Chapter 278
“How is that possible? I know my daughter. How could she have a mental illness? My daughter is perfectly normal. This is slander, blatant slander. Which psychiatric hospital are you from? I’m going to get a legal team to sue you.” Chairman Hu shouted into the phone, completely refusing to believe the other party’s words.
His Jinzhi had been obedient since she was young, though lately her temper hadn’t been the best, but that was only temporary. Yet these people dared to say his Jinzhi had delusions? Ha! Impossible, this certainly must be a lie, Chairman Hu refused to believe it.
“What happened? Did something happen to Jinzhi?” Long Mei came out of the kitchen holding freshly cut fruit, wearing loose pajamas.
The child in her belly was already three months along, and her stomach had begun to gently swell from its former flatness. Seeing the changes in her belly every day, Long Mei’s smile became sweeter. Additionally, since Hu Jinzhi had stopped appearing in front of her to cause trouble, her appetite significantly improved. In fact, due to maintaining her good mood for an extended period, Long Mei’s complexion looked even better than before she was pregnant.
In the past, Long Mei’s good complexion and positive state would lift Chairman Hu’s spirits after a long day at the company. But recently, having just taken on the additional role of executive president, his power within the company was continually being suppressed. Annoyed already, the recent call was like the straw that broke the camel’s back, causing Chairman Hu’s accumulated negativity to erupt.
“What about Jinzhi? Are you just waiting for her to have problems?” Chairman Hu looked at Long Mei’s rosy face with a dark and vicious gaze.
Startled by Chairman Hu’s sudden shout and glare, Long Mei stood frozen on the spot. “Old Hu, what are you saying? Is that what you think of me?” Tears brimmed in Long Mei’s eyes. She was at the peak of a woman’s youth, and since Long Mei regularly focused on her upkeep, she exuded a feminine charm and sensuality. With tearful eyes, she looked at him, appearing vulnerable yet striking—like a dewy rose.
Ordinarily, Chairman Hu would have gone up to comfort Long Mei, but today he only wanted to vent. Anger and heartache clouded his reason, leading him to view with maximum malice the woman carrying his child.
“Isn’t that the case? If you hadn’t seduced me back then, we wouldn’t be together. If we weren’t together, Jinzhi wouldn’t have run away out of anger. If she hadn’t run away, she’d still be the carefree, happy Jinzhi she once was, not like this now. You’re the reason our father-daughter relationship is nearly irreparable.” With each sentence, Chairman Hu took a step forward, and by his last word, he was standing before Long Mei, looking at her with the greatest disdain.
“Just because you moved into this house, Jinzhi got mad and hasn’t come back to stay. Because of your presence, my original good father-daughter relationship with Jinzhi was shattered. I really regret it now. I should have thrown you out of the Hu Family back then. Why did I let you move in? Having Jinzhi alone as a child would have been enough. Why did I let you keep the child in your belly?” As Chairman Hu spoke, he looked down at Long Mei’s stomach.
“Come to think of it, every time we were together, I made sure you took medicine. How did you end up pregnant? Did you pretend to take the medicine and vomit it out behind my back? Or is this child not even mine, and the father is someone else?” A hint of madness gleamed in Chairman Hu’s eyes as he stared at Long Mei’s belly.
“Clatter!” The plate of fruit fell from Long Mei’s hand, shattering on the ground. A shard grazed her pale calf, leaving a thin blood mark.
But Long Mei couldn’t care less about the pain in her leg. She clutched her stomach tightly, looking at Chairman Hu with terror.
“Why aren’t you speaking? Did I hit the mark? Really, how much integrity could a woman who could let go of her dignity to be someone’s mistress have? If you can serve me, why can’t you serve others? So this child isn’t mine, right? Is it?” Chairman Hu yanked away the hands Long Mei used to protect her belly, gripping them forcefully. Reddish marks quickly appeared on Long Mei’s fair wrist, but Chairman Hu showed no intention of letting go; instead, he tightened his grip, his gaze becoming more frightening.
“What nonsense are you talking about? This child is yours. I’ve been with you wholeheartedly all these years; where would I find someone else?” Tears finally streamed down Long Mei’s face. Her mouth and voice trembled with anger, but her eyes remained resolutely firm.
“I admit I didn’t take the medicine. I swapped it for vitamins. But do you know why? I’ve been with you for so many years. Have I ever asked you for anything? Have I ever demanded anything? Absolutely not! I’ve always considered and planned for you. You said Jinzhi didn’t want you to remarry, that you didn’t want to damage your father-daughter bond. Fine, I was willing to be a mistress in the shadows, staying with you for life wasn’t a problem.” Long Mei’s body trembled slightly from her overwhelming emotions.
“But after all my considerations for you, have you ever thought about me, even a little bit? Have you?” Long Mei extended her free hand, pinching a small distance between her thumb and index finger, with a hint of sarcasm in her expression.
“If you’re worried about this child competing with Jinzhi for the family estate, I can sign an agreement with you. I, as the mother, will personally relinquish his inheritance rights, okay?” Long Mei continued.
“If you’re still not assured, once the child is born, I’ll take him away and live under an alias wherever you specify, monitored by you for life. Will that work?” Long Mei sensed the restraint on her wrist loosening slightly and continued: “Or if you’re still not assured, you can call your assistant to book us a flight out now. I won’t say a word extra. As long as I can keep this child with me, I’ll leave with nothing.” Long Mei’s gentle yet firm voice reached Chairman Hu’s ears, along with her pleading gaze, imprinting on his mind.
Chairman Hu released his grip, looking at Long Mei and her belly with a complex expression. His emotions seemed to have calmed considerably, and his tone returned to its earlier state, “I’ll go check on Jinzhi first. We’ll talk about your situation when I get back.”
“Aunt Zhang, keep an eye on her and don’t let her wander around.” Chairman Hu instructed an elderly lady with a kindly face, then took his coat and left, leaving the pregnant Long Mei in the care of Aunt Zhang, who had worked for the Hu family for over a decade.