Wei Anguo was about to speak when Wei Yumeng heard Yin Fang's voice.
"Stop talking nonsense. If it causes a misunderstanding, do you think the Zhan family won't destroy you!"
Wei Yumeng only heard a cold beeping sound. When she tried to call again, the phone was already switched off.
She lost the mood to continue shopping for clothes. She randomly found a store, picked out her size, and without even trying them on, paid and left quickly.
Carrying the shopping bag, she hailed a taxi by the roadside. On the way back, her mind was filled with thoughts of the man in the hotel. Who could he be?
And that mysterious man, was he just helping her vent her anger? But his methods were extremely brutal. Was he not afraid of miscalculating and hitting someone to death?
As she pondered, Zhan Mohan's call came in. Her finger paused on the screen before she slid to answer.
Her tone was polite yet wary.
"Mr. Zhan, I'm out buying clothes for work."
"You, now, immediately, come back!"
The man's voice was chilling, and his anger seemed to sweep through the phone receiver.
Wei Yumeng felt a chill down her spine, and her grip on the phone tightened.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
She traveled back with a heavy heart, having considered all possibilities but unable to fathom why Zhan Mohan was so furious.
As she entered the hall, she saw everyone from the Zhan family seated there. The atmosphere was tense, making it difficult to even breathe.
"You... what's wrong?"
Wen Yulan sat on a chair and snorted, "How dare you ask what's wrong? We should be asking you, what good deeds have you been up to behind our backs?"
Wei Yumeng looked confused.
"I haven't done anything."
Zhan Mohan suddenly asked, "Then whose is the child in your belly?"
Wei Yumeng's heart sank, her face turning as pale as paper. Her mind raced, wondering how they knew she was pregnant.
Zhan Yichen seemed to see through her thoughts.
"I told you long ago that this woman is not simple, she's cunning and has ulterior motives for coming to our family."
Fang Xun pushed Zhan Mohan towards Wei Yumeng. Although the man was sitting, Wei Yumeng didn't even have the courage to meet his gaze. His aura was palpable, and her shoulders trembled.
Zhan Mohan held a medical report and threw it at Wei Yumeng's face.
"The evidence is conclusive. What else do you have to explain?"
Wei Yumeng watched the ultrasound report on the floor. It was from the check-up she had done after finding something amiss last time. She had kept it hidden, so how did Zhan Mohan find it?
Wen Yulan sneered, "You thought you were being meticulous, but you want to hide things in the Zhan family? That's a pipe dream. The servants clean every day, every nook and cranny, missing nothing."
At this point, she no longer wanted to hide it.
"This child is mine, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. I believe Zhan Mohan doesn't want to be tied to me forever. You brought me into this family because the fortune teller said I could help him stand up. When he recovers, I will leave the Zhan family. I don't want anything, but please let me keep this child."
After all, it was a life, her own child, with no connection to anyone else.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Mohan was even angrier, not appeased. This woman was audacious, not only carrying another man's child but also planning to leave once he recovered.
His expression grew darker, like a king of hell emerging from the underworld, soul-snatching and captivating.
Wei Yumeng hadn't recovered when her wrist was suddenly pulled with force. She looked up and met the man's furious eyes, her heart pounding.
"Are you planning to run away with your bastard and that wild man once I can stand?"
Wen Yulan chimed in, "Exactly, Wei Yumeng. Do you think it's that easy to get into the Zhan family, to come and go as you please?"
Old Master Zhan, seated on the high seat, had remained silent, but that didn't mean he wouldn't intervene.
After everyone had finished their chattering, Old Master Zhan banged the table, silencing the hall instantly.
"Wei Yumeng, the child in your belly cannot be kept. I don't care how this child came about; the Zhan family cannot afford to lose face."
Old Master Zhan, as the head of the family, spoke directly, leaving Wei Yumeng no room for maneuver.
Hearing Old Master Zhan's words, Wei Yumeng instinctively protected her belly.
"This child is mine. Please, don't force me to abort it. It's an innocent life."
Zhan Mohan was almost driven to death by this woman. He roughly pushed her away.
"Your bastard child or the Zhan family's reputation, which do you think is more important? You have two choices now: either get rid of the child, or your entire Wei family will pay the price!"
He then added unhurriedly,
"I heard your mother's fate is still unknown. If you really want to keep the child in your belly, you shouldn't mind a life for a life."
Wei Yumeng's eyes widened abruptly, and she gasped.
"Don't touch my mother!"
She was already teetering on the edge of life and death. If anyone were to deliver another heavy blow at this moment, she truly wouldn't survive.
Zhan Mohan's face was ashen, his voice as cold as an ice cellar, "Then make your decision now!"
Wei Yumeng felt like she was walking a tightrope. Any slip would send her plummeting to her death.
For now, she couldn't confront Zhan Mohan head-on. If she angered him, he might immediately drag her to the hospital for an abortion.
"Okay, I'll get rid of the child."
Wen Yulan interjected at this point, "By the way, whose child is it in her belly?"
Zhan Mohan's face turned completely cold.
"Mother, you don't need to worry about that. Since it's going to be aborted, how it came about is irrelevant."
Wen Yulan knew Zhan Mohan was displeased and meekly shut her mouth.
With all the issues seemingly resolved, everyone dispersed. Wei Yumeng returned to her room and slumped onto the bed, her mind racing with how to save the child in her womb.
Just then, her phone vibrated beside her. She glanced at it, her expression momentarily stunned. She dared not not answer, fearing the person might do something drastic.
Zhan Mohan had seemed to go out with Fang Xun to discuss some matters and shouldn't be back immediately.
She walked to the balcony, closed the window, covered the phone receiver, and lowered her voice.
"Can you consider me? Don't call at this time. If the Zhan family hears, do you know how much trouble you'll cause me!"
What did this person want to do?
"I heard your pregnancy was exposed, and the Zhan family is making you abort it."
"So? Can you help me?"
"I told you before, I have a way for you to leave the Zhan family and live the life you want, but you refused."
Indeed, this man had proposed it before, but she didn't have the courage to believe his words. She was already so scared that she didn't dare to trust anyone easily.
However, now the Zhan family was determined to make her abort the child, and this stranger knew about it. Why not seize this opportunity to eliminate one source of trouble first?
She asked him with a trembling voice, "Can... can you really help me?"
"As long as you are willing, I can help you escape the Zhan family."
The man said with absolute certainty.
"Then, tonight, you come to find me."
Hearing her agree, the man's voice turned cheerful.
"Baby, wait for me..."
Putting away her phone, Wei Yumeng clasped her hands together, praying silently that tonight would go smoothly.
This person was good in one aspect: he had never gone back on his word once he promised. She didn't dare to sleep for the first half of the night, replaying the scene that was about to unfold.
At one o'clock in the morning, she heard a sound. Just as she propped herself up on the floor, the man's clear voice, mixed with the scent of tobacco, enveloped her.
He gently bit her earlobe, wrapped his arm around her waist, and his voice was mellow and pleasant.
"You've been waiting for me impatiently, haven't you? Let me have a kiss first."
Wei Yumeng's body stiffened, but unlike usual, she didn't refuse him. Instead, she slowly turned around and said playfully,
"Don't be in such a hurry. Didn't you say you were taking me away? Tell me your plan first."
"Let me have a kiss, and then I'll tell you..."
"Then you close your eyes first, and I'll kiss you."
The man smirked devilishly, "So you've learned to be mysterious now."
"Isn't that from you?" she said, trying to distract him, while fumbling for her phone nearby.
Her flashlight had been on since the beginning, but it was tucked under the blanket.
The moment the man closed his eyes, she quickly picked up her phone and shone the light on his face.