Chapter 7 - The Spare Tire of the CEO’s Woman (7)
Hai Ku intentionally wanted to keep Jiang Wanyan hanging, so he took Lin Ziying straight to the hotpot restaurant.
The weather was still a bit warm, but the hotpot restaurant was doing well. The air conditioning inside was set high, making it feel cool while eating, without the suffocating heat.
“Bro, why don’t you just kick her out?” Lin Ziying was in an extremely good mood today. She had never liked Jiang Wanyan, and now that her brother didn’t like her either, this was exactly what Lin Ziying wanted.
“Do you think I don’t want to?” Hai Ku rolled his eyes. Whenever Jiang Wanyan was mentioned, he felt irritated.
Lin Ziying’s personality was straightforward, and she said whatever was on her mind. She wasn’t too harsh with her friends either, and Hai Ku appreciated having such a younger sister.
If it weren’t for Jiang Wanyan causing trouble, the Lin family should have been very happy. Now that there was a perfect opportunity, Hai Ku naturally wouldn’t let the female lead succeed.
He wasn’t a kind person, and he could easily ignore Jiang Wanyan’s melodramatic acts. He was indifferent and cold-hearted. The kind of tears that could fall without spending any money meant nothing to him.
The siblings had a nice time catching up, and Hai Ku got to experience what it felt like to be an older brother.
It wasn’t until after 7 P.M. that they finished their enjoyable hotpot meal.
The evening breeze was slightly cool, blowing away much of the hotpot smell. Hai Ku drove the car into the parking garage.
***
As Hai Ku’s car entered the community, Jiang Wanyan saw it and immediately stood up from the bench. She quickly walked over.
When Lin Ziying took out her luggage, she saw the pitiful-looking female lead standing across from her. The moment Jiang Wanyan saw Lin Ziying next to Hai Ku, her expression turned hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Dragging her luggage, Hai Ku thought Jiang Wanyan wouldn’t speak, but she softly spoke up, “Brother Zixiang… this is…”
“This is my sister. She’s on summer break from college and will stay with me for a while,” Hai Ku smiled at her, maintaining a perfect smile. He looked apologetic and said, “My sister doesn’t like to sleep on the same bed with strangers, so you should move out quickly. I’ll go upstairs now, and I’ll bring your luggage down.”
Jiang Wanyan’s face turned pale, but Lin Ziying didn’t say a word. Jiang Wanyan didn’t dare speak either. She silently followed them into the elevator. It wasn’t until they were almost at the door that Jiang Wanyan finally said, “Brother Zixiang, your house is a three-bedroom apartment…”
Hai Ku’s hand trembled as he took out his key. His face turned green.
Lin Ziying was speechless, but she wasn’t very good at scolding people, so she just glared at Jiang Wanyan before following her brother out of the elevator.
They quickly entered the room. Jiang Wanyan, with her small frame, was trembling. Each step felt weak and unsteady. She couldn’t believe that after Lin Zixiang brought his sister’s suitcase into the guest room, he quickly pushed her own suitcase toward her.
Although he was wary of the female lead’s halo, Hai Ku wasn’t a soft push-over. He wasn’t going to indulge her. With the most polite smile and the friendliest tone, he pushed her suitcase into her hands and said, “My sister will stay in the guest room. In a couple of days, my parents will come over, and we’ll all live together happily as a big family. You’re just an outsider, so it might be a little awkward for you, right?”
Jiang Wanyan felt extremely awkward, but she had nowhere else to go. If she went to stay in a hotel, as soon as her ID card was shown, Ouyang Ming would know she was here.
Her eyes turned red again. Jiang Wanyan crouched down, holding her suitcase, and her voice choked as she spoke in the most humble tone, “Brother Zixiang, please… just let me stay for 2 more days. I’ll kneel for you, okay?”
Hai Ku felt secretly pleased and was about to arrogantly say, ‘Kneel, then,’ when the system suddenly sent him an electric shock.
[Warning to the host: The female lead is the pride of this world. She is the core that sustains this world. If she kneels to you, you will face a thunderous punishment.]
Hai Ku: “…”
[At the same time, you are not allowed to let the female lead engage in any self-harm behavior. Otherwise, the punishment you receive will be a thousand times worse.]
Hai Ku: [So I have no way out?]
The system’s dry voice almost made Hai Ku snap.
[Once you collect 10,000 experience points, you will unlock the system mall. At that time, you can buy items to protect yourself from thunder and other forms of punishment.]
[How many experience points do I have now?]
[Zero.]
Hai Ku: “…”
Seeing that Hai Ku had no reaction at all, Jiang Wanyan gritted her teeth, wiped away the tears on her face, lifted her skirt, and revealed her knees.
“Wait, don’t kneel…” With a grim expression, Hai Ku’s anger could only be turned into a deep sigh as he waved his hand at her. “2 days is the final deadline; you’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Okay…” A bright smile spread across Jiang Wanyan’s delicate face as she weakly asked, “Brother Zixiang, have you eaten yet? How about I cook for you these next few days?”
“No need, I have hands of my own.” Not wanting to owe anyone a favor, Hai Ku coldly went back to his room.
***
Lin Ziying spent a long time cleaning up in the guest room before finishing organizing her things.
When she walked out, she saw Jiang Wanyan sitting on the sofa, her face full of sadness. Though Lin Ziying hated her with a passion, she couldn’t help but feel a little soft-hearted. Jiang Wanyan looked pale, with tears still on her face. Lin Ziying couldn’t help but give her a faint smile.
“I’m sorry…” Jiang Wanyan spoke first. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I really want to keep my child… I want to experience what it’s like to be a mother.”
“You…” Lin Ziying opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.
Jiang Wanyan just sat there. From this side, she looked so fragile, as if a slight breeze could knock her over.
With a near-painful expression, Jiang Wanyan gently touched her stomach. Her eyes were filled with tears, yet she remained “strong” enough not to let them fall.
Jiang Wanyan sobbed quietly, her voice choked. “This child is only 2 months old. If I don’t take care of him, a small life will be lost in this world. You’re also a girl, and one day you’ll become a mother too. I hope you can understand me, understand how much I love this child, understand how much I want him to be born safely.”
Her tone was filled with crying, and the sadness in her expression made Lin Ziying, unable to control herself, offer a few words of comfort. “As long as you take good care of him, he’ll be born safely.”
“I want to!” The strong tears finally couldn’t be held back anymore, and Jiang Wanyan clenched her fists. Tears streamed down her face, smearing it entirely. “I love him so much; I will use every method to protect him. So please, help me. I don’t want to be sent back…”
The air was silent.
Apart from Jiang Wanyan’s soft sobs, nothing else was heard. Lin Ziying wanted to avoid getting involved, but for some reason, her feet moved on their own, standing there, unable to take a step away.
It was as if the person standing in front of her was her only salvation. Jiang Wanyan, with hoarse breaths, cried out, “I only want this child. Apart from this child, I can abandon everything else. So… cough, cough, cough… can you help me persuade Brother Zixiang to help me?”
Lin Ziying was startled, “B-but how can my brother help you?”
Grasping the last straw of hope, Jiang Wanyan walked over from the sofa and grabbed Lin Ziying’s hand. Her voice was hoarse, “He can, as long as Brother Zixiang is willing, he can definitely help me…”
***
When Hai Ku was taking a shower in the bathroom, he began to feel something was off. His eyelids kept twitching, and the sound of rushing water seemed to hum in his ears.
It wasn’t until he finished showering and came out that he realized where the strange feeling was coming from.
My dear sister! She actually handed Jiang Wanyan some napkins???
What the hell! What kind of nonsense was she fed?
“Brother…” Lin Ziying looked at her brother awkwardly, hesitated for a moment, and then pulled him into her room.
With wide eyes, Lin Ziying quietly said, “Brother… you don’t like her anymore, right?”
“I don’t like her.” Hai Ku made a face like he’d just eaten something disgusting and then asked, “What exactly happened just now? Did she drug you with some sort of mind control?”
“No, no…” Lin Ziying instantly felt guilty, her eyes shifting nervously. “She asked me to help her. I saw her crying so pitifully, I almost agreed. But then I thought, you don’t really like her, so I said I’d consider it…”
“You’re not too dumb, at least.” Hai Ku felt relieved. He couldn’t help but think the female lead’s aura was indeed terrifying. How could it almost turn someone who didn’t like her into her friend? What kind of person was she?
“B-but I promised her…”
Hai Ku instantly felt something was wrong. “What…?”
Lin Ziying looked like she had done something wrong. She didn’t know why, but in the heat of the moment, she had agreed. Now, she regretted it a little.
Lin Ziying felt guilty. “I promised her I would try to persuade you, uh… persuade you to listen to her. She said that you didn’t understand the whole situation at all and just rejected all her help right away.”
Hai Ku was about to lose his temper. He reached out and knocked Lin Ziying on the head. “I brought you here to help me! You’re such a useless sister who only makes things worse!”
“Brother~ I’m sorry…” Lin Ziying lowered her head, feeling even more guilty.
“Forget it, forget it. Let’s go out and see what kind of tricks she can pull.” Hai Ku sighed. He didn’t have the heart to scold her too much. After all, the female lead’s aura was nearly too much for him to handle, let alone Lin Ziying, who was just a naive little maiden.
Having already read the entire plot, Hai Ku didn’t have much affection for the female lead. Plus, after experiencing all the strange events since he got here, he didn’t believe that the female lead’s few words could suddenly turn the tide.