“The scratches on your arm were from me.” Seeing his disbelief, Xu Qingning tried hard to jog his memory.
In truth, the events of that night were glossed over by the author.
It was only mentioned that Tang Wenya took her to celebrate Xiao Tingshen’s birthday. The steamy details were reserved for the Male and Female Leads, while how Xu Qingning ended up in bed with Zhao Jingyu was never described in detail.
Of course, the process wasn’t important. What mattered was that the child in her womb was truly his—no doubt about it.
“And then?” Zhao Jingyu glanced at his arm, played a card, and looked at her with amused interest. On Xiao Tingshen’s birthday, he had indeed drunk too much and stayed at the guesthouse. He remembered having an indecent dream, nothing more.
When he woke up, there were indeed a few scratches on his arm, but everyone had been drunk. Who could say for sure whether they were from a man or a woman?
Xu Qingning looked innocent. “Are you sure you want me to continue?”
Zhao Jingyu gave her a once-over, said nothing, and chuckled as he tossed out two more cards, clearly unconvinced.
Xu Qingning recalled the author’s description of him: complicated family background, rebellious, cynical, eccentric, and wild—the complete opposite of Xiao Tingshen.
Zhao Jingyu was more like a fierce stray dog, ready to tear a piece of flesh from anyone. He had caused plenty of trouble for the Male and Female Leads.
A classic villain setup.
Xu Qingning hadn’t expected the man from that night to be Zhao Jingyu either.
But what was done was done. The father couldn’t just have his fun and shirk responsibility.
Xu Qingning mused thoughtfully, “You have a black mole on the left side of your chest. Oh, and one on your butt too—it’s red…”
Everyone pricked up their ears, exchanging glances filled with shock and disbelief.
With such explosive news, who could still focus on playing cards?
The playful expression on Zhao Jingyu’s face froze, and his ears flushed red. He threw down his cards, cutting Xu Qingning off. “Let’s talk outside. Don’t hold up the game.”
Everyone: “…”
Wait, buddy, that’s not what you said earlier!
As Zhao Jingyu led Xu Qingning out the door, the young men exchanged glances, no longer in the mood to play cards.
“Should we go out and take a look?”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? If the boss finds out, who knows how he’ll deal with us.”
One of them persisted, “…That may be true, but we can just be careful.”
The others, equally curious, chimed in with excuses: “Yeah, and that woman is probably the boss’s lady anyway. Even if he gets mad, we can just kneel in front of her and beg for mercy.”
“Makes sense.”
Having convinced each other, the young men jostled their way out to eavesdrop by the wall.
Zhao Jingyu led Xu Qingning out of the dormitory and stopped at the corner of the wall. When he lowered his head and met her gaze, he instinctively looked away. “Xu Qingning, even if I slept with you that night, why didn’t you come find me then? It’s been over a month, and now you show up asking me to be the father of your child?”
She was right about everything.
It was just too damn bizarre.
“These things take two. It’s not entirely your fault.” Xu Qingning spoke smoothly, like a scoundrel who had suddenly seen the light and decided to take responsibility for his little wife. “If it weren’t for the child, I would never have come looking for you in this lifetime.”
She could raise the child alone, but this child had a biological father, and he had responsibilities too.
Moreover, in this era, getting pregnant before marriage could be fatal if word got out. She might still be forced to undergo an abortion and be sent to the countryside. She had no desire to end up like the original story, nearly dying in a clinic.
Suffering for no reason wasn’t her style.
“What do you want to do?” Zhao Jingyu asked, his expression unreadable.
“Marry me. My child needs a legitimate status. Don’t worry, I won’t make you marry me for nothing. If you marry me, you’ll also get a child in the bargain—consider it a win for you.” Xu Qingning’s mind raced with calculations. “After marriage, your salary will go toward raising the child. In three years, when the child is older and I can work, we’ll divorce. The child stays with me, and you won’t have any burdens.”
She was definitely keeping the child.
Zhao Jingyu’s salary as a seaman wasn’t low, which would be perfect for raising the child. Once the child was older, she’d seize the opportunities of the reform and opening-up era, divorce him, and build a comfortable life with her child.
More importantly, she knew that in three years, Zhao Jingyu would suffer an accident that would end his seafaring career and leave a scar on his face.
After that, he would be depressed for years. Although he later made a comeback and started a company, that was in the future.
For now, she just wanted his help raising the child. She had no intention of taking care of him in return. When the time came, she could offer him some compensation, but she wouldn’t let him drag her or the child down.
The people eavesdropping nearby were stunned. Who was their boss? Was he really going to be so thoroughly outsmarted by his future wife and become henpecked?
Zhao Jingyu looked down at her, pondering for a moment. “Go home and wait for news. I’ll give you an answer soon.”
Xu Qingning glared at him warily with her watery peach-blossom eyes. “You don’t believe me? Or you don’t want to take responsibility?”
“If it’s mine, I’ll definitely take responsibility,” Zhao Jingyu said coolly. “But what you’ve said isn’t exactly a secret.”
“If you don’t believe me, forget it.” Xu Qingning turned and stormed off angrily. “I won’t come looking for you again.”
After all, as long as she made it to the story’s ending, she could return to her original world. If he didn’t believe her, so be it. She didn’t necessarily need him to change the plot.
In the middle of the courtyard, Xu Qingning kicked an empty soda bottle away.
Everyone: “…”
The future wife had quite the temper.
Leaving the crowded compound of the ocean shipping company, Xu Qingning wandered around the neighborhood to look at houses. By the time she returned home, it was already one in the afternoon.
In Jiaodong City in 1978, most people lived in housing allocated by their work units. Only a small number of public housing units in family compounds were available for rent, costing about one or two yuan a month.
The price was acceptable.
The living room was quiet. Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei weren’t home—they had gone to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Tang Wenya sat at the desk by the window, a brand-new watch on her wrist and an irrepressible look of joy on her face as she tried to focus on her book.
Xiao Tingshen had just visited—the watch was a gift from him.
Upon learning she was pregnant, Xiao Tingshen had taken the initiative to propose to Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei, saying he wanted to marry her before starting university. He was even more eager than she had expected.
She wasn’t like Xu Qingning—greedy, vain, lazy, and destined to be despised by everyone.
Even after marrying Xiao Tingshen, she would remain outstanding and driven. She would prove to everyone that marrying him wasn’t her climbing the social ladder. The money and resources the Xiao family could offer her now were actually nothing special.
There were only two months left until the college entrance exam. She had to get into university together with Xiao Tingshen and live a more exciting life in the spring breeze of reform and opening up.
Tang Wenya had already seen Xu Qingning come in and was waiting for her to speak up. However, Xu Qingning didn’t even glance at Tang Wenya, returning to the bedroom on her own, climbing onto the upper bunk, and falling asleep immediately.
She had run out at noon to find Zhao Jingyu, looked at several houses, and was quite tired.
Tang Wenya felt stifled by the prepared speech she had rehearsed. Seeing Xu Qingning looking calm and walking lightly, she felt puzzled and asked the System, “Why is the plot different from what was said before? What exactly went wrong?”
System: “Host, an Unknown Character has entered the book. The Female Supporting Character’s mission has changed. She wants to keep the child, and she has already met the child’s father.”
“How could this happen?” Tang Wenya was very surprised and asked the System again, “How can we return to the original book’s plot?”
What about the promised face-slapping of the Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character?
What about the promised satisfying story?
“From the current situation, we can’t go back.” The System answered truthfully, “Due to the influence of the Unknown Character, this Awakening System has become a Hindsight System and can no longer provide timely plot services for the host.”
“What is a Hindsight System?” Tang Wenya was somewhat confused.
“It means it cannot provide foresight into the plot, only answer questions about events that have already occurred.” The System seemed a bit guilty and added, “The advantage of this Hindsight System is that even if the host is not present, it can provide corresponding plot details from that time, authentic and trustworthy, fair to all.”
“Is this Unknown Character Xu Qingning?” Since noon, Tang Wenya had felt that Xu Qingning was acting abnormally. She wasn’t panicking, nor had she gone for an abortion—it was very unusual.
“Judging from the plot development, it should be her.” The System also found it strange. The plot it had stored was already in complete chaos, and the source of the chaos started with Xu Qingning.
“Then what should I do?” Tang Wenya asked again.
“Adapt to the situation, use your Female Lead Halo to slap the Female Supporting Character’s face. You must believe in the author.” The System still admired the author greatly. “You must believe that all plot developments are meant to fulfill you and the Male Lead.”
“Understood.” Tang Wenya thought so too. As the Female Lead, what did she have to fear?
Xiao Tingshen, upon learning she was pregnant, immediately proposed marriage, wanting to take responsibility for her. Aside from Jiang Yumei, even Xu Jianguo was kept in the dark about her pregnancy.
The Male Lead truly had the responsibility of a Male Lead.