Returning to Jin Yu’s side, Meng Jinyan asked her only one question: “Feeling better now?”
Jin Yu hadn’t yet snapped out of the shock from his swift slapping, still feeling a bit dazed. She let out another soft “Ah.”
Meng Jinyan: “…”
What the hell was that “Ah”? Was she deliberately messing with him?
To avoid being tempted by her, he couldn’t even be bothered to look at her, his tone growing several degrees colder. “If you still feel unsatisfied, I can go over and slap her a few more times.”
Hearing this, Jin Yu felt a pang of emotion.
Ever since her parents passed away, no one had ever stood up for her so fiercely. Afraid tears might fall, she quickly lowered her head. “I’m satisfied now. There’s no need to hit her again.”
Zhang Ru had never suffered a setback before. After such a huge humiliation today, she would likely retaliate tenfold in the future.
Petty and scheming, Zhang Ru was full of underhanded tricks. Jin Yu feared she wouldn’t be able to guard against them all. After a moment’s thought, she decided to let it go for now.
Though Jin Yu was willing to let it go, Zhang Ru was not. Having been slapped three times in a row by Meng Jinyan, she was now in a frenzied state, her eyes wide with fury. “Who exactly are you?”
Meng Jinyan still ignored her.
The driver, however, emboldened by Meng Jinyan’s presence, grew much more arrogant. “This is our young master, the man our young madam is marrying today, and the father of the child in her belly. You old hag, consider yourself lucky to be slapped by our young master. He doesn’t usually bother with just anyone.”
Meng Jinyan: “…”
Jin Yu: “…”
Zhang Ru was incredulous.
Young master? Young madam? Child?
Putting it all together, she quickly understood: Jin Yu was pregnant, but not by some old geezer—it was by this strikingly handsome, wealthy, and powerful man in front of her.
As she propped herself up on the floor, Zhang Ru’s eyes shifted slyly. She scrutinized Meng Jinyan from head to toe and back again three times over, finally reaching one conclusion:
This man was rich.
At the very least, richer than their Lin family.
Realizing this, she changed her demeanor. Propping herself up on the floor, she tried to stand, but unfortunately, Meng Jinyan’s kick had been too forceful, and she ended up slipping back down in a humiliating heap.
Enduring the pain in her back, she put on the full airs of an elder, playing the “respect your elders” card. “Getting married today?”
“Have you discussed this with us, the elders?”
“If you’re marrying Jin Yu, how much bride price are you planning to give?”
She fired off three questions in a row, but Jin Yu and Meng Jinyan merely watched her with cold, disgusted eyes, having no desire to engage.
The driver, however, was straightforward. As a father himself, he couldn’t stand Zhang Ru’s tone, as if she were selling a child, and he was the first to lose his temper.
“In all my life, I’ve never seen such a shameless, rotten old hag like you. Just listen to yourself—are those even human words? Even if our young master were to give a bride price, it would be for our young madam alone. Who the hell do you think you are?”
Being cursed at like this was something Zhang Ru had never experienced before, especially under Jin Yu’s disgusted gaze. She felt as though decades of her life’s dignity had been stripped away in front of her.
Just as she was about to retaliate, Meng Jinyan casually added, “I could arrange a funeral for you, though.”
Zhang Ru stared in stunned disbelief: “…”
The driver was utterly in awe, nearly clapping in admiration.
Jin Yu felt somewhat uneasy; given his behavior today, she thought it really wasn’t impossible.
Because of the hospital visit, the contract matter was postponed.
Meng Jinyan glanced at his watch—it was almost ten o’clock.
He didn’t have time to waste on irrelevant people, so he looked directly at Jin Yu. “My entire day today is yours.”
Hearing this, Jin Yu was utterly horrified.
She nervously let out an “Ah.”
In response, he pinched her cheek, his tone impatient as he warned her, “Stop with the ‘ah, ah, ah.’ Can you speak properly? Do you even know how to speak properly?”
Jin Yu blinked in confusion. “?”
If they kept staring at each other like this, Meng Jinyan was afraid he might be tempted by her. He let go of her cheek, suppressing his racing heartbeat, and added expressionlessly, “Later, I’ll have someone move your brother and grandmother to the military hospital. I’ll also arrange for bodyguards to be on duty around the clock to ensure no outsiders interfere with their treatment. Also, we’ll go to your place later to get your ID, and we’ll get our marriage certificate.”
After hearing his explanation, Jin Yu felt much more at ease.
So that’s what he meant.
Watching their interaction, Zhang Ru sat on the floor, shouting helplessly, “Jin Yu, if you want to get married, your uncle and I haven’t agreed yet! This is an act of defiance!”
Jin Yu didn’t even glance at her and instead went to the bedside to give some instructions to the doctor and Aunt Zhang.
Zhang Ru kept screaming like a mad dog, and Meng Jinyan’s ears were starting to hurt from the noise. He motioned for the driver to step forward and silence her.
The driver was a straightforward man—he immediately took off his sock and stuffed it into her mouth.
The entire floor fell silent. Finally, Jin Yu gently stroked her brother’s pale little face.
“Xiao Qi, don’t be afraid. Your sister will protect you.”
Even though she now had to rely on others to survive, she believed that one day, she would be able to support their family on her own.
After Meng Jinyan’s people had taken care of all the formalities, Jin Yu finally felt reassured enough to leave the hospital with him.
In the back seat, the two sat facing each other, and Jin Yu sincerely expressed her gratitude.
Hearing this, Meng Jinyan looked at the mark on her face from the slap, rubbed his brow bone, and spoke in a sarcastic tone.
“Just relying on others to help you and saying thank you afterward isn’t enough. If someone bullies you, you have to fight back yourself. Don’t act like a pushover every day, letting others take advantage of you.”
“Even if that person is your family, as long as what they’re doing is unreasonable, if they dare to lay a hand on you, you have to fight back.”
“You’re the mother of my child, and I don’t want him to learn your timidity. Be a little crazier, a little fiercer—that way, you won’t get taken advantage of. Do you understand?”
He spoke three sentences in a row, all in a sarcastic tone, but Jin Yu took every word to heart.
In the past, she had always been taught to “endure for a moment to find peace.” Especially after her parents passed away, when she and her brother moved in with their grandmother at their uncle’s house, living under someone else’s roof, she had to endure every day.
Over time, she gradually became cautious and timid. But now, Meng Jinyan was telling her to fight back, to be fiercer.
She pursed her lips lightly, her long eyelashes fluttering nervously.
“What if I lose the fight?”
Their eyes met, and he sensed the fear in her gaze. Looking at her like this, Meng Jinyan felt as if he were seeing his younger self, and the words slipped out almost unconsciously.
“Come back and tell me, I’ll help you fight back.”
Time seemed to stand still at that moment. Jin Yu stared blankly at him, a certain part of her heart suddenly crumbling.
Of course, it would have been better if not for the driver’s sudden brake. The abrupt stop and the loose seatbelt flung her straight into Meng Jinyan’s arms, and she even pressed against something she shouldn’t have.
But before she could feel embarrassed, the man’s familiar, teasing tone rang out first. “Throwing yourself into my arms?”