Chapter 553: The Secret About the Past (171)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Medicine?” The pharmacy owner was getting a major headache. There was no way he could tell if anything was missing within such a short period of time since the supplies were fully stocked.
However, as soon as he caught sight of the five dollars on the cabinet, he suddenly recalled that there wasn’t any money on the countertop when he switched off the lights.
After taking a look at the area below the cash, the owner exclaimed in shock, “The two pregnancy test kits that were here earlier are now missing. Maybe the perpetrator came for this. He or she has left five dollars here too. Actually, the kits only cost a dollar each.”
“Are pregnancy test kits… used to verify if someone is pregnant?” Tuoba Gucheng asked.
“Yes.”
“How does it work?”
“Pregnancy test kits are urine tests. Two red lines on the indicator would mean positive while a single line would mean negative.”
“Oh, I see. Good that nothing’s missing. But don’t spread the word about this matter. The person probably did what they did because they’re too embarra.s.sed to buy the kit openly,” he said with a straight face.
“I know, thank you so much, Your Highness.”
“You’re welcome. You may continue resting.” He then turned around to leave.
Tuoba Gucheng was filled with panic. Could it be that she was pregnant?
Otherwise, why would she have sneaked in to buy this?
The question ran through his mind constantly when he returned to his mansion.
Tuoba Gucheng endured his burning desire to resolve his qualms and waited until the next morning to visit his sister’s place after breakfast.
Coincidentally, his sister and both her bodyguards had gone out, giving him the perfect chance to take action.
Tuoba Gucheng proceeded to An Xiaoning’s room.
He headed straight to the bathroom and s.h.i.+fted his gaze to the rubbish bin.
This time, he made an exception and did something he had never once done in his life — rummaging through the tras.h.!.+
As expected, he found two pregnancy test kits that were broken into halves. Tuoba Gucheng fumbled in astonishment when he inched forward to take a closer look.
Both the indicators showed two red, solid lines.
She was pregnant!
The child must be his!
Tuoba Gucheng did not doubt his belief, not a single bit at all!
The reason being, he had also heard that her boyfriend had pa.s.sed away previously.
Besides, no ordinary man would want to get intimate with such an ugly girl like her so casually.
Well, he was indeed no ordinary man!
Tuoba Gucheng picked up the two broken kits and placed them inside his pocket.
After leaving her room, he kept staring at the test kits over and over again.
The urge to question her directly grew deeper within him the more he stared at the kits.
“Xiao Chi, go to Danxue’s mansion and wait for Mu Ning to appear. Bring her to me immediately once you see her. Tell her that I’m looking for her urgently.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Xiao Chi dared not probe further, although he did not know what Tuoba Gucheng wanted to see his Young Madam for.
Tuoba Gucheng placed the kits back inside his pocket and a grave expression formed on his face.
In this case, there was no way he could allow her to keep the child.
If his mother were to find out about this matter, the consequences would be dire and he would have no means to save her at all.
Tuoba Gucheng was rather infuriated. Why didn’t she take the contraceptive pill as soon as possible when I told her to? If she could think of sneaking into the pharmacy to steal the pregnancy test kits, why couldn’t she do the same for the contraceptive pills?
Did this woman have other plans in mind?
Was she thinking of making me marry her after giving birth to the child secretly?
His anger grew stronger the more he thought about it.
Not only was she putting her own life at risk, but she was causing him trouble as well.
An Xiaoning arrived half an hour later.
Noticing how sickly she appeared, Tuoba Gucheng said, “Come with me, I have something to ask you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
They headed to his bedroom upstairs.
After locking the door from the inside, Tuoba Gucheng walked toward her and asked with a menacing look in his eyes, “Why didn’t you take the contraceptive pill when I told you to?”
“How did you know I didn’t?”
“You sneaked into the pharmacy in the middle of last night to steal some pregnancy test kits. Do you really think no one found out? I happened to witness you in the act. I went to ask the pharmacy owner and discovered that two pregnancy test kits were missing. You even left five dollars on the counter,” said Tuoba Gucheng, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
An Xiaoning’s heart wrenched in panic and anxiety. However, she still admitted it, nonetheless, “Yes, I was the one who did it.”
He whipped out the pregnancy test kits and said, “I found these in the rubbish bin inside your bathroom.”
Staring at the kits in disbelief, she gasped and questioned, “You rummaged through my rubbish bin?”
“What’s wrong with stooping below my level once in a while? Since you’re pregnant, the only way out now is to abort it,” he said coldly.
“Why do I have to abort it when it’s my child?”
“Turns out you really have a hidden agenda. Do you really think I’ll give you a proper status even if you give birth to the child secretly?” he questioned.
Anger surged through An Xiaoning’s veins. “What has the child got to do with you? It’s mine, not yours. Your Highness, I already told you long ago that nothing happened between us that night. You were the one who m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed. Did you lose your memory or something?”
However, he was clearly unconvinced by her explanation.
“Mu Ning, I guess you’re really getting carried away by your wishful thinking.”
What he was obviously trying to say was that she was thinking of marrying him.
“I’ve never harbored any designs on you before! Your Highness, please recall carefully what happened that night!”
Tuoba Gucheng reached a hand out to grab her chin and gave it a little squeeze, causing her to feel an acute pain. “What are you doing!?!” she screeched.
“Seems like you’re asking for a hard time. Do you really think there’s nothing I can do about you, just because you don’t wish to abort this disaster child?” Tuoba Gucheng threatened, glaring at her menacingly.
An Xiaoning was tongue-tied. It was her first time encountering such a knotty situation where she could not explain herself clearly.
“Once the child is born, we’ll run a DNA test between you and the child. If it really belongs to you, we’ll both die in your hands. Will that do?”
“Hah… why? Are you thinking of threatening me? You know clearly that I can’t kill the child once it’s born, neither can I kill you, his mother. By then, everything will be set in stone and there’ll be nothing else I can do. That’s what you’re planning, right?” he scoffed.
“…”
She did not know what else to say. She had already miscarried twice before giving birth to Jin Yiheng, which meant this was her fourth time getting pregnant.
It was difficult for her to conceive and have a stable pregnancy. Thus, she did not inform Jin Qingyan immediately after finding out that she was pregnant, precisely because she knew Jin Qingyan would not allow her to continue remaining in the palace.
However, she had yet to find out the truth about her mother.
Such an opportunity would be hard to come by again, should she let it slip.
Hence, she had been planning to find out the truth as soon as possible. Yet, Tuoba Gucheng had found out about her pregnancy, thwarting her plans and catching her by surprise.
At this point, she was truly at a loss for what to do.
Given the way the royal family usually handled matters, Tuoba Gucheng would definitely bear a grudge against her if she were to flee without warning.
He would find her at all costs, without a doubt.
Besides, given his powerful authority, things would definitely become much more complicated if he were to discover that her true ident.i.ty was An Xiaoning.
“Why aren’t you talking?”
“Because Your Highness wouldn’t believe anything I say.”