Before Wei Shiyu could continue, there was a knock on the door.
“Shiyu, is Zhiyi awake? If she is, bring her downstairs to eat. She hasn’t eaten anything all day.”
It was Wei Shiyu’s mother outside the door.
Just as in the novel, the Wei family had always treated Lin Zhiyi like their own daughter.
Lin Zhiyi knew it would be difficult to make Wei Shiyu believe her right away, but good things took time. She believed she could do it.
Wei Shiyu withdrew his gaze and said, “You must be hungry. Let’s go downstairs and eat.”
As they went downstairs, Lin Zhiyi leaned on Wei Shiyu for support the entire time, and there was no sign of the strange behavior he had shown earlier.
The Wei family was considered fairly well off in the city. They lived in a two-story house that had been meticulously decorated in a retro British style, the result of Wei Zhongliang spending a considerable sum to hire someone to design it.
When the elderly couple saw that Lin Zhiyi was willing to come downstairs and eat, the deep frowns on their faces finally eased.
After all, if she continued starving herself, it would not only be Lin Zhiyi who suffered. The child in her belly would likely suffer as well.
“Zhiyi, your stomach isn’t strong, so you can’t skip any of your three meals,” Wei Shiyu’s mother said as she served a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of Lin Zhiyi.
“Okay. Thank you, Mom.”
The moment Lin Zhiyi called her Mom, everyone at the table turned to look at her.
Ever since the incident, she had refused to speak to anyone in the family. Every day, she wore a long face as though the Wei family owed her a fortune.
This was even the first time she had thanked them since marrying into the family.
Wei Shiyu had never expected to hear his spoiled wife, who had always expected everything to be handed to her, actually say thank you. He was truly stunned.
“Zhiyi, we’re family. There’s no need to thank us.”
It was only when Wei Shiyu’s mother spoke that the silence at the table was finally broken.
“Mom, I’m not going to abort the baby. I’m also planning to go to the countryside with all of you.”
Lin Zhiyi’s second sentence was like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone at the table completely stunned.
Wei Shiyu had thought she was merely joking with him earlier, but now she had said it again.
He had believed that he had already seen Lin Zhiyi’s true colors, yet now he found himself hesitating.
It was as though he no longer recognized the woman standing before him.
Was she really the same delicate young heiress he knew, Lin Zhiyi? Was she actually willing to follow them to the Countryside?
Could it be that she truly had no other motives? He found it difficult to believe.
If she was lying, could his parents bear the consequences?
After all, Lin Zhiyi’s way of thinking had never been normal. She was always prone to losing control without any warning.
“Zhiyi, is what you’re saying true?” Wei Zhongliang’s voice trembled slightly, and upon closer inspection, his eyes had already turned faintly red.
At that moment, he was merely a grandfather hoping for a grandchild, an ordinary man who wished for his bloodline to continue into future generations.
For the Wei family now, this child was their entire hope.
Wei Shiyu’s mother was so shocked that the chopsticks slipped from her hand and fell onto the table. “Zhiyi, are you serious? But life in the countryside is very hard. You won’t be able to endure it!”
She truly had not expected this. The person who had wanted to end her life just moments ago was now saying something completely different.
“Mom, I mean it.”
It felt as though a fire was burning fiercely in Wei Shiyu’s chest.
Lin Zhiyi noticed the tense muscles in his arm and his slightly trembling hands.
“Zhiyi, even if you don’t come with us to the Countryside, before we leave, I’ll give all our savings to your father. Once you give birth safely, consider the living expenses for you and the child. You don’t have to force yourself to come with us and endure that hardship.” Wei Shiyu’s mother wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as she spoke, her lips trembling.
This was a decision she and Wei Zhongliang had made as soon as they received the news that they were being sent to the countryside.
Lin Zhiyi had not enjoyed a good life with them, but they could not let the child suffer either.
In this era, it was truly not easy to raise a well-educated girl.
Lin Zhiyi had never expected the elderly couple to go this far. Compared to most families, they were already far more generous.
They truly treated her as their own daughter.
“Dad, Mom, Shiyu, I mean it. I was just throwing a childish tantrum these past few days. Isn’t being together as a family more important than anything else?”
Wei Zhongliang gestured for his wife to bring out the things they had prepared long ago.
“Zhiyi, this is the money the two of us have saved over the years. It was originally meant for you and the child. Keep it safe.”
Wei Shiyu’s mother placed a wooden box in Lin Zhiyi’s hands.
Lin Zhiyi looked at its contents. There were both cash and ration coupons inside.
In this era, a mother and child could live quite comfortably with what was inside.
For a moment, Wei Shiyu suddenly remembered something Lin Youwei had once said to him.
It had been one afternoon when he had just returned from buying groceries.
As he passed by the Lin family’s home, Lin Youwei stopped him.
“Brother-in-law, sigh, I honestly think you’re too pitiful. My sister has always had Lu Bin in her heart, so you really need to be careful. Don’t let her give all the family’s money to Lu Bin. By then, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”
Wei Shiyu had not believed her at all. Although Lin Zhiyi treated him like a servant at home, ordering him around whenever she pleased, he still believed she was a good person and would not be the kind of woman to have one man while longing for another.
But Lin Zhiyi from the original novel truly was that kind of person.
Seeing that Wei Shiyu did not believe her, Lin Youwei did not try to persuade him further. After all, some things had to be seen to be believed.
Then, one evening, Lin Zhiyi said that she was going back to her parents’ home that afternoon, but she still had not returned by dusk. Wei Shiyu went to the Lin family’s home to look for her.
“My sister? She went to see Lu Bin.”
Lin Youwei’s casual remark immediately threw Wei Shiyu into a panic.
He followed the directions Lin Youwei had given him and went looking for her. Sure enough, he saw Lin Zhiyi giving Lu Bin a large amount of money, and in the end, Lu Bin even hugged her with a bright smile on his face.
Lin Zhiyi did not return that night, and Wei Shiyu did not go looking for her again.
Not long after that, Lin Zhiyi became pregnant.
“Are you sure you want to keep this child?” Wei Shiyu suddenly asked, leaving everyone confused.
Lin Zhiyi frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Wei Shiyu pulled her into a guest room on the first floor with a cold expression and shut the door tightly behind them.
He was giving Lin Zhiyi a chance to explain herself.
“What’s wrong with that boy? What is he talking about?” Wei Zhongliang said as he stood up, ready to follow them and teach Wei Shiyu a lesson.
“This is a matter between the two children. Why are you interfering? We’ll know what’s going on in a moment.” Wei Shiyu’s mother quickly grabbed Wei Zhongliang’s hand and motioned for him to calm down.
“This concerns my grandchild! How can I not be anxious?”
Wei Zhongliang got to his feet and began pacing back and forth across the living room.
“Wei Shiyu! Let go of me! What are you doing? You’re hurting me!” Lin Zhiyi struggled fiercely, trying to pull her arm free.
Only then did Wei Shiyu let go of her. His gaze fell on the patch of redness that had appeared on her fair arm.
His breathing caught, and he immediately looked away before lifting his eyes to meet Lin Zhiyi’s. “Do you really not know whose child you’re carrying?”