“Sigh, you little rascal, behave yourself!”

Early in the morning, Xu Han was rudely awakened from her sleep by the relentless movements in her belly.

She squinted and gently rubbed her belly, soothing the little one inside who occasionally kicked her.

As a young girl who had never even been in love, waking up to find herself about to give birth was a complete shock to Xu Han.

It was just a bored moment when she decided to read a novel and was horrified by the villain inside.

She left a comment criticizing the inhuman and perverted nature of the antagonist, which was considered quite friendly amidst all the criticism of the villain.

Now, not only had she transmigrated into this novel as a pregnant woman, but based on her fresh memories of the book, she had deduced that she was the ultimate mother of that malicious antagonist.

And the one about to be born in her belly… hehehe, she had something to say about that!

Enduring backaches and pains, Xu Han got up, supporting her belly, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

In the bright mirror of the bathroom, she saw an overly attractive face.

Despite being pregnant, other than her swollen belly, her figure hadn’t changed at all, still voluptuous and shapely, with graceful curves.

The original owner of this body was named Qiao Wanqing, with a captivating and beautiful face, rumored to be a stunning beauty with ice-cold skin and features like a painting.

This was the protagonist’s customized appearance in the novel, but she had a vain and money-loving heart, always wanting to marry into wealth and become an ‘upper-class person’.

Unfortunately, coming from a poor background, her social circle was limited, and the men she could meet were all quite ordinary, not meeting her standards.

Until the villain’s father appeared.

Gu Yanqing, the father of the antagonist, is the sole heir of the wealthy and prestigious Gu family in the city.

After studying abroad and starting his own business upon returning to China, he became a prominent young entrepreneur.

Combined with the substantial family assets of the Gu family, he rightfully became a wealthy figure.

Of course, the author portrays the antagonist’s father in such a favorable light to serve the protagonist’s character development.

The protagonist is Gu Yanqing’s nephew from a collateral branch, as Gu Yanqing never married nor had children of his own.

Therefore, he groomed the most outstanding and intelligent candidate from the extended family as his potential heir, which sparked conflicts with his biological son, who is the antagonist.

Gu Yanqing, being such an outstanding figure, crosses paths with Qiao Wanqing.

In her attempt to get close to him, she resorts to a cliché method: she drugs him and sleeps with him, hoping he would take responsibility.

Unfortunately, Gu Yanqing is not the type to feel obligated to take responsibility for someone he slept with.

Instead, he is furious upon discovering he was drugged and immediately dismisses her with a check.

Qiao Wanqing, filled with resentment and unwilling to accept defeat, later finds out she’s pregnant.

She decides to have the child and considers forcing Gu Yanqing into marriage.

Even if that fails, she believes her child, who shares Gu Yanqing’s blood, would still inherit part of his wealth.

A portion of the Gu family’s wealth would be enough to provide her a luxurious life forever.

Xu Han, who inherited the memories of the original owner, finds Qiao Wanqing’s ideas both laughable and frustrating.

She believes that supporting characters like Qiao Wanqing don’t need to have a mind.

Leaving aside the absurd idea that marrying into a wealthy family by sleeping with someone, even if she did have the child and tried to force Gu Yanqing into marriage, he could easily take the child and send her away, given his capabilities.

How could she naively think she could benefit just because of her child’s parentage?

No wonder she won’t last beyond a few chapters!

What a waste of such a good face.

Xu Han touched her delicate skin and sighed silently.

The book doesn’t clearly explain Qiao Wanqing’s role beyond the fact that Gu Yanqing had to travel out of the province for work and couldn’t be reached.

She had no way to contact him and could only wait at home, hoping he would return.

Due to the author’s plot, Qiao Wanqing never gets the chance to contact Gu Yanqing again.

Taking care of her child became exhausting, and as finances tightened, her thoughts gradually became extreme and erratic.

She showed no kindness to her antagonist son, often scolding and hitting him, constantly reminding him how great his father was and emphasizing his noble lineage, as he was considered the prospective heir of the Gu family.

Meanwhile, feeling hopeless about Gu Yanqing, she began to indulge herself.

Blessed with a natural beauty, she easily seduced wealthy older men, becoming a mistress or engaging in illicit relationships.

Qiao Wanqing played the role of a perfect “vixen” to the fullest.

It was this behavior that led her son to grow up deeply disturbed.

What’s worse, in the end, it was her own son who pulled the plug on her oxygen tube, leading to her death.

Thinking about Qiao Wanqing’s future fate, Xu Han felt overwhelmed with disbelief.

She had only read this novel, but it was truly mind-boggling.

…

After washing up, Xu Han left her room.

In the living room, upon hearing her movements, the people there hurriedly hid what they were holding.

“You’re up early today,” Grandma Qiao greeted her with a smile that tried to please, but her eyes betrayed a hint of suspicion.

Seeing Grandma Qiao looking afraid made Xu Han a bit annoyed.

This grandmother was the second wife of Qiao Wanqing’s grandfather, barely in her sixties, timid and easily bullied.

With both of Qiao Wanqing’s parents deceased, Grandma Qiao was her only close relative.

Since Qiao Wanqing couldn’t manage alone with the child, she had brought her over from the countryside.

Grandma Qiao didn’t dare mention Qiao Wanqing’s pregnancy out of wedlock.

She served her here diligently, dealing with Qiao Wanqing’s unpredictable temper.

Normally, Qiao Wanqing would ignore her or roll her eyes when Grandma Qiao tried to talk to her.

As Xu Han, who believed in being a good citizen, she couldn’t treat an elderly person like that.

“Yeah, he was restless, and I couldn’t sleep well, so I got up,” Xu Han said, sitting down beside her and pointing to her belly.

Thinking she was about to be scolded again, Grandma Qiao was taken aback by Xu Han’s friendly tone.

She quickly said, “Then please sit down, I’ll bring out breakfast.”

Xu Han nodded slightly without making her character seem too out of character (OOC), then remained silent.

When Grandma Qiao went to the kitchen, Xu Han noticed something she had hidden on the sofa had been revealed.

Curious, she walked over to pick it up—it was a delicate, unfinished light blue crocheted hat.

It was evident that it had been made with care, exquisite and comparable to those commercially produced.

Clearly, it was intended for her unborn child.

As to why Grandma Qiao hurriedly hid it away: Qiao Wanqing was always reluctant to confront her humble origins.

In her efforts to infiltrate high society, she insisted on wearing designer clothes and using luxury brands, even if it meant going without meals.

She certainly wouldn’t allow Grandma Qiao to provide such unrefined items for her future son, who was meant to become a prominent figure in the Gu family.

In her mind, Grandma Qiao was more like a housekeeper, catering to her imagined life of having servants.

As another woman from a modest background, Xu Han shook her head in disbelief, unable to understand why Qiao Wanqing harbored such strong vanity.

Grandma Qiao returned with Xu Han’s breakfast, noticing what she had been looking at.

Her expression turned anxious as she said, “Um, that, I… I was just bored, making it for Mrs. Li’s child next door.”

“Oh,” Xu Han set down the hat and replied, “It looks quite nice. It happens to be suitable for my unborn child. When you have time, could you make one for him too?”

Taken aback, Grandma Qiao nervously set the breakfast down, rubbed her hands together, and cautiously asked, “You won’t mind?”

“It looks lovely,” Xu Han said, seeing the old woman looking pleasantly surprised, feeling a hint of pity.

After a moment’s thought, she added, “I realize now I was wrong before, being too obsessed with vanity. Recently, I’ve been thinking that wealth and status can’t be forced. It’s more important to live a good life, so I’ll try to change myself.”

“N-no need to change, you’re fine just as you are now, really,” Grandma Qiao hastily responded.

Xu Han: “…”

This body’s original owner left quite a bit of psychological damage to others.

…

As her due date approached, Xu Han needed to go to the hospital for a prenatal check-up.

She was supposed to go a few days ago, but at that time, Xu Han had just been reborn and couldn’t accept the fact that she was pregnant.

Mentally rejecting the check-up, she procrastinated for several days.

But now, with the baby nearly due and abortion out of the question, Xu Han couldn’t avoid it any longer.

She reluctantly supported her belly and went alone to the hospital for the check-up, not wanting Grandma Qiao, who couldn’t really help, to accompany her.

Fortunately, not every pregnant woman had a husband by their side, so going alone didn’t seem too unusual.

Since it wasn’t a weekend, Qiao Wanqing chose a private hospital favored by the wealthy, where the hospital wasn’t overly crowded.

Thus, Xu Han smoothly completed her examination.

“Miss Qiao, your baby is healthy, and you’ll soon welcome a lovely little one,” the doctor smiled warmly after reviewing the results.

“Oh, does that mean I should stay in the hospital soon?” Xu Han, still new to this, asked somewhat unprofessionally.

She was worried that the baby might suddenly arrive at home or even on the way to the hospital, as she had seen such cases in the news.

“No rush, wait until you start feeling contractions, then come in,” the doctor reassured her, seeing her concern. “Miss Qiao, don’t worry, stay calm.”

“Alright, thank you, doctor. I’ll take my leave now,” Xu Han stood up.

“Take care, Miss Qiao.”

After bidding farewell to the doctor, Xu Han picked up her small bag and slowly walked out of the hospital.

This was Xu Han’s first outing as Qiao Wanqing since her reincarnation into this body.

The novel was based on a modern fictional world closely resembling reality, with scenes mirroring real-life situations.

It felt like she was living in her own world, just in a different identity.

“Excuse me, please let me through.”

As Xu Han reached the hospital entrance, a man rushed in urgently, holding someone in his arms.

Seeing his desperate state, Xu Han, being physically inconvenienced, instinctively protected her belly to make way for him, accidentally dropping her bag on the ground.

“Sorry, sorry,” the man halted when he saw she was pregnant. “Did I bump into you?”

“It’s okay, please go ahead,” Xu Han replied quickly, noticing the person in his arms looked barely conscious.

“Thank you!”

The man hurried inside with the person in his arms.

Xu Han thought to bend down and pick up her bag, but someone beat her to it, retrieving it for her.

“Here you go.” The man who picked up her bag was dressed in a smart suit, clearly an elite.

“Thank you,” Xu Han took the bag from him.

The man glanced at Xu Han’s face, seeming puzzled for a moment, then politely smiled and said, “Glad to help.”

Qiao Wanqing was extraordinarily beautiful, and men often hesitated or were amazed when they saw her.

Xu Han wasn’t surprised.

She nodded slightly in acknowledgment and continued on her way.

The man, however, furrowed his brow slightly, watching her unsteady figure for a few seconds until she disappeared around the corner.

Only then did he turn and enter the hospital.