Title: I’m Pregnant with the Villain’s Child
Translator: Fringe
Chapter 327 - 336
Chapter 327 - Interlude (1)
Lu Beichuan has not had a lot of contact with these Lu relatives mostly because he looked down on these greedy leeches with no bottom line. They bragged about being a part of the Lu family, held various roles in the company, and gained benefits without putting any effort whatsoever. Old Master Lu might allow them to do that because of their relationships in the past, but Lu Beichuan didn’t care about those.
He knew full well that Lu Shaoyan, being able to stay lowkey this entire time, was no ordinary individual. Them wanting to force him into giving up what was his was nothing but a fantasy.
Sure enough, just a few mocking words from Lu Shaoyan, and he was able to push their buttons and make them jump up and down in anger. These people turned to Lu Beichuan to stand up and defend them.
“Look, Beichuan, Old Master Lu had just left and he's already so arrogant. Can you imagine what he’d be like in a few years’ time?”
“You never bowed to Old Master Lu or offer him up an incense the entire time. Beichuan was the one who took care of everything. Where were you the entire time? Now that everything was settled and you came right now pretending that all is well? Lu Shaoyan, do you really think that we will dote on you the way that Old Master Lu did?”
“Had Old Master Lu known that you would be so unfilial in his afterlife, he would for sure regret leaving you with everything that he did!”
Lu Shaoyan did not get upset. He merely looked at them coldly and comforted them calmly. “Fellow uncles, there is no need to get so upset. I am not going to spit out what’s mine and split them with you no matter how angry you get. Let me get something clear right now. You were all around when Old Master Lu divided up his assets as were the lawyers. Like it or not, what’s mine is mine. If you think you can get any of them from my share, you are gravely mistaken.”
Lu Shaoyan had an unruly look. He looked over at everyone arrogantly and the look in his eyes clearly conveyed how generous he was by not being petty with them. “As for that idea of yours… save it. We are all part of the Lu family and we know each other well. You can put away that ugly look of yours now.”
His voice came from afar. It was only when Lu Shaoyan disappeared from the Lu’s front door that these people finally looked away angrily. They were being disrespected by someone of the younger generation, and they looked to Lu Beichuan to do something for them.
Through the entire exchange, Lu Beichuan had quietly finished his breakfast. He took the towel handed to him from the servant and wiped his hands with it. “My grandfather’s will is legally binding and I respect his wishes. Pardon me for not being able to fulfill what you are asking me to do. Grandpa’s funeral is over now and I appreciate all of you for coming. I shall arrange for drivers to take fellow uncles home after breakfast. Excuse me if there is nothing else.”
The only reason that Lu Beichuan was being nice to them was because they were still his elders. He didn’t want to get into a spat with any of them before it had even been seven days after the old man was gone.
The fellow great-uncles, on the other hand, had their ulterior motives and were ambitious. They were enraged by Lu Beichuan’s words. They assumed that Lu Beichuan was in cohort with Lu Shaoyan.
“Beichuan, whatever do you mean by that? We are only doing this for your own good. Is this how you are going to treat us?” Fourth Great-uncle looked authoritatively at Lu Beichuan with his cane in hand. “Had it ever occurred to you that Lu Shaoyan, being Old Master Lu’s favorite son when he was still alive, only got some of his real estate. Do you think he’d appreciate you defending him right now? Watch out for him trying to take Lu Corporation from you.”
Chapter 328 - Interlude (2)
That didn’t seem to bother Lu Beichuan a bit. “You don’t need to worry about a thing, Fourth Great-uncle. Don’t worry. Grandpa had given the Lu’s Corporation to me, and I promise I shall not let him down.”
With Old Master Lu gone, Fourth Great-uncle was the highest in authority. Lu Beichuan belonged to the grandchildren's generation. As far as Fourth Great-uncle was concerned, Lu Beichuan’s words carried no weight whatsoever. Being talked back to by him made Fourth Great-uncle very unhappy.
“Rubbish!”
A servant came running over and said urgently, “Young Master, Young Madam had me come and fetch you. She said that Little Young Master is ill and have you go take a look.”
Lu Beichuan frowned and said, “I will be right over.”
Having said that, Lu Beichuan ditched the group of elderlies who were trying to pull their elderly cards and walked briskly toward the backyard.
When Lu Beichuan pushed open the room door, he could hear very energetic sounds coming from Zhouzhou. Lu Beichuan felt a sense of relief immediately.
“They told me that Zhouzhou isn’t feeling well, what’s the matter?”
Ye Zhen was trying to help Zhouzhou, who was still rolling around in bed, change. No matter what she said or did, he refused to get out of bed. She finally tossed his clothes to Lu Beichuan and said to him, “I can’t do this. I don’t know where he picks up this illness called laziness from. You are the father; you do it.”
Lu Beichuan wasn’t sure what to make of it when he had Zhouzhou’s clothes in his hand. Walking over to the child’s bed, he could see a little lump underneath the blanket, leaving no gaps to even breath.
“Lu Zhifei” was all Lu Beichuan had to say when the lump rocked under the blanket and a little hairy head popped out. Looking up at his father, the child said in a mistreated tone, “Daddy.”
Zhouzhou had always been very well-behaved when he was around Lu Beichuan.
Lu Beichuan pulled the blanket off of him, scooped him up from bed, and asked, “Why didn’t you listen to your Mommy?”
Zhouzhou cocked his head, thought for a little while, and replied very matter-of-factly, “Baobao needs his sleep.”
“You sleep at night. It’s daytime now. Who said you can roll around in bed in the daytime?”
With a very mistreated look, Zhouzhou said to Lu Beichuan, “But… Uncle said that Baobao is still a baby and can sleep for a long time, as long as I want.”
“Uncle? Which uncle?”
“You know… the uncle who gave Baobao his toy!”
Zhouzhou was referring to Lu Shaoyan.
Lu Beichuan turned to look at Ye Zhen, “When did that happen?”
Ye Zhen rested her palm on her forehead, disturbed. “When we first got here.”
Lu Beichuan dressed him, and Zhouzhou cooperated with him reluctantly.
“Do you like this uncle?”
Zhouzhou nodded with no hesitation. “I do! Uncle said that he will buy Baobao lots and lots of toys in the future!”
Ye Zhen frowned a little and said, “Lu Zhifei, you are already 2 years old. You are a big kid now and not a 1-year-old child anymore. Didn’t you promise Mommy that you want to grow up into a real man? Toys are for little kids. Are you still a kid?”
“No! Baobao is a real man!” said Zhouzhou loudly, air whistling through the gaps of his missing teeth.
Ye Zhen nodded. “Real men should play with real man toys. The ones that Uncle had bought you are for little kids. We don’t want those. Mommy will buy you toys for real men later on, okay?”
“Okay!”
Ye Zhen stroked Zhouzhou on his little head. She was very pleased that she was able to trick her silly little son.
Lu Beichuan chuckled and shook his head.
With Zhouzhou finally dressed properly, the servant had brought over breakfast. Lu Beichuan carried him over to the dinner table and scooped out a bowl of porridge for him after he washed his face and brushed his teeth.
Chapter 329 - Interlude (3)
“I know you plan to send those relatives home after breakfast. Do you think they will leave?” asked Ye Zhen after she had put Zhouzhou’s little scarf on him.
“You heard?”
“Of course. Why else would I make up an excuse to have them fetch you?” Ye Zhen sighed. “They are, after all, relatives from grandpa’s generation. I figured… from this point forward…”
Ye Zhen was short of calling them blood-sucking vampires.
This group of people was able to leech off of the Lu family the entire time simply because they shared the same surname. Back when Old Master Lu was alive, they were able to take everything for granted without contributing anything. Perhaps, even Old Master Lu realized that Lu Beichuan would never have the patience to deal with these people, so he figured he would just give them a portion of the family assets and that would be that.
Unfortunately, it was difficult for one’s nature to change. As the adage goes, when you help someone during their most difficult times, they will always be appreciative of that favor; if you give them too much help, they would become dependent and expectant of it. And withdrawing that help afterward will only bring about resentfulness. It was always easier going from rags to riches than the other way round. They would probably continue to try to leech off of Lu Beichuan.
“You don’t need to worry about this. I will take care of it.”
Zhouzhou enjoyed his porridge without a care but asked out of the blue, “Mommy, can I go look for Great-grandpa in a little bit?”
Ye Zhen paused a little before she turned, fetched a tissue, and cleaned up some of the porridge that was on the corner of his mouth. “Great-Grandpa went to a very faraway place and Zhouzhou wouldn’t be able to see him recently. If Zhouzhou will be a good boy, Mommy will tell you where Great-Grandpa went, okay?”
“Okay!”
***
Lu Beichuan sent all the remaining relatives away that same day. Lu Shaoyan, too, left without a word. The immense old estate quieted down all of a sudden. It was so quiet that one could almost hear snow falling off the branches in the courtyard. Lu Beichuan packed and got ready to move back into the city after 7 days.
Butler Lu became very dispirited since the passing of Old Master Lu and looked more and more so as time went on. He spent a lot of time in his room alone. Lu Beichuan wanted to ask Butler Lu to come with him so he could take care of him, yet Butler Lu rejected his offer adamantly and insisted on staying at the old mansion.
Lu Beichuan did not insist on it. He merely told the servants at the ancestral home to contact him immediately if anything was to happen to Butler Lu.
The New Year's feel began fading away by the time they returned to the city. Everybody was returning to work at the beginning of the year and Ye Zhen, too, received notification on the start date of Qinhuai River the first day she returned to the office.
It was scheduled for the end of April, two days before the long weekend in May.
Many movies had chosen to launch over this 3-day weekend and wanting to get on the top of the box office was no small feat.
Naturally, the quality of the movie mattered a lot. The movie itself was what would determine its box office standing.
Ye Zhen had a long discussion with Direction Ning Yang and finally decided to launch at the end of April. Nevertheless, in less than a week, Ye Zhen found out online that the launch date of Shen Weiyin’s movie, The Ultimate Warfare, had been decided.
On the same day as them.
Ye Zhen had no idea whether it was a coincidence or intentional. Let it be the fame of the director, the cast, the production team, or the magnificent post-production, all of them were leaps and bounds ahead of Qinhuai River.
The director of The Ultimate Warfare was asked about his thoughts on being launched the same day as Qinhuai River. He replied that he was pleased to see new directors joining the field and hoped that the young directors could remain neither arrogant nor frustrated and keep up with the good work.
Many others did not have high hopes for Qinhuai River and many fans of the cast of The Ultimate Warfare felt that Qinhuai River launching on the same day as The Ultimate Warfare was very bad news and that Qinhuai River would do terribly on the box office end on launch day.
Chapter 330 - Are you not aware of your own standing at all? (1)
Comments online came abruptly and massively.
The cast of The Ultimate Warfare were all well-known, and each and every one of them had upwards of tens of millions of fans. This movie had recruited almost all big shots in the entertainment circle and had high publicity since its preparation stage. Its official website already had 200,000 followers as of now.
Looking over at Qinhuai's Riverbank, from the producer all the way to the actors, none of them had been heard of by anyone and there was not much to show for.
Online, everybody was buttering up to the winner and stomping down on the loser. The fans of the cast of The Ultimate Warfare wholeheartedly despise the crew that were thrown together for Qinhuai's Riverbank. The Ultimate Warfare could not have received more compliments and Qinhuai's Riverbank, on the other hand, had been bashed to no end. They mocked that Qinhuai's Riverbank was asking for it by trying to challenge The Ultimate Warfare with their cast and story. And that they should pick a different launch date if they didn’t want to be crushed.
Many movies set to launch around the April – May time frame decided to wait and observe for that exact reason.
The production team was not fazed by this.
Everybody understood that what the fans were saying online was the truth and that their setup was no match of The Ultimate Warfare. Nevertheless, they were also well aware that in order to get out of this rut and earn themselves a standing within the film industry, the movie itself was the key.
The recent rumors about the movie and the cast and the reviews of the movie was caused by businesses being in cohort with officials and the disgruntled members of the Lu family spending some behind-the-scenes money.
Ye Zhen had high confidence in the content of the movie. When she saw the overwhelmingly negative comments online, it reminded her of past rumors, so she asked Meng Jie to go shopping with her.
Ye Zhen figured that the originator of the earlier rumors finally stepping up and apologizing had a lot to do with Meng Jie’s involvement.
Ye Zhen had no idea what kind of deal Meng Jie reached with You Jing to get her to give up on antagonizing the movie, but what she knew was that she owed Meng Jie a favor that she should have repaid a year ago. It had been delayed because of matters concerning Old Master Lu.
Meng Jie did not turn down Ye Zhen when she received her call and arrived at their agreed upon meeting location at 2 PM.
As opposed to the very first time that she had met Meng Jie when she exuded weariness that could not be slept off and seemingly weighted down by many other issues, she was now much more uplifting, rejuvenated, filled with ambition and a new-born kind of joy.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Lu.”
Ye Zhen smiled and said, “it’s alright. I only got here not too long ago.” She studied Meng Jie quietly. She noticed the curvature of her eyes and brows and the sparkles in her eyes. She was elegant and charming in the way that she moved. She was a whole different person compared to a year ago.
“I have been meaning to thank you for the incident regarding all the rumors about my cast. Unfortunately, it had been much delayed with everything that had been going on. Both Beichuan and I appreciated Miss Meng’s involvement in this matter a lot. Should we be able to be of any help in the future, please feel free to reach out to Beichuan and I.”
That was a problem, a very weighty one.
Meng Jie, on the other hand, chuckled when she heard it. “No need to be so serious, Mrs. Lu. I, too, am part of the cast and have been working with the others for over half a year. I have a pretty good idea as to what kind of people that they are, which is why I do not wish to see rumors like that about our team. It is no big deal.”
That might be what Meng Jie was saying to her, but Ye Zhen still would not take this matter lightly.
Even though Meng Jie did not elaborate, Ye Zhen could still figure that this was far from over with You Jing. Meng Jie must have made some promises in order to get You Jing to back off.
Chapter 331 - Are you not aware of your own standing at all? (2)
“A few specialized counters called me a couple of days ago and informed me that the latest spring series had arrived. Shopping by oneself is boring. How would Miss Meng like to go shopping with me?”
Meng Jie wasn’t an awkward one. She smiled and accepted her invitation. “What a coincidence? I have been wanting to check out the new spring series as well. It will be a pleasure to go with Mrs. Lu.”
This was a shopping center with a designer brand shop every three steps and a luxurious brand every five. Ye Zhen didn’t even need to pull out the VVVIP card that was given to her by Madam Lu before she left the house, just Meng Jie’s face alone was enough for the salesperson to go up to them enthusiastically.
Almost all of them were brands that Meng Jie had been the spokesperson for at some point in time.
During the height of her career, Meng Jie had stood and looked down from the apex of the entertainment circle.
“Hi, Miss Meng, what can we do for you today?”
“Mrs. Lu and I would like to look at some of your early spring series.”
The salesperson eagerly brought them over to a VIP room and brought in the early spring series for the two of them to choose from.
Ye Zhen picked and chose. Everything that she picked out was either suitable for Madam Lu or useful for either Lu Beichuan or Zhouzhou.
The salesperson placed a blue dress in front of Ye Zhen and said to her, “Mrs. Lu, this is the last one in the entire Asia region. Our shop only got two of them. I think it will fit you very well; would you like to try it out?”
No matter what it was, the “only one” would always lend it special meaning easily.
The salesperson brought in another woman the second that Ye Zhen walked inside of the dressing room.
The woman was very ostentatious with jewelries and designer brands from head to toe along with a very arrogant mannerism. She smiled a peculiar smile the minute she saw Meng Jie. “Meng Jie? I didn’t think I would bump into you here.”
Meng Jie didn’t seem too surprised at the woman’s reaction toward her. In fact, she didn’t even bother looking over at the woman.
The woman removed her shades and gave her a meaningful look. “It had been such a long time. Are you at least going to say hi? We have been friends for many years after all, right?”
Meng Jie had a mild temperament. She never got angry or lost her temper as though nothing was ever worth getting angry over. In the eyes of a provoker, nevertheless, that made her appear to be very arrogant.
“I learned a couple of days ago that Miss Meng had participated in a… movie directed by someone unheard of. It was very difficult to believe that Superstar Meng had to stoop so low as to join the production of such a low-budget film. Or is Miss Meng too poor to put food on the table now?”
Meng Jie showed no particular expression. “That’s not important. What is important is the movie itself.”
“The movie itself…”The woman snickered. “I can’t wait to see how Qinhuai's Riverbank would fare going head-to-head with my The Ultimate Warfare then.”
The door to the dressing room opened up. Ye Zhen, in the blue dress, walked leisurely over to the full-length mirror and appreciated the reflection of her own shapely body in the mirror. “Meng Jie, I heard that the actress for the protagonist in The Ultimate Warfare is Shen Weiyin. This lady does not look familiar at all. Pray tell, who is she playing in the movie?”
“I played the role of the second female lead, Ning Ke.”
“Ning Ke? Second female lead?” Ye Zhen chuckled and looked provokingly at the aggressive and arrogant woman in front of her. “Meng Jie is the first female lead in our movie. What makes you think you can measure up to her? You are just the second female lead. Comparing herself to you will be lowering her standing. Besides, since when can a second female lead represent an entire movie? Are you not aware of your own standing at all?”
Having said that, Ye Zhen smiled at the salesperson and said, “I’m in quite a good mood today. I’ll take this dress. Wrap it up for me.”
Chapter 332 - Many romances ended when a woman was disappointed too many times and gained clarity (1)
As the saying goes, whenever three women get together, there will be drama.
Ye Zhen had no interest in that arrogant woman. Any other time, she wouldn’t even care about chatting with her.
Ning Ke was very unhappy from Ye Zhen’s mocking words.
She was able to stand there and mock Meng Jie because Meng Jie had laid low for five years. And, when Meng Jie finally returned to the big screen, she joined the cast of a movie that obviously would not do well. Her future was grim to say the least, and she would never see the light of day again. That was the reason that Ning Ke felt confident in mocking her.
Ye Zhen, on the other hand, was not someone she would want to go up against. Or, one could say that Ye Zhen wasn’t someone that she could afford to offend.
Her status of being Lu Beichuan’s wife was enough to deter many from acting erratically in front of her.
The salesperson in the same room as the other three women felt very awkward.
Ye Zhen turned and gave Ning Ke a look. “Ning Ke, right? Pardon me. Perhaps what I have said was a little overboard. It was, after all, my first time encountering the entertainment circle and I don’t know it very well. What kind of awards had Miss Ning earned in the past?”
“I…” Ning Ke stuttered some and said, “I have received the best female support…”
“Best Female Supporting Character?” Ye Zhen was surprised, as though her interest had been revived. “Was that in the Golden Eagle Award, the Academy Award, or the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival?”
The smile froze on Ning Ke. All of her arrogance was gone under Ye Zhen’s aggressive questioning.
“Or, perhaps it was the Oscar?”
Ning Ke stiffened.
“Judging from Miss Ning’s look, it was none of those? What a waste of your standard female supporting character look.”
Her words were both aggravating and hurtful. She was clearly saying that she would be a female supporting character for life.
Even Meng Jie, who was very good at controlling her expression, couldn't help but chuckle a little.
Ning Ke felt even more hateful when she saw the smile on Meng Jie. She might have only been a female supporting character so far, but all these years of playing those roles had still earned her a lot of fans and her status within the entertainment circle could rival some first-tier actresses. All she was missing was an opportunity.
What was so funny to Meng Jie? And who was she to be laughing at her?
“Mrs. Lu, truth was, I have a lot of respect for you. After all, you had the courage to become a producer in the entertainment circle. As you have said so earlier, you have not been in the field for very long and don’t know all the ins and outs in this circle.” She suppressed her anger and embarrassment from earlier and put on a different expression altogether. Smiling, she said, “This lead actress of yours has a lot of history. It’s just that not many know about it now after she had been put on the back burner for the past five years. Do you know what Miss Meng was known for five years ago?”
Ning Ke looked at Ye Zhen excitedly. “That she was a kept woman for several years. When she had offended her employer for whatever reason, her employer had blocked all of her avenues. Mrs. Lu, it wasn’t that I question your judgement of characters; I just feel that you need to know the truth when it comes to someone like Meng Jie, who is good at making others feel pitiful for her.”
“A kept woman?” Ye Zhen pulled out her cellphone. “Can Miss Ning repeat that into my phone?”
“Whatever do you mean, Mrs. Lu?”
“Didn’t you just tell me in no uncertain terms that five years ago Miss Meng Jie had the history of being a kept woman for several years.”
The smile disappeared from Ning Ke, “I… I have only heard of it in passing.”
She knew that Ye Zhen only pulled her phone out to record her. Being in the entertainment circle for so many years, she had an idea how this worked. Saying something without proof would constitute slandering and she could be sued for that.
Not to mention that the Lu’s Corporation was known in the entertainment industry for sending out lawyers’ letters.
Lu Beichuan fully utilized the team of lawyers that he kept on his payroll.
Chapter 333 - Many romances ended when a woman was disappointed too many times and gained clarity (2)
“Heard of that in passing? Meaning to say that Miss Ning had no evidence proving that Miss Meng Jie had been a kept woman for several years in the entertainment circle, am I right?”
Who’d ever have any evidence in the entertainment circle? Everything was passed down through the grapevines. Everybody knew what kind of an environment the entertainment circle was and nobody would ever say that out loud.
“… That is correct.”
“Then it won’t be unreasonable for me to ask Miss Ning, who has no evidence whatsoever, to apologize to Miss Meng over the rumors that you had just repeated, right?”
Ning Ke did not look happy at all. She turned toward Meng Jie with difficulty, feeling helpless and hateful, but finally nodded begrudgingly, “I apologize, Miss Meng. I misspoke.”
Meng Jie smiled but did not respond.
She couldn’t be bothered with someone who willfully propagated rumors, submitted to benefits, and apologized insincerely.
Ye Zhen gave Ning Ke a look, smiled, and didn’t say anything else. Changing out of her dress in the dressing room, Ye Zhen had the salesperson wrap the dress up and walk out of the store along with Meng Jie.
Right before the two took off, Ning Ke was still very unhappy. Remembering all the past rumors, she gritted her teeth, picked up her cellphone, and made a call pretentiously.
“Hello, Young Master You. It’s me, Ning Ke.” Ning Ke’s voice was of a fake sweetness that could give one goosebumps. “Oh, nothing much. I am just shopping. It just hit me that we haven’t seen each other in a while and you just popped into my mind…”
“Hey, no no no. Don’t hang up on me. Guess who I ran into here? Meng Jie! Yeah! She’s right here, shopping, with a man…”
Naturally, Meng Jie heard every word that Ning Ke intended for her to hear.
Except that, the name You Jing was no longer meaningful to her.
Ye Zhen asked, “Truth is… as an outsider, I had no right to ask about what happened between You Jing and you. But, you were the one who resolved the issue with the production team last time and all of those were due to You Jing’s influence. I would like to know what you have promised You Jing over that or what kind of trade you have made with him.”
Meng Jie smiled. “I didn’t promise him anything nor did I trade anything with him. I only told him why I broke up with him in the past.”
“Why?” Ye Zhen asked reflexively.
After she had asked out loud, Ye Zhen felt a bit embarrassed. She was not exactly a close friend with Meng Jie. It wasn’t her place to ask her something so private.
Meng Jie, on the other hand, didn’t seem to feel that it was inappropriate. She recounted as if she was but an outsider herself.
“It wasn’t much. He should have figured it out a long time ago. We belong in two different worlds. Our backgrounds were too different, as were our personalities and the way to handle issues. He had always been a player and didn’t feel that there was anything wrong with that. Nevertheless, he could not handle my normal interactions with male actors during filming and wished that I would leave the entertainment circle. I wished that he could come around. We were both wrong by asking each other to change too much. A relationship should be consensual. I was too overconfident and thought that I could change him. I was proven wrong. A person’s nature should not be changed by another, nor could it be changed.”
“And then… you two broke up?”
“No, I found out that I was pregnant. I was filming at the time and had no idea that I was pregnant. I only found out when I was three months along.”
Ye Zhen was surprised. “Pregnant?”
Meng Jie looked at the setting sun reflected off of the skyscraper. She seemed to have gone back to that very same day. It was a bright red sun like this one as well, looking like blood oozing out. She painfully called You Jing repeatedly, but her calls were hung up on repeatedly. She refused to give up and called again. Finally, a woman answered the call.
Many romances ended when a woman was disappointed too many times and gained clarity.
Chapter 334 - Many romances ended when a woman was disappointed too many times and gained clarity (3)
You Jing was a player and Meng Jie should not have fallen for his fake tenderness. She was not a good fit for someone who went through life as though it was nothing but a game, and neither was You Jing a good fit for her.
What she hadn’t expected was how persistent You Jing was about her.
It had already been five years, and he still hasn’t moved on.
“Something happened later on and I lost the child.” Meng Jie smiled helplessly. “Perhaps it was all meant to be. I didn’t tell You Jing the reason I broke up with him because I didn’t want to drag it out anymore. Yet he dragged it out for another four more years nevertheless. I merely feel that it was time to talk things out with him. You don’t need to feel responsible for it, Mrs. Lu.”
Ye Zhen went silent and didn’t say anything for a while.
“And that Ning Ke… she, too, was one of You Jing’s close lady friends in the past. You don’t need to care too much about what she says. She wouldn’t dare to offend you.”
Ye Zhen smiled. “Does it look like I will let what she said bothers me?”
Meng Jie gave her a smile and realized she had been worrying over nothing.
Ye Zhen gestured to her bodyguards that they no longer needed to follow her. She then went inside a coffee shop with Meng Jie for a quick rest. As soon as the two of them had stepped inside the shop, a silver Lamborghini came to a screeching stop on the street and slammed into another car that was also stopped on the street.
The owner of the little car got out of his car aggressively, demanding an answer. You Jing, who had gotten out of the sportscar, didn't care about the man at all and was looking left and right. When he was frustrated by the man, he pulled out a business card, handed it over to the man, and said something to him arrogantly before he pushed him away and made a call while panting.
He said a couple things into the phone before he spotted Meng Jie who had walked inside the coffee shop. He hung up on the phone and quickly headed toward her direction.
A server walked up to greet him after he stepped inside the coffeeshop. You Jing pushed them aside, looked around, and said, “I am looking for someone.”
Ning Ke had told him over the phone that Meng Jie was shopping with a man. You Jing, who was extremely anxious, immediately floored his gas and came over. There was no anger, just unsettlement and anxiousness. He knew all of those stemmed from guilt.
He had made too many mistakes when it came to Meng Jie.
Ever since Meng Jie had told him about her miscarriage, he had sent people to look into it. He was able to confirmed Meng Jie’s words that she had a miscarriage in a hospital five years ago. The baby was already four months along and they could already tell her gender. Yet, he knew nothing about it.
An indescribable anger rose up in him the moment he found out about it.
That was his daughter too but Meng Jie had never told him about her. And she continued to refuse to tell him the truth even after such a long time!
Meng Jie had finally decided to tell him the truth after five years. Her tone was very calm. She would not have been able to retold this story so calmly had she not already moved past it.
Many things had happened in five years and enough to change a person.
If Meng Jie had made up her mind to start her life afresh and look for a tender and attentive boyfriend, a woman who was soft and kind like her could have any man that her heart desired.
At that very moment, You Jing could picture Meng Jie dating, getting married, going onto her honeymoon, having children, and even the names of her children in his mind. He could visualize her entire happy and complete life in his head. But what about him when she was living happily ever after?
If only he knew what he knew now and that Meng Jie would have told him about what had happened five years ago, he would for sure have been very nice to her and never did the crazy things that he had done!
You Jing’s palms were sweaty. He looked around the coffeeshop for a long while and worried that he would see her having a good time with another man. The moment that he spotted Ye Zhen, his pounding heart calmed down.
Standing in front of the table, he looked awkwardly at Ye Zhen, who was looking at him casually. The smile on his face was awkward as well, “What a coincidence… Mrs. Lu.”
Ye Zhen found You Jing, who was panting and sweating in the early spring time, amusing. She smiled and said to him, “It is, indeed. What can we do for you, Young Master You?”
You Jing glanced over at Meng Jie, but Meng Jie acted like he wasn’t even there. That made him feel very disappointed.
Chapter 335 - How about… how about I sleep with Mommy and Daddy can go sleep with his mommy (1)
You Jing was very happy to have found out that Meng Jie wasn’t out shopping with any man but was with Ye Zhen instead.
That being said, You Jing still felt helpless in front of Meng Jie. His Adam's apple rolled up and down ,and he had no idea what to say to her.
Ye Zhen took a sip from her cup of steaming coffee. As she was enveloped in the aroma of the coffee, she could not just sit by and watch anymore.
“Young Master You, please feel free to go and attend to your own business if there is nothing else. I would like to continue enjoying my afternoon tea with Miss Meng.”
Ye Zhen’s intention of sending him away could not have been more obvious. You Jing, a playboy who had perfected his smooth talk, was now standing there speechless like a statue.
Okay, so he didn’t know what to say but couldn’t he at least catch the drift?
Could he not tell from Meng Jie’s look that she wanted nothing to do with him?
It wasn’t that You Jing didn’t know what to say, he just couldn’t get himself to say them out loud in front of Meng Jie. Let alone the fact that Ye Zhen was there as well.
Had Ye Zhen not been there, You Jing might still be able to shamefully force out a word or two.
“I…”
You Jing had just drummed up his courage to start when Meng Jie, sitting across from Ye Zhen, said apologetically to Ye Zhen, “I had fun shopping with you today, Mrs. Lu. It is getting late, however, and I have something else to attend to. Let me take you out to dinner on a later day if the opportunity presents itself.”
Ye Zhen understood why she sounded apologetic and played along with her. “No worries. Let’s keep in touch.”
Meng Jie stood up apologetically, said goodbye to Ye Zhen, and headed out.
You Jing continued to follow behind her. Without Ye Zhen around, he said something to Meng Jie. Ye Zhen didn’t know what he said, but Meng Jie looked as nonchalant as she was before as though You Jing wasn’t there at all. When she had reached her car, she finally stopped and faced You Jing. She said something to him, and his face dropped all of a sudden. As though his feet were nailed on the spot, he stood there motionlessly.
You Jing did not follow her any more after Meng Jie had gotten into her car. He just watched her leave with a very lonely look.
Ye Zhen took another sip of her coffee and sighed.
She wasn’t going to comment on the relationship between Meng Jie and You Jing. Relationships are between two people, and no outsider will understand the emotions of those involved.
If Meng Jie said You Jing wasn’t for her, she must have her reasons. You Jing was fond of Meng Jie and didn’t want to move on; he must have his reasons. You Jing might have been the one at fault back in the days, or there might be parts of the story that she wasn’t aware of. Regardless, nobody had the right to judge them.
The sun was setting, and Ye Zhen made it home before the sun was completely set. She gave the clothing that she had bought for Madam Lu to her. Madam Lu complained that she should not have and that it was too much trouble, but had a big smile on her face as she said it.
Zhouzhou stayed home docilely all day long and was rewarded the toy that he had wanted the most from Ye Zhen. Zhouzhou kissed Ye Zhen multiple times and promised that he would be well-behaved next time as well.
Chapter 336 - How about… how about I sleep with Mommy and Daddy can go sleep with his mommy (2)
Ye Zhen read a little after dinner, and Lu Beichuan only returned home after 8 o’clock.
Perhaps because Old Master Lu had passed away not too long ago, people at the office were still not comfortable. Lu Beichuan needed to spend a lot of time and effort in stabilizing the situation at work. It was only normal that he would be gone for long hours every day.
All of his weariness, however, dissipated the moment he saw Ye Zhen.
“What are you looking at?”
“A book on being a producer…”
Lu Beichuan hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. Enveloped by the scent from her hair, he read a good half of the page with Ye Zhen.
“You’ve been running around all day long. Go take a shower quickly.” Ye Zhen moved her shoulder a little, closed the book, and urged him.
Lu Beichuan took a deep breath, put down the documents that he had brought back from work, took off his jacket, and walked into the bathroom.
When Lu Beichuan came out of the bathroom, he saw Zhouzhou laying in bed with his arms around his mother, listening to Ye Zhen reading him a story.
“The brave knight finally defeated the monster and saved the princess. The two of them lived happily ever after.”
Zhouzhou looked up at Ye Zhen. “Happy like Daddy and Mommy?”
Ye Zhen, smiling, pinched Zhouzhou on his fair and soft cheek, “Yup. And they even had a little Zhouzhou.”
“Then Zhouzhou wants to become a knight too so he can save a princess then live a happy life!”
Ye Zhen closed up the story book. “Okay, if you want to be the knight who will save the princess, you need to go to bed early. Go back to your bedroom now.”
Zhouzhou refused to let go of Ye Zhen. He said coquettishly to her, “One more story, Mom. One more, pleeeeease.”
“Didn’t we say that’s the last one already? Are you going back on your words?”
Zhouzhou smiled and nuzzled Ye Zhen. “Not going back on my words. I want to sleep with Mommy today, can I, please?”
Lu Beichuan wouldn’t have any more of this by this point. He walked out, took the book from Ye Zhen, and put it aside. Looking at Zhouzhou, he said, “Stand up, Lu Zhifei.”
Lu Zhifei had always been fearful of Lu Beichuan’s solemness and would not act as unrestrained as he was in front of Ye Zhen. Pouting, he let go of Ye Zhen’s waist and stood up docilely.
“Tell me, how old are you now?”
Zhouzhou stuck out two fingers. “I am two years old.”
Lu Beichuan corrected him, “Two-and-a-half, turning three in just two more months, do you know that? Aren't you ashamed to still want to sleep with your Mom?”
Zhouzhou did not understand why that was so shameful. “But… I just want to sleep with Mommy. Daddy is much older but you sleep with Mommy too. How about… how about I sleep with Mommy and Daddy can go sleep with his mommy.”
Zhouzhou felt that his suggestion was very reasonable. He even felt that his daddy would embrace that idea. After all, sleeping with one’s mother was a very happy event.
Ye Zhen was taken aback a little and finally laughed so hard that she rolled in bed. Pulling Zhouzhou into her arms, she said, “You little brat…”
Lu Beichuan, too, was looking at Zhouzhou helplessly, “Who taught you to say that?”
Zhouzhou looked at his daddy innocently. “Does Daddy not like sleeping with his mommy? Zhouzhou is so happy when he gets to sleep with Mommy!”
Ye Zhen laughed so hard that she was shaking. Zhouzhou, too, giggled with her and asked her for more stories.
Lu Beichuan really didn’t know what else to say.
Walking back to his desk, Lu Beichuan saw that his stack of documents that had been placed there neatly was a bit ruffled now. He flipped through it quickly and noticed a few missing pages.
He looked for a bit and found a paper airplane in the corner. Frowning slightly, he seemed to have figured it out.
Picking up the paper plane and walking over to the bed, he asked, “Did you make this?”
Zhouzhou wanted to take it from him when he saw it, and Lu Beichuan did not stop him.