The Overnight Chosen Wife: Darling, Kiss Me Deeper

"You are not going to kill her, are you?" She asked worriedly. It would not matter why he did it. If he killed her, he would be in trouble and the last thing she wanted was for him to be imprisoned.

"Don't worry. I'll just make her drown in despair."

He sounded sly when he said it, rendering her speechless. If this incident didn't happen, she might never know how evil her husband was. Not that she was complaining. Sometimes being too good was the easiest way to attract trouble.

"I called Han Xichen over." He reported.

She didn't understand. "That doesn't sound like a friendly invitation of any sort. Why does he need to come?"

"You were shocked. He needs to ensure that you are fine." He explained, making her laugh.

"I'm not a fragile piece of glass, okay?"

"Actually, you are. Don't worry. Han Xichen studied gynecology in passing and will know immediately if there is any concern. Besides, your psychological well being is very important."

She didn't think it was necessary but knowing that she would never be able to talk him out of it, she agreed. Also, "Did Han Xichen study every field of medicine?"

"Just more fields than an average doctor studies." Even he thought Han Xichen was impressive, not that he was going to stroke the man's ego by admitting it to him.

He rushed over urgently and ran some tests, after which he asked the couple to take a seat.

"Speak." Xiehan ordered impatiently.

"You need to sit down for this."

"Is my baby alright?" Lanni panicked.

"Yes. Your baby is fine. But I need to ask you a question. Have you been sleeping a lot lately?"

She thought back to the random naps she had to take every few hours even when at work. It was a blessing that Lin Jian was an understanding boss who was extra kind to expectant employees. She would have been kicked out for being too lazy if she were in another agency. "I have. I thought it was a result of the hormones but I think it's too much even thinking about it from that perspective."

"That's because it's not supposed to happen." He looked at the couple as he broke the news. "If you have not been taking sleeping pills, then someone has been adding them to your food or drinks."

Her eyes went wide with shock at the same time as her hand flew to her stomach protectively. "Will it affect my baby?"

"If taken in large quentities, yes. Fortunately, we discovered it in time." From their reactions, Lanni had not been willingly taking sleeping pills. He sighed at how heartless someone could be to want to harm an unborn baby. However, he had dealt with psychopaths before. This was nothing in comparison.

"Be careful what you eat. I would also suggest installing surveillance cameras secretly if you don't have them already." He added.

"I want her dead." Xiehan declared as soon as Han Xichen left.

"We don't know if she is the one who added sleeping pills to my food. Even if we both think it's her, we will need evidence before we can sue her." She reminded him.

"Who talked about suing? I literally want her dead." He winced, his heart breaking when he imagined what would happen to his wife and baby if he had not insisted on calling Han Xichen to check on her.

"Think about your father and Shishi. If they found evidence that you are the one who killed her, they would sue you. Xiehan, we have had this conversation already."

She was acting different, he observed. She was right despite this so he nodded.

"You have to promise me. Just torture her but don't kill her." She demanded. He held both of her hands in his and promised her.

It was not hard to trace the matter back to Ji Meiling. There was a hidden surveillance camera in the kitchen that Xiehan had installed without thinking much. It had finally come to use.

He checked the monitor which revealed a maid sprinkling some powder of sorts into a glass of milk. She then placed the glass on a tray along with some of the heart-shaped cookies he had baked for her the day before. No wonder Han Xichen had been able to detect traces of the sleeping pills. She had ingested them not too long ago.

He called the maid over to the living room.

"Master, you called for me." She nervously spoke, taking note of Xiehan's and Lanni's furious expressions."

"How long have you worked for me?" He demanded.

"Five years." She answered with a shaky voice, wondering why she was being asked this out of the blue.

"In these five years, did I ever harass you?" He held in his anger.

"No, master."

"Good. Because then there is no excuse for what you did. Honey, do you want to deal with her?" He asked his wife, who was glaring at the maid like she wanted to kill her.

"I'd rather not. Just deal with her." She waved her hand dismissively.

Hence, Xiehan called a bodyguard over. "Take her away. Make her spill everything."

"Master, I'm sorry!" She dropped to her knees when she realized that feigning innocence would not help her out of this. "Ma'am, please forgive me. I didn't have a choice. My life was at stake."

"Go to hell. You might have a chance if you plead to the devil." Lanni stood to go back upstairs. She had the urge to chop the maid into pieces but she was better off not staining her hands with blood.

Xiehan followed her and found her pacing their room restlessly. He grabbed her and hugged her. "If you want to hit her to vent, I can have them bring her back."

She giggled at his offer. "I don't want to hit her. As soon as she admits to what she did and reveals the person behind it, let's sue Aunt Meiling."

"Okay." His hands rested on her hips.

"Hey, Xiehan, aren't you sad about it? She is your aunt after all and you were so close to her." She probed.

"People change depending on their circumstances. As long as a certain button is pushed, anyone can be a murderer."

She pushed her hands against his chest lightly, pulling him out of his trance. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, yes we should get evidence as soon as possible."

That was definitely not what he meant, she thought. For a moment, he had sounded as though he was convinced that Ji Meiling had a good reason to turn into what she had become, and he knew what that reason was.

….

Xiehan had initially intended to let Ji Meiling get a week worth of torture before he could release her and hand her over to the police. However, her whereabouts were discovered within three days. He had booked a return ticket to Australia and told his parents that Ji Meiling had rushed over for an emergency and would be back in a week. It all went well until Xiaoshi started having suspicions. Every time she gave her mother a call, she would hang up and send a message instead, giving random excuses like being busy and unable to talk. It was so unlike her mother that Xiaoshi immediately realized that something was wrong.

In the evening of the third day, she went over to Xiehan's house to ask for his help.

"Shishi, it's good to see you." Lanni welcomed her jovially as she took the little girl in Xiaoshi's arms. In turn, Yue kissed her cheek like clockwork.

"Yue is so cute." She gushed.

"Is my cousin home?" Xiaoshi asked nervously.

"He is, but he is holding a conference call. Would you like to see him for an emergency?" She sat on the couch, a bad feeling rising in the pit of her stomach.

"My mother might have been kidnapped."

"What? But… why would you think so?" Lanni forced herself to calm down when she realized that she sounded anxious. "Did they call you for a ransom?"

"No. But that's the problem. Someone is using her phone to send me messages. I'm certain that they are not from her and I hope he will help me find out who they are from."

"I see. Would you like something to drink?" She offered stiffly. "You can have a snack or a drink while I call him over."

"But the conference call…" Xiaoshi was reluctant to distract him.

"Aunty's safety is more important. I'll go and call him." She went upstairs, her heart lurching to her throat. If Xiaoshi suspected anything, they would be toast. She peeked and saw Xiaoshi and Yue heading for the kitchen, then took the chance to send Xiehan a text message. She was already near the study but her brain was a jumbled mess.

He opened the door just as she got to it.

"Is she suspicious?" He asked.

"No. But she might be soon if we don't handle this carefully." She took a deep breath. "You have to pretend to help her."

He hesitated but nodded. "Okay."

She led the way back downstairs, where Xiaoshi was beside herself with worry.

"Cousin, you have to help me." She pleaded as soon as she saw Xiehan.

"Lanni filled me in on the situation." He maintained his cool.

"Could you help me confirm that she is still in Canberra? It will ease my worry." She requested.

He grabbed his laptop, typed in some codes under their watch before speaking up. "Her phone signal is still in Canberra."

Xiaoshi looked at him in shock . "Are you the one who held her hostage?"