condition stabilized, she had let those memories fade.

“Yan Qingqing,” Wen Huaxi said, her voice urgent. She had caught the missing detail.

As the pieces came together, she couldn’t help but laugh a little at herself.

She was clearly nearing the emotional climax of the story, and yet the original highlight of the plot—the romance reality show, still hadn’t even begun.

How had she managed to stray this far off course?

She really was a master at derailing her own outline.