"You don't want this, you don't want that, then what exactly do you want?" Ji Zhi Xiu said coldly and ruthlessly.
No one knew the monstrous rage boiling inside him; Ji Zhi Xiu wished he could kill this scumbag Jiang Cheng right then and there.
Ji Zhi Lan stopped crying, "Brother, don't force me, just let me think first, okay?"
Her voice was weak and listless, and Ji Zhi Xiu didn't want to say more.
"As you wish."
Finally, Ji Zhi Xiu turned his head to ask Mother Ji, "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Mother Ji sighed deeply, "No more. Why don't you stay for a while? You must be tired from rushing back."
Thinking of Jiang Mian at home, Ji Zhi Xiu decisively refused, "No need, I'm going back. If Zhi Lan has thought it through, you can contact me then."
Hearing his refusal, Mother Ji didn't insist. Right now, she didn't want to think about anything else but persuading her daughter to abort the child.
Father Ji said, "Zhi Xiu, help your sister with this matter more."
Ji Zhi Xiu's gaze fixed on his face, and he scoffed inwardly. Without responding, he said, "I'm leaving."
He turned and stepped out the door, Xiang Long waiting for him outside. Seeing him emerge, Xiang Long lowered his head and followed behind without a word.
Jiang Mian was excitedly reading the script. Director Wang thought her profile was good and, through her agent, decided to give Jiang Mian a chance.
The specific audition time hadn't been set, so Jiang Mian needed to use this period to study it thoroughly.
The movie's preliminary title was "Class Three High School," a youth art film. After the college entrance exams, some people got into their dream universities, some gave up the opportunity to continue their studies, and some, their entire lives, never managed to voice the words "I like you."
After reading the script, Jiang Mian deeply empathized. She understood the heroine's feelings so well! Because the male lead was exceptionally outstanding, such a gentle and kind person, the poor heroine never dared to express her feelings directly.
The male lead had never forced anything. At the high school graduation party, the male lead finally decided to speak his mind, but on that day, the heroine had a prior engagement.
She encountered an accident and, from then on, remained stuck in time.
Jiang Mian felt heartbroken watching it. What could be more tragic than two people in love unable to be together?
She sobbed and cried through a whole pack of tissues. While crying, she discovered that her foundation was surprisingly smudge-proof. Jiang Mian looked at herself in the mirror, and her mood brightened.
Seeing Ji Zhi Xiu return, she walked over and asked, "Did something happen?"
He had rushed back so quickly; something must have happened, right?
Ji Zhi Xiu didn't intend to hide it from Jiang Mian. "Ji Zhi Lan is pregnant," he summarized in one sentence.
Jiang Mian was surprised. Pregnancy wasn't a huge deal, but if she remembered correctly, hadn't Ji Zhi Lan broken up with her ex-boyfriend long ago? So, the current situation was an unplanned pregnancy with the intention to keep the child? Otherwise, why would Ji Zhi Xiu rush back?
Jiang Mian poured him a glass of watermelon juice and handed it to him. "She wants to keep the baby?"
"Yes."
His displeasure was evident on his face. Seeing his emotions so openly displayed, Jiang Mian knew he was genuinely extremely unhappy.
She hugged the man. "Don't be angry. They're all adults now; they have to bear the consequences of their choices."
Ji Zhi Xiu lowered his gaze to the woman leaning on him. He cupped her chin and lifted her face, his eyes suddenly narrowing. "You've been crying?"
Jiang Mian's face flushed with embarrassment as she explained, "The new script, it's too moving..."
He slowly stroked Jiang Mian's cheek and suddenly became less angry, his tone distant. "You're right. She's an adult; I have no right to interfere with her choices."
After Jiang Mian said a few comforting words, Ji Zhi Xiu's mood improved considerably. What Ji Zhi Lan wanted to choose was her business; he respected and blessed it.
Ji Zhi Lan didn't want to go abroad, nor did she want to abort the child. With the Ji family's financial resources, raising a child was more than enough.
She had to find a way to have the child here.
The next day, she went for a prenatal check-up at the same private hospital. After the examination, everything went smoothly. As Ji Zhi Lan was descending the stairs, someone grabbed her wrist, followed by a question, "Zhi Lan, what are you doing here? Are you sick?"
Hearing the voice, Ji Zhi Lan's face stiffened. "What's it to you?"
Jiang Cheng was holding a bag of medicine. His mother had high blood pressure and diabetes and needed regular medication. He hadn't expected to run into Ji Zhi Lan today while picking up her prescription.
Ji Zhi Lan didn't answer. He wasn't annoyed and looked at the prenatal check-up slip in Ji Zhi Lan's hand, his eyes bursting with joy. "Zhi Lan, you're pregnant. Is it my child?"
Ji Zhi Lan's grip on the pregnancy test slip tightened, regretting not hiding it sooner. "Let's talk somewhere else."
A coffee shop.
Jiang Cheng suppressed his overwhelming joy. It was truly a turn of events. He had thought he and Ji Zhi Lan had no chance this time, but now there was a child.
Ji Zhi Lan's mood was complicated. Jiang Cheng's happiness didn't seem faked. Perhaps, for the sake of this child, he could be a good father?
Jiang Cheng spoke cautiously, "This is our child, right? Zhi Lan, let's get married and give the child a legitimate status. If you're unwilling, I'm also willing to serve both of you, mother and child. You're pregnant, so don't drink coffee. Waiter, a glass of orange juice, please."
Ji Zhi Lan watched him fuss around, wiping the table for her, then bringing her orange juice. In terms of taking care of people, Jiang Cheng had always been good at it. She had a bad temper and often played pranks on Jiang Cheng, making him buy her milk tea in the scorching summer heat, and he would go without a complaint. Whenever she called, Jiang Cheng would appear before her, without a single word of grievance.
As she thought about it, Ji Zhi Lan couldn't help but shed tears. Her feelings for Jiang Cheng were genuine. Even with her family's strong opposition, she hadn't broken up with him.
Seeing her cry, Jiang Cheng instantly panicked. He grabbed a few tissues to wipe her tears. "Don't cry, A Lan, don't cry. I know I'm a scumbag and hurt your feelings. If you don't want to see me, I'll leave now. Don't be angry and make yourself sick; I'll be heartbroken..."
Ji Zhi Lan wiped away her tears. "Jiang Cheng, the child is yours. But with things as they are, we can't be together."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng immediately became anxious. "A Lan, give me another chance. I promise, it won't happen again. I will be a qualified father. Can you give me a chance to take care of you both? If you think it's okay, then we'll get the certificate."
Ji Zhi Lan's intention to keep the child was beyond his expectations. But since there was a chance, he would not miss it.
Ji Zhi Lan frowned slightly, genuinely considering the feasibility. If she married Jiang Cheng, the child could be legitimately kept, and she wouldn't have to go abroad.
She gripped the cup, her heart filled with hesitation, then raised her chin. "I'll think about it again."
Ji Zhi Lan was driven back to the Ji family by Jiang Cheng.
Mother Ji had spent all day yesterday trying to persuade her and was so angry that she ignored her when she went for her prenatal check-up today. With the Chinese New Year approaching, the atmosphere at home was particularly oppressive.
Ji Zhi Lan arrived home and linked her arm through her mother's. "Mom, I want to marry Jiang Cheng."
"Alright," Mother Ji said, her expression impassive.
Her prompt agreement made Ji Zhi Lan happy. Then she realized something was amiss; this didn't seem like her mother's usual behavior.
As expected, Mother Ji continued, "I want Jiang Cheng's family to pay for a banquet at Biyun in Kyoto, and he needs to buy an apartment in the city center. Can he do that? As dowry, we won't accept any gift money from you. In addition, we'll provide two cars and fifty million yuan as dowry."
Ji Zhi Lan was displeased. "Mom, what kind of place is Biyun? It's the best five-star hotel in Kyoto. Aren't you asking for Jiang Cheng's life?"
Jiang Cheng was a penniless nobody from a single-parent family, raised by his mother. He and Ji Zhi Lan met because Ji Zhi Lan was once robbed on the street, and Jiang Cheng bravely pursued the robber at great personal risk.
At the time, she found him to be both gentle and innocent. Slowly, a seed of love began to sprout.
The Ji family knew all about his background. Mother Ji's words clearly indicated she was deliberately making things difficult for Jiang Cheng. Not to mention buying an apartment in the city center, which was utterly impossible.
Mother Ji's expression turned grim. "You are a young lady of the Ji family. Are you going to marry without a word and have us pretend we never had such a daughter? Or will you expect your maternal family to pay for the banquet? Does that sound right?"
Ji Zhi Lan shrugged indifferently. "Then we won't have a banquet, Mom. It's not good to wear a wedding dress with a big belly."
Mother Ji was so angered that her lungs ached. "Ji Zhi Lan, I really don't understand you. With so many good men out there, why must you be with Jiang Cheng? Lu San, who is around your brother, or Young Master Shen, which one of them isn't better than him?"
Ji Zhi Lan frowned. "Can I be with Shen Mu Yuan? If we dated, it would be a long-distance relationship now, and with us barely seeing each other, who could handle that? As for Lu San, he has a bad reputation. I don't know why Brother always likes to be with him. Mom, Jiang Cheng is actually very good to me."
Mother Ji looked at her daughter, who bore a striking resemblance to her, with a complex expression. "Zhi Lan, Mom actually loves you very much."
Ji Zhi Lan was stunned. "I know."
"But deep down, you still blame me for taking your brother away back then and not taking you, don't you?" she retorted.
Years ago, Father Ji's affair was discovered, and the mistress brazenly brought her illegitimate son to their home to force a confrontation. Mother Ji couldn't bear such humiliation. She and Father Ji had a marriage of convenience; they didn't have much affection for each other initially. But as time went on, she grew to find him more and more agreeable.
After marrying Father Ji, that year, her maternal family experienced trouble, and their cash flow was broken. Mother Ji was a proud person. The person in power at the time was Old Master Ji. Mother Ji didn't want to be looked down upon and never asked for help. However, Old Master Ji, considering their in-laws, voluntarily injected capital. Her son-in-law, Father Ji, on the other hand, showed no initiative. This deeply hurt Mother Ji.
The appearance of the mistress made Mother Ji disheartened. Between her son and daughter, she chose to take the future successor of the Ji Corporation with her.
She didn't believe her son would remain with her; Father Ji would surely come crawling to beg for her forgiveness.
But the reality was that during their three months in Jiangnan, Father Ji never showed up.
Flowers bloomed and withered, clouds rolled and dispersed, painted boats glided, and the scenery of Jiangnan was picturesque, but Mother Ji never had the heart to appreciate it.
Upon their return, Ji Zhi Xiu was placed under the care of Old Master Ji. She also fell ill and took medicine for a long time. Her daughter no longer clung to her, her gaze always timid. It wasn't until she grew up that she changed considerably.
That unpleasant memory made Mother Ji feel restless. Compared to her daughter, she felt she had wronged her son more.
Mother Ji's words struck the most hidden corner of Ji Zhi Lan's heart. Back then, her mother had taken her brother and disappeared, leaving her behind...