The Darker the Night, The Brighter the Stars

Zhao Yan narrowed her eyes at him. She'll never hand her baby away. This was her baby! He has no right to steal her baby from her. He wasn't the one who had suffered from morning sickness for three months. He wasn't the one who was having trouble eating certain foods. He did not experience her frequent need to urinate because of the baby in her belly. He did not know how hard it was to feel nauseous or dizzy every once in a while. Not to mention her tendency to eat more and sleep more.

Zhao Yan detested him even more after this. She did not hide her hostility towards him and even forgot about his identity as a prince, whether it was the truth or not, she could not care anymore.

Fu Yanqing was confused why she was suddenly looking at him like he had committed the highest crime of treason. No matter how he looked at it, he was being amicable and offering to help her. He also did not try to threaten her or anything yet she was acting like he was some kind of criminal.

Zhao Yan, who was already feeling emotional and jumping to conclusions due to the hormones brought about by her pregnancy immediately pointed her slim finger at him. "I will not give my baby to you. This is my baby! Go find someone else to bother. I won't hand my baby away. You are no one to me and you have no right to be here."

Fu Yanqing was even more surprised when she started crying immediately after she had finished shouting at him. This peculiar situation when he has yet to do anything threatening or scary caught him off guard.

He found himself at loss of what to do.

"Uwaa... you can't take my baby away. I will call the officials...! I will make sure you remain infertile for the rest of your life... and, that you... go to jail...Wuu... You bad man...Leave me alone... I will never let you have your way again..." Zhao Yan sobbed and started bawling. Large beads made of crystal clear tears formed around her eyes and rolled down her fair cheeks one after another, intensifying the aggrieved expression on her face.

Fu Yanqing froze. The crocodile tears he had seen before among the women of his father's harem and from all the shameless women who had thrown their selves at his feet seemed like nothing compared to the crying woman in front of him.

He felt panic rising inside his chest for the first time.

What to do? This was not something he could learn from a manual or book. How do you comfort women? How do you make them stop crying? Especially pregnant women?

Fu Yanqing found himself in an absolute dilemma. This was the hardest challenge he has ever faced in all his life.

He quickly approached her, careful to gently embrace her in his arms, in fear that she might get hurt with his strength.

"I am not here to take the baby away. Yanyan, you got it wrong. Don't cry anymore. Yanyan, be good. Forgive me. Don't cry." He awkwardly tried to mimic what he had seen Zhang Yuan doing to comfort his wife before.

Fu Yanqing gently stroked her hair and placed her head on his chest. This action of stroking the hair and head was said to be calming... or atleast that is what Zhang Yuan told Fu Yanqing.

To his surprise, Zhang Yuan's usually rubbish advice could actually be this useful.

Fu Yanqing was worried that she might hurt herself so he carried her and sat on the chair with her sitting on his lap. He pressed her head on his shoulder and rubbed her back gently, whispering softly for her to calm down.

He was very tense in his actions and his movements were somewhat clumsy since this was his first ever attempt to console the female person.

Thankfully, his efforts weren't in vain.

When she finally seemed to have regained her senses, Fu Yanqing was reluctant to let her go. His little woman was so soft and warm. He felt comfortable with her in his arms.

He suddenly remembered what Zhang Yuan told her about a woman's body. Yes, it was indeed very soft and comparable to heaven.

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She tried desperately to get away from his grasp once she was calm.

"Let me go..." Her weak and soft voice evoked pity from a person's heart. Her cheeks were stained with tears and there was a wet patch on his shoulder that Fu Yanqing was very much aware of.

Zhao Yan felt stiff in his embrace.

"Yanyan..." Fu Yanqing whispered in her ears. "I won't take the baby away. Instead, I'm here to take you away." Her cheeks blushed after hearing his words. How could he be so shameless to say this to her?

Fu Yanqing's lips tilted slightly upon seeing her embarrassed reaction. "I told you to stay put and wait for me but you left and even burned the house down."

Zhao Yan looked away.

She pretended that she did not hear him. Did he really think that she would stay put after what he did to her?

Forcefully using her body to relieve himself from the effects of aphrodisiac and leaving so soon without so much as an explanation.

So what if he left her a letter? Were two perfectly written lines in paper able to pacify her rage and shame after waking up from being defiled by the same man she saved?

If an apology could erase everything and make things go back to the way it used to be, what was the point of having laws or what was even the meaning of justice?

Zhao Yan's face turned cold. She couldn't believe that she cried in this man's embrace.

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