Chapter 83 Pregnancy "You kept calling his name after you fell asleep."...
On a rainy day, a large group of people gathered at the Meng family cemetery.
Meng Cenjun held a long-handled umbrella and stood far away on the edge, watching everything with a cold and detached attitude.
From childhood, he received no love in the Meng family. After his father's death, he and his mother suffered even more neglect. Even though he was young, the child was sensitive and knew that everything was orchestrated by this distant grandfather. He always hated them, considering them enemies who were trying to destroy the Meng family.
Now he is finally dead.
Meng Cenjun, however, did not feel pleased.
I felt lightheaded, as if someone insignificant had died.
Hate is also a form of caring, so he will no longer hate him. There is no one in this world worth his care, except for her.
After the funeral, the crowd dispersed in small numbers, and Meng Xia came over and called out to him.
With the old man's mountain of obstacles collapsed, and one of her two brothers dead and the other injured, the Meng family is now entirely under her control, so she naturally looks radiant with joy.
She smiled and said, "You weren't there when the will was read, but the old man still allocated a share of the company to you. So, Xiao Cen, how about coming back to the Meng family? This huge group is too much for me to manage on my own. If you could help me, that would be perfect. Besides, the past is the past. Blood is thicker than water. As long as we're still in this world, we're still family, right?"
Meng Cenjun remained indifferent, finding this theory of blood ties utterly absurd and laughable.
"I'm giving up. You can contact a lawyer to handle this."
Meng Xia had been waiting for him to say those words, and they hit the nail on the head. Suppressing her excitement, she offered a few words of advice and then said, "If you ever change your mind, your third aunt will welcome you back anytime. You see, we still have a lot to do tonight, entertaining all the relatives and friends. I need to hurry over to the venue and keep an eye on things."
Meng Cenjun nodded, watching Meng Xia's departing figure, knowing that the will was not so simple.
The reason he was given the property was simply because the old man insisted on protecting Meng Shiyuan.
Meng Xia benefited the most from this, which means she has accepted the conditions behind the will: no matter what method is used, Meng Shiyuan's remaining life must be safe and secure.
If he insists on opposing her and blocks her path to power, which she dreams of, even if they were former allies, he will turn against her without hesitation.
Blood relatives are a joke.
If one had to find something that remains constant, it would be the cold-bloodedness and self-interest that the Meng family has inherited.
Meng Cenjun gave a self-deprecating laugh and walked out of the cemetery without looking back.
Instead of going to the banquet, he drove to a sanatorium in Tanjung Hill.
This place is private and quiet, making it the top choice for the powerful and political figures along the Li River.
After the reservation was confirmed, a staff member immediately led Meng Cenjun to a luxury suite.
The doctor stood with him at the door and reminded him, "Mr. Meng's lungs are severely damaged, and he cannot speak or talk for long periods of time."
"It will be ready soon."
Meng Cenjun entered the room and closed the door tightly.
The living room was spacious, with large floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of lush green mountains. A light rain was still falling, the sky was overcast, and the indoor lighting was dim.
A tall figure was crammed into a wheelchair by the window, with the occasional meow coming from outside.
Meng Cenjun sat down on the sofa next to him, glanced around, and saw a chubby tabby cat lazily lying on the man's lap, being gently stroked by a large hand.
“The funeral is over,” he said.
Meng Shiyuan remained silent, as if it were none of his business, and continued to play with the cat.
He couldn't help but feel sorry for the old man. He had schemed his whole life, but in the end, very few people truly cared about him. Especially this one, his beloved son, whom he had fought tooth and nail to protect.
In the silence, only the patter of the light rain could be heard.
After a while, Meng Shiyuan suddenly asked, "How is she?"
He only learned of her injury after he woke up in the hospital.
Upon hearing this, Meng Cenjun clenched her fists inwardly: "How dare you mention her?" If it weren't for him, how could things have escalated to this point? How could Lan Jia have suffered so much?
Meng Shiyuan chuckled lightly, his tone mocking and sarcastic: "If I am not worthy, how are you any better than me?"
"I couldn't be with Hanzhen back then, and now, you're destined not to be with her daughter either."
"If I can't have it, you can't have it either. That's fair to everyone, isn't it?"
Meng Cenjun no longer showed great anger at his viciousness; he simply endured it until his temples throbbed, barely managing to suppress the urge to punch him in the face.
"How much do you love her? So much that you secretly betray her? So much that you cause her to die? Your so-called true love is worthless."
Meng Shiyuan's face darkened instantly, and he stared at him with a sinister look in his eyes: "You are nothing more than a mistake made while drunk, the stain I want to erase the most in my life. I should never have let you live in this world back then, and that woman is not even one ten-thousandth as good as Hanzhen."
After the loud crash, tea splashed everywhere, and the snow-white bone china cup shattered in the corner.
A pair of hands with bulging veins gripped Meng Shiyuan's collar tightly. The cat in his arms let out a strange cry and jumped down in a panic.
Meng Cenjun glared at him with venomous hatred and said, word by word, "One day, I will make you spend the rest of your life in prison!"
Meng Shiyuan was forced to tilt his head slightly and laugh, his words provocative: "I don't care."
Without truth, the world is hell.
A flurry of footsteps sounded, and the medical staff who were taking care of Meng Shiyuan rushed over and persuaded the emotionally distraught Meng Cenjun to leave.
His face was tense. He straightened his cuffs and strode out, when he heard Meng Shiyuan say to someone behind him, "Go, find Ba for me."
Ba?
He actually used the name Lan Jia on a cat?
What was she to him?
A dispensable toy? Or a substitute that one only wants to possess?
Meng Cenjun didn't turn around. A strong sense of resentment and nausea surged up, almost causing his facial muscles to twitch.
He endured the discomfort all the way back to Anfeng Road.
After years of ups and downs, this is his true home.
It's just a pity that she's not by my side; everything feels incomplete without her.
He went to Lan Jia's bedroom, where everything was still in its original place. Because of the maid's care, the whole room was still spotless.
She liked to pile things up to the brim, displaying her favorite and rarest items, needing to guard them every day to feel at ease. She always said this was her treasure house, and she would never get tired of staying in it for a lifetime. He was actually very happy to hear this, always thinking that as long as he bought her more things to tire her out and distract her, she wouldn't think about running away all the time.
He had always racked his brains to give her all the best things in the world, and tried everything to hold her back. But he never imagined that one day she would want nothing and take nothing with her, just to escape the world he lived in.
Yes, she had made it very clear to him that she didn't love him.
Now that she's gone, he can't bring himself to resent or blame her for being heartless.
It was his fault. He failed in his duty as an elder brother and shouldn't have led her down the wrong path.
It was him... who shouldn't have agreed to start this forbidden love that was destined to have no outcome.
Meng Cenjun lay down on Lan Jia's bed, and under the warm glow of the small lamp, opened the book of French poems that he had once read to her.
A photograph slipped from the inside page and was gently held in his hand.
Lan Jia was as white as pink silk, sleeping beside him, Lan Jia whose heart and eyes were filled with him.
Knowing that their time together would be so short, Meng Cenjun began to regret not being gentler with her, not being kinder, and not giving her a goodnight kiss—a gesture reserved for family—while she was asleep.
Meng Cenjun pressed the photo to her heart and closed her already moist eyes.
The next morning, Lan Jia opened her eyes in the old house as usual.
The same ceiling, the same layout and furnishings.
More than a month has passed, and she still hasn't been able to leave.
The old lady kept her at the old house under the pretext of recuperating. But Lan Jia knew that she was giving her time to think things through. She could either weigh the pros and cons and obey the arrangement, or just keep going like this.
She no longer expresses her opinions to anger her. Apart from the fact that the engagement plan has not yet been made, Lan Jia has been busy at the old house.
The old lady hired several teachers for her, and the courses were packed full of lessons, teaching her relevant knowledge of business management.
Even though she had no interest in these things, she didn't resist them.
She had been shirking her family responsibilities for too long, and she had to do at least one of the old lady's requests.
As for Meng Cenjun, she never contacted him even once.
They both seemed to be taking a gamble, waiting for the other to make the first move, or perhaps waiting for an opportunity, a reason that would never be refused.
The two people who were once the closest to each other have now become extremely cautious because they have hurt each other so much.
When she was in pain, she only regarded it as the initial stage of withdrawal. As long as she endured it and refrained from going to him, everything would be alright.
But after so long, the pain of separation hadn't lessened at all, and Lan Jia was actually a little relieved.
She was afraid she would forget him.
Lan Jia's father, Su Yan, is the second son of the Su family, while Su Yuanyi is the youngest daughter of the eldest brother of the Su family.
Since getting married, Su Yan has rarely returned to Suizhou with his wife and daughter. In Lan Jia's memory, he has never had much contact with these relatives and their relationship is shallow.
Su Yuanyi came to Lijiang this time on the orders of her grandparents to visit the Yi family.
The only person related to the Su family was Lan Jia.
Knowing that Su Yuanyi had been feeling down lately, the old lady arranged for her to stay in a guest room at Shuyuan Garden, so that the two sisters could visit each other more often.
Lan Jia was initially reserved and polite to her cousin whom she had never met before. But later, for some reason, the two of them seemed to be catalyzed and quickly became sweet to each other. They even ended up sharing a room, eating and sleeping together every day, and talking late into the night.
Su Yuanyi was only a few months younger than her. She had a good personality, was sweet and lively, and had many hobbies that were surprisingly similar to Lan Jia's.
Her visit finally brought a ripple to Lan Jia's stagnant life, and she felt very comforted.
Everything was moving in a positive direction, and she began to regain her confidence.
That morning, Lan Jia had to get up early for class. Just as she was about to get out of bed, Su Yuanyi grabbed her hand.
She mumbled sleepily, asking out of the blue, "Who is Meng Cenjun?"
Lan Jia paused, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
“Last night, you kept calling his name after you fell asleep.”
She paused for a moment, then instinctively avoided the question: "It's nothing, I just called out randomly. You go to sleep. I'll have someone bring lunch to your room. How about some lamb hot pot? Just the two of us. I have class this afternoon, but didn't you say you wanted to see a movie? I'd like to see one too. Let's go out together tonight..."
Su Yuanyi was stunned by this series of words. After she came to her senses, she laughed gossipily: "Do you know that you talk a lot when you're nervous?"
Lan Jia was burning up, and pretended to be angry as she turned her face away: "I'm not talking to you anymore, it's getting late."
Su Yuanyi smiled and let go of her hand: "Go on, I'll wait for you to come back."
She didn't reply, but put her feet into her fluffy slippers, stood up, and was about to leave.
However, Su Yuanyi suddenly sat up and grabbed her hand.
"W-what's wrong?"
She looked distressed, clutching her bottom with one hand, and said, "Oh no... I think I got it on the sheets. Do you have any sanitary pads? Please find me some quickly."
Without saying a word, Lan Jia ran to the bathroom, rummaged through the lockers, and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, someone regularly replenished the stock.
In the blink of an eye, she felt a sudden, sharp jolt, as if an electric shock had struck her mind.
These packages look like they've never been opened.
This means that her period was delayed by at least half a month.
The thought of a certain possibility made Lan Jia's face turn deathly pale.
Before she could even process the news, Su Yuanyi rushed into the bathroom, intending to change into clean clothes, only to find Su Yuanyi still standing there, looking very upset.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"It's alright, you take care of it first." Lan Jia's eyes darted around, and she turned to leave after saying that.
"Don't run away!" Su Yuanyi was afraid she would escape, so she quickly grabbed her hand and interrogated her, "Something must be going on, you can't hide it from me!"
"What exactly happened? Tell me, and I'll help you figure out a solution!"
After a long while, Lan Jia slowly turned around and said in a weak voice, "Yuan Yuan, I think I'm going to die."
Su Yuanyi stood there, and after listening to her recount what had happened, her eyes widened in horror: "Pregnant?!"
Hearing her scream, Lan Jia immediately and instinctively covered her mouth: "Calm down!"
She mumbled a couple of times, forcefully prying Lan Jia's hands away, her emotions escalating further: "How can you expect me to stay calm about something this big? Is it him? Is it that Meng Cenjun? You're only twenty! That bastard! That beast! How could he let you become a mother so early? How could he let you face all of this alone?"
"I don't know, I'm not sure if it is..." Lan Jia squatted down, clutching her head in anguish.
At that time, she couldn't see and couldn't remember whether she took precautions every time.
If this is true, there has probably never been a worse time.
It was her first time experiencing this, and all she could think about was fear and confusion.
Su Yuanyi put her hands on her hips, turned her back to calm down for a while, but was still very angry: "Go find him! I don't believe he's so busy that he doesn't even have time to see me!"
Even though she knew it was an opportunity, Lan Jia still instinctively resisted it.
Given how badly they had fallen out, she didn't want to contact him when she was at her lowest and most helpless.
Lan Jia brushed her messy hair back, forcing herself to calm down: "I... I'll test it myself first, and then make a plan after the results come out."
Su Yuanyi frowned, both angry and distressed: "Then I'll go out with you later."
"Don't tell anyone about this yet, okay?"
"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
It wasn't until evening, after Lan Jia finished all her classes, that she found an excuse to leave the old house with Su Yuanyi.
These days, the old lady has been very cautious about Lan Jia's travels. Even though someone accompanied her this time, she still instructed the driver to keep a close eye on her.
The two pretended to stroll around the streets for a while before agreeing to go to a spa. Since it was a private matter for the girl, the driver couldn't follow her any further and had to wait outside.
Lan Jia waited anxiously for a long time, and finally the opportunity came. With Su Yuanyi's cover, she slipped out.
She went to the pharmacy alone, bought the testing supplies, and then went to the coffee shop to order a drink, slowly preparing herself.
Perhaps because she looked so young, the shop assistant stared at her with a strange, probing look several times, probably suspecting she was underage.
Lan Jia was already feeling uneasy, and when she thought about how cowardly she had been dodging and hiding earlier, her emotions surged up, and she felt both wronged and angry.
The incident was done by two people, so why should she bear the consequences alone? Why should she face all of this by herself?
She desperately wanted to give him a good scolding right now! Immediately! Right now!
Driven by impulse, Lan Jia acted immediately, tapping on the call screen and quickly finding the name.
Just as my fingertip touched the screen, ready to dial, it suddenly deflated.
If we really have a child, what will he think? Will he accept it? Will he feel it's a burden?
Should we take her back... and keep her locked up in the dark again?
That would be terrifying.
But... but she's not feeling well at all right now either.
She simply didn't have the courage to continue enduring it.
Before she knew it, the call had been made, and when she realized it, she was startled.
Hanging up again would seem deliberate.
It rang for a long time.
But no one answered the phone.
What's keeping you so busy so late at night?
Or is he deliberately ignoring her?
She was stubborn and refused to believe it, so she dialed again.
Still no one answered.
With tears welling in her eyes, she puffed out her cheeks and continued hitting.
Let's play one more.
Another one.
This time, the call finally connected.
Lan Jia immediately sat up straight and held the phone close to her ear.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end of the line came through the receiver.
But she never imagined that it would be a gentle and charming female voice.
Author's Note: The timeline is approaching the New Year! The story is also nearing its end!
(When Uncle Meng was young, he was in love with Ms. Yi and they raised many cats. The one he's holding now is a descendant of those cats.)
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