"I thought you were a sensible person, and that this much warning would suffice… It seems you still aren't quite aware of the situation."
Although Xiang Wan had a premonition, she was still surprised to hear it directly from her.
"Mrs. Lu, no matter what, I am the one Lu Mingzhe fancies."
"If not for me, then for your son, how could you be so unreasonable?"
"Aren't you afraid he'll be heartbroken? Afraid he'll hate you when he finds out about all this?"
Mrs. Lu sneered, "There are plenty of women who like my son. You're not the first, and you won't be the last. I don't have that much maternal affection to spare."
"Of course, I'm afraid he'll hate me if he finds out, which is why I won't leave any evidence."
"Xiang Wan, your relationship with my son ends here. Once this batch of orders is shipped, you'll get rid of the child. I'll have the company terminate your account, give you a decent sum of money, and you can leave."
"I won't touch a hair on your head, as long as you promise to never contact him again. What do you say?"
Xiang Wan found her terrifying.
Of all the people she had met in her life, she was the most frightening mother.
"You're actually asking me to abort the child? Do you know how much Lu Mingzhe loves this child? He'll go mad without it."
"There's no such thing as perfect concealment in this world. Once you do something, there will always be evidence. Sooner or later, he'll find out, and then he'll hate you to death."
Mother Lu was dismissive.
"By then, he'll have remarried and had more children, living his ideal life. Whether he hates me or not, I don't know. Thinking of you will be nothing more than a joke."
"Don't be so confident. Life is long, and men aren't as devoted as you think."
"While you're still young, beautiful, and have some savings, Miss Xiang, you can easily start a new life elsewhere. Trust me, you'll still be in demand."
"Your being with my son is just the beginning. Because of your social connections, endless troubles will find him later."
"He's already divorced once and can't handle another upheaval. I don't want him to become a laughingstock in this circle, so be sensible."
Her unreasonable and aggressive demeanor left Xiang Wan speechless.
After a pause.
"Let's be direct. If I don't leave, what else do you plan to do?"
"You will leave. Believe me. Even if you don't agree today, you'll come begging me tomorrow."
If she weren't Lu Mingzhe's mother, if she weren't an elder, Xiang Wan would have slapped her across the face.
She was so angry she gritted her teeth for the first time.
"Then just wait for me to come begging you!"
The two parted ways unhappily once again.
Because of Mrs. Lu's threat, the first thing Xiang Wan did upon returning to the studio was call the factory in Shangcheng.
She asked how the products were coming along and how many orders had been shipped.
She had been scammed once and couldn't bear it a second time.
Fortunately, the connections Tang Haichao had made were quite reliable. The other party answered all her questions and sent her various screenshots.
Once the factory entered stable production, it guaranteed the shipment of 5,000 pieces daily.
Customers received their goods one after another, and funds were slowly flowing back. Seeing the financial statements, Xiang Wan finally felt a bit more at ease.
Moreover, she received good news that afternoon. The property procedures were completed ahead of schedule, and she was asked to handle the registration the next day.
Xiang Wan couldn't contain her excitement, and she hadn't contacted Tang Haichao in a while after utilizing his help.
Once the house was transferred, they would no longer have the chance to be neighbors. She wanted to take this opportunity to talk to Tang Haichao.
She hoped he wouldn't abandon their friendship because she had used him and moved on.
She sent Tang Haichao a WeChat message, and he quickly called her back.
"Are you free today? Do you have time? I'd like to ask you to sit down together."
"What's wrong? Is something up?"
"There is something, actually. But if you don't have time or it's inconvenient, it's fine. We can talk on the phone."
Xiang Wan said, "No, no, no, I have time. Let's meet at our usual spot."
They went to the coffee shop where they had met before, and Tang Haichao asked her directly.
"Have you offended someone?"
Xiang Wan was startled. "Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"To be honest, the past couple of days, people have been going to Shangcheng to negotiate with the factory managers. If it weren't for our special relationship, you would be in big trouble right now."
A cold sweat broke out on Xiang Wan's back.
Mrs. Lu had only warned her that morning. She thought the action would at least come after the warning.
But it had already started.
"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble again."
Tang Haichao said, "What trouble? It's just a few words, a small favor owed. The key is you."
"During the startup phase, a single misstep from others can completely cripple you."
"I knew it. How could it be such a coincidence that you found that factory, and the manager had something going on… Who did you offend?"
Tang Haichao treated her as a true friend, and Xiang Wan found it difficult to hide anything, so she told him the truth.
After listening, Tang Haichao was silent for a moment and then advised her.
"Xiang Wan, I have to say, our situations are quite similar."
"You know the outcome I'm facing now. Truly, take my advice. Many ancient sayings are passed down for a reason. A forced melon isn't sweet."
Xiang Wan's heart trembled, as if her current situation had been exposed, but she didn't want to admit it.
"But Lu Mingzhe and I have no conflict. He's willing to cut ties with his parents for me."
"My wife was the same way back then. To marry me, she didn't hesitate to sever ties with her family. But once there are children, people will still interact."
Tang Haichao said, "Conflicts like these only breed endlessly; they don't disappear out of thin air."
"You might tolerate one thing, then two. Over time, it will inevitably erupt."
"Of course, I can't be 100% sure you'll end up like me, but judging by his mother's overbearing style, I advise you to cut your losses now."
"As they get older, their health deteriorates, and their entitlement to act superior grows. Your son can't bear to see his mother upset, so he'll always give in…"
Tang Haichao's words stirred up a storm in Xiang Wan's heart.
Because that was precisely what she had been thinking.
Once the child was born, and the deed was done, the Lu family would have no choice but to accept her.
But now, she realized she had oversimplified the problem.
She thought that as long as others accepted her and she entered the Lu family, the conflicts would cease to exist.
But given Mrs. Lu's disdain for her, that was impossible.
They would undoubtedly have many mother-in-law issues in the future.
However, was she supposed to give up on Lu Mingzhe just because of this? She couldn't.
Lu Mingzhe was innocent, the child was innocent, and their love was innocent.
She was willing to hold onto a sliver of hope, believing that sincerity would move mountains, and love would conquer all.