Chapter Sixteen: The Last Straw

“If I’m willing to get rid of the child and live a good life with you, would you be able to forgive me?”
“Forgive you?” Zhao Fan looked as if he’d heard something utterly ridiculous. “Wang Ying, don’t disgust me. Women like you, who sleep around, make me sick just to look at. Get out!”
With a child in her belly whose father was unknown, and a wealthy patron she clung to when buying a villa, Zhao Fan’s gaze toward Wang Ying grew ever more contemptuous.
A woman who’s slept with everyone and still wants him to prop her up from behind? Bah! She’d better leave as soon as possible.
Wang Ying shook her head. “I won’t go, Zhao Fan. I want to marry you. I’m not leaving.”
Wiping her tears, she hid the calculation and greed in her eyes. What a joke—she could buy a villa worth millions without hesitation; Zhao Fan must have even more money in his hands.
Even if it meant throwing away her dignity, today she would make Zhao Fan marry her.
“Zhao Fan, you shameless, gold-digging trash. My sister was devoted to you—how could you treat her like this?”
Wang Ying wiped her tears as Wang Qiang, her brother, jumped beside her. Seeing neighbors peeking out to watch, Zhao Fan’s face darkened; he came out of the house carrying a chair.
“Hey, everyone, come see the Zhao family—they’re all the same, every one of them…”
Bang! Clang!
The chair smashed into Wang Qiang, breaking off his words and hurling him into the wall with tremendous force. With a dull thud, Wang Qiang’s eyes closed and he collapsed to the floor, uncertain if he was alive or dead.
Wang Ying’s mouth hung open, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Holding the broken chair, Zhao Fan turned. “What did you just say?”
“Hic—”
Frightened, Wang Ying hiccupped, “I, hic, I…”
The neighbors who had come out slowly retreated. My God, when did the Zhao family’s son become so terrifying?
In the silence, Zhao Fan flexed his wrist. “Get out!”
Wang Ying scrambled to her feet and ran, tripping once, but not daring to pause for a moment; she got up and kept running.
Hearing the sounds fade, Zhao Fan looked down. All Wang Ying’s actions had been for her brother, yet when Wang Qiang was knocked unconscious, she abandoned him and ran off herself. How amusing.
Dragging Wang Qiang by the leg, Zhao Fan tossed him out and calmly dealt with the chair.
When he returned home, his father and mother, who had hidden earlier, had come out, both troubled.
His mother asked, “Xiao Fan, did you just use force?”
Zhao Fan nodded, “I did, a little.”
“And Wang Ying—is she pregnant?”

“Mm.”
His mother immediately became anxious, pacing restlessly. “How did she end up pregnant?”
“I don’t know. She’s just pregnant.” Zhao Fan poured himself a glass of water, his expression calm.
His mother stomped her foot. “How can you not know? That child, that child…”
“The child isn’t mine. Wang Ying got pregnant fooling around, and now she wants someone to take responsibility. Plus, her brother Wang Qiang is being chased by creditors, so she’s looking for someone to bail them out. The bride price she demands is to pay off Wang Qiang’s debts…”
Zhao Fan decided to tell them everything plainly.
After he finished, his father remained silent and his mother was stunned.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zhao Fan clenched his fists. “Dad, Mom, I wasn’t going to tell you about this, but since they came causing trouble again today, I had to. If I hadn’t, knowing how much you believe in my feelings for Wang Ying, you’d probably be fooled by her. Now that things have blown up, I might as well let you know everything she’s done, so there won’t be problems later.”
In the quiet, his father spoke gloomily, “Since Wang Ying isn’t suitable, let’s just leave her be. There are plenty of good girls out there.”
With that, his mother said nothing more.
After a while, his father asked, “You mentioned before that you wanted to go back to school?”
“Yes. I followed a big boss around for a while and saw a lot.”
Zhao Fan deliberately kept it vague, so his parents would think he’d learned this lesson from his experiences.
His father bowed his head, thinking for a long time, then solemnly said, “Xiao Fan, you’re not young anymore. If you go back to school, it’ll be tough. Can you handle it?”
“I can.” Zhao Fan replied seriously, then suddenly smiled. “No matter how hard studying is, it’s easier than struggling in society.”
His father nodded, went into the house, then came out in different clothes.
Zhao Fan recognized them as his father’s only decent outfit, which he never wore except for important occasions.
“Dad, what’s this?”
Zhao Fan hesitated, wondering if his father was going to the school.
His father changed his shoes. “If you’re going back to school, you’ll need to go there. You and your mother stay home; I’ll go talk to your homeroom teacher and see if you can rejoin the class.”
His hand clenched tightly at his side. Zhao Fan bit his lip, his eyes hot with emotion. “Dad, you…”
“Come on, grown man and still tearing up? Aren’t you embarrassed? Stay home; I’ll be back soon.”
With that, his father left.
Zhao Fan took a deep breath and chased after him. “Dad, let me talk to the homeroom teacher.”

“You? Will it work?”
Facing his father’s doubts, Zhao Fan nodded earnestly. “I know the homeroom teacher pretty well. Trust me. If it doesn’t work, you can step in later.”
He steered his father back toward the house.
His father thought it over and agreed, turning back with Zhao Fan.
His mother saw the two return and put on her apron. “You must be hungry; I’ll cook some noodles.”
“Okay.”
Zhao Fan and his father answered in unison.
With the burden of the bride price gone, the atmosphere in the Zhao family was much lighter.
The next day, Zhao Fan brought two bottles of fine Moutai and some snacks, heading to his homeroom teacher’s house.
His teacher’s surname was He, given name Yongshan, forty-five years old, popular among the students, who all called him Old He.
Previously, Zhao Fan had been determined to marry Wang Ying, dropping out to raise the bride price. He Yongshan had chased after him for miles, desperately urging him not to be rash.
But Zhao Fan only had Wang Ying in his heart and ignored him.
In his previous life, when Zhao Fan was drowning in despair, He Yongshan had come to see him, but Zhao Fan had driven him out.
After that, Zhao Fan never saw He Yongshan again.
Today was Sunday. Zhao Fan knocked loudly at He Yongshan’s door, his fists thumping.
“Who is it? Can’t a man sleep on Sunday?”
A gruff voice sounded from inside. As the door opened, Zhao Fan grinned and raised his gifts.
“Old He, it’s me.”
He Yongshan squinted and immediately tried to shut the door.
“Hey!” Zhao Fan wedged his foot in the doorway. “Old He, I skipped my Sunday nap and brought Moutai and snacks just to see you. You can’t turn me away—it would break my heart.”
“Hmph. What are you here for?”