"I'm not joking."
"Are you blind? Even if you wanted to sleep with someone, you wouldn't go as low as a delivery guy, would you?"
Su Qi stroked her belly. "I was drunk at the time, and by the time I realized everything, it was already too late."
Lin Xuefu lowered her voice. "Then what are you planning to do? You can't just keep this hidden forever! This isn't something you can hide!"
"I'm going to have the baby!" Su Qi declared firmly.
"What the hell! Are you crazy?" Lin Xuefu's voice jumped an octave.
Su Qi said with utmost seriousness, "I asked him several times today if he would take responsibility for the child, and he said he would."
Lin Xuefu cupped Su Qi's face in her hands. "Look here, big sister, are you kidding me right now? You are the young lady of the Su Family! He's just a delivery guy! He has nothing! The two of you are worlds apart! He's not good enough for you, okay?
Even taking a step back—ten thousand steps back! Have you thought about what your family will say? Anyone could guess with their toes that they'll never accept this delivery guy!
Most importantly, the Qin Family! Knowing how those bastards at the Qin Family operate, you're going to be in deep trouble, and your entire Su Family will be utterly destroyed because of this delivery guy! And as for him, he won't even have a place to be buried!"
Su Qi steered the conversation away. "Let's leave me out of it for a second. Why did you suddenly come back to Jiangning City?"
Lin Xuefu explained, "My grandfather said he wanted to meet a big shot in Jiangning City, and by the way, look into tonight's bidding war, so I tagged along. Listen to me, Miss Su, stop asking about me and think about your own situation first."
Su Qi's eyes reddened. The thought of having to marry a man she disliked—or even loathed—stirred up waves of rebellion inside her, making her all the more determined to have the baby.
An idea suddenly struck Lin Xuefu. "I've got a brilliant thought!"
"What thought?"
Lin Xuefu chuckled. "If you get found out, just say this delivery guy raped you! The Qin Family won't give you a hard time then!"
...
When Wang Han came out of the residential complex, he flipped off the security guards at the gate.
A bunch of gatekeepers looking down on a delivery guy!
He scanned a shared bicycle and was getting ready to head back to the delivery station when a stretched Lincoln pulled up right in front of him.
An elderly man with a full head of silver hair stepped out of the car. "Young Master, please get in."
Wang Han froze for a few seconds before the old man introduced himself. "My name is Lin Qingyun, President of the Jiulong Chamber of Commerce's Jiangning Branch. I'm here to take the Young Master to the bidding convention."
Only then did Wang Han remember the old man mentioning this person over the phone earlier.
"Please get in, Young Master."
Lin Qingyun opened the car door and bowed respectfully.
Without wasting any words, Wang Han ducked into the car.
As the car drove along, Wang Han noticed they weren't heading in the direction of the bidding convention. "Where are we going?"
"The bidding convention still has some time. We're going to Area A of Longwan first so the Young Master can bathe and change."
When they arrived at the destination, he discovered it was none other than the most luxurious mansion in Jiangning City, worth a cool 170 million.
"Nice place."
Wang Han dropped the casual compliment.
Lin Qingyun immediately pulled out a set of keys. "Young Master, these are the keys."
Wang Han waved a hand. "Too big. I'm not used to living alone."
Still, Lin Qingyun didn't take the keys back.
Others might not know who this master truly was, but he knew crystal clear.
The terrifying power hidden behind this man was so immense that nationwide, you could count on one hand the people who dared to mess with him!
Those arrogant, swaggering young scions from the Capital had to respectfully address him as Brother Han the moment they laid eyes on him.
Outsiders only knew that he, Lin Qingyun, was wealthy and powerful, little realizing that in front of this man, he was nothing more than a lowly little butler.
After taking a soak, Wang Han skipped the suit Lin Qingyun had prepared and put on a loose, casual outfit instead.
Displaying sharp perceptiveness, Lin Qingyun had invited a master chef to prepare a whole table of dishes.
With his belly full of food and drink, Wang Han took the car to Jianye Building.
Tonight, virtually all the major families of Jiangning City had come here to bid.
Wang Han had zero interest in this kind of thing; he only came because the old man demanded it.
Due to his status and the need to avoid suspicion, Lin Qingyun hadn't found it convenient to come in person, so he waited in a private room.
Since there was still some time before the start, Wang Han made a trip to the restroom.
As he came out to wash his hands, a gorgeous woman walked out of the women's restroom diagonally across from him.
Her wine-red hair was tied into a high ponytail, and a professional OL suit perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure. Long, slender legs encased in black silk stockings made her look even taller as she stepped along in red high heels.
Wang Han shook the water off his hands.
He turned his head and locked eyes with her.
Taking a closer look—
Wasn't this precisely Lin Xuefu, the one he'd run into at Su Qi's place earlier today?
Upon seeing Wang Han, Lin Xuefu froze for a couple of seconds before her face instantly dropped. "Why are you here?"
Wang Han hadn't expected to bump into Su Qi's best friend in a place like this either.
Yet, considering the Su Family's high standing in Jiangning City, Lin Xuefu's family background was bound to be impressive, so her appearance here wasn't entirely contradictory.
"I'm here to..."
Before he could finish, Lin Xuefu cut him off. Noticing his casual attire, she concluded with absolute certainty that Wang Han must have sneaked in simply to deliver takeout to the staff. "What you're doing here is none of my business! But I'm warning you! Su Qi is my good sister! You got my sister pregnant! If that baby is born and you don't take responsibility, you and I aren't finished!"
Wang Han was exasperated. "She already had an abortion! What the hell is there for me to take responsibility for?!"
Furious at the news, Lin Xuefu grabbed Wang Han by the collar. "Who told you she had an abortion?! She's going to have the baby!"
Hearing this, Wang Han was stunned on the spot.
Holy crap!
The woman actually didn't abort it?!
Seeing the expression on Wang Han's face, Lin Xuefu felt like grinding her pearly white teeth to dust.
She brought her high heel down hard on Wang Han's foot.
To her surprise, Wang Han smoothly dodged it, as if he had anticipated it beforehand.
Ah!
Stamping on empty air, Lin Xuefu hissed in pain.
She shot Wang Han a vicious glare. "We are not done!"
Wang Han watched Lin Xuefu's retreating back. The woman had a fantastic waist-to-hip ratio—a slender willow waist and full, rounded, lifted hips that swayed seductively from side to side as she walked.
It was just that what came out of her mouth was thoroughly unpleasant.
Wang Han's head was entirely occupied by the fact that Su Qi hadn't aborted the child.
He headed back into the bidding hall.
Before he even sat down, he saw a few people swaggering through the entrance. The moment they stepped inside, they sat right in the front row, acting arrogant and treating everyone else like nothing.
Lin Qingyun had sent a sexy assistant named Liu Yue to tag along with Wang Han.
Adjusting her glasses, Liu Yue pointed at a heavy-set man who was the last to walk in. "That's Qin Lei from the Qin Family, the richest family in Jiangning City. He's also our biggest competitor today."
The Qin Family?
Wang Han's eyes flickered.
Wasn't Su Qi supposed to marry that promiscuous fatty from the Qin Family?
Besides, Wang Han had caught wind of something else today.
The Qin Family was aiming to win the New District project and partner with the Su Family so the latter could extricate themselves from their predicament.
If he, your daddy here, snatched this project away, wouldn't that make it impossible for the Qin Family to cooperate with the Su Family? And wouldn't that mean Su Qi wouldn't have to marry the Qin Family for the time being?
And if he secretly gave the Su Family a helping hand behind the scenes, Su Qi wouldn't have to bow to anyone's whims.
Wang Han's feelings about Su Qi right now were rather strange.
Perhaps he just couldn't stand the sight of a good head of cabbage being ruined by a pig.
At least, that was how Wang Han saw it.
The tedious opening formalities finally concluded.
Next came the bidding phase.
Unexpectedly, right at the start, Qin Lei stood up and swept his gaze across the room. "Everyone, the New District project belongs to us, the Qin Family. Anyone who dares to compete with us for it—well, I think you all know the consequences!"
Having said that, Qin Lei scanned the room once more, his gaze filled with disdain and underlying threat, projecting the absolute posture of the biggest boss in the room.
Seeing that no one dared to speak, Qin Lei crossed his arms with an expression of total certainty.
"The New District project, five hundred million, we'll take it!" Qin Lei raised his bidding paddle.
Right at that moment, a voice rang out.
"Six hundred million."
As the price dropped, every eye in the hall instantly converged on Wang Han, who had made the bid.
"What the hell! Who is this? Daring to cross the Qin Family! Has he got a death wish?"
"This guy doesn't look like a local from Jiangning City!"
"No wonder he's so clueless! Daring to snatch meat right out of the Qin Family's mouth!"
"The duck that was ready to be eaten just flew away; the Qin Family is definitely not going to let him off!"
Amidst the buzzing discussions in the hall,
Qin Lei slammed his hand on the armrest, stood up, and glared furiously at Wang Han. "Are you fucking looking for trouble on purpose?"
Wang Han ignored Qin Lei entirely. "Highest bidder wins. Any problem with that?"
A fierce glint flashed in Qin Lei's eyes. "Didn't you hear me say that our Qin Family wants this project?"
Wang Han replied indifferently, "I heard it. But what does that have to do with me?"
People all around sucked in sharp breaths, whispering among themselves to find out who this person was.
To dare go head-to-head with the Qin Family!
Qin Lei's face twisted in rage. "We bid seven hundred million!"
Wang Han's expression was icy. "An auction is a one-shot deal. Since when do you get to make multiple bids?"
Qin Lei pointed a finger at Wang Han's nose, his expression ferocious.
"In this Jiangning City, whatever I say goes! Seven hundred million! The Qin Family is taking this project!"
Wang Han picked up the bidding paddle and made the bid himself. "Then I bid eight hundred million!"
Qin Lei smashed his fist onto the table. "Grandson! You're trying to grab food out of the Qin Family's mouth right here in Jiangning City—have you got a death wish?"
Wang Han crossed his legs. "Is the Qin Family really that awesome?"
Guests throughout the hall drew in cold breaths.
Just who on earth was this guy?
Daring to challenge the local tyrant that was the Qin Family?
Aggressive and menacing, Qin Lei charged straight at Wang Han and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I bid nine hundred million! Grandson, here in Jiangning City, the Qin Family is the sky! Nobody gets to snatch what we want! If you don't want to live anymore, feel free to keep raising the price!"
Unfazed, Wang Han flashed Qin Lei a brilliant smile. "One billion!"
The entire auction hall exploded into chaos.
Gripping Wang Han by the collar, Qin Lei snarled, "Looking to die, are you? I'll give you a chance to kneel down and apologize right in front of me, or else I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs tonight!"
Wang Han grinned back at Qin Lei. The next second, Wang Han struck with fierce decisiveness—a sudden uppercut that snapped Qin Lei's head to the side and sent him flying. Seizing a chair, Wang Han proceeded to smash it wildly over Qin Lei, cracking his skull open on the spot.
The move was clean, crisp, and without a single trace of hesitation.
Tossing the chair aside, Wang Han dusted off his ears. "Anyone else have an objection?"
Not a single soul in the entire hall dared to utter half a word.
Wang Han pulled out a card and handed it to Liu Yue.
Liu Yue immediately passed it to the organizers.
Once the funds cleared, the venue erupted entirely.
Clutching his bloodied head, Qin Lei looked like a walking gore-object, his face utterly distorted with malice. "Investigate this! You must find out who this person is! I'm going to tear him to pieces!"
Wang Han walked toward the room where Lin Qingyun was waiting.
The remaining matters were left to Liu Yue.
Inside the room, Lin Xuefu was massaging her ankle while continuing to curse Wang Han in her heart.
"Grandfather, who on earth is this big shot you mentioned? Why do you insist on meeting him in person?"
Lin Qingyun took a sip of tea. "That's not for me to say, Xuefu. Once he gets here later, don't run your mouth. I haven't quite figured out this master's temper yet."
Unconvinced, Lin Xuefu curled her lip in a pout. As the hidden wealthy family of Jiangning City, the Lin Family still carried pride in their bones. Now, having to bow and scrape before someone she hadn't even met piqued her curiosity, making her desperately want to see what this so-called big shot actually looked like!
Someone walked in from outside. "Sir, the bidding has concluded."
Lin Qingyun gave a hum of acknowledgment.
Lin Xuefu casually asked, "Did the Qin Family win the bid?"
"No, someone else won it."
Lin Xuefu froze instantly.
"What did you say?"
"The Qin Family didn't win. Someone else did."
Recovering her wits, Lin Xuefu blurted, "Holy cow! For the Qin Family, this project was practically a cooked duck that just flew away! Whose guts are big enough to snatch food right out of the Qin Family's mouth? Do they not want to live in Jiangning City anymore?"
Lin Qingyun chuckled softly. "Xuefu, this is the person we've been waiting for."
Blinking rapidly, Lin Xuefu exclaimed, "My god! That is way too badass! Wait a minute! If the Qin Family didn't win the bid, doesn't that mean they can't cooperate with the Su Family for now? And the Su Family still won't be able to get out of trouble? No way! I've got to tell Nannan about this!"
With that, Lin Xuefu grabbed her phone to call Su Qi. "Grandfather, I'm calling Nannan. If that big shot shows up, make sure to tell me! I've got to see what he really looks like!"
Lin Qingyun nodded.
The moment Lin Xuefu stepped out the door and took two steps, she crashed head-on into Wang Han, who was turning the corner.
Wang Han was in the middle of a phone call with the old man, reporting on things.
Lowering his head,
he locked eyes with Lin Xuefu.
Without missing a beat, Lin Xuefu launched into verbal abuse. "Are you blind? Do you not use your eyes when you walk? Stinky delivery boy!"
And with that, she stormed off!
With a darkened face, Wang Han hung up the phone and walked into the room.
Lin Qingyun hurriedly stood up to welcome him. "Young Master."
Wang Han pointed back toward the door. "I saw that chick just walk out of here. Who is she to you?"
Lin Qingyun quickly explained, "Her name is Lin Xuefu. She's my granddaughter, unmarried, in good health, and she holds the Young Master in extremely high regard—she's been dying to meet you!"
If he hadn't already met Lin Xuefu, Wang Han might have actually believed that.
"Oh, give me a break!"
Completely bewildered, Lin Qingyun had no idea why Wang Han reacted that way.
The room's soundproofing was exceptional, so Lin Qingyun hadn't heard just how horribly Lin Xuefu had treated Wang Han outside.
Had Lin Qingyun known, he would have broken Lin Xuefu's legs for sure.
Wang Han's mind was still preoccupied with the fact that Su Qi hadn't aborted the baby. Considering that Lin Xuefu knew Su Qi, Lin Qingyun probably had some understanding of the situation as well.
"Old Lin, do you know Su Qi?"
Lin Qingyun nodded. "I do. She's the young lady of the Su Family. Although she's a woman, she's more capable than all the younger generation of the Su Family combined. It's just that the Su Family holds patriarchal views and refuses to give her real responsibility, so this girl has always been kept in the background. Originally, once the Qin Family won the New District project, they were going to enter a marriage alliance with the Su Family. But since you jumped in and disrupted things, Young Master, that matter will probably be delayed for a while."
Wang Han asked, "I'm asking about her personal conduct."
Taken aback, Lin Qingyun didn't know why Wang Han would ask that, but he answered anyway. "The Su Family's upbringing for their daughters is extremely strict; there wouldn't be any inappropriate behavior. Su Qi is a stubborn girl, and her personal conduct has never had any flaws. As far as I know, she hasn't even had a boyfriend before."
Wang Han tapped his forehead, vaguely recalling that fateful morning when he woke up, there had still been a trace of blood on the pristine white bedsheets.
Could the child really be his?
Wang Han ran the events through his head, and all sorts of evidence pointed to the fact that the child Su Qi was carrying belonged to him.
He gloomily lit a cigarette.
"Young Master, my granddaughter is of a similar age to you. She's a graduate of the Royal Academy of London, and she used to..."
Wang Han promptly cut off Lin Qingyun's self-praising advertisement.
"Stop right there, stop right there. You make it sound like nobody else is a top student from an international prestigious university. I've got things to do, I'm heading out."
With that, he walked out the door, leaving Lin Qingyun completely baffled.
He returned to the delivery station.
Pushing his electric scooter out, he prepared to make a few more deliveries while clearing his head and mulling over the situation.
It was past ten o'clock at night.
Wang Han held his phone,
staring at the few text messages Su Qi had sent him.
Even between the lines, he could sense Su Qi's panic and helplessness.
Clutching his phone, Wang Han debated whether or not to reply.
Just as he was hesitating, his phone vibrated.
"Do you have time?"
A message from Su Qi.
"Yes," Wang Han replied instantly.
"Accompany me for a bit."
Su Qi sent a location—
The lakeside of the forest park near the Longwan residential complex.
Su Qi was sitting alone on a bench, looking out at the lake with a lonely and helpless expression.
The Qin Family hadn't won the bid, meaning the Su Family had lost their chance to partner with the Qin Family and turn their fortunes around.
Hearing the beep of an electric scooter's horn, Su Qi snapped out of her thoughts.
She saw Wang Han running toward her.
Before coming over, Wang Han had snuffed out his cigarette and rinsed his mouth with bottled water.
Su Qi scrutinized the delivery guy carefully. Whether it was her imagination or not, she always felt this delivery guy was different from ordinary ones.
Su Qi sat in the middle of the bench.
Wang Han plopped right down beside her, his body pressing closely against Su Qi's warm, delicate frame.
Su Qi shifted her position slightly.
After a long silence between the two of them,
Wang Han leaned back against the bench. "Go ahead and have the baby without worry. I'll support the two of you. If you want to get married, we can go get our marriage license anytime."
Cupping her face in both hands and staring out at the lake, Su Qi let out a scoff through her nose upon hearing those words.
She glanced at the delivery guy.
"Can you afford it?" Su Qi asked.
"What's there not to afford!" Wang Han said nonchalantly.
Su Qi raised her wrist and shook the exquisite watch adorning it. "Do you recognize this?"
Wang Han picked up Su Qi's wrist and took a glance. "Cartier Ballon Bleu, 42 millimeters, 18k rose gold, automatic winding, right?"
A look of surprise crossed Su Qi's face.
Ever since Wang Han drove a luxury car this afternoon, Su Qi had noticed that he seemed to have a good grasp of luxury vehicles.
Now, looking at this, he even knew about luxury watches.
"Then do you know how much this costs?" Su Qi asked.
Wang Han thought about it. "Wasn't it around 352,000?"
Su Qi nodded. "How much do you make in a year of delivering food? How many years of eating and drinking nothing would it take for you to buy me a watch like this?"
Wang Han crossed his legs. "Ah, so you were worried about financial issues. Don't worry about that. Go ahead and have the baby boldly; I certainly won't let you and the little one lack anything materially. Even if we're responding to the national call to have a third child, it's no problem at all."
Su Qi took a deep breath, looking at the unserious Wang Han.
"Would it kill you not to brag?"
Wang Han shook his head. "My heart was set on the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on a ditch."
Su Qi could only conclude that Wang Han was nothing more than an unrefined fellow spouting wild nonsense.