The Cannon Fodder Alpha Who Made the Heroine Pregnant - Chapter 10

10:

The Zhou Family Mansion

Zhou Lan attempted to message Chu Zhao before leaving, only to discover she had been blocked.

Well, that answers that.

Arriving alone at the Zhou estate, she took in the sprawling modern compound. The entrance road—wide enough for three cars—cut through manicured lawns the size of soccer fields. Beyond them, exotic flora framed the glass-walled mansion where every room boasted panoramic balconies.

To the right, a pavilion overlooked an Olympic-sized pool; to the left, her father’s favorite fishing platform jutted over a koi pond. The entire scene screamed old money pretending to be new money, a gaudy display of power she found suffocating.

A servant rushed to park her “understated” half-million-yuan sedan. The Zhous’ employed over a dozen staff, available 24/7 because apparently billionaires can’t be bothered to open their own doors.

Give me a cramped apartment any day, Zhou Lan thought. Solitude fueled creativity; even a weekly cleaner felt like an intrusion. Her friends had joked she’d die alone unless forced into marriage, a prophecy now ironically fulfilled.

The Confrontation

Inside, she found Chu Zhao enduring Ling He’na’s lecture:

“—as Zhou Lan’s wife, you’ll manage household affairs and network with board members’ spouses. The company may be ours, but—”

“Really now?” Zhou Lan’s interruption startled both women.

Ling He’na’s glare could frost glass. Chu Zhao’s brief flash of revulsion—quickly masked—cut deeper.

“I don’t recall agreeing to work at Zhou Corp,” Zhou Lan continued. “I have my own dreams.”

The statement hung in the air. Chu Zhao’s eyebrows lifted before her expression hardened again—clearly interpreting this as another manipulative ploy.

Ling He’na scoffed.

“Dreams? Name your price to drop this act.”

The familiar parental dismissal triggered Zhou Lan’s performance. She adopted the petulant tone of the original host:

“Oh, so music was fine when you forced it on me to keep me docile abroad. But now that I genuinely want to teach it, suddenly it’s worthless?” She leaned in. “Or is it because your golden boy died, leaving only your failure of a daughter?”

The room chilled. These were truths everyone knew but never voiced, the unspoken contract where the Zhous’ bought compliance with allowances, and the original Zhou Lan played the spoiled fool.

Ling He’na paled. Even Chu Zhao looked startled.

The Ultimatum

“Can’t walk but already wants to fly?”

Zhou Xianling’s voice boomed across the marble foyer. The patriarch stood ramrod straight, his tailored suit failing to hide the cruelty in his hawkish features.

“Two choices,” he said without preamble. “Report to Zhou Corp Monday morning. Or be disinherited—publicly.”

Zhou Lan didn’t hesitate. “Option two.”

Her father’s eyes narrowed—the first real interest he’d ever shown her.

As Zhou Xianling reassessed this unexpected defiance, Zhou Lan’s gaze flicked to Chu Zhao.

Please, she willed silently, just give me a chance to show I’m not that monster anymore.