Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 385, Section 383: The Decision

In December 2001, the night in Beijing was as bright as day, illuminated by lights.

When Wang Sheng returned to the city from the Huairou film set, it was already past nine o'clock at night.

He walked into the large, single-level apartment on the East Third Ring Road, enveloped in a chilly aura. The motion-sensor light in the entryway turned on, casting a soft glow.

Before he could even change his shoes, he heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching from afar.

Gao Yuanyuan practically ran over.

She was still wearing a cotton nightgown, her hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, her face was bare of makeup, but her eyes were noticeably red.

The moment she saw Wang Sheng, she didn't say anything, but threw herself into his arms, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and buried her face in his cashmere coat, which still carried the chill of the outside air.

Wang Sheng was slightly taken a step back after being bumped by her, and he was somewhat surprised.

He could clearly feel the person in his arms trembling slightly.

It wasn't coquetry or acting; it was a deep-seated unease and fear.

He raised his hand, patted her back, and asked in a calm and composed voice, "What's wrong? What happened?"

He should have kept quiet; the moment he asked, Gao Yuanyuan's tears instantly burst forth.

The panic, grievances, and confusion that had been suppressed all afternoon found an outlet. She sobbed in his arms, initially as low sobs, but then her shoulders began to heave uncontrollably as she cried until she could barely breathe.

Wang Sheng didn't urge her any further, but just let her hug him, gently stroking her back with one hand, like soothing a frightened little animal.

His tall figure almost completely enveloped her, temporarily serving as her refuge in this spacious and expensive space.

After a while, Gao Yuanyuan's crying gradually subsided, turning into intermittent sobs.

Wang Sheng then took her shoulder, pushed her away slightly, and looked down at her tear-streaked face.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" He pulled her to sit down on the living room sofa, took off his coat and casually draped it over the armrest, then sat down opposite her, looking at her calmly.

Gao Yuanyuan raised her teary eyes and looked at the man in front of her, whom she loved so humbly and irrevocably.

He remained calm, as if nothing could truly disturb his composure.

She took a deep breath, mustered all the courage she had in her life, and pulled the pregnancy test, which she had been clutching until it was almost burning hot, from her nightgown pocket. Trembling, she placed it on the coffee table between the two of them.

The two clear red marks on the white plastic rod were extremely glaring under the overhead light.

"I...I think I'm pregnant."

Her voice was hoarse from crying, and her eyes were fixed on Wang Sheng's face, not missing a single subtle change in his expression.

Wang Sheng's gaze fell on the pregnancy test stick, pausing for about two or three seconds.

His expression remained almost unchanged; there was neither the expected shock nor anger, only a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his eye.

Then, he raised his eyes, looked at Gao Yuanyuan again, and asked in a calm tone, "Mine?"

Gao Yuanyuan's heart sank suddenly, followed by a surge of immense grievance and a hint of anger at being insulted.

She bit her lower lip and nodded vigorously, tears welling up again: "Besides you, who else could it be? Just that time in Shenyang in October...you..."

She wanted to say "you didn't take any precautions," but ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it.

Wang Sheng seemed to think for a moment, then nodded knowingly.

He leaned back into the soft sofa, his posture relaxed.

"So," Wang Sheng began, his voice still flat, "you're crying like this because you're afraid I won't want this child?"

Gao Yuanyuan's heart leaped into her throat. She stared intently at him, her nails digging deep into her palms: "You...do you want it?"

Asking that question took almost all of her strength.

Looking at her tense and almost suffocating expression, Wang Sheng suddenly chuckled softly.

"Yes, I'll have one." He answered crisply, almost as if it were a matter of course. "Didn't you tell me a long time ago that you wanted to have a child for me? Now that your wish has come true, why are you crying?"

These words were like a needle, gently piercing Gao Yuanyuan's tense nerves, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Yes, she did say that when things got intense and he occasionally showed a bit of tenderness, she hugged him and said things like, half-coquettishly and half-sincerely, "I really want to have a baby for you."

But that was more of an emotional attachment and appeasement. When it actually happened, the immense joy was accompanied by a deeper sense of panic and real-world problems.

"But...but we..." Gao Yuanyuan's voice trembled helplessly, "What are we...? I'm not your girlfriend, much less your wife...what right do I have to give birth to this child? And what will this child be in the future?"

This is the real source of her fear.

In 2001, although China had been reforming and opening up for more than 20 years and people's ideas had loosened under the tide of the market economy, the mainstream values ​​remained conservative and firmly established.

Children born out of wedlock face enormous pressure and discrimination, both legally and in terms of social morality.

Legally, according to the then-unrevised Marriage Law (promulgated in 1980) and related household registration regulations, children born out of wedlock enjoy the same rights as children born in wedlock and shall not be discriminated against (Article 25 of the Marriage Law). However, in reality, each case must be analyzed individually.

The pressure from societal attitudes is even more direct and severe.

Terms like "illegitimate child" and "bastard" are highly insulting and represent a form of harm that Gao Yuanyuan cannot imagine that could be inflicted on her own child.

As an actress and public figure, the news of her having a child out of wedlock could destroy her acting career, cause her commercial value to plummet, and even lead to her being blacklisted by television stations and production teams.

Although Wang Sheng is quite powerful and can suppress many media reports, he cannot silence public opinion, nor can he eliminate the gossip and criticism from insiders and the upper class.

This child will grow up in an environment that appears glamorous but is actually filled with strange looks and whispers.

Wang Sheng listened to her questioning with a blank expression, as if none of what she said was a problem.

For Wang Sheng, it really didn't matter.

Ultimately, he is a businessman and will not be involved in the government system in the future, so the impact of having a child out of wedlock is negligible.

“What’s there to worry about?” Wang Sheng looked at Gao Yuanyuan: “Once the child is born, he’ll call you Mom and me Dad, isn’t that enough? He’ll get everything he needs.”

He knew all too well what Gao Yuanyuan wanted.

status.

Or, to put it another way, a de facto marital relationship, a stable bond recognized by law and society.

She hoped to use the child to bind him and obtain the status of "Mrs. Wang." Looking at his calm, almost cold face, Gao Yuanyuan's heart sank deeper and deeper.

She knew that her feelings for him were completely exposed.

"So... that's it? Without any status, I'm just going to have your child without any legal recognition?" Her voice trembled with despair.

Wang Sheng leaned forward, picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and then looked at her, his words direct, even somewhat cold-blooded:

“Yes. As long as you give birth, I will acknowledge him. He is my bloodline, Wang Sheng’s bloodline, and I will fulfill my responsibility to raise him. I will give him everything I can—wealth, resources, education—and he will not lack anything. I will make him call me Dad rightfully.”

He paused, then spoke with unwavering certainty, brooking no argument:

"But everything else is out of the question."

"Marriage? Impossible."

The last six words struck Gao Yuanyuan's heart like an icicle.

Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and her body swayed almost imperceptibly.

Yes, she should have known.

This man can hold an entire film and television empire, and countless female confidantes, but he cannot hold the identity of "husband," nor can he hold the eternal promise to any one woman.

For him, marriage is a constraint, a trouble, and a liability that may distract him from his energy and resources.

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

Only the distant sound of traffic outside the window could be faintly heard.

Gao Yuanyuan lowered her head, tears silently streaming down her face, dripping onto her nightgown and leaving a small, dark, damp stain.

She had known Wang Sheng for a long time; she knew he was a man of his word and was also aware of his domineering and controlling nature.

He gave them a choice: have the child or not have it, but there was only one condition—he would acknowledge the child, but he would not get married.

Struggle, grievance, resentment... all sorts of emotions churned within her.

Strangely, however, after those cruel words were uttered, her initially panicked heart began to calm down in a peculiar way.

It was as if the boot that had been hanging there had finally landed.

The worst outcome is nothing more than this.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Wang Sheng almost thought she would break down in tears or storm out of the room.

Finally, she raised her head and hastily wiped away the tears on her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes looked particularly moist and bright because she had been crying.

She looked at Wang Sheng and asked a question that surprised him:
Am I... the first one?

Wang Sheng raised an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding: "What do you mean, the first one?"

“The first one…” Gao Yuanyuan took a deep breath, enunciating each word with a hint of stubbornness, “the woman who got you pregnant?”

Wang Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then understood what she meant.

He looked into her eyes, which were fixed on him with a last glimmer of hope and a competitive spirit, and suddenly found it a little funny.

Women's minds can be so strange sometimes.

When they can't get what they want most, they will settle for second best and strive for a title of "only" or "first," or rather, strive for a title of "first" for their child.

Some deeply ingrained cultural beliefs—such as "a mother's status depends on her son" and "the special status of the eldest son/daughter"—still stubbornly persist.

She could not be his legal wife, but if she could become the mother of his first child, at least in the bloodline, she would occupy a special and "pioneering" position that would be difficult for others to easily replace.

This, to some extent, compensated for her desire for "status," becoming a kind of psychological substitute.

Wang Sheng had no reason to lie to her about something like this.

"Yes," Wang Sheng answered confidently, with a matter-of-fact ease. "You're the first."

Upon hearing this definitive answer, the look of despair and struggle on Gao Yuanyuan's face faded at a visible speed.

Instead, there was a complex expression, a mixture of relief, resolve, and even a hint of... happiness.

Yes, I'm happy.

Although faint, Wang Sheng did catch the fleeting, slightly upward curve of her lips.

She lowered her head and gently stroked her still flat stomach, her movements carrying an unprecedented tenderness and determination.

"Okay," she said softly, her voice not loud, but unusually clear, "I'll give birth."

She raised her eyes and looked at Wang Sheng. Her eyes no longer held hesitation or pleading, but instead held a resigned yet desperate glimmer.

"I will give birth to this child."

Wang Sheng understood as he observed her rapidly changing emotions.

He wasn't surprised by her choice.

For him, this was just an expected outcome.

"A wise choice," he commented casually, standing up. "Get some rest and don't overthink it. Tomorrow, have Li Tingting accompany you to the hospital for a proper checkup."

"You heartless philanderer!"

After scolding her, Gao Yuanyuan opened her arms and said, "Hug me."

A beauty enters his arms.

Wang Sheng gently patted her back, and the room returned to silence.

Wang Sheng's thoughts gradually drifted away.

Although Gao Yuanyuan's IQ is not very high in her family (compared to her father and brother), she doesn't have any defects, so the child she gives birth to will most likely not have any problems.

Wang Sheng is also a human being, and reproduction is an instinct; naturally, he also hopes that his offspring will be outstanding.

(End of this chapter)