Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 136 Part 1 – Dr. Ning’s Earth-Shattering Shock (I)

When Mao Huimei saw He Wei, she was only briefly surprised, then calmly went out to have a conversation outside.

Fang Yongpeng didn’t care about He Wei at all. He had only one thing on his mind now: to chop wood diligently and win the favor of his future father-in-law.

Mao Huizhu originally wanted to sneak out and eavesdrop, but Xia Wenyue stopped her. “That’s enough. Don’t be rude.”

Seeing that her mother was serious, Mao Huizhu obediently went off to play with Xiao Feng and the others.

Xia Mian, however, suspected that Xia Wenyue didn’t want her to hear anything unpleasant. Although Mao Huimei had never told her mother the exact reason she broke up with He Wei, for someone as gentle and tolerant as Mao Huimei to end things so decisively, the other side must have done or said something truly excessive.

As it turned out, Xia Mian’s guess was right. Xia Wenyue might appear offhanded, but she actually knew all the details—even that Lu Nana and Qi Kai had gotten married. After seeing off He Wei and Fang Yongpeng, she let out a long sigh of relief. “Finally settled.”

With a boyfriend secured and no more nagging from her mother to get married, Mao Huimei felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders. “Mom, you really can’t wait to marry me off, huh?” She joked.

“Two bad ones in a row! You have no idea how worried I’ve been,” Xia Wenyue said. “If this Fang Yongpeng doesn’t work out either, I’ll start wondering if you’ve offended some spirit and are doomed to be single forever.”

Mao Huimei burst into laughter.

Xia Wenyue glared at her. “What are you laughing at? Let’s not even talk about He Wei. I never thought he was suitable to begin with. But that Qi Kai? That young man is downright malicious!”

“I heard he married some rich man’s daughter after getting her pregnant. And that girl just happened to be an only child.”

Xia Wenyue still felt a chill thinking about it. If Qi Kai hadn’t let something slip while drunk, they might’ve ended up bringing a wolf into their own house.

“I wonder if that family can even see him for what he really is,” she sighed.

Thinking of the couple made Mao Huimei uncomfortable too. Even though Lu Nana had brought it on herself, it was still infuriating to see a scumbag like Qi Kai get what he wanted.

Xia Mian laughed. “Don’t worry. I think Qi Kai’s already starting to regret it.”

Mao Huimei looked at her, puzzled. “You know something?”

“I do,” Xia Mian said with a smile. “Didn’t I go to Brother Rong’s engagement party? Sister Miaomiao told me all about it.”

To be honest, Xia Mian had already put the whole thing out of her mind, but apparently Tang Miaomiao hadn’t. When Tang Miaomiao, with her icy-cold face, started gossiping—no, no, it was called ‘sharing intelligence’—with her, Xia Mian had actually been quite touched.

Mao Huimei couldn’t wait to ask, “What happened? Didn’t they get married successfully? What’s he regretting?”

“They did get married,” Xia Mian said. “Back in September, Lu Nana got pregnant, and Qi Kai’s mother came all the way from the countryside to propose. She brought out a set of gold jewelry and said, with this incredibly sincere look, that it was all they had.”

“The old lady made it sound good, saying her son was clever since he was little and bound to make something of himself. Once he graduated and found a job in Yan City, he’d buy a house and give Lu Nana a good life.”

“Sure, Qi Kai’s family is poor, but when he was in school, that old lady wasn’t shy about squeezing money out of her daughters. She had definitely saved something for her precious son’s marriage.”

“Besides, Qi Kai worked part-time all through college, and he’d been dating Lu Nana for over half a year. Between his earnings and the money she spent on him, they could afford a more sincere engagement gift.”

“The craziest part? That gold jewelry set was actually something Lu Nana bought herself to please his mother.”

“Using the gift the girl gave them as an engagement gift? That family sure has the nerve,” Xia Wenyue sneered. “That old woman was sure that since Lu Nana was already pregnant, she’d have no choice but to marry, wouldn’t she? Shameless!”

“And what did the Lu family do? They agreed to the marriage?”

“They did,” Xia Mian said. “Lu Nana’s parents said they couldn’t bear to see their daughter suffer, especially when she was pregnant, so they gave her a house and a car as part of the dowry.”

“The old lady saw she had them in her grasp and was overjoyed. She started acting like the matriarch right there in Lu Nana’s home.”

Xia Wenyue shook her head and sighed. “That’s just too much.”

Mao Huimei shrugged, “Someone who could raise a son like Qi Kai wouldn’t be any better herself.”

Xia Mian laughed. “Exactly—not only is she awful, but she can’t even keep her arrogance in check.”

“Probably thought since her son had the Lu family tied down, that family was already theirs. So when Lu Nana’s parents were at work, she ordered the servants around and even started bossing over Lu Nana.”

“She made Lu Nana cook and do laundry, saying that a good wife needs to know these things, or else how could she take proper care of Qi Kai? She even said pregnant women in the countryside didn’t just sit around because it made childbirth harder—all kinds of so-called elder’s wisdom. But in truth, she was just asserting dominance over her daughter-in-law.”

Mao Huimei was incredulous. “And Lu Nana just went along with it? Qi Kai didn’t say anything? He’s not stupid, isn’t he? How could he let his mother carry on like that?”

Xia Mian said, “Lu Nana knew how much Qi Kai cared about his mother, and she thought she was doing it for his sake, so she went along with everything, running herself ragged to keep that old woman happy.”

“And Qi Kai had classes to attend. Lu Nana had taken a break, but he hadn’t.”

“And then? Did her parents find out?”

“Of course,” Xia Mian said. “It all happened at their house—how could the servants not tell? So Lu Nana’s father took back the house and the car from the dowry, saying he’d only pay for the wedding. He also told the couple that Lu Nana should live at home after the marriage.”

“Qi Kai apologized and promised all sorts of things, even egging Lu Nana on to argue with her father.”

“But Lu Nana’s father ignored him and told his daughter, ‘Didn’t you say Qi Kai doesn’t care about our money? Then why does he care so much about the house and the car? If you want to move out, sell that gold jewelry. You could rent a place just fine.ʼ”

“Then he turned to Qi Kai and said, ‘Didn’t you say you truly love Nana and would do anything for her? She’s carrying your child; are you really going to let her suffer just to protect your pride? You’ve seen how your mother treats her. You have to attend classes every day, and Nana’s pregnant for the first time. If something goes wrong, can you take the responsibility?ʼ”

“‘If you really love each other, then prove it. It can’t always be Nana who’s sacrificing. Qi Kai, what have you done for her? Nana, don’t you want to know how much he really loves you—what he’s willing to give up for you?ʼ”

Mao Huimei laughed. “That must’ve hit Lu Nana right in the heart.”

Xia Mian smiled. “As it should. Her father’s words sounded kind and reasonable—he didn’t ask Qi Kai to marry into the family, and the wedding could still happen. It’s just that since they were both still students, they’d live at home for now. If Qi Kai really didn’t care about his in-laws’ money and was capable and ambitious, then once he bought a house, they could move out.”

“Lu Nana’s mother even said that not giving a dowry was for Qi Kai’s own good. Otherwise, if he only brought a set of gold jewelry while the bride’s family provided a house, a car, and a job, everyone would surely talk behind his back, and he’d lose face completely.”

Xia Wenyue laughed. “Now that’s the right thing to say. After that, no matter how much Qi Kai wanted to, he couldn’t possibly accept anything from his in-laws.”

“Thank goodness the couple saw things clearly.”

Xia Mian thought to herself, How could they not? He Wei must’ve played them the recording—they knew exactly what kind of person Qi Kai really is.

As for Qi Kai, since he’d persuaded Lu Nana not to listen to the recording, he didn’t even know whether it really existed or which part Mao Huimei had recorded.

For all his scheming, Qi Kai was just a young man from the countryside. With his limited experience, he was no match for the Lu couple, businesspeople who had weathered a lot of storms.

“Then they held the wedding and got married. Outwardly, Lu Nana’s father gave Qi Kai plenty of faces, saying that although he was poor, he was hardworking and a good young man who treated his daughter well. He even said that, since Qi Kai was worried that he wouldn’t be able to take care of Lu Nana properly while still studying, he’d rather risk losing face than let her live anywhere but her parents’ home.”

“So, for the sake of appearances, Qi Kai naturally had to treat Lu Nana especially well. Lu Nana was overjoyed, thinking her parents had arranged everything perfectly—she and Qi Kai could be together all the time.”

“She knew his class schedule by heart. If he didn’t come home on time, never mind the barrage of phone calls, but she’d even send the family driver to pick him up personally.”

“In short, Qi Kai spent all his time either in class or at home with her.”

“Word is, Lu Nana’s parents have been hinting to Qi Kai to hold off on working, asking him just to stay home with her until the baby arrives. By then, he’d have graduated, and her family would line up a job for him.”

Xia Wenyue suddenly gave a knowing smile. “Stay at home until the baby arrives, huh?”

Mao Huimei looked at her, puzzled.

Xia Wenyue smiled. “The easiest time to take care of a child is when it’s still in the womb. Once the baby’s born, a spoiled, lovestruck girl like Lu Nana will need even more company. It’ll take at least four or five years before she can really manage without him.”

“The prime years for a young man are exactly those four or five. If he wastes them staying home to look after his wife and child, his future career is finished. All the Lu couple needs to do is pamper him a bit, let him taste the sweetness of being provided for without lifting a finger, and his life will be set on that track—he’ll be completely dependent on Lu Nana.”

She speculated, “The couple probably plans to keep Qi Kai as a plaything to entertain their daughter.”

Mao Huilan was amazed, “And after that? Even if he’s useless, won’t he still get a job in the Lu family’s company?”

“What is the Lu family’s company?” Xia Mian said. “It’s the He family’s company. The couple does hold some shares, but they are just employed executives running one of the branch offices.”

“They do make more than some independent small factories, but when they’re gone someday, all Lu Nana will inherit are those shares and dividends.”

Xia Wenyue laughed. “That’s a long way off. The couple is still young and sharp—and cautious, too. With Qi Kai being kept like an expensive pet, who knows what he’ll turn into after ten or twenty years? It’s even possible Lu Nana will get sick of him and divorce him.”

Xia Mian agreed. The Lu couple was truly ruthless. Lu Nana stayed home with all her needs met, yet she had not a single asset under her name. If anything happened to her, or if the marriage fell apart, Qi Kai wouldn’t even have a share of marital property to fight for.

As for future work, he’d have nowhere to go except the He family’s company. But with both the Lu couple and He Wei deliberately holding him down, he’d probably end up right back where he started—serving Lu Nana at home.

Qi Kai’s life was effectively ruined.

Just when Xia Mian thought the Lu couple had done a thorough job, an earth-shattering bomb dropped: at the end of April, Lu Nana and Qi Kai were reported for their marriage and were expelled from the university!

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