8: Chapter 8 A recent female college graduate (7)

Sure enough, Lu Zhengyang was in the kitchen, and he really did learn quite a lot about Jiang Wan from Grandma Jiang.

Upon hearing Grandma Jiang lecture him about being so free with his money, handing over such a large sum to Jiang Wan so casually without worrying about ever getting it back,

Lu Zhengyang could only smile, then promised Grandma Jiang that since he had given it to Jiang Wan, it was hers, and he would absolutely never take it back.

He even added that this amount wasn't much, and he would give her even more in the future!

That frightened Grandma Jiang into skipping over the topic.

Hearing Grandma Jiang say that Jiang Wan hadn't even realized she was pregnant at first, Lu Zhengyang felt a lingering fear.

If Jiang Wan had remained oblivious, what would have happened if something went wrong with her or the baby?

Fortunately, Jiang Wan eventually noticed her own physical condition.

This was actually his fault for not taking precautions, which led to Jiang Wan getting pregnant.

However, Lu Zhengyang felt that if he were given another chance to do it all over again, he probably still wouldn't be able to help himself.

Who could blame him when he had been drugged? His mind had been muddled to begin with.

Lu Zhengyang had originally been worried that Grandma Jiang would ask about the details of how he and Jiang Wan got together, wondering how he would answer if she did!

Fortunately, Grandma Jiang didn't ask about those things. Instead, she interrogated him like a census taker, asking about Lu Zhengyang's family situation, how many people were in his family, whether his parents knew about Jiang Wan's existence, and whether his family would object to him being with Jiang Wan given the disparity in their family backgrounds.

Lu Zhengyang answered everything one by one and even promised Grandma Jiang:

"Grandmother, please rest assured. My family is very open-minded. As long as it's someone I like, my family will support me. I will absolutely never let Wanwan be bullied."

Grandma Jiang neither said she believed nor disbelieved Lu Zhengyang's promise. Anyone could talk a big game; it all depended on what he did in the future.

Lu Zhengyang knew how to cook, so seeing that he was doing a decent job helping out, Grandma Jiang didn't chase him out.

The two talked while cooking, getting along as if it weren't their first time meeting.

During this lunch, Jiang Wan felt that only Grandma Jiang and Lu Zhengyang enjoyed the meal. As for her, she had things on her mind and didn't eat much.

Just a moment ago, she had asked Xiao Lingdang what she should do now that Lu Zhengyang had actually chased her all the way to her home.

Xiao Lingdang told her to just play it by ear; as long as she lived out her natural life in this world, she could live however she wanted.

Seeing that Jiang Wan was so quiet, Grandma Jiang assumed her granddaughter was too shy to talk much to her partner while she was present.

After eating, she said she was going back to her room for an afternoon nap. Before leaving, she asked Lu Zhengyang if he had brought any luggage, and if so, to move it into Jiang Wan's room.

This was Grandma Jiang's reasoning: while there were other rooms in the house with beds, they were old and lacked air conditioning, so she couldn't let Lu Zhengyang sleep there!

Besides, the two of them already had a child; they had already done what they shouldn't have done, so why bother with unnecessary trouble? They might as well just sleep in the same room!

Jiang Wan also knew the situation at home and could only tacitly accept her grandmother's arrangement.

After cleaning up the dishes, Jiang Wan locked the courtyard gate and led Lu Zhengyang, who was carrying his luggage from the car, back up to her room upstairs.

Standing at the doorway, Jiang Wan introduced the situation to Lu Zhengyang: "Not many people visit my house, so the other rooms haven't been cleaned much. The beds are quite old, and there's no air conditioning, so I'm afraid you'll have to make do with napping in my room for now. Don't worry, this afternoon, I'll get your room ready. You can get air conditioning and furniture in this town; it will be quick."

Lu Zhengyang moved his things inside, looked around, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Why go through all that trouble? Your bed is big enough for both of us. No need to fuss; I'll just sleep here."

Jiang Wan grew anxious: "But... but... our relationship..."

Lu Zhengyang interrupted Jiang Wan: "We're going to get married sooner or later, so just consider this getting used to it in advance."

After saying this, Lu Zhengyang walked over to the bedside, lifted the quilt, and prepared to sleep.

He had been driving for so long and was truly tired.

Jiang Wan walked over to Lu Zhengyang, wanting to pull him up.

"Hey, explain yourself clearly. What do you mean 'we're going to get married sooner or later'? Who wants to marry you! You are such a scoundrel."

Lu Zhengyang followed Jiang Wan's pull and sat up on the edge of the bed, then pulled Jiang Wan into his arms.

He had wanted to do this ever since he first saw Jiang Wan.

"You're already carrying my child. If you're not with me, who else do you want to be with? I absolutely will not allow you to marry someone else while carrying my child."

As he spoke, Lu Zhengyang reached out to touch Jiang Wan's stomach. Only then did he realize that her lower abdomen was slightly protruding. It was so small; no wonder he hadn't noticed it.

Held in Lu Zhengyang's arms, Jiang Wan's face turned red, and she struggled:

"Let me go. Who says I have to get married just because I have a child? Can't I just give birth and raise it myself?"

As Jiang Wan struggled, Lu Zhengyang, worried that she might hurt the baby, had her sit beside him.

"That won't do. My child cannot be without a father."

After saying this, Lu Zhengyang sighed:

"I know we haven't known each other long, so it's normal for you not to trust me. But what I want to tell you is that I came to find you today because I hope you can give me a chance—a chance to pursue you."

"Why?" Jiang Wan didn't understand.

"Don't you have a fiancée? I heard she's from a family that matches yours in status. If you get together with me, what about your fiancée? We only had that one night together; what makes me worth you traveling thousands of miles to find me? Aren't you afraid that I'm only with you for the money? After all, I accepted the money you gave me."

Lu Zhengyang chuckled,

"Then I would be more than happy. I'm glad that there is something about me that attracts you. My engagement to her has already been annulled; she has nothing to do with me anymore. It was actually she who drugged me."

Seeing Jiang Wan with her head bowed, Lu Zhengyang knew it wasn't good to push too hard.

"Alright, I'll be staying here for a while, so you can take your time to think about it. But I hope you can be quick; after all, the baby can't wait. Grandmother also said that once your belly gets bigger, people will definitely gossip, so we should get our marriage certificate and hold the wedding banquet as soon as possible!"

Jiang Wan quickly looked up: "What? Grandmother also talked to you about this?"

Jiang Wan had heard Grandma Jiang say this before. Although their town was small, whatever happened at one end of the street would quickly be known at the other, and the things people said were rarely kind.

Grandma Jiang was also thinking of Jiang Wan's reputation. No matter how much she wanted the child in Jiang Wan's womb to carry on the Jiang Family's lineage, she didn't want Jiang Wan's reputation to be tarnished.

With Lu Zhengyang bringing up Grandma Jiang, Jiang Wan surrendered.

"Let me think about it properly."

Two days later, Jiang Wan had made up her mind; she decided to marry Lu Zhengyang.

Just as Xiao Lingdang had said, there were quite a few benefits to marrying Lu Zhengyang. Not only was his family wealthy, but he also promised that they wouldn't have to live with his parents after marriage, and he was even willing to take her grandmother in to live with them.

And just like that, Jiang Wan went with Lu Zhengyang and found a time to get their marriage certificate.