Soft-centered strawberry cake

Chapter 80 What does it mean to be reckless and ignorant of death?
In the afternoon, you can see through the glass window that it's very hot outside, but inside the café, the rich aroma of coffee is just right to make you relax.

Under the warm yellow chandelier, Ming Wei and Tong Ziyan sat on either side of a wooden square table, on which were placed two cups of coffee and several small snacks.

"Sister-in-law, you have no idea, he got a terrible scolding yesterday because you didn't come home with my brother!"

Tong Ziyan picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, "I did it on purpose."

Upon learning that Tong Ziyan had deliberately wanted Pei Cheng to get a good scolding, Ming Wei smiled and said, "Brother really does deserve to be scolded."

"Did he ask you to act as a go-between and persuade me to go home?" Tong Ziyan could roughly guess Ming Wei's motive for asking her to meet today.

Mingwei nodded. "Yes, but I respect your wishes. If you want to go back, then go back. If you don't want to go back, I won't try to persuade you."

Hearing what Ming Weiyi said, Tong Ziyan was a little surprised. "So, you just wanted to ask me out for a chat?"

"Yes, I know you must be feeling down, so I asked you to come out for some fresh air." Ming Wei also looked at Tong Ziyan gently.

"There's nothing I can do about feeling uncomfortable; it's already happened. I can only try to accept the existence of that child."

From Tong Ziyan's tone, Mingwei could also see her helplessness; as expected, Tong Ziyan had compromised.

"What did I tell you yesterday?"

“He said he would pay the child support and that he would never let that woman and child appear in front of me again.”

To make Tong Ziyan feel better, Ming Wei quickly said, "Yesterday, Mom and Dad made it clear that they absolutely do not allow my brother to acknowledge the existence of that child, nor do they allow him to give that child a single penny, otherwise he will not be their son."

Pei Zhenhua and Yan Jie's attitude did make Tong Ziyan feel a little better, but she still gave a bitter smile, "Based on my understanding of Pei Cheng, he can't do it."

Pei Ming said the same thing last night, so it seems this matter will really become more troublesome because of Pei Cheng.

"If you can really make that woman and child stop bothering you forever, then pay the child support."

"Yes, it all depends on whether Pei Cheng can handle this matter well." Tong Ziyan took another sip of her coffee. At this moment, the taste of the coffee was not as bitter as the bitterness in her heart.

"You won't be going back to the Pei family until you've sorted things out, will you?" This question was asked by Ming Wei on behalf of Pei Cheng.

"That's what I'm planning to do." Tong Ziyan put down her coffee cup, picked up the dessert spoon on the table, scooped up a spoonful of cake, and put it in her mouth.

"Ah, then wouldn't Brother be scolded every day?" Ming Wei couldn't help but laugh. She could already imagine Pei Cheng having to keep a low profile every day.

"He deserves to be scolded. Anyway, I don't want to be the respectable person caught in the middle anymore."

During the past two years in the Pei family, whenever Pei Cheng had any conflict with Pei Zhenhua or Wen Lan, Tong Ziyan would always stand in the middle to mediate for Pei Cheng. But this time, she chose to remain out of the public eye.

"Then... Sister-in-law, your parents must know about this too, right?" Mingwei asked knowingly, mainly because she wanted to know what the elders of the Tong family thought from Tong Ziyan.

Tong Ziyan nodded slightly. "I told them both when I got home yesterday."

"What did your uncle and aunt say?"

"Don't even mention it. My mom blames me for not having children, which is why I'm being manipulated by other women with kids now." Tong Ziyan was speechless when she brought it up.

“That woman can’t control you no matter what. The Pei family only recognizes you as their eldest daughter-in-law. And if any other woman tries to threaten your position, I will make her know what it means to be reckless.”

Ming Wei also casually uttered the last few words, and then scooped a spoonful of cake into her mouth.

Hearing what Ming Weiyi said, Tong Ziyan finally smiled. "Weiwei, it would be great if you didn't go back to Jiangcheng. It's such a pity."

"They say distance makes the heart grow fonder." Seeing Tong Ziyan finally smile, Ming Weiyi felt a little relieved. Before returning to Jiangcheng today, Ming Weiyi had asked Tong Ziyan out for a chat, which had indeed improved Tong Ziyan's mood considerably. Ming Weiyi cared about her, which made Tong Ziyan feel from the bottom of her heart that her kindness towards Ming Weiyi had not been in vain.

In order to avoid Pei Zhenhua and Wen Lan, Pei Cheng sat alone in his study, looking through the company's data on his computer, trying to make the time pass a little longer.

He hoped that Mingwei could also comfort Tong Ziyan on his behalf, so that he could successfully bring Tong Ziyan home.

The bottom right corner of the computer screen flickered a few times. Pei Cheng casually opened his email, assuming it was a document about the company sent to him by his assistant.

To Pei Cheng's surprise, an unfamiliar account sent him several short videos.

The videos include footage of a newborn crying, a baby's one-month celebration, a first birthday celebration, and a baby calling out "Daddy" in a sweet, childlike voice.

These videos undoubtedly had a huge impact on Pei Cheng's mind, and those few calls of "Dad" made it even harder for him to calm down.

However, his promise to Tong Ziyan forced him to calm down, so he chose to treat her with indifference.

Pei Cheng clicked the reply button, typed a short message, and then pressed send.

"Just name your price."

Less than a minute after Pei Cheng sent the email, he received a text message from an unknown number on his phone.

"You probably don't know our son's name yet, his name is Xu Jinghao."

Pei Cheng didn't have the patience to continue communicating with Xu Ling via text, so he directly dialed this phone number.

The call was answered smoothly, and Xu Ling's gentle voice came through.

"Haohao, it's Dad calling us. Haohao, call out to Dad."

The next second, Pei Chengzhen heard his child's soft and adorable voice on the phone: "Daddy! Daddy!"

Pei Cheng consciously wanted to respond to the child's cries, but reason calmed him down.

"Xu Ling, I'm asking you one last time, how much money do you want?"

"Pei Cheng, is this how you think of me?" Xu Ling's aggrieved voice came through the phone.

"I advise you to take the money and leave, otherwise you'll end up with nothing." This was Pei Cheng's advice to Xu Ling.

“I don’t want money. I just hope my son can have a father and a complete family.”

"When you secretly gave birth to this child, didn't you know what kind of situation he would be in? What are you pretending for now?"

Pei Cheng's words were like daggers to the heart, but how could Xu Ling easily admit defeat?

"Back then, it was your mother who disapproved of our relationship. She forced me to leave you. It was only after I left that I found out I was pregnant with your child. I truly love you, which is why I couldn't bear to abort this child..."

Xu Ling's voice on the phone was clearly choked with sobs, leaving Pei Cheng unsure of what to say next.

Before Pei Cheng could speak, Xu Ling, tears streaming down her face, continued, "Let's talk face to face."

"it is good."

Anyway, the matter definitely needed to be resolved, so Pei Cheng decided to talk to Xu Ling face-to-face about child support.

(End of this chapter)