Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 124: Chapter 113: The Fate of Ma Lina

”Nana, I’m here to see you.” Liu Yajing came with chicken soup and a fruit basket, following the room number given by Zhang Jingjing. Even though they had fallen out, visiting during childbirth was something that had to be done, if only to avoid giving people something to talk about.

”Are you here to laugh at me?” As Liu Yajing pushed open the door to the ward, instead of being met with a bustling crowd of well-wishers, she found only Ma Lina and a caregiver. Ma Lina, seeing the brightly-dressed Liu Yajing, couldn’t help but speak out sarcastically.

”What are you talking about, I just came to see you, that’s all. Did you have a girl?” Liu Yajing asked. She had only been told about the birth and hadn’t heard a single question about the child.

Seeing that Liu Yajing truly had no idea, Ma Lina couldn’t contain her feelings of injustice and cried, ”Both kids aren’t his.”

”Both?” Liu Yajing paused then asked, ”Twins?”

”Yes, twins. I thought by timing it should be his, but it turned out they’re not,” Ma Lina said while wiping away tears.

Liu Yajing let out a cold laugh and handed over a tissue to Ma Lina to wipe her tears with, her eyes full of mockery as she asked, ”Don’t cry, it’s bad for your health. So whose are they? Does he know?”

”Know what? I haven’t even been through my postnatal period when he sent over a divorce agreement. It should be Jiaming’s child, but the other one, I don’t know, it’s a different one.” Ma Lina’s unstoppable tears flowed, knowing even if one child had been Zhang Hongru’s, she wouldn’t be in such a plight.

”You haven’t broken off contact with Jiaming yet?” Liu Yajing watched Ma Lina cry with a hint of scorn in her eyes, though her words were of comfort: ”Jiaming’s been married for so long without a child, knowing there’s a child now, he will surely make proper arrangements.”

”He won’t, you know what kind of person Jiaming is. He would marry that woman for money and abandon the wife who was with him during his years of poverty, how would he care about a child? That man is the most selfish,” Ma Lina bitterly laughed and wiped her tears, ”All these days, you’re the only one who has come to see me.”

Liu Yajing sneered internally, having been blissfully unaware of the situation if not for a phone call, let alone anyone else, considering everyone expected the due date to be the next month. But she said, ”Perhaps they don’t know yet, and even if they do, it doesn’t matter, the divorce will leave you with a sizable fortune.”

”That’s what I thought too, but... never mind, I can always start afresh.” Ma Lina gave a bitter smile, but couldn’t bring herself to say that she would leave empty-handed, even in front of her friend who came to see her during such times.

Liu Yajing looked down with a sneer, thinking the new mother believed she could make a comeback? With a figure no longer what it used to be, and demeanor less endearing than before, plus that big scar across her belly, who would be blind enough to marry her again? And yet, she still offered warm comfort, ”Yeah, you’re still young. I should go now, I’ll visit you another day.”

Once she was out of the ward door, Liu Yajing’s face no longer held any trace of warmth, but was filled with mockery as she muttered quietly, ”Do you think you’re still the high and mighty Mrs. Zhang? I shall avenge the humiliation of that day.”

After thinking it over, Liu Yajing headed to the street corner and dialed Huang Jiaming’s number.

Huang Jiaming was a wealthy man, but his money came from his father-in-law’s family; he was merely a son-in-law who had married into wealth. Relying on his good looks and the money given by his wife, he casually sought out beautiful young women for fun. Before Ma Lina married Zhang Hongru, she was one of the mistresses kept by Huang Jiaming. Huang Jiaming was still quite good to her, had sent her a large red envelope when she got married, and hadn’t cut her off entirely.

”Hello, who’s this?”

”Jiaming? Nana has given birth, the child could be yours.”

”What, you...”

”She’s at the High Level Maternity Department in Central Hospital; ask for the room number yourself,” Liu Yajing hung up as she heard the loud questioning from the other end. She didn’t want to be involved, nor did she want to seek revenge personally.

Liu Yajing was sitting at the fast-food restaurant by the hospital entrance, ordering two dishes and quietly waiting for that nearly forty-year-old man without offspring. She knew that the man would not ignore the news of having his own child, but Ma Lina would surely not bother. A selfish man would naturally prioritize his own survival.

As she had expected, Huang Jiaming’s BMW, which looked like it belonged to a kept man, stopped at the hospital entrance with incredible speed. The man parked his car directly at the front and rushed into the hospital. Liu Yajing put down her cutlery and followed closely behind him, maintaining enough distance to avoid being noticed as she trailed him.

Observing Huang Jiaming with his tie askew, she saw him hurriedly pull aside a nurse to ask something before he rushed upstairs. His shirt buttons were even misaligned.

”Jiaming?” Ma Lina was shocked to see Huang Jiaming pushing the door to the ward open and then asked with a cold face, ”What do you want to do?”

”Where’s the baby?” Huang Jiaming grabbed Ma Lina’s shoulder, his grip so tight that it tore her hospital gown, revealing a glimpse of her skin.

”What baby? If you want a baby, go find your wife. Why come to me?” Ma Lina was startled but tried to remain composed as she spoke. Frowning, she slapped away Huang Jiaming’s hand, ”Let go, it hurts.”

Huang Jiaming released his grip and watched as Ma Lina absentmindedly straightened her clothes. Counting on his fingers, he said, ”Figuring it out, the baby could well be from the time I was with Orton, not necessarily Director Zhang’s.” Watching Ma Lina’s expression of terror, he continued, ”Orton, you don’t remember? He was my foreign friend from before, the one who said he was interested in you. Fearing you wouldn’t agree, he slipped you some drugs, and the next day, you woke up at my place, remember? Didn’t you and I have another round after you got up?” Huang Jiaming said lewdly, ”It’s all thanks to you that I landed that deal and my father-in-law gave me a hefty bonus.”

”Orton?” Ma Lina sat frozen on the bed as tears slid down. She certainly remembered Orton, the black man who had been so handsy with her in front of Huang Jiaming, who not only didn’t stop him but also grinned and said it was her honor. To think he had even drugged her? No wonder she had little recollection of the next day: ”Are you even human? Aren’t I your woman? How could you let someone else...”

”Women like you are a dime a dozen; anyone with money can have you in bed. Didn’t I treat you well? Weren’t you the one who insisted on marrying Director Zhang for the status of his official wife? And you kept seeing me on the side. Aren’t you that kind of woman, too? Just a ’High Level’ prostitute. Do you think you’re so high class? Being married to a rich man makes you superior?” Huang Jiaming watched Ma Lina with a sneer, ”Where’s the baby?”

”The baby should be in the nursery. Why come to the ward?” Liu Yajing, who had been eavesdropping outside, then pinched her throat and changed her voice as she spoke.

”Right.” Huang Jiaming, prompted by the voice from outside, came to his senses and headed out the door. But he was not a fool; he found a nurse and said, ”Can you bring the baby in room 501 to Ma Lina in the ward?”

”501?” The nurse nodded, knowing that every floor’s 01 was the most cornered room with abundant sunlight and tranquillity—a single room. To be in room 01, one would certainly not be ordinary. She continued, ”Would you like both twins brought over?” It wasn’t unusual for the maternity ward to have twins, seen several times before, but racially different twins were a first encounter, making it no secret in the hospital.

”Twins? Bring them both over.” Huang Jiaming was overjoyed to find out they were twins, then returned to the room to tell Ma Lina, ”You’ve done well. I’ll get the children tested, and if they’re mine, I will provide you with substantial compensation.”

”Don’t even think about it!” If Huang Jiaming hadn’t taken matters into his own hands, how could she have ended up like this? If only she had known earlier, perhaps...

”Don’t be ungrateful. Believe it or not, I’ll spill this to Director Zhang and see if his vast family and business will still want you!” Huang Jiaming watched Ma Lina’s hysterical behavior with disgust. Aside from her pretty face, this woman was utterly useless, only stirring up trouble with her belly.

”You think I’m afraid of you? Go ahead! See how your in-laws will continue to cooperate with the Zhang family!” Ma Lina took the divorce agreement from the bedside cabinet and slammed it onto Huang Jiaming’s face.

Huang Jiaming, puzzled, looked over the document and then jeered at Ma Lina, ”You’re no longer Mrs. Zhang. If you behave and give me the baby, I’ll give you some money, enough for you to live on.”

There was a knock on the door, and the nurse entered carrying two small infants, breathing and moving normally. ”The children are developing very well, just a bit small. The darker one is the younger brother; he’s a bit of a crier,” she said as she placed the babies on the bed and then left the room.

Huang Jiaming looked at the two children and suddenly burst into laughter, ”You shameless woman, well done. No need for a paternity test, I’ll take both. No wonder Director Zhang dumped you. If it were me, I wouldn’t want you either!”