Stomach Pain

Qiao Hua frowned slightly. "I'm not allowed to go anywhere?"

The nanny nodded reluctantly. "Those are President Gu's orders, so please stay home and do as you're told, Miss Qiao."

There was no way Qiao Hua would obey Gu Wenze. He had smashed her phone yesterday, and she still hadn't been able to explain things to Yan Yu. She had to go to the company today.

Ignoring the nanny's attempts to stop her, Qiao Hua headed for the entrance. As soon as she opened the door, two burly bodyguards blocked her path.

"Please go back inside, Miss Qiao."

Qiao Hua hadn't expected Gu Wenze to hire bodyguards just to keep her from leaving.

Her fingers curled tightly. "What if I insist on going out?"

The taller of the two bodyguards said, "Then we'll have to use force."

The difference in their size was too great for her to force her way past them. Qiao Hua could only return to the sofa and sulk, pounding the cushions a few times to vent her anger.

Gu Wenze, you bastard!

She remained confined for the entire day. Only after night fell did she finally hear the front door open.

Recognizing the footsteps, Qiao Hua sprang up from the sofa. Her beautiful, luminous eyes glared furiously at Gu Wenze as he walked in wearing a suit and polished shoes.

Gu Wenze took off his jacket and handed it to the nanny, ignoring Qiao Hua's glare.

"Why did you have people lock me up?" Qiao Hua finally demanded, unable to hold back any longer.

Gu Wenze loosened his tie slightly with his long fingers. "Qiao Hua, you refuse to listen. This is the only way."

If Qiao Hua had been more obedient and resigned from her job with Yan Yu on her own, he wouldn't have resorted to this.

"I'm not a pet. If you want something obedient so badly, get a cat or a dog." Ignoring the chill in Gu Wenze's eyes, Qiao Hua continued, "When are you going to let me out?"

"When you're willing to resign," Gu Wenze said flatly.

"You're depriving me of my personal freedom!" Qiao Hua accused angrily.

"Then call the police." Gu Wenze glanced at her. "If you can get out of here."

Qiao Hua wanted to smash Gu Wenze's head in. It was bad enough that he had broken her phone without replacing it, but now he had locked her in the villa and wouldn't let her leave!

Noticing that the bodyguards outside had withdrawn when Gu Wenze returned, Qiao Hua saw an opportunity and tried to dash out. But Gu Wenze had already anticipated her intentions and swiftly caught her around the waist.

In desperation, Qiao Hua bit him. He sucked in a breath at the pain and, failing to control his strength, flung her onto the sofa.

The impact struck her lower abdomen, and a sharp surge of pain tore through her. Qiao Hua's face went white, and her brows drew tightly together.

But to Gu Wenze, she was merely putting on an act. "Qiao Hua, stop pretending," he said coldly. "Even if you try to make me pity you, I won't let you out."

Qiao Hua clutched her stomach hard, her long lashes trembling. She couldn't get a single word out.

Normally, Qiao Hua would have jumped up and argued with him by now. Her unusual behavior finally made Gu Wenze realize something was wrong. "What's the matter?"

Qiao Hua frowned and stammered, "My... my stomach hurts..."

Seeing that she didn't seem to be pretending, Gu Wenze put aside the fact that she had bitten him. "I'll call a doctor," he said in a low voice.

At the mention of a doctor, Qiao Hua immediately panicked. "No, I'm fine!"

As suspicion crept into Gu Wenze's gaze, she lowered her voice, sounding guilty. "It's probably just my stomach acting up. I'll be fine after some rest."

If a doctor came, who knew whether her pregnancy would be discovered?

Gu Wenze ignored her outright, took out his phone, and called You Xiaonian.

Through her haze of pain, Qiao Hua caught sight of the contact name on the screen. It looked familiar.

Wasn't he Gu Wenze's friend in the original novel, the second male lead doctor who worked at a hospital?

Like a character in most melodramatic stories, You Xiaonian had refused to inherit his family's fortune and insisted on becoming a doctor. In the end, his family had been unable to sway him and could only give in.

Before long, You Xiaonian arrived at the villa. When he received the call, he had assumed Gu Wenze was feeling unwell and immediately dropped everything to rush over.

Yet when he entered the living room, he found Gu Wenze sitting perfectly fine on the sofa.

"Why did you call me out of the blue? Are you hurt?" You Xiaonian asked casually.

Gu Wenze finally spared him a glance. "I'm not the one who's unwell. She is."

You Xiaonian looked at Qiao Hua on the sofa, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "You want me to examine Qiao Hua?"

A trace of impatience appeared between Gu Wenze's brows. "Stop wasting time and check her."

You Xiaonian pursed his lips and reluctantly approached the sofa to examine Qiao Hua.

As she watched You Xiaonian press his hand against her lower abdomen through her clothes, Qiao Hua couldn't help tensing, her heart beating a little faster.

You Xiaonian didn't notice anything unusual about her. He had little sympathy for the woman who had drugged his friend and seized the chance to marry into a wealthy family. After a cursory examination, he told Gu Wenze, "She's fine. The abdominal pain is probably caused by a stomach condition."

Qiao Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, You Xiaonian hadn't discovered her pregnancy.

Gu Wenze frowned slightly. "That's all?"

"What else? What were you hoping I'd find?" You Xiaonian gave Qiao Hua a derisive look. "Maybe she's just pretending to be sick to get your attention."

Gu Wenze ignored the latter remark. "All right. You can leave."

You Xiaonian looked displeased. "I came all this way, and you're just sending me off like that?"

"I've already transferred the money to your bank account," Gu Wenze said coldly.

You Xiaonian's expression changed in an instant. "All right, I'm off."

Before leaving, he gave Qiao Hua a contemptuous look, as if to say, I can see right through your little tricks. Qiao Hua pretended not to notice. After all, You Xiaonian's dislike of the original owner of her body was nothing new.

After You Xiaonian left, Gu Wenze asked stiffly, "Does it still hurt?"

Qiao Hua weakly turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge him.

Gu Wenze gripped her chin and forced her to look at him, his voice icy. "You bit me first, and now you have the nerve to sulk?"

Qiao Hua couldn't be bothered with him and simply closed her eyes.

Seeing her pale face, Gu Wenze couldn't help softening a little. His jaw remained tight, and his voice was still cold and hard. "As long as you promise not to go to Yan Yu's Company again, I'll let you out."

Something stirred in Qiao Hua. She opened her eyes again and looked straight at him. "What if I don't agree?"

"Then don't expect to leave for the rest of your life," Gu Wenze said, enunciating every word.

Qiao Hua seethed with hatred.

Gu Wenze didn't look as though he was joking. If she refused, he might really keep her locked up here forever.

She was trapped, and Gu Wenze was no pushover. It seemed she had no choice but to yield for now.

I'll deal with everything else once I'm out.

With that thought, Qiao Hua pretended to give in. "Fine. I agree."

Gu Wenze's expression eased somewhat. He took his phone from his pocket and tossed it to Qiao Hua. "Call Yan Yu and tell him you quit."