Punishment

The old woman slowly opened her eyes and saw a girl crying by her bedside, her eyes filled with concern.

"Why are you crying? Grandma is fine."

Lin Wan didn’t believe her. Her heart was filled with joy just knowing her grandma was still here. She buried her face in the bed for a few seconds, then quickly wiped away her tears.

"I'm not crying, really."

She stubbornly held her grandma’s hand and tried to smile.

The old woman looked at her forced smile and felt even more sorry for her.

She was such a good girl, but she had to go through so much…

Thinking about what that person had told her, the old woman felt deeply indebted to the girl in front of her.

"Wan Wan, Grandma is fine now. You should go take care of your own things. I'm really okay."

Lin Wan didn’t believe her and stubbornly refused to leave. She stayed by her bedside for a while longer until the phone rang and the person taking care of her grandma arrived.

She stood up. "Grandma, I'll be right back. You stay in bed, okay?"

Just as she was about to leave, the old woman grabbed her hand.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Wan’s stomach for a few seconds before she slowly lifted her head.

"Wan Wan, Grandma is old and has lived long enough. You're still young, so you must take care of yourself. Don't do anything foolish for me… Do you understand?"

Lin Wan’s heart skipped a beat, and a look of panic flashed across her face.

"Grandma, why are you saying this? Did someone tell you something?"

She asked cautiously, afraid to see any anger towards herself on the old woman’s face.

The old woman just smiled and shook her head, then gently squeezed her hand.

"I'm just worried that you're working too hard. You must rest more when you have free time, understand?"

Lin Wan nodded blankly. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she saw a familiar face walking into the ward.

"Aunt Lin, why did you come in by yourself? I was going to pick you up."

The person who came was Aunt Lin, the one in charge of cooking at the orphanage. She was petite but very efficient at her work.

"I just asked the nurse and found my way here. Why would I need someone to pick me up? You underestimate me!"

With her arrival, Lin Wan finally felt relieved, but she couldn’t help but worry about the children in the orphanage.

"You're here. What about the children's lunch? Is someone making it?"

Aunt Lin held her hand and said, "Don't worry, I've arranged everything. It's getting late. You young people have your own things to do, so go ahead. I'm here!"

After speaking, she pushed Lin Wan toward the door, and before she knew it, she was already at the entrance.

She looked back uneasily, only to see her grandma smiling at her reassuringly.

Reluctantly, she walked out, knowing that when she returned during lunchtime, she would have to face some difficult situations.

She walked quickly outside the hospital, intending to hail a taxi back.

But after just a few steps, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.

Her body uncontrollably collapsed to the ground. Panic and fear surged inside her as she used the last bit of her strength to hold onto the wall. She felt her body slowly sliding down, but she had no energy left and fainted on the ground.

After a while, she vaguely heard someone shouting that someone had fainted. She couldn't open her eyes or respond, but one thought kept screaming in her mind.

Save me, save my child…

She felt someone running toward her and even heard their breathing.

But before she could grasp onto anything, the pain swallowed her last bit of consciousness. In that final moment, she kept praying to heaven, hoping someone would save her child.

She had a long, terrible dream where everyone had fangs and was chasing after her like crazy.

She ran and ran, but just as she was about to be caught, she suddenly woke up.

In that instant, she instinctively touched her lower abdomen. Feeling her child still there, she had the urge to cry.

The nurse, who had heard the noise, walked in and saw her trying to get up. She sternly told her to lie down.

"You have signs of a threatened miscarriage. Fortunately, someone brought you to the hospital in time. Otherwise, your child might not have survived."

Lin Wan suddenly remembered the shouting she had heard while in a daze, as well as the warmth of the embrace she had felt.

She asked urgently, "Is the person who saved me still here? I want to thank him in person."

The nurse shook her head. "He left after bringing you here and paying the fee."

Lin Wan felt a pang of regret. She really wanted to thank him in person because he had saved her child's life.

After the nurse left, she glanced at the clock in the ward and broke out in a cold sweat.

It was already past three in the afternoon!

Without thinking about anything else, she quickly got out of bed and ran outside.

But no matter how fast she ran, by the time she arrived at the Huo family’s old house, it was already four in the afternoon.

There was no one downstairs, so she nervously walked upstairs, only to see all the servants standing in the corridor.

Someone saw her but didn’t dare speak, only lowering their heads.

Lin Wan tried to suppress her fear and walked to the door of the room, only to see Qin Man standing inside.

And on the bed, the man was looking at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Lin Wan wanted to walk through the crowd and go inside, but the servants behind her suddenly stopped her.

"Miss Lin."

Lin Wan stopped and slowly turned around. Just as she was about to speak, two servants grabbed her arms.

Qin Man’s voice fell on her like a heavy weight.

"Miss Lin, I told you before—since you married into the Huo family, you must follow our rules. Tingxiao is your husband, and you should take care of him. But instead, you’ve been running around every day. Today, I must punish you in front of everyone."

After speaking, the two servants dragged her in front of Qin Man.

The pain in her lower abdomen flared up again. Lin Wan tried to stand up straight, but her face was pale.

Qin Man looked at her and assumed she was afraid. A hint of pride flashed in her eyes.

"As the daughter-in-law of the Huo family, you represent our family’s image. But you have repeatedly disobeyed me and neglected your husband. I must punish you!"

After saying this, she glanced at the man on the bed, as if seeking his opinion.

The man’s cold voice pierced Lin Wan’s already scarred heart.

"Aunt Qin, please proceed."

At that moment, Lin Wan seemed to hear nothing. She only felt the sharp sting as several heavy slaps landed on her face.

It hurt. But it didn’t hurt as much as her heart did.

After a while, Qin Man finally called a stop and left the room.

Lin Wan was thrown onto the ground like garbage. The servants outside the door wanted to help her up, but she refused.

She propped herself against the wall, struggling to stand up, trying to protect her last bit of dignity.

But every time she managed to stand a little, she fell heavily back down. The pain in her lower abdomen was unbearable, and she felt like she was losing consciousness.

In the end, she lost all her strength and slid down the wall, collapsing onto the floor.

"Madam, madam, wake up!"