Chapter 700   - Trapped (2)

Li Meili cleared her throat and looked away in embarrassment.

"We were schoolmates back when we were in high school…" She tried to explain, but it was too late for her to deny that she knew Zhang Jiren back then. Anyway, since she didn't know much about Zhang Jiren, it was hard for her to tell what he was thinking at all.

Unlike Tang Moyu whom she had spent years with, Li Meili didn't need to think too hard to figure out what her best friend was thinking or planning, but with Zhang Jiren whom she had only met a couple of times before getting married, Li Meili admitted that her lack of knowledge about him had caused her prejudice earlier and she was still ashamed of it even though Zhang Jiren had never brought up the issue again.

"Ah, I see." Elder Lan nodded and resumed her work. It made sense now why Zhang Jiren didn't look perturbed standing next to Li Meili. At least he didn't marry a total stranger.

The rest of the day went by in a blur for Li Meili. After she helped Elder Lan to tidy up the clothes in Zhang Jiren's room. She decided to take a nap, aware that the old woman would stay a little longer to prepare her dinner before leaving.

It wasn't until she was woken up by a nauseating feeling did Li Meili become aware that she had overslept. The clock on her bedside table indicated that it was already past nine in the evening.

"Urgh, so much for taking a short nap." Li Meili muttered to herself before hurrying to the bathroom. She had already expected that the symptoms of her pregnancy would show up very soon but not like this.

She broke into a sweat, throwing everything out until she could no more. After washing her face and mouth on the sink, Li Meili stared at her reflection in the mirror and g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

After witnessing herself what Tang Moyu had gone through during her pregnancy with her little buns, Li Meili knew that this was just a start and the symptoms will persist for a few weeks.

Li Meili felt her stomach revolting once again and made her feel nauseous.

"Damn it." She cursed loudly as the bitterness filled her mouth as she puked on the sink.

Zhang Jiren pulled her long hair out of her face and rubbed her back as she continued to hover over the sink, feeling and looking gross about herself.

"You don't have to be here." She muttered once she realized that the need to puke had finally subsided.

Zhang Jiren hummed and didn't respond, only taking a hair tie that she had left on the mirror and tied her hair loosely behind her.

"I came to check on you to talk about something, but I didn't expect you to be here like this." He said. "Did you go see a doctor? Have you scheduled your checkup?" He asked.

"Moyu, will accompany me to see one on Monday. You don't have to worry about it." Li Meili said after washing her mouth for the umpteenth time and wiped her face with a clean towel.

"I see." Since he wasn't the real father of the child in her w.o.m.b, he supposed he didn't have any say on Li Meili's decisions for her baby.

"So what brings you here?" Li Meili asked, now remembering how awkward it was for her to be seen by Zhang Jiren in her not so nice home clothes while puking over the sink inside her bathroom.

"Let's get out here first and have dinner. I'm starving." Zhang Jiren replied.

It was only then when Li Meili noticed that he was still dressed in his work clothes and hadn't changed yet. She followed him into the kitchen and saw him shed his coat first before reheating the food Elder Lan probably cooked earlier when she was asleep.

She took a seat on the dining table and cupped her chin lazily. Now that she had thrown up everything she might have eaten earlier, she felt really hungry. The aroma coming from the food Zhang Jiren was preparing smelled divine.

For him to be able to employ someone like Elder Lan was so outstanding. Aside from Auntie Lu who'd been taking care of Tang Moyu, Li Meili didn't know another person who could cook a home cooked meal this good, well, until she met Elder Lan.

"I want to talk to you about the Zhang family. My 'father' called me earlier, telling me that I need to bring you over so he can meet you properly this weekend. You don't have to go with me if you don't want to." Zhang Jiren said after he placed the meals in front of Li Meili, ignoring how she started eating without waiting for him.

Li Meili stopped midway and looked at him confusedly.

"You don't want me to go with you?" She already knew what the Zhang family wanted from this meeting anyway. Zhang Jiren would need to show his filial piety even if he didn't want to see any of his brothers at the moment.

"It's not that I don't want to bring you, I just know that you don't want to be in the same place as them," he pointed out, which was true. Also, the fact that Zhang Wuying would surely be there wouldn't make her visit a good one.

Li Meili couldn't refute his claims, but now that she knew that he was also being forced into this meeting, how can she allow him to bear the burden alone?

"I'll go with you." She decided. "You don't have to cover for me every time I need help and it's not like I can avoid them forever."