Chapter 4
As the door slammed, Jiang Xingluo looked down at the long scar on her right arm, a little dazed.
Her marriage to Fu Tingchen had begun with an accident.
Three years ago, someone had engineered a car crash to harm him. He had been left fighting for his life.
Passing by, she had seen him, dragged him out of the car, and called an ambulance.
The car door had cut a long, deep gash in her right hand as she rescued him. It had left a scar that would never disappear.
After leaving the hospital, he had done everything he could to find her, then pursued her for an entire year.
When she ran into difficulties at work, he would immediately help her sort them out, find information for her, and patiently teach and guide her.
When her father fell and hurt his leg, Fu Tingchen carried him to the hospital as soon as he heard and tended him personally at his bedside.
Even an ordinary cold or fever could unsettle the normally composed man. He would worry all night, unable to sleep, insisting on staying until her fever broke.
Although the Fu family never accepted her after the wedding, with his love and care, their life together had been happy and sweet.
Until Shen Zhixia returned. Then everything changed.
His leaving Jiang Xingluo at a word from Shen Zhixia became commonplace.
Shen Zhixia’s schemes and false accusations, and the arguments they caused between husband and wife, became just as routine.
Jiang Xingluo sighed, gathered herself, and went upstairs to bed early.
She was half asleep when the door was suddenly flung open.
She looked up in surprise and met Fu Tingchen’s rage-reddened eyes.
He seized her arm and dragged her toward the door.
“Come with me!”
Afraid of falling, she had no choice but to stumble after him.
“Fu Tingchen, what’s happened? Where are you taking me?”
He gave a cold laugh.
“As if you don’t know!”
He shoved her into the car.
The car sped down the road like an arrow released from a bow.
Her heart leaped into her throat. She held her belly with one hand and gripped the handle with the other.
“Fu Tingchen, are you insane? Stop the car! Let me out! Let me out!”
Ignoring her, he drove all the way to the Fu family’s old residence.
She had been there only once since they got together.
His mother had treated her with contempt and made trouble for her at every turn. Fu Tingchen had argued fiercely with his mother then and told Jiang Xingluo she never had to come back.
Now he dragged her inside by the hand, seething with anger.
Only then did she see how many members of the Fu family were there.
Shen Zhixia was crying, her face covered in red welts.
Fu Tingchen’s mother sat beside her, comforting her gently.
The moment Jiang Xingluo appeared, everyone’s gaze pierced her like needles.
His mother rushed over and slapped her across the face.
“You lowborn little wretch! All Tingchen did was bring Xiaxia home for dinner, and you deliberately plotted against her and triggered her allergy!”
Jiang Xingluo staggered. Her cheek was numb and burning.
Instinctively, she looked at Fu Tingchen.
“I didn’t! I’ve only been here once. I don’t even know the way, much less anything about your family dinner. How could I have plotted against her?”
He merely stared coldly at her, without the slightest trust.
A chill ran up her spine.
His mother sneered.
“You’re so capable. Is there anything you can’t do?”
Shen Zhixia covered her face and glared at her with hatred.
“Jiang Xingluo, how dare you deny it? The maid already confessed! You paid her a hundred thousand yuan to replace my cake with one with mango filling! You know I’m allergic to mangoes. You wanted to kill me!”
Jiang Xingluo bit her lip.
“If you’re saying I did it, where’s your proof?”
Shen Zhixia thrust her phone screen in front of her with a sneer.
“The maid gave us the record of your transfer. You used the card Tingchen gave you. Don’t tell me you’re going to say he bribed her to frame you!”
Jiang Xingluo could find no way to defend herself.
“It wasn’t me! I’ve only ever used that card to buy things for the baby!”
Fu Tingchen’s mother turned straight to him.
“Tingchen, I told you back then that a woman from a family like hers was no good. You insisted on marrying her. Now look what she’s done!”
“If we hadn’t happened to have fast-acting allergy medication at home, Xiaxia would be in the emergency room by now. If anything had happened to her, how could we face her parents?”
“Jiang Xingluo is your wife. What are you going to do with her?”
After only two seconds of silence, Fu Tingchen said,
“Since you’ve done wrong, go kneel outside the front gate. You can get up when the rash on Xiaxia’s face is gone.”