When Zhou Yi gave birth, almost everyone from the Zhou family visited the hospital.

The families of Guan Huie and Zhou Cheng, her two aunts, had already given Jiang Hong their “tokens of appreciation.” Of course, their gifts weren’t as substantial as Grandmother Zhou’s savings passbook, and certainly couldn’t compare to Zhou Cheng’s 30,000 yuan.

Including relatives from Jiang Hong’s side of the family, the gifts accumulated to around 40,000 yuan. This amount could be exchanged for several thousand US dollars on the black market, or over 10,000 US dollars through official bank channels. Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong had their own money too – they could support Zhou Yi studying abroad not just for one year, but for two or three years without any problems!

This demonstrated the power of family unity. When a younger family member needed money for studying abroad, getting married, or starting a business, everyone contributed something. This was even without Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong explicitly asking – if they had mentioned needing funds for Zhou Yi’s overseas studies, that 40,000 could have easily doubled to 80,000 or 100,000, with everyone wanting to show their support.

That’s how family works – despite occasional friction, they prove more reliable than others in crucial moments. Jiang Hong felt this most deeply. She used to look down on various family members, but when Zhou Yi faced this embarrassing situation, the Zhou family all stood by her side.

Zhou Wenban noticed her gripping the passbook so tightly that it left marks. He glanced toward the hospital room and asked, “Did Yuan come again today? What did he say? How did Zhou Yi react?”

Jiang Hong grimaced, “The same old tune – saying how Yi had suffered and been wronged, then insisting on taking the baby home to care for it. Zhou Yi didn’t say a word. Can we let Yuan Han keep doing this? And about the baby – Zhou Cheng came to the hospital today and said this is a Zhou family child… Wenban, are we keeping the baby?”

Jiang Hong desperately wanted Zhou Yi to stay far away from the Yuan family’s mess. With a child involved, could they make a clean break from Yuan Han?

“Of course, we’re keeping the baby. If we let the Yuan family have the child, Zhou Yi will always worry. If they mistreat the child, what can she do – ignore it or interfere? Our family doesn’t lack money to raise a child. This is Zhou family blood – why should we give it to others? And you – don’t think that once Zhou Yi comes to her senses, you can have her abandon the child too, trying to pass her off as an unmarried woman. You can’t think that way. Do you think my daughter Zhou Wenban can’t find another marriage just because she was previously married and has a child?”

Zhou Wenban wouldn’t approve of any marriage prospect who would hold this against Zhou Yi. She needed to focus on her career – when a woman makes herself excellent, she naturally attracts quality suitors. If she couldn’t find someone, well, she already had a child and a good career, so she could live independently.

Zhou Wenban had made peace with this – as long as Zhou Yi could separate from Yuan Han, he was willing to support her indefinitely.

This discussion gave Jiang Hong a headache. Her thoughts differed from her husband’s – after making one blind mistake, shouldn’t they fight for a better second chance? However, she didn’t want to argue with Zhou Wenban now. Even with their disagreements, they needed to deal with Yuan Han first.

Zhou Wenban had made his plans. In the hospital room, only Zhou Yi was present.

“Are you asleep?”

Zhou Yi’s eyelids flickered, “Dad, no, I’m awake. Do you have something to say?”

Zhou Wenban pulled up a chair, “Yes, I want to discuss Yuan Han. Are you too tired to talk?”

Finally, it was coming! Zhou Yi dreaded anyone mentioning Yuan Han, but lying in bed, where could she escape to? She couldn’t just cover her ears and refuse to listen.

As Xia Xiaolan had guessed, this was when Zhou Yi was most psychologically vulnerable. Whoever could provide her with a sense of security would earn her trust and attention.

Zhou Wenban carefully observed her expression and made some mental calculations: “First, we need to discuss the baby’s surname. It’s been several days, and the child needs a name for the household registration. I don’t know your thoughts, but I suggest the baby takes the Zhou surname. Secondly, I hope you’ll study a foreign language once your postpartum confinement is over. The family wants to send you abroad for further studies. You’re a mother now – you can’t remain unaccomplished. Don’t you want to set an example for your child? Your educational background is somewhat lacking, so studying abroad for a while would benefit your future career.”

A Zhou surname for the baby.

Sending her abroad.

Zhou Wenban raised two points – the first was somewhat expected, but the second caught Zhou Yi off guard.

She had never considered going abroad. The suggestion was so sudden that Zhou Yi blurted out, “What about Yuan Han? And the baby – I’m just going to leave?”

Oh no.

Why did she bring up Yuan Han now? Her father would surely berate her.

Zhou Yi braced herself for a storm of criticism, but Zhou Wenban remained calm: “Yuan Han won’t be a problem. While you pursue your development, I’ll naturally arrange things for him. As a man, spending all day doing housework – you can’t stand it, and I don’t respect such a spineless man either. If you go abroad to study, I’ll arrange for him to return to his original workplace, with a position higher than before. Do you think Yuan Han would agree?”

He definitely would.

Yuan Han himself didn’t want to stay at home. If he heard he could return to his original workplace with a promotion, how could he refuse?

Zhou Yi looked sheepish.

“I thought you would want me to divorce…”

Zhou Wenban stood up, “We didn’t agree with you marrying Yuan Han, but you did. Marriage requires proper nurturing. You can’t reject everything about a person over one incident. Your mother and I just want you to have a good life.”

Zhou Yi’s eyes welled up with tears, feeling her father’s deep love for her. She didn’t realize Zhou Wenban was thinking: he wouldn’t suggest divorce – the more parents oppose, the more children defend their true love, refusing to admit mistakes out of pride. He wanted Zhou Yi to become completely disappointed in Yuan Han herself, to realize on her own that the marriage was unsustainable, to discover Yuan Han’s true nature… Having been bitten by a dog once, shouldn’t she learn from it? This was a chance to leave a deep impression on Zhou Yi, to teach her to be more discerning in judging people in the future!

And there was still Ye Xiaoqiong.

Let Yuan Han’s ex-wife Ye Xiaoqiong tell Zhou Yi herself!

…”Luna won’t aggressively expand stores this year, but with dozens of franchises, Luna can earn considerable profit just from supplying goods. You don’t need this money, and neither do I. 30,000 yuan – what’s given is given.” As always, problems that money can solve are easy to handle. For Xia Xiaolan, repeatedly dwelling on an issue and making everyone worry was more troublesome than spending money.

She was truly shocked.

To think Ye Xiaoqiong was Yuan Han’s ex-wife – she had never considered this possibility!

When she initially rescued Ye Xiaoqiong on the train, the latter only mentioned visiting relatives.

By their reunion in Hong Kong this February, Zhou Yi was already married to Yuan Han and several months pregnant – knowing Ye Xiaoqiong was Yuan Han’s ex-wife wouldn’t have helped anyway.

After Zhou Cheng mentioned just two things, Xia Xiaolan felt waves of nausea. Suddenly, she recalled Yuan Han selling paintings and calligraphy: “If Ye Xiaoqiong’s family had ancestral property to reclaim, they must have had some notable background. Yuan Han swindled Ye Xiaoqiong out of her house – could the artwork he sold have been hers too?”