Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Autumn Lawson put a hand to her forehead. She never imagined Jane Lawson would actually call Caroline Whitman, and she certainly didn’t expect they all knew each other. It was such a small world—their social circle even smaller.

She and Caroline Whitman hadn’t seen each other for many years, only to reunite like this.

At this thought, Autumn Lawson shot Zane Carson an annoyed glare.

’This almost ruined my image.’

"Jane Lawson probably told you, but I enrolled in a different university and happened to be schoolmates with Zane Carson. We had a bit of a falling out back then. We didn’t expect to run into each other because of this car accident. It’s just a case of old rivals meeting again, and we were just settling some old scores. It’s not as serious as you all think," Autumn Lawson explained to Caroline Whitman.

Zane Carson quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes! We were just settling some old issues. We didn’t want anyone else getting involved, so we just made it look more serious than it was. We’ve actually made up. We’re all good now."

As he spoke, he turned to Autumn Lawson and chuckled. "Right?"

Autumn Lawson didn’t want to make a big scene, so she could only nod.

Just then, Jane Lawson asked with concern, "Autumn, have you two really made up?"

Autumn Lawson replied faintly, "Yeah."

Finally, she asked everyone else to leave, keeping only Caroline Whitman behind.

"Caroline, thank you," Autumn Lawson said gratefully. "Jane Lawson told me. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have known how to pull together the money for the medical fees all by himself."

"I assume Jane Lawson told you about my situation?"

"Yeah, she mentioned a few things." Caroline Whitman nodded, not pressing for details.

Autumn Lawson gave a bitter smile. "I’m sorry you have to see me like this. Back then, when you tried to find me, I didn’t dare to respond. I was afraid of causing you trouble, afraid of dragging you down with me."

Caroline Whitman’s ears perked up at the phrase "drag you down." She asked curiously, "In your family’s business, did you cross someone important?"

Autumn Lawson said, "You’ve heard of the Fuller Group, right?"

"..."

"Your company was suppressed by the Fuller Group?"

"I have an older brother. A few years ago, he somehow managed to provoke Vincent Fuller’s girlfriend, Luna Lynn. He didn’t just verbally harass her; he got physical. When Vincent Fuller found out, our family’s business started hitting one dead end after another. Our funding was cut off, and eventually, debt collectors showed up at our door. I had no other choice but to drop out of school. It would have been even more humiliating if the whole affair blew up on campus."

"..."

Caroline Whitman was silent for a moment.

’It was like she was seeing the script from her memories play out.’

’That was exactly why she’d avoided all contact with those two main characters for all these years.’

’Speaking of which, every time Luna Lynn entered a new environment, some clueless cannon fodder would inevitably pop up to provoke her. It was like she had a passive ’taunt’ ability that made people unable to resist messing with her.’

Caroline Whitman’s memories of the book were only really detailed for the events leading up to her own family’s ruin.

She didn’t know the specifics of what happened after the female lead, Luna Lynn, went to university and graduated—what kind of people she met, or even how many characters appeared in the book.

But she was certain that as long as she avoided any involvement with the Fuller Group and Luna Lynn, she could likely avoid the fate of having her family destroyed.

"So your brother... what happened to him?"

"He went to jail."

"..."

"Anyway, let’s not talk about the past. My younger brother and I have our lives back on track now. The major debts are almost paid off. I just didn’t expect this car accident to be so sudden; that’s the only reason Jane reached out to you."

Autumn Lawson once again apologized for the trouble she had caused Caroline Whitman.

"We were classmates, after all. It’s a good thing your brother still remembered me, or I wouldn’t have even been able to help," Caroline Whitman joked.

Autumn Lawson smiled as well. "Yeah, I’m just grateful you were willing to help. When I get out of the hospital, I’m definitely treating you to dinner. You can’t say no."

"No problem," Caroline Whitman agreed readily. After a moment’s thought, she extended an offer. "Autumn, if you come across any promising projects with long-term potential in the future and need an investor, you can come to me."

’She wasn’t just being randomly charitable. She figured that for the two of them to be hammered so hard by the Fuller Group and still not go under, they must have some luck on their side. If they managed to make a comeback someday, it would be another opportunity.’

’She didn’t create enemies, but she wouldn’t pass up a promising investment, either.’

’Still, Autumn Lawson’s story had once again reinforced her deep-seated, terrifying impression of how potent the main characters’ plot armor was.’

A warmth spread through Autumn Lawson’s heart. "Okay, thank you."

Caroline Whitman smiled, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries with Autumn Lawson, she left.

Back in Zane Carson’s hospital room, after Adrian Grant and Caroline Whitman had left.

Looking at his still-distraught younger sister, Zane Carson sighed. "You’ll give up now, right?"

"You used my accident as an excuse to get Adrian to visit me twice, and things are still the same."

Gene Carson: "..."

Zane Carson shook his head. "Anyway, just behave yourself from now on. Don’t use me as an excuse to get Adrian to come out again."

Then he picked up his phone and shared the news of Adrian Grant getting into a relationship in their group chat.

[Congrats to our President Grant! The old iron tree has finally bloomed. His single life is officially over.]

It wasn’t even 10 p.m. yet, so it wasn’t too late. His message immediately drew out a lot of the group’s lurkers.

Milo Morgan: [Congrats! When are you going to bring her out to meet us?]

Evan Shaw: [Holy crap! For real? Wait, Mr. Carson, aren’t you laid up in the hospital? Where’d you hear this?]

Zane Carson: [Heh. Adrian cares about me. He brought his girlfriend to visit. And then there’s you lot. It’s been this long and not one of you has even thought to bring me a fruit basket. If you’d come today, you would’ve seen who she is.]

Finn Kaye: [Oh, I know. Adrian’s girlfriend is Miss Whitman, right?]

Evan Shaw: [? How’d you know?]

Evan Shaw: [@Adrian Grant, Bro, say something!]

...

After leaving the hospital, the two of them got into the car.

But before he started the car, Adrian Grant asked, "Where to?"

Caroline Whitman: "..."

’Realizing they were now boyfriend and girlfriend, she suddenly felt the whole thing was a bit surreal.’

’She never imagined they would confirm their relationship in her house, with him in a suit and her in pajamas, sitting on the sofa.’

’It was completely different from any scenario she had ever imagined.’

"Don’t you already have a destination in mind? Why bother asking me?" Caroline Whitman retorted, a hint of coyness in her voice.

’This guy was definitely asking a question he already knew the answer to.’

Adrian Grant started the car and chuckled softly. "I just wanted to hear your opinion."

"Oh. In that case, let’s go back where we came from," Caroline Whitman said nonchalantly.

Unexpectedly, Adrian Grant actually drove to Azure Heights.

Caroline Whitman was surprised. She was just thinking that this ’villain’ was surprisingly proper, when Adrian Grant asked, "Is there anything you need to grab?"

"..."

Caroline Whitman was speechless for a moment. "You’re just so thoughtful and considerate, aren’t you."

Adrian Grant just smiled faintly. "It seems you don’t know me very well yet."

Hearing this, she shot him a sidelong glance. "...What, do you have some hidden side I don’t know about? Are you saying that to give me a heads-up?"

Adrian Grant just smiled. "Let’s get out. We left in a hurry; you must have forgotten something."

Caroline Whitman raised an eyebrow. "You really have thought of everything, haven’t you."