The Son She Carried

Despair flickered in Lin Li's eyes.

It was gone—his child, truly gone... and it was he himself who had sent someone to kill the child...

This realization nearly shattered Lin Li.

The man on the other end of the phone spoke again, "Remember, the two of us, five million in total. Transfer it to our account within three days, or I'll expose that it was you who killed the child."

"Don't worry, I'll transfer every penny to you," Lin Li gritted his teeth, enunciating each word.

"Good. Young Master Lin, pleasure doing business with you," the man chuckled before hanging up.

The phone emitted a series of beeps, and Lin Li's phone slipped from his hand.

He sat there, motionless on the bed, his eyes hollow, like a living corpse.

Jiang Shuqin, Lin Chang, and the Lin sisters all rushed over.

They had been searching for Lin Li these past few days, their faces etched with exhaustion.

"Li'er, my Li'er, where have you been? Your mother has been worried sick," Jiang Shuqin cried as she threw her arms around Lin Li, her heart aching at the sight of him.

"Li'er, who did this to you? Who turned you into this state?"

"Mom," Lin Li snapped out of his daze, his voice trembling with emotion. "You must avenge me!"

"There were more than a dozen of them, all wearing masks. They kidnapped me near North Road."

If he could find them, he would make sure they suffered a thousand cuts!

And more.

He would cut off *that* part of every one of them, cook it, and feed it to the dogs!

"Alright, alright, your father and I will look into it," Jiang Shuqin said, her voice filled with concern.

Lin Chang sighed, "Li'er, for now, just focus on recovering in the hospital."

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

These past three days had drained him completely.

He had watched helplessly as Fenghui Group's stocks soared daily, all while worrying about Lin Li's safety.

He needed a good rest.

"Li'er, you must be hungry," Jiang Shuqin said, sitting by the hospital bed and scooping a bowl of porridge from a takeout container.

"Here, I brought this from home. Let me feed you."

She held the spoonful of porridge to Lin Li's lips.

Lin Chang frowned, "Shuqin, you haven't slept well these past few days. For the sake of the baby in your womb, you should rest now. Li'er has Wan'er, Yan'er, and Xiu'er to take care of him."

Lin Li caught one word in Lin Chang's sentence—*son*.

"Mom, have you found out the gender of the baby?" Lin Li asked, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Yes," Jiang Shuqin replied, gently stroking her belly with a smile. "The results are in. It's a boy."

She could finally carry on the Lin family lineage.

Lin Li's eyes darkened.

A son. It was a son!

If Lin Chang found out that he was now infertile, the Lin family fortune would undoubtedly go to the child in Jiang Shuqin's belly.

So, this child—he had to find a way to eliminate it.

Lin Li stared at Jiang Shuqin's belly, a sinister smile creeping onto his face.

Jiang Shuqin frowned.

Why did Li'er give her such a chilling feeling?

"Li'er, what are you thinking? Why did you have that look in your eyes just now?" Jiang Shuqin asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," Lin Li snapped back to reality, lowering his head to hide the murderous glint in his eyes.

"I just couldn't help but remember the torture I endured while I was held captive."

"They locked me in a snake pit, swarmed me with thousands of ants, whipped me... Mom, they tortured me relentlessly."

"Li'er," Jiang Shuqin's heart ached. These were horrors she couldn't even imagine. What Li'er had gone through was far worse than she had thought...

"Mom, during that time, I thought about ending it all countless times. But then I thought of you, Dad, and my sisters," Lin Li said, his eyes red.

"So, I couldn't die. I was afraid you would suffer and grieve."

The Lin family was deeply moved.

They couldn't help but think of Lin Xuan, who now seemed to oppose them at every turn.

"Dad, Mom," Lin Li forced a smile. "It's alright. It's all in the past now."

"Li'er, your mother will protect you from now on. I won't let anything like this happen to you again," Jiang Shuqin said, her voice filled with tenderness.

"Mom, Dad is right. You should go rest," Lin Li said, putting on an innocent expression. "I'm looking forward to the safe arrival of my little brother."

"Alright, alright," Jiang Shuqin smiled, relieved.

She had been worried that Li'er might not accept the child, but it seemed her fears were unfounded.

Li'er was truly obedient and understanding.

"Oh, Li'er," Jiang Shuqin added with a smile, "I have some good news for you."

Lin Li frowned.

Good news?

"Li'er, three days ago, Qin Ruoyao had a miscarriage," Jiang Shuqin said, her tone dripping with satisfaction.

"Evil truly gets its due. That Qin Ruoyao thought she could use that child to latch onto our family. Even the heavens couldn't stand it and took the child away."

Lin Li's face froze.

Jiang Shuqin continued gleefully, "Qin Ruoyao is so naive. My Li'er is so outstanding—countless women would throw themselves at him. How could we possibly lack for children? What did we need hers for?"

Lin Li could no longer maintain his composure. His face turned pale, then flushed.

"Li'er, what's wrong? Why do you look so upset all of a sudden?" Jiang Shuqin asked, concerned.

"Mom, I'm tired. I need to rest," Lin Li said, forcing a weak smile.

"Alright, I won't disturb you anymore," Jiang Shuqin said lovingly.

Meanwhile, on Lin Xuan's side.

His company's short video and entertainment sectors were developing steadily.

He was currently working on a game project.

The wildly popular game *King of Glory* from another world had inspired him to create a similar version.

The gaming industry was lucrative.

And gaming was one of Starlight Group's key sectors.

Naturally, he wanted to dive in and make a splash.

While Lin Xuan was brainstorming ideas for the game, his private investigator contacted him.

[Sir, Lin Chang and Wang Yajun are too cautious. I only managed to capture Lin Chang entering Wang Yajun's apartment. I couldn't get anything else.]

[It's been over a month, and I've only caught Lin Chang visiting Wang Yajun's apartment once.]

Lin Xuan frowned as he looked at the photos sent by the private investigator.

Indeed, with just these photos, it was hard to prove Lin Chang's infidelity.

Given Jiang Shuqin's overly trusting nature, even if he sent these to her, Lin Chang would likely sweet-talk his way out of it, and Jiang Shuqin would believe him.

Lin Xuan fell into deep thought.

He needed a better way to expose their relationship.

Wait.

Lin Xuan suddenly remembered something—in his previous life, Wang Yajun's husband had passed away not long after this.