Chapter 136 Can't Help the Last Fantasy

Aunt Cao's daughter is a migrant worker in Beijing, and Cao Fang didn't let her cousin stay at her house. That cousin is in her early thirties, divorced, and insisted on coming to the capital to make a living; Cao Fang couldn't control that.

“One daughter is enough,” Cao Fang said. “She can also inherit her father’s business in the future.”

“How can one daughter be enough? What if, what if your husband finds another woman to have a child with later?” Cao Fang’s cousin, Cao Chunmei, said. “If you think it’s too difficult for you to have children at your age, you can find someone to have one, or use a surrogate.”

"What?" Cao Fang frowned.

“It means letting another woman give birth, and then you adopt the child,” Cao Chunmei said. “No, it can also be your egg, so it’s still your child.”

"Who told you these things?" Cao Fang's face turned cold.

"No, isn't this for your own good?" Cao Chunmei said. "Your brother-in-law is so rich, so many people are eyeing him. You don't have a son, only a daughter. What if your brother-in-law has an illegitimate child outside?"

“This is not your business,” Cao Fang said.

“What if?” Cao Chunmei said, “I’m telling the truth. What if he has a son outside? You’ll be crying your eyes out. Many men still want sons. Your brother-in-law has a son, and your brother-in-law won’t let him…”

"The gate is over there, get out of here!" Cao Fang pointed to the gate. "Don't ever come here again."

Cao Fang thought to herself that she shouldn't have invited her cousin to their house for dinner. This cousin never said anything nice; all she knew how to say were these unpleasant things. Cao Fang couldn't let another woman take her place in having a child. She and her husband had no plans to have a second child; one daughter was enough, they didn't necessarily need a son.

If Cao Fang and her husband wanted a son, they would have had one long ago, instead of waiting until now to have someone else have one.

"Cousin..."

"Get out!" Cao Fang was unwilling to listen to Cao Chunmei's nonsense.

"Sister, please think carefully about what I'm saying," Cao Chunmei said. "It's true. If you want to find a husband but are afraid of being found out, you can..."

"Can I contact you?" Cao Fang asked.

"I……"

"Get out, get out, get out!" Cao Fang waved her hand.

"If you're not willing, then forget it." Cao Chunmei went out. She knew that surrogacy was available now, and she had heard that it could earn a lot of money.

Cao Chunmei didn't really want to have other people's children; she wanted to have her own. If she could have children with wealthy men, her future would definitely be better.

Not everyone wants to earn money with their own hands; some people just want to take shortcuts. Cao Chunmei clearly wanted to take shortcuts, so Cao Fang ignored her and Cao Chunmei went somewhere else.

Cao Fang didn't want to tell Song Erge about Cao Chunmei's situation, wondering how she could have such a relative.

About half a year later, Cao Chunmei was arrested while heavily pregnant. It turned out that Cao Chunmei had been a surrogate mother, and the surrogacy agency she worked for had been shut down. The incident caused quite a stir, and Cao Chunmei believed that Cao Fang refused to help her, which was why she had no choice but to become a surrogate mother.

"The baby in my belly is my brother-in-law's!" Cao Chunmei blurted out on a whim.

This child couldn't possibly be Song Erge's. Song Erge didn't have much contact with Cao Chunmei, and he didn't go to any agencies to try to have a son. Song Erge has never been promiscuous; he's always been chaste.

However, even though Cao Chunmei had said that, the police still approached Song Erge. Song Erge gave an explanation, and with the testimony of others, it was confirmed that the child in Cao Chunmei's belly was not Song Erge's.

Because of this incident, Cao Fang called her parents back home and told them about it. The people in her hometown were furious when they learned that Cao Chunmei had used a surrogate. Then they discovered that several people in a village—the village of Cao Chunmei's ex-husband—were using surrogates to earn money to support the family. Some men didn't do much work themselves; they treated their wives as tools for making money. Some of these women were almost forty years old, and they were still using surrogates.

This incident caused a great stir after it was made public.

Some surrogate mothers couldn't bear to part with their children and even brought them home. But most of them felt that the children had nothing to do with them; they were just making money.

When Song Fenglan learned of this, she saw it on the news.

Lan was stunned. She looked at Song's mother beside her, and it seemed that she saw Cao Fang's relatives.

“Your second sister-in-law’s relatives,” Song’s mother sighed. “Everyone talks about family planning, but some people still do these things in private. Some people register their children under other people’s names, and these people directly have other women help them have children. Some men can sleep with the women they choose, and some use artificial insemination.”

Two days ago, Song's mother learned about this matter, which involved Song's second brother, so she couldn't help but know. Song's mother originally thought that nothing was wrong with the Cao family and that everything was quite peaceful, but she never expected that Cao Chunmei would appear.

After Cao Chunmei's incident, she still claimed the child was Song Erge's, even though the child was over seven months old. Cao Chunmei was naturally unwilling to abort the child; she insisted on giving birth. Cao Chunmei didn't know who the child's biological parents were; the organization didn't say.

Now that the illegal agency has been shut down, Cao Chunmei is wondering if the child's biological parents will come looking for her. After something like this, the child's biological parents certainly wouldn't want to show up; they'd rather hide and not be discovered.

Most of the men who seek out other women to have children are wealthy. Some are afraid of being found out and try to hide. Some wealthy men who want sons simply find mistresses; they don't need to resort to these shady agencies.

Cao Chunmei was heavily pregnant and had nowhere to go. She wanted to go to Cao Fang's place, but Cao Fang would never let her go.

“Your second sister-in-law’s cousin went,” said Song’s mother. “That cousin had even wanted your second brother and sister-in-law to find her to be a surrogate. If it weren’t for this incident, your second sister-in-law wouldn’t have said anything.”

Song's mother never expected that Cao Chunmei would come into the world, but fortunately Cao Fang was not so foolish.

“That cousin has nowhere to go, and your second sister-in-law won’t take her in,” said Song’s mother.

"And now?" Song Fenglan asked, "Where did she go?"

“Where else can she go? She should go back to her hometown first,” said Song’s mother. “She’s still thinking about having that child so she can get money from it. The child is in her hands, and she won’t hand it over unless she gets paid. When she saw that your second sister-in-law wouldn’t help her, she sneaked away and left quickly, afraid that someone would take her to have an abortion.”

“Second sister-in-law and her cousin haven’t seen each other for a long time,” Song Fenglan said.

“It’s because we haven’t seen each other for so long that this happened,” said Song’s mother. “Your second sister-in-law didn’t know about her cousin’s situation. She only found out after her organization was shut down.”

"..." Song Fenglan didn't know what to say.

"That person even asked my second sister-in-law to find out who the biological parents of the child in her belly are," said Song's mother. "She's already so disgusting to your second brother and sister-in-law, and she still expects your second sister-in-law to help her find out."

Is Cao Chunmei crazy?!

When Song's mother found out about this, she was quite angry. How could a family member do such a thing? If her second son really wanted a son, he could just find another woman, keep her as a mistress, and let her give birth. Why would he need to go through a surrogacy agency?

In ancient times, there was a practice of "wife pawning," where a man would temporarily pawn his wife to another man so that she could bear his children. But this is modern times, and such things should not happen.

"This matter can't be blamed on your second sister-in-law, but I still said a few words to her," said Mother Song. "She knew long ago that her cousin was troublesome, but she didn't pay much attention to her. Now that such a big thing has happened, it has affected your second brother to some extent."

Others are unaware of the situation; they will only assume that Song Erge and Cao Chunmei are involved.

Cao Fang was scolded by Song's mother, but she didn't dare to refute it. It was indeed her relatives from her maternal family who had caused the problem.

Cao Chunmei's belly was so big that Cao Fang didn't dare to let her have an abortion, fearing something might happen to her. She wanted to see what the Cao family would do after Cao Chunmei went back.

"It's true, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest," said Song's mother. "Your second brother is truly innocent after what happened."

"It's a complete injustice," Song Fenglan said. "What are you thinking, Second Sister-in-law?"

"What else can she think? She didn't do it. Her cousin is all grown up. If her cousin wanted to do those things, she couldn't stop her," said Song's mother. "We're just seeing how the Cao family handles it."

"Mm." Song Fenglan nodded.

“A girl is a girl, and our family doesn’t insist that your second sister-in-law have a son,” said Song’s mother. “Those people are ignorant and only think that your second brother wants a son. They’ve ruined your second brother’s reputation.”

“What’s done is done,” Song Fenglan said. “Every family has one or two troublesome relatives. They’re Second Sister-in-law’s relatives, not Second Sister-in-law herself, so it’s alright.”

Song Fenglan thought Cao Fang was unlucky to have such a relative.

Cao Fang was indeed troubled. Everyone assumed she was doing well in the capital, and yes, she was. But that didn't mean she had to spend money and effort to pull strings with others; she didn't have the time. Cao Fang had never imagined what would happen to Cao Chunmei.

At first, Cao Fang thought Cao Chunmei was just talking, but she never expected Cao Chunmei to actually do such a thing. Cao Fang felt that Cao Chunmei had completely disgraced her. Fortunately, Cao Chunmei was not a manager of the organization. If Cao Chunmei were a manager, she would probably be using Cao Fang's and the Song family's names to get away with it.

However, anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that the Song family would never do such a thing.

Cao Fang never imagined she would become well-known at work in this way; even the new employees knew about the huge problems her family was facing. Some offered her comfort, while others gossiped behind her back.

Regardless of what Cao Fang thought, her explanation was of little use; others only knew that Cao Chunmei and Cao Fang were relatives.

Two months later, Cao Chunmei did give birth, but it was a girl, not a boy.

In Cao Chunmei's eyes, girls were a financial burden. Cao Chunmei didn't want the child; it wasn't hers to begin with. Cao Chunmei told her parents to abandon the baby at Cao Fang's doorstep, believing that most girls were unwanted. She made her parents do this when the baby was just a month old.

Cao Chunmei's biological mother traveled all the way to the capital, where she simply abandoned the child at Cao Fang's doorstep and left a note behind.

This left Cao Fang speechless. Cao Fang wasn't Fan Yani; she couldn't possibly feel sorry for the child. Cao Fang called the police and asked them to take the child away. She was willing to let the police take the child wherever they wanted.

Cao Fang made a special phone call to talk to her parents, which made her mother very angry.

"How dare your second aunt and the others do this?" Cao's mother was furious.

“I took the child to the police station,” Cao Fang said. “That child isn’t ours, and we can’t possibly raise him. If we did, everyone would think he was your son-in-law.”

Cao Fang was furious; Cao Chunmei had gone too far.

"They should be taken to the police station," said Cao's mother.

After hanging up the phone, Cao's mother rushed to Cao Chunmei's house and gave Cao Chunmei and the others a severe dressing-down. These people were utterly inhuman; why couldn't they just quietly abandon the child back in their hometown instead of sending him to Cao Fang's place?

Cao Chunmei wants the child's biological parents to be found, or for Cao Fang to help find the child's biological parents, so that Cao Chunmei can ask for money.

How is that possible?

Cao Fang had no reason to get involved in this mess; handing the child over to the police was the best option.

Cao Fang spent several days on this matter.

Song Fenglan went to see Cao Fang, but Cao Fang was still not in a good mood.

“I never expected them to do this, just leaving the child at our doorstep,” Cao Fang said.

The two sat in the living room, and the maid served them tea.

"That's shameless," Cao Fang said. "It's really disgusting."

“Maybe they want to come because you’re in the capital,” Song Fenglan said.

“Yes, that’s exactly what they’re like. They want to stay here,” Cao Fang said. “They even said before that we have a lot of houses, so it wouldn’t matter if we gave one to relatives. My parents never said they would stay here long-term, but they dared to say that. Shameless! What do they take me for?”

Cao Fang was furious. For years, her life had been relatively peaceful. Her daughter was well-behaved, her husband was virtuous, and her in-laws hadn't given her any trouble. Cao Fang had lived a very easy and comfortable life. Who knew Cao Chunmei would suddenly throw a huge tantrum like that? Cao Chunmei was just too much troublemaker.

"Luckily, this matter was discovered. If it hadn't been discovered, who knows what other trouble might have arisen," Cao Fang said. "How dare those people do such a thing? I heard that when they were first investigated, there were even seventeen- or eighteen-year-olds among them."

"Girl, how could those people do such a thing to such a young child?"

“Those heartless people wouldn’t care how old a little girl is,” Song Fenglan said.

“Several people from Chunmei’s ex-husband’s village have had children with other men,” Cao Fang said. “They treat having children as a tool to make money, and they are all very proud of it, saying how many they have. I really didn’t know about that village before. I joined the army early and rarely went back.”

Cao Fang wanted to know what was going on in that village, and she was determined to stop those people and expose the members of the criminal organization.

“It’s the darkest place under the lamp,” Cao Fang said. “Who would have thought they could do this right here in the capital?”

It's not just in the capital; the capital is just a liaison point. Some cases are even handled in neighboring provinces. Those people have a set procedure, and they've even discussed it with the hospitals, all to make the child's case legitimate.

“It’s outrageous, absolutely outrageous,” Cao Fang said. “I told my parents, and they went to my second uncle and aunt’s house to talk to them, but that was all they did. Maybe my second uncle and aunt already knew, but they kept quiet because they were thinking about making money.”

Cao Fang was furious just thinking about it. "Do they think I'll get in their way of making money, that's why they won't say anything? How could they do something like that? It's illegal!"

“Illegal things bring in money quickly,” Song Fenglan said. “This is your fault again. Don’t punish yourself for their mistakes.”

“That’s true, but… just thinking about them makes me feel terrible,” Cao Fang said. “People who don’t know the situation would think I made them do it.”

Cao Fang's parents and brothers did not do such a thing, but her cousin did such a disgusting thing.

Song Fenglan offered Cao Fang a few words of comfort, and then she went back, as her time was quite limited.

Qin Yizhou didn't say much; this was a matter concerning Cao Fang's family.

“Those people will do anything to make money.” Song Fenglan lay down on the bed.

“There are many such cases,” Qin Yizhou said. “The relevant departments recently shut down several hair salons that were engaged in prostitution.”

Hair salons are similar to brothels; those people don't just actually cut hair.

Qin Yizhou knew someone working in the public security system, who said that by making arrests periodically, they could always catch some people. Some people would even have informants outside to tip off others, making it no easy task to apprehend them.

“Even in legitimate hotels, people are still handing out flyers,” Qin Yizhou said. “We’ve caught several of them.”

“Mm,” Song Fenglan said.

At this time, Zhang Xiaohu had another girlfriend, but he didn't bring her to meet Qin Zihang, nor did he dare to. In the year or so that Zhang Xiaohu met Qin Zihang only twice, and they didn't see each other much, speaking very little.

Zhang Xiaohu is busy with work. After becoming a full-time employee, he will have many things to do. He needs to save money and also think about whether he can develop better in the future. After Qin Zihang started his master's program, he had even more things to do. He had to do experiments and publish papers, keeping him as busy as a spinning top.

When Qin Zihang learned of Zhang Xiaohu's whereabouts again, it was already the first month of the lunar calendar. Zhang Xiaohu had taken his girlfriend back to Nancheng, and the two had registered their marriage. Zhang Xiaohu's wife was not a local of the capital, but from out of town. Moreover, his wife was not a college graduate, but a girl who had only graduated from junior high school.

At first, Fatty's sister-in-law didn't know her youngest daughter-in-law's educational background. When she found out, her expression turned sour. Zhang Chenghai pulled Fatty's sister-in-law aside and said that neither he nor his wife had graduated from junior high school, so it was already quite good that their youngest daughter-in-law had.

That evening, Fatty Sister-in-law and Zhang Chenghai talked for a long time in the room. Fatty Sister-in-law was very dissatisfied with her youngest daughter-in-law, but it was no use; the deed was done.

Zhang Xiaohu installed a telephone at home. It was good that there was a telephone at home, so that Fatty Sister didn't need to go outside to make calls, and people outside wouldn't hear what Fatty Sister was saying.

"How can he only have a junior high school education? Xiao Hu is a college student, after all." The fat woman was very dissatisfied.

“They’ve already registered their marriage,” Zhang Chenghai said.

“When we were dating for the first time, things weren’t even settled yet, and he was already talking about it. This time, he didn’t say anything sooner, he waited until things were settled,” said the plump woman. “I don’t know what to say to him, can’t he just say it sooner?”

"If you had known earlier, would you have stopped them from getting married?" Zhang Chenghai said. "I guess Xiaohu knew what you were thinking, which is why he didn't tell you sooner."

“Tell me about this… tell me, tell me, how did it turn out like this?” the plump woman said. “If only you had said so earlier.”

The woman was truly astonished today. She had assumed her youngest daughter-in-law would be highly educated, but it turned out she only had a junior high school education. Zhang Xiaohu's previous girlfriends were all from the capital. Even if he was rejected, he shouldn't have given up on himself and just married anyone.

“The matter is already settled, there’s no point in us saying anything,” Zhang Chenghai said. “We can’t just let them get a divorce.”

"It's impossible, it's just..."

"Alright, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you," Zhang Chenghai said.

Early in the morning, Fatty Sister still had to busy herself with Zhang Xiaohu's wedding banquet. Zhang Xiaohu said that the wedding banquet shouldn't have too many people. He didn't invite Qin Zihang, but planned to invite his friends in the capital to have a meal together when he returned to the capital.

Fatty Sister-in-law did not contact Song Fenglan, and Song Fenglan was unlikely to come to Nancheng, so Fatty Sister-in-law did not expect Song Fenglan to give her a large red envelope.

It was Zhang Xiaohu who contacted Qin Zihang, and Qin Zihang only learned about those things after he found out that Zhang Xiaohu was going to hold a wedding banquet.

When Qin Zihang told Song Fenglan about Zhang Xiaohu, Song Fenglan was a little surprised, "Xiaohu is married?"

“Yes, he got married,” Qin Zihang said. “He called and said that he would treat us friends to dinner after he returns to the capital.”

These friends aren't just Qin Zihang's; invite a few more people.

Qin Zihang thought this was fine. After the incident with Zhang Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend, Qin Zihang didn't want to have dinner alone with Zhang Xiaohu and his girlfriend, for fear that something bad might happen again.

"It's been so long since we last met; he's already married," Qin Zihang remarked with emotion.

"They're getting married, so they're getting married," Song Fenglan said. "At his age, he's certainly reached the point where he needs to get married. But what about you? What are your thoughts?"

"What can I think? I'm just waiting to graduate," Qin Zihang said.

“You can date even if you haven’t graduated,” Song Fenglan said. “Everyone says you’re getting very close to a girl in the research institute.”

"Mom, how did you know all this?" Qin Zihang asked.

“We’re all in the same unit, how could I not know? Do you think I’m busy with those things all day and no one has told me?” Song Fenglan asked.

"She's just a senior female student. We do experiments together, nothing else," Qin Zihang said. "She doesn't like me, and I don't like her either. We both do experiments, sometimes for very long hours, and we don't have time to take care of our families. We can work together, but we can't start a family."

“If you want, it’s not impossible,” Song Fenglan said. “The family will pay for a nanny for you.”

“Even if you pay for a nanny, we still won’t be together,” Qin Zihang said. “My senior sister wants to find a family-oriented man. She says, why should women be devoted to their husbands and children while men can also be stay-at-home husbands?”

"Oh?" Song Fenglan didn't know that person was like this.

“It’s true,” Qin Zihang said. “She wants someone who is good at housework and can handle things at home perfectly, and I’m clearly not that kind of person. I can’t change for her, and she can’t change for me.”

"You want a woman who can do housework?" Song Fenglan raised an eyebrow.

"No, if you want someone who can do housework, you can just hire a nanny," Qin Zihang said. "Why would I need my girlfriend to do it? I just want a girlfriend who understands me. She can go out and have fun, but she can't mess around outside. If she wants to have her own career, that's fine too."

“Look for it yourself,” Song Fenglan said.

"Mom, is anyone going to set me up on a blind date? I'd like to go on one," Qin Zihang said. "I'm always doing experiments, where would I find the time to find a girlfriend? Blind dates are great. I can just state my requirements directly, and if they match, we meet; if not, we don't. It's so simple. By the way, my cousin is married. I think the teachers at her school would be good too. Teachers are great!"

Song Fenglan looked at her son, surprised that he would say he wanted to go on a blind date. "I don't want to..."

Will you find true love?

"There aren't that many cases of love at first sight or instant attraction; most of it is lust at first sight," Qin Zihang said. "Mom, blind dates are good, let's go on blind dates. Everyone can just state their conditions directly. If you're willing, we can be together; if not, then forget it."

“Okay,” Song Fenglan said. “If you’re willing to go on blind dates, your grandmother will be happy to introduce you to someone.”

Not only Song's mother, but everyone else in the Song family was willing to arrange blind dates for Qin Zihang.

Since Qin's mother passed away, things have been much quieter at the Qin family home, and nothing major has happened.

After You Yun slapped her hard, Xiang Qing matured a lot. In front of the Qin family, Xiang Qing didn't say anything reckless and behaved very composed. You Yun was very satisfied with Xiang Qing's performance; she was afraid her daughter would cause trouble.

Since her daughter doesn't bear the Qin surname, You Yun can't expect her to receive the same treatment as Qin Ya. Even when Qin Ya got married, the Qin family didn't give her much. There was no house, just some extra money added to the bride price as a dowry.

When Tian Keshu learned of Qin Ya's marriage, she didn't prepare anything for Qin Ya, even hoping that Qin Ya would leave part of the betrothal gifts for her. Qin Ya, of course, wouldn't leave any betrothal gifts for Tian Keshu, and the two even had a fight, which Tian Keshu ultimately lost.

Even now, Tian Keshu and Qin Ya's relationship remains very bad.

Xiang Qing did not do anything rebellious again, and Qin Ya did whatever You Yun arranged.

"Your daughter is good enough," said Aunt Qin.

Aunt Qin visited the Qin family, and You Yun discussed Xiang Qing's marriage prospects. Xiang Qing had a boyfriend whose family was a bit poor, but they were locals. If Xiang Qing married into the family, she would have to live with her in-laws.

Over the years, You Yun has saved some money, but not all of it went to Xiang Qing; only a portion could be given to her. A large portion of the money You Yun had was given to her by Brother Qin, and that portion had to be left for her and Brother Qin's son.

“If we force her to marry someone of a higher social standing, her life might not be good,” Aunt Qin said. “If she marries someone of too high a social standing, the other person might have problems. Even when you married into this family, it was because Tian Keshu was not a good person and she left behind two children that it was your turn.”

Aunt Qin's words may be unpleasant to hear, but they are all the truth.

"According to what you've said, your daughter's boyfriend isn't that bad, just not as good as ours," Aunt Qin said. "At least he owns a house, and living with his parents is still owning a house. You can't expect your husband to buy your daughter a house; he's not your biological son. You still have your own son. Wouldn't it be better to leave everything to your son? Do you want your son to blame you?"

“If you don’t agree, then we’ll have to break them up. After that, it’s uncertain whether your daughter will be able to find a better man,” Aunt Qin said. “Marriage is a matter of fate.”

“It really depends on fate,” You Yun said. “Back then, you introduced me here, and the person you introduced to Qin Ya was also quite good.”

"What kind of pot goes with what kind of lid?" Aunt Qin said. "We need to understand ourselves."

Aunt Qin may not be good at much else, but she's quite good at recognizing her own limitations. She's also very adaptable and opportunistic. Despite this, Aunt Qin manages to live a fairly prosperous life. In reality, someone like Aunt Qin can live a very good life.

When it's time to bow your head, bow your head; when it's time to rush up and yell at someone, rush up and yell at them. Always stand on the side of the powerful.

After the Lantern Festival, Zhang Xiaohu returned to the capital with his wife. They had taken back the house and no longer rented it out. When Zhang Xiaohu and his wife invited friends to dinner, they didn't invite elders, so they didn't invite Song Fenglan and her husband to avoid making things awkward for others.

When Qin Zihang arrived at the restaurant, Zhang Xiaohu had invited nearly two tables of people, as well as friends from Zhang Xiaohu's wife's side. They urged Qin Zihang to drink, but he refused. The bride's female friends wanted to get to know him better, but Qin Zihang didn't exchange contact information.

After the meal, Zhang Xiaohu's wife remarked, "Why is your friend so aloof?"

“He’s not aloof, that’s just his personality,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Don’t even think about introducing him to anyone. He’s not in our circle. Your friends were way too enthusiastic today.”

“I only told them that a distinguished young man was coming to the banquet,” said Zhang Xiaohu’s wife, Tan Wu. “That’s why they were so enthusiastic.”

Tan Wu didn't think she had done anything wrong. What if Qin Zihang took a liking to her friend? What a great opportunity! Of course, she had to give it a try.

“Don’t do that again,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I only see Zihang about twice a year now, don’t make things so awkward. Their family is different from ours, they’re very powerful, a prominent family in the capital. You know what kind of people your girlfriends are, they’re not good enough for Zihang.”

"Are you ashamed that I only graduated from junior high school?" Tan Wu asked unhappily. "When I went to your house, your mother told your father that she always looked down on me. When I walked on the street, people also thought I wasn't good enough for you. They said, 'How could a top student like you marry a girl like me who only graduated from junior high school?'"

“I didn’t look down on you,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “We don’t live with Mom. When we were together, I knew you only graduated from junior high school. It’s not necessary to have a high level of education.”

The plump woman looked down on Tan Wu, feeling that Tan Wu lowered the family's standards. She believed Zhang Xiaohu should marry a high-achieving student. That way, their children would be smarter and less dull. The plump woman didn't want Zhang Xiaohu's children to revert to their former state. She thought Zhang Xiaohu was lucky to have met Song Fenglan; if he hadn't been so kind and hadn't had neighbors like Song Fenglan and her son, he wouldn't be where he is today.

"That would be for the best," Tan Wu said. "It's not like there aren't other people pursuing me. I didn't choose to be with them, but with you. Don't let me down."

Tan Wu believed that Zhang Xiaohu wasn't from the capital and that he was genuinely with her. She felt that everyone else with her wasn't sincere; they were just playing around. Tan Wu understood how corrupt those people were. She wanted a bright future, not one where she would be insulted by the wife.

When Qin Zihang returned home, he was somewhat disappointed. He was very unhappy when the women approached him and offered him drinks. Qin Zihang almost threw down his chopsticks and left, but he thought that he and Zhang Xiaohu didn't see each other often, and today was the day Zhang Xiaohu was hosting his wedding banquet for his friends. So Qin Zihang didn't throw down his chopsticks; he was still giving Zhang Xiaohu face.

"What's wrong? You look so downcast." Song Fenglan sat in the living room. "Didn't you go to Zhang Xiaohu's wedding banquet?"

"Yes, I went," Qin Zihang said. "It wasn't what I imagined."

"Oh?" Song Fenglan asked, puzzled.

"Several women crowded around me," Qin Zihang said. "I refused to drink, but they tried to feed me."

"And then?" Song Fenglan asked, noticing that Qin Zihang didn't seem to have been drinking.

"Brother Xiaohu stopped them and didn't let them get any closer to me," Qin Zihang said. "I'm just quite disappointed."

“Isn’t this normal?” Song Fenglan said. “It’s probably because those people know your identity.”

"..." Qin Zihang felt that he and Zhang Xiaohu were drifting further and further apart, their relationship growing increasingly distant. Meanwhile, Qin Zihang's relationships with other friends improved, and he became closer to them.

“You’re all adults now,” Song Fenglan said. “The adult world isn’t so simple.”

"I know," Qin Zihang nodded. "It's a bit like being in the world of fame and fortune."

“That’s just how it is,” Song Fenglan said. “You were able to relax a bit more when you were in college. But it’s not so easy when you’re doing your master’s and doctoral studies. You have to consider interpersonal relationships and a lot of other things. Zhang Xiaohu is the same way. He’s working now, and he has to deal with people too. He can’t just think about your thoughts.”

A day later, Tan Wu's friend contacted her again, wanting her to play matchmaker between her and Qin Zihang.

“That’s my man’s friend. He told you not to make any moves on him,” Tan Wu said. “We’re not good enough for him.”

"Why are you not good enough for him?" my friend said. "He graduated from university, and he still married you, didn't he?"

“That guy’s family is rich, and he’s doing a combined master’s and doctoral program,” Tan Wu said. “His father works in the military. You should forget about it; there’s no way he’d be interested in you. Going there would only humiliate you.”

However, Tan Wu's friend refused to believe it and insisted on going to the Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and its research institute to find Qin Zihang, who had never met him before.

Qin Zihang had no reason to pay attention to this person, who was later taken away by the national security department.

Then, the people in the National Security Department learned that this woman often read some novels, some novels from the nearby island, such as "The Overbearing CEO's Forced Love," "The Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me," "The Second Young Master's True Name is Heavenly Maiden," etc. They felt that she and Qin Zihang were a perfect match, and that even a Cinderella could be with a CEO.

Tan Wu could only try to rescue her friend, and even asked Zhang Xiaohu to intervene. Zhang Xiaohu, having no other option, approached Qin Zihang, explaining that the person simply liked Qin Zihang and had no other intentions.

"I can't help you," Qin Zihang said. "After the relevant departments investigate, if there's nothing wrong, they'll naturally let her go."

“She…she just has too many fantasies,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

The two were having coffee at a café next to the research institute when Zhang Xiaohu learned about the incident. He was stunned and furious. Zhang Xiaohu had already told his wife that Qin Zihang was not in their circle.

“If I go and tell her, she might think I’m interested in her. Does she want me to go through a love-chasing nightmare?” Qin Zihang said.

"You know all this?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

“My mom reads these novels too, and she even lets me read them,” Qin Zihang said.

"..." Zhang Xiaohu hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

Song Fenglan didn't want Qin Zihang to be love-struck, especially since the internet was quite developed at that time, and there were many pirated Hong Kong and Taiwan novels online. These were standalone books, usually only ten or twelve chapters long, which Song Fenglan would read when she was relaxing. She even let Qin Zihang read them, just to prevent him from falling into a romantic trap.

At that time, there were many, many novels like this, and many people loved them dearly.

"The relevant departments will not wrongly accuse an innocent person," Qin Zihang said.

“Okay…” Zhang Xiaohu’s feelings were mixed. He had originally thought that if he came to Qin Zihang, things would be resolved smoothly. He never expected that Qin Zihang would refuse him outright.

Qin Zihang paid for the coffee and went back to his workplace, not wanting to argue with Zhang Xiaohu any further. If Qin Zihang had known that Zhang Xiaohu was pleading for that woman, he probably wouldn't have come out. Two people from different circles, over time, can indeed encounter problems, especially since they're no longer students and can't always talk about school matters. With fewer common topics, they've gone down different paths, and their personalities have changed.

As soon as Zhang Xiaohu returned home, Tan Wu rushed over and asked, "How did you get?"

“Zihang refused. He said the relevant departments wouldn’t wrongly accuse an innocent person, and that we should just wait for the investigation to be completed,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"Didn't you beg him?" Tan Wu asked. "Then..."

She's my good friend, you know that. She doesn't have any ulterior motives; she's very innocent. She... she really just wants to marry into a good family.