Remove the Father, Keep the Child

Chen Zhi was currently facing the biggest crisis since his rebirth.

"Chen Zhi, aren't you capable? Didn't you want to give each of them a home? Go on then! Go see if that little girl named Li Zhiyi is crying in her dorm room while packing her bags right now!"

Chen Zhi forcefully shook off Pei Dongcheng's hand, took out his phone, and was about to call Li Zhiyi.

Pei Ningxue, who had been silent next to them, suddenly stood up, walked over to Chen Zhi, and firmly pressed down on his dialing hand.

"Don't call."

Chen Zhi turned his head. "I have to explain to her..."

"Explain what? That the photo was photoshopped?" Pei Ningxue rolled her eyes at him and turned to look at Pei Dongcheng, who was sitting in the seat of honor.

Pei Ningxue took a deep breath.

"Dad," Pei Ningxue's voice carried a hint of trembling, "hurry up and recall the email."

Pei Dongcheng frowned. "Xiaoxue, are you crazy? At a time like this, you're still protecting this scumbag? He just said he wanted to marry someone else right to your face, didn't you hear him?!"

"I heard him." Pei Ningxue lowered her head, her shoulders twitching slightly.

"You heard him and you still..."

"But Dad, you can't do that." Pei Ningxue suddenly looked up, her eyes red. "You're making such a big deal out of this. If his reputation is ruined, how are we supposed to live our lives?"

Pei Dongcheng slammed the table. "If you can't live it, then don't! Tomorrow you're coming back to Jiangcheng with me! Just looking at this kind of animal dirties my eyes!"

"I can't go back!" Pei Ningxue suddenly raised her voice.

Pei Dongcheng was stunned, and Chen Zhi was stunned too.

Pei Ningxue took a step forward, her hands naturally and gently covering her flat lower abdomen.

She looked down at her stomach, a maternal, radiant tenderness appearing on her face.

"Dad."

"If you do this, when the baby is born, they won't have a biological father."

Clatter.

The teacup in Pei Dongcheng's hand dropped directly onto the table.

He stared at Pei Ningxue's stomach as if he had seen a ghost. His lips trembled, and it took him a long while to squeeze out a few words.

"Wh... what baby?"

Pei Ningxue rubbed her stomach and sighed. "The baby in my belly, of course."

Pregnant?

"You... you guys..." Pei Dongcheng pointed at Pei Ningxue, then at Chen Zhi. "When did this happen?!"

Standing to the side, Chen Zhi was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Pei Ningxue.

What was this woman doing?

That wasn't how the script was written! They hadn't used protection that night, but how long had it been? The fertilized egg wouldn't have even implanted yet, where would a baby come from?!

But Chen Zhi was, after all, a sly old fox who had lived two lives. After a brief mental crash, he immediately reacted.

Seeing Chen Zhi still dazed, Pei Ningxue viciously stomped on his foot under the table.

Chen Zhi gasped and immediately got into character.

He dashed over, carefully supporting Pei Ningxue's arm with a nervous face. "Oh honey, be careful. The doctor said the first three months are the most unstable. You absolutely must not get angry."

Pei Ningxue took the opportunity to lean into Chen Zhi's embrace, looking weak. "I'm fine, it's just that Dad slamming the table just now scared the baby."

The baby...

Those words were like two knives stabbing straight into Pei Dongcheng's heart.

He felt his blood pressure soaring, his temples throbbing wildly.

Pregnant.

That word spiraled madly in Pei Dongcheng's mind. Slowly, it began to overlap with a certain image deep in his memory.

A few months ago.

Jiangcheng Villa District.

A colorful, modified scooter, accompanied by the deafening music of "Wave your hands and get high with me."

A punk wearing a tight Polo shirt, loafers, and a third eye drawn on his forehead.

That punk swaggered into his living room with an arrogant strut, tossing out three ultrasound reports and a pregnancy test with two lines.

"Oi, old man!"

"Guess which of these three ultrasounds belongs to your grandson?"

That dusty memory, the PTSD that Pei Dongcheng had spent months barely suppressing with the help of a psychiatrist, was now resurfacing.

Pei Dongcheng's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Chen Zhi.

He looked at Chen Zhi's handsome face and the dark gray crew-neck sweater he was wearing.

Slowly, that sweater morphed into a tight shirt.

That clean short hair turned into a pompadour, shaved on the sides and long in the middle.

On that smooth forehead, it was as if a vertical eye slowly opened.

"You..." Pei Dongcheng's breathing grew heavy, his chest heaving violently.

To play along with Pei Ningxue's performance, Chen Zhi revealed an extremely punchable smile.

He even subconsciously reached out and slicked his hair back.

This action was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.

Clang!

Pei Dongcheng abruptly stood up.

He extended a trembling finger, pointing at Chen Zhi's nose, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"You..." Pei Dongcheng's voice seemed to carry some kind of unrecallable pain. "You are fucking Chen Hansheng?!"

Since he had been recognized, why keep pretending?

Chen Zhi simply stopped pretending.

"That's right." Chen Zhi grinned, showing an extremely punchable smile. "It is yours truly."

"You..." Pei Dongcheng almost choked on his breath. "You animal! You went to my house just to disgust me back then?!"

"Boss Pei, you can't blame me." Chen Zhi threw his hands up, looking completely innocent. "Ningxue insisted on dragging me there to be her shield. I risked my life to put on that performance for you. That tight shirt was squeezing me so hard I could barely breathe."

"I'll kill you!"

Pei Dongcheng totally lost it. With old and new grudges combining, this business tycoon completely lost his mind. He snatched the empty teacup from the table and postured to smash it over Chen Zhi's head.

"Dad!" Pei Ningxue hurriedly stood up and hugged Pei Dongcheng's arm. "Don't be impulsive!"

"Let go of me!" Pei Dongcheng trembled with rage. "I'm going to sink this little bastard into the Huangpu River to feed the fishes today! Not only did he deceive your feelings, but he also came to my house to play the fool!"

Chen Zhi sat in his chair without even trying to dodge.

He sighed, his tone very sincere. "Boss Pei, calm down. It's easy for you to sink me in the Huangpu River, just a matter of buying a sack and some rocks. But have you thought about it?"

Chen Zhi pointed at Pei Ningxue's flat stomach.

"The child can't be without a father."

As soon as these words came out, Pei Dongcheng's movements halted.

He stared dead at Chen Zhi, his chest heaving violently a few times, and suddenly slammed the teacup heavily onto the table.

"You think you can threaten me with this?" Pei Dongcheng let out a cold laugh.

"Chen Zhi, aren't you thinking too highly of yourself?" Pei Dongcheng stared at him. "If you're gone, all the shares of Deep Space Technology will belong to my daughter. According to inheritance law, my daughter and the child she is carrying are the first-in-line heirs."

The more Pei Dongcheng calculated, the more he felt this was a profitable deal, even nodding his head in agreement.

If I drown you in the Huangpu River, Deep Space Technology will belong to my Pei family. The moment my grandson is born, he will be the sole heir to tens of billions of assets. What use is a scumbag father like you? Do you think I, Pei Dongcheng, cannot afford to raise a grandson?

Hearing these words, Chen Zhi went completely numb.

The most crucial point was that the child was fake! There was not even a fertilized egg yet, and here he was talking about inheriting tens of billions in family assets!

Chen Zhi quickly turned to look at Pei Ningxue, hoping this business partner and mother of his child would stand up and say something fair.

But when Chen Zhi turned his head, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Pei Ningxue did not refute it.

Not only did she not refute it, but she also reached up to stroke her chin, her brows furrowed slightly as if she was genuinely considering the feasibility of Pei Dongcheng's words.

Get rid of the father, keep the child... Pei Ningxue muttered under her breath, her eyes gradually lighting up.

She looked up, glanced at Chen Zhi, and then looked at Pei Dongcheng.

Dad, what you said actually makes some sense. Pei Ningxue nodded with a deadpan expression. Deep Space Technology's current Series A valuation is fifteen billion dollars. If he were to die in an accident, even though I would not have direct inheritance rights as his fiancee, as long as the child is born, I could manage the shares on his behalf...

Pei Ningxue! Chen Zhi completely lost his cool, jumping right up from his chair. You are actually considering it?! I am still sitting here breathing, and you father and daughter are already dividing up my assets?!

Pei Ningxue rolled her eyes at him. Men die for wealth just as birds die for food. Chen Zhi, if you were not such a scumbag normally, would I even be considering this?

You are murdering your own husband!

You have not even gotten a marriage certificate with me yet. What kind of husband are you? Pei Ningxue shot back.

Watching the two of them bicker as if no one else was in the room, Pei Dongcheng felt a strong surge of sourness in his heart.

He actually knew very well that he could not possibly do anything to Chen Zhi. Leaving aside the massive amount of capital currently involved with Deep Space Technology, just looking at the way his daughter looked at Chen Zhi, he knew this girl had fallen completely head over heels.

Sending the emails just now was only a tactic to force Chen Zhi to submit.

Alright, both of you shut up. Pei Dongcheng slammed his wine glass onto the table.

The private room went quiet.

Pei Dongcheng looked at Chen Zhi, his face dark.

Chen Zhi, I have completely seen through you today, you little bastard. Pei Dongcheng gritted his teeth. Thick-skinned, full of schemes, and constantly spouting nonsense. I, Pei Dongcheng, have been in business my whole life, yet I was actually outmaneuvered by a greenhorn like you.

You flatter me, President Pei. Chen Zhi took the opening and quickly sat back down.

I was not praising you! Pei Dongcheng glared at him.

He turned to look at Pei Ningxue, his gaze lingering on her lower abdomen for two seconds, and finally let out a helpless sigh.

Since things have already reached this point and you have a child, if I were to break you two up now, I would become the villain. Pei Dongcheng looked back at Chen Zhi, his tone turning extremely serious.

The emails from earlier, I had my secretary set them to send on a timer. They will not go out for another ten minutes.

Hearing this, a heavy stone finally fell from Chen Zhi's heart.

This old fox really did leave himself a way out.

If you can agree to one condition of mine. Pei Dongcheng held up a single finger. I will call my secretary right now and have him recall the emails.

Chen Zhi immediately sat up straight.

Go ahead.

Pei Dongcheng stared into Chen Zhi's eyes and spoke slowly.

How you play around outside, and your business with those other two girls, I will not interfere anymore, and I cannot interfere.

However, you must get the marriage certificate with Xiaoxue.

Chen Zhi looked at Pei Dongcheng.

The condition this father-in-law was offering was actually already a compromise. A business tycoon worth tens of billions was tacitly accepting that his son-in-law had other women on the outside, only asking to secure his daughter's status as the official wife.

Chen Zhi turned his head, looking at Pei Ningxue beside him, who was so nervous that even her breathing had grown light.

Chen Zhi met Pei Dongcheng's gaze.

Alright, Chen Zhi nodded. I promise you.

Pei Dongcheng's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

He did not waste any more words, directly pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing his secretary's number.

Xiao Liu. Pei Dongcheng's tone returned to its usual authority. Those two scheduled emails I had you set up earlier, cancel them immediately. Yes, delete them completely, do not leave any backups.

Hanging up the phone, Pei Dongcheng tossed it onto the table.

Remember what you said today. Pei Dongcheng stood up. If you dare to go back on your word, or if you ever let Xiaoxue suffer any grievances in the future, I do not care how big your Deep Space Technology is, I will risk this old life of mine to drag you down to hell with me.

Chen Zhi also stood up and nodded solemnly.

Rest assured.

Pei Dongcheng did not look at him again. He turned to look at Pei Ningxue, his eyes finally softening.

Xiaoxue, take good care of yourself. Pei Dongcheng sighed. I am heading back to Jiangcheng tomorrow. When you have time, come home to visit more often.

I know, Dad. Pei Ningxue's eyes felt a little sore.

Pei Dongcheng turned, pulled open the door to the private room, and strode out.

The door was closed again.

Only Chen Zhi and Pei Ningxue were left in the private room.

Pei Ningxue turned her head to look at him.

The condition you just agreed to with my dad, did you mean it? Pei Ningxue asked.

Chen Zhi sat up straight and looked at her.

When have my words ever not counted? Chen Zhi reached out and pinched her cheek. I was planning to tie you to my pirate ship for the rest of your life anyway. Getting a certificate is just perfect, it will save me the worry of you absconding with the funds later.

Pei Ningxue swatted his hand away, but the corners of her eyes could not help but crinkle in a smile.

Who cares about your stupid certificate, she huffed haughtily.

Chen Zhi looked at her saying one thing while meaning another, and his mood improved greatly. He had completely passed this hurdle; although the process was a bit thrilling, the outcome was good.

It should be good, right?