Back to the Past: The Rise of the False Heiress Marrying the True Tycoon
Chapter 1198: She's Pregnant

Chapter 1198: She’s Pregnant

The Santana glided past like a creature from another world—a luxury car with sleek, graceful lines and a body so polished it gleamed obsidian under the sun.

Lin Miao couldn’t help but lean forward ever so slightly, her eyes tracing the vehicle’s path with a mixture of awe and longing. She had once ridden in such opulent cars before—during her days with Gong Zhan. Those were the golden days, when the car belonged to the prestigious Gong family and came with its own chauffeur. Everything about it screamed prestige and power.

She remembered sitting inside, spine perfectly straight, looking out through tinted windows at the pedestrians hurrying past, the cyclists weaving through traffic. In that moment, she had felt like a true heiress, a woman who belonged to the upper echelons of society.

That was the kind of car a proper young lady should ride in. And that was why she had tried so hard to win Gong Zhan’s heart—she had wanted to become his wife, to earn that life through marriage if her own father couldn’t give it to her.

But now, Gong Zhan was far away in the capital. Did he ever think of her, even for a fleeting second?

Snapped back to the present, Lin Miao noticed that the luxury car had come to a stop just outside the police station. The police car she was in had to wait for it to move before it could pull up.

She stared at the glossy vehicle, curiosity piqued. It must belong to someone important—no one else could make a government car wait like that. Surely the officers knew the owner personally. That car didn’t just signal wealth; it screamed power.

Just then, the door to the Santana swung open.

A man stepped out—tall, poised, and disarmingly familiar. His silhouette was commanding, like a pine tree standing resolute on a mountain peak.

Lin Miao blinked, stunned. It was Su Shen.

She had only heard that Gu Zi had returned, but now it seemed Su Shen had accompanied her. What surprised her even more was how much he had changed in just a few short months. The man who once smelled faintly of farmland and grease now exuded a calm, cultivated elegance. His features were sharper, more defined, but softened by an urbane gentleness. Whatever lingering rustic aura he once had had vanished entirely.

He wore a perfectly tailored grey shirt—subtle, yet luxurious—and dark suit trousers that hugged his long legs just right. The crisp fabric accentuated his broad shoulders and lean frame. Polished leather shoes completed the ensemble. There was a quiet confidence in the way he carried himself, a man completely at ease in the world of boardrooms and business class lounges.

His complexion had lightened, his skin smooth and healthy under the daylight. His eyebrows were dark and sculpted, as though hand-carved, and his eyes—deep, dark, and shining—held a quiet intensity that pulled you in.

The straight bridge of his nose, the slight upward curve of his lips, and the neatly combed black hair that swept back with just a few rebellious strands falling forward—it was a devastatingly attractive combination. There was something untamed in him now. Su Shen no longer looked like a man from her past. He looked like someone far, far above it.

His gaze flicked over the scene around him, cautious yet composed, every movement restrained and elegant.

Lin Miao stared, momentarily breathless. Why had she never noticed before how attractive Su Shen truly was? Why had she spent so long thinking Gong Zhan outshone him in every way?

She had always dismissed Su Shen. To her, he had simply been the butcher—rough around the edges and beneath her. He could never compare to Gong Zhan’s polished perfection. She had barely given him a proper look. But now? Now Su Shen seemed almost untouchable, dazzling in a way that made her feel small.

Before she could process this shift, Su Shen moved swiftly to the passenger side and opened the door with swift precision. Then came a moment Lin Miao wasn’t prepared for.

He reached in to help a woman down—his expression tender, almost reverent. One arm wrapped protectively around her waist, the other guiding her by the arm with the utmost care. He even bent slightly, murmuring something softly, something Lin Miao couldn’t hear.

And then the woman stepped out, and Lin Miao’s entire body froze.

It was Gu Zi.

Her beauty, radiant and effortlessly bright, hadn’t changed—but what stunned Lin Miao was the unmistakable swell of her belly. Gu Zi was pregnant.

Pregnant?

Lin Miao gawked as Su Shen carefully led Gu Zi toward the police station, his eyes never leaving her for a second. He adjusted his position constantly to support her, his entire body tuned to her every move as if she were some rare, priceless artifact.

Lin Miao could hardly believe what she was seeing. Gu Zi… was pregnant with Su Shen’s child?

That couldn’t be.

Su Shen had always said he never wanted children. In their past life, even when he had been with her, he’d insisted on separate bedrooms—cold, distant, never so much as touching her hand.

And yet, here he was, father-to-be, doting on Gu Zi with the devotion of a man completely, utterly in love. This was impossible.

Her heart thundered with disbelief, then cracked wide open with a searing sting of jealousy. How was this fair? Why had Su Shen refused to have children with her—yet eagerly done so with Gu Zi? Why did Gu Zi always get the happy ending?

In the last life, Gu Zi had married Gong Zhan and lived in bliss. And now? Now she had Su Shen—the new, refined, successful Su Shen—utterly devoted to her and their unborn child.

It was unbearable.

Lin Miao was drowning in jealousy. She had once convinced herself that Gu Zi would grow old and alone, childless and forgotten. And yet here she was, belly full and glowing. Judging by her size, she must be due soon. And Su Shen, that once indifferent man, was practically wrapped around her finger. Everything Lin Miao had ever wanted—Gu Zi had.

She had tried so hard, for so long. And what had it brought her? Less and less, until even the things she once took for granted were gone. Meanwhile, Gu Zi kept winning. Was it possible… was Gu Zi her curse?

But if Gu Zi already had everything—love, wealth, a family—why had she come back to Guangcheng at all? Why show up now, flaunting her perfect life? Couldn’t she have left Lin Miao just one shred of dignity? Just a little room to breathe?

No.

Gu Zi was too much. Too radiant. Too perfect. Too cruel.