“Okay, I’m ready! What is it, Xin’er? Is there a problem with Yi? Just tell me if he’d done something bad to you, I’ll smack his head and teach him a lesson!” Zhang Jingwei didn’t dare to hide her favoritism towards Lu Xinyi over her own son.

Since Lu Xinyi had put the phone on loudspeaker, Shen Yi was able to hear what his mother was telling his wife. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was starting to wonder if he was the child from the Shen family and not his wife.

His own family was ganging up on him and siding with Lu Xinyi.

“Mom, I don’t bully Xinxin,” Shen Yi defended himself against his mother.

“You better not! You better not cheat on her, too, ’cause I’ll be the one who’ll beat you first if you dare!” Zhang Jingwei threatened him.

Shen Yi sighed. As expected, Lu Xinyi had gained an upper hand against him by gaining the Shen family’s approval.

“Mom, we didn’t call you just for you to scold me,” he reminded his mother.

“Oh, what is then? An emergency, I assume?”-.

Since she married to the Shen family—even after her divorce with Shen Huang, she was the one to go to when an emergency comes up. Phone calls like this weren’t new to her.

“Yes, Mom. I’ll let Xinxin explain the situation here to you. Whether you agree or not, please consider this as confidential.”

His mother was startled and confused by Shen Yi’s words, but before she could ask, he’d already passed the phone to his wife.

“Mom, before you agree, can you please listen to what I’ll say first?” Lu Xinyi tested the waters.

“Alright. You have my word, Xin’er,” Zhang Jingwei wasn’t sure what was happening, but she’d grant this simple request from her daughter-in-law.

Lu Xinyi then took courage to relay what happened to Sun Qiushan from the moment she met her elder sister and how Lu Xinyi’s people found her as someone’s prisoner. As she narrated the details, she heard gasps from Zhang Jingwei’s side. It was hard for her to continue as it reminded her what kind of hell Sun Qiushan had gone through, but she had to.

“Mom, I know you don’t like the Sun family and would rather not meet any of them, but I’ll be forever indebted to you if you’ll help my cousin.” At this, Lu Xinyi couldn’t stop her own tears from rolling down her cheeks. “I’ll do anything you want. I’ll beg on my knees if I have to so please…”

“Xin’er!” Zhang Jingwei raised her voice, “What are you talking about?! You don’t need to beg me for this. Just what kind of monsters did Chairman Sun raise all these years? None of you are related to the sins of the Sun family. You and your cousin are victims here. You don’t have to beg me, darling. Of course, I’ll help you.

“Now, why don’t you give the phone back to my son and check on your cousin first? We’ll find a way to bring a medic team on your place ASAP so don’t think about begging me on your knees again!”

“Thank you, Mom. Thank you…”

Lu Xinyi continued to sob and passed the phone back to Shen Yi. Although it was a pity that Sun blood was running through her veins, she was blessed to have kind parents, Shen Yi, and his family by her side.

She left her husband to the garden and slipped inside the room where Sun Qiushan was. Inside the dim room, she found Sun Qiushan sleeping. Lu Xinyi sat on the side of the bed and picked up Qiushan’s left hand.

Her eyes witnessed the aftermath of the abuse and torture the younger woman had suffered. Fingernails were forcibly removed from each finger; darkening bruises marred Sun Qiushan’s pale skin. Her hair lost its gloss and was now matted, her face lost its smile and radiance.

Lu Xinyi cried in silence. A part of her blamed herself for being too late to save Sun Qiushan.

…

In the middle of the night, the private medical team that Zhang Jingwei arranged arrived at Sun Meixiu’s villa. Everything was in chaos as medical tools and equipment were rushed inside Sun Qiushan’s room.

Lu Xinyi and Shen Yi sat still in the living room, waiting as the doctors checked on Sun Qiushan’s condition. An hour later, a doctor came out to talk to Lu Xinyi. Lu Xinyi stood up and greeted the doctor.

“How is she?”

“Madam Shen, you’re the patient’s next of kin?” The doctor opened her folder and furrowed her brows.

“Yes, I’m her cousin. Her mother and my mom are half-sisters,” Lu Xinyi admitted but was confused. “Why? Is it more important now than looking after my cousin?”

“Madam Shen, I’ll be honest with you. We have to perform an emergency CS on your cousin so we can stop her internal bleeding, treat her injuries, and save the child’s life; but…”

“But what?” This gave Lu Xinyi a bad feeling.

“We cannot guarantee to save both lives so Madam Shen… we have to ask you which of them should be saved if we meet that certain point.” The doctor didn’t dare to sugarcoat her words.

Lu Xinyi was stunned. She wasn’t able to utter a single word in shock. It had never occurred to her that there would be a day that she’d be forced to choose between two lives. She didn’t know what Sun Qiushan felt for the child in her womb, but that didn’t mean Lu Xinyi could ignore the fetus’ life easily, even if it was that monster’s child.

Just as she thought that she heard the worst scenario, the doctor dropped another bomb on her entirety.

“Before Madam Shen decides, you must know that we’d already talk to Miss Sun earlier when she was conscious. She requested a DNR order if things come to worst…”

Lu Xinyi felt her knees weakened. Her whole body lost its balance and denied her to stand still. If it wasn’t for Shen Yi who was standing behind her, she would’ve fallen on the floor.

“Xinxin!” Shen Yi wrapped his one arm around her waist while his other hand cupped her cheek.

“Madam Shen, please decide…” The doctor reminded her.

Lu Xinyi closed her eyes, but her tears continued to fall down. Was there no other choice for her?

“Please save my cousin’s life,” she replied with a broken voice.

“As you wish. Please sign these papers, and we’ll proceed with the operation.”

Lu Xinyi took the pen with shaky hands and signed the documents. The doctor thanked them and returned to the room where she came from.

Lu Xinyi sat down with her shoulders slumped and her face buried in her hands. This wasn’t the way she wanted to be reunited with Sun Qiushan. Several sleepless hours had passed, and the operation continued. No sound of a crying infant was heard, and that alone made Lu Xinyi’s heart drop.

Shen Yi continued to stay with her and occasionally reminded her to drink and eat something, or else her body might fail, too.

After waiting for so long, someone finally slipped out of the room. A male doctor came towards them with a sullen expression hidden behind his mask. As he shook his head, Lu Xinyi felt that her world had crashed down.

——

END OF VOLUME 5

——Do Not Resuscitate, also known as no code or allow natural death, is a legal order, written or oral depending on country, indicating that a person does not want to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation if that person’s heart stops beating.