Two weeks later,
All the procedures had gone through the necessary processes.
The villa had its first owner.
The villa keys and property deed were all in Yan Cheng’s hands.
Yan Cheng tucked them into his briefcase and quietly brought them home.
He specifically locked them in the drawer under his study desk, acting like a thief.
He stood quietly against the wall, squinting at the view outside the window. As dusk approached, the thin clouds in the sky were painted orange, silently softening the cold face of the city beneath its steel and concrete.
Duni stood with its tail up, constantly rubbing its furry head against his legs, meowing for canned fish and disrupting his thoughts.
This was actually planned from the beginning.
The matter of buying the villa could wait. He would wait for the right moment to present it as a surprise to Chen Jinyao.
Just like now, when he was inevitably busy with work, Chen Jinyao would still kindly remind him every Saturday night: “Tomorrow is family day.”
Life needs ceremony, adding different colors to the days that might gradually become mundane with daily necessities, so they wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed by work and let their feelings fade due to lack of communication.
Speaking of ceremony, Yan Cheng frowned and lowered his eyelashes.
There was a teacup on the windowsill. He placed his hand on it, fingers gently stroking the cup’s surface.
Within two minutes, Yan Cheng remembered.
It was May two years ago when he and Chen Jinyao went to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate.
He remembered clearly, it was exactly May 20th.
Because of the special meaning of the date’s pronunciation, there were many couples registering that day.
They queued for almost the whole morning, and by the end, when they looked at each other, they both saw despair in each other’s expressions.
It was now nearly mid-April.
Just one month and a few days more to endure. Yan Cheng’s peach blossom eyes narrowed, showing a rippling gleam, as if suddenly struck by inspiration.
The villa could be their second wedding anniversary gift, Yan Cheng calculated in his mind.
While calculating, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and smile smugly, thinking his gift preparation was excellent, truly one of a kind.
He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Chai Yue.
His distinct knuckles moved actively across the screen, typing out a passage.
The content was his attempt to seek validation.
Chai Yue: “…”
Chai Yue: [It’s just a villa?
Your wife is the Chen family’s daughter after all, grew up with a silver spoon, has experience and broad horizons, how could she be bought with just a villa?
Besides, in her eyes, sincerity might be more valuable than throwing money around.]
Yan Cheng raised his eyebrows and sneered: [Your thinking is too shallow, this is clearly a home.]
Yan Cheng: [There’s a big difference between a home and a house.]
Yan Cheng: [One has feelings involved, the other doesn’t have much.]
Yan Cheng: [Forget it, you don’t even have a girlfriend, you wouldn’t understand.]
Chai Yue: […………]
Chen Jinyao’s due date was in early May.
With just over half a month left, even Chen Jinlin couldn’t persuade her. She was still leisurely staying at home, not worried at all. Every day after dinner, she would put her hands on her hips and go downstairs for a walk, dragging Yan Cheng along, telling him that appropriate exercise was necessary for a smooth delivery later.
She had her own ideas, which was fair enough.
But it really worried Yan Cheng.
“I really don’t want to go to the hospital so early,” Chen Jinyao lay on the recliner, closed her eyes to rest, her right hand placed on her belly making clockwise strokes, smiling to comfort him: “Don’t worry, I can feel it, he’s very well-behaved and stable.”
“You have to trust a woman’s intuition.” Her expression was calm, incredibly peaceful, “Going a week and a half early isn’t too late.”
“…” Well-behaved and stable my foot.
Yan Cheng bit his back teeth, his brows full of worry.
He wrinkled his nose, pressed his lips together, and suddenly felt like not talking to her anymore.
After a moment of silence, he sighed: “We need to be fully prepared.”
It’s not like the due date is the most accurate time range for a baby’s birth, there are countless pregnant women in the world who suddenly go into premature labor.
Chen Jinyao suddenly opened her eyes, exclaiming in surprise: “Oh, husband, this isn’t like you, you actually said something so mature.”
“I suddenly feel like my son has grown up.” Perhaps because she was about to become a mother, when Chen Jinyao looked straight at others, her eyes would unconsciously carry a loving light. She looked up at him, thought for a moment, and continued, “I’m so proud.”
Yan Cheng: “…”
The phone in his hand vibrated almost imperceptibly.
The memories instantly scattered, and Yan Cheng finally came back to his senses. The sunset filled the sky, painting the entire Imperial Capital red. He slowly withdrew his gaze, looking down to check the message.
Chai Yue: [Forget about the second wedding anniversary gift, isn’t sister-in-law unwilling to go to the hospital? Just tell her, if you go one or two weeks early, I’ll give you a gift. Trust me, bro, I’m experienced, women all fall for this.]
The next day.
During dinner.
Yan Cheng seemed somewhat distracted, picking at his rice, half his handsome face buried in his rice bowl, occasionally lifting his eyes to carefully peek in Chen Jinyao’s direction, as if contemplating how to speak up.
The small table brought them closer, and the home-cooked dishes subtly highlighted a faint warmth.
His stealing glances were too direct and intense to be ignored.
Noticing the man’s hesitant expression, Chen Jinyao put down her chopsticks decisively, propped her chin with both hands, and turned to gaze at him: “Just say what you want to say.”
Yan Cheng looked up, staring at her seriously.
“Why are you being so timid?” Chen Jinyao stared back at him.
Chen Jinyao: “I won’t hit you.”
Yan Cheng suddenly didn’t want to talk to her again: “…”
A moment of silence.
There was a faint clear clinking sound when chopsticks accidentally hit the bowl.
Since he was being coy and not speaking, Chen Jinyao didn’t rush him either.
Just as she was about to half-rise to ladle herself a bowl of steaming soup, Yan Cheng took over. She had barely left the chair by a few centimeters before sitting back down. She raised her eyes slightly, observing Yan Cheng. The man’s sharp profile had somehow become increasingly mature over time, and the frivolous air that used to come with his peach blossom eyes had completely withdrawn. She admired him for a moment before lowering her gaze back to the matter at hand.
Chen Jinyao knew what Yan Cheng wanted to tell her. It was nothing but the recently recurring topic, and it was really quite something how persistent he was being.
She curved her eyes, “Do you want me to go to the hospital first?”
Placing the bowl in front of her, Yan Cheng uncomfortably rubbed his neck, “Mm.”
Then, following Chai Yue’s method.
Yan Cheng: “If you agree, I’ll give you a gift.”
“…”
Chen Jinyao couldn’t stand being stared at with such earnest eyes, she moved her gaze away.
She didn’t say “okay,” nor did she say “not okay.”
She nearly drove Yan Cheng to desperation again before seemingly remembering something, her eyes becoming resentful: “Student Yan Cheng, I’ve thought carefully, this seems to be the first time you’ve said you want to give me a gift, aren’t you ashamed?”
“Moreover, you’re actually setting conditions before giving it to me.”
“Tsk, doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
Yan Cheng: “…”
If she wanted to have selective amnesia, he couldn’t do anything about it.
The flowers in her clinic office were still being delivered even now.
With her clever words, Yan Cheng was forced to retreat step by step. He didn’t defend himself either, just looked at her with a half-smile, and after a while went to his study.
When he brought out the thing and handed it to Chen Jinyao,
Chen Jinyao was shocked.
She read the property deed over and over again.
After confirming it multiple times, she took a sharp breath.
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Duni was sleeping in its balcony quarters.
Everything around was quiet.
Neither of them spoke.
Both unconsciously held their breath.
Yan Cheng looked expectant, trying to glimpse joy in Chen Jinyao’s facial expression.
Chen Jinyao, except for the initial shock, quickly adjusted her expression. There was no joy; her fine eyebrows slightly furrowed, and then her face became heavy.
She suddenly slumped her shoulders, leaned back against the chair, and let out a breath.
After a long while, Chen Jinyao finally steadied her emotions, narrowed her eyes, closed the property deed, and slowly sighed: “Fortunately, I’ve seen greater things.”
“????” Yan Cheng was puzzled.
Chen Jinyao looked at him speechlessly: “You’re here to induce labor, aren’t you?”
A villa, she could vaguely guess its value.
She scooped some soup with a spoon, sipping it bit by bit. After the taste lingered on her lips and teeth, she puffed her cheeks, her tongue curling to press against her cheek, “Let me tell you, I almost screamed and almost jumped up onto the chair, but I held back.”
“If I hadn’t held back, I definitely would have affected the baby, understand?”
“More likely, I’d be lying on the ground crying in pain now, and you’d only be left panicking, not knowing what to do, even dialing 119 instead of 120.”
Yan Cheng: “…”
Chen Jinyao: “By the way, you actually have this much private money?”
Yan Cheng: “……”
Chen Jinyao: “I’ve decided, we’ll name our child Yan Fugui.”
Yan Cheng: “………..”
Chen Jinyao finally agreed to go to the hospital early for delivery.
She brought several unfinished parenting books.
When passing by a bookstore on the way to the hospital, she asked Yan Cheng to help buy a “Xinhua Dictionary.”
While parallel parking, Yan Cheng looked in the rearview mirror and couldn’t help asking: “What do you need the Xinhua Dictionary for?”
“To choose a name.”
Chen Jinyao smiled, the sunlight falling on her profile made her unexpectedly gentle, “I’ll be bored in the hospital anyway.”
“We can’t really name him Yan Fugui, right?”
Yan Cheng: “…”
Over two to three weeks.
Chen Jinyao wrote down fifteen to twenty names in her small notebook.
At first, she would still tease Yan Cheng, sending him WeChat messages.
Saying, “How about calling him Yan Yu?”
After seeing it, Yan Cheng’s mouth twitched, and he replied with several dots.
In the end, it was Yan’s father who took these fifteen to twenty names and specifically asked an old friend who had studied name-giving, then made the final decision to call him Yan Chi.
Yan Cheng wasn’t very happy about it at first, saying it had a homophone like Yan Yu, as Yan Chi, Yan Chi, when called often seemed to become “delayed.”
Hearing this, Yan’s father glared at him while puffing his mustache angrily: “My grandson who came so late, isn’t he delayed indeed?”
“…”
Early May.
It was the month when grass grows and orioles fly, when all things revive, about to connect to summer.
The good thing was, the temperature was pleasant, not particularly hot.
Chen Jinyao had reached her due date.
At this crucial time, both families were on high alert.
Yan’s mother and Chen’s mother would come to watch over her whenever they had time, quite exaggeratedly so.
Only after Chen Jinyao persuaded them did they show some restraint, starting to come every other day instead.
Just as Chen Jinyao said, little Yan Chichi in her belly was very well-behaved and stable, even during the due date period he was still unhurried, showing no signs of wanting to be born.
Chen Jinyao took the apple Yan Cheng had peeled, took a bite, her cheeks full, and said unclearly: “Maybe, he’s Nezha.”
“Needs to be pregnant for three years.”
Yan Cheng heard this and blanked out, licking his lips, “Let’s not.”
…
After a moment of quiet.
“I have a dinner meeting tonight, I’ll ask mom to come keep you company.” Yan Cheng said.
Chen Jinyao tilted her head and thought, “It’s fine without company…”
Yan Cheng immediately put on a stern face, interrupting her: “No.”
“Okay.” She shrugged, “But let Jinlin come instead.”
Business dinners were never just about eating.
There were many considerations involved.
At least until nine o’clock.
Yan Cheng was sometimes still the same Yan Cheng as before, no one could force him to do what he didn’t want to do, so when everyone was three rounds into drinking, he hadn’t touched a drop.
He just lazily leaned back in his chair, eyes half-closed.
Looking harmless and casual, but unknowingly he had already clarified the key points and successfully convinced the other boss.
Chen Jinyao went into labor around eight-thirty.
Chen Jinlin was with her at the time.
The sisters had many topics to discuss, Chen Jinlin now wanted to talk about her future with Luo Xiao, happily planning, saying that Luo Xiao had already bought a house in the Imperial Capital and such.
Chen Jinyao was happy to listen, occasionally giving her some advice.
One second they were smiling at each other,
The next second her eyebrows were knotted like a rope.
Chen Jinyao grabbed Chen Jinlin’s arm, her nails leaving red marks on her skin, “Jinlin, I think I’m going into labor, quick… quickly help me call the doctor.”
Chen Jinlin was terrified, her face pale, repeatedly saying “okay” several times.
Then immediately got up and pressed the bell at the head of the bed.
Her hands were shaking, pressing continuously.
At times like this, you realize the importance of having someone experienced by your side.
Chen Jinyao bit her lip, enduring the pain.
Constantly breathing in and out.
The labor came too suddenly, without any mental preparation.
It was at this moment that Chen Jinyao realized she was actually panicking and afraid.
Little Yan Chichi wasn’t well-behaved or stable at all.
Her mind went blank.
Soon, the nurses came.
It was as if suddenly finding an anchor, the chaos instantly subsided.
Listening to what the nurses said, following their instructions, when being pushed to the delivery room, after the contractions had somewhat eased, she vaguely remembered that she had forgotten to call Yan Cheng.
“…”
Fortunately, there was still Chen Jinlin.
When the nurse passed by her, leaving with a “notify the family members,” it instantly pulled back her rationality, her scared bumbling emotions were immediately calmed.
Although, she was also her sister’s family member.
She quickly ran back to the ward, hurriedly dug out her phone from her bag.
Both hands were still shaking uncontrollably.
Only after dialing out did she finally calm down completely.
Yan Cheng picked up the phone quickly.
Chen Jinlin: “Sister, brother-in-law, she’s going into labor.”
Yan Cheng: “…”
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