Chapter 242: Chapter 241: Another Day Being Doted on by the In-Laws! 1
Ye Shen hadn’t even started to cry when he heard his aunt say, "Even my little follower doesn’t want to marry his daughter to Little Shen anymore."
The "little follower" his aunt referred to was Ye Shen’s uncle.
He was also the Monarch of S Country.
S Country is a constitutional monarchy.
Ye Shen’s aunt was named Tang Zhou,
his uncle was named Song Chenmo,
and his cousin was named Song Tangtang.
Ye Junqing glanced at his younger son, who was in agony, then said to Tang Zhou, "In your family, do you call the shots, or does your little follower call the shots?"
Tang Zhou, brimming with arrogance, thumped her chest. "Of course it’s me! I am the beloved Empress, second to none in S Country except for one!"
Ye Junqing said, "Well then, if you call the shots, you can decide your daughter’s marriage. I’m asking you, will you listen to me or to your little follower?"
Tang Zhou said, "Isn’t that a rhetorical question? No matter the time or place, of course I’ll listen to you, Brother Qing."
Tang Zhou and Ye Junqing had grown up together since childhood. She was Ye Junqing’s best buddy from childhood until adulthood. Oh, only later it was discovered they weren’t best buddies, but rather like brother and sister—with Tang Zhou being the sister!
When she married Song Chenmo, it was Ye Junqing who forced her.
Ye Junqing had said, "You have to marry him, whether you want to or not." So, Tang Zhou could only marry him in tears.
At that time, A Country’s population was decreasing, so the government implemented a policy where marriage partners were allocated by lottery through the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Song Chenmo was then known as Leng Chenmo, the renowned head of the wealthy Leng Family and Ye Junqing’s arch-rival in the business world.
Tang Zhou always followed Ye Junqing’s lead, so Ye Junqing’s arch-rival was also an enemy in her eyes.
It was revealed that Leng Chenmo was not the Leng Family’s biological heir. Dragged down from his lofty position of power, he was expelled from the Leng Family, becoming a downfallen tycoon.
Tang Zhou laughed for three days and nights, planning to financially support the downfallen tycoon, Leng Chenmo, and make him her little follower, thereby seizing the opportunity to humiliate him.
However, before Tang Zhou could implement her plan, the downfallen tycoon went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to draw lots for a spouse and, as fate would have it, drew Tang Zhou.
The Civil Affairs Bureau’s lottery for spouses always resulted in men drawing women, or women drawing men!
But when Leng Chenmo drew Tang Zhou, Tang Zhou’s biological sex was instantly exposed!
Tang Zhou, who had lived as a man for over twenty years, had her identity as a woman revealed due to Leng Chenmo’s fateful draw!
Tang Zhou was utterly furious at the time!
Tang Zhou only wanted to make Leng Chenmo her little follower, yet Leng Chenmo actually aspired to be her husband!
Tang Zhou adamantly refused to accept Leng Chenmo.
At that time, Ye Shiting, Ye Junqing’s elder brother, was running for President of A Country. Tang Zhou, orphaned since childhood, had been adopted by the Ye Family (raised as their son) and was considered a member.
If Tang Zhou refused to accept the nationally allocated spouse, it would give Ye Shiting’s political opponents leverage to attack him. Therefore, Ye Junqing ordered Tang Zhou to take Leng Chenmo home from the Civil Affairs Bureau. In tears, Tang Zhou brought Leng Chenmo home.
From then on, she had to provide for Leng Chenmo’s food and clothing.
With flamboyant arrogance, Tang Zhou threw a bank card at the downfallen tycoon, Leng Chenmo, declaring, "Remember! From now on, you are my little follower!"
Tang Zhou expected the downfallen tycoon to be humiliated and enraged. Little did she know that Leng Chenmo, who had once been so powerful and seemingly invincible, would become completely submissive to her.
Before she knew it, Tang Zhou had fallen into the tender trap set by Leng Chenmo, becoming deeply ensnared and unable to extricate herself.
Later, Leng Chenmo’s true lineage was revealed: he was the biological son of Ye Xinguang’s foster parents!
Ye Xinguang’s foster father, Song Chuanqi, was the Crown Prince of S Country. Unwilling to go to S Country to inherit the throne himself, he had Leng Chenmo go in his stead.
From then on, Tang Zhou accompanied Leng Chenmo to S Country. Leng Chenmo inherited the throne, changed his name to Song Chenmo, and Tang Zhou became the adored Empress of S Country!
In S Country, many people criticized Tang Zhou’s physical condition, hoping Song Chenmo would take more imperial consorts, but Song Chenmo ignored them all.
When Tang Zhou was born, adults judged him to be a boy. However, around the age of seven or eight, female physical characteristics began to manifest, while male characteristics gradually weakened.
Doctors concluded that Tang Zhou was, in fact, biologically female.
Because of his body’s unique nature, Tang Zhou had always felt insecure, but Song Chenmo never showed any disdain.
After their marriage, Tang Zhou considered undergoing surgery to become fully female.
But Song Chenmo said, "Xiao Zhou, just be yourself. I don’t mind how you are. As long as you feel comfortable, I don’t want you to force yourself to change."
Doted on by Song Chenmo, Tang Zhou then lived freely as herself!
Hearing Tang Zhou say she would always listen to him, Ye Junqing immediately set the engagement meal, saying, "Then tonight, our two families will sit down together for a dinner to confirm the engagement."
"Ah? So casually?" Tang Zhou was astonished.
Ye Junqing gave Tang Zhou a sideways glance. "Didn’t you just say you’d listen to me?"
Tang Zhou scratched the back of her head. "Well, I did say that, but what if I go back home and my little follower makes me kneel on the washboard?"
Ye Junqing looked at Tang Zhou incredulously. "Is your status at home really that low?"
"Pah! In my house, I’m the only one who makes my little follower kneel on the washboard!" Tang Zhou slapped her thigh and said to her daughter, "Tangtang, it’s settled. We’ll confirm the engagement tonight. We’ll act first and report later. After it’s confirmed, we’ll tell your father. What’s done is done; he won’t be able to pick another suitor for you then."
Song Tangtang’s shimmering, tear-filled eyes lifted. "Are... are you really my biological mother?"
Tang Zhou stammered, "...Er, Tangtang! Even though I didn’t give birth to you, we are definitely biologically mother and daughter, okay!"
Song Tangtang was born in an artificial womb!
So was Ye Shen!
At that time, A Country faced a severe aging population crisis, and women’s desire to give birth was extremely low. Consequently, the state forcefully implemented the policy of allocating marriage partners by lottery through the Civil Affairs Bureau, while also vigorously investing in scientific research on artificial wombs.
Eventually, scientists in A Country successfully developed artificial wombs, commonly nicknamed "Hatching Pods."
Both Ye Shen and Song Tangtang developed for ten months in a Hatching Pod before being born!
And it all happened right in this villa!
Back then, Old Madam Ye took care of the two Hatching Pods daily, meticulously looking after them for ten months. Ye Shen emerged from his Hatching Pod more than ten days earlier than Song Tangtang.
Their parents were among the first batch of volunteers in A Country to participate in the state-sponsored childbearing program.
It was because of this great invention, the Hatching Pods, that A Country overcame its low birth rate crisis. Now that the population has increased, the Civil Affairs Bureau’s lottery policy for marriage partners has been canceled.
However, many young women, even after marriage, still prefer not to bear children themselves and opt to participate in the state-sponsored childbearing plan, which liberates women.
Tang Zhou said in exasperation, "Tangtang, do you actually want to marry Little Shen or not? Didn’t you tell me yourself that you wouldn’t marry anyone but Little Shen?"
Ye Shen, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly lifted his head, his gaze burning as he looked at Song Tangtang. "Tangtang, is that true?"
Song Tangtang was furious! Even if that was what she truly thought, how could her mother just blurt it out in public like that? How was a girl supposed to maintain her dignity?
"Mom, you’re terrible!" Song Tangtang’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment. She rose, stamped her foot, and bolted towards the door.
Ye Shen immediately chased after her, calling out, "Tangtang, wait for me!"