Chapter 674 - Substitute Husband (1)
Li Meili would never allow anyone to call her baby a bastard, even if it was her own parents. She wasn't sure how they would take the news of her having a child out of wedlock, but she didn't have any choice but to do her best to protect her baby.
"I've been thinking… that perhaps you can ask Zhang Jiren to marry you instead." She heard her brother say, which made Li Meili look at him as if he had lost his mind.
"What the hell are you talking about? You aren't looking down on my baby, are you?" She sneered at him, clenching her fist tightly on the blanket that pooled on her l.a.p.
"No, but what he said earlier made sense to me. Meili, I don't wanna see you argue with Dad and Mom anymore. It might sound unfair to you, but I don't think Dad would take it well if he found out that you are pregnant. If he has another episode of heart attack, I fear he wouldn't be able to survive this time."
Li Meili wanted to cry once again, not because she was sad, but because she was disappointed that her brother would say something as heartless as this to her.
"So you rather see me marry a man I don't love? Brother, how could you do this to me?" She lowered her head and cried once more. It was too painful for her to hear something like this from her brother's lips.
She knew Li Yuanyi had tried to pacify their parents, protecting her over the years since she left the family, but why? Why did she have to marry Zhang Jiren just to save her family's face in the public eye?
"It's not like I'm selling you off, Meili but you have to understand… If Zhang Wuying finds out that you are carrying her son's child, she would try to get her hands on your baby."
"I don't care! I'll fight her in any court to protect my baby! She will never get her hands on my child!" Li Meili exclaimed, her eyes boring to her brother.
"I know you will, but do you really want to see your child get trapped in a nasty court battle? We could avoid all of it if you marry someone who can pretend to be the father of your child." Li Yuanyi explained.
"You are being ridiculous! You want me to marry Zhang Jiren? What made you think that he would agree to it? Unless he gained something from it, I don't think he would be willing to take responsibility for someone else's child, even if that someone else is his cousin." She retorted, wanting to dismiss her brother's claims, but she inwardly admitted that he had a point.
Not only would it save her and her baby from humiliation and public scrutiny, it would also protect her baby from Zhang Wuying's claim. Since Zhang Jiren never got along with other Zhang family members, it would be hard for them to persuade him to swallow the Li family from the inside.
However, it didn't mean that Zhang Jiren wouldn't be able to seek an advantage for his own personal gains. Li Meili thought that for a businessman like him, who was able to make the Zhang Corporation flourish since he ascended to the position of the CEO of the company, obviously had done extreme methods to get to where he was today.
The fact that Zhang Jiren was able to earn the title of the 'Second Devil' was enough proof that there was no doubt some underhanded tricks were involved in defeating those who tried to oppose him. He was still a Zhang after all.
Still, Li Meili knew that this marriage arrangement would also be unfair for Zhang Jiren. She had never heard of him seeing or dating anyone so far, but that didn't mean he wouldn't seek a woman's company, something she was sure she could never fulfill as his wife.
Her baby was Tang Beixuan's. Who in their right mind would marry a woman like her and take responsibility for another man's child? It didn't matter if Tang Beixuan and Zhang Jiren were related to each other, because Li Meili thought it was just too unfair for both parties.
Was there anything else she could do so they wouldn't be trapped in a loveless marriage? Tang Moyu had managed to raise her children on her own, but it wasn't an easy feat, even for the empress.
"Do I really have to?" She asked her brother, feeling so helpless that she needed to rely on another man to protect herself and her child.
"I seriously don't know. Forgive me. I shouldn't even mention that." Li Yuanyi ran his hands over his face as he realized how foolish he was for even suggesting such a thing to his sister.
"Tell you what. Do what you think is right. You don't have to marry anyone. You can keep your child if you want to. The worst scenario would be father denying you of your inheritance, but seeing that you've managed to fend for yourself for years without us, I think you will be fine." Li Yuanyi didn't want to make things complicated for his sister. If he had to sacrifice for her this time, he would rather take all the blame.
"But you would be on the receiving end of his anger." Li Meili pointed out. She wasn't that dumb not to realize that he had done his best to protect her from their parents. She feared that because of her, Li Yuanyi would also lose his chance to be with Meng Yanran in the future if this continues.
"I'm your big brother." Li Yuanyi gave her a weak smile. "I haven't been the best brother you have for years, but it's only natural for me to look after you." Even if that meant he would be putting his relationship with Meng Yanran in jeopardy.
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