CHAPTER 92

"His background was my slip of the tongue. I reminded him, and that's why he went to verify it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have found out."

"Though I don't understand why you chose to hide it from him, I admit I was wrong in this matter."

Zhu Ehua sighed softly. At this moment, a hint of weariness appeared on her face, the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth and eyes becoming more pronounced, revealing her age.

Wei Zhuang glanced at her and suddenly asked, "How did you know?"

Zhu Ehua paused, "Know what?"

"How did you know about Jiabao's identity?" Wei Zhuang stared at her intently. "What happened back then was kept very secret. No one outside the family knew. I trust my father's ability to keep it that way."

Zhu Ehua remained silent for a long moment before answering, "Wei Ting's mother informed me."

Wei Zhuang's pupils contracted slightly, followed by a moment of fleeting thoughts.

Her stepmother was the one who had cared for her the most in that household.

Her father had originally wanted her to choose a man she found agreeable, marry early, and have children who would carry the Wei surname. Only then would he agree to groom her as the heir.

She found it troublesome—men were all the same, and she had already experienced enough. She didn't want to establish any int!mate relationships or get married, so she chose a sperm bank.

She went abroad and was lucky enough to succeed quickly. When the doctor told her the news, she mocked herself inwardly that even heaven agreed with her decision.

But when she returned home, sitting on her bed, staring at her belly, she couldn't imagine that in nine to ten months, a child would come out of her body.

She slowly stroked it, then suddenly began to tremble. In that instant, she felt a deep, unknown fear.

......

"Are you insane? She's only 18, and you're letting her have a child?" her stepmother's angry voice rang out.

"I didn't force her. It was her choice. She said she didn't want to get married, not now, not ever. I'm getting old, and Wei Ting doesn't want to be the heir. What am I supposed to do? If my line doesn't inherit, it'll fall into someone else's hands!"

"Then groom Wei Zhuang properly! Why does she have to have a child? She's just turned 18!"

"Wei Ting is studying medicine. How many years will it take for him to settle down and have a child? Will there be enough time to train the next heir? What if he doesn't have children? I can't wait that long!"

"The family's lineage cannot be broken! I'm just preparing for the worst! I told her she could wait until she's of legal age and marry a man, as long as the child carries the Wei name. She chose to have a child now."

"You're despicable! She's still young. Couldn't you have stopped her? Is this what a father does? Is this for her sake? And you hid it from me? My God, do you have any idea how much damage this could do to her body?"

......

Wei Zhuang, 18 years old, covered her ears with her trembling hands. Tears fell uncontrollably, one by one, onto the quilt.

"She came to me and told me about your decision. This is a big deal for any woman. As your biological mother, I needed to know." Zhu Ehua's glass of wine remained untouched. She thought about picking it up again but then set it down, rubbing her temples.

Wei Zhuang lowered her gaze, staring at her own palms.

The air around them seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, pressing down heavily, making them feel exhausted and suffocated.

Zhu Ehua let out a long sigh, putting away her weary expression. She said, "The project is a good one, and I know you have your reasons."

"Xiang Xiaoyuan is still on the rise. If there's an opportunity, I'm willing to mentor her."

"This could be a win-win situation."

With Zhu Ehua's status, even He Chenying, a triple Golden Award-winning actress, would want to collaborate with her, let alone a newcomer.

Wei Zhuang's lips curved into a smile. "So you do consider others. Is Xu Muyi really not your son?"

Zhu Ehua frowned helplessly, then smiled. "I owe him a favor, a favor to Xu Muyi, not to Lao Xu."

"So you agreed to act because of that favor?" Wei Zhuang clearly couldn't believe her words.

Zhu Ehua and Xu Shumin's relationship hadn't lasted long, but they had remained friends.

Xu Shumin later married someone outside the entertainment industry, but they divorced shortly after Xu Muyi was born. Xu Muyi lived with Xu Shumin, who was both a writer and a screenwriter. For his creative work, Xu Shumin often traveled for inspiration, sometimes for months, other times just a week or two. During these trips, he would either leave the child with his parents or entrust him to trusted friends.

Xu Muyi stayed at Zhu Ehua's house several times.

During university summer and winter breaks, he sometimes stayed in Zhu Ehua's house as well.

Zhu Ehua once said with a smile, "I'm not good at raising children. Most of the time, it's the servants who take care of him. Sometimes I'm not even around—I just lent the house to the young man to have fun."

"These past couple of years, as I've gotten older, my blood pressure has been a bit high. Once, I had an episode at home, and it happened to be Xiaomuyi who was there. He called for an ambulance. That's why I owe him a favor."

That was why she had only taken one sip of her wine.

Wei Zhuang stared at the wine glass for a while, her expression unreadable.

"Think about it," Zhu Ehua stood up. "Okay, I'll be going now." She took a few steps, paused briefly, smoothed her hair, and then walked out.

She walked through the corridor, past the entrance hall, and the door closed gently behind her.

Perhaps it was because she was getting older, or perhaps because it had been many, many years since she had actively discussed business with someone, Zhu Ehua suddenly felt a bit weary and weak. She leaned against the wall, unable to move for a moment.

She thought, thankfully, she had taken her blood pressure medication today.

She had never been a proper mother when she was younger, and at this age, she wouldn't presume to act like one or make demands of others.

Her fingers brushed against her wristwatch. A normal watch needs to run properly, its tiny parts must be aligned just right. Their relationship had never been properly aligned, nor had it had the driving force of a mainspring, which was why it had ended up in this state today.

What Zhu Ehua didn't, and wouldn't, say out loud was that she had once visited Wei Zhuang in the hospital. It was Wei Ting's mother who had told her the news. That year, Wei Zhuang had just given birth to a baby boy, and Old Wei was overjoyed.

After the nurses, doctors, and family members had all left, she quietly pushed open the door and went in.

Wei Zhuang was asleep, utterly exhausted, with an IV drip in her arm. Her pale face was tightly furrowed, and there were tear stains at the corners of her eyes.

A cesarean section is quick, and while the birth itself isn't painful, the following day or two can be quite uncomfortable.

Youth, combined with modern medicine, always finds a way. With proper care, there would be no scars.

In this world, nothing comes for free. If you want something, you have to exchange it with what you have.

Family might be the most forgiving people in the world, but even that depends on luck. Some people are born with it, while others aren't.

She didn't have it, and unfortunately, neither did Wei Zhuang.

Zhu Ehua's parents passed away when she was young. She was adopted, but her adoptive parents weren't well-off. Later, they had their own children, and from a young age, she had to live under their scrutiny, always afraid of being kicked out. Even eating a piece of meat felt like walking on eggshells.

Fortunately, she was quite attractive, having come from a beauty pageant background, and successfully entered the entertainment industry. Later, she gave a large sum of money to her adoptive family, settling the debt of gratitude. She took back her biological father's surname, adopted a stage name, resolving the grievances of the first half of her life and starting anew.

No matter what she did in her life, she would always remember to do it for herself, bearing the consequences without any complaints.

Zhu Ehua sat by her bed, watching her for a while, then reached out to brush her hair aside, sighing with a smile, "...You're so ruthless with yourself."

"With such a strong will, you must get what you want."

She smiled, leaned down, and placed a soft kiss on Wei Zhuang's forehead.

Finally, she stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out. No one knew she had come or gone.

To this day, Zhu Ehua was still surprised that she had recalled this past event. Indeed, age had caught up with her. A hint of sentimental weariness flashed in her eyes as she slowly walked away.

Xiaoyuan sat in the car on her way back. The night was as thick as ink, and the lights along the road were beautiful, one after another.

"You make eating look so appetizing!" Both He Chenying and Ruan Qing had said this. She had eaten with Wei Zhuang several times but had hardly spoken. She wondered what Wei Zhuang thought of her eating habits.

After a busy day, she felt a bit tired and covered her mouth as she let out a small yawn.

She opened WeChat, but Wei Zhuang still hadn't sent her a message.

[I'm heading back now. Are you done with work?] she sent.

After waiting for a while, there was still no reply. Xiaoyuan stared at her phone for a long time, recalling Wei Zhuang's troubled expression last night, and suddenly felt uneasy.

"Uncle Wang, wait a moment." Xiaoyuan called the car to a stop and began to dial a voice call.

Almost at the last second before the ringtone ended, Wei Zhuang answered.

"...Have you gone back?"

"...No." Wei Zhuang's voice sounded a bit hoarse.

Xiaoyuan's heart clenched, carefully considering what to say.

Wei Zhuang: "I won't be going back tonight, you don't have to wait for me."

Xiaoyuan hesitated, wanting to say more, but Wei Zhuang remained silent for several seconds before hanging up.

"Miss, shall we drive?" the driver, Uncle Wang, asked.

Xiaoyuan absentmindedly replied, "Yes."

Her heart was tangled in a mess, unable to sort out a clear thought. Her phone was clutched in her palm, almost making her sweat.

With others, she might have had some advantage, but with Wei Zhuang, she was completely inexperienced. Every step forward felt like probing a river in the dark, relying solely on intuition.

She took a deep breath, as if this action could gather enough courage, and pressed the voice call button again.

Wei Zhuang leaned back against the sofa, her slender white hand pressed against her forehead. Half of her face was hidden in the dim shadows, and her long eyelashes cast a slightly trembling arc on her cold, translucent skin.

The phone on the crystal table kept vibrating, persistently urging her to pick it up.

Such persistence could only mean it was Xiaoyuan.

Wei Zhuang picked up the phone, glanced at it, and indeed, it was her. Her finger hovered over the screen for a while before finally tapping to answer.

Xiaoyuan's clear, soft voice came through, "Frances, where are you? Can I come find you?"

Wei Zhuang's lips unconsciously bit down, her teeth leaving a faint mark on her lower lip, which quickly smoothed out.

Xiaoyuan paused, then softly called her name again.

There was a faint buzz of static in her ear, and the distant hum of traffic from Xiaoyuan's side came through, her voice carrying a tangible sense of reality.

Just like her kiss, gentle and warm, it softly pressed against her.

The way she looked over, her eyes fluttering like stars shimmering on the surface of a lake.

Wei Zhuang responded softly, "Okay."

After ending the call, she retreated to the chat window, scrolling up until she reached that particular sticker.

On the screen was a black-and-white cat with big, blinking eyes, its tail wagging obediently.

Wei Zhuang gazed at it quietly, a faint light flickering in her eyes. She raised her index finger and gently tapped it.

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