The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming-Chapter 120: Congratulations

Time dragged on. Han Yao had never been so on edge.

He gritted his teeth, wanting to go take a closer look, but he was afraid of the surrounding gossip and could only stay put.

Though he tried his best to appear calm, his tension and anxiety were obvious.

Ye Shixian shot him a sidelong glance, cursing inwardly. ’Useless fool.’

She had pulled all the strings to get them this far, and Han Yao still managed to screw it all up!

According to the original plan, they were supposed to be seen by everyone on this lake tour, admiring the moon together. Within a few days, news that Ye Chutang and Han Yao were smitten with each other would have spread.

Then, her father and his family would arrange their engagement and marriage as a matter of course. Everything would have fallen perfectly into place.

Even if the Eldest Princess intended to arrange a marriage for Ye Chutang, she would find it hard to interfere with a pair of "lovers."

But who could have expected a Su Pei’er to come out of the woodwork!

Not only was she a courtesan, but she was also pregnant!

And Ye Chutang, too! Going over to treat Su Pei’er herself... ’What on earth is she thinking!?’

The sudden commotion had drawn the attention of quite a few people.

Boats of all sizes had stopped at varying distances, their occupants craning their necks to watch.

Han Yao grew increasingly frantic.

...

The sun finally set, its last rays staining half the sky crimson. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The woman’s agonized sobs from under the boat’s canopy grew fainter and fainter, eventually fading into complete silence.

Someone whispered, "I wonder what’s going on in there. Why has it gone so quiet? Something couldn’t have gone wrong, could it?"

Han Yao’s heart leaped into his throat, and his expression flickered.

’If Ye Chutang really failed to save her, and Su Pei’er died along with her child... then that would be—’

With that thought, he finally said, "I’ll go check on Second Miss Ye."

...

Inside the boat’s canopy, Su Pei’er slowly opened her eyes. They were vacant and dull.

Ye Chutang put away her needles and instructed the young maid, "Help your mistress wipe her face and tidy up a bit."

In that short time, Su Pei’er had been in so much pain that she had sweated through her clothes.

The young maid’s eyes went wide, and she stared blankly.

She hadn’t seen exactly how Ye Chutang had done it, only that she had inserted many silver needles into her mistress’s body. She couldn’t believe she had actually saved her!

Seeing that Su Pei’er was truly alive, the young maid was laughing through her tears. "Yes! Yes!"

She hurried forward and carefully wiped the sweat from Su Pei’er’s brow with a handkerchief, sobbing, "Miss, you’re finally all right! Just now... just now, I almost thought..."

Su Pei’er usually treated her like her own sister, which was why the young maid had been so worried.

Yet, at the sound of her maid’s cries, Su Pei’er’s face remained a numb mask.

She stared at the canopy roof, her eyes unfocused, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Why... why did you save me?"

’In this state, what reason is there for me to live?’

Ye Chutang finished packing away her silver needles and washed her hands. Crystal-clear droplets of water fell from her slender, pale fingertips.

It was hard to imagine that just moments ago, this same pair of delicate hands had saved two lives—a mother and her unborn child.

She dried her hands carefully and said in a gentle voice, "You’re a month and a half pregnant. The first trimester is always the most unstable, and your emotional distress today caused the bleeding. You must be more careful from now on."

Su Pei’er slowly raised a hand to her belly as silent tears streamed down her face.

Her monthly bleeding had been late, and she’d had a bad feeling. She had snuck out a few days ago to have her pulse taken, and only then did she learn that she was with child.

"This child... shouldn’t have come," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Ye Chutang tilted her head to look at her. "If you truly didn’t want this child, why would you come here today?"

Su Pei’er met her gaze. Staring into those deep, serene black eyes, she suddenly felt as if the other woman could see right through her.

She bit her lip and gave a bitter smile.

"It’s true. I thought Mr. Han and I were in love, that he was just too busy and had neglected me for a time. I thought if he knew about the child, he would surely come back to me. I was wrong... I was so wrong!"

If she had told the madam of her house, it would have been over with a single bowl of abortifacient tea. But she couldn’t let go of her fantasies.

Only now did she realize just how absurdly wrong she had been.

Ye Chutang looked at her and said,

"Go back and rest for a few days. Drink some restorative tonics, and remember not to get agitated again. I can only save you this one time. The only one who can truly save you is yourself."

Su Pei’er was stunned. After a long moment, she turned her head away and murmured, "No wonder he’s so taken with you..."

Before coming, she had heard that Han Yao had chartered a boat and invited friends for a lake tour, all to curry favor with the Ye Family’s recently returned Second Miss Ye.

Su Pei’er had heard things about Ye Chutang, but she had always privately felt that the only difference between them was their birth. In any other respect, she believed that Ye Chutang was not necessarily her better.

But now that they had met, she knew they were worlds apart.

No, she wasn’t even qualified to be compared to her.

Birth, family status, looks, bearing...

Su Pei’er had always carried herself with a certain pride, born from her stunning looks and her masterful skill with the qin.

But now, before Ye Chutang, she understood for the first time what it meant to be utterly eclipsed.

Su Pei’er closed her eyes. "It’s you he’s truly sincere with."

A soft chuckle suddenly reached her ears.

"And is his sincerity so precious?"

Su Pei’er whipped her head around in astonishment, staring at her blankly.

Ye Chutang said coolly, "A man’s heart is fickle. To pin all your hopes on one man, to spend every day agonizing over whether his feelings are true—that’s just asking for trouble."

Su Pei’er was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

"But... but..."

"Besides, if he can abandon you like this today, he can do the same to someone else tomorrow. A man like that cares for no one but himself; he’s selfish to the core." Ye Chutang nonchalantly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her expression serene. "And I’ve never been interested in courting misery."

Su Pei’er was silent for a long time.

Her entire life, she had been taught how to please men. No one had ever spoken to her like this before.

After a while, she looked down at her belly. "But, in the end, it’s the child who will suffer..."

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside. It seemed someone had boarded the boat.

Realizing what this meant, Su Pei’er tensed up.

Ye Chutang looked back. Hearing the approaching footsteps, she arched a delicate eyebrow.

"Why would it? This child’s paternal grandfather is none other than Lord Han Tong, the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Rites. A life of endless wealth and glory awaits. How could you speak of suffering?"

Su Pei’er froze on the spot.

Han Yao’s voice was already audible from outside.

"Miss Ye?"

Ye Chutang lifted the curtain and stepped out.

In an instant, all eyes converged on her.

Ye Chutang took a step forward, the corners of her lips curling into a smile.

"Congratulations, Mr. Han. Miss Su and your child are both safe and sound."