Chapter 443: When the Top Beam Is Crooked, the Bottom One Follows

When Li Ye first heard Gao Xiaoyan say "save this child," he nearly thought he was about to encounter one of those absurd "three kids aren't mine" scenarios from his past life.

But after hearing the second half of Gao Xiaoyan's words, he realized that girls today simply couldn't conceive of such shameless schemes.

Gao Xiaoyan wanted Li Ye to "fix" Lu Zixue—to make Lu Zixue acknowledge the child—which meant she still wanted to marry Lu Zixue, to have a normal marriage and give the child a normal father.

But before Li Ye could fully process this mess, his grandmother Wu Juying pulled him aside.

"Xiao Ye, why are you talking to her so much? Even if it's none of your business, you must mind appearances—don't ruin a girl's reputation."

"."

Li Ye understood: his grandmother was warning him—don't go stirring up trouble and tainting your own name.

He turned to Gao Xiaoyan's father with a commanding tone: "You. Come inside."

Li Ye smiled helplessly: "Since they came to me, it's because I can prove it."

Factory Director Zhou couldn't help asking Li Ye: "What if Lu Zixue refuses to admit it? We can't force this kind of thing."

The middle-aged man pushed through the crowd with two women and began shouting: "Gao Xiaoyan, I already told you clearly—you've been fired from the factory. Why are you still disturbing the old factory director?"

"Your matter is no longer the factory's concern, nor the old director's. Get up and leave."

Gao Xiaoyan's father wore a four-pocket Zhongshan suit—back then, anyone dressed like that was at least respectable—but now he looked drained, hollow, utterly broken.

This was a proper hospital, so official forms had to be filled out, maybe even with an introduction letter—but some things weren't official; they didn't guarantee confidentiality or prevent rumors from spreading everywhere.

In early 1980s society, if a girl had an abortion, could she still marry?

Even worse—on a wedding night, if the bride didn't bleed, it could spark a huge scandal.

"Unthinkable! Unthinkable! This is outrageous! Xiao Zhou, how are you running this factory? In just a few months, you've caused such a farce?"

"Unthinkable! How could someone with this kind of character even be admitted to university?"

But Li Ye's gaze locked onto a middle-aged man.

"Hm?"

What Wu Juying didn't know was that this mess was, to some extent, tied to Li Ye.

Gao Xiaoyan, terrified, took leave and went alone to Beijing to find Lu Zixue—but Lu Zixue only gave her money and told her to handle it herself.

Li Zhongfa was furious—he'd only taken over as factory director a few months ago, and now this had happened.

Li Ye sighed and said to Gao Zhanming: "The one who tied the knot must untie it—you still need to meet face-to-face with the Lu family."

"That girl really has problems. Who did we offend? Why did we get tangled up in this?"

"I'll call them to send someone. How you negotiate, how you fight—it's up to you."

After returning home, Gao Xiaoyan told her father, Gao Zhanming.

Gao Xiaoyan suddenly clung desperately to Li Ye's leg, screaming: "Please, please! They're from family planning—they're going to kill my baby! Please!"

Even if Wu Juying despised the Gao mother and daughter, in this situation, she didn't dare take the risk—what if something happened? Could she really claim no karmic connection?

Grandfather Li Zhongfa was far more decisive.

"I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Let's go home, let's go home! This isn't your fault—it's all mine, entirely my fault."

Li Zhongfa thought for a moment and gave Wu Juying a glance.

Gao Xiaoyan, supporting her father, faced the complex stares of everyone around—and lifted her head high, appearing fiercely strong.

This man had watched the Gao mother and daughter from the start; when they began crying, he nearly stepped forward several times, his eyes filled with deep pain.

"Come on, daughter. Let's go home. Let go. Don't keep making mistakes. Listen."

Gao Xiaoyan loosened her grip on Li Ye's leg.

Li Ye had heard Gao Xiaoyan was fired, but he never knew it was for this reason.

"Something bad?"

Li Zhongfa and Wu Juying's expressions turned grim.

The two women released Gao Xiaoyan and slowly stepped back, leaving only the Gao father and daughter with Li Ye.

No one pointed or whispered anymore—everyone stood silent, watching the Gao mother and daughter weep bitterly.

The two elders had walked through the war together and had seen countless human tragedies—they understood Li Ye's meaning.

Last month, Gao Xiaoyan, pregnant, could no longer hide it and urgently contacted Lu Zixue, who was studying in Beijing.

Now that Li Ye saw him, the man no longer hid—he walked straight to Gao Xiaoyan's side and pulled at her arms wrapped around Li Ye's leg.

Factory Director Zhou sighed helplessly: "Old Director, how could I possibly make this public? If everyone found out, would the child even survive?"

In the 1980s, the workplace was a worker's home—everything was handled internally.

Back then, Lu Jingyao had pulled someone out of a Beijing detention center—in Gao Zhanming's eyes, that showed major connections.

"This..."

Li Ye looked up at the crowd and said coldly: "Are all the men in the Gao family dead? Let two women make a spectacle here? Send out a man to resolve this."

"I don't know. But I just feel... heavy inside."

Li Ye knew well how Gao Xiaoyan and Lu Zixue had slept together in a Beijing hostel and been caught in the act by an informant.

But now, Gao Xiaoyan desperately hoped Li Ye would prove she and Lu Zixue were involved—that the child was Lu Zixue's.

Li Ye thought for a moment and followed them inside.

That's why Gao Xiaoyan's mother kept trying to enter and speak.

Gao Zhanming, though a minor official at Qingshui Meat Processing Plant, couldn't tolerate such humiliation—he went straight to Liu Qiao Township to confront Lu Zixue's father, demanding Lu Zixue return immediately to marry his daughter.

With Gao Xiaoyan's current condition, one misstep could mean a double fatality.

But this proof couldn't become public—otherwise, Lu Zixue couldn't face anyone, and neither could Gao Xiaoyan.

Everyone parted to let the Gao family leave.

Gao Zhanming covered his face, crouched on the ground, sobbing: "Shameful... I only have one daughter. How will she live? And they have connections—in the county, in Beijing!"

But now, family planning was strictly enforced—who wanted to take this on?

Then Gao Xiaoyan stayed home for a month, waiting for Lu Zixue to return on break.

She grabbed her father's hand, stopping him from slapping her again.

Li Ye had personally seen them enter the hostel—so back then, Lu Zixue suspected Li Ye had reported them.

Ignoring the crowd's murmurs, Li Ye pulled his grandfather Li Zhongfa and grandmother Wu Juying aside.

Since Gao Xiaoyan had been absent for so long anyway, just fire her—it won't affect the unit's quotas.

"."

Because in the instant Gao Zhanming slapped himself, Gao Xiaoyan's expression suddenly changed.

"Grandpa, Grandma, you've seen so much—go check on that girl. I feel something's wrong. Don't let anything terrible happen."

Then he suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own face.

Gao Xiaoyan nearly went mad; Gao Zhanming was furious and wanted to file a complaint.

But if they truly filed a complaint, Gao Xiaoyan's premarital pregnancy would be exposed—and the two families would be irreparably broken. How could the marriage proceed?

So Gao Zhanming went to the instant noodle factory, hoping Gao Xiaoyan's workplace would mediate.

"."

"."

Gao Zhanming's eyes suddenly lit up—he nodded repeatedly at Li Ye, tears streaming down his face, a man in his forties.

But Lu Zixue didn't reply to telegrams or letters.

"Why did he stop that girl?"

Everyone stared in shock at the Gao father and daughter—hardly believing such a huge scene had ended so abruptly.

So bizarre!

But Li Ye's mind instantly grew wary.

And his father hunched over, looking so fragile.

The desperate obsession was gone; the frantic determination for the child was gone—on the surface, she seemed resigned, calm.

But Li Ye, with his razor-sharp observation, saw only hollow emptiness in Gao Xiaoyan's eyes—nothing but hollow emptiness.

"Hmph~"

But Wu Juying's resolve was firm—even as Gao's mother clung to her pant leg, weeping uncontrollably, she refused to let them enter.

Li Zhongfa and Factory Director Zhou both looked at Li Ye in confusion.

Li Ye clearly felt the two women dragged Gao Xiaoyan with excessive force—far too rough for a pregnant woman.

And the county's connections? That was suspicious.

"Again, you want me to play the bad guy? Is my dignity worthless?"

But when Lu Zixue returned on break, he denied everything—refused outright to acknowledge the child as his.

Wu Juying muttered something, then walked toward Gao Xiaoyan's mother.

"I'm sorry, Father. Let's go home."

"."

Gao Xiaoyan didn't let go of Li Ye's leg—she screamed desperately: "Father, I didn't do anything wrong! It's not me! I didn't do anything wrong! Why is everyone tormenting me?"

Though there was no internet mobbing then, rumors passed mouth to mouth could still kill a person.

"."

Soon after, Wu Juying returned with a dark expression.

Back then, Gao Xiaoyan must have hated Li Ye.

Although the middle-aged man ordered Gao Xiaoyan to get up and leave, the two women immediately knelt down and dragged her.

A sharp screech of brakes rang out—two sedans stopped ten meters away. Li Zhongfa finally returned from the factory.

This matter today is not simple, not simple at all.

Lu Zixue's father was also stunned, saying he knew nothing, but if it were true, they absolutely could not let Gao Xiaoyan down.

Gao Xiaoyan's father stared blankly at his daughter, tears falling steadily.

At this point, Factory Director Zhou suddenly understood why Li Ye had called out to Gao's mother and daughter.

Then Li Zhongfa said to Factory Director Zhou: "Xiao Zhou, come over too—we'll have a small meeting."

"Old Gao, why didn't you say this sooner? With this leverage in your hands, how could he refuse to marry your daughter?"

Li Ye's sudden shout drew everyone's gaze, making him the center of attention once again.

Factory Director Zhou clearly had something to say, but in the end he followed Li Zhongfa into the Li family courtyard.

"Wait a moment—wait two minutes."

A few minutes later, Li Ye finally learned the full story.

This isn't decades later, when a young girl getting pregnant wasn't a big deal—like those modern little goddesses say: as long as there's no child, second or third marriages are no different from first ones.

In 1984, there weren't many private hospitals, no painless procedures or drugs—you had to go to a proper hospital for everything.

"Squeak~"

A moment ago she had been cold and icy, but now she was much gentler, chatting with Gao Xiaoyan's mother and asking Gao Xiaoyan a few questions.

Li Ye had no choice but to recount what had happened in Jingcheng—by now, he could no longer hide the truth to protect the Gao family's face.

From the second small car stepped out the current factory director of the instant noodle plant on the mainland, along with two sturdy middle-aged women.

But that's how it is now—Huang Hong's skits even portrayed it: without a birth permit, taking you away was perfectly normal.

"Bullshit relationship."

Li Zhongfa spat angrily and growled: "The Lu family is rotten from the top down."

(End of Chapter)