Chapter 1: Artificial Pregnancy
At her mother-in-law’s funeral, everyone surrounded Qiao Mo, blaming her for being unchaste and cheating during the marriage.
“Your husband hasn’t been home for three years. Who would believe this child is his?”
“When my brother comes back, I’ll make sure he divorces you.”
“How dare you cheat on my son! You must be asking for trouble.”
Relatives, her sister-in-law, and even her father-in-law banded together and drove Qiao Mo out of the family home.
The story goes back three years.
Qiao Mo and Xiao Xu married suddenly. On the very day they got their marriage certificate, Xiao Xu was called away by a phone call—and never came back for three years.
They had only met that one day; Qiao Mo could barely remember what Xiao Xu looked like, only that his name was Xiao Xu.
This was partly because her mother-in-law, before she died, kept nagging in her ear: “Why hasn’t Xiao Xu come back yet?”
At that time, Xiao Xu told his mother he would be away for three years. No matter how she asked, he wouldn’t say what he was going to do.
Worried that his job might be dangerous, the mother-in-law forced him to get married before leaving—and to freeze his sperm just in case.
With no other choice, Xiao Xu sought a quick marriage. Meanwhile, Qiao Mo was homeless and destitute after her father’s huge gambling debts forced them onto the streets.
They were introduced through an agency and got their marriage certificate on their first meeting. Xiao Xu promised to help pay off Qiao Mo’s debts, but only if she agreed to care for his mother at home.
It was a marriage of convenience: after three years, when Xiao Xu returned, they could divorce.
Qiao Mo agreed, hoping to help her father and have a place to stay. She figured three years later, she would be free.
During those three years, Qiao Mo dutifully cared for her mother-in-law.
Unfortunately, one year ago, her mother-in-law was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
After a year of treatment with no significant improvement, they tried everything to contact Xiao Xu, hoping he would come back to see his mother.
Qiao Mo searched everywhere and asked all of Xiao Xu’s friends—no one knew where he had gone.
In the end, the mother-in-law was heartbroken and assumed her son had met with some accident and would never return.
Near death, she begged Qiao Mo in the hospital to use Xiao Xu’s frozen sperm for artificial insemination.
At first, Qiao Mo hesitated. She had thought that after three years, she’d be free to divorce Xiao Xu.
Having a child with a stranger felt complicated and awkward.
But when the mother-in-law saw her hesitation, she coughed up blood, terrifying Qiao Mo.
“Mom, are you alright?” Qiao Mo asked.
Her mother-in-law held her hand, pleading weakly, “Please... leave a legacy for the Xiao family. Otherwise, I’ll die without peace.”
Remembering the care her mother-in-law had given her these past years, the bond they’d built, Qiao Mo reluctantly agreed.
That same day, under her mother-in-law’s urging, Qiao Mo went to the hospital to schedule the procedure.
Holding the paperwork, Qiao Mo’s hand trembled as she signed.
Once signed, a new life would begin—one she’d have to take responsibility for forever, with no room for regret.
“Miss Qiao, do you have any questions?” the nurse asked, pulling Qiao Mo from her thoughts.
She shook her head slowly. “No.”
With that, Qiao Mo signed the consent form.
On the day of the procedure, the frail mother-in-law waited outside.
When Qiao Mo came out, she hugged her tightly, full of worry.
“Qiao Mo, thank you for your hard work. It’s your mother’s fault.”
To comfort her mother-in-law and ease her guilt, Qiao Mo gently patted her back.
“Mom, don’t say that. I’m doing this willingly.”
Ten days later, Qiao Mo went to the obstetrics department for a pregnancy checkup, leaving her mother-in-law alone in the hospital room.
Before leaving, her mother-in-law excitedly said, “If there’s good news, come back and tell me right away.”
Qiao Mo smiled faintly. “I will, Mom. As soon as I know, I’ll tell you.”
Half an hour later, Qiao Mo held the ultrasound report and entered the consultation room.
The doctor glanced at it and pointed to a small dark spot on the screen.
“This means the insemination was successful. Just keep coming for regular checkups,” the doctor explained.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
After thanking the doctor, Qiao Mo left the consultation room, ready to share the good news with her mother-in-law.
Standing in the hospital hallway, Qiao Mo watched one pregnant woman after another walk past her, their bellies round with life. A wave of emotion washed over her.
She gently placed her hand on her own lower abdomen, still unable to fully comprehend that a tiny life was already growing inside her—connected to her by blood.
At twenty-three years old, she'd never even been intimate with a man, and yet… she was pregnant.
The feeling was surreal. Maternity was said to be instinctual for women, and from the moment she found out, Qiao Mo had subconsciously begun walking more carefully, guarding the life inside her.
When she returned to the hospital room, Qiao Mo was alarmed to find her mother-in-law missing. She quickly stopped a passing nurse and asked, “Excuse me, where is the patient in this bed?”
The nurse looked concerned. “She’s in the emergency operating room. Are you a family member? You’d better go right away.”
Just hearing the words emergency surgery made Qiao Mo’s heart seize with panic. An uneasy feeling took hold.
If anything happened to her mother-in-law… how was she supposed to explain it to Xiao Xu when he returned?
Xiao Xu had paid off so much of her father’s debt. In return, he had asked only one thing: that she take care of his mother.
But life was unpredictable—who could have known that his mother’s illness would grow so severe?
She had hoped the older woman could hold on until Xiao Xu came back, but judging by the current situation, that hope was slipping away fast.
By the time Qiao Mo reached the entrance of the surgery room, her sister-in-law Xiao Qing was already there waiting.
The moment Xiao Qing saw Qiao Mo, her face twisted with fury. She stormed forward, raising her hand to strike. “You wicked woman! My mom’s in surgery, and where were you? Off with some random man again?”
Qiao Mo sidestepped her easily, grabbed her wrist, and looked down at her coldly.
Since her mother-in-law had been hospitalized, Qiao Mo had been the one constantly at her bedside. Meanwhile, Xiao Qing—her own daughter—only showed up now and then for appearances.
With the woman now fighting for her life, Qiao Mo had no desire to argue. She flung Xiao Qing’s hand aside and said calmly, “I had something to take care of.”
Xiao Qing stumbled back into the wall, clutching her arm, her voice rising in anger.
“Qiao Yu! If anything happens to my mother, I swear I’ll make you pay!”
Qiao Yu—that was the name Qiao Mo had used in the past. To escape the chaos of her gambling-addict father, she had changed it when she married into the Xiao family. That way, he wouldn’t be able to track her down, and she wouldn’t have to live in fear of debt collectors showing up.
Although she now went by Qiao Mo, the Xiao family still called her by her old name. She had never bothered correcting them.
Qiao Mo thought bitterly how strange this family was. The mother was in surgery, the son couldn’t be reached, and now the daughter was blaming everything on her—on the daughter-in-law.
As for her father-in-law, supposedly the head of the household? He hadn’t even shown his face, not once, as if his wife’s life meant nothing to him.
If anything happened to her mother-in-law today, Qiao Mo thought grimly, surely she would want her whole family by her side.
She turned to Xiao Qing and said firmly, “Call your father. Tell him to come.”
Xiao Qing curled her lip in contempt. “My dad’s too busy. He doesn’t have time for this.”
The words made Qiao Mo’s heart sink. She hadn’t expected much—but this level of coldness still shocked her.
She, a mere daughter-in-law, seemed to care more than these blood relatives.
“You’re never too busy to care whether your wife lives or dies,” Qiao Mo said angrily.
Xiao Qing shot back self-righteously, “Everything you eat and wear comes from our family’s money! If it weren’t for my dad working himself to death outside, would you have the comfortable life you enjoy today?”
“My mom’s treatments are the best money can buy—thanks to the Xiao family’s power and wealth.”
“There are tens of thousands of employees relying on my dad to feed their families. He can’t just drop everything for one person!”
Qiao Mo couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. All I asked was for him to visit his dying wife, she thought. How long could that possibly take? And somehow, it’s now a matter of moral righteousness.
Trying to stay calm, Qiao Mo compromised. “Fine. If your father really can’t come, then at least call your brother. He should come, right?”
Xiao Qing rolled her eyes. “You’re his wife. You call him. What does that have to do with me?”
