Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Guan Xiaolin raised her head shakily, her lips trembling.

"No… no…" Guan Xiaolin was genuinely fearful this time around. She wailed uncontrollably and turned to grab Yao Huimin, who was kneeling beside her. "Mum, I can"t abort this baby. It"s a child- it is a living being! Mum, help me, please. I beg of you. Please save him, I beg you! Mum, save him, please! Mum, don"t let them take my child away! Mum-"

Yao Huimin did not expect Guan Liya to be serious. Previously, during the Wei family"s banquet, she had thought that Guan Liya had just said that out of anger, not knowing that it was the decision made by the Qi family.

Did they have to be so cruel just because of a simple divorce?

Yao Huimin began to feel scared, her superficiality from moments ago gone. Yao Huimin cried out of fear and s.h.i.+elded Guan Xiaolin with her arms.

The floor was so cold and hard. She was afraid that Guan Xiaolin would be hurt, given that she was carrying a child.

Nevertheless, she dare not show her concern in front of the Qi family as she was worried that it would anger Guan Liya further.

When she recalled how Grandfather Qi hit Guan Xiaolin to the ground just now with his walking stick, her heart almost leaped out of her chest. She was afraid that the fall would injure Guan Xiaolin"s body.

In the end, her daughter was still a pregnant woman!

Yao Huimin hugged Guan Xiaolin as she screamed. "Grandfather Qi, Grandmother Qi, Sister. Xiaolin truly realizes her wrongdoings. She wouldn"t dare do it again! I promise you, she"ll never marry Jian Yi. Jian Yi will not get a single cent from the Guan family in the future, but can"t we just keep the child? Even though Xiaolin has made a grave mistake, she"s still right about one thing: The child is innocent. It has a life. How- How can you just throw it away?

"Her stomach is already getting bigger and bigger. If she aborts the child now, it"s a huge risk for her, too. What if something was to happen?" Yao Huimin protested.

She abhorred Jian Yi.

Even if the Qi family was being unreasonable, Guan Xiaolin would not have to suffer all this if not for Jian Yi.

Since he was already the son-in-law of the Qi family, why did not he behave appropriately? Why did he involve himself with Guan Xiaolin, forcing her to be a single mum in the future?!

Yao Huimin thought that, with the Guan family"s influence, Guan Xiaolin might not be able to find a satisfactory husband from a notable family, but she would still be accepted by a capable man even if he lacked strong familial support.

"That"s why she should abort it as soon as possible," Guan Liya said coldly. "If her tummy gets bigger, there is a risk of death. If you guys want to delay it, you can go ahead and do that while you witness the fall of Guanyu. There won"t be any more deals. If you regret your decision and come back to us, I"m afraid you won"t be able to afford your child"s milk anymore."

"Auntie! Auntie! I beg you, please let me and my child go! I"m begging you!" Guan Xiaolin sobbed. She crawled on the floor on her knees. She took a few steps then lunged for the coffee table.

Guan Liya pointed towards her and mocked, "Aren"t you very capable? Initially, you even came to Chengyue and bragged that you were pregnant with Jian Yi"s child. You even asked Chengyue to let him go and satisfy the both of you. Didn"t you say that you"re the one that Jian Yi truly loves, and that he"s just using Chengyue? I am curious to see if Jian Yi will still love you if you don"t have his child anymore. And to know that he won"t ever be a part of the Guan family."

Guan Liya was so furious that her hand trembled as she pointed at Guan Xiaolin. "Other mistresses would at least have the decency to act pitiable. Shed a few tears, beg forgiveness from the wife, say they couldn"t control their own heart… You? You didn"t even bother trying. You bragged, like you were the wife and Chengyue the mistress. When you were bullying Chengyue, why didn"t you think of letting her go? When you were having an affair with Jian Yi and got pregnant with his child, why didn"t you think of Chengyue and me, your aunt? You only thought of us now? It"s too late! I want you to pay many times over, since you had the gall to bully Chengyue!"

Guan Xiaolin kept sobbing, the sound of her cries never stopping. "Song Yu, I beg you, please! Say something!"

Guan Xiaolin turned toward Song Yu and said, "On behalf of our previous friends.h.i.+p, please say something. I don"t want to abort this child. I beg you, Song Yu… We were such good friends back then. We were cla.s.smates, and we"ve known each other for more than two decades. Song Yu, please help me. I"m begging you…"

Guan Xiaolin was hysterical.

Song Yu avoided her gaze. Not only had she no right to give an opinion, as this only concerned Qi Chengyue, but the fact that Guan Xiaolin did all those things also meant she was undeserving of her help.

Why had Guan Xiaolin not been mindful of Qi Chengyue from the start?

When it was her turn, she demanded others to be considerate.

"You don"t have to seek help from her." Qi Chengzhi"s voice was thin and icy. "I think Mrs. Guan plans to let you give birth to the child and find a suitable man to marry you off to so that you get a clean slate. If this is the case, why not abort this child? You can start over without any obligations. You"ll not cross paths with Jian Yi anymore. With Jian Yi"s character, we"re actually helping you end this misery."

Qi Chengzhi glanced at Grandfather Guan and said nonchalantly, "One more thing, if the Qi family were to catch Guan Xiaolin contacting Jian Yi in the future, don"t blame us for striking again."

He used his index and middle finger and gestured towards his eyes, then turned them towards the Guan family, saying, "We"re going to keep an eye on you from now on."

Guan Xiaolin kept crying and shaking her head. The Qi family was dead set on aborting the child in her womb. Her argument was absolutely useless.

She had wasted her time with Jian Yi. Not only could she not marry him, she could not even keep his child.

Guan Xiaolin held her stomach and said, "Dad, Mum, I don"t want- Grandfather, I beg of you… Please let me keep my child. I beg you, Grandfather and Grandmother Qi. I promise you- I promise that I will never ever contact Jian Yi in the future. I- I truly love him, please… Let me keep his child at least."

Grandmother Qi let out a sigh and turned away. If they let her keep Jian Yi"s child, it would just be a thorn in the side of the Qi family.

"If Xiaolin aborts the child and we agree to all your demands, will you stop attacking Guanyu?" Grandfather Guan asked solemnly. He, too, felt that the Qi family was asking for too much.

However, they had no choice but to acquiesce.

Qi Chengzhi nodded. Grandfather Guan seethed. "Okay. I"ll personally bring her to the hospital tomorrow."

"Grandpa!" Guan Xiaolin screamed in desperation. She flung herself at the old man"s legs, clutching them. "Grandpa, I don"t want to lose this child! Grandpa, I"m begging you, don"t make me abort my child! This is your great-grandchild! I beg you, Grandpa!"

Song Yu sighed and turned away from Guan Xiaolin.

She had been such a proud lady back then, yet she had fallen to such disgrace.

Qi Chengzhi held her hand tightly.

Song Yu lowered her head to examine his fingers. She used her soft fingers to pinch the middle segment of his middle finger. It had an elegant shape.

His raspy, mellow voice whispered in her ears, "If you don"t want to watch, you can go back inside to rest. Or you can go check out the kitchen. There are a number of tasty delights."

Song Yu pinched him gently. Did he think her a pig?

In the middle of Guan Xiaolin"s crying, Grandfather Guan pointed at her with his walking stick and bellowed, "This is all your own doing! What are you begging for?! Who is to blame when you seduced your own cousin"s husband?! Release me, and stop making a fool of yourself!"

"Grandpa… Grandpa… I am so sorry. I know that I"m at fault, I really do!" Guan Xiaolin deplored, tightening her grip on Grandfather Guan"s leg.

"Let go right now! If you don"t, I"ll hit you till you get a miscarriage!" Grandfather Guan furrowed his eyebrows as he raised his walking stick.

He had already been furious upon learning that Guan Xiaolin had done something so disgraceful. If it was not for her, he would not need to drag his old sh.e.l.l out to find the Qi family and apologize. He had lost all his face by lowering his stance in front of them. Guanyu would not face such a huge loss as well.

All of these useless children. Why did they make him worry so much at such an old age?!

Even after what had happened, Guan Xiaolin was still crying and begging, making a fool of herself in front of the Qi family.

He was so angry, he meant what he had said.

"Dad!" Yao Huimin dragged Guan Xiaolin away hurriedly and s.h.i.+elded her. "Xiaolin is not in her right mind, please excuse her."

"If you really want to keep the child, there"s a way!" Grandfather Guan pointed at Guan Xiaolin, who was guarded by Yao Huimin, with his walking stick.

Guan Xiaolin grew hopeful. Even Yao Huimin paid attention to him.

The Qi family remained quiet and observed from the side without expression.

"The Qi family gave such a request because they were afraid that, if your child were to become the successor of Guan family, it would still be in Jian Yi"s favor. In addition, even if you were not married to Jian Yi, the child would still be a factor, and you would never cut off all contact with Jian Yi." Grandfather Guan glanced at Grandfather and Grandmother Qi, who remained silent.

Grandfather Qi sipped on his pu"er tea casually. Grandmother Qi"s mind had wandered off long ago.

Grandfather Guan continued, "If you really want to keep this child, you will have to leave the Guan family. You will no longer be part of the Guan family, and you will have to resign from Guanyu. From then onwards, your life, health and wealth will be none of our concern. You can go and find Jian Yi and live with him. The child you"re carrying will have no relation to the Guan family, so Jian Yi won"t get anything from it. Only then will the Qi family lose interest in the child."

Grandfather Guan looked to Qi Chengzhi and asked coldly, "Am I wrong?"

"I"m fine with this arrangement," Qi Chengzhi said blandly.

"If she"s willing to disown herself from the Guan family, we"re fine with it. If she does that, it shows that she really loves Jian Yi since she"s willing to go so far for him. We have nothing to object on that." As Guan Liya had voiced her opinion, there were no objections from the others.

"I…" Guan Xiaolin was dumbfounded. She had never expected Grandfather Guan to let her choose.

She also knew that one of the reasons Jian Yi entertained her was her due to her status. Her situation was different from Qi Chengyue"s. Qi Chengyue had three brothers before her; the son-in-law would never have the opportunity to be the successor.

She was the only daughter of the Guan family. If Jian Yi married her, the whole Guan family would fall into his hands in the future.

There was a saying: "Better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion".

She was acutely aware that this was the main reason Jian Yi would choose to be with her again.

Even though she knew it, she still loved Jian Yi. She had given Jian Yi the best years of her life throughout college. She had willingly paid for Jian Yi"s tuition fees and living expenses as she was genuinely in love with him.

Since they were young, Jian Yi"s eyes had always been on Song Yu. At the time, she had already been secretly observing him.

When she had finally begun dating Jian Yi in college, he had met Qi Chengyue and broken up with her right after he had caught her attention.

How could she not know about Jian Yi"s character?

Nevertheless, some things were unexplainable. She had fallen for Jian Yi right at the start and never could escape. She could not fathom why she had fallen for a manipulative person like Jian Yi when she could have chosen so many other reputable and reliable men.

When she had heard that Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue"s relations.h.i.+p was experiencing issues, and that Qi Chengyue finally understood that Jian Yi did not love her, she had started approaching Jian Yi and hinting that, if he married her, he would gain control of the entire Guan family.

In comparison to the minimal to zero chance of succeeding in the Qi family, Jian Yi naturally chose her.

Guan Xiaolin felt that, as long as she could be with Jian Yi, the means she used did not matter, even if that meant using the Guan family to secure him. She just wanted him to stay beside her.

However, she also knew that, once she was disowned by the Guan family, she would be a n.o.body and Jian Yi would no longer want her anymore. In his eyes, their child would be no more than an obstacle.

Furthermore, she would not survive the average living style of normal people if she was no longer the lady of the Guan family. She could not be like Song Yu, who had to start all over again and bear the mockery from her so-called "friends" within the circle.

Guan Xiaolin held her stomach as her mind drifted somewhere else. Her mouth could not utter a single word aside from her sobbing.

"I"ll give you one night. By tomorrow morning, either you pack your stuff and leave the Guan family or you follow me to the hospital to abort the baby!" Grandfather Guan said sternly, as if he no longer cared for her.

Guan XIaolin wailed loudly and plunged into Yao Huimin"s arms.

Only then did Grandfather Guan turn around slowly to face Grandfather and Grandmother Qi. "Are both of you satisfied with my decision?"

"Old Guan, I know that you"re angry, but you can"t blame us. If not for your foolish granddaughter bullying mine first, we wouldn"t have use such drastic measures. It was your granddaughter who had crossed the line first. Your son- and daughter-in-law did not consider the union of both of our families. You can"t ask us to take this without any retaliation, right? Guan Youbo is your son, but Guan Liya is your daughter. You must have a limit, even if you favor your son over your daughter. Liya was so angry, she couldn"t even be bothered about the familial ties between you guys. In this case, you guys don"t have the right to blame the Qi family." Grandfather Qi took his time to talk. He was not bothered by the chaotic surroundings. He sipped on his pu"er tea and swirled it in his mouth, savoring the flavor of it before swallowing it slowly.

"Of course, if we really wanted to bully you guys, with the Qi family"s status, you guys can only suffer, am I right? Kindness is always returned tenfold. If both of our families had maintained a good relations.h.i.+p, the Guan family would gain many more benefits." Grandfather Qi let out a sigh. "It"s too bad there"s already bad blood between our families. I think we shouldn"t stay in contact anymore. After Guan Xiaolin aborts the child, it"s all clear between both of our families. We won"t bother you guys anymore as well."

Song Yu felt that, even though Grandfather Qi seldom spoke, his few words carried a lot of power.

It was his way of conveying the message that they could not do anything even though the Qi family had attacked them, since they were the ones who had crossed the line first.

Grandfather Guan"s expression was very unpleasant. He knew that Grandfather Qi was telling the truth.

"Enough. Since we"ve cleared this up, please leave. Stop making a scene here. If you want to continue begging, go home and do that. I find that you younger folk are so immature. How dare you let an elder clean up the mess for you as adults? Old Guan has just been discharged from the hospital. Before he could rest and recuperate, he had to drag his frail body over to make amends and get all worked up." Grandmother Qi waved her hand as if she was also very concerned for Grandfather Guan"s sake.

After hearing what Grandmother Qi said, Grandfather Guan grew even angrier. Inside his mind, he was thinking that, if it was not for the Qi family who had started all of this, he would not have to come all the way here with his children to beg for forgiveness.

"Goodbye," Grandfather Guan said calmly.

He lowered his head and saw that Yao Huimin and Guan Xiaolin were still kneeling on the floor. He could feel his anger boiling again. "Why are you guys not moving? Get up and leave! It"s embarra.s.sing enough!"

After the Guan family left, Guan Liya felt much more relieved, having solved Guan Xiaolin"s mess. She was afraid that Qi Chengyue had been affected by Guan Xiaolin"s presence. She had been too busy fighting with the Guan family and had not noticed Qi Chengyue.

When she looked over, she saw that Qi Chengyue was very calm and indifferent.

Knowing her worries, Qi Chengyue said, "Mum, don"t worry about me. Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin are no longer related to me. Even if Jian Yi stood in front of me, I wouldn"t be affected at all."

Only then did Guan Liya feel relief. Suddenly, Grandmother Qi slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, right! Chengzhi, I"ve done what you asked me to the last time we spoke!"

Grandmother Qi stood up gleefully and hurried to her bedroom.

At first, Song Yu was confused, but one look at Qi Chengzhi"s face told her all she needed to know.

Grandmother Qi must have been referring to the introduction of a girlfriend for Cheng Dongge. It seemed as if only Qi Chengzhi and her were aware of this. Others had no clue. Besides Grandfather Qi and the both of them, the others were very puzzled.

Grandfather Qi knew about it because Grandmother Qi had happily announced this news to her friends right after Qi Chengzhi"s call. The only thing Grandfather Qi saw her doing was line dancing and calling others on the phone.

Moments later, Grandmother Qi reappeared with a thick stack of envelopes.

Grandmother Qi pa.s.sed them to Qi Chengzhi and said, "Take a look at them. I immediately notified them once you called me. When I mentioned that it was Cheng Dongge, all of them were extremely excited and sent me the photos right away. I haven"t gone through these photos yet. You can let Cheng Dongge choose which one suits his taste."

Qi Chengyue"s heart skipped a beat when she heard Cheng Dongge"s name. She grew tense and stared at Qi Chengzhi.

"I take it they"re all men of good character?" Qi Chengzhi asked as his long fingers peeled open the envelope. From within, he took out a stack of photos.