Chapter 68

Cheng Zhanya’s movements were becoming increasingly inconvenient.

Her belly was huge in the late stages of pregnancy, and even a short walk left her gasping for breath.

Both Cheng Zhanya and Lin Hanbing were the eldest daughters in their families. The arrival and birth of the firstborn grandchild was a top-priority event for both the Lin Family and the Cheng Family.

Sure enough, the Cheng Family still had a youngest daughter in school. With winter break finally here, Cheng Chen brought his wife and daughter to South City the very next day.

They planned to spend the New Year in South City this time.

Both families were filled with eager anticipation.

It was a warm and harmonious scene.

But this peaceful moment came to an abrupt halt when the Cheng Family learned that Cheng Zhanya had divorced.

The living room fell silent in an instant.

A suffocating tension hung in the air, and Cheng Zhanya didn’t dare to breathe.

Cheng Chen and Yang Meijing’s expressions gradually stiffened.

Then slowly faded away.

Yang Meijing still hadn’t processed it. “Wh… what do you mean?”

She turned slowly toward Cheng Zhanya, hoping to see some kind of response in her eyes.

Cheng Zhanya already felt guilty. She bit her lip, unsure where to even begin.

She could feel the anger her parents were suppressing.

It was like an invisible gale and storm, ready to sweep her away at any second.

She had known this day would come eventually.

She was well aware of it.

But she hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly, catching her completely off guard.

The Old Lady had brought up the remarriage date with good intentions, urging the two little ones to get it on the schedule. Only when she saw everyone’s faces freeze did she realize something was wrong.

The Cheng Family didn’t know about Cheng Zhanya and Lin Hanbing’s divorce.

In that moment, the Old Lady straightened her back.

She had lived a long life, but it had been ages since she’d felt this nervous. The sensation was strangely unfamiliar.

She glanced quietly at Cheng Zhanya, gripping her cane a little tighter. She was worried about her granddaughter-in-law’s condition.

This was bad.

She was such a foolish old woman.

Why bring it up out of nowhere?

The Old Lady felt a pang of self-reproach.

Cheng Zhanya was in a critical stage right now. They couldn’t let this affect her health.

Only then did Yang Meijing and Cheng Chen learn about their daughter’s divorce. The couple exchanged a glance, shock giving way to fury.

For the past six months or so, not only had they been kept in the dark about the pregnancy, but they hadn’t even known about the divorce. Meanwhile, everyone else had been happily discussing plans for after the baby’s birth.

Everyone else knew—except their family. They hadn’t been taken seriously at all, and neither had he as a father.

Cheng Chen’s face darkened as he stared fixedly at Cheng Zhanya. He raised a finger, hesitated as if to speak, then said nothing. In a rage, he stormed out of the Lin Residence.

Watching her father’s retreating back, Cheng Cainan finally snapped out of her daze.

She glanced at her older sister, unable to comprehend how she could have made such a foolish decision.

In her memory, her sister had always been gentle and rational.

Yet here she was, hiding the divorce and the pregnancy…

What should have been simple had turned into a complete mess.

Even the usually even-tempered Cheng Chen had exploded in anger.

In this situation, should she follow her father or stay to comfort her mother?

Cheng Cainan was still hesitating when Cheng Chen’s furious roar echoed back. “You two, aren’t you coming?!”

“Mom…”

Cheng Zhanya’s face paled. She was genuinely startled by the sudden turn of events. Her lips trembled as Lin Hanbing patted the back of her hand and chased after him.

“Dad, Mom, this is my fault. Hear me out.”

Cheng Chen strode away quickly, seething with anger and unwilling to listen to a word. Seeing Lin Hanbing persistently following, he raised his hand, glaring at her through gritted teeth—but he couldn’t bring himself to strike.

In the end, he let out a heavy huff and told Cheng Cainan to book tickets home.

“Mom.”

Lin Hanbing turned to Yang Meijing with an apologetic expression.

“Don’t call me Mom just yet.”

Yang Meijing was furious too. She had learned about her daughter’s pregnancy by accident back then; they should have realized how serious it was.

To be kept in the dark about something this big—as parents, how could they not be angry?

Lin Hanbing lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

Yang Meijing gave her a heavy look, then turned back to see Cheng Zhanya cradling her heavy belly, watching them with worry etched on her face.

The enormous belly hampered her movements; she walked slowly, her face full of anxiety.

After all, she was their own flesh and blood. Yang Meijing couldn’t truly harden her heart.

Her face remained taut. “You two…”

Yang Meijing had so much she wanted to say. “I’ll talk to Old Cheng. You take care of Xiaoya first.”

What was done was done, and with Cheng Zhanya so close to giving birth, there was no point in dwelling on it now. Cheng Chen was still fuming; nothing she said would get through to him at the moment.

It would take time to process.

Lin Hanbing glanced sideways at Cheng Zhanya approaching them and nodded. “I will, Mom.”

“I’ll arrange a hotel. You’ll have to make do for now.”

In the current situation, words were futile. Forcing them to stay would only make things more stifling.

She didn’t mind.

But Cheng Zhanya couldn’t handle that.

For now, it was best to go along with their wishes. Once the anger subsided a bit, they could visit tomorrow, explain everything properly, apologize sincerely, and Cheng Chen and Yang Meijing would come around.

That was what Lin Hanbing thought.

She watched as her parents got into the car.

Perhaps from the emotional strain, Cheng Zhanya felt a twinge of discomfort in her belly. She walked slowly, and by the time she caught up, all she saw was the car’s taillights fading into the distance.

“What did Mom say to you?” Cheng Zhanya asked anxiously.

“Mom said she’d talk to Dad.” Lin Hanbing supported her. “Take it slow. Don’t worry.”

How could she not worry?

Cheng Zhanya had never seen her father this angry in her entire life. His furious expression was seared into her mind, filling her with panic.

It was all her fault.

If only, after the divorce and getting pregnant, she had prepared her family mentally from the start. Things wouldn’t have escalated like this.

Her brows furrowed deeply as she felt a pain in her belly.

It was the dead of winter, yet a thin sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead.

Lin Hanbing noticed her discomfort and quickly called Yu Shujing, who had followed them out, to help escort her back inside.

Cheng Zhanya frowned. The Little One in her belly—perhaps sensing her mother’s distress—was thrashing wildly inside, like a fish without a sense of security, darting about frantically. Several bumps protruded from her belly, showing just how vigorous it was.

“It’s all my fault. Why did I have to bring it up?” The Old Lady’s face was full of self-reproach. “Xiaoya, don’t worry. Tomorrow, Shujing and I will visit in person and bring our in-law back home, alright?”

“Don’t get worked up. Think of the baby.”

“Yeah, yeah, Xiaoya, don’t overthink it. Tomorrow, Grandma and I will go talk to our in-law properly.”

Cheng Zhanya barely registered the rest. Her palms rubbed continuously over her belly, soothing the restless child and trying to ease her own discomfort.

Lin Hanbing massaged her shoulders, seeing how miserable Cheng Zhanya looked. She said, “Dad, Mom, Grandma—Yaya needs some rest. Please, stop for now.”

“Alright, alright…”

“Okay… okay.”

Perhaps feeling they’d done wrong, Yu Shujing and Lin Jingwen were unusually speechless.

The Old Lady quietly stepped back. “Right, Lele, take Xiaoya back to her room first.”

“Get some good rest. No overthinking, you hear?”

“It’ll be fine. Our in-law will understand.”

Cheng Zhanya merely nodded faintly. She was too uncomfortable to speak.

Both physically exhausted and emotionally drained.

She had no energy to dwell on it.

She just felt utterly worn out.

She didn’t want to say a word.

Comforting words echoed in her ears, but she didn’t take in a single one.

Lin Hanbing helped her to the bedside, removed her shoes, and asked softly, “Still hurting?”

The Little One had finally quieted down, perhaps worn out from all the movement.

But the pain hadn’t gone away. Or maybe it was her imagination, but Cheng Zhanya still felt a dull ache in her belly, hard to pinpoint.

She shook her head, still not wanting to talk. Her mind was filled with the image of Cheng Chen storming off.

Cheng Zhanya half-lay there, feeling uncomfortable, so she shifted positions.

Turning her back to Lin Hanbing.

Lin Hanbing stood by the bed for a moment, sighing silently. She took off her coat and slipped under the covers, gently embracing Cheng Zhanya.

“Yaya.”

“Mm?”

“Don’t overthink it. I’ll handle it.”

Cheng Zhanya wanted to respond, but her throat felt choked, like there was a thorn stuck in it. She couldn’t even make a sound.

After a while, she said slowly, “Let’s remarry.”

“Tomorrow. We’ll remarry tomorrow.”

Lin Hanbing didn’t reply, only holding Cheng Zhanya a little tighter.

Remarry?

She wanted nothing more.

But why did it make her feel a bit sad?

If Cheng Zhanya had chosen remarriage because she’d seen the changes in her, she would have been overjoyed. But remarrying under pressure from the elders wasn’t what she wanted.

“Hanbing?”

“Mm, I’m here.”

“I… I’ve never seen Dad this mad before. He was always at work, so Mom raised us. On rare days off, she’d take Cainan and me to the shop.”

“There were lots of kids my age to play with, but some dropped out to pursue better opportunities. Back then, elementary kids didn’t have phones, so we lost touch.”

“Even if we met now, I probably wouldn’t recognize them.”

“And even if I did, we wouldn’t have anything to talk about after all these years…”

Cheng Zhanya seemed to have opened the floodgates, speaking slowly.

“In my memories, Dad was always gentle and refined, hardly ever losing his temper. He was always smiling.”

“Society has developed so fast now, and people’s tolerance has broadened. Dad isn’t the only son in the family, but after Mom had Cainan and me, Grandma did pressure him once.”

“Mom’s health wasn’t great to begin with. She had a difficult birth with me, and Dad held firm against the pressure, never pushing for a second child. Cainan was an unexpected surprise, and they both cherished us equally, never showing favoritism.”

“Cainan is eight years younger than me. On weekends, I’d look after my sister so Mom could have a rare moment to herself.”

“Today’s events were completely unforeseen.”

“But I’m the one who caused this outcome. At my age, married, and still making them worry…”

Cheng Zhanya’s voice grew choked, until she finally broke down sobbing quietly.

Lin Hanbing listened silently, heartbroken as she wiped away Cheng Zhanya’s tears.

She had never been good with words and didn’t know what to say that could truly comfort her.

Or rather, nothing she said would help right now.

Silence was better than words.

She knew Cheng Zhanya too well.

Any comfort now would only make her cry harder.

“I really… feel so ashamed.”

Cheng Zhanya stifled her sobs, soaking a large patch on the pillow.

Her sobs gradually faded, and she cried herself to sleep. Lin Hanbing kissed the back of her neck. Those words still echoed in her ears.

At this moment, Cheng Zhanya is undoubtedly vulnerable.

More sensitive than ever before.

Cheng Zhanya took all the responsibility upon herself, never once thinking about who to blame, always… considering others.

Lin Hanbing felt extremely heartbroken.

Clearly, it’s her who’s the truly wicked one.

It’s clearly her fault.

……