Zhao Panpan’s mother left right after giving birth to her.
For all these years, they hadn’t been in touch.
That’s why Panpan didn’t want to be the kind of person who has a child and then abandons them.
Abandoning a child after giving birth or getting an abortion—it’s the same kind of giving up.
She bit her lip. If there were someone in this world connected to her by blood, someone who loved her completely and trusted her, she thought she’d feel truly happy.
Looking at Zhang Yanyan’s reddened eyes, Panpan’s lips trembled as she forced a smile. “Yanzi, thank you.”
Zhang Yanyan knew her too well. She understood exactly why Panpan was torn, so even without saying much, Panpan felt understood.
Zhang Yanyan handed her the roasted cold noodles. “Eat. Later, you’ll need to watch your diet to avoid spikes in blood sugar and blood pressure. For your health and your baby’s, don’t gain too much weight.”
She paused, then added softly, “Panpan, I hope you follow your heart when making decisions. This is your life. What others say is just advice—they don’t live it for you.”
Panpan nodded. “I understand.”
If she decided to have this child, she had to think about the father too.
She had to be careful that he wouldn’t abandon responsibility and still try to use the child to his advantage later.
Hearing Zhang Yanyan’s concern, Panpan smiled firmly. “I’ve got it covered.”
Her friends had always depended on themselves to turn bad situations around.
She once leaned on Xue Tuan, then on Zhang Liang, now on her friends—and someday, she’d be someone others could lean on too.
Thinking of Xue Tuan, tears welled in her eyes. She believed he would want her to live well.
She was almost thirty; it was time to be strong and independent.
No one could save her but herself.
The next day, accompanied by Zhang Yanyan, Panpan went to the gynecologist.
Doctor: “You haven’t eaten, right? Let’s start with the check-up.”
Panpan felt a little embarrassed. “Doctor… I want to keep this child.”
The doctor’s official tone softened. “Go register at the obstetrics department. Get your records set up and take care of yourself. Good days are still ahead.”
Panpan thanked the doctor warmly, registered at obstetrics, went through all the tests, and completed the paperwork smoothly.
The doctor explained what she needed to watch for and when to come for her next check-up.
Looking at the tiny, barely recognizable image on the ultrasound, Panpan’s heart softened.
She was going to be a mom.
Before she could even dwell on the feeling, Zhang Liang called. “The house has been sold. The transfer will happen tomorrow. Once the money comes in, I’ll send it to your Alipay.”
Panpan was surprised. The sale happened just three days after the trial—faster than she imagined.
She remembered Gu Chen saying it would be better to get the money sooner, especially after the appeal. So she suggested going with him the next day.
Zhang Liang hesitated but agreed. After all, Panpan had invested more into the house, and she wanted to see the process for herself.
With the agent’s help, everything went smoothly. Panpan held up the court judgment and demanded her 220,000-yuan share on the spot. The Zhang family, worried she might make a scene, reluctantly gave it to her.
After all, Duan Zhibin had warned that if things escalated, the court would examine the IOU, and everything could collapse.
Zhang Liang thought the remaining money should go to his mother, but Zhang Jun pulled him aside. “It’s safer to keep this with Mom first. You hold a little for now. If the girl finds out and chases after your money, you might lose both your money and peace.”
Zhang Liang felt touched.
Zhang Jun added, “This money could be for when you marry. A girl like Panpan—no dowry, willing to go through hardships with you—is rare. In the future, if you remarry, she’ll have to consider reality. Don’t make mistakes while Panpan is watching. Who knows what she might be planning?”
Zhang Liang glanced at Panpan, who was focused on her phone. His older brother’s advice made sense. “Okay, let’s store it with Mom first.”
Zhang Jun nodded. The buyer transferred the rest, documents were finalized, and the house was completely out of their hands.
Panpan messaged Gu Chen that she had the money. He replied that in the next court session, she would get everything legally hers.
Her mood lifted. She looked at the Zhang family quietly chatting and laughing together, then slipped away.
She didn’t want Zhang Liang knowing about the baby yet, so she stayed as far as possible from them.
Under the supervision of the new buyer and the agent, the Zhang family hired movers to take away their appliances and furniture and handed over the keys.
Their home was far from their hometown, so they decided to store the items at Zhang Jun’s place in town for now.
By evening, everything was settled.
Lin Jiajia prepared a meal in the kitchen, looking unusually cheerful.
Once everyone had eaten, Zhang Jun slammed the IOU on the table. “Xiaoliang, we’re family. I won’t beat around the bush.”
Zhang Liang frowned. “What’s this about?”
Zhang Jun smiled. “The 1 million yuan you owe me—it can’t just be ignored, right?”
Zhang Liang wanted to argue that he never owed him, but seeing the IOU on the table, he looked at Zhang Jun in disbelief. “Brother, this isn’t real. We wrote it as a fake IOU just to get Panpan’s house.”
Duan Zhibin had told them that Gu Chen was skilled with divorce lawsuits. Even if the house was under Zhou Xiangping’s name, the court could track payment info. Since Panpan paid most, they suggested making it look like a marital debt transfer.
The family had all agreed back then.
Zhang Liang looked at Zhou Xiangping and Lin Jiajia.
His usually gentle mother and sister-in-law were clearly on Zhang Jun’s side now.
Zhang Jun patted Zhang Liang’s shoulder. “Brother, this is a legally recognized IOU. How can it be fake? If it were fake, how would you have gotten Panpan’s house?”
Zhang Liang’s throat tightened. He couldn’t speak.
Lin Jiajia sneered, “Xiaoliang, you’re not trying to deny it, are you? If your brother hadn’t sacrificed for you, worked to pay your schooling, where would you be now? Even if you wanted to be ungrateful and sue him, this IOU must be honored!”
Zhang Liang wanted to argue. Zhang Jun did pay for his high school, but that was it. For college, he only gave a small annual allowance of 2,000 yuan.
Xiaoliang had chosen a publicly funded teacher program for university, which covered tuition, dorm, living allowance, and poverty grants. Since his grades were good, he also got scholarships.
The 2,000 yuan from Zhang Jun was just extra.
Even in high school, Xiaoliang didn’t spend much as a poor student.
Even without Zhang Jun, he could have finished high school and college on his own.
But over the years, everyone had believed Zhang Jun paid for college, and that lie had become truth.
Everyone had forgotten that Zhang Jun had actually been expelled from school after getting a classmate pregnant…