Chapter 35

Chapter 35

When You Nan was five months pregnant, the Yao family finally sent out invitations to their acquaintances, inviting them to attend the engagement banquet of their son, Yao Xianqing, and his fiancée, You Nan, two months later.

Compared to Qi Yuwen's previous hasty marriage with You Nan, Yao Xianqing and his family demonstrated a much more serious and respectful approach.

On the day of the engagement, guests holding invitations filled all the private rooms on the entire floor. Among them was the Huang family, who had previously been engaged to the Yao family before the engagement was called off.

Huang Jingling sat calmly, scrolling through her phone, completely oblivious to the curious glances around her.

Those hoping to see her embarrassed would be disappointed!

Besides, she had never liked Yao Xianqing anyway.

Still, witnessing the scale of the Yao family's engagement banquet, she couldn’t help but be astonished.

When she and Yao Xianqing were engaged, they had only invited a few tables of relatives from both families for a simple meal. But now that Yao Xianqing was engaged to his true love, the event was practically a full wedding celebration. So many guests were invited—it was as if they were just short of calling local media to take pictures.

Huang Jingling smirked.

Hmph! Men!

Their affections and disaffections were truly transparent.

Although Huang Jingling felt somewhat displeased by the stark contrast, she mentally wished the couple well.

While the engagement between the Huang and Yao families had ended, their business cooperation had deepened, which could be considered a happy outcome for all parties.

You Nan’s seven-month pregnancy was now quite noticeable. The designer hired by the Yao family had gone to great lengths to conceal his belly.

The final visual effect was indeed quite successful—few guests in attendance could tell.

Even those who did notice wouldn't have guessed that You Nan was pregnant.

At most, they might have thought that the engaged couple had gained a little weight recently, hence the slight belly.

You Nan never expected to see his original body’s "parents" on the day of his engagement to Yao Xianqing.

In a corner at one of the front tables, several people from the mountains—completely out of place among the other guests—were staring fixedly at You Nan.

Their gaze was so direct that You Nan couldn’t possibly miss it.

His original body’s mother, upon seeing You Nan dressed luxuriously and completely different from before, even began to cry.

You Nan felt somewhat at a loss. Standing beside Yao Xianqing, he watched her tears with confusion. Was his original body’s mother sad because her son was getting married, or was it something else?

But he didn’t dwell on it too much. After he and Yao Xianqing made their rounds to greet all the guests, Yao Xianqing helped him retreat.

You Nan went to the private lounge, where several security personnel—arranged by Yao Xianqing—were stationed to protect him.

After learning about Qi Yuwen’s attempt to kidnap You Nan the day before their engagement, Yao Xianqing was filled with lingering anxiety.

If he hadn’t installed a tracker on You Nan’s phone, he might never have found his wife again.

Shaken by the close call, Yao Xianqing didn’t dare leave You Nan alone anymore.

The private lounge door was knocked twice from outside. A female attendant walked in with an uncertain look, leaned down, and whispered into You Nan’s ear, "Mr. You, there are people outside who claim to be your family. They want to come in and speak with you."

You Nan’s pupils trembled. He immediately knew it was his original body’s family.

His hands, resting on his knees, gripped his pants tightly. He felt nervous. You Nan hadn’t encountered them since entering this world.

Suppressing his unease, You Nan lowered his gaze and nodded to the attendant. "Let them in."

The attendant followed his instructions and opened the door. Sure enough, his original body’s mother came in.

As soon as she stepped inside, she quickly wiped her eyes—they were still red from crying.

You Nan was at a loss. Seeing her like this, he was sure Yao Xianqing had made some arrangements without telling him.

Sure enough, he heard his original body’s mother speak: "My child, your father and I are sorry for you."

As she spoke, she continued to cry.

It was only then that You Nan learned the whole story from her.

Before today, Zhao Jin’s parents had contacted them and told them that You Nan’s body was unusual—that he could get pregnant like a woman.

They offered his original body’s parents half a million to sell You Nan to them.

For wealthy families, half a million might be pocket change, not even worth thinking about—just a number to throw at poor people. But for people who had lived their entire lives in the mountains, half a million was more money than they could earn in this lifetime, or even the next.

You Nan’s father agreed without hesitation, afraid the wealthy family would change their mind. The other children’s eyes gleamed with greed.

The Zhao family was pleased with their reaction.

Soon, the entire family was arranged to take buses and trains to the big city. The trip took them two full days.

But as soon as they stepped out of the station, they encountered another party.

Yao Xianqing, having learned of the Zhao family’s plans, had specifically dispatched people to head them off.

His original body’s parents were terrified by the confrontation between the two groups. In the end, Yao Xianqing’s people came out on top and took them from the Zhao family.

His original body’s mother still remembered what Yao Xianqing had said to her:

"I know Xiao Nan cares deeply about you. Even after getting pregnant, he continued working hard so he could earn money to send back to you."

Yao Xianqing’s words were true. You Nan had never told him any of this—he had discovered it by checking his wife’s bank statements.

Seeing how hard You Nan worked made his heart ache.

Yao Xianqing made his meaning very clear: "I don’t want him to have a family that sucks him dry."

So he had to help his wife resolve this worry.

"Your family has so many children—you never really looked after him. Everything he has now, he built himself," Yao Xianqing said. "The money you spent on him in the past, You Nan has already repaid multiple times over. He is free and clear."

Yao Xianqing sat in his chair. Outside, the sky had darkened, and his face was half in shadow, making it difficult to see clearly.

"I don’t want to make Xiao Nan distressed or angry, but if you impose on him in the future, it will annoy me. How about this—let’s sign an agreement. After all, Xiao Nan is still related to you by blood, and he still cares about you. I won’t force you to cut ties completely. But you won’t be allowed to mooch off him anymore."

His original body’s mother still remembered Yao Xianqing’s gentle tone and soft expression at that moment.

Then she heard the man’s icy words: "Xiao Nan is your legal child and must fulfill his support obligations. But the three thousand yuan he sent you every month was far too much. I’ve done some research—in the mountains, 2,000 yuan a month is more than enough to live comfortably."

Yao Xianqing tapped his finger on the agreement that had already been prepared on the table: "Leave me your bank account information. From now on, you’ll receive 1,000 yuan every month as Xiao Nan’s support allowance."

His original body’s father immediately shot up angrily.

The Zhao family at least offered them 500,000 in one go earlier, but this guy's only offering 1,000 a month—just 12,000 a year. How many years would it take to get to 500,000!

“No! You Nan is my son! All his money belongs to me!” You Nan’s father was the first to object.

Yao Xianqing, having been in business for a long time, knew how to deal with different types of people.

The man smirked. “If you keep yelling, I can make sure you get nothing at all. The legal minimum alimony seems to be 200, right? I wonder what 200 yuan can even do for you in the mountains.”

“How can you do this!” You Nan’s father raged. “My son won’t listen to you! I’m his father! All his money is mine!”

Yao Xianqing ignored him. “See if you can even get close to Xiao Nan. Be glad I’m in a good mood right now, willing to reason with you, and still willing to help Xiao Nan fulfill his duty to support you. If I were with the Zhao family, and you dared say one extra word to them, they could easily ruin you.”

“I never intended for you to come in the first place. Xiao Nan and I are getting engaged in a couple of days—it’s a celebration. You being here would just make things awkward. But the Zhao family specifically brought you here, probably hoping you’d cause trouble at the engagement party.”

“Since you’re already here, and you are Xiao Nan’s parents and family, you can attend the engagement party and then leave. Before that, sign this agreement agreeing never to seek him out again. As long as you sign, you’ll receive 1,000 yuan monthly for living expenses. If you ever come looking for him, you won’t get a single cent.”

Yao Xianqing lifted his eyes, his gaze sharp and profound, as if he could see right through people. His tone remained calm yet gentle. “If you don’t believe me, feel free to test it.”

You Nan listened as the original body’s mother cried in front of him about Yao Xianqing’s heartlessness, and he finally came back to his senses.

He hadn’t expected Yao Xianqing to be so considerate.

The original was willing to keep supporting his family because he couldn’t cut ties—he was used to giving and being constantly taken from by his family.

In the original storyline, when the family found out the original had been married to Qi Yuwen, none of them showed him any kindness.

People in the mountains have old-fashioned views. Even though same-sex marriage is allowed now, they still don’t consider it proper.

The original had been brainwashed by them, with no sense of self left. Even when they were unhappy with him, he still sent them so much money every month, trying to win their approval.

The original only kept a little for himself to scrape by.

The original was willing to be good to his family, but that didn’t mean You Nan was a doormat ready to take on their mess.

He could see what the original’s mother was doing.

On such a joyous day, with everyone laughing and blessing the newly engaged couple, she was the only one crying in a corner. Her family beside her also wore gloomy expressions, as if they were in a different world from the cheerful crowd.

She was making a scene in front of everyone, directed at him and Yao Xianqing.

Then, taking advantage of no one paying attention to her, she slipped over to cry to him, badmouthing Yao Xianqing right in front of him.

Because she could see how much Yao Xianqing cherished You Nan.

She wanted to gamble—to make the obedient You Nan control Yao Xianqing and void the agreement.

But to her disappointment, You Nan had security escort her out.

“Since you’ve already signed the agreement, it’s legally valid. I can’t interfere. If you don’t leave now, and he comes back and sees you, you might even lose your monthly support.”

At that, the original’s mother’s resentment toward Yao Xianqing momentarily faded from her face, replaced by astonishment and shock.

The woman couldn’t believe that her son, who had always obeyed her before, was now siding with someone else.

“Xiao Nan! I’m your mother! How can you take a stranger’s side!”

You Nan didn’t want to talk to her anymore. Yao Xianqing cherished him, and he genuinely liked Yao Xianqing too.

When he saw her come in earlier, he thought she couldn’t bear to part with the original. Turns out, he was overthinking it.

Someone who’s used to leaching off her son would never willingly let that go.

The Yao family’s security quickly stepped forward and led away the original’s mother, who was still shouting nonstop.

A little later, Yao Xianqing hurried in after hearing the news.

The man had already been told about what happened between You Nan and his mother in the lounge, and his eyes were clouded with anger.

But he went over and hugged You Nan, hiding his negative emotions from him.

Hadn’t he told them not to come looking for You Nan?

Did they really think he was joking before?

Yao Xianqing suppressed the darkness in his eyes, afraid You Nan might see it and be scared of him.

“I’m sorry I was late. You had to put up with that.”

You Nan quickly shook his head, burying his face in Yao Xianqing’s chest and wrapping his arms around the man’s trim waist. “No, you did great. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know how to face them in the future.”

You Nan looked up, his eyes sincere as he gazed at Yao Xianqing. “I wouldn’t know what to do without you. Yao Xianqing, thank you. You’ve been too good to me.”

Yao Xianqing not only generously gave him Energy Points, allowing him to earn dozens every day, but also shielded him from all the dangers around him.

You Nan wasn’t completely unaware.

007 sometimes took advantage of being a cat to sneak into the study and openly eavesdrop on Yao Xianqing’s conversations. Yao Xianqing noticed but didn’t mind—he wouldn't suspect a cat.

007 overheard some of the things Zhao Jin and the Zhao family had been doing—they’d been coming after You Nan for months without stopping. Yet You Nan was kept safe from all the drama, shielded entirely by Yao Xianqing, who kept them from harming him.

You Nan remembered every single thing the man had done for him, and he couldn’t help getting emotional.

In the later stages of his pregnancy, he became more sentimental and quick to tears.

“I’ll never be able to repay you in this lifetime for all you’ve done for me.”

Yao Xianqing smiled, his expression soft, his eyes filled with love as he looked at You Nan. “It’s okay. Just stay with me for a lifetime.”

He cupped You Nan’s face and kissed the corner of his lover’s eye, tasting the warm salt of a tear.