17 – What Does Big Brother Really Want? — Peeling Back the Glamorous Facade
Ji Hanyuan’s words not only gave Zhou Ruili a bad feeling, but also made Ji Mingpeng’s eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
Although Zhou Ruili was pregnant, it was still early—just over a month along. The matriarch of the Ji Family had forbidden them from revealing the news, fearing that Zhou Ruili might not carry the pregnancy to term safely.
Thus, aside from a few close family members, no one knew about Zhou Ruili’s pregnancy.
So… how did Ji Hanyuan know?
“What do you mean?” Ji Mingpeng asked directly, his tone displeased, his gaze burning as he stared straight at Ji Hanyuan.
Could it be that this bastard, Ji Hanyuan, still had spies planted around them, monitoring their every move?
This damned bastard! He knew he was up to no good, never giving up his wicked intentions!!
“Hmph.”
Ji Hanyuan only let out a cold laugh, lowering his head to toy with the black jade thumb ring on his finger, saying nothing.
Yet that single cold laugh sent shivers down the spines of many nearby, even giving them an inexplicable sense of dread.
Even Tangtang looked up at Ji Hanyuan with suspicion.
As if sensing the little soft candy in his arms stirring, Ji Hanyuan glanced down and gave her a reassuring look.
It seemed as though everything was firmly under his control.
Tangtang’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
Brother… what exactly was he planning?
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance.
A sharp, agitated woman’s voice pierced through the crowd, reaching everyone’s ears with precision.
“Ji Mingpeng! Ji Mingpeng!”
“Your son has a high fever, and you don’t care! Instead, you’re here flaunting your love with your wife, celebrating your thirtieth birthday!”
“Our son is already two years old! When will you fulfill your promise to marry me into the Ji Family?! Do you have no intention of keeping your word?!”
“Now that your wife is pregnant, you’re just going to abandon us, mother and child, is that it?!”
Instantly, everyone was stunned.
The woman who had suddenly appeared was holding a little boy who looked about two years old.
But the boy appeared exceptionally weak due to his high fever, a pitiful and frail sight.
As she shouted and rushed in, almost everyone curiously turned their gaze to the little boy in her arms.
Immediately, they were utterly shocked.
The little boy didn’t look exactly like Ji Mingpeng, but he bore at least a sixty to seventy percent resemblance.
Just one glance was enough to make people believe they were unmistakably father and son!
Meanwhile, several security guards chased after them, their faces filled with anxiety, but they had clearly failed to stop the mother and child.
And now, with this awkward situation already unfolding, what good would it do to stop them now?
The superficial glamour of this banquet was destined to be torn to shreds.
The darkness within was now laid bare before everyone’s eyes.
In an instant, Zhou Ruili’s face turned deathly pale as she stared at Ji Mingpeng in disbelief.
Although their marriage was somewhat of a family alliance, back then, it was Ji Mingpeng who had pursued her relentlessly, begging her to marry him.
After all, her Zhou family had been involved in the real estate industry for over two decades, which was a great help to Ji Mingpeng when he first took over the family’s real estate business.
It could be said that his success today and the significant achievements in his career were largely due to the contributions of her Zhou family.
Of course, this also involved her speaking up for him in her own family.
Naturally, she was willing to do so.
Because in her heart, Ji Mingpeng was her destined partner, the love of her life with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her days. She wanted to help him with all her might.
After all, she had always believed that he treated her even better.
In the four years since they got married, she had never become pregnant. Both his family and hers had been urging them, and many people had said unpleasant things, even suspecting that there might be something wrong with her body.
Every time this happened, Ji Mingpeng would always gently comfort her, telling her it was okay and that he wasn’t in a hurry to have children.
In fact, as long as she was by his side, he was willing even if they never had children.
Because what he loved was her, the person she was.
He was always so gentle, so good.
So every time he comforted her, she would only feel more self-blame and guilt, while also asking the Zhou family to help him more.
After all, he was already thirty, and she still hadn’t given him a child of his own.
But then…
It turned out he already had an illegitimate child!
And the child was already two years old!
No wonder, no wonder he wasn’t in a hurry to have children—he had already become a father outside!
No wonder, no wonder he would always coax her by saying that it was okay even if they never had children, because he already had a son to carry on the family line!
Thinking back now, Zhou Ruili only felt disgusted! Utterly disgusted!
The more touched she had been back then, the more disgusted she felt now!
Zhou Ruili staggered backward, unable to believe that the man who lay beside her every day, gently comforting her, was nothing but a liar who had been deceiving her all along!
Her gaze toward Ji Mingpeng shifted from shock to despair, pain, and disgust…
Seeing this, Ji Mingpeng grew anxious and quickly said, “Lili, let me explain.”
However, when he reached out to grab Zhou Ruili’s hand, she slapped it away fiercely.
“Liar! Liar!”
“Divorce! I want a divorce!”
All those vows of eternal love, all those promises of being the only one—they were all lies! Lies!
The men of the Ji Family had all inherited the philandering and flawed nature of the old master of the Ji Family! One woman at home, another outside! And even before his wife gave birth, he had already fathered an illegitimate child outside!
Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!
Suddenly, sharp pains shot through Zhou Ruili’s abdomen. She clutched her stomach, her condition visibly deteriorating.
“Lili.” Seeing Zhou Ruili on the verge of collapse, Ji Mingpeng hurried to support her.
The sudden turn of events had caught him off guard, leaving him at a loss for what to do. All he wanted was to quickly calm Zhou Ruili down!
But at that moment…
“Ah! Baby! My baby!”
The little boy in the woman’s arms began convulsing!
“Ji Mingpeng! Ji Mingpeng! What’s wrong with the baby? Baby, my baby!”
Instantly, seeing the little boy’s face turn blue from the convulsions, Ji Mingpeng ignored Zhou Ruili and rushed to the woman’s side, scooping the boy into his arms.
“Baby, baby, don’t scare Daddy.”
“Daddy will take you to the hospital right now!”
“Brother-in-law!” Zhou Ruixue watched in disbelief as Ji Mingpeng left with the woman and the illegitimate child, completely disregarding her sister. She called out “brother-in-law” several times and nearly chased after them but was stopped by Zhou Ruili.
Pale-faced, Zhou Ruili held Zhou Ruixue back and said with despair, “Stop calling him, Xue’er. In a man’s eyes, a son is always the most important.”
Just like the old master of the Ji Family, who, because the woman outside had given him three sons first, completely disregarded his lawful wife.
Just like her own father, who favored sons over daughters, treating her and her sister as marriage machines, with all the family business reserved for her brother.
Moreover… she was just a woman, how could she compare to his own flesh-and-blood son.
And what was in her womb was merely an unborn fetus, not even known whether it was a boy or a girl…
Hah… Zhou Ruili prided herself on being shrewd, yet… in reality, she was so, so foolish, easily believing a man’s lies.
She understood so many truths, yet still could not escape the fate of a woman.
She had thought… she was lucky, that she had married the right man.
Ji Mingpeng, after all, was different from other men.
He was gentle and considerate, understood her hardships, loved and cherished her…
But now…
Hah…
False… all of it was false!
In this world, there simply were no good men!
Suddenly, Zhou Ruixue let out a startled cry.
“Ah! Sister! You’re bleeding!!”
“Quick! Call 120!”