Zhang Dai had a troubling suspicion as he recalled the previous events. Swallowing nervously, he cautiously recounted: “That day, I bought you two bags of pills. I specifically told you, the bag on the left is the morning-after pill, take it once within 72 hours. The bag on the right is a multivitamin, you can take one daily to boost your immunity. Then you told me to get lost, so I left!”
“Right, right! That’s exactly what you said!” Chen Shuangshuang nodded vigorously.
Zhang Dai pressed on: “Did you only take one of the pills?”
Chen Shuangshuang explained: “I already had my own multivitamins, so I didn’t take the ones you gave me!”
Zhang Dai took a deep breath and concluded: “Isn’t it possible you took the multivitamin instead of the morning-after pill?”
“Impossible! I clearly took the pill from the bag on my left!” Halfway through, Chen Shuangshuang suddenly had an epiphany, her eyes widening in realization: “Wait, did you mean my left or your left?”
The case was solved. It turned out she had been taking the wrong pills all along! No wonder the morning-after pill didn’t work—she never took it! The confusion over left and right had ruined everything! But the main culprit was this guy. The labels on the bottles were all in a foreign languages she didn’t understand; how could she know what was what?
“Why did you buy imported stuff!” she shouted angrily, throwing a pillow at him.
Zhang Dai caught the pillow and sheepishly explained, “I felt guilty at the time. I heard that morning-after pills are harsh on the body, so I wanted to make it up to you by buying these expensive multivitamins to help you recover.”
Chen Shuangshuang roared, “Get out right now. I need to calm down. I don’t want to see you for a while!”
“Alright, alright!” He retreated, closing the door gently behind him.
By lunchtime, Chen Shuangshuang’s stomach was growling fiercely. She had to open the door and ran right into Zhang Dai’s eager, apologetic face: “Hey, want to come down for lunch?”
Bang! The door slammed shut again, unmercifully. Her dignity triumphed over her hunger. Zhang Dai lost.
She took out her stash of air-filled potato chips from the drawer and started eating furiously, feeling even angrier. Her grief caused her to have a big appetite! She was gaining weight because of this! Crunch, crunch!
“Shuangshuang, time to eat! What are you doing in your room? The guests are still waiting for you”, Shuangshuang’s mother knocked on the door to remind her.
Hearing her mother’s voice, Chen Shuangshuang immediately curbed her temper, obediently opened the door, and unsurprisingly faced Zhang Dai’s annoying face.
She snorted coldly at him and followed her mother downstairs.
Today’s meal was destined to be an unavoidable battlefield.
“Actually, our families are so close, we can discuss the dowry together. As long as the two kids are happy!”
“Yes, yes, we think the same way!”
“Now that Shuangshuang is pregnant, we need to hurry up with the arrangements. Otherwise, if people see her with a big belly, it won’t look good!”
“Yes, you are right, so we were thinking of holding the wedding banquet next month.”
“Yesterday, I consulted a trusted master, and the Lantern Festival is an auspicious day, just the day after tomorrow. They can register their marriage then!”
“Don’t worry! Our family has already prepared the money to buy a house and a car, all fully paid, and Shuangshuang’s name will be added. We will definitely treat her well.”
“Good, good, our family has savings too, to ensure Shuangshuang gets married in style. How about we take care of the wedding banquet, gifts, and decorations?”
“That sounds good. Why not skip the dowry from your side then? You’ve already spent so much!”
“No, no, the dowry has to be according to tradition!”
…
The parents of both families were fervently discussing the wedding details, not giving the couple a chance to interject.
Her family had already decided that the child must be kept, leaving Chen Shuangshuang utterly despondent.
Seeing her dejected look, Zhang Dai felt uncomfortable. He typed a message and sent it to her.
However, she was in a daze and didn’t notice the message on her phone. Left with no choice, he resorted to using his fingers.
He poked her shoulder and pointed to her phone.
She seemed to understand, proving that their years of knowing each other had fostered a deep connection.
“Sorry! I didn’t know things would get this big. If you don’t want the baby, I’ll respect your decision and go with you to the hospital.” She glanced at the message, scoffed, and returned to her dazed state.
Ha! The baby already exists! What’s the point of saying this now? Where was he earlier?
Zhang Dai felt even more uneasy and sent another message. Then he gently poked her shoulder to remind her.
Chen Shuangshuang looked down again.
“If you want the baby, we’ll get married. I swear, I’ll take good care of both you and the baby!”
She laughed in anger! Ha! Who asked him to take responsibility? Did she allow it?
“Eat dirt! [poop emoji][poop emoji][poop emoji][poop emoji][poop emoji][poop emoji][poop emoji][poop emoji]”
Using emojis meant she was okay! He quickly replied: “Bounce back [Doraemon’s bounce-back cloak emoji]1photo 1 at the end “
“Bounce back [trampoline emoji]2photo 2 “
“Bounce back [marble shooter emoji]3photo 3“
“Bounce back [ping pong paddle emoji]4photo 4“
…
Under the table, the two involved parties were having an emoji war, while on the table, the four parents were fervently planning the wedding.
At night, when the world finally quieted down, the two of them sat on the balcony to lay everything out and discuss.
Chen Shuangshuang had just washed her hair, and her long hair cascaded like a waterfall. She stretched one hand towards the sky, looking at the stars through her fingers, creating a romantic and beautiful scene.
She sighed deeply: “I’ve thought about it; I might end up alone for the rest of my life and never get married. But now, out of nowhere, I have a baby, maybe there’s another possibility.”
Zhang Dai chimed in at the right moment: “Marry me!”
Chen Shuangshuang gave him a disdainful look, then stated the correct answer: “In your dreams, I want to be a single mother!”
“No, I disagree!” Zhang Dai firmly rejected, earnestly advising, “Being a single mother is very tough! A child without a complete family can be greatly affected in their growth! Are you willing to let the child endure the judgmental looks of others?”
Chen Shuangshuang responded matter-of-factly, “I can hire a nanny! The child can have many godfathers!”
Zhang Dai was speechless, thinking, “The real father isn’t even dead yet, and she’s already thinking about godfathers!”
He indignantly fought for his rights, “This child is also mine. Why should you make all the decisions?”
She glared at him, annoyed, “What part do you have? This child is in my belly, will come out of my belly, will eat my food, wear my clothes, live in my house, and I’ve sacrificed my job for it. What have you contributed? A tiny, insignificant sperm, and you dare say you have a part? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?”
If he lost this battle, he would lose everything. He resorted to being unreasonable, “I don’t care. I’m the child’s father. At worst, I can support both of you, so I have a part in this!”
“I have my own hands and feet. Why would I need you to support me, you fool!” Chen Shuangshuang climbed down from the balcony railing, not wanting to waste any more words with him.
Zhang Dai panicked, climbing over the balcony to follow her, continuing to argue: “You can’t be so selfish! You made a decision for the child without consulting them. Don’t you think that’s very domineering?”
Chen Shuangshuang suddenly stopped, turned around, and placed her hands on her belly, rubbing it a few times before chanting, “Baby, baby, do you recognize this daddy?”
She pinched her voice, pretending to be the baby, and answered in a childish tone, “No! Baby only wants mommy!”
She straightened her chest and declared confidently, “Did you hear that? The baby only recognizes me!”
Zhang Dai was stunned by her shameless act. This was possible?
“That doesn’t count, that doesn’t count! It’s all you saying it, it doesn’t count! The baby is only two months old, not formed yet, no thoughts, can’t make a decision now!”
Suddenly, Chen Shuangshuang smiled sinisterly and asked maliciously, “Do you really want to be a dad that much?”
“Yes, do you agree?” He was surprised by her sudden change in attitude.
“Here is a ‘Parenting Partnership Agreement,’ look at the terms, and if you agree, sign it!” She pulled out an A4 paper from behind and handed it to him.
Zhang Dai eagerly took it, read it carefully, and immediately raised an objection: “Why is the second party only a nominal father? It should be factual. This must be changed!”
Chen Shuangshuang was speechless: “Fine, fine, stop nitpicking!”
Zhang Dai read through the agreement line by line, muttering to himself: “Once the agreement is signed, neither party can file for divorce before the child turns eighteen, ensuring the child’s mental and physical health during their childhood! I agree with this!”
“During the cooperation period, maintain a good parental image in front of the child, and do not openly show affection for the opposite sex! What does ‘do not openly show affection for the opposite sex’ mean? Does it mean I can only be gay? I refuse!”
“Sorry, I missed two words, ‘other people’!” She laughed awkwardly, picked up a pen to add the words, and explained, “It means not letting the child see the parents’ emotional or physical infidelity, to avoid complex family relationships affecting the child!”
…
In the end, after seriously discussing the terms of the parenting partnership agreement, they reached a preliminary consensus and successfully signed it, officially becoming Parenting Partners.
Diary entry:
We got married!
— Zhang Dai
TLs note: What even are these emojis hahaha
photo 1
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photo 3
photo 4
