Chapter 10
Just a few words, like a bucket of cold water poured over my head.
My clothes remained dry, yet my heart chilled to the core.
How could he possibly know…
The blurred memories from when I was drowning gradually became clear. I remembered that when he pulled me ashore, someone placed their fingers on my wrist to check my pulse.
Jiang Songjing must have detected a pregnancy pulse on my wrist.
His father was the village’s barefoot doctor, always hoping he would inherit the craft, so he had forced him to study medicine since childhood.
But when Jiang Songjing was young, his heart was set on earning honors and fulfilling his ambitions, so he never truly cared much for medicine.
“Zhou Jinshu!”
He called my name in a low voice. “The Marquis Mansion did not permit your marriage. Whose child is this?”
“I thought you simply coveted wealth and status, but you have even ruined yourself.”
He gripped my wrist tightly.
It hurt.
Those gentle eyes swept over me bit by bit, gradually filling with disappointment.
“If your mother knew her daughter had become so frivolous, she would surely die with regret.”
Hearing him mention my mother, a sting came to my nose.
Tears fell without warning.
No. That’s not how it is.
Countless words of explanation reached my lips, but I swallowed them back down.
Now that he serves as an official under my father, even if I told him all the shameful reasons, what could change?
Would he act on impulse and ruin his future?
Or would he resign and run away with me, becoming a father to the child in my belly?
A bitter feeling welled up in my throat. I pushed his hand away, prying open his tightly clenched fingers.
I wanted to say something harsh.
But my throat was dry, and I couldn’t utter a single word.
Staggering, I walked toward the courtyard gate. Just as I crossed the small bridge, Jiang Songjing followed.
My shoulder was forcefully turned.
He pulled me into his arms. The familiar scent of pine filled my nose. I tried to break free, but he only held me tighter.
“Zhou Jinshu.”
He called my name through gritted teeth, as if making a momentous decision-
“If you have your reasons, I will resign and take you away from the Capital City.”
“I will accept this child.”