Plucking the Strings Alone

He was domineering and ruthless, cold and unyielding. In the capital, he wielded immense power, able to turn the clouds with one hand and summon rain with the other, to say nothing of his mighty family and deep-rooted connections.

How could anyone dare provoke such an overbearing man? She kept carefully out of his way, yet he still pinned her down, leaving her unable to escape.

At first, her heart was calm and still. She waited for him to grow tired of her... Who knew she would fall in love with him...

At twenty-seven, Su Yu met He Chuqiao and fell in love with him, at such an advanced age.

"An induced labor?! An induced labor?! Who told you to induce my labor? What right do you have? Who gave you the authority? Why induce my labor? Why kill my child? You! You! Why did you kill my child?" Her eyes seemed ready to bleed. She dug her hands into the nurse's shoulders and screamed with all her might.

The floor was quiet. Her shrill cries filled the corridor. Doctors and nurses came rushing over and surrounded her, trying to get her back into bed. She shoved at the crowd and shrieked in anguish, "Who gave you the authority? Give me back my child! Why? Why did you kill my child? Why?

Tell me! Why? What right do you have? What right do you have? Who gave you the authority?"

A doctor grabbed her arm. "Please, calm down. Calm down. Your body is in very poor condition right now... You..."

"How can I calm down? Give me back my child! My child! Who gave you the authority? Who gave you the authority?" Her long hair was disheveled and her face streaked with tears. She wrenched her arm free and seized the doctor's collar, her voice razor-sharp.

"I gave them the authority." Amid the chaos, a voice cut through the crowd like a sharp arrow and reached her ears.

The crowd parted. He Chuqiao stood tall, his expression cold and solemn, unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"You! How could it be you? How could it possibly be you, He Chuqiao... He Chuqiao! It was you... You told them to induce my labor and kill my child? How could it be you?" It felt as though the world had vanished. Her eyes were bloodshot, tears pouring down as her whole body trembled violently... She slowly walked up to him. He Chuqiao reached out to steady her, but she angrily flung his hand away. "You... told... them... to... induce... my... labor... You... killed... our... child!" She stared at him, her eyes filled with hatred and despair...

"Yes!" His expression was so dark it seemed ice water might drip from it, but a trace of compassion and pity flickered in his eyes...

"You... you... It was you... How could it be you... It really was you..." A pain that gnawed to the bone swept over her. His one-word answer nearly destroyed her. Hatred, filling her heart and eyes, burst forth. "I'll kill you! You actually killed my child! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! How could you? How could you!" She beat him out of control, with all the strength she had to kill him.

He held her fast...

"He Chuqiao! How could I ever have known you? You! Who gave you the authority? You! What right do you have?" She cried and fought him with all her strength in his arms...

"It's my child, so I have that right. Now go back to your room and lie down," he said coldly.

"Your child? Hahaha! No, he's not yours! He's not! He's not! You don't deserve him! He's not yours! How could a child have a father like you? What makes you worthy? What makes you worthy?" She sobbed hysterically...

Her defiant denial stirred anger in He Chuqiao. He gripped her chin hard. "The child has to be mine. You're the only one I've slept with. I don't want to hear you say such things. Go back to your room and rest!"

"Hahaha! Slept with!" An overwhelming grief and despair consumed her...

She threw her head back and glared at him with bloodshot eyes. "He Chuqiao! Even a tiger won't eat its young! You're worse than a beast! You! Give me back my child! You bastard! You bastard! Give me back my child! Give me back my child!" She clutched his shirt, her voice seeming to seep with blood. "He Chuqiao! He was my child alone! Mine alone! What makes you worthy? From now on, let the dust return to dust and the earth to earth. I never, ever want to see you again!"

He Chuqiao's eyes suddenly narrowed, a fierce and savage look rising in them. "Don't even think about leaving me! I would never let you go! You can only be where I can see you!"

"I will leave you! I don't want to see you! My child! My child! My child! You killed my child! Why? My child! Give me back my child! Give me back my child!" She struggled free, beat him, and bit him, until she gradually ran out of strength...

Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out in alarm, "Blood! She's... bleeding!"

Screaming and fighting, Su Yu was overcome by an immense sorrow and grief. Blood had already run down her white trouser leg, leaving a small, shocking red pool on the floor...

He Chuqiao's whole body tensed. Panic flashed through his eyes. He yanked her toward him, wrapped her in his arms, and carried her quickly into the room, carefully laying her on the bed. He clutched her hand as blood from between her legs instantly stained the white bedsheets red. The doctors gathered around. He called to a nurse, "Go get Director Hua! Hurry!" His voice held a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.