Although Yu Zheng couldn’t see what they were talking about, he did see Lu Yanzhao’s profile picture.
That reminded him of the first time Lu Yanzhao had dared to speak to him so defiantly—it had been because of his little sister…
He asked her, “You two have been talking quite a lot lately, huh?”
Yu Xiaxing looked baffled. “He’s my secretary. Isn’t it normal for us to talk a lot?”
Yu Zheng guessed that his silly little sister still didn’t know Lu Yanzhao was an undercover agent he had planted beside her.
Back then, in order to gather information while staying close to his sister, he had specifically arranged for Lu Yanzhao to work for her. The main reason was that Lu Yanzhao was good-looking.
Tall, fair, and slender—he fit his sister’s tastes perfectly.
But now, Yu Zheng was starting to regret it.
If only he had picked an ugly guy from among his men. Then he wouldn’t have to worry every day about his sister being tricked by a handsome, scheming man.
Though if the guy had been ugly, his sister probably wouldn’t have accepted him in the first place.
After a long silence, Yu Zheng said earnestly, “Xingxing, you’re still young. At your age, you should focus on your career. Don’t get too carried away by a man’s looks.”
Yu Xiaxing said, “I’m completely obsessed! I’m a total, certified face-con! Otherwise, why would I hire handsome men and beautiful women as every staff member at my school except my teachers?”
Hearing this, Yu Zheng was actually relieved.
She was still just a kid. When it came to men, she was only at the stage of appreciating their looks.
He leaned back into the sofa again. As the countdown to the next game appeared on-screen, he casually chatted with his sister. “I wonder what our fourth brother-in-law is doing right now.”
Yu Xiaxing said, “Cheating, I guess.”
—
The Zheng family home.
Su Hao and Qiao Tang had just finished sneaking around together.
The room was dim, and the curtains were drawn tightly shut.
The phone on the nightstand lit up, went dark, then lit up again. Message after message kept appearing.
Qiao Tang, draped in a silk robe, sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the phone. Her expression grew increasingly grim.
“Another group of parents is making a scene. They’re even saying that Shengde has gotten lawyers involved to help them demand compensation. What are we going to do? We spent all the money we conned out of the students a long time ago…”
Su Hao’s brows were drawn tightly together.
He hadn’t wanted to hear any of this.
Tomorrow, he would be going with Yu Lingyi for their premarital medical exam. After that, he would have to undergo that terrifying surgery.
And now she was still only worried about the tutoring center, as if she didn’t care about him at all.
She kept ranting on and on.
Su Hao opened his eyes, his gaze dark. “It’ll be fine after tomorrow. Once we get our marriage certificate, I’ll be a son-in-law of the Yu family. At the wedding alone, the gifts we receive from the Yu family elders should amount to tens of millions.”
“Besides, once I become part of the Yu family, even if this matter gets exposed, the Yu family will suppress it for the sake of their reputation.”
Qiao Tang finally quieted down. She leaned softly against him and wrapped her arms around his waist, her voice gentling as well. “That’s wonderful. We’ve finally made it through.”
Su Hao was silent for a long time before saying, “She wants me to get sterilized, and you’re not even worried about me? You’re not going to stop me?”
Of course Qiao Tang wasn’t going to stop him. She wasn’t the one going under the knife.
Leaning against his chest, she soothed him. “It’s just a minor procedure. Medicine is so advanced these days. You can even have it reversed afterward.”
Su Hao’s expression remained sour. “It’s still surgery. Surgery carries risks. Who’d willingly let someone cut into a perfectly healthy body for no reason?”
Qiao Tang was actually getting very impatient.
At a time like this, he was still hung up on it.
Sometimes, he really was spineless.
When she had accidentally gotten pregnant before, he hadn’t dared to have a child right after getting engaged to Yu Lingyi. He had coaxed her into having an abortion, telling her that medicine was so advanced these days that she could have the procedure in the morning and return to work that afternoon.
But now that it was his turn to be cut open, he was suddenly acting precious and making a fuss about every little thing.
She couldn’t let any of that show.
She raised her head, her eyes reddening. Her gaze was soft, like spring water shimmering with tenderness.
“Haoge, I know you feel wronged. But we’ve already come this far. Can you really bear to see all our efforts go to waste?”
Su Hao pressed his lips together without saying anything.
Qiao Tang continued, “Just agree to it for now and get the marriage certificate first.”
“Once you’re part of the Yu family and have actual control of the company, once the tutoring-center scandal has been suppressed, you can quietly have the procedure reversed.”
As she spoke, she gently intertwined her fingers with his. “Then I’ll have your child.”
Su Hao’s breathing quickened.
Seeing that he was wavering, Qiao Tang continued to coax him. “I know you’re not the kind of man who lets a woman control him. Yu Lingyi is only forcing you because she has the Yu family name behind her. Once she marries you, won’t all the Yu family’s resources and connections be yours to use?”
“She’s such a dignified woman. She’s terrified of anything tarnishing her marriage. Once you’re legally married, she’ll be even less willing to fall out with you.”
“So just go through with the procedure. The Yu family will belong to you sooner or later.”
Su Hao’s expression gradually softened, and he began to waver.
Qiao Tang gently placed a hand over her lower abdomen. “Besides, you were so impressive tonight. What if I got pregnant?”
Su Hao stopped hesitating completely.
That was the reason he had come to see her tonight.
If Qiao Tang became pregnant with his child tonight, he would have both an heir and the Yu family fortune.
Su Hao reached out and pulled Qiao Tang into his arms. “Tangtang.”
Qiao Tang willingly nestled against him.
By midnight, he had fallen asleep.
Qiao Tang immediately turned away and took a contraceptive pill.
Have his baby? In his dreams.
—
At the same time, at the Yu residence.
Yu Xiaxing was lying on the carpet playing with Diandian.
She picked up a carrot-shaped toy and tossed it. “Diandian, go fetch the new toy your uncle bought you.”
The little white fluffball ran over, clamped its teeth around the carrot, and came bounding back. Its four short legs moved so quickly they were almost invisible, making it look like a ball of cotton candy that could bounce around on its own.
It placed the carrot in front of its owner. Yu Xiaxing grabbed it and tried to take it back.
But Diandian refused to let go. It lowered its body, stuck its butt in the air, and wagged its tail like a little fan, playing tug-of-war with its owner.
Yu Xiaxing suddenly let go, and Diandian went sprawling onto the floor with a smack.
She burst out laughing and rubbed its round little head. “You silly dog.”
The phone on the sofa suddenly chimed.
Still holding Diandian in one arm, Yu Xiaxing picked up the phone with the other.
It was a message from Ruan Tian.
Ruan Tian: “Your fourth brother-in-law went to his mistress’s place pretty early tonight. The interesting part is that, sometime after dinner, I saw the mistress sneak out to buy emergency contraception.”
Yu Xiaxing stared at the screen for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
Diandian looked up at her, as if it couldn’t understand why its owner had suddenly developed such a wicked grin.
Yu Xiaxing sent a voice message: “I need you to do me a favor…”
She rattled off the wicked idea that had just occurred to her.
Ruan Tian sent back a voice message. It began with a burst of hysterical laughter. Once she had finally stopped laughing, she said, “You’re seriously terrible. Fine, fine, I’ll do it.”
Knowing that Ruan Tian never lifted a finger without getting paid, Yu Xiaxing asked, “Do you need me to pay you extra? And should I reimburse you for the props?”
Ruan Tian: “No need. I’ll do this one for free.”
Yu Xiaxing was silent for a moment. “Did someone hack your account?”
Ruan Tian: “What are you talking about? You’ve helped me investigate so many things for your fourth sister lately, and I’ve made quite a bit of money. When it comes down to it, I only got this lucrative job because of your schemes. I’d feel bad charging you again. I may love money, but I’m not completely shameless.”
Yu Xiaxing was astonished. “You actually have a conscience.”
Ruan Tian: “Exactly. Poverty breeds cunning, while wealth cultivates conscience—that’s me to a T!”
That worked out perfectly. Yu Xiaxing still needed to save up more money to run away, so every bit she could save was worth it.
—
Meanwhile.
Ruan Tian was crouching by the roadside, her phone screen still lit.
The lock screen displayed a photo of a girl.
She had a sweet smile, but her eyes were vacant.
Seeing her daughter’s picture softened Ruan Tian’s heart.
Mommy has met a good person who’s all bark and no bite. It hasn’t even been a month since we met, and she’s already helped Mommy make so much money. Soon, I’ll be able to send you off to pursue your dream.
Ruan Tian put away her phone and glanced up at the pharmacy across the street.
A moment later, she stood and went inside to buy a box of the exact same contraceptive pills Qiao Tang had just purchased.
