Chapter 143 Qi Baifan's Scheme

I have a child now!!!

Originally, I just came to meet my old lover, to comfort my heart which had been suffering recently, and to relieve my lovesickness. I never expected to be suddenly told that I was going to be a father!

Qi Baifan was dumbfounded.

He was stunned by the good news and exclaimed excitedly, "Lingling, really? I'm really pregnant?!"

No man dislikes having children, especially since he had some feelings for Sun Ling, so he was naturally even happier that she could have her own child.

Sun Ling nodded shyly, "I... I don't dare to go to the hospital, but I've seen the women in the neighborhood who are pregnant before, and they all have similar symptoms, so it's pretty much a done deal."

Upon receiving the confirmation, Qi Baifan felt a surge of joy and pride.

"Lingling, you're so kind! Really!"

Sun Ling's ability to impregnate a woman in just one encounter greatly satisfied Qi Baifan's vanity, making him instantly forget the humiliation of being 'spyed on' by Xu Dongliang the previous day, and also making him very proud of his abilities in that area.

Just once, just once, and a woman got pregnant. Who else can do that?

He then asked, "Who else?!"

Qi Baifan, who always appeared composed and mature in front of outsiders, grinned foolishly for a while, but after a burst of elation, panic ensued.

What if Bai Xiaohui finds out?

Wouldn't all my plans have come to nothing?

What about all that sacrifice you made to come and marry into my family?

As Qi Baifan thought of something, his mind gradually calmed down, and a calculating smile appeared on his lips.

No, no, they won't find out. As long as I hide Lingling well, they definitely won't find out!

Moreover, if you plan well, you might even be able to secure a better future for your child.

Qi Baifan hugged Sun Ling tightly and promised her affectionately, "Lingling, you've been wronged. I will definitely treat you well, I will definitely treat you well!"

This is the woman he loves, and he will definitely give her a good life!

"Brother Bai Fan, I believe in you, I'll wait for you!"

Since revealing this secret that had been buried in her heart for so long, Sun Ling had been watching Qi Baifan's expression closely. Seeing that he did not show any displeasure, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She felt a surge of sweet happiness.

The day before Bai Fan's wedding, the two found a secluded place to say goodbye. Although she knew why Bai Fan was doing this, she was still heartbroken at the thought of parting from the man she loved. Bai Fan kept comforting her, and somehow, without knowing who made the first move, the two ended up in bed together.

Afterwards, Sun Ling was not without fear, afraid that Qi Baifan would really abandon her. As she discovered something was wrong with her body a month later, this fear deepened.

She was extremely anxious, worried that Bai Fan would never return, and even more worried that he would abandon the child. If that were the case, what good would become of her? She would probably only be able to marry a widower or a cripple.

But seeing his reaction now, I realize I was overthinking it; Bai Fan really does care about himself.

But what will happen to me and my child in the future?

Sun Ling blinked and asked cautiously, "Brother Bai Fan, what will happen to me and the baby? It's okay now, I've been keeping my nausea a secret from everyone, but once my belly gets bigger, I won't be able to hide it from my family. If my dad finds out I slept with a man before marriage, he'll definitely beat me to death."

She definitely couldn't live in her own home. Even if her father didn't beat her to death, the spittle from the neighbors in the tenement would drown her.

According to Sun Ling, the ideal solution would be for Bai Fan to rent a house for her and her child, and give them some money each month. That way, he could visit them from time to time. Once Bai Fan got his hands on the widow and her child's house and money, she could be with him legitimately, and the three of them could be reunited as a family.

However, it was not appropriate for him to say these words himself, otherwise it would be like using a child to blackmail someone for money, and given Bai Fan's personality, he might not be happy.

Sun Ling was waiting for Qi Baifan to speak first.

Qi Baifan frowned upon hearing this, and remained silent for a long time with a sullen face.

Sun Ling's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes immediately reddened. Grabbing Qi Baifan's hand, she choked out, "Brother Baifan, have you been seduced by that woman? Don't you want me and the baby anymore?"

The soft touch brought Qi Baifan back to his senses. He saw Sun Ling's eyes were red and she was looking at him with a wronged expression. He felt a pang of heartache and coaxed her softly, "What are you thinking? How could I not want you? You're carrying my son! Do you think I'm such a heartless person? We grew up together, don't you know what kind of person I am?"

Sun Ling persisted, "Then why did you frown when you heard what I said?"

Although she believed that Brother Bai Fan wasn't such a heartless person, she still felt uneasy and insisted on getting to the bottom of it.

Qi Baifan sighed and explained, "I was just thinking that it really wouldn't work for you to continue living in that tenement. The people there are too vulgar, too indifferent, and too snobbish." Qi Baifan had no fondness for the tenement where he grew up; in fact, he loathed it. Because his family was poor, he had suffered a lot of ridicule and bullying from the people in the tenement since he was a child. He was determined to take Lingling and the child away, far away from them.

Without waiting for Sun Ling to continue asking questions, Qi Baifan directly stated his plan, "Lingling, you wait, you wait, I will definitely find a way to get you into that compound as well, so that we can see each other often. When the child is born, he can grow up under my nose, and I won't have to worry about that family treating the child badly."

Sun Ling was stunned. "W-what?"

She pressed on incredulously, "Brother Bai Fan, what did you say? You're going to send me to that compound too? Are you crazy? Aren't you afraid your wife at home will find out?"

Before Qi Baifan could answer, she shook her head frantically, "No, no, that woman will never let us go if she finds out about me and the child!"

Although she really wanted to be with Bai Fan and was looking forward to the feeling of having an affair under that woman's nose, she really didn't dare to show her face in front of Bai Xiaohui, for fear that if she accidentally revealed her secret, then she and Bai Fan would be completely ruined.

Qi Baifan held Sun Ling's hand tightly. "Lingling, listen to me, listen to me. There are several single young men in our compound who have been busy with blind dates since the beginning of the year. And for some reasons, they are having a hard time finding a partner. They would be more than happy to have a good girl like you."

Sun Ling understood what Qi Baifan meant: he wanted her to go on a blind date and marry another man, and then have the child with that man.

Sun Ling's eyes widened, her heart pounding like a drum, and she stammered, "How...can I believe this?"

Qi Baifan said confidently, "Why not? There aren't many smart people in that courtyard!"

They're all a bunch of lunatics!

There's no need to tell Lingling this; she just needs to marry someone in the courtyard with her child.

Qi Baifan's mind raced as he considered the single young men in the courtyard.

He insisted on choosing a family with better financial conditions for his son.

...

While Qi Baifan was scheming with his old flame for the single young men in the courtyard, Zheng Haiyang was experiencing the most humiliating day of his career.

In the past two days, news of Old Man Zheng's falsified martyr status has spread throughout the factory. Naturally, people have no good feelings towards Zheng Haiyang, who has enjoyed many benefits from Old Man Zheng's status as a martyr.

In addition, Zheng Haiyang used to work in the security department. Although he said he was righteous and kind, he was still somewhat arrogant towards these ordinary workers. Although he did not say it outright, his words and actions still revealed it. Others are not stupid, so how could they not notice?

Now that Zheng Haiyang has become an ordinary worker just like them, or even worse, those who used to look down on him are somewhat gloating, and some petty people are even starting to make sarcastic remarks to his face.

A man in his twenties of medium build, seeing Zheng Haiyang enter the workshop, exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, isn't this the child of our great martyr? What are you doing in our workshop? Did you come to the wrong place?"

As he spoke, he pointed diagonally ahead, "The security department is up ahead. This place is so dirty, covered in engine oil, and it smells awful!"

Another, thinner man immediately laughed at him, "Hey Lao Zhang, you're not that old, how come your memory is so bad? Old Zheng's martyr honor has long been taken back by the factory. Where would the Zheng family have any martyr's children now? Don't talk nonsense, or someone with ulterior motives will hear you and cause trouble!"

The man suddenly realized, and said in a seemingly friendly tone, "Oh dear, oh dear, look at my terrible memory! I completely forgot that the factory issued a notice about this a couple of days ago. It seemed to say that Haiyang would be reassigned to the workshop, becoming an ordinary worker just like us, no longer a respectable security guard. My bad, my bad, I completely forgot something so important! Haiyang, please don't mind!"

The man from before laughed again, "That's right, don't forget next time, or you'll make a fool of yourself in front of Haiyang."

"Cannot specify, cannot specify!"

The two men, seemingly explaining the situation for Zheng Haiyang, were actually subtly mocking him, implying that he was no longer the respectable and successful security guard he once was.

Zheng Haiyang's already unpleasant expression darkened even further.

Damn it, what does this mean? Are you trying to play dumb with him?!

You've said both the good and the bad, haven't you?

Zheng Haiyang's face was ashen. He glanced at the two men who were acting in concert, suppressing his anger as he asked, "What do you mean?"

The man of medium build said dismissively, "What do you mean? Haiyang, what are you saying?"

The thinner man nodded and said, "I was just reminding Lao Zhang to remember things better and not to touch your sore spots, is that wrong? Haiyang, I'm not trying to be mean, but aren't you being a little too sensitive? You're acting like a woman."

"Don't tell me you're trying to take your anger out on us for being demoted, Haiyang, that's not very fair of you!"

Good heavens, before Zheng Haiyang could even say a word, these two started turning the tables on him. Their accusations, one after another, would make anyone who didn't know better think he had done something utterly rebellious.

In reality, he was just asking a question in return.

Zheng Haiyang glared at the two of them, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

In the past, he would have grabbed the other person by the collar and punched him a few times, but now he didn't dare and could only swallow this insult.

Zheng Haiyang kept telling himself that he had to hold back. If he got into a conflict with someone on his first day of work and it escalated to the factory leaders, he would be really finished.

You have to be patient!

You have to be patient!

The two men exchanged a glance and then burst out laughing.

Who wouldn't see that even though this kid was sent to the workshop by the factory, he was still arrogant and considered himself superior to others, looking down on those who made a living by physical labor?

Bah! What arrogance! Who's any different from anyone else?

They were determined to deflate his arrogance.

The reason they dared to be so sarcastic to their faces was because Zheng Haiyang had just been punished by the factory and his future seemed bleak, so they figured he wouldn't dare to do anything to them now!

The two of them completely disregarded Zheng Haiyang, telling him to work harder before going about their own business.

Zheng Haiyang stared at the two people's backs for a long time with red eyes, thinking that one day, one day, he would definitely make those who ridiculed him pay!

...

On the other side, in the courtyard.

As soon as the New Year was over, several middle-aged women in the courtyard with single young men in their families hurriedly started a new round of blind dates.

They have to be in a hurry! With the new year approaching, the reputation of the compound is about to rise even higher. If they don't act now, their sons and grandsons will be bachelors for life!

Cheng Jiajia got off work early today, so she moved a small stool and sat at the door of Aunt Cao's house, listening to Aunt Hao and Aunt Cao complain about the troublesome blind date problem of their son, Zou Qingshu.

The reason was that Zou Qingshu's attempts to meet several girls during the Spring Festival all fell through. Some were girls Zou Qingshu himself didn't like, and others were girls who declined him as soon as they heard about the reputation of their compound.

I went on another date yesterday, but when the girl heard that they lived in compound number 35, her face immediately changed, and she left without even eating a bite of food.

Aunt Hao: "!!!"

No, didn't the matchmaker tell them where they would be staying?

I never said that!

How could I dare say that? What's the reputation of Compound No. 35 these days? If I did, people wouldn't come anymore!

She kept it a secret for now, letting the two young people go on blind dates. What if, by sheer luck, they met someone who didn't care about such things, and they fell in love?

Couldn't I earn a matchmaker's fee myself?

With this mindset, matchmakers will try to fool as many people as they can, and if they don't find someone suitable, they'll just have to deal with it later.

Aunt Hao felt that the matchmaker she had entrusted was unreliable and was very disappointed in her, so she no longer had any hope for her.

But she had already scouted out all the eligible girls she knew, so where was she supposed to find a wife for this unfilial son?

It really worried Aunt Hao!

Wang Xiaowu's mother, Aunt Tao from the backyard, frowned as she listened and said, "Oh dear, it seems my Wang Xiaowu needs to find a partner soon. You all know our family's situation. Before, when he didn't have a job, we didn't dare to think about it. Later, when he got a job, we always thought we should wait until he saved up some money before considering marriage. Now that you're saying this, we really need to hurry up."

Wang Xiaowu is the eldest child in his family, with two younger siblings still in school. Before Wang Xiaowu started working, the family's living expenses and the tuition fees for the three children all depended on Wang's father alone, so the family's financial situation was quite tight, and they didn't save much money. Getting married would be a big expense, so Aunt Tao and her husband hadn't really planned to arrange their child's marriage so soon.

But now, listening to Aunt Hao talk about the hardships Zou Qingshu faced on his blind date journey, Aunt Tao was frightened.

She decided that she should start making arrangements as soon as possible, lest her son end up a bachelor!

As the group was talking, Cheng Jiajia was listening with great interest when she saw Zheng Haiyang storm in through the front door with a livid face and go straight back to his house.

Zheng Haiyang used to be very conscious of his image in public, always greeting the elders in the courtyard with a smile and warmth. But today, he acted as if he didn't see them at all, ignoring everyone.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, whispering and exchanging knowing looks, "What's wrong with this guy?"

Aunt Cao didn't take it seriously. "Who knows? Maybe she's just in a bad mood because she was demoted to the workshop."

Cheng Jiajia raised an eyebrow. She had guessed a thing or two. Today was Zheng Haiyang's first day working in the workshop. Going from a promising position in the security department to an ordinary workshop worker, the psychological gap must be quite significant. Who knows, there might be people in the factory waiting to kick him when he's down. And that's exactly what happened.

No one took it to heart, and they continued talking about arranging blind dates for single young men.

The older women didn't notice that a figure had been standing by their gate for quite a while, listening intently. His eyes were darting around, and it was clear he wasn't up to any good.

Several middle-aged women complained for a long time about their sons' lack of ambition, and they were all so worried about finding a partner for their sons that they were almost turning gray.

The very next day, a shocking piece of news broke out in the courtyard, leaving everyone stunned.