Chapter 514: Yi Yanran’s Miscarriage

Chapter 514: Yi Yanran Suffers a Miscarriage

Ji Ming heard the scream amidst the fight but didn’t process it immediately.

The next moment, he felt a soft body fling itself against him, embracing him tightly.

Then came the sound of a blade piercing flesh.

He knew that sound all too well, knew the iron tang of blood all too well.

For a split second, his thoughts stuttered to a halt—what had just happened?

Only when he felt the arms around him weaken, sliding downward bit by bit, did he jerk back to awareness. He whirled around to catch her.

At the same time, he flung his dagger, taking down the last assailant.

"Yi… Yi Yanran?"

The sharp blade remained embedded in her abdomen.

Vivid blood stained her dress, spreading like a blooming crimson lotus.

Ji Ming had never felt so completely helpless before. He tried to press his hand against her wound, but nothing could stem the flow.

"I told you to leave, didn’t I?"

He held her like a lost child, his voice trembling.

Yi Yanran forced her eyelids open with effort. She should have been in pain, but as she watched the blood seep from her body, she felt nothing at all.

Looking at Ji Ming’s panicked, desperate expression, she felt a fleeting sense of victory and satisfaction.

Over a year ago, when Yun Mu had been in danger, she had seen Ji Ming driven mad by grief for her. Back then, she had wondered—how he would look if it were her instead?

Now she knew.

Catching even a glimpse of worry in his eyes made it all worth it.

She wanted to call his name, but she had no strength left. Her fingers gave one last feeble twitch before finally falling limp.

Her arm dropping landed like a sledgehammer blow on Ji Ming’s heart.

"Yi Yanran, don’t scare me like this! Yi Yanran!" His voice was shredded with anguish.

[Scene Transition]

By the time Yun Mu arrived at the hospital, Yi Yanran had just been rushed into the emergency room.

After getting the basics of Yi Yanran’s condition, she began searching for Ji Ming.

It took her a while before she finally found him on the rooftop balcony, leaning against the corner, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.

The usually cocky blond was now covered in blood, resembling a beaten stray.

Yun Mu approached and knelt before him.

"Why are you here alone?" she asked.

Seeing her, Ji Ming crushed out his cigarette on the ground, his voice gravel-rough. "Thinking things through."

"What are you thinking about?"

"How can I repay Yi Yanran’s life if she dies?"

Yun Mu's throat tightened. "I just asked. Her injuries are critical, but her life isn’t in danger. It’s just... her child..."

The child couldn’t be saved.

Ji Ming’s usually clear sea-blue eyes were now hazy.

"Her child’s life mattered too. Even if that child was Xuanyuan Xun's, it was still hers. I could tell she cared deeply about it."

Yun Mu said, "If a life is owed, let it be mine. If not for me, you wouldn’t have been dragged into this danger..."

"This isn’t on you!" Ji Ming snapped, his hands gripping his wild golden hair in agony, his voice hoarse. "Actually, I already sensed the danger. Yesterday, someone pushed her into the river. I knew she was in danger. But I still..."

His voice cracked. "I was too damn arrogant. I thought I could get her out safely. I thought... I even told her to leave. But I never expected her to come back..."

Yun Mu reached out and gently patted Ji Ming’s shoulder.

Ji Ming crumpled into her arms, sobbing like a child.

Yun Mu understood him. What ate at Ji Ming wasn’t just Yi Yanran taking a knife for him—it was that he had underestimated her sincerity all along.

He’d misjudged her, assuming her earlier desire to marry him was purely for profit, that her persistence later was just to find a father for her unborn child.

But he’d never realized he was trampling on Yi Yanran’s real feelings.

A life for a life.

But that love—Ji Ming could never repay it.

When Ji Ming finally cried himself dry, Yun Mu handed him a tissue. "No use crying over spilled milk. Ji Ming, tell me, what do you really feel for Yi Yanran?"

"I... I’m not sure."

Before, he’d have just said ‘nothing.’

But now, he truly didn’t know.

If he had to name a feeling, right now it was just guilt.

Yun Mu seemed to see his inner turmoil. "With Yunzhe and me around, Yi Yanran isn’t going anywhere. There are many ways to make it up to her, but first, you need to figure out—what will you use to compensate her? Money, or your real feelings?"

As they spoke, Ji Shu barged in, fuming.

"His heart? Why should he give her his heart if he doesn’t even love her?" Ji Shu rushed over, but the sight of her brother—bloodied and disheveled—made her words falter. Finally, she asked firmly, "Brother, tell me you don’t like her, right?"

Ji Ming remained silent.

"Ji Shu, don’t stir the pot," Yun Mu snapped.

Ji Shu retorted, "I’m not! Big deal—she took a knife for him! How much money does she want? The Ji family will cover it! For all we know, she planned this!"

Yun Mu’s eyes turned icy. "Ji Shu, no one would use their own child in a scheme."

Yi Yanran didn’t just lose half her life—she lost her baby too.

Ji Shu shut right up.

Yun Mu glanced at Ji Ming, who was still crouched on the ground. "You stay with your brother for now. I’ll go check on Yi Yanran."

Two hours later, Yunzhe walked out of the operating room and nodded at Yun Mu.

Yun Mu let out a sigh of relief.

"The wound wasn’t too deep. Yi Yanran is out of danger and can be transferred to a regular ward. However... we lost the baby," Yunzhe said.

Yun Mu nodded—it was an outcome she had long anticipated.

As Yunzhe went to change, Yun Mu stood in the hallway, staggering slightly.

Fortunately, a warm, strong chest caught her from behind. Feeling the familiar warmth, she turned and leaned into his arms.

"Yi Jue, did I cause all this trouble for everyone?"

Yi Jue held her tightly, his voice firm. "Nothing that happened to them was because of you."

"But if it weren’t for searching for my antidote, if it weren’t for uncovering the truth, Yi Yanran wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and Ji Ming wouldn’t be suffering like this..."

"Yun Mu, what happened to them isn’t because of you. You were poisoned by Yi Yanran’s father—she was already entangled in this. The grudges between the families have long been hopelessly tangled. All of us are trapped in this, and no one can escape unscathed except by fighting our way out."

Yi Jue pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Yun Mu’s head. "So don’t blame yourself. I’ll handle everything for you."