CHAPTER 1 

◎ Congratulations, you’re going to be a father ◎

Transmigrating right in the middle of an elopement—this opening really caught Ye Rou off guard.

Jiang Jun looked refined, wearing a pair of glasses. “Xiao Rou, I really can’t bear to let you suffer with me, but right now this is the only way. Once I make some money, I’ll definitely make it up to you. We’ll return in glory then.”

Ye Rou said, “Then let’s wait until you’ve earned money and returned in glory. I can’t suffer with you.”

Jiang Jun froze, looking stunned. “Xiao Rou, what are you saying?”

Ye Rou kindly repeated it for him, “What I mean is, I can’t suffer with you. Besides, I have a husband. What is it supposed to mean, me eloping with you? Or did you never even think about me in the first place?”

In the novel, after the supporting female character eloped, she stirred up chaos everywhere, causing no end of trouble. Her reputation plummeted, and later she didn’t even dare return home.

And now this pretty-boy in front of her was talking about “returning in glory”? What pie in the sky was he painting?

According to the novel’s plot, after the two of them eloped, the supporting female soon discovered she was pregnant. Of course, the child wasn’t Jiang Jun’s—it was her resentful husband’s. Since she couldn’t abort the baby or it would endanger her life, she ended up giving birth to it.

Afterward, her husband faced something even more pathetic. Once she gave birth, she actually sent the baby back to him. Yes, sent it back. She wrote a letter telling him: This is your child.

Her husband raised their son alone, pouring in effort and hardship, raising him with great difficulty. In the end, he never remarried, and his son never married either.

As for her, life with Jiang Jun started sweet enough, but because of the child, every time Jiang Jun thought about Ye Rou giving birth to another man’s baby, his emotions collapsed. The two of them quarreled and fought. Later, Jiang Jun got together with the daughter of a nouveau riche family, and that girl even bullied the supporting female.

Of course, that nouveau riche daughter didn’t have a good end either—her family went bankrupt, and her life with Jiang Jun wasn’t good afterward.

Jiang Jun seemed unable to believe Ye Rou’s words. He gripped her shoulders tightly. “Xiao Rou, I’m sorry. Maybe I didn’t consider you enough, but I only want to be with you. Let’s think of another way, okay?”

Ye Rou: “You’re acting as the male mistress here, don’t you realize that?”

Jiang Jun was so shocked by the words “male mistress” that he didn’t even know what to say.

Not far away, Zhang Ji clenched his fists as he watched the two of them. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he clearly saw Ye Rou’s lips form the words elope.

These two were planning to elope.

Zhang Ji turned and ran off to find Zhou Huai. He had to tell Zhou Huai about this.

Ye Rou didn’t want to tangle with Jiang Jun any longer. She took a step back. “You’re an educated man, how can you act as a male mistress? See, I’m considering you, but you’ve never once considered me.”

Back at home, Ye Rou looked at the somewhat retro furnishings and felt terribly out of place. She drank some cool boiled water from the table to calm herself down.

In this novel, Ye Rou and her husband were basically just background props, without much plot. If you had to call it a plot, it was only that the male and female leads wanted to climb higher by doing business with Ye Rou’s husband.

The leads went digging for news about Ye Rou’s husband, and later heard from a side character about Ye Rou’s elopement and her husband raising the child alone.

After much effort, the leads finally secured cooperation with Ye Rou’s husband. At the ending, during a banquet, the female lead mentioned that many women wanted to marry him, but he never remarried, and his son never fell in love or married either. She also said that Ye Rou once tried to visit them, but they ignored her, and then casually revealed Ye Rou’s ending.

Right now, Ye Rou had no choice. This child had to be born.

Before transmigrating, Ye Rou hadn’t even planned to get married anytime soon. Now, here she was, with both a man and a child.

As for divorce, Ye Rou had no plans for that at the moment. From the original text, that steady, mature man was someone responsible. He should take care of her as a pregnant woman and the child, right?

When Ye Rou’s cousin was pregnant, Ye Rou learned quite a bit about it, since they were close. She knew how hard it was to be pregnant, how hard it was to raise a child. Honestly, she had no confidence she could manage it herself.

To be honest, Ye Rou was rather curious about her husband at this moment. Someone the male and female leads wanted to curry favor with—she’d heard that even in middle age, though he was somewhat distant with others, he was still elegant and refined, a diamond bachelor many women didn’t mind pursuing, even if he already had a son.

Ye Rou was a bit of a face-con. She herself was pretty, so if she could raise a child with someone good-looking, it would definitely be much happier than raising a child with some ugly guy, right?

But Ye Rou still had her doubts—could raising a child really be that happy? Her older cousin looked utterly exhausted sometimes from taking care of her kid.

On the other side, Zhang Ji brought Zhou Huai to the place where Ye Rou had just met with Jiang Jun, but they didn’t see the two of them.

It had only been a short while, yet the two who had looked so lovey-dovey just now were probably already done making arrangements.

Zhang Ji said, “Brother Zhou, Ye Rou must’ve gone home to pack her things!”

Zhou Huai stood there, looking young and spirited. Hearing what Zhang Ji said, he showed no particular reaction. He wasn’t the least bit concerned about whether Ye Rou was eloping.

Zhou Huai asked, “What’s his name?”

Zhang Ji blinked. “Ah?”

Zhou Huai: “What’s the name of the man she’s eloping with?”

Zhang Ji: “He’s called Jiang Jun, the one who failed the college entrance exams several times after graduating high school.”

Zhou Huai let out a mocking laugh. “And she wants to run away with trash like that?”

Zhang Ji immediately buttered him up. “Of course! It’s just that Ye Rou’s blind. Brother Zhou, you’ve got looks, you’ve got money, girls line up to chase you, and yet she chooses to elope with Jiang Jun?”

Even though he said that, Zhang Ji was still mad. Sure, Ye Rou had only married Zhou Huai because Zhou Huai was tricked by his stepmother, but Zhang Ji had always respected her. From the first time he met her, he called her sister-in-law, but she always treated them with cold sarcasm.

Later, Zhang Ji realized Ye Rou was sarcastic not only to them but to Zhou Huai as well. Zhou Huai didn’t like them calling her sister-in-law either, so they just stopped.

Zhang Ji glanced at Zhou Huai. Maybe Ye Rou running away was actually a good thing. After all, the two of them were basically strangers under one roof. Everyone had long assumed the couple would divorce sooner or later.

When Ye Rou heard noises outside, she straightened her posture.

As for being worried—she didn’t see the need. Her husband was supposed to be a mature, steady man. Faced with a situation like this, he would definitely handle it well.

And besides, she hadn’t actually eloped yet. They hadn’t even been talking about love—it was about the child, okay?

Zhou Huai walked in. Tall with long legs, he carried an air of arrogance. Right now, his eyes were cold and filled with impatience.

The expectation on Ye Rou’s face shifted into disdain. Who was this? Mature and steady? A dependable man to raise a child with?

Ye Rou had only one thought: If she fainted right now, could she transmigrate back?

Zhou Huai said coldly, “You don’t need to elope. I agree to the divorce.”

Ye Rou gave him a gloomy look. “Looks like we can’t divorce.”

Zhou Huai: “That pretty boy dumped you already?”

Ye Rou took a deep breath. “Congratulations, you’re going to be a father.”

Zhou Huai’s smile froze bit by bit. “What did you say?”

Ye Rou: “I said, congratulations, you’re going to be a father. I’m over three months pregnant. Don’t worry, the child is yours. If you don’t believe me, once the baby is born, you can do a paternity test.”

Ye Rou could understand. After all, his wife had been thinking of eloping with some pretty boy, never liked him, and was planning to run off. So of course he’d want proof. Even though the original owner and that man hadn’t actually crossed the line, she couldn’t allow even the tiniest doubt.

If Zhou Huai didn’t want to do the test, Ye Rou herself would still want it.

Neither of them were very reliable—that was the truth about both Ye Rou and Zhou Huai right now.

The room fell silent. When Ye Rou noticed Zhou Huai staring at her belly, she even nodded at him.

Yes, that’s right. We have a child.

Ye Rou was deeply disappointed. She had held such high expectations for Zhou Huai—that he could raise the child, and while raising the child, even get rich. But now she really doubted how he’d managed it.

Ye Rou said, “Let me be clear. I’m not raising this child. I’m afraid of hardship. I didn’t even want to give birth in the first place.”

Zhou Huai: “You mean you want me to raise the child?”

Ye Rou: “Of course. What, you think this child is mine alone? Don’t worry, the child will take your surname. In the future, I’ll tell him how much you’ve done for him. Oh, and if someone asks him whether he likes his dad or his mom more, I’ll teach him to say ‘Dad.’”

Zhou Huai: “No need, thanks.”

Ye Rou: “How can you say no? A child you raise will definitely love you more. Even the name, I’ll let you choose.”

Zhou Huai felt his temples throbbing. “He can take the Ye surname too.”

Ye Rou: “What kind of nonsense is that? Impossible. He has to be surnamed Zhou. No matter what, this child will have your surname.”

Zhou Huai stayed silent. Ye Rou could understand—after all, who would’ve thought? He came home expecting his wife to elope and asking for divorce, but instead, there was a child.

Very soon, Ye Rou, who hadn’t been smiling at all, found herself even less able to smile.

This dog of a man—coming back and saying he agreed to the divorce. Not even trying to stop her, not even a little.

Ye Rou: “And what about me?”

Zhou Huai: “What about you?”

Ye Rou, righteously: “Zhou Huai, do you think pregnant women don’t need to be taken care of?”

Zhou Huai: “……”