Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
And well, as expected from every playboy including Huo Zhenning, he dumped her—a rather simple breakup only consisted of “I don’t feel the same anymore” and “sorry”.
Xiang Ying attended her classes as usual after that day. It was as if nothing had really happened. It was an ordinary breakup between two reckless youngsters after all.
It *was*.
Till something happened a month later…
“Stop,” said Xiang Ying as she stood right in front of Huo Zhenning’s Rolls-Royce at the carpark of the family corporation. His head popped out of his car, bewildered.
“I know I shouldn’t come back to you…” Her lips pursed in guilt as she lifted her eyes upon him, “I’m pregnant. Two months.” She was young and beautiful but like all students, she was poor and because of her religion, she felt reluctant on going for abortion.
She smiled sweetly with sincere naivety of an angel. She looked happy about having their own baby in spite of the breakup.
“Zhenning—who’s this girl?” Asked the other woman next to the driver’s seat. She wrapped his arms in insecurity, “What has her being pregnant to do with you?”
“Le Le, give me a minute.”
He got out of his car, slammed the door, stormed upon her surprise and dragged her to the corner, “Get rid of it.”
Never once Xiang Ying expected her ex would say something cruel like that.
Her smile sunk as her cheeks, as she replied weakly, “H-he’s your own first child. And you don’t want him?”
“Let’s get this straight, girl. We are *no longer* associated. It was just a game between you and me. You should also be aware that no way my family would want a daughter-in-law like you!” Young Huo Zhenning was firm as stone, “Get rid of it quickly! If you need money…” He pulled his loaded wallet out, “I’ll pay for the abortion as an act of responsbility. We will never share a future together. It’s all for your own good. After the abortion, you can restart, find a better man, live a better life, happily ever after!”
“Hmph!” Xiang Ying felt amused as she could hear her inner self screaming in agony, “All for my own good? A better life?”
“Huo Zhenning, how can I live happily ever after when you are the biological father to this child you are about to kill?!”
“For the last time—get rid of it. How many times must I repeat this?” Irritated, he grabbed her hand, stuffed a stack of few hundred Yuans and wrapped her fingers up.
He turned and marched awa, without a single doubt to stay.
It felt like burning coal when Xiang Ying held the crumpled stack of cash in her hand.
“…” The Rolls-Royce raced past her like a furious dark horse. Apart from the sharp hissing wind, she somehow could hear the moans and pouts of the other woman.
She stared at the slightly drummed up abdomen as her grip tightened. She sniffed as she walked along the street sluggishly.
Some might just despised her for not throwing that stack of filthy money away, but she was just a student who lived through college with bread and scholarship. She could skip meals daily but her baby could not. She had not graduated, she was not employed and she was confident that it would be too far-fetched to raise a full month old baby with just wages from the restaurant.
She had to keep the money.
It was the only thing left from the baby’s father.
Throughout the next few months, she worked hard, trying to fill up the piggy bank as soon as possible. She chose to give birth the natural way as C-section might be costlier in the long term for recovery. Nevertheless, her misfortune did not stop there as she had excessive bleeding during delivery. And that major operation took away the last bit of her savings.
Being penniless, she was forced to return to her work the next day. As being torn between family and work, she was expelled from her college eventually.
The following years passed peacefully and Xiang Ying never felt much happier whenever Xiang Jinxi was giggling in his cradle, walking clumsily along the wall. But one time when he was about six years old, he suffered from a high fever. A very serious fever. Xiang Ying was helpless as she had been making ends meet since she was pregnant.
Eventually she headed out and ran across a few streets, lost count of how many hours she had run but she stopped by that mansion.
“Yes? Why are you here?” Huo Zhenning was unhappy to see her again, obviously, as he chased her out, throwing her a few hundred Yuans to send the jinx off.
“You probably wonder why she showed up in your life again but it was out of desperation and because of you, she did not even manage to explain herself,” muttered Xiang Jinxi as he thought he had an iron heart but his eyes grew watery.
He remembered how his mother got back to him with money all crumpled up, how she forced a smile and said, “Mommy got you money! You’ll be alright soon!” despite having tears in her eyes.
“I…” Huo Zhenning’s response froze by then. The apology did not manage to break out from his shaking lips as he covered and rubbed his face with his hands with his nerves tingling.
There were simply too many people for whom he owed an apology in this life.