Chapter 701   - A Shrewd Person (1)

Even though Tang Moyu wanted to stop Li Meili from meeting the Zhang family, she knew that her best friend couldn't avoid meeting them eventually. She could only hope that Zhang Jiren would hold onto his promise and would protect Li Meili from his family.

The weekend came and Li Meili had been pondering on how she should act in front of the Zhang family. She certainly cannot let Zhang Wuying know that she was pregnant with Tang Beixuan's child, but with her status as Zhang Jiren's wife now, she hoped it'd be easier to fool others; that the child she was carrying was her husband's considering how fast they registered their marriage.

Li Meili had been pacing back and forth inside her room as she waited for Zhang Jiren to come home from work. Her husband had told her to wait until he was done with work and they could go together to the Zhang family's scheduled dinner that night.

To think that she was willing to meet the Zhang family, Li Meili wondered if she was out of her mind when she told Zhang Jiren that she would meet the Zhang family. She was starting to think that she was being too impulsive and agreeable lately. She should have agreed when Zhang Jiren offered her to stay at home instead of going with him today.

Was it too late for her to change her mind and back out of this meeting? Was she really willing to meet Zhang Wuying this way

"Madam, are you okay? You look pale." Elder Lan knocked on the door and found Li Meili standing at the balcony.

"I'm fine." Li Meili tucked her loose hair behind her ear and smiled sheepishly. "It must be the weather." Since the sun was already setting, the temperature was starting to drop drastically.

"Then perhaps you should come inside before you catch a cold. It wouldn't be nice if you get sick while you are pregnant." The old woman reminded Li Meili of her delicate condition. She should be extra careful as her life wasn't just hers anymore.

Li Meili nodded, knowing that she couldn't just be reckless and put her unborn child in danger. She decided to go back inside her room to wait for Zhang Jiren and close the sliding door behind her.

Since she had already agreed to this meeting, Li Meili supposed that she could only suck it up and made sure that she wouldn't be intimidated by her husband's family. If only she was as smart and articulate with words as Tang Moyu, she wouldn't have to worry about how she should deal with the Zhangs.

An hour later, Zhang Jiren came home looking exhausted. This was the first time Li Meili had seen him in such a condition. The darkening under his eyes were more apparent, clearly indicating that he hadn't gotten enough sleep lately.

"Are you sure we should go? You don't look okay…" Li Meili asked, as she stood in the living room holding her coat while waiting for him to get ready.

"No, it's alright. I'll be fine." Zhang Jiren replied, taking a few pills from the bottle he was holding and popped them into his mouth. He then thanked Elder Lan who passed him a glass of water.

"But…" Li Meili wanted to argue that he looked too sick for them to go and see his family, but because he insisted to go, she had no other choice but to yield his wishes.

"Just give me ten minutes. I just need to rest for a moment before we go." Zhang Jiren leaned his back on the couch with a sigh and shut his eyes. The effect of the long work hours over the past few days was starting to affect his body. With the amount of work that needed his attention, he also had to worry about the pregnant wife he had left at home.

Li Meili decided to take a seat on the armchair next to the couch and waited in silence. She chose to busy herself over the phone, smiling to herself as she'd seen the new photos of the little buns Tang Moyu had uploaded in their group chat.

Ever since Tang Moyu and her little buns came back, they looked happier and content compared to when they were living overseas. Here, they found Feng Tianyi and built a happy family with him. Even Gu Yuyao, whom Li Meili met through the empress, had been reunited with her lost love and had married He Lianchen.

Was it really unfair if she wished that she could also lead a happy life like them? She wondered. Although she was happy that she was pregnant, being here without Tang Beixuan hadn't truly made this news a happy one. It was tragic as their child would never even have a chance to know him. Tang Beixuan would surely regret not being there for the two of them.

Li Meili's train of thoughts stoppen when Zhang Jiren stood up and slid his arms into his coat. She blinked her thoughts away and followed his lead, knowing that meeting the Zhang family would be inevitable today.

"Let's go. I don't plan to stay with them for long." He said before leading her outside after thanking Elder Lan for accompanying Li Meili today.

The two stepped inside the private elevator that was allocated for their personal use and were silent until they reached the parking space below, where Zhang Jiren's assistant was waiting for them.

Assistant Liu looked at his boss and then at Li Meili. Like the rest, he was shocked to find out that Zhang Jiren had decided to marry the Li heiress unannounced. He didn't even know that his boss knew Li Meili although he had been working with Zhang Jiren for over five years now.

Assistant Liu opened the door of the backseat of the car, allowing Li Meili to get in first.

"To the Zhang estate." Zhang Jiren said before getting inside, taking a seat next to his wife.