"Minran, Auntie didn't misjudge you before; you are a good man. Nuo Nuo is truly lucky to have met a good man like you. It's just a shame her fate is thin, encountering this now. Thankfully, you don't look down on her." Hearing Song Minran's words, Gu Xian's heart softened. While she felt relief for her daughter, the memory of the leg she lost that day brought a stabbing pain to her heart.

Gu Yingnuo, lying pale in the hospital bed, had a lifelessness in her eyes.

Because of her car accident and what happened afterward, everyone assumed her despondency stemmed solely from the loss of her leg; no one suspected any other cause. Neither Song Minran nor Gu Yingxi noticed the subtle difference in her demeanor. At this moment, Song Minran's heartfelt declaration stirred not a flicker of emotion in Gu Yingnuo; instead, it provoked a cascade of cold laughter.

"Brother Minran, I've become like this now. How can I drag you down?" Gu Yingnuo suppressed the venom churning inside her, her eyes cast down as she murmured, "Don't worry, I won't blame you. Rather than tying you down like this, it’s better to let you find your own happiness."

The moment Song Minran saw the beloved woman lying in the hospital bed with a deathly pale complexion and lips devoid of color—half the blanket empty where her right leg should have been—his heart felt as if it were being cut. Hearing her suggest he give up, he shook his head ceaselessly, reaching out to firmly grasp Gu Yingnuo's hand, rubbing it against his jaw as he spoke with deep affection, "Nuo Nuo, I forbid you to say such things. I haven't given up; how can you?"

Gu Yingnuo wished she could slap him across the face right then. The face she once adored now looked increasingly sickening. That shameless woman, Gu Yingxi, already had so many men around her, yet she still seduced her boyfriend. She would absolutely never let that pair of dogs and bitches get away with it!

As they spoke, Gu Yingxi entered, carrying a food container. She had lost weight recently, spending her days cooking for Gu Yingnuo at home and working nights part-time selling alcohol at a nightclub. She was already pregnant, and now she looked utterly haggard. Yet, Gu Yingnuo felt no guilt; instead, seeing her sister like this brought a rush of wicked satisfaction.

She knew Gu Yingxi felt guilty seeing her now. Before she knew about her affair with Song Minran, Gu Yingnuo might have felt heartbroken and pitied her sister's devotion. But after learning the truth, the more she thought, the more wrong it felt. Gu Yingxi’s guilty glances recently confirmed that this pair of adulterers hadn't been conspiring for just a day or two.

"Is Nuo Nuo feeling any better?" Gu Yingxi's face was somewhat ashen. She forced a strained smile at her sister upon entering, not daring to look directly at her face, while steadying herself by gripping the edge of the bed, trembling slightly as she tried to sit down.

The moment Gu Yingnuo saw her sister’s frail appearance, she desperately wanted to stab her twice. But seeing Gu Xian looking at Gu Yingxi with doting affection, she let out a cold laugh, "Still not dead yet."

"Nuo Nuo, how can you speak to your sister like that?" Everyone present sensed the resentment in Gu Yingnuo's tone. Gu Xian frowned, then glanced at her pale eldest daughter beside her, her heart softening momentarily. Recently, Gu Yingnuo’s temper had turned sour, and she constantly ordered her sister around. Gu Xian saw it and felt the pain, and while she pitied her daughter for losing a leg, seeing the state of her eldest daughter forced her to reprimand her:

"Your sister is pregnant and still waiting on you—how do you address her? We all know how difficult it is for you to have lost a leg, but whose heart isn't hurting? During this hospitalization, the hit-and-run driver still hasn't been found, and the money for your surgery was arranged by your sister..."

In the past, Gu Yingnuo would have been overwhelmingly grateful upon hearing this. But now, instead of gratitude, she felt immense resentment: "So, you mean I should thank her for ending up like this?"

"Nuo Nuo!" Song Minran frowned as well upon hearing this. Although he was fond of Gu Yingnuo, he had witnessed Gu Yingxi running around busily for his darling these past two days. Moreover, the bond of husband and wife, even for a short time—they had been intimate so many times. Plus, Gu Yingxi was now carrying his child. Seeing Gu Yingxi's pale face and restrained expression, Song Minran felt a pang of pity. Gu Yingnuo had become gloomy since the accident. He felt weary after tending to her for days, and he sighed, "She is your sister, after all. How can you speak to her that way?"

If Gu Xian had tried to persuade Gu Yingnuo, she might have swallowed her anger for the moment to settle accounts with Gu Yingxi later. But since it was Song Minran speaking, Gu Yingnuo couldn't endure it. She shrieked, forcing herself to sit up despite the throbbing pain in her leg, yanking out the IV needle. Ignoring the blood still seeping from the back of her hand, as Gu Yingxi and the others rushed over to calm her, she snatched the insulated food container from Gu Yingxi’s grasp and flung its contents at her!

Song Minran saw the danger instantly and moved in front of her. The stewed chicken soup was scalding hot, and it drenched him completely. The thin shirt immediately plastered against his skin, causing his face to contort in pain.

Gu Yingxi trembled in fright behind him. Gu Xian now felt Gu Yingnuo was being utterly senseless. Song Minran’s face darkened as he seized Gu Yingnuo's arm and forcefully shoved her back onto the bed. Seeing her already bloodless face turn even whiter from the impact, her messy hair splayed across the white sheets, a fleeting moment of pity crossed his mind, but he suppressed it, demanding sharply, "Are you done making a scene?"

Tears streamed down Gu Yingnuo’s face. Song Minran’s resolve softened, and he immediately leaned down to tidy the loose strands of hair around her pillow. Just as he composed himself and was about to speak, Gu Yingnuo raised her hand and struck him across the face with all the strength she possessed.

With a sharp smack, this blow was delivered with the full force of Gu Yingnuo's stored resentment. Song Minran’s head jerked to the side, and his glasses tumbled to the floor. Fearing she wouldn't get a second chance, Gu Yingnuo swung her other hand, aiming for the opposite side of Song Minran’s face!

"What are you doing?" Gu Xian panicked upon seeing the escalating situation and rushed forward. A flicker of danger in Song Minran's eyes made her heart skip a beat, and her body began to tremble.

Gu Yingnuo naturally saw the murderous intent in Song Minran’s eyes. She knew how proud and arrogant this man was; his self-esteem surpassed that of even a young master like Ning Yuncheng. No one had ever dared treat him this way. After she slapped him, he must be furious enough to go mad. She sneered inwardly, laboriously shifting her injured leg, which was already numb from pain. The amputation site screamed with every movement, and tears sprang to her eyes as she moved.

Song Minran was so enraged he was about to forcefully subdue her regardless of the consequences. But then he saw the tears welling up on Gu Yingnuo’s face, and he froze momentarily. His fury naturally began to recede. He bent down with a weary sigh to retrieve his glasses from the floor:

"Nuo Nuo, have you finished losing your temper?"

"Why? When I was in the hospital, the doctors said my leg could have been saved. But when they called you all repeatedly, no one answered. My leg could have been preserved, but because you didn't answer the doctors' calls, no one signed, and so the delay led to the amputation." Gu Yingnuo cried out, feigning pitiful weakness. The more she shouted, the deeper her hatred grew; what started as an act now intensified with venomous malice in her eyes.

She knew exactly why those two had ignored the calls—they were likely too consumed with each other to even notice the phone ringing.

She understood Song Minran too well. If she could burden him with this guilt, combined with his existing affection for her, Gu Yingnuo could ensure he lived in torment forever.

As for Gu Yingxi, she turned to look and saw her sister’s body actually shudder. Gu Yingxi slipped slightly, nearly falling onto her backside, but Song Minran was quick enough to catch her. Recalling the news that Gu Yingxi was carrying his child, Gu Yingnuo let out a cold laugh. Taking advantage of the stunned silence and guilt radiating from everyone after hearing the news, she suddenly pushed herself up to a sitting position using the bed and lunged towards Song Minran.

In the heart of this cold-blooded, heartless, shameless scoundrel, she reasoned, she must still be marginally more important than Gu Yingxi. Gu Yingnuo’s smile deepened. She reached out to claw at Gu Yingxi, spotting the half-height cabinet beside them, and a cruel look crossed her face. She threw her body against Gu Yingxi. Seeing her sister instinctively turn to flee, Gu Yingnuo clung onto her.

Since this was intentional maneuvering, even if Gu Yingxi hadn't been running toward the direction of the cabinet corner, Gu Yingnuo's impact forced her that way.

With a dull thud, Gu Yingxi cried out in agony. Her abdomen took the brunt of the collision with the sharp corner, compounded by Gu Yingnuo slamming into her, and she immediately lost consciousness.

This all happened in the blink of an eye. Song Minran and Gu Xian were frozen in shock. As Gu Yingnuo fell off Gu Yingxi, she lost her balance standing on one leg and toppled onto the ground, landing on top of Gu Yingxi. However, her injured leg flopped helplessly onto the floor. The freshly stanched bleeding on her severed limb ruptured, and blood immediately gushed out. Seeing her wretched state, Song Minran and Gu Xian dared not reproach her further, quickly lifting her back onto the bed.

By the time the doctors were called, the child Gu Yingxi had only recently conceived was already gone.

This miscarriage was caused by the impact. Before Gu Yingxi could even grieve, she endured excruciating agony again as the doctors performed the dilation and curettage.

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