After Faking My Death, The Iceberg Omega Became Pregnant With My Child - Chapter 5

She had said the wrong thing!!!

Fang Zhi pressed her face against the edge of the passenger-side dashboard and remained completely motionless, radiating lifeless despair.

Guan Chunming drove while poking Fang Zhi worriedly.

“Are you okay? Seriously, what rotten luck. How did you manage to run into your ex here? Did she bully you?”

Guan Chunming and Fang Zhi had been neighbors when they were children. By coincidence, they later attended the same university, and now they were roommates sharing an apartment.

Before the auction, Fang Zhi had worried that Shen Zhiyao might take things too far, so she had asked Guan Chunming to come pick her up.

“No.”

Fang Zhi tilted her head and picked Guan Chunming’s hand up, putting it back on the steering wheel.

“It was my fault. I said something I shouldn’t have.”

Why did she have to humiliate herself like that?

The more Fang Zhi thought about it, the more hopeless she became. She took off her glasses and rubbed her face.

She wished she could build a time machine with her bare hands on the spot, travel back an hour, and strangle herself.

Maybe the atmosphere in the room had simply been too ambiguous.

Maybe the violet fragrance had wrapped itself too possessively around her hair.

Or maybe Song Yanyue had truly looked too dazzling when she took the phone from her.

Fang Zhi hadn’t been able to help herself…

Are you worried about me?

For the first time in a long while, the girl had smiled from the bottom of her heart.

The hand gripping her collar hadn’t been gentle, but for some inexplicable reason, it reminded Fang Zhi of when she was little.

Back then, there had also been a long, soft hand that held hers and led her through narrow alleyways.

Delicate.

Reliable.

Shielding her from the wind and rain, however briefly.

The sofa in the lounge had been very soft.

When Fang Zhi leaned closer, she could feel her fingers sinking into it, trembling faintly.

“Song Yanyue cursed you out?!”

Hearing that Fang Zhi clearly wasn’t herself, Guan Chunming suddenly raised her voice in righteous indignation.

“No. She’s not that kind of person.”

Song Yanyue had only looked at her with those pale gray eyes.

Like inorganic diamonds.

Brilliant.

Cold.

Completely devoid of emotion.

She hadn’t even pushed Fang Zhi away.

Her gaze had merely fallen on her with quiet scrutiny.

The sudden silence seemed to stretch across centuries.

And Fang Zhi was a sailor drifting aimlessly across a vast ocean, searching for the miracle of a single piece of land where she could finally set foot.

Her burning hope had ultimately crashed into a cold laugh.

Song Yanyue had merely sneered with complete indifference.

Just like that, Fang Zhi ran aground against the rocks in the rapids, shattered into pieces.

She didn’t want to think too deeply about what that cold laugh meant.

Yet the woman’s indifferent voice kept echoing in her ears again and again.

Her ears burned fiercely, and even her cheeks grew hot.

But her heart felt as though it had sunk into icy water, slowly turning colder and harder.

So this was what it felt like to flatter yourself into believing someone still cared.

At the time, her black jacket had been draped across the woman’s thighs.

Looking up at Song Yanyue from below, even in such a disheveled state, she still carried a sacred, untouchable majesty.

Physiological tears still clung to her long lashes.

Yet her pale gray eyes had remained so cold.

Keeping everyone thousands of miles away.

Forced to lean against Fang Zhi only because she had no other choice.

Like a bird that had stopped there only briefly.

If she hadn’t happened to need Fang Zhi’s pheromones to soothe her, Song Yanyue probably wouldn’t even have spared her another glance.

…

Guan Chunming’s voice grew louder and louder.

When Fang Zhi still failed to respond, she anxiously smacked her a few times and hauled her upright.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you secretly crying?”

Fang Zhi raised her head.

“No. I will never cry over a woman again!”

Guan Chunming had just started to relax when Fang Zhi added gloomily,

“It’s just that my shoulder seems to be bleeding.”

Guan Chunming: “Oh… Huh?! Then why are you so calm?! What exactly are you proud of?!”

She slammed on the accelerator.

The two returned home in complete chaos.

The old residential complex had long since fallen asleep. Only one dim streetlamp remained, flickering weakly.

Fang Zhi no longer had the strength to walk on her own, so she could only ask Guan Chunming to help her upstairs.

One arm wrapped around her waist while the other firmly supported her arm.

Guan Chunming’s wine-red hair fell across the girl’s shoulder.

With a click, the light on the third floor switched on.

On this rainy night past midnight, it was the only warm yellow glow.

After closing the door, Fang Zhi habitually locked it twice.

She leaned against the metal security door and slowly slid downward, exhausted.

Her black hair had been soaked by the rain and hung damply around her face.

Yet those deep eyes looked especially bright.

Like an abandoned, pitiful puppy.

They had been broken up for two years.

Fang Zhi had deliberately avoided thinking about it.

But the moment they met again, she couldn’t stop herself from treating Song Yanyue as though she were still the woman from two years ago.

Once, they had been able to comfort and rely on each other…

But the Song Yanyue of today hated her.

That relationship had been the brightest memory of Fang Zhi’s obscure first half of life.

Like the only beautiful glass marble she had possessed during an impoverished childhood.

And she had shattered it with her own hands.

Fang Zhi had never had toys.

She owned very few things.

She didn’t know what to do with broken things like this.

So all she could do was pretend she didn’t care.

Tomorrow, she needed to ask her advisor and company for leave.

She had to help her younger sister complete the hospital transfer procedures, thank the medical staff who had taken care of her before, pay the hospital fees in advance, and deposit whatever money remained so it could at least earn a little interest.

Fang Zhi tried to fill her mind with these trivial matters while treating her own wound.

The pain had her baring her teeth.

By the time Guan Chunming found the first-aid kit, Fang Zhi had already removed the bandages and was struggling to wipe away the fresh blood with a towel.

Instinctively, Fang Zhi used the towel to cover the gruesome wound and changed the subject.

“Sorry. I don’t know if I got blood on your car seat. I’ll wash your car tomorrow.”

“Wash my ass!”

The sight made Guan Chunming’s heart tremble.

She was so angry she laughed, then hurried forward to help.

“Fang Zhi, don’t lie to me.”

Guan Chunming’s tone became unusually serious.

“You’ve been broken up for two years. Do you still like her?”

Fang Zhi paused where she lay on her stomach.

“I don’t know.”

“But there’s no possibility between us anymore.”

Relationships cared about matching backgrounds.

Two years ago, they had already been unequal.

Now the difference between them was like clouds and mud.

And on top of that, there was now a cold monetary relationship between them.

Guan Chunming knew this woman was stubborn and cared too much about saving face, so she tried to comfort her.

“It’s fine. Like the saying goes, never look down on a poor young person! Someday you’ll find someone better than her. Younger too!”

Fang Zhi looked even more depressed.

“Then I’m screwed. I think I’m actually the one who looked down on her when she was poor, and now she’s the successful one.”

She deliberately laughed twice as though it were nothing.

Her laughter gradually faded.

After applying the medicine, Guan Chunming dug Fang Zhi’s head out from where she had buried it in the pillow.

She looked at the carefree smile on the girl’s face.

Then at the two obvious wet patches of tears on the pillowcase.

“…”

Pretty good at pretending.

Guan Chunming pointed at the tear marks, then at Fang Zhi’s black-and-white eyes.

She looked exactly like someone pressing a dog’s face toward the scene of the crime after it had done something bad and refused to admit it.

This time, Fang Zhi remained completely calm.

She extended two fingers and, right under Guan Chunming’s eyes, folded the tear-soaked section of pillowcase inward.

Pretending nothing had happened.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Zhi began analyzing the situation in a very calm, restrained voice.

“I guessed a day like this might come.”

“I just wasn’t quite prepared yet.”

She paused.

Then, unable to suppress it anymore, her voice became slightly choked.

“She said she regretted ever knowing me.”

“That was my first love too.”

“I really tried…”

“I ruined it.”

Guan Chunming handed her a tissue.

Fang Zhi didn’t take it.

She put her glasses back on.

The thick lenses concealed whatever emotions lay in her eyes, and she once again became that old-fashioned, wooden, emotionless-looking nerd.

In a low voice, she said,

“But I don’t regret it.”

She didn’t regret meeting Song Yanyue.

She didn’t regret falling in love with her.

And she didn’t regret that breakup.

Downstairs, a surveillance camera flashed silently.

It wasn’t until dawn that two cars hidden in the darkness drove out of the old residential complex one after another.

Fang Zhi knew nothing about it.

The night before, Song Yanyue had watched Fang Zhi leave with cold eyes.

Her thighs had been tightly pressed together.

Beneath the black jacket, everything had already become a mess of overflowing desire.

Only after the door closed behind Fang Zhi did an overwhelmed, suppressed gasp finally escape from deep within Song Yanyue’s throat.

Her thin lips had been bitten open.

Song Yanyue forced herself to stand.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, she watched Fang Zhi get into Guan Chunming’s car.

The red BMW was flamboyant and reckless.

Young.

Tacky.

Stupid.

Her legs were still weak.

Expressionless, she continued watching the surveillance feed, then took a cold shower alone.

Clear moisture stretched into silvery threads, as though Fang Zhi’s scent had contaminated even that—

Inside and out.

Disgusted, Song Yanyue scrubbed her skin until it turned red.

Still, she couldn’t wash away the scent that seemed to have seeped into her very bones.

Fang Zhi lived with that woman.

That apartment was the same one Fang Zhi had rented while they were still deeply in love.

Back then, the two of them had even imagined a beautiful future together there.

And now—

Had Guan Chunming become its other owner?

Of course.

Compared to the “poor” Song Yanyue from back then, the nouveau riche Guan Chunming was obviously the better choice.

Unfortunately, judging from the situation now, even Guan Chunming could no longer satisfy Fang Zhi’s appetite.

Song Yanyue had once been prepared to let her go.

But Fang Zhi just had to appear before her again.

Still wearing that same carefree smile.

Still so practiced at it.

Still willing to sell herself for a little money.

After a sleepless night, Song Yanyue stared at the faint shadows beneath her eyes in the mirror.

Her gaze darkened completely.

…

The hospital transfer went unusually smoothly.

Fang Zhi paid a large amount of money in advance and even extravagantly hired the best private caregiver available.

Standing at the door of the hospital room, she watched her younger sister’s peaceful profile as she slept.

The heart that had been suspended in fear for two years finally settled.

She took out her phone and messaged Guan Chunming.

“Are you coming back tonight? Don’t order takeout. I’m rich now, so I’ll cook personally and treat you to something good.”

Guan Chunming instantly replied with a cheering emoji, then shamelessly sent over a long list of dishes she wanted.

Looking at the screen, Fang Zhi couldn’t help curving her lips.

It seemed like everything was getting better.

Sister Liu, the broker, had taken a ten-percent commission from the fifty million and had been absolutely delighted.

The night before, she had immediately taken care of all the paperwork and slapped her chest while guaranteeing that she would serve as the intermediary throughout the entire arrangement.

All Fang Zhi needed to do was provide pheromones.

A few days ago, Fang Zhi had no money and no connections.

She had been living constantly in fear of losing her only blood relative.

Now, there was finally a solution for her sister’s condition.

Even the research-and-development project that had been stuck at a bottleneck was gradually showing signs of progress.

If it succeeded, she would receive a generous bonus and profit share.

She even secretly thought—

If she worked hard enough, maybe she could buy a small home belonging solely to the two sisters before her younger sister reached adulthood.

The thought had barely surfaced before Fang Zhi extinguished it again.

She shook her head and laughed self-deprecatingly.

That goal was far too distant.

There were too many things that required money.

All she could do was pray that everything went smoothly.

At five in the afternoon, Fang Zhi carried a plastic bag to the market.

The setting sun painted the bluestone road at the entrance to the alley gold.

Children’s laughter rose and fell around her.

A familiar vegetable vendor stuffed a handful of scallions into her bag without asking.

Fang Zhi was sweet-tongued, and the neighbors all liked her.

An elderly woman next door called out to her from far away and insisted on giving her a freshly boiled ear of corn.

Fang Zhi accepted it with a smiling face.

Then, when the woman wasn’t looking, she quietly left the tender bamboo shoots she had just bought outside her door.

It was still early.

The girl bit into the sweet, glutinous corn as she slowly walked along, stepping on her own shadow.

The wind smelled like summer.

Warm, carrying the scents of grass and flowers.

It had been a very long time since she had felt this relaxed.

It almost seemed as though all she needed to do was turn past this staircase, open that door—

And she could return to two years ago.

Those ordinary, peaceful nights.

But when she looked up, she saw that the security door to her apartment was standing wide open.

Chaotic footsteps came from inside.

Thud.

The plastic bag fell to the ground.

Bad memories surged through her.

Fang Zhi’s expression changed sharply.

Almost by instinct, she turned around and wanted to leave.

Then she forcibly stopped herself and switched her phone to the emergency-call screen.

Her clear features tightened.

Fang Zhi clenched her fist and first sent Guan Chunming a message.

Almost at the exact same moment, a message from Guan Chunming popped up.

【Fang Zhi: Don’t come home.】

【Guan Chunming: What the hell. Don’t come back yet.】

【Fang Zhi: You’re home?】

Her heart pounded rapidly.

Fang Zhi gritted her teeth and rushed up the stairs, then kicked open the half-closed door.

“Bang!”

A piercing crash echoed through the old stairwell.

Everyone inside turned toward her in unison.

Bodyguards dressed in black stood expressionlessly in front.

Guan Chunming’s face was red with fury.

The landlord was bowing and scraping with an ingratiating smile, saying something under his breath.

In the exact center of the room stood a wooden chair padded with pristine white cashmere.

A proud, elegant figure sat upon it.

“…Song Yanyue?”

Today, she wore a gray suit with matching taffeta gloves.

Her fingertips rested lightly on her knee.

Her posture was so elegant she might as well have been attending some high-society banquet.

Why was she here?

Song Yanyue slowly stood.

Her red-bottomed heels stepped onto the mottled wooden floor with crisp clicks.

Every single sound seemed to land directly on Fang Zhi’s heart.

Those pale gray eyes locked straight onto her.

“I happened to be nearby.”

“So I came to take a look at the asset I just bought.”

Her cool voice wasn’t loud.

But everyone heard it.

It was right around dinnertime after work.

Several heads had already appeared through gaps in neighboring doors, curiously peering over.

Their prying gazes wove themselves into a net, pressing so tightly that it became difficult to breathe.

Fang Zhi froze in the doorway.

Blood rushed to her head.

Instinctively, she looked toward her friend, whose face was flushed with anger.

She had lied to Guan Chunming.

She had told everyone that the life-saving money had come from a new private investment she had secured.

Only then had everyone relaxed a little and sighed in relief that, after so much suffering, things had finally begun to turn around.

She hadn’t dared let Guan Chunming know the truth.

Two million.

Fifty million.

Perhaps to Song Yanyue, those numbers meant almost nothing.

But to ordinary people, they were astronomical sums capable of crushing someone’s spine.

Guan Chunming was fiercely loyal.

If Fang Zhi asked, she would absolutely sell everything she owned to try to help her find a solution.

But Fang Zhi could never do that.

Using friendship as an excuse to demand from someone without restraint was one of the cruelest things in the world.

She would rather sell her pheromones.

Rather bow her head and let others humiliate and toy with her.

Anything but put her friend in that position.

Song Yanyue’s appearance here tore apart every peaceful lie Fang Zhi had carefully constructed.

Song Yanyue watched the girl’s bloodless face.

Watched her panicked gaze dart toward someone else.

A faint trace of hostility flashed through her eyes.

Without changing her expression, she stepped forward.

Her body completely blocked the line of sight between Fang Zhi and Guan Chunming.

As the woman approached, the faint fragrance of violets curled around Fang Zhi’s hair.

The oppressive presence of someone accustomed to standing above others crashed over her.

Song Yanyue’s cool voice became extraordinarily gentle.

It was the tone Fang Zhi had once known better than anyone.

Yet now, there was a subtle mockery hidden within it, sending a chill through her entire body.

Casually, the words brushed past her ear.

“What?”

“She still doesn’t know you sold yourself to me?”