Marriage? Lu Yao had no such thoughts at the moment. Her heart was filled with Yang Jian, and there was no room for anyone else.
"Mom, I'm not considering that right now. I must have this child. Don't force me, or I'll jump off the building."
Lu Yao's extreme words frightened Chen Lan, leaving her unsure how to persuade her.
Seeing her mother fall silent, Lu Yao didn't want to say more. She got up to go to the bedroom to sleep, but then heard a knock on the door.
Chen Lan went to open it and saw Wei Xia and Lin Nan, the couple. Lu Yao had no choice but to turn around and entertain them.
Wei Xia looked at Lu Yao in surprise. "Yaoyao, why are you so haggard? Are you sick?"
Chen Lan poured them tea. "We just got back from the hospital after getting an IV drip. She's only eaten a bowl of congee since yesterday noon. Xiaoxia, you two should try to persuade her."
"Alright, Auntie. You go ahead and be busy. We'll chat."
Wei Xia pulled Lu Yao to the sofa in the living room, while Chen Lan went into the kitchen to clean up.
"Brother Nan, how is it?"
Lu Yao harbored a sliver of hope, wishing to hear good news from Lin Nan.
Lin Nan sighed. "Alas, the situation is very grim. I only saw the joint investigation notice from the city bureau today. This case is being supervised by the provincial department. Yang Jian's partner, Li Jin, is suspected of organizing a criminal syndicate, engaging in violent demolitions, monopolizing excavation and building materials, forced buying and selling, running casinos, and loan sharking. It involves multiple homicides. Yang Jian, as a partner, has already been issued a warrant. The warrant has just been sent nationwide through headquarters. Yang Jian might find it difficult to move freely."
Lu Yao's heart turned to ash, but she still asked unwillingly, "Brother Nan, if Yang Jian is caught, how long do you think he'll be sentenced?"
"It's hard to say. The influence of their casino is too great. It's supervised by the provincial department and has been filed with headquarters. As a main organizer, he definitely won't get a light sentence. I estimate ten years would be considered short."
Lin Nan spoke the truth, hoping Lu Yao would make a realistic decision. Although he sympathized with Yang Jian, Wei Xia had a better relationship with Lu Yao.
Wei Xia took Lu Yao's hand. "Yaoyao, what are your plans?"
Lu Yao looked dejected. "Sister Xia, I'm pregnant."
Wei Xia was shocked. "No way? How could you be so careless? Why would you think about having a child before getting married?"
"It was purely an accident. I just found out at the hospital."
"Then what are you going to do? I'll accompany you to get rid of it tomorrow."
"Sister Xia, I plan to keep this child."
Wei Xia stared at her with her mouth agape, then after a while asked, "Yaoyao, have you thought about the consequences of having the child? Not to mention how difficult it will be for you to raise a child alone, or whether you can get married with a child, the gossip from people around you could drown you."
"I plan to resign and leave Xinhe, go work with my cousin, and have the child there."
"Yaoyao, are you going to wait for Yang Jian?"
"I don't have any plans about waiting yet, but I want to have this child. I also know that people's words can be frightening, so I want to change my environment."
"Do your parents agree?"
"Whether they agree or not, I'm going to have it. I can't extinguish this life. If Yang Jian is sentenced to more than ten years, this might be his only child in this lifetime."
"Alright, I respect your decision. When do you plan to leave?"
"I'll rest for a few days, handle the resignation procedures, and then go see my brother before leaving. I might not be back for a while."
"Okay, I'll come to see you when I have time. Don't delete my number."
Wei Xia knew Lu Yao's personality; once she made a decision, she wouldn't change it, so she didn't try to persuade her further.
Haigong Province, Nanhai City.
In the chairman's office of the Xinhe Business Club, Hong Xing, Brother Mao, and Wu Laizi sat on either side of a rosewood tea table, sipping tea and chatting.
"President Hong, San Pang just called me. The police mobilized over three hundred people and raided Yang Jian's casino. Do you know about this?"
Brother Mao was so excited by the news that he rushed over from the hotel immediately.
Hong Xing nodded. "I just heard about it too. I even asked a friend at the police station. This case is actually supervised by the provincial department. Yang Jian is completely finished this time."
Wu Laizi became excited. "So, was Yang Jian caught?"
"Yang Jian escaped, but Li Jin, Biao Biao, Liang Liang, and others were all arrested. Moreover, Yang Jian is wanted nationwide. His capture is only a matter of time. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll likely be sentenced to eight to ten years."
Hong Xing knew more than Brother Mao.
"That's great. Evil deeds have evil consequences. Yang Jian forced me to flee my home. Now it's finally his turn to be on the run. Xingxing, make some arrangements. I want to go back soon. Yang Jian is gone, and I want Lu Yao."
"I'm still working on your matter. The most important thing is to get a letter of understanding from Yang Jian's sister. It was a bit difficult when Yang Jian was around, but now that he's no longer a backer, it should be easy to get his sister to forgive."
"Leave this to me. Damn it, if I had known Yang Jian would have trouble, I wouldn't have had to hide here in fear. After returning, I can finally sleep soundly."
Hong Xing smiled. "I was even planning to spend a lot of money to get rid of him. Now that it's all resolved, let's go back together tomorrow. First, we'll get Baoguo out, and then we'll prepare to negotiate with Zhou Tao to force him to give up the sand mining rights for Da Xinhe. From now on, we'll call the shots in Chengguan."
"What about me, Xingxing? I want to go back too."
Wu Laizi was a bit anxious. He wasn't of much use here and had wanted to go back for a long time.
Hong Xing thought for a moment and said, "You can go back, but you can't show your face in Chengguan for now. You can come out after I've settled things with the police."
"Okay, when I get back, I'll stay in the lake district. In the second half of the year, the lake district will start selling fish on a large scale. Going back now is just in time to get some New Year's money."
Wu Laizi was taking refuge with Hong Xing, meaning he had food and drink but no salary. He only started working at the casino recently, earning three hundred yuan a day, purely as a subordinate.
If he returned to the lake district, he would be the boss. During the annual fish selling season, he would lead a group of people to extort fish vendors. He would collect a fee of two mao per jin for fish leaving the lake district.
This fee was quite substantial. The lake district's annual catch was hundreds of thousands of tons. Except for one large company's fishery, which he dared not interfere with, they targeted the other small farmers. No one selling fish could escape their exploitation. They made hundreds of thousands in the two to three months before the New Year each year.
There was also fish feed. When Old Gui was alive, the fish feed for the entire lake district was monopolized by him. After Old Gui died, Hong Xing took over Old Gui's fish feed business. Wu Laizi was in charge of the lake district's fish feed, holding a thirty percent stake.
However, before the dividends could be distributed, Wu Laizi was wanted for assaulting Yang Hui, and someone else took over the management of the fish feed business in the lake district, leaving Wu Laizi out of it.
Therefore, he was eager to return to reclaim his management rights. Most importantly, he still had feelings for Lu Yao, and with Yang Jian gone, his opportunity had finally arrived.