Bound by Destiny

Chapter 2 ◎Who am I marrying?◎

"No! No!"

"Don't kill me!"

Beneath the pale pink quilt, the girl's face was ashen, her nails dug deep into the sheets, and her delicate brows furrowed in agony. Her small face was etched with pain, making it easy to imagine the horrors that plagued her dreams.

The woman sitting by her bedside gently massaged the girl's furrowed brow, her voice soft and soothing like a drizzle, "Mian Mian, it's okay, sweetheart. Don't be scared. Mama's right here with you."

Tears shimmered in the woman's eyes as she bit her lip and glanced at the man beside her. "Yuan Cen, how did this happen to Mian Mian? She was fine when she left last night. What could have gone so wrong?"

"I've already sent people to investigate, but there's no news yet." Jiang Yuan Cen's voice was deep, with an undertone of restrained anger. After a brief pause, he softened his tone, "Jingyi, you've been watching over her all night. Go rest for a while. I'll stay with our daughter. Nothing will happen."

"No, I'll stay with her," Lin Jingyi choked out, unwilling to leave her daughter's side even for a moment. If she hadn't relented and allowed Mian Mian to attend the gathering, none of this would have happened.

Jiang Yuan Cen sighed helplessly and wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders, offering her silent support.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that their youngest daughter, Jiang Tingyu, was Lin Jingyi's entire world. Now that something had gone wrong, her pain and guilt were unbearable. If it were possible, she would have taken her daughter's place in suffering.

At this moment, nothing he said could help.

Back when Jingyi was pregnant with their daughter, the pregnancy had been fraught with complications. They had fought tooth and nail to ensure she survived, and despite the doctor recommending a natural birth, they opted for the safer route of a C-section.

Their daughter was born frail, often falling ill, and it wasn't until she started school that her health began to improve. Even after the doctors declared her fully healthy, Lin Jingyi remained anxious, nurturing her like a fragile treasure for the past twenty-two years.

No one could have predicted that attending a simple birthday party would result in their daughter wracked with fever and tormented by nightmares.

On the bed, the girl's breathing quickened, her full lips devoid of color. Suddenly, a short cry of terror escaped her mouth.

"Ah—!"

The next second, she woke up, jolted from the nightmare.

Her vacant gaze gradually focused, and she blinked, still shaken. Slowly, she raised her hand and pinched herself, hard.

The pain was sharp.

She wasn't dead. She was still alive.

"Mian Mian," Lin Jingyi's eyes reddened, her voice thick with emotion. "You're finally awake."

Jiang Tingyu turned her head, confused, and met her mother's tearful gaze. In a weak voice, she asked, "Mama, why are you here? Where is this?"

Lin Jingyi gently brushed her daughter's hair from her forehead, her touch tender. "You're in your room."

"My room?" The girl echoed her mother's words, her eyes clouding over with uncertainty.

Wasn't she at the club?

Jiang Tingyu had no memory of how she had gotten home. Her last recollection was of that dimly lit corridor.

Seeing her daughter fully awake, Lin Jingyi's anxiety finally eased. "Mian Mian, are you feeling unwell anywhere else?"