Perhaps it was Tang Xiaomin's heightened senses, but she found the photographer's concern to be excessive.
She herself wasn't complaining about the fatigue, so why was he worrying so much.
"It's fine, I'm good here."
Tang Xiaomin didn't want to go inside, and the photographer didn't insist. He suddenly received a phone call and left.
At this moment, Tang Xiaomin was alone in the photography studio.
"Tang Xiaomin, you're finally here."
A familiar female voice preceded Nangong Shanshan's slow emergence.
She was dressed in a white dress, which perfectly accentuated her aura as a young lady from a wealthy family.
However, her lips were paler than usual, and she appeared more haggard than before.
Upon seeing Nangong Shanshan, Tang Xiaomin had only one thought: run, get as far away from her as possible.
It wasn't that she was afraid, but rather, she was pregnant now, and it was better to keep her distance. Otherwise, if something were to happen, no amount of explanation would suffice.
Didn't dramas like "The Legend of Huan Huan" portray such situations frequently?
Tang Xiaomin turned and left without a word.
"Heh."
"Tang Xiaomin, why are you running? I won't eat you."
The door was locked and wouldn't budge. Tang Xiaomin twisted it with all her might, but it remained immovable.
Nangong Shanshan's ethereal voice reached her, instantly sending a chill down Tang Xiaomin's spine.
"Don't bother, I had this door replaced overnight with special material. It can't be blown up, do you think you can open it? Hahaha..."
Nangong Shanshan's scheme had succeeded, and she burst into gleeful laughter.
Tang Xiaomin turned back, her expression grave as she looked at Nangong Shanshan.
"You've meticulously planned all of this, what exactly do you want?"
Nangong Shanshan suppressed her smile, a hint of bitterness appearing on her face.
She recalled everything she had lost on her journey, her heart aching.
"Ye Fengxing and I have known each other since childhood. All my love has been poured into this one man. Tang Xiaomin, can you understand what it's like to love someone so much that you're willing to humble yourself and beg them for even a sliver of response?"
"From childhood, everyone around me told me that you and Ye Fengxing were a perfect match, and that we were destined to be together."
"But your appearance shattered my dreams completely."
"Tang Xiaomin, you ruined my life, everything I have."
By the end, Nangong Shanshan's teeth were gritted, her lips trembling, and her eyes misted over.
At this point, Tang Xiaomin gave up on escaping.
What was meant to come would eventually come.
"How did I ruin your life? I have no idea," Tang Xiaomin said mockingly.
Nangong Shanshan glared at her with venomous eyes and began recounting each grievance.
"You deliberately fabricated the illusion that I betrayed Ye Die, causing her to disfigure me. That's the first thing."
"That luxury brand where I custom-ordered my wedding dress, wasn't it you who, leveraging your shareholder status, specifically requested Lu Zelei to be the endorser?"
Tang Xiaomin had thought she had handled that matter discreetly and never expected Nangong Shanshan to have found out.
She remained silent, offering a faint smile, a tacit admission.
This smile shocked Nangong Shanshan to her core.
"It was you. Lu Zelei was your arrangement, wasn't it? You bribed him to intentionally cause my pregnancy and ruin my wedding?"
Nangong Shanshan had guessed correctly, yet not entirely.
The smile on Tang Xiaomin's lips grew more malevolent.
"I never bribed him. I'm not even familiar with him. I simply spent time understanding him. Believe it or not, that's all."
When you understand someone well enough, you only need to create an opportunity, and they will do what they are inclined to do.
Nangong Shanshan closed her eyes tightly. Regardless of whether Tang Xiaomin was telling the truth or not, she had fallen into her trap.
"You caused my father's death. No matter what excuses you have, you cannot escape responsibility."
"And about Xinda, you're truly formidable. How did you manage to find so many accounts to borrow money from Xinda?"
"Heh..." Tang Xiaomin chuckled triumphantly.
"I genuinely don't know about that."
"Hmph!"
"Whether you know or not, and no matter how you try to辩解, it's all meaningless now."
"I will settle every score for what you've inflicted upon me."
Tang Xiaomin surveyed the photography studio. It held nothing unusual, not even a surveillance camera.
Was Nangong Shanshan really going to confront her all alone?
"You don't need to look. There are no cameras here, and the signal has been blocked. It's just the two of us."
As she said this, Nangong Shanshan looked down at her own abdomen, gently caressing it.
"This child was conceived through your machinations. Lu Zelei, deluded by the thought of gaining status through his child, aiming to possess everything I have—I saw through his intentions long ago."
"This child is a mistake, and it's time to rectify it."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaomin's expression turned grave.
She had a premonition of what Nangong Shanshan intended to do.
With only the two of them present, if something happened to Nangong Shanshan, Tang Xiaomin would be unable to clear her name.
"Nangong Shanshan, this child is part of your flesh and blood. If you kill your child today, its vengeful spirit will haunt you for the rest of your life."
"In the dead of night, you will experience unprecedented terror. It won't just be the child's spirit tormenting you, but more so, it will come from within yourself."
Carrying guilt is a tormenting and painful ordeal.
"Hahahaha..."
"Hahahahaha..."
Nangong Shanshan suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had been freed.
"Tang Xiaomin, you speak of it so eerily, as if you know everything. Who are you trying to scare?"
"Your feigned concern is only because you know you can't escape your fate today, and you're making a final struggle."
"Heh heh... I didn't expect you to be afraid too."
"Tang Xiaomin, from today onwards, I am your nightmare."
Nangong Shanshan's face grew increasingly pale. She suddenly clutched her abdomen and collapsed onto the floor.
Her pure white dress was stained with bright red blood, which continued to spread.
Nangong Shanshan's face contorted in pain.
Despite this, she still managed to mutter,
"Child, Tang Xiaomin is the one who harmed you. Whatever grievances you have, go to her, torment her fiercely."
"Remember, the one who harmed you is Tang Xiaomin, this woman before you."
Nangong Shanshan was in pain, yet as she looked at the warm, crimson blood pooling beneath her, she began to laugh.
She was finally free.
Her life could begin anew, no longer bound by this child.
*Bang!*
The door was suddenly kicked open, and Lu Zelei rushed to Nangong Shanshan's side.
"Shanshan, how are you? What's going on?"
"The child..."
The bright red blood seared Lu Zelei's senses, his heart clenching to the point where he couldn't breathe.