Zhan Jiayi took a bite of the apple and said, "I feel so happy."
"You're easily satisfied if this makes you happy," Xie Zhendong said, glancing at her belly. "Once you give birth safely, I'll give you ten percent of the company's shares. Then we'll see who dares to bully you."
Zhan Jiayi's eyes immediately welled up. "I don't want those things. I just want our child to be born safely."
Xie Zhendong held her hand, about to say something more, when his phone vibrated.
He saw it was the caregiver looking after his mother at another hospital.
"Is something wrong with my mother?"
The caregiver said, "Mr. Xie, the old lady saw the news online this morning and her blood pressure suddenly shot up, causing her to faint. The doctors just managed to revive her, and she's insisting on seeing you."
"Ah, I'll be right there." He didn't understand why his mother was having another episode; he had thought her blood pressure was stable after the doctor's initial report.
Seeing his grave expression, Zhan Jiayi asked, "Is something wrong with the old lady?"
Xie Zhendong nodded. "She fainted again, but she's been revived. I need to go there quickly."
"Go quickly. I'm fine, and the nanny is here. Don't worry."
"Take care of yourself." Xie Zhendong rushed to the hospital where his mother was staying.
On the way, he finally had time to skim through the day's online news. No wonder his mother fainted. It was all Feng Rou's doing.
He had warned her not to cause trouble, but that foolish woman had still made a scene with Jiayi, attracting gossip reporters. Now the scandal was all over town. He wished he could slap her to death.
He arrived at his mother's hospital. She had already recovered and was sitting up in bed, while the caregiver tried to persuade her to eat some congee.
However, she had no appetite and waved the caregiver away, sighing.
"Mom, are you alright?" Xie Zhendong asked as he approached the bedside.
Upon seeing him, the old lady said angrily, "Sit down!"
Xie Zhendong sat down. "Mom, don't believe the nonsense online..."
"Nonsense? I saw the photos accompanying the news. Do you dare say the people in the photos aren't you and Feng Rou!" the old lady exclaimed, then clutched her chest, gasping for breath.
The caregiver beside her quickly massaged her chest, helping her to breathe easier.
"Mom, your health isn't good right now. Please don't get too agitated," Xie Zhendong advised.
The old lady pushed the caregiver away and said to the other caregivers in the room, "You all can leave now."
Xie Zhendong echoed, "I'm here with Mom. You all can go. Call us if you need anything."
After the caregivers exited the room, the old lady said, "Are you trying to create more trouble for the Xie family? You're keeping another woman on the side. If keeping a woman is one thing, but to treat your wife like this for an outsider, it's unforgivable!"
"Mom! I have my reasons for doing this. Please don't worry about it."
"What reasons do you have? And you dare to be so self-righteous!" the old lady said angrily. "You go and apologize to Feng Rou immediately, break off with this woman completely, get all this news taken down, and explain everything to the media!"
"It's all just gossip and tabloid news. There's no need to pay attention. In Lancheng, who among the prominent figures hasn't been in this kind of news..."
"Like father, like son. No wonder Qining acts recklessly; it's all because of your upbringing as a father!" The old lady trembled with anger, seeing no remorse or regret in Xie Zhendong.
Xie Zhendong, worried his mother might faint again, refrained from arguing. He softened his tone. "Mom, Qining was mostly raised by Feng Rou. I barely had any say. Please listen to me. The woman I'm seeing is named Zhan Jiayi. It's not what you think. The reason I'm treating her so well is because she's carrying my child."
Hearing the last sentence, the old lady froze, her anger vanishing.
Xie Zhendong continued, "Our Xie family has always had few descendants. With Qining's current situation, I'm truly worried about handing the group over to him in the future. Isn't it good to have another potential heir?"
"But Feng Rou..."
"Mom, Feng Rou has to accept this, whether she likes it or not. Look at the three children she's given our Xie family; have any of them been raised well? Can you blame me for that?"
The old lady couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure that woman is carrying your child?"
"Mom, what do you mean by that? Do I not know if it's my child?" Xie Zhendong said with outward certainty, but suddenly realized he had never considered the question.
"Are the women you meet outside clean? How can you be sure?"
Xie Zhendong replied, "We can do a DNA test once the child is born. You can be completely assured of that."
The old lady leaned back. Xie Zhendong got up and helped his mother adjust her pillows. "Mom, I'm already this age. I won't mess around with my own affairs. I'm also considering the future of the Xie family and the Xie Corporation."
"At your age, to have another child, it's truly unexpected. Sigh, but you must appease Feng Rou's emotions. Things like what's being said online shouldn't happen."
"Understood. I'll handle it. Please focus on recovering your health." Xie Zhendong was greatly relieved seeing his mother's attitude soften, as it seemed she could accept Zhan Jiayi's child.
"Alas, lying here in the hospital, thinking about how such a good child like Qining has been ruined, it pains me," the old lady confided in her son. "Whether it's my great-grandson or the child your woman is carrying, they are still infants. I won't get to see them grow up. You have to manage all of this yourself..."
"Mom, don't say that. You will live a long life and see these children grow up."
"Don't comfort me. I know my own body." The old lady looked at him. "Find an opportunity to bring that woman to meet me. I want to see the woman who could make my son fall in love at his age."
The old lady knew her son well. He had always been serious and reserved. Although he married Feng Rou for the family, there was no real affection between them.
But he wasn't one for women, dedicating his mind and body to the Xie Corporation. That was why, after he took over the company, it was able to escape crisis and develop better and better, ensuring the Xie family always held a significant position in Lancheng's business world.
She wanted to see what attracted this woman, who had made her son fall in love, to him. Otherwise, she couldn't be entirely at ease.
"Alright, I'll bring her to visit you next time," Xie Zhendong agreed.
The old lady reminded him, "Make sure to avoid Feng Rou. I don't want to encounter any awkward situations."
"Understood." Xie Zhendong thought that after calming his mother down, he would settle accounts with Feng Rou when he returned.
The old lady saw through her son's thoughts and said sternly, "When you go back, don't bully Feng Rou. You two must face the gossip together. If you want her to accept this, you need to give her time. I'll also talk to her and try to persuade her."