127: Chapter 228 Then Let's Give Birth

"Never happened." What a fine "never happened."

Everything she had given—her love, her body, and this living little life currently inside her womb—could all be wiped away by money in his eyes, treated as if it had "never happened."

Tang Guo suddenly let out a low laugh, the sound shrill and desperate.

"Yu Bo, do you think that everything and everyone can be solved with your money and your arrangements? Was it like that with Shen Nian, and is it like that with me too?"

At the mention of Shen Nian, Yu Bo's expression darkened instantly, his gaze sharp as a knife: "What do you know?"

"I don't know anything." Tang Guo stopped laughing, looking at him with hollow eyes, "But I can guess."

"Did you 'arrange' things for her the same way? It's just that she had more 'leverage' in her hands and demanded a higher price, didn't she?"

Yu Bo did not deny it, merely looking at her coldly.

"If..." Tang Guo slowly stood up from the floor. Because of her weakness, her body swayed, and she gripped a pillar, staring fixedly into Yu Bo's eyes, "What if I say I won't agree? What if I say I insist on giving birth to this child? What will you do? Will you deal with me the same way you dealt with Shen Nian? Or... will you cause me to have an 'accidental' miscarriage?"

Yu Bo watched her, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Tang Guo's words "accidental miscarriage" were like a cold needle, piercing the last shred of his feigned calm.

He looked at her silently for a few seconds, observing the desperate, all-or-nothing madness in her eyes, as well as that stubborn, almost instinctive, protective desire for the life inside her.

A direct confrontation clearly wouldn't work anymore. A woman pushed to the brink who also held "leverage" was capable of anything.

He suddenly let out a soft sigh, the sigh seemingly carrying a hint of helplessness, or even... a barely perceptible trace of exhaustion.

He took a step forward, drawing closer to Tang Guo. His gaze fell upon her still-flat abdomen.

Tang Guo was taken aback by his sudden change in attitude. She looked at him warily but still nodded firmly, her voice dry yet resolute: "Yes. This is my child."

Yu Bo raised his hand, seemingly wanting to touch her cheek, but when she instinctively flinched, his hand paused in mid-air and instead landed gently on the hand she was using to grip the pillar, which was trembling slightly.

His palm was warm, enveloping her cold fingers.

"Alright then," he said in a low voice, his tone calm, even carrying a strange, almost compromising gentleness, "let it be born."

Tang Guo's pupils constricted; she could hardly believe her ears. He... agreed? Just like that?

Tang Guo was rendered speechless by his sudden, seemingly compromising, yet calculated words. She just stared at him blankly, her heart pounding in her chest, unsure if this was a hope born from desperation or a deeper sense of unease.

Yu Bo watched the complex light flickering in her eyes, a faint, almost gentle curve appearing at the corners of his mouth, though his eyes remained as cold as ice deep down.

His fingers gently caressed the back of her hand, his tone carrying that unassailable certainty of someone planning her future for her:

"However," he changed the subject, his gaze falling on her abdomen as if already measuring the changes about to happen there, "in two months, your belly will start to show. Staying here all the time means too many eyes and ears, and Tianxue... might inevitably notice. That wouldn't be good for you or the child."

He paused, seemingly thinking carefully about the best plan, before speaking slowly: "Go to Spring City. It's like spring all year round there, with a pleasant climate, perfect for recuperation. The air is good, it's quiet, and no one knows you. You can wait for the birth in peace."

"Spring City?" Tang Guo repeated, murmuring, feeling strange and at a loss about this sudden location.

"Yes. I have some friends there, and I'm familiar with the environment. I'll accompany you there this weekend. We'll go look at houses first. What kind do you like? How about a small, detached courtyard house? It's quiet and private. Once you pick one, we'll finalize it; the paperwork is quick. We'll also hire a reliable nanny to specifically take care of your daily needs—someone experienced who knows how to look after a pregnant woman."

Yu Bo spoke at a steady pace, organizing things in an orderly fashion, as if this were just an ordinary vacation property plan, rather than finding a hiding place for a child that "should not exist."

His gaze returned to Tang Guo's face, carrying a perfectly measured smile mixed with indulgence and doting: "Buy whatever style you like; money is no object. As long as you are comfortable, in a good mood, and it's good for the child, that's all that matters."

This sounded exactly like a husband making thoughtful arrangements for his pregnant wife. If she didn't know the inside story, Tang Guo would almost have been moved by this "consideration" and "generosity." But the chill in her heart could not be dispelled. He wanted to "send her away," to a place far from everyone's sight, a place entirely under his control.

"It's just..." Yu Bo furrowed his brows slightly, his tone carrying a trace of genuine, seemingly troubled concern, "what about your parents?"

He looked at her, his eyes full of sincerity, as if he found it "tricky" and was "thinking of her": "Your family is so well-off, and your uncle and aunt dote on you so much. If you suddenly say you want to live in Spring City long-term, and... and you're pregnant, they will definitely ask questions. Who is the child's father? How will you explain it? Say it's me?"

He shook his head and gave a wry smile, "If they found out, wouldn't they kill me? Even if they didn't kill me, they would never agree to you keeping this child, nor would they agree to you... hiding away to have a child with me without any status. When the time comes, if a scene is made, it won't be good for anyone, especially you, caught in the middle, having the hardest time."

He gently squeezed her hand, lowering his voice further, with an intimate tone of coaxing and "conspiracy": "Guoguo, I know you don't want to lie to them. But sometimes, white lies are necessary to avoid greater harm. We can choose not to tell them for now, or... find another excuse, like a company-sponsored study abroad program? Or say you want to go out to relax and learn something? Once you arrive in Spring City, get settled, and are further along in your pregnancy, when the situation is stable, you can slowly find an opportunity to tell them. Or... after the child is born and everything is a fait accompli, when they see their cute little grandchild, their hearts might soften. By then, I will find a way to see if I can seek their forgiveness and give you and the child a proper status."

He spoke reasonably and logically, even painting a seemingly viable future—temporarily hiding, waiting for the birth in another location, having the child, then using the child to soften her parents, and perhaps eventually being able to "become legitimate." This was almost the only seemingly possible vine that Tang Guo, in her despair, could grasp.

However, whether this vine was sturdy, and where exactly the other end was tied, only Yu Bo knew. What he needed was just to temporarily stabilize Tang Guo, move her to a more controllable environment, and then... slowly plot his next steps. Spring City was far away from the emperor's reach; Yin Tianxue's tentacles couldn't reach there, and Tang Guo's parents couldn't intervene either. There, he could more calmly "handle" subsequent matters, whether it was an "accident" or a "choice," the room for maneuver would be much greater.

Listening to his words and looking at his handsome face, which was filled with "dilemma" and "planning," Tang Guo's heart sank little by little. The brighter the future he painted, the heavier the unease in her heart grew. Going to a completely strange city, living in a house he arranged, being taken care of by a nanny he hired, and being cut off from all family and friends... this didn't sound like protection, but rather like a more ornate and colder prison.

But did she have any other choice? Resisting to the end and angering him might lead to an even worse outcome. Agreeing to him at least temporarily protected the child and seemed to offer a glimmer of a faint hope for a "future," even though that hope was suspended in the air, fragile and vulnerable.

A huge conflict was tearing her apart once again. The protective desire for her child, the twisted attachment and lingering fantasies about Yu Bo, the guilt toward her parents and friends, the fear of an unknown fate... all these emotions were tangled like a mess of hemp.

She lowered her head, looking at her still-flat abdomen, the source of all her courage and weakness. After a long while, she asked in a barely audible, trembling voice: "Are... are you telling the truth? Will you really... give me and the child a future?"

A flash of triumph quickly crossed Yu Bo's eyes, but it was soon replaced by a deeper gentleness and "solemnity." He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him, and said clearly and slowly, word by word:

"I, Yu Bo, swear to heaven that as long as you are well and the child is well, I will do my utmost to give you both the best future. The road might be a little difficult, but I will always be there. Believe in me, okay, Guoguo?"

His gaze was deep, his tone sincere, as if he were truly making a heavy, life-long promise.

Tang Guo looked at him, tears blurring her vision once again. She knew this might be a trap, might be a deeper lie. But at this moment, exhausted in body and spirit and with nowhere left to turn, she needed such a promise too much, even if it was as illusory as a bubble. She was too tired, too tired to have the strength to distinguish truth from falsehood, or to think about the more distant future.

She nodded slowly, extremely slowly. The movement was slight, yet it seemed to use up all the strength in her entire body.

"Okay... I'll go to Spring City," she heard her own dry voice say.

Yu Bo finally revealed a truly "relieved," gentle smile, pulling her gently into his arms, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Good, Baby. Leave everything to me. We'll leave this weekend. Rest well for these few days, and don't think about anything." He stroked her hair, his voice filled with the languor and satisfaction of having succeeded.

Tang Guo leaned in his arms and closed her eyes, tears silently soaking the fabric on his chest. Her body was warm, but her heart was ice-cold. She didn't know if this decision was right or wrong, only that from this moment on, her fate and the fate of the child in her womb would be completely handed over to this man, sailing into that unknown and unpredictable mist called "Spring City."