Night, deep.
Inside the exquisitely crafted mansion, every furnishing was priceless.
Xia Xingchen lay on the bed, feeling drowsy. It was a vintage grand bed, every pattern intricately carved by skilled artisans.
The door suddenly opened, and several people entered, all standing respectfully by the door, welcoming the man who finally stepped onto the carpet.
The entire room was dark. Xia Xingchen tried hard to open her eyes to see who had come, but she could only vaguely make out a tall and imposing figure. In the moonlight, she could faintly sense the man's powerful aura, one that commanded submission.
Who was this person? And how did she end up here?
"Is she the girl identified from the blood bank who can bear my child?" The man's voice was low and soothing. She could vaguely hear his voice, but the words weren't entirely clear.
"Yes, Your Excellency. She just turned eighteen this year. It has been confirmed that today is her ovulation period."
"Everyone, leave."
The man waved his hand, and everyone who had just entered immediately and silently retreated, as if they had never appeared.
In a daze, Xingchen felt her body being turned over, lying prone on the bed in a shameful position.
Behind her, the one orchestrating all of this was a man.
He bit her ear, and Xia Xingchen felt a burning sensation, scorching heat rushing straight to her heart, making her want to escape in panic. But everything she had was controlled by him; at this moment, she was like a little mouse with nowhere to run, at his mercy.
This feeling was truly awful. She absolutely detested it.
"Xia Xingchen, obediently bear my child," the man spoke into her ear, his domineering tone allowing no room for refusal.
His voice was cool and husky, devoid of warmth, yet in such a night it carried an indescribable ambiguity and sensuality, effortlessly stirring the girl's heart.
Bear a child?
Why did she have to bear a child for him? And who was he?
Her red lips trembled; she desperately wanted to ask for clarification, but her throat felt stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't make a sound. The next instant, a sudden violent thrust from behind, followed by overwhelming, tearing pain, seized her.
She was fiercely and domineeringly taken by the man.
With a gasp, Xia Xingchen suddenly opened her eyes.
Outside, it was already bright daylight, but cold sweat still ran down her slender back.
It was a dream — a spring dream.
She took a deep breath, clutching the blanket, and slowly sat up. However, her body felt as if it had been run over by a heavy vehicle, aching everywhere.
She frowned.
If it was truly a dream, then this dream… was far too real.
Even now, her legs were aching and warm, damp with something flowing out. Xia Xingchen was speechless with herself.
When had she become so infatuated? She had a boyfriend, yet she dreamed of a strange man doing that with her. What was even more ridiculous was that the man had actually told her to bear his child.
How laughable. She was only eighteen. Why should she bear his child? Who did he think he was?
However, what she hadn't expected was that this strange and vivid dream haunted her for a whole week. She even suspected that it wasn't a dream at all.
Because it was too real — so real that she could recall the man's blush-inducing passion and madness, remember his aggressively masculine presence, and even remember his cool, emotionless eyes.
Those dark, deep pupils were noble, serene, and unfathomable. He was so high above, like an emperor, as if he didn't belong to her world. In reality, there probably wouldn't be such a man.
Therefore, Xia Xingchen increasingly felt that it was just a dream — nothing more than a dream.
…Two months later.
Xia Xingchen was in her room, reading English. When she reached a collection by Shakespeare, her stomach suddenly churned.
"Ugh!"
Unable to bear it any longer, she covered her mouth, pushed open her bedroom door, and rushed into the bathroom. She lifted the toilet lid, squatted down, and dry-heaved.
"Miss, are you all right?" The maid, hearing the commotion, hurried over and patted her back.
The noise was so loud that Xia Xingkong opened her door from another room. Seeing her sister like this, she quickly knelt down and asked anxiously, "Sister, did you eat something bad?"
Xia Xingchen was too weak to answer her half-sister. She reached out to flush the toilet, weakly stood up, and was about to leave when her stomach churned again.
What was wrong with her? Had she really eaten something bad?
The next day.
Xia Xingchen went to the hospital for a check-up, accompanied by her boyfriend, Xu Yan.
They first went to the gastroenterology department. However, the doctor told her to transfer to obstetrics and gynecology.
"Doctor, what did you say? Are you mistaken?!"
The test results left both Xia Xingchen and Xu Yan stunned and pale.
"Mistaken about what? You young people nowadays are all careless, getting pregnant at such a young age. You weren't afraid when you did it, but now you're scared."
"I… my girlfriend and I haven't even reached that point!" Xu Yan's face turned beet red as he explained.
The doctor pushed up his glasses, looked at Xu Yan, then at Xia Xingchen standing there in shock, and said meaningfully, "Then you'll have to ask your girlfriend what's going on. If you haven't reached that point, maybe she has with someone else."
Xu Yan froze.
The doctor's words were like a heavy hammer striking down.
He turned to look at Xia Xingchen in disbelief.
Xia Xingchen shook her head, her lips trembling slightly. "I… I haven't had relations with any man…"
These words were clearly a firm denial, yet the uncertainty in her heart was clearer to her than to anyone else. If she truly had a child, the only explanation was that those few nights… were not dreams.
"All right, all right. You're not a virgin; how can a seed sprout without being sown? Think about it carefully. Haven't you missed your period for a while? Haven't you been very sleepy lately? Haven't you always felt dizzy and drowsy?"
"…"
Xia Xingchen was rendered speechless by the doctor's barrage of questions. Being struck by lightning five times couldn't feel worse than this.
Returning from the hospital, both Xia Xingchen and Xu Yan looked pale.
In the living room of the Xia family mansion, she knelt on the floor while Father Xia, Xia Guopeng, sat in the main seat with a cold expression.
"Since you say the child isn't Xu Yan's, then tell me — whose child is it?" he demanded sharply.
"…I don't know." Xia Xingchen's voice was faint. She desperately wanted someone to tell her the answer to that question too.
"You don't know?! You still dare to lie!" Xia Guopeng was furious. With a slap, his palm struck the armrest of the chair. "I'll ask again — whose child is it?!"
"Dad, you don't need to ask anymore. No matter how many times you ask, I still won't know."