"I thought you were a sensible person, and that this much would be enough to make you understand… It seems you’re still not quite grasping the situation."
Although Xiang Wan had a premonition, she was still surprised to hear it directly from the other woman's mouth.
"Madam Lu, regardless, I am the woman Lu Mingzhe wants."
"If not for me, then for your son's sake, how could you be so extreme?"
"Aren't you afraid he'll be heartbroken? Aren't you afraid he'll hate you when he finds out about all this?"
Madam Lu scoffed, "There are plenty of women who like my son. You're not the first, and you won't be the last. I’m not about to be overly maternal."
"Of course, I'm afraid he'll hate me when he knows. That's why I won't leave any evidence."
"Xiang Wan, your relationship with my son ends here. Once this batch of orders is shipped, get rid of the child. I'll have the company terminate your account, give you a decent sum of money, and you can leave."
"I won't touch a hair on your head. I just want your guarantee that you'll never contact him again. How about that?"
Xiang Wan found her terrifying.
Of all the people she had known in her life, Madam Lu was the most frightening mother.
"You're actually telling me to abort the child? Do you know how much Lu Mingzhe loves this child? He'll go mad without it."
"There's no such thing as perfect concealment in this world. Once you do something, there will always be evidence. Sooner or later, he'll find out, and then he'll hate you to death."
Madam Lu sneered.
"By then, he'll have already remarried and had more children, living the life he desires. Whether he hates me or not, I don't know. Thinking of you will just be a trivial anecdote."
"Don't be so overconfident. Life is unpredictable. Men aren't as devoted as you imagine."
"While you're still young, attractive, and have some savings, Miss Xiang, you can easily start a new life elsewhere. Trust me, you'll still have options."
"Your relationship with my son is just the beginning. Because of your social connections, he'll face endless trouble."
"He's already been divorced once. He can't handle another upheaval. I don't want him to become a laughingstock in this circle. So, please be sensible."
Her unreasonable and aggressive demeanor left Xiang Wan speechless.
After a pause.
"Let's be direct. If I don't leave, what else are you planning to do?"
"You will leave. Believe me. Even if you don't agree today, you'll come begging me tomorrow, crying."
If she weren't Lu Mingzhe's mother, if she weren't an elder, Xiang Wan would have slapped her across the face.
For the first time, she was so angry she gritted her teeth.
"Then just wait for me to come begging you!"
The two parted ways once more, their conversation ending unhappily.
Because of Madam Lu's threat, the first thing Xiang Wan did upon returning to her studio was call the manufacturer in Shangcheng.
She inquired about the progress of their products and how many orders had been shipped.
Having been tricked once, she couldn't bear to be deceived a second time.
Fortunately, the connections Tang Haichao had made were quite reliable. The representative answered all her questions and sent her various screenshots.
Once the factory entered stable production, they were shipping out 5,000 items daily.
Customers gradually received their goods, and the funds slowly started to flow back in. Seeing the financial statements, Xiang Wan finally felt a sense of relief.
Moreover, she received good news that afternoon. The property transfer documents were processed ahead of schedule, and she was told to complete the registration the next day.
Xiang Wan couldn't contain her excitement, and she hadn't been in touch with Tang Haichao for a while after using his help.
Once the house was transferred, they would no longer have the opportunity to be neighbors. She wanted to take this chance to talk to Tang Haichao.
She hoped he wouldn't abandon their friendship just because she had used him and moved on.
She sent Tang Haichao a WeChat message, and he quickly called her back.
"Are you resting today? Are you free? I'd like to invite you to sit down together."
"What's wrong? Is something going on?"
"There is, actually. But if you're busy or it's inconvenient, that's fine. We can talk on the phone too."
Xiang Wan replied, "No, no, no, I have time. Let's meet at our usual spot."
They met at the coffee shop they had visited before, and Tang Haichao got straight to the point.
"Did you offend someone?"
Xiang Wan was startled. "Why ask that so suddenly?"
"To be honest, in the past couple of days, someone has been going to Shangcheng to negotiate with the factory managers. If not for our special relationship, you would be in big trouble right now."
A cold sweat broke out on Xiang Wan's back.
Madam Lu had only warned her this morning, and she thought the repercussions wouldn't start until after the warning.
Turns out, things had already begun.
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble again."
Tang Haichao said, "What trouble? It's just a few words, a small favor. The key thing is you."
"In the early stages of starting a business, a single setback can prevent you from ever getting back up."
"That's what I thought! How could it be such a coincidence that you found that factory, and the manager had some issue... Who exactly did you offend?"
Tang Haichao considered her a true friend, so Xiang Wan felt obligated to tell him the truth.
After listening, Tang Haichao was silent for a moment and then advised her.
"Xiang Wan, I have to say, our situations are quite similar."
"As you can see the outcome of my situation, really, take my word for it. There's a reason why ancient wisdom is still passed down today. A forced melon isn't sweet."
Xiang Wan's heart sank, as if her current predicament had been exposed, but she didn't want to admit it.
"But Lu Mingzhe and I have no conflicts. He's willing to cut ties with his parents for me."
"My wife was like that too. To marry me, she didn't hesitate to sever ties with her family. But once a child arrives, people still keep in touch."
Tang Haichao said, "Conflicts don't disappear; they breed and multiply."
"You might tolerate one thing, then two. Over time, it will inevitably erupt."
"Of course, I can't be 100% sure you'll end up like me, but given his mother's overbearing nature, I advise you to cut your losses while you still can."
"As they get older and their health deteriorates, their entitlement to act out of seniority grows. Your son can't bear to see his mother unhappy, so he'll constantly yield..."
Tang Haichao's words stirred up a storm in Xiang Wan's heart.
Because that was exactly what she had been thinking.
Once the baby was born, once it was a done deal, the Lu family would have no choice but to accept her.
But now, she realized she had oversimplified the problem.
She had thought that once people accepted her and she entered the Lu family, conflicts would cease to exist.
But given Madam Lu's disdain for her, that was impossible.
They would undoubtedly face many mother-in-law and daughter-in-law issues in the future.
However, was she really going to give up on Lu Mingzhe just because of this? She couldn't.
Lu Mingzhe was innocent, the child was innocent, and their love was innocent.
She held onto a sliver of hope, believing that sincerity would prevail and love would conquer all.