Chapter 124: Protection
He Jingcheng had a different situation.
She was born in the mountains, in a family with little education. As a child, her name was He Daya.
In elementary school, due to her exceptional talent, she was selected for the provincial team for training, with the aim of becoming a weightlifter.
The name He Jingcheng was given to her by her coach, derived from the phrase “those with ambition will achieve success.”
Although people often said, “That doesn’t sound like a girl’s name,” He Jingcheng really liked it.
Through her own efforts, she won national-level competitions and later smoothly transitioned to become a coach, building a warm and happy family.
Her only regret was that, despite being nearly thirty, she had not yet become pregnant. Both she and her husband had medical check-ups with no issues, and the doctor could only reassure her that it simply wasn’t her time yet.
He Jingcheng was taking this high-speed train primarily because she had been invited by the local provincial team to guide their trainees.
Coincidentally, Ai Wan, who had been suffering badly from morning sickness, found her symptoms greatly relieved after drinking water He Jingcheng had prepared, mixed with lemon juice.
When the two got off the train, He Jingcheng learned that Ai Wan’s hometown was near the training base she was heading to, so she accompanied Ai Wan all the way there.
Ai Wan’s family, upon learning about her husband’s wrongdoing, fully supported her divorce. They even personally gathered over a dozen strong men and, overnight, went with a convoy to deal with him and move things.
Her mother stayed home to help Ai Wan with her pregnancy, saying that to counteract the poor genes of a scumbag, a child needed guidance even in the womb.
Since her home was close to the training base, which was open for visits, whenever Ai Wan felt down during the divorce period, she would come watch He Jingcheng train the children.
After observing intermittently for more than half a month, Ai Wan noticed that He Jingcheng didn’t seem very well—she looked easily fatigued. She suggested He Jingcheng go to a hospital for a check-up.
The results were completely unexpected—He Jingcheng was pregnant.
The estimated conception time was just a few days before she took the high-speed train.
Ai Wan repeatedly stated that this had nothing to do with her, but both He Jingcheng and her husband insisted it was a blessing Ai Wan had brought.
Ai Wan replied that she had only met He Jingcheng because He Jingcheng had extended her help. If any blessings existed, they were He Jingcheng’s own.
“In any case, our two families became good friends,” He Meng said with a grin. “My name and Ai Ning’s were inspired by the lemons my mom squeezed for Aunt Wan. Since Ai Ning was born first, he got the ‘Ning’ character; I was born a few months later, so I got the ‘Meng’ character.”
Gu Qinghuan listened to He Meng talk while eating hot pot lamb, and her appetite had improved.
Ai Ning, however, was restless. Using communal chopsticks, he put lamb into He Meng’s bowl, just hoping she would eat more and leave him less time to nag.
He muttered, “What’s the point of talking about the past…”
He Meng replied firmly, “It’s clearly important! The friendship between elders is so good—I also want to have such a good friendship with you!”
Ai Ning paused, a trace of barely perceptible irritation in his tone: “Eat your own!”
Hmm? Gu Qinghuan perked up her ears.
He Meng stuffed a piece of lamb into her mouth and whispered, “In high school we were in different classes. Ai Ning, you ignore me now—what if all this friendship just ends?”
Ai Ning said nothing. With no reply, the atmosphere at the table immediately cooled.
Gu Qinghuan swallowed her meat and decisively spoke: “By the way, Ai Ning, did your mother manage to finalize her divorce?”
Her question immediately drew Ai Ning’s attention: “Of course she did. That scumbag, a good beating made him behave. Less than two months after the divorce, he quickly remarried.”
“When I was little, he was completely absent, didn’t pay child support on time. After middle school, he secretly contacted me often, trying to win me over.” At this point, Ai Ning’s face showed clear disgust.
“Win you over for what?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
“His new wife couldn’t conceive, and it turned out to be his problem,” Ai Ning said. He had intended to say “low sperm count,” but since the other two at the table were girls, he rephrased it.
“He thought I was his only child in this life, so he wanted to win me over to take care of him in old age.” Ai Ning couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
“Support starts with upbringing,” Gu Qinghuan’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “First, make him transfer you a few tens of thousands, see the fatherly love in action.”
He Meng burst out laughing, almost dropping her chopsticks: “Right! Something practical!”
Ai Ning took it seriously and noted it down: “Makes sense. Next time he bothers me, I’ll say this.”
“As for support payments, even though they’re calculated based on your future income, I know two disgusting ways to handle it.” Gu Qinghuan held up two fingers.
Ai Ning and He Meng listened intently.
“First, delay. Don’t give it. Say you forgot, too busy. At worst, make him sue—you can easily drag it out for months.”
“Second, the law states there’s a support obligation but doesn’t say it has to be cash. Material support—rice, flour, oil—is also valid.”
He Meng realized: “Giving a box of instant noodles every month counts, right?”
Gu Qinghuan nodded internally, impressed by her quick grasp.
Ai Ning admitted he learned something: “Okay, I’ll handle him this way from now on.”
“By the way, does your mother know he contacted you?” Gu Qinghuan asked casually.
“I didn’t tell her. I don’t want her to worry,” Ai Ning’s tone softened. “Since childhood, my mom worked very hard—early to late, constantly traveling, doing field research, writing reports and plans on the computer.”
“Only in the past few years, as her position rose, did she get some relief. I don’t want her worrying about me dealing with that scumbag.”
“Sometimes I even think, if it weren’t for me being a burden, my mom wouldn’t have had to work so hard. She could have built a complete family and had better children…”
“Stop!” Gu Qinghuan immediately shouted.
Ai Ning was startled and reflexively shut his mouth.
“Did Aunt say that to you? Did she ever call you a burden?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
Ai Ning thought for a moment and slowly shook his head.
However, she was indeed very busy, often absent from his childhood. At parent-teacher meetings, his grandparents usually attended as guardians.
So he did harbor some resentment, feeling Ai Wan didn’t care about him. But at the same time, he understood—who made him the son of that man? It was normal that Ai Wan didn’t want to see him.
Gu Qinghuan ate a piece of meat and then said: “I think you should see it this way—you protected your mother.
“If you hadn’t been conceived, Aunt wouldn’t have realized how terrible her ex was, and she wouldn’t have made the decision to divorce.
“You let her escape that hell. So, I think you were born to protect your mother, and you should be proud of that.”
