“Alright, Mom, when have I ever refused your requests? Since you really want to go out, I’ll give you half a day to do so. I’ll help persuade your grandfather, but you must be home after half a day. Otherwise, if your grandfather gets angry, I won’t be able to shield you from his wrath!” Zhang Hehua finished speaking and lovingly caressed Zhang Wan’er’s cheek.
Having received Zhang Hehua’s consent, Zhang Wan’er’s lips curved upward slightly, a smug look of a successful scheme appearing on her face. She came down from the window and ran to Zhang Hehua, linking her arm through hers. She put on a show of being obedient and said:
“Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be back in half a day. I won’t make things difficult for you. I’ve thought it through; I won’t waste any more thoughts on Gu Xingdong. I want to be with my family and live a good life, so you and Grandpa won’t worry too much!”
Hearing Zhang Wan’er’s comforting words, Zhang Hehua’s face showed a hint of relief. She then patted the girl’s head and said with great pride, “I told you my daughter is a well-behaved and sensible child. Why would your grandfather and uncle need to restrict her freedom to achieve their goals?
You are a big girl now and know what’s right. I trust your choices completely! Alright, when is your Zhe Ming ge coming to pick you up? You scared me so badly; I need to go rest. I’ll arrange for someone to escort you out safely from the Zhang family.”
Zhang Wan’er looked out the window and her eyes lit up when she saw a flashing light at the intersection. “He’s here now!”
“He’s here so soon?” Zhang Hehua pursed her lips, glanced at Zhang Wan’er, and then immediately left the room. Before leaving, she reminded the servants nearby, “You two, come with me. I have other matters to attend to.”
The guards exchanged glances. One of them, emboldened, stepped forward and said, “If Miss has something to discuss with us, you can just say it here. Anyway, you and the young lady are family. There’s no need to keep everything hidden from her.
Of course, if these matters are truly important, then I’m willing to accompany you. Someone still needs to guard this place; these are the old master’s orders. We dare not disobey the old master’s orders unless the old master personally tells us, in front of us, that two people are not needed for guarding and can go listen to what you have to say. Only then will we leave the door together!”
Zhang Hehua raised an eyebrow. At this moment, she was nowhere near as gentle as she was with Zhang Wan’er. She glared with eyes wide open and roared like an unreasonable shrew:
“Stop threatening me with ‘the old master’! Don’t forget he’s my father! I need you two to come with me. If you don’t, fine, but don’t expect to work in the Zhang family anymore. I don’t believe the old master will disregard his own daughter’s wishes to protect you two if I fire you!”
“But…” The two threatened servants wore expressions of difficulty. Either way, they might be fired by the Zhang family, which put them in a tough spot!
Just then, Zhang Hehua did not forget to dangle a lure: “You won’t suffer any losses if you come with me. If the old master blames us, don’t worry, I’ll speak up for you both. I definitely won’t implicate innocent people.
Wan’er is my daughter, and would I do anything to harm her? If not, then come with me. As long as the final outcome isn’t bad, the old master won’t pursue responsibility for me, or for his most beloved granddaughter! Do you understand?”
Hearing this, the two sighed helplessly and finally followed Zhang Hehua out of the room.
About three minutes later, Zhang Wan’er slowly pushed open the door and cautiously scanned her surroundings. She found that Zhang Hehua’s efficiency was quite high. The large villa was deserted; no one was around. Even if she made a loud noise, no one would stop her or lock her back up!
So, she openly left the Zhang family through the main entrance. Both mother and daughter thought their actions were stealthy and unnoticed. Little did they know, their little maneuvers were all seen by the old master.
“Mr. Zhang.”
Zhang Tieshan’s face looked as if it had aged decades overnight. He let out a helpless sigh and said, “Xiao Wang, go and liquidate all of the company’s assets. I may have to personally go to the He family to apologize with these assets!”
Assistant Wang, who couldn’t quite understand, asked, “Old master, why bother? If you don’t want the young lady to cause trouble outside, then keep a closer eye on her. Why pretend not to see and let her escape from this villa?”
“Didn’t you see the commotion just now? I would love to keep her confined at home, but this child is simply unruly. Rather than her causing trouble outside, I’d rather pay a hefty price to let her out. I don’t want her personal safety to be compromised in any way!
If anyone is to blame, it’s our family’s persistent educational issues. We shouldn’t have let Hehua bring Wan’er to my home in the first place. I wouldn’t have doted on them so much, and these problems wouldn’t have arisen. Unfortunately, there’s no turning back time in this world. I can only try my best to prevent things from happening. In the future, Wan’er will have to pay a heavy price for these matters!”
After saying this with a worried expression, Zhang Tieshan leaned on his cane and disappeared from the window again. Xiao Wang looked at this family and shook his head with mixed emotions. As far as he understood, no one in this family was normal.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
“Wan’er, what do you plan to do in the coming days? After all the trouble you went through to escape, you’re not still planning to go find Gu Xingdong, are you?” Li Zhe Ming asked while driving.
Zhang Wan’er’s mouth gradually drooped. After a moment of thought, she finally nodded and said, “You’re right. I want to find Gu Xingdong and ask him clearly about his current feelings for me. I’m even carrying his child!
I want to know if he wants this child. If he doesn’t want it, I’ll abort it. I’ll live a good life from then on. But if he does want it, I won’t let go of this relationship!”
“Wan’er…” Li Zhe Ming’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. This child in her belly was his, yet no one had asked for the wishes of its true father!