Xiang Wan was speechless towards her.
She had been out in the world since she was a teenager, and now, approaching thirty, what kind of men hadn't she met? What kind of boyfriends hadn't she dated?
Yet, she still made such a low-level mistake.
This suddenly reminded her of what Lu Mingzhe's mother had told her yesterday, and she found it quite reasonable.
"Xiao Hui, it's not that I want to discourage you, but do you really think it's that easy for someone with our background and past to marry into such a good family?"
"Even if that man discovers your shining points and disregards everything else, determined to be with you, what about his family? His parents, relatives, friends – how will they view us? Have you ever thought about that?"
"You shouldn't have given up your job to focus solely on him."
"Even if you get married in the future, there's no guarantee you won't have arguments. If you don't leave yourself an escape route, being kicked out would be the least of it."
"When he gets tired of you, brings someone else into the house, and you find yourself with nowhere to go, that's when it's truly tragic."
These words were spoken to Mai Wenhui, and at the same time, a reminder to herself.
At any time, one must not lose oneself excessively in a man's sweet talk.
If a person willingly puts themselves in the position of a pet, living according to someone else's mood, and abandons their own survival skills.
Then their demise is not far off.
Mai Wenhui wiped away her tears and sighed.
"Don't you think I understand the logic of what you're saying? It's just that I'm not as clear-headed as you are; I'm simply a love-struck fool."
"I've never been valued since childhood. As soon as a man sweet-talks me, I don't know who I am."
"This time, I've seen him clearly. It's a lesson learned. Please don't scold me anymore."
"I still need to rely on this face to earn money, so hurry and take me to the hospital."
Neither of them knew anyone at the hospital, so it took them the entire morning to queue for registration, undergo examinations, and get prescriptions.
Afterward, Xiang Wan needed to return to the studio, and Mai Wenhui had nowhere to go.
"I'll go with you. I'm really scared right now and don't dare to be alone. Besides, I have nowhere else to go."
Xiang Wan knew she had no money and felt sorry for her being alone.
But in her current state, going to the studio with her would be a joke.
"How about this, you won't find a place to stay anytime soon, and staying in a hotel long-term isn't a solution. I'll help you rent a place."
"It'll be in the same apartment complex where we used to live. I still have the landlord's number. If it's suitable, you can move in, okay?"
That was the only way.
Another round of busyness.
After buying some basic necessities, Xiang Wan took her there, completed a simple handover with the landlord, and then returned to the studio, exhausted.
Videos need continuous updates to retain fans effectively, so she still had filming tasks today.
Everyone helped her with makeup and changing clothes, preparing to go to a location they had scouted for outdoor shooting.
However, when she stood up, her head felt very dizzy, and she almost fell to the ground.
Everyone quickly helped her and asked what was wrong.
"It's nothing. I didn't eat lunch, so my blood sugar might be a bit low. I'll be fine after a rest."
Everyone rushed to get her something to eat.
After drinking some water and resting for a while, she went out to work.
Midway through the shoot, Lu Mingzhe called.
Xiang Wan, in order to catch up with the schedule, didn't answer.
She planned to call him back when she returned.
Who knew that by the end of the shoot, Lu Mingzhe had been waiting anxiously, sending one WeChat message after another, his phone nearly exploding.
"What are you so busy with? You don't even have time to reply to a message?"
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Did the baby bother you today?"
"What did you have for lunch? I have their phone number. Another batch of cakes from yesterday is out, do you want me to buy some and send them to you?"
"Where are you? If you don't reply soon, I'm coming directly to the studio to find you."
As everyone sat in the car on the way back, Xiang Wan replied to him, saying she had been busy all day and didn't have time to look at her phone.
Lu Mingzhe, unsure if he was angry or not, stopped replying.
Xiang Wan was still thinking of calling him back when she returned to the studio, but as their car pulled up downstairs, she saw him from afar.
That sunny, handsome figure was casually walking towards her; he had indeed come looking for her!
Due to filming requirements and for easier post-production editing, Xiang Wan's makeup was a bit heavy.
As soon as he got out of the car and saw her heavy makeup and high heels, Lu Mingzhe was unhappy.
"Can't someone else take the photos? Or just turn up the beauty filter, even without it, your looks are great, why do you wear makeup every day?"
"They say makeup is bad for the baby. Also, you wear such high heels all day, aren't you afraid of falling? What if you hurt the child?"
She didn't know if all men reacted this way when they found out they were going to be dads, or if it was because Lu Mingzhe was older.
Xiang Wan always felt that his concern for this child was even greater than her own.
To be honest, she didn't particularly desire to be a mother.
When she was young, although her parents were still alive, their family lived in poverty.
Poverty breeds strife; she lived for over a decade amidst their constant bickering.
Later, her parents passed away, and she, alone, tasted all the bittersweet experiences of life.
She always felt that life was not worth it.
Especially as a girl, living in this world was not easy.
Before Lu Mingzhe asked her to have a child, she had never even fantasized about having one.
"I'm not stupid, won't I take them off when I'm uncomfortable? Why aren't you working properly? Always running over here."
"How can I not run over here? Look at you, dressed so beautifully all day, and surrounded by men."
As he spoke, he started to get jealous.
"Jiang Nan Fang's career is much bigger than yours; she solely manages an electronics company. Even though she's pregnant now, isn't she obediently staying home to rest?"
"If you ask me, you shouldn't push yourself so hard. Leave your work to them. As a leader, you just need to make decisions on major matters; there's no need to be hands-on."
"The first step to a successful career is learning to delegate. You exhaust yourself like a dog every day, what are you doing this for?"
Xiang Wan didn't expect him to have such a feudalistic side.
This was just the beginning, and he already wanted her to stay at home and be a good wife and mother.
She was immediately displeased.
"What am I doing this for? Of course, it's for earning money."
Lu Mingzhe, as if not hearing her displeasure, continued his male chauvinism.
"Money, how much is enough? Name a figure, and I'll transfer it directly to your card. Go home and rest, okay?"
Before she was pregnant, or at any other time, if Lu Mingzhe made such a joke with her, Xiang Wan might have been happy.
But now, it was different.
Her friend had just been kicked out by her man, and Lu Mingzhe kept bringing up the child.
She was afraid that after giving birth, her figure would be ruined, she would become an aging, plain-faced woman, lose her ability to earn money, and then Lu Mingzhe would no longer value her.
"What do you take me for? A fertility machine? Or your pet?"