She reached out and grabbed hold of the hem of his garments, uttering weakly, "Help me!"

She could no longer hold herself up, her body collapsing, only to be caught by the man’s firm hold around her waist, effortlessly lifting her up in his arms.

"Hey, who are you? Put her down," threatened the burly man who’d followed them.

The foreign man, cradling Ye Lu, simply got into the car, ignoring them.

The driver, taking a puff of his cigarette, glared at them, "Stop shouting. You bunch of fools better not cause me trouble. Or else, I’ll blow your heads off. Understand this, he’s a state guest. A big-shot visiting with the Queen of bloody X country. You lot can’t afford to mess with him."

...

When Ye Lu awoke, she was lying on a bed, staring at the pristine white ceiling. She felt as though she had experienced a terrible nightmare, leaving her utterly shattered.

Remembering everything, she couldn’t help but touch her belly, finding it still round and full, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

At least she hadn’t lost everything.

At least she still had her child to accompany her.

She asked the nurse about the man who had saved her.

The nurse said that after he had brought her to the hospital and seen that she was treated, he had left, but not before delivering a box of flowers.

Ye Lu opened the exquisite box to find slightly unusual orange-yellow flowers inside. They were quite beautiful, with magnificent double-layered petals, exposing the dazzling stamen.

She was curious about the type of flower she was looking at and was surprised to see that they were rooted in a large cactus. She had never seen flowers sent to a hospitalized patient accompanied by a cactus. Was this intentionally done?

"A cactus?" Ye Lu was perplexed.

The nurse laughed, "The cactus flower symbolizes silent perseverance. Perhaps it’s the gentleman’s way of honoring you."

"I think he’s nursing a grudge against me," Ye Lu replied, remembering how she had ferociously threatened the foreigner the night before. Perhaps he was suggesting she was a prickly cactus, causing him trouble.

She noticed a small note tucked into the box. Picking it up, she saw handwritten English sentence.

"I thought they resembled you, able to bloom even in the harshest environment. I hope you continue to stay resilient. - Hai Lanse."

A warmth spread in Ye Lu’s heart. She had initially believed him to be a cold-hearted man who wouldn’t stop for someone in need.

But he did have a human essence. At her most desperate hour, he had saved her and her unborn child, for which she was deeply grateful. He was right, she needed to survive like a cactus, unyielding even in the worst conditions.

However, why did the name Hai Lanse sound familiar? 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Soon, the doctor came in and performed a routine check-up, admonishing her, "Madam, you need to be more careful. If you weren’t brought in when you were, neither you nor your child might have survived. You need to take care of your health. If the same thing happens next time, you might not be as lucky."

Ye Lu gently caressed her belly, indeed, she had been fortunate to have her child despite such severe shock.

It proved that the child in her womb was as resilient as her.

"Doctor, I understand. I promise it won’t happen again," she stated wornly. To her at that moment, nothing was more important than her child, and that was the only real thing she could hold onto.

As for men, they were all unreliable, causing her the deepest pain when she needed them the most.

Neither Gu Yan, nor Third Young Master, were any different.

She had to rely on herself and live well, to show them that she could survive without their help.