The man’s dark, expressive pupils were full of brilliance, mixed with indecipherable emotions. As if glimpsing some “truth” through heavy fog that could make him ecstatic, he pressed his lips together in thought, and the deeper he thought, the more delighted he became, nearly to the point of being ridiculously happy. His slightly narrowed eyes suddenly widened, fragments of light quietly floating within them.
The room was bathed in warm, not-too-harsh lighting. For a short while, no one spoke, allowing tender warmth to ripple freely in the silence. Chen Jinyao lowered her eyelashes to quietly watch him, her lips curved in a faint smile. Her hand naturally hung at her side, thumb and index finger unconsciously rubbing together. After several seconds, as if enchanted by something, she collected herself and, pretending to be casual, reached out to pinch Yan Cheng’s full, soft earlobe… In that instant, the sensation reached her heart, unbelievably soft.
She controlled herself, but still felt her mental state was like a pervert’s. Barely suppressing the surprise dancing in her eyes, she pinched and played with his earlobe for a moment before reluctantly letting go, “It must be a boy, he only greets me when you’re not around.”
Little feet and fists kicking her belly and such.
“When you try to communicate with him, he acts aloof.” Seeing him immediately puff up his cheeks in dissatisfaction, she couldn’t help herself and gently poked his cheek with her index finger.
Yan Cheng slightly furrowed his handsome brows, “…”
His elated mood was like having just ridden a roller coaster.
And now, it was racing downhill non-stop.
After a long while, he narrowed his eyes, “In that case, I might as well communicate with him directly.”
“…” Chen Jinyao looked away, pressing her lips together in silence as crimson crept up her ears.
A few seconds later, Yan Cheng, with his face pressed against Chen Jinyao’s belly, clearly felt her belly move slightly, bulging upward almost imperceptibly.
Yan Cheng instinctively held his breath, then joy spread across his brows.
He calmed his heart and frowned, carefully feeling again, soon realizing it wasn’t just one movement, but many continuous ones without pause.
Like a deadly combo kick.
Very rudely slapping his face.
Accompanied by Chen Jinyao’s deliberately misinterpreted explanation, “The baby says, beat you to death.”
Yan Cheng: “…”
Alright, he got it.
After becoming pregnant, Chen Jinyao hadn’t given up work. On workdays, she went to work normally like everyone else. However, under Yan Cheng’s insistence, she was forced to reduce her workload, only troubling her two other colleagues at the clinic to continue taking over.
The two colleagues waved it off, smiling: “It’s no trouble, we get to earn money.”
“As medical professionals, let’s not talk about money, it hurts feelings.” Chen Jinyao curved her lips.
Colleague A was really straightforward, “Jinyao, you don’t know, I decided to become a dentist because I thought dentistry was lucrative.”
“…”
And so, Chen Jinyao’s daily workload became pitifully small.
Occasionally she would see one or two patients.
During other times when she was bored, she had a cup of plain water on her desk, sat in the office reading books, and when tired of reading would get up to walk around, take a stroll, truly living freely like an old gentleman.
Thinking carefully about her situation, she actually didn’t need to come to the clinic.
But staying at home, with Yan Cheng not there, the empty house – it was actually better to come to work, where she could join Liu and others’ tea parties when there was nothing else to do.
When the pregnancy reached the seventh month.
Yan Cheng, as if counting on his fingers, said everything he had wanted to say since learning of Chen Jinyao’s pregnancy.
That day, it happened to be Friday, and he rarely left work early to pick her up from the clinic.
But no matter how early he left, he couldn’t prevent the speed at which night fell during the deep winter.
On the streets already decorated festively for the New Year, there were always people hurrying by in coats with hunched necks, still corroded by the cold. Occasionally they would pause briefly in place to stamp their feet, breathing out to try to warm their cold hands.
Their breath turned into wisps of white smoke, embedded in the winter day, complementing each other perfectly.
Through the glass, Yan Cheng saw Chen Jinyao, who had already taken off her white coat, slowly walking over with her bag, one hand on her hip. She turned her face, smiling as she said “see you next week” to the nurses at the front desk.
The bitter cold wind swept in, and Yan Cheng narrowed his eyes, quickly striding across. It was only a few steps’ distance, and he opened the door for her before she could touch the handle, taking her not-so-heavy bag from her hand.
Faintly hearing Liu and others’ whispers, which finally turned into bold direct words: “Brother Yan, you’re here to pick up Sister Chen again?”
A knowing question, their teasing giggles hiding young girls’ kind envy.
Yan Cheng didn’t even look up, taking Chen Jinyao’s hand, “Mm.”
The car’s heater was on, keeping out the severe cold outside.
The car stereo played gentle, romantic light music, unlike the passionate music of the past – supposedly this kind was especially suitable for prenatal education.
Listening for a long time could easily make one relax and eventually become drowsy.
The traffic conditions during rush hour were truly indescribable.
Real hustle and bustle, inevitably making progress difficult.
Chen Jinyao looked wearily out the car window, feeling the car’s slow crawling motion, her eyelids drooping. If it weren’t for the light stimulating her from outside, plus Yan Cheng chatting with her on and off, she would probably have fallen asleep by now.
The conversation topics jumped from here to there, highly sporadic.
Chen Jinyao was also drowsy, her responses to him were perfunctory “mm hmm,” basically going in one ear and out the other.
Until Yan Cheng casually mentioned, “Wife, you can put the clinic work aside now, don’t go next week, you’re already seven months along.”
At that moment, the traffic light at the intersection had just turned red, the car stopping steadily. His long index finger lifted and fell, fell and lifted on the steering wheel, tapping endlessly.
The green light quickly came on.
Cars behind were honking their horns urging them on.
Hearing this, Chen Jinyao obviously paused for a moment. She suddenly became clear-headed, blinked, then gently frowned. Although she felt Yan Cheng’s suggestion wasn’t inappropriate, she still instinctively contradicted him. She leaned forward from the back seat, sticking her head out, “It’s only seven months, it should be fine.”
She clicked her tongue, feeling Yan Cheng was being overly cautious.
“When I was in high school, my geography teacher was still standing at the podium when she was over eight months pregnant, with a belly like a ball, holding a globe in her hand.”
Chen Jinyao narrowed her eyes slightly, supporting her chin with both hands thoughtfully, “That’s excellent professional ethics.”
“I won’t learn from that spirit, but seven months is really still okay. I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t, just staying quietly at the clinic should be fine, right?”
Yan Cheng didn’t speak. Through the rearview mirror, she could see his expression between his brows.
His eyes narrowed, his face immediately dropped, very straightforward, clearly disagreeing with her statement.
Chen Jinyao sighed, saying: “Mainly, if I don’t go to the clinic, being alone at home isn’t very interesting.”
At least at the clinic, she had colleagues and subordinates to talk with.
If she was really stuck at home alone, if she needed to vent about something but couldn’t find an outlet, she would eventually become depressed.
“I can work at the clinic until labor,” she added.
Thinking back, this statement was indeed necessary.
Where there are people, even sudden labor isn’t fearsome, but if truly alone, if phones weren’t within reach at the time, it would truly be a case of calling heaven with no response and earth with no reply.
Chen Jinyao collected herself and lowered her eyes, “calculating” carefully, finding more and more reason in it.
Before she could express her feelings…
Yan Cheng, like a worm in her belly, was crystal clear. He nodded, his alluring peach blossom eyes rippling slightly, taking less than half a second to lightly glance at her through the rearview mirror, then slowly said: “Tsk, no wonder everyone reminds me to take good care of you, it really is true that pregnancy makes you silly for three years.”
Chen Jinyao was bewildered: “????”
The man let out a low snicker, and when he spoke again, his tone inexplicably became domineering: “You should be in the hospital waiting for delivery two weeks before your due date.”
“……………”
The usually calm and composed Chen Jinyao suddenly blushed, mortified.
Reaching their destination, the car stopped steadily, not yet turned off.
The light on the car ceiling was on. Yan Cheng unbuckled his seatbelt, turned his upper body sideways, twisted his head to look at Chen Jinyao. His beautiful peach blossom eyes sparkled like stars, as if filled with fine, smooth spring water, clear to the bottom. After silently staring at each other for several seconds…
Just as Chen Jinyao was almost captivated by his gaze, his somewhat hoarse voice sounded by her ear, carrying a hint of comfort: “You won’t be alone at home.”
The answer ‘if necessary, let Jinlin come keep you company’ had just appeared in his mind when it was immediately crossed out.
Yan Cheng tensed his jaw, his lip line straight: “You can come to the company.”
The company he mentioned was naturally Zhiyuan Technology.
“Keep me company.”
Chen Jinyao: “…”
Chen Jinyao’s full resistance and determination to never compromise, thoughts like ‘seven months is really still early she can persist for half a month more’, in that moment, very ingloriously crumbled and scattered.
She rarely interfered with Yan Cheng’s career.
The most concrete manifestation of this was that she rarely went to Zhiyuan.
Only occasionally, when Yan Cheng absolutely had to stay at the company to work overtime, would she make lunch boxes to bring to him. Several times, she discovered that at the company, he would suppress his immature roguishness in the workplace. With one quick glance, she could see him completely transformed, standing in some central position, wielding authority as the boss.
This version of Yan Cheng was clearly more attractive.
Outstanding ability, ‘highly talented’, like a luminous body, making people unable to help but stop and look up in admiration.
Chen Jinyao avoided Yan Cheng’s gaze, wanting to push open the car door first.
But unexpectedly, at some point, he had already locked the door, welded shut.
“Hmm?” The man’s nasal sound was simply breaking the rules. His gaze burning, his breath spreading around her, like closing in step by step. After a moment of silence, he finally retracted the unconsciously emanating pressure, lowered his eyes slightly, tilted his head, saying with a half-smile: “Zhiyuan has hired quite a few female employees now.”
“Hmm?”
“As the boss’s wife, don’t you want to go declare your authority?”
“…”
Chen Jinyao lifted her tongue to lick the corner of her lips, her gaze wandering for several seconds.
She remained silent, seemingly quietly pondering.
When she had thought out an answer, she blinked, counterattacked, moved close to Yan Cheng, raised her hand to wrap around his neck. Yan Cheng’s posture was already awkward, and this made it even more so.
Chen Jinyao’s lips touched the corner of Yan Cheng’s mouth, lightly biting, asking: “Then can I sit in your office chair?”
Yan Cheng answered without thinking: “Of course.”
Chen Jinyao: “Once I go, I’ll have to sit there all day.”
Yan Cheng didn’t answer immediately, silence seemed to start spreading in the air.
He deliberately hesitated for a moment.
“Sit as long as you want.”
“It’s yours now.” He pressed his lips together, unable to help letting out a low laugh.
Chen Jinyao: “…”
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