"Yes.""And it's... Ye Wenming's... baby?" Her voice went out of tune at the end of her sentence."Yes," Zhuo Qianyun answered again.Mrs. Zhuo was silent. The mother and daughter looked at each other.A long time had passed when Mrs. Zhuo finally said, "What on earth is going on? Don’t you no longer love Ye Wenming? How did you get pregnant with his baby?"Zhuo Qianyun smiled ruefully. "It was an accident. He came to me drunk, and I took him to a hotel room."Mrs. Zhuo could figure out the rest without Zhuo Qianyun telling her."Then... does Ye Wenming know about this baby?" asked Mrs. Zhuo."He knows," said Zhuo Qianyun. She then told her mother what had happened today with Ye Wenming.Mrs. Zhuo blamed herself as she listened.As a mother, she did not even know her daughter was pregnant when she had thrown up so many times.Thinking of the struggles her daughter had gone through these days for the baby she was carrying, Mrs. Zhuo pitied her daughter even more."Since you'
Zhuo Yan was stunned as he looked blankly at his mother."Mommy, you're pregnant?" Lil Yan asked in confusion. Children at this age only had a vague idea of where babies came from.Zhuo Qianyun could only say vaguely, "It was an accident. But I hope this baby will be born legally so that people won't criticize them in the future."Lil Yan listened with a hazy notion and asked, "Mommy, are you afraid that the baby will be called a bastard?"The word ‘bastard’ was a word he had heard many times during his childhood.Those people had always looked at him with sorry, pity, or contempt when they said the word.He did not understand the meaning of the word back then.However, he found out what it meant as he got older.Zhuo Qianyun felt a pang in her heart when she heard that. She owed so much to her son."If... If you can't accept that, then I..."Zhuo Yan said, "No! Mommy, no matter what you decide, I’ll support you. And... I don't want my younger brother or sister to be called a
Ecstasy flashed across Ye Wenming's face. 'It's true! She’s saying she wants to marry me. Does that mean I still have a place in her heart and that she still has feelings for me—'However, she continued, "But I hope that we can get divorced after the baby is one year old. Also, we can just get married without any wedding. And things will remain the same after we get married. I'll stay at my house while you'll stay at yours."The smile on Ye Wenming's face gradually disappeared. He looked blankly at her with a pale face.It turned out she only wanted to marry him to give the child a proper identity. Even before they got married, she was already planning a divorce a year later.She did not want to live with him after they married. She still wanted nothing to do with him.He was just a tool to her.Ye Wenming looked blankly at Zhuo Qianyun and stayed silent for a long time.The ward was silent, and the air pressure seemed to have dropped quite a bit.Then, Zhuo Qianyun spoke up to
"Did he agree to this?" asked Ling Yiran."Yes," said Zhuo Qianyun."Then... I wish you all the best,” said Ling Yiran."Thank you. I hope everything goes well too," said Zhuo Qianyun.Qin Lianyi was still immersed in the shock from earlier. She only came to her senses when Zhuo Qianyun waved her hand in front of her and called her."Then... Then I must prepare a wedding gift." Qin Lianyi realized she had spoken the wrong thing as soon as she said that. After all, Zhuo Qianyun and Ye Wenming were not marrying because of love.Sure enough, Zhuo Qianyun said, "No thanks. This marriage is meant to be expedient."With that said, she glanced at Qin Lianyi's belly again. "How are you these days? Does the baby kick as strongly as last time?”Qin Lianyi said, "No, but it's kinda unbelievable now that you mention it… Didn't my baby calm down when that little boy touched my belly last time? Then, the little boy said with absolute certainty that I'm carrying a girl."Ling Yiran and Zhuo
There was another person... who had helped her. They had helped her in that prison full of pain, but she had no idea when she could repay them for their kindness.Zhuo Qianyun's heart sank at the thought. After all, she did not even have the person's contact information.Besides, the hope of finding them had only gotten slimmer after so many years!...Zhuo Qianyun and Ye Wenming arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau a few days later.Zhuo Qianyun looked blankly at the signs hanging in front of the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. She had once hoped that Ye Wenming would propose to her and they could come to this place.Then, she was imprisoned and she stopped thinking about it.She never expected she would ever set foot here to get married.Now, she came here to marry Ye Wenming."Are you not going to go in?" Ye Wenming's voice rang beside her."I'm going in," Zhuo Qianyun replied after taking a deep breath. However, her footsteps were so heavy that each step seemed to we
"What's the matter? Do you have to be all lovey-dovey to get married?" Ye Wenming asked unhappily."You two look like you have no feelings for each other. Even if you do get married, you’ll divorce sooner or later," the woman said.However, she quickly felt terrified as a chill shot up from the soles of her feet and crept up her spine. The man before her was staring at her with bloodthirst in his eyes.The woman dared not say anything, but Zhuo Qianyun knew Ye Wenming was angry."She's just an outsider," Zhuo Qianyun could not help saying. After all, this woman was also a victim in marriage, and they were only having a casual conversation.There was no need for Ye Wenming to be angry with this woman because of what she just said.Ye Wenming's eyes moved to Zhuo Qianyun. The rage in his eyes slowly subsided and eventually returned to normal.For a moment, he had flown into an uncontrollable rage. It was because this woman said... ‘You’ll divorce sooner or later".Even though he
Zhuo Qianyun's voice was indifferent without the slightest fluctuation. It was as if she was just reciting mechanically and these vows meant nothing to her.However, these vows meant everything to Ye Wenming!Ye Wenming stared at Zhuo Qianyun while he recited his vows.'Does Qianyun know how grateful I am that she's willing to keep the baby?'Does she know that today means the marriage of a lifetime to me? And even though we might get a divorce in the future, I can still tell myself that she used to be my wife when I’m old and lying in my coffin.'It's a great honor to have been married to her in this life.'This marriage is only nominal and a tool for her.'But... I should be content.'He told himself. ...Once they came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Ye Wenming and Zhuo Qianyun each held a copy of their marriage license.Ye Wenming said, "Let me take you home.""No thanks, I can take the bus home myself." Zhuo Qianyun rejected him.Ye Wenming said bitterly, "Are you s
"Really? Forgive..." muttered Ye Wenming."Yes, women relent easily," the photographer said.Ye Wenming's eyes glimmered slightly, and he said nothing more.He knew the old Qianyun would relent easily. If she was angry with him, he had only had to coax her a little for everything to be fine.However, now she could relent to everyone but him.Ye Wenming walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau and looked down at the marriage license in his hand. No matter what, she was now his wife and he was her husband!...When Zhuo Qianyun returned to the store, Mrs. Zhuo saw that her daughter was alone and Ye Wenming was not with her. She asked, "Where's Ye Wenming? Have you gotten your marriage license?""Yes, we got it. We separated at the Civil Affairs Bureau's entrance, and I took the bus back myself," said Zhuo Qianyun.She did not tell anyone that she was getting the marriage license today. She only told her mother last night.Mrs. Zhuo asked, "He didn't bring you home?""Why should
He clenched his jaw and felt his teeth ache. 'Yeah, she’s broken up with me. She has every right to find a new boyfriend, but... the thought of her smiling at another man, and kissing and hugging him makes me uncomfortable.’ Gu Lichen could not help feeling irritated."You can't find one! Do you think you can find another man like me to love when you love me so much?" he said.Zhong Keke retorted with a slightly red face, "You... You're too confident. Who are you to say I can't find one? I love you now, but I can slowly get over you. Besides, I don't need to find a man like you in the future. I just need to find an ordinary man with a good personality who treats me well! I’ll give him all my heart, and he’ll do the same!"It was more like she was telling herself that.'Yes, I can move on from him. I can do it!'However, her words seemed to have provoked him as he turned the steering wheel sharply, slammed on the brakes, and pulled over at the roadside.She was thrown forward and
The fact Zhong Keke accepted was that she feared she would love him more and more!When Yi Jinli and Gu Lichen returned to the ward, Ling Yiran was still chatting with Zhong Keke about the children, not only the new baby but also the triplets."Alright, Lichen and I are going home first. Yiran, have a good rest. I'll visit you and the baby again next time," Zhong Keke said and got up after seeing the exhaustion on Ling Yiran's face.Ling Yiran replied, "Okay. I'll let you meet my triplets next time.""Sure."After Zhong Keke and Gu Lichen left, Yi Jinli lay on Ling Yiran's bed and said, "If you're sleepy, sleep first. The doctor said you need more rest."Ling Yiran said, "I'm a little sleepy, but I had a nice chat with Keke today. Jin, you know what? I think it's great that Lichen has fallen in love with Keke. Keke's a wonderful woman, and Lichen has finally found his happily ever after."She said as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.Looking at his wife's sleeping fac
"Thank you! It's a good painting, and I like it very much. I didn't expect you to draw my daughter like that.""I saw the baby when I came to the hospital that day, so I remembered," said Zhong Keke."I heard from Jin that you and Lichen both came to the hospital that day. I didn't scare you, did I?" said Ling Yiran.Zhong Keke smiled softly, "All that matters is that you're safe. Being alive is better than anything."The two women chatted while the two men looked at each other. Then, Yi Jinli said, "Lichen, let's go get some air."The two men got up and walked out of the ward.Zhong Keke looked uneasily at the ward door.Ling Yiran said, "They’ll be back soon. Don't worry. My Jin won't kidnap Lichen."Zhong Keke smiled, knowing that Yi Jinli probably had not told Ling Yiran about what happened that day."By the way, how are you and Lichen's relationship? Does he treat you well?" Ling Yiran asked."He treats me well." It was true. He treated her well. He would give her everyt
He and Song Qingyao were not even friends."You don't have to explain this to me," said Zhong Keke. They had broken up, and she did not need these explanations.Besides, she knew better than anyone that he had always been in love with Yiran.Thinking of Yiran, Zhong Keke said, "I want to go to the hospital to see Yiran. Can I?" The last time she visited Yiran, Yiran was still unconscious, so she wanted to check on her.Hesitation flashed across Gu Lichen's face."Don't worry. I won't say anything to trigger Yiran. I’ll still pretend to be your girlfriend in front of Yiran. If Yiran asks you, you can say we're doing quite well. When Yiran has recovered, I can make an excuse to say we've broken up. Of course, I can take all the blame. For example, I thought being with you attracted too much attention, or I couldn’t get used to being with you, or I had fallen for someone else—"Before she could finish speaking, she was suddenly pulled into a wide embrace.His hands held her tightly
Zhou Xinmian: [I said you were living with Gu Lichen now. Then they said nothing and left readily.]"..."Zhou Xinmian: [Did you block their phone numbers? They said you're not answering your phone.]Zhong Keke: [Yeah.]She should have blocked her uncle's family's phone numbers long ago. Even blocking them now was considered late!Zhou Xinmian: [Well done! But didn’t they try calling you using another phone number?]Zhong Keke: [They did. But as soon as they spoke and I heard their voices, I hung up and blocked their phone numbers.]In other words, she did not give them a chance to talk.She did not want to listen to what they had to say anyway. They had worn out the last of her affection.Zhou Xinmian: [Have you made up your mind this time?]Zhong Keke: [I’ll just consider that my grandparents only gave birth to my father!]In other words, she no longer considered her uncle and his family her family!Zhou Xinmian: [You should have done that long ago! They told me Gu Lichen
It was why he had said such things at the time to keep the woman from leaving!"Maybe I've liked you since then." It probably started earlier than he thought.Zhong Keke's eyes watered as tears were about to pour out. She raised her hands and covered her eyes, "Gu Lichen, stop telling me such things!"Such things would only make her waver when her resolution was hard-won. Did he know how much determination and perseverance it took her to ask for a break-up and keep her distance from him to stop loving him when she loved him so much?Though her hands shielded her eyes, they could not stop the tears.His fingers pulled her hands away. "Alright, I'll stop. I'll stop talking. Don't cry."Her tears had always left him flustered.He hugged her and coaxed her. The indifference in his phoenix eyes had become affection.Zhong Keke finally stopped crying, but she still sniffled occasionally.Holding a tissue, Gu Lichen carefully wiped the tears from her face. After a moment, he said,
"Do you care about me?" She smiled bitterly. "That word isn’t only something you say but..." She did not continue speaking after a pause.However, he already knew what she was going to say.Gu Lichen turned pale. He knew that the incident at the comic fiesta was something that bothered her.He was the one who caused it!"Also, I think we'd better talk about the possibility of me getting pregnant!" she said."Okay, go ahead," he said as he asked the others in the living room to leave."Will you insist that I have the baby if I get pregnant?" she asked, looking at him."If you’re pregnant, I don't want to lose the baby," he said. He had never longed for children even though his parents had always wanted grandchildren, even if it was out of wedlock.However, such ideas had never occurred to him.Now, he wanted to have the baby because they would be... his baby with Keke!"Even if I don't want the baby, are you still going to stop me from having an abortion?" she asked.He was s
Even though he did not love her, she still thought she was a better candidate than Zhong Keke.However, to her disappointment, the way Gu Lichen looked at her was still icy."I'm not interested in you. The Song family you're so proud of will no longer exist in Shen City a year later. Perhaps the Song family can keep some things if you start planning now. Otherwise, you'll have nothing left."With that said, Gu Lichen left the ward, leaving Song Qingyao standing where she was in a daze.Other than reluctance, resentment, and jealousy, there was more shock and fear on her face.'Does Lichen intend to eradicate the Song family within a year? Is... Is he going that far for Zhong Keke? He doesn't love Zhong Keke, right? Why is he doing it? Why?' Unfortunately, no one could give her the answer.Gu Lichen walked out of the hospital and got into the car. He slowly closed his eyes as Song Qingyao's last words flashed through his mind.'It doesn't matter... even if I don't love her?'Kek
Song Qingyao's heart sank. Sure enough, he could find out anything he wanted to."Why did you do it?" Gu Lichen said coldly.Song Qingyao suddenly laughed. "You're asking me why? Gu Lichen, I’ve loved you for so many years. What do you think?""I wouldn't love you even if Zhong Keke didn't exist. If I wanted to fall for you, I would have done so from the beginning," said Gu Lichen.Song Qingyao's mouth was full of bitterness. She knew that!However, knowing was one thing. Her being reluctant and unwilling to accept it was a different matter!She shouted, "Why did you choose Zhong Keke? You love Ling Yiran because Ling Yiran saved your life when you were a child. What about Zhong Keke? Why her?"She accepted losing to Ling Yiran because she had never saved Lichen's life.However, how could she accept losing to Zhong Keke? "Because she's the one who saved me from the messy relationship," replied Gu Lichen."What do you mean?" Song Qingyao was puzzled.Instead of explaining, he