She didn’t regret her decision back then. If she had brought him along, she would never have been able to marry Liu Tianshi, and maybe her life would have turned out completely differently. She didn’t believe in the idea that all paths lead to the same destination. Every fork in the road offers a different journey, with vastly different scenery.
She was fairly content with her current life. She couldn’t imagine what her life would have been like if she hadn’t abandoned him. Imagining the road not taken was meaningless; it only drained her mentally. The wise thing to do was to focus on the path ahead.
And the path ahead was to eliminate all threats to her existence.
Liu Er came out of the shower, wearing a bathrobe, and the familiar scent of his body wash lingered in the air.
Jennie Yang sat on the sofa, facing the floor-to-ceiling balcony. In the middle of the garden, as large as a football field, the music fountain was dancing along to the tunes.
Liu Er walked up to Jennie Yang, knelt down without saying a word, and began repenting for his mistakes, expressing his determination to change, and thanking his mother profusely.
Jennie Yang didn’t say anything. It seemed like she was listening, but in reality, none of it registered. She simply didn’t care.
She smiled gently, nodded, and said, “Good.” She reminded him to be cautious of the police, especially Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi. He must be discreet in his actions from now on, and he also needed to take care of things with Guo Yingying.
Liu Er felt as if he had been reborn. He was so moved that he hugged his mother, wishing he could dig out his heart and show it to her, determined to truly change his ways this time.
“What are you planning to do about He Saibing?” Jennie Yang’s voice was hollow and cold.
Liu Er looked up at his mother, confused.
Jennie Yang sighed helplessly, “You’re still so naive. You don’t think everything’s fine just because your father is dead, do you? If He Saibing gives birth to that child and someone finds out the child is connected to you, how long do you think we can keep our secret?”
Liu Er hesitated and said, “No one will find out, right? With Dad gone, no one will care about that child’s identity. I’m Guo Tiandi now, completely Guo Tiandi. My appearance is ruined; no one will link me to that child, right?”
“The two detectives are already starting to doubt your identity. Never underestimate your opponents, especially when it’s a matter of life and death,” Jennie Yang replied.
Liu Er was filled with fear. Silently, he calculated the days in his head. “But the child is due soon. It’s not easy to abort at this stage. Besides, wouldn’t He Saibing be in danger?”
Jennie Yang spoke with the patience of a mother, “If you hadn’t hesitated back then, it wouldn’t be this troublesome now. In any case, that child cannot be kept. If you can’t do it, then go turn yourself in, and save yourself the worry.”
Liu Er felt torn. He suddenly realized that changing his ways wouldn’t be easy. Once you choose the wrong path, the only option is to keep walking forward—there’s no turning back.
Once you choose the wrong road in life, there’s no chance to start over. You can only patch things up and keep moving forward.
Jennie Yang gave him one night to think about it. Liu Er knew that while it seemed like he had a choice, in reality, he didn’t. Even if he wanted to turn himself in, his mother would never allow it. His mother was determined to erase every trace of “Liu Er,” including that child.
It was a test—testing if he would obey, if he would be compliant, if he was worth his mother’s continued protection.
The next morning, he informed his mother of his decision.
Jennie Yang personally poured him a glass of milk, nodding in satisfaction. “Good. I’m sure it was hard for you to make this decision, but there’s no other way. Everyone has to pay the price for their mistakes. Your decision is exactly the answer I was hoping for.”
Liu Er was secretly relieved that his choice had pleased his mother, but at the same time, he sank into despair. He truly didn’t want to see more bloodshed in his quest to turn over a new leaf.
Jennie Yang took a sip of her fragrant coffee and smiled lightly. “Don’t worry, don’t be scared. It’s just a test. How could Mom actually let you do something bad?”
“A test?” Liu Er asked, surprised but confused.
Jennie Yang opened her mouth, unsure of how to address her son. Should she call him “Tiandi” or “Liu Er”? She didn’t want to use either—one was her son she didn’t want to remember, and the other was the son she despised.
“As long as you listen, Mom will arrange everything for you.” Jennie Yang cut the fried egg on her plate into small pieces with a knife and fork.
Indeed, it was just a test of obedience. Liu Er let out a silent breath of relief.
When he was on the run, Jennie Yang had come up with a plan to swap identities. Back then, he had been completely unwilling, preferring death over becoming a poor, lowly person. Jennie Yang had promised to find a way to return him to a life of wealth and luxury if he agreed.
Now, he was back, and his mother had kept her promise.
His mother was the only person he could trust and rely on. He had no other choice.
He solemnly stated that no matter what Jennie Yang asked him to do, he would obey without question.
Jennie Yang’s lips curled in satisfaction. “Many problems can be solved without bloodshed. All you need to do is send He Saibing to the U.S., and make sure her child never returns to the country. The problem will be solved, and no one will be able to threaten you. Without evidence, the police can’t touch us.”
Liu Er was both relieved and worried. Could it really be that simple? Would He Saibing agree? How could he convince her? Unless he revealed his true identity. But if he did that, wouldn’t she have leverage over him?
After all, his relationship with He Saibing was nothing more than a fleeting affair. They didn’t have much genuine affection. Would He Saibing keep his secret? They had a child together, so she should, for the sake of the child, right? But He Saibing wasn’t an easy woman to deal with—what demands would she make?
Even if she agreed, could she really guarantee the child would never return to the country?
In an instant, countless thoughts raced through his mind. He voiced all his concerns to Jennie Yang, who patiently addressed each one. As expected, Jennie Yang had thought of everything.
The police were already watching them, so bloodshed had to be avoided at all costs. The only option was to send He Saibing away, and the child had to be born in the U.S. There was no other choice.
To fully convince He Saibing, Liu Er would likely have to reveal his true identity. He Saibing was a vain woman, and with the promise of a large sum of money, she would be easy to deal with.
As for ensuring the child never returned to the country, there was no guarantee. The only solution was to make sure the police never found the child. So after the child was born, it would need to be taken away—He Saibing couldn’t be allowed to raise it.
Liu Er silently admired his mother. In the face of problems, she was always rational and resolute. She never let herself get caught up in emotions and always sought solutions.
With such a wise mother, he had much to learn. Liu Er regretted not treasuring her earlier, having wasted the golden hand he had been dealt.
Where was He Saibing?
Jennie Yang handed Liu Er a piece of paper with an address in a small community. After he read it, she lit a match and burned the paper.
Liu Er didn’t ask how Jennie Yang had found out where He Saibing was. Jennie Yang liked to control everything. She must have secretly investigated and tracked down He Saibing’s movements. Until the child was dealt with, she wouldn’t let the police find out.
Once again, Liu Er marveled at his mother’s deep scheming, far beyond his reach.
He spent the entire afternoon planning how to meet He Saibing, what to say when they met, how to convince her that he was really Liu Er, and how to take her away without being detected by the killer. He tried to think of every detail, just like Jennie Yang would.
His disfigured face was now almost universally recognized. If he went out during the day, people would recognize him, so he could only act after 9 p.m.
He staked out the area for seven whole days and discovered that He Saibing was living alone. The killer wasn’t living with her, and it seemed she ordered food delivery to survive.
So it seemed that He Saibing was almost free. Why didn’t she run away? Was she being threatened by the killer? That was possible but unlikely. If her life was really in danger, any normal person would flee the first chance they got. Unless her life wasn’t threatened.
No, to be precise, she wasn’t threatened by the killer. The real threat to her life was outside that house. And who could that be?
It was Jennie Yang.
Both He Saibing and the killer knew that Jennie Yang wouldn’t allow the child to live, so they didn’t dare leave.
Liu Er’s thoughts raced, considering many possibilities. He had once asked Jennie Yang about the killer’s identity, and she didn’t hide it. It was Lin Kun’s father, Lin Jiancai, which meant he was Liu Er’s biological grandfather. If his grandfather knew Liu Er was the real Liu Er, would he cooperate with him to get rid of He Saibing’s unborn child?
But Liu Er quickly dismissed this fantasy. The more people who knew their secret, the greater the danger. He couldn’t go against his mother’s wishes anymore. Otherwise, she might not give him another chance.
He Saibing lived on the sixth floor, and with the windows and doors tightly shut, there was no easy way to break in. The only way to approach her was to disguise himself as a delivery person.
The day after tomorrow was forecasted to have heavy rain—the perfect time to act. Once everything was ready, the day indeed arrived with overcast skies, and it started raining around 10 a.m.
Liu Er continued his surveillance nearby. Around noon, he finally saw a delivery person enter the community. He pretended to bump into the delivery person and told him that he lived on the sixth floor and could take the food upstairs. The delivery person, happy to save some effort, agreed readily.
After getting the food, Liu Er ducked into a stairwell and put on the delivery uniform he had bought online. He went up to the sixth floor and knocked on He Saibing’s door.
In the minute he waited for her to open the door, he had one last moment of hesitation. But his mother’s words from the previous night echoed in his mind: “If you can’t do it, don’t bother coming home.”
His gaze hardened and became resolute.
The door opened, and there stood He Saibing, heavily pregnant. Her figure was still slender, only slightly fuller than before. If not for the large belly, one wouldn’t even know she was nine months pregnant.
She took the delivery, and before she could close the door, Liu Er shoved her inside, pressing a gleaming knife to her throat.
He Saibing’s face went pale with terror, but she swallowed the scream that had risen to her throat.
