"Doctor! Quickly, the pregnant woman is having a difficult labor!"
Inside the delivery room, Qiao Xi clenched the bed sheet in agony, letting out a painful moan. She was pale and petite, yet her abdomen protruded high.
She was panting heavily like a dying fish, veins bulging on her forehead.
"Breathe deeply! Push!" The midwife shouted anxiously at one side.
Qiao Xi gritted her teeth, exerting all her strength, straining herself. She couldn't give up; her child hadn't even gotten a chance to see the world yet, she couldn't just abandon him.
"He's here! Born!" The midwife yelled, "It's a son!"
Qiao Xi took a long breath, her whole body went limp on the bed, gasping for breath.
Hearing her child's hoarse cry, she finally heaved a sigh of relief.
The child, her child, was finally born.
The grievance she had suffered in these ten months was all worth it.
Qiao Xi extended her hand, and forced a weak smile, "Let me see the child."
The midwife carefully held the baby, preparing to hand it over to her. Just at this moment, a group of men in black suddenly burst in, directly snatching the child away!
Qiao Xi, in shock, widened her eyes and struggled to prop herself up, tumbling off the delivery bed, "Child! No! Return my child to me!"
The men in black, however, didn't turn back and left straight away.
Qiao Xi fell to the floor, and watched them in despair, her tears falling mournfully, "No... Please, return my child...”
The child that she had painstakingly given birth to, she hadn't even had the chance to glance at, was snatched away by a stranger.
Who was this person, and why were they so ruthless towards her?
Qiao Xi collapsed onto the ground, looking at the entrance helplessly and mournfully, allowing despair to envelop her.
The midwife gazed at her in horror, "This is bad! The woman is hemorrhaging heavily!"
"Quick! Get blood ready, we need to save her immediately!"
...
"Qiao Xi! Qiao Xi!"
Qiao Xi abruptly opened her eyes, gasping for air heavily.
Looking at the familiar office in front of her, she realized she had just had another nightmare. The nightmare from four years ago, like a demon, haunted her relentlessly.
Each time she dreamt of it, she would feel awful all day.
"Qiao Xi, you've crossed the line!"
Qiao Manman raised her hand and sent a slap flying over, her face was filled with scathing contempt, "The entire planning department is working overtime to prepare for the Li family's young master's birthday banquet, yet here you are, sleeping?"
Qiao Xi—caught off guard—received a slap on her face, a five-finger print quickly surfaced.
She took a deep breath, holding herself back again and again, "Manager Qiao, it isn't working hours yet."
"So just because it's not working hours you can sleep? Is the company a place for you to sleep?" Qiao Manman's voice was sharp, her expression malicious, "If you keep this up, I'll have Manager Liu fire you!"
Qiao Xi's breath hitched, as she forcefully suppressed the rising discomfort in her chest.
Qiao Manman, her younger stepsister, and the rumors about her with CEO Liu had made headlines in the company. There was a swirl of whispers implying that she was the secret lover of CEO Liu.
If her stepsister happened to whisper any falsities by CEO Liu's ear, she feared that she might end up losing her job.
With their mother lying unconscious in the hospital and alarmingly high medical bills to pay, it was hard for Qiao Xi to keep her head above water. She had to keep working hard to earn money. Losing her job was not an option.
Straightening up, she threw a glance at Qiao Manman, took the files, and was ready to leave. "Fine, I will get back to work right now."
Provoked by Qiao Xi’s cold gaze, Qiao Manman stepped forward to block her way. "What's with that look? If you don't want to work, leave! The company will not tolerate any idle hands, especially with characters like yours!"
Qiao Xi halted, her face instantly turning grim. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"
Struck by Qiao Xi's icy stare, Qiao Manman shivered, but she quickly regained her confidence. "What are you so mad about? Everyone knows you sold out for the money in the past. You did it, so why are you afraid of people talking about it?"
Qiao Xi's lips tightened into a thin line, a hint of anger flashed briefly in her eyes.
If it was not because of that incident earlier…
"Oh, are you angry?" Qiao Manman sneered, reveling in her distress.
She sidled up to Qiao Xi, and with a devious smirk, whispered something only she could hear, "Let me tell you a secret. Do you know why your half-dead mother fell into a coma before your money could save her? Because I bribed the doctors to stop her medication!"
What?!
Qiao Xi was stunned and widened her eyes in disbelief, standing still right where she was.
Qiao Manman started laughing more and more triumphantly: "Your bitch of a mother was thanking me profusely on her deathbed! Hahaha, how ridiculous!"
The news struck Qiao Xi like a bolt from the blue, a ringing noise echoed in her mind and her eyes gradually turned bloodshot.
She abruptly grabbed Qiao Manman's wrist, her voice hoarse, "Why?! Why would you do this?!"
How could she do this?!
Her mother clearly had a chance at recovery, but Qiao Manman, this devil, ruined it!
Qiao Manman hooked her lips in a cruel and vicious grin. "Why? Of course, it's for revenge!"
"Just because we're both daughters of the Qiao family, why should you live a shiny and glamorous life while I'm the illegitimate daughter living in the shadows, being judged no matter where I go!"
She finished and sneered again, "Although, what a pity. The tables have turned. I am now the only daughter of the Qiao family and will inherit its fortune. You, however, have been kicked out of the Qiao family due to your chaotic private life. How laughable!"
Qiao Manman's words hit Qiao Xi like a knife, piercing her heart relentlessly.
With a sudden lift of her hand, she swung towards Qiao Manman, but stopped cold just two centimeters away from her face.
Qiao Manman looked at her triumphantly: "What, you want to hit me? Go ahead if you dare!"
Qiao Xi took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed the anger welling up in her chest, and slowly retracted her hand.
She couldn't hit her, nor could she offend Qiao Manman. Because, she needed this job.
"I'm going to work." Qiao Xi turned around haggardly, beaten, and almost fled from the scene.
Qiao Manman gave a cold laugh, watching her hasten away, her eyes flashed with a malicious light.
Half an hour later, Qiao Xi walked into the office, holding freshly printed documents.
A cup of coffee was thrown directly at her face, which stained hundreds of the papers in her hands.
"Qiao Xi! Are you blind?" Qiao Manman held the coffee cup and looked at her maliciously, "Do you know how expensive this coffee is? If you spilled it, can you afford it?"
Qiao Xi lowered her head, looked at her the documents covered in coffee stains, her fingers clenched tightly.
"Tsk!" Qiao Manman haughtily flipped her hair, "Considering my good mood today, you don't have to pay for the coffee. Just get down on your knees and clean the floor!"
