VFGRC Chapter 90

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and pedestrians in short sleeves and shorts were still drenched in sweat under its relentless heat.

“Ding~ling~ling,” “Ding~ling~ling.”

These days, the wind chimes at the entrance of “Galaxy Snack Shop” kept ringing without interruption.

Another sweaty customer hurriedly walked into the store, and the cool air conditioning breeze refreshed his spirits, revealing a sense of contentment on his face.

However, he didn’t linger by the entrance; instead, he hurriedly made his way toward the counter on the side.

In front of the glass display window of the counter, customers crowded closely together, all trying to get a glimpse through the glass.

“Two boneless lemon chicken feet, one bowl of mung bean soup… Can you add more ice, please!”

“Two bowls of mung bean soup… No, make it four! Hey, you’re pushing me!”

“Don’t cut in line, don’t cut in line, I was here first!”

“I didn’t cut in line! I was standing here from the beginning!”

Although “Galaxy Snack Shop” was the largest snack shop in Sanjiaokou, it was also the busiest and most crowded.

No matter how big the space was, it felt small when there were so many customers.

Especially in the past two months, with the upcoming opening of a branch of “Galaxy Snack Shop”, the main store in Sanjiaokou was short-staffed, but the number of customers continued to increase.

In recent days, customers had been getting into conflicts over queuing issues every few days.

After a considerable time, Yu Bai walked into “Galaxy Snack Shop” again and was greeted with a scene of customers arguing.

Since Yu Bai had discovered his pregnancy last month, he had been busy with various medical checkups and had his mind focused on the new store, Xing Xing’s recent enrollment in kindergarten, and the baby in his belly. He had visibly reduced the number of times he visited Sanjiaokou.

Seeing the disorderly scene in the store due to his prolonged absence, Yu Bai’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Not far away, two customers were about to start a fight over queuing. Yu Bai immediately walked over.

Yu Bai: “Let’s not argue, let’s not argue. Everyone is here to enjoy buying food happily. Why get upset over queuing?”

The customers in line were new, and they didn’t recognize Yu Bai. They thought he was just another customer here to buy snacks.

One of the arguing customers said, “Is this your first time here? You have to fight for the snacks here! If you’re just one spot behind, you might not get the mung bean soup I want!”

Since the weather turned hot, the freshly served chilled mung bean soup at “Galaxy Snack Shop” had gained the affection of many people of all ages and genders.

The mung beans Yu Bai chose were of the highest quality. These mung beans were tender and sandy in texture, making the mung bean sweet soup both visually appealing and not at all throat-tickling.

Yu Bai also added cane sugar and mint leaves to the sweet soup, creating a delightful balance of sweetness and coolness that was perfect for beating the heat.

For customers who enjoyed cold treats, some would even ask the soup-serving lady to add crushed ice to their soup, making it even more refreshing.

Every day, numerous customers visited the “Galaxy Snack Shop” and ordered four to five bowls of mung bean sweet soup. They would drink two bowls on the spot and take the rest to go.

Some innovative individuals had even “invented” new ways to enjoy the mung bean sweet soup.

One person would take the sweet soup home, add ice cubes, and blend it into a dense mung bean sweet soup ice cream.

Another person would pour the mung bean sweet soup into an ice cream mold to make popsicles.

Yu Bai’s skillful flavoring of the mung bean sweet soup meant that whether customers turned it into ice cream or popsicles, they were delicious and refreshing ways to combat the heat.

As news of these innovative methods spread, the number of customers coming to “Galaxy Snack Shop” to buy mung bean sweet soup increased even more.

Yu Bai: “Mung bean soup? I remember that the online store of ‘Galaxy Snack Shop’ has been gradually adding semi-finished mung bean soup products lately…”

“The taste from the online store is slightly different from what you get in the physical store.” The customer said, “I live in J City. With ‘Galaxy Snack Shop’ right here, why would I go to the online store to buy things?”

Another arguing customer’s emotions grew more intense; he grabbed Yu Bai’s arm with his right hand.

“He lives in J City, so he can come here and buy mung bean soup every day. But I’m a tourist visiting J City, and it’s not easy for me to find some time to come here and try the in-store snacks at ‘Galaxy Snack Shop’…”

Before that customer could finish his sentence, a stronger hand firmly grasped his right arm.

The grip was so strong that the customer let out a painful cry.

“Ouch— who’s gripping so hard!”

He glared, initially intending to argue with the person holding his arm, but he was met with a pair of cold, frosty, narrow phoenix eyes.

A man taller and bigger than him stood between him and Yu Bai. The aura exuding from this man made the air feel as cold as falling ice shards.

The customer immediately calmed down and suppressed the resentment he had been holding onto.

“Positions in the queue are based on who arrived first. Just because you’re a tourist doesn’t mean you’ll receive special treatment,” Ji Rongyu glanced at the two people arguing over their place in line, “We’re still making several barrels of mung bean soup. Regardless of who’s ahead or behind, both of you will be able to buy it.”

The tourist muttered quietly, “Several barrels of mung bean soup? I hope they’re not trying to deceive us…”

“I am the owner of ‘Galaxy Snack Shop’,” Yu Bai said, “Regular customers of ‘Galaxy Snack Shop’ know that we supply five barrels of mung bean soup every day. It’s just past one in the afternoon, so you’ll definitely be able to buy the mung bean soup.”

The two customers were taken aback, and they asked in unison, “You’re the owner?”

“Yes.”

Both customers looked surprised.

They had heard that the owner of “Galaxy Snack Shop” was young and promising, but they hadn’t expected the owner of “Galaxy Snack Shop” to be so young!

After finally resolving the queueing issue in the store, Ji Rongyu cautiously wrapped his arm around Yu Bai’s, his fingertips lightly brushing against Yu Bai’s palm.

Yu Bai raised an eyebrow, “What’s the matter?”

“You’ve been standing for a while. Do you want to take a break?” Ji Rongyu blinked his eyes.

“I’ve only been standing for a short while,” Yu Bai said, “I haven’t been here in a long time, and there are many things in the store that need to be sorted out.”

Ji Rongyu said, “It’s simple. I asked Chen Jing and Hang Yuanshu…”

Yu Bai gave Ji Rongyu a sidelong glance, “This is my store. I should handle things myself.”

Ji Rongyu’s chin brushed against Yu Bai’s cheek, and he whispered softly, “But I’m yours.”

Ji Rongyu continued, “Since I’m yours, my subordinates are also yours. You can let Chen Jing and Hang Yuanshu handle the store’s issues…”

Yu Bai immediately turned his head away, “Don’t try to coax me with your cuteness. It won’t work.”

Ji Rongyu knew that Yu Bai would usually soften when he acted cute, so he would occasionally act cute toward Yu Bai.

Over time, Yu Bai had figured out a good way to deal with Ji Rongyu’s cuteness—

As long as he didn’t look at Ji Rongyu, he wouldn’t easily succumb to Ji Rongyu’s cuteness!

Seeing Yu Bai turn his head away, Ji Rongyu lowered his eyelids to hide the fleeting gleam of light in his narrow and cold phoenix eyes.

“Well… I’ll accompany you to handle the store’s matters,” Ji Rongyu’s head kept moving closer to Yu Bai’s direction, “I can help you, after all, right?”

With people coming and going in the store, although everyone’s attention was focused on the snacks at the counter, it’s hard to say if anyone would notice the interactions between Yu Bai and Ji Rongyu.

Yu Bai was a bit bashful; he couldn’t withstand Ji Rongyu’s teasing.

Yu Bai sighed, “Alright, alright, you can help me, I guess.”

Ji Rongyu lowered his head and lightly pressed his lips against Yu Bai’s neck.

Yu Bai’s neck was sensitive, and Ji Rongyu’s touch turned his face and earlobes instantly crimson.

“Ji Rongyu!”

Seeing Yu Bai’s displeasure, Ji Rongyu became obedient.

The doctor had said that as long as Yu Bai got past the first trimester and the embryo was stable, he could ‘be’ with Yu Bai…

Yu Bai was always around him, like a piece of tantalizing meat emitting a tempting aroma.

Ji Rongyu, who had only tasted that “meat” once, always hoped for a second and third time.

Now that Yu Bai’s pregnancy had stabilized, he still didn’t let Ji Rongyu touch him.

In Ji Rongyu’s mind, there was always a little cat scratching around, making his heart itch.

Unable to enjoy the “meat,” Ji Rongyu could only smell its fragrance, occasionally taking a metaphorical bite, seeking solace in a forbidden desire.

After all, Yu Bai was someone with a child in his belly, his physical condition wasn’t as robust as before. Standing for a while made his legs ache and his lower back hurt.

Yu Bai didn’t force himself and retreated to the resting room.

In reality, resolving the disputes arising from queuing in the store was quite simple.

“Galaxy Snack Shop” only had one branch in J City at the moment, so the customer flow was high. But once the other branches opened and distributed the customers, it would certainly significantly reduce the current customer influx in the store.

But… it would take some time for the branches to officially open for business, and Yu Bai didn’t want to just sit around until then.

Increasing the staff was urgently needed, but employee training also took time…

Yu Bai held a black pen tightly in his hand, lightly tapping the paper with its tip.

“Yu Bai, are you hungry? I just went up front and got some snacks…”

Ji Rongyu held a plate full of various snacks, exuding colors, aroma, and flavors, as he approached Yu Bai.

The scent of the snacks drifted to Yu Bai’s nose, and his stomach immediately rumbled in response.

When Xing Xing was in Yu Bai’s belly, he was a very well-behaved embryo.

From the time Yu Bai was pregnant with Xing Xing until his birth, his daily life and diet weren’t much different from before.

However, the current fetus in Yu Bai’s belly seemed to be more restless than Xing Xing.

For the first two months, Yu Bai was fine, nothing out of the ordinary.

But in the past two months, Yu Bai’s appetite grew significantly. Including snacks and afternoon tea, Yu Bai didn’t feel full even after eating six meals a day, and he would even have a late-night snack before sleeping.

This stubbornly resulted in Yu Bai gaining an extra layer of fat around his waist, and even his loosely fitting clothes felt tight.

So, after eating quite a bit for lunch, Yu Bai still felt hungry after a round in the store.

His tongue moistened his lips, and his long, lifted eyelashes trembled slightly. “Why isn’t there any mung bean sweet soup?”

He had just seen that there were many portions of mung bean sweet soup left unsold in the store!

With the hot weather, Yu Bai was craving the refreshing taste of ice-cold mung bean sweet soup.

“The doctor said you can’t eat cold and spicy food,” Ji Rongyu recalled clearly what Yu Bai could and couldn’t eat during pregnancy, “I specifically chose snacks that you can eat.”

Yu Bai retorted, “But when I was pregnant with Xing Xing, I ate ice cream during the summer…”

“When you were pregnant with Xing Xing, your body was in better condition,” Ji Rongyu said, “But the doctor also mentioned that over the years, your body has developed some minor health issues. For example, you used to stay up late and focus on managing the store without paying attention to pregnancy…”

“Alright, alright, stop nagging. Your nagging is giving me a headache. I won’t have the mung bean sweet soup, alright!”

At this point, Yu Bai finally realized the similarities between Xing Xing and Ji Rongyu.

Xing Xing is a little chatterbox at home, always reminding Yu Bai to take care of his health, sleep early, eat more fruits, and get proper nutrition.

On the other hand, Ji Rongyu is a big chatterbox.

When Xing Xing is at the kindergarten, Ji Rongyu would be by Yu Bai’s side, chatting away.

Yu Bai’s head was starting to ache from listening.

Not being able to have the mung bean sweet soup he had been craving, Yu Bai was a bit unhappy, but he didn’t throw a tantrum.

Ji Rongyu served him a bowl of osmanthus balls without adding osmanthus wine.

The freshly cooked osmanthus balls were steaming hot, releasing a fragrant mist of sweet osmanthus.

On this evening, the fierce heat of summer and the coolness of autumn suddenly appeared together.

Yu Bai scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and then put it in his mouth.

Although the osmanthus balls were hot, their sweet taste was delightful, and they didn’t feel greasy even when eaten in abundance.

In a moment, Yu Bai finished the entire bowl of osmanthus balls.

Then, he reached for the freshly braised, still warm pig’s trotter next to him.

The braised pig’s trotters sold in “Galaxy Snack Shop” were usually sold after they cooled down. People often brought them home to slice and use as a cold dish or ate them directly.

However, considering Yu Bai’s physical condition, Ji Rongyu specially fetched a freshly braised pig’s trotter from the kitchen.

The pig’s trotter wasn’t large, but its reddish-brown color was extremely attractive and shiny under the light.

Yu Bai’s fingertips lightly touched the skin of the pig’s trotter, and the skin was as elastic as jelly.

Since the pig’s trotter was relatively small in size, it contained less meat, but it was rich in collagen and tendons, which was precisely why the pig’s trotters were considered delicious.

The tender and fragrant meat of the trotter was enticing, but the braised pig’s trotter with its elastic tendons was even more enticing.

These days, Yu Bai had eaten a fair amount of seafood and meat. Although he usually preferred a light diet, his pregnancy had sparked his interest in dishes he usually didn’t touch.

After putting on gloves, Yu Bai grabbed the pig’s trotter and took a bite.

The soft and sweet pig’s trotter tendon, along with the pig’s trotter skin, spread the savory taste of meat between Yu Bai’s teeth. The spices added to the pig’s trotter also enriched its flavor.

However, the moment Yu Bai took a bite of the pig’s trotter, his expression suddenly turned very unpleasant.

Ji Rongyu, who had been watching Yu Bai closely, immediately sensed that something was wrong with Yu Bai’s complexion.

Ji Rongyu became anxious, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or is there something wrong with this pig’s trotter?”

Yu Bai was about to shake his head, but the next second, he suddenly couldn’t control his body’s instinctive reaction.

Yu Bai immediately set down the pork trotter in his hand, covering his mouth as he rushed towards the direction of the bathroom.

Last week, Yu Bai could eat and drink just fine, consuming three bowls of rice in one meal.

But this week, at the sight of food, he would vomit, unable to swallow a single bite.

According to the doctor, “morning sickness” was a normal physiological phenomenon for pregnant individuals.

But…

Neither of the two who had experienced Yu Bai’s pregnancies—Yu Bai and Ji Rongyu—had encountered this situation before, and they were both panicked.

After returning from the capital city to J City, Yu Bai had considered that it would be inconvenient for him to go up and down stairs while pregnant. Therefore, he and Xing Xing moved to a larger house.

Ji Rongyu was quite “thick-skinned” and brought his own luggage to move in with Yu Bai.

As Yu Bai lay on the bed just after returning home, he heard the sound of footsteps in slippers—pa, da, pa, da.

The next second, a round little head popped out from the edge of the bed.

Xing Xing looked at Yu Bai, his round and shiny star-like eyes filled with worry.

“Daddy…”

——

Every day, Xing Xing was picked up and dropped off at kindergarten by Yu Bai and Ji Rongyu.

But today, when Xing Xing saw that only Ji Rongyu had come to pick him up from kindergarten, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Normally, Xing Xing remained calm in most situations, far from behaving like a regular child.

But when it came to Yu Bai’s matters, he would immediately panic in place.

Sitting in Ji Rongyu’s car, Xing Xing couldn’t wait to ask.

“Where’s Daddy? Where’s Daddy? Why isn’t Daddy here?”

Ji Rongyu answered, “He’s not feeling well today. I asked him to rest at home.”

“Daddy’s not feeling well? What’s wrong with Daddy? Why isn’t Daddy feeling well? Did you give him something he shouldn’t eat?”

Xing Xing had a barrage of questions, all bursting out at once.

As soon as Ji Rongyu’s car stopped at the front door of their home, Xing Xing immediately jumped out of the car, rushed into the house, and went straight to Yu Bai’s bedside.

“Daddy, how are you feeling now?”

Xing Xing’s beautiful and watery eyes were full of concern.

“It’s just morning sickness, a normal phenomenon during pregnancy.” Yu Bai said, “It’ll get better in a while…”

“What kind of normal phenomenon is this? It’s so tormenting! You can’t eat properly, how can this be okay?!”

Xing Xing pouted in a slightly unhappy manner, yet he was also helpless.

After all, the one with the little baby in their belly was Daddy, not him! He wasn’t a doctor, what could he do?

Xing Xing lifted his little hand and lightly patted Yu Bai’s belly through his clothes.

“Xiaobao, you have to behave!” Xing Xing whispered, “Don’t make trouble, let Daddy eat properly, okay?”

Yu Bai’s smile held a hint of helplessness.

Although he was carrying a child in his belly, the child wasn’t fully developed yet. How could it possibly hear?

However, just as Xing Xing finished patting Yu Bai’s belly and was about to retract his hand, in that fleeting moment, Xing Xing suddenly felt a slight movement beneath his little hand, within Daddy’s slightly bulging belly.

Xing Xing’s feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, and his hand froze in midair, not daring to move.

Daddy’s belly moved?

How could Daddy’s belly move?!

Yu Bai also clearly felt this wave of fetal movement.

The child inside Yu Bai’s belly was like a small lazy cat. It had been curled up in Yu Bai’s belly for over four months, yet it remained still.

If he hadn’t consulted a doctor, Yu Bai would have thought there was a problem with the child inside his belly.

The moment Xing Xing retracted his hand, it was the first time the small lazy cat inside Yu Bai’s belly moved.

Xing Xing’s little face panicked, and he looked at Yu Bai in confusion. “Daddy, your belly…”

Just now, he had lightly patted Daddy’s belly, hoping to tell the little baby inside to be good and not cause Daddy to experience morning sickness again.

He really didn’t use any force at all!

But how could Daddy’s belly move like that!

Could it be that he used too much strength, accidentally patting the little baby inside Daddy’s belly… patting it too hard??

Xing Xing remembered that the teachers at kindergarten always said that their group of kids were fragile like porcelain dolls. If they weren’t careful, they would bleed from even a minor bump.

So, wouldn’t the little baby living inside Daddy’s belly, even smaller and weaker, be more fragile than a porcelain doll?!!

Oh no, oh no, the little baby might…

Xing Xing panicked, not knowing where to place his hand that was held in midair, and his little heart raced wildly with fear.

In the next second, Yu Bai’s broad and gentle hand grabbed onto Xing Xing’s small hand.

Xing Xing raised his little head in bewilderment.

Yu Bai held Xing Xing’s small hand and placed it on his belly again.

Xing Xing was so scared that he wanted to retract his hand. “I…”

“Be good, don’t move,” Yu Bai whispered softly, “Xing Xing, just feel it slowly.”

Feel it? Feel what?

Xing Xing hadn’t quite understood Yu Bai’s words yet, but he suddenly felt another movement beneath his little hand on Yu Bai’s slightly protruding belly.

“Ah!”

The sudden unexpected movement almost made Xing Xing want to pull his hand back.

Xing Xing was scared. “Daddy, what’s this?”

“Xing Xing, do you remember when you went with me to the hospital? The doctor uncle said that babies in the womb have fetal movement, right?”

Xing Xing nodded his little head.

He remembered that the doctor uncle did say that babies in the womb weren’t completely still. Occasionally, they would stretch their arms or legs.

But he wasn’t quite sure what fetal movement exactly meant.

“Now, the baby inside my belly is moving beneath my skin. You can feel the baby’s movement through my belly. That’s fetal movement.” Yu Bai explained, “The little baby inside my belly is especially lazy. It doesn’t move at all when it’s in my belly. I never expected that it would move when you touched it.”

Xing Xing blinked his round eyes, and after a while, he blinked them again.

So, what he had just felt wasn’t Daddy’s belly moving… it was the baby moving?!

The little baby could move now?!

That tiny little baby, not even as big as his palm, inside the doctor’s screen device, is moving now?

Xing Xing’s round almond eyes widened instantly.

Before he could think too much, the little baby beneath his palm moved again through the skin of the belly.

Xing Xing immediately exclaimed, “It moved! It moved! Daddy, Xiaobao moved again!”

Xing Xing didn’t dare to shout loudly, afraid of startling the little baby.

Xing Xing was reluctant to let go of the hand that was touching the skin of Yu Bai’s belly and reaching the little baby.

He could only place one hand on Yu Bai’s belly and then happily stamp his little feet on the ground to release his excitement.

“Yes, that’s right. Xiaobao moved again.” Yu Bai’s eyes curved into a smile. “It seems Xiaobao really likes you as a big brother. It starts moving as soon as you’re around!”

Xing Xing nodded vigorously, “I like Xiaobao too! I really, really, really like Xiaobao!”

Xing Xing’s little hand carefully touched Yu Bai’s belly again. “Xiaobao, big brother likes you! Can you hear me?”

Yu Bai’s belly moved again, as if the baby inside was responding to Xing Xing, saying “I like big brother too.”

Xing Xing’s face bloomed into a smile.

He liked the little baby, and the little baby liked him too!

When the little baby comes out, he’ll be the best big brother in the world and give all the good things to the little baby!

After a while of movement in Yu Bai’s belly, it seemed like the little baby inside was getting tired, and it stopped moving.

Xing Xing patted Yu Bai’s belly and softly said through the skin, “Xiaobao, sleep well. You’ll grow big when you’re well-rested!”

Xing Xing reluctantly pulled his hand back, tucking Yu Bai under the blanket.

“Daddy is lying down, make sure the blanket covers you properly.” Xing Xing said seriously, “Xiaobao is very small and fragile. It won’t be good if it catches a cold.”

Watching Xing Xing who used to revolve around him, constantly calling him “Daddy,” now filling his mouth with “Xiaobao”, Yu Bai, the dad, suddenly felt a bit jealous of the child inside his belly.

Yu Bai narrowed his eyes. “Xing Xing, it seems you care a lot about Xiaobao, huh?”

Xing Xing puffed out his small chest, his face proud. “Because I’m Xiaobao’s big brother!”

The teachers at kindergarten had said that big brothers should be loving and take care of their younger siblings.

Xing Xing thought that when he was born, Daddy was his alone. Although he would have to share Daddy’s love with the little baby once it was born, from the baby’s perspective, it would have to share Daddy’s love from the moment of birth. The little baby had never experienced the days of having Daddy’s love all to itself… The little baby was truly pitiable! He needed to treat the little baby even better.

Yu Bai: “And what about me?”

Xing Xing blinked his watery eyes. “Daddy?”

Quickly, the clever Xing Xing realized that he had been so focused on the little baby that he had unintentionally ignored his dad!

Oh dear, unlike the little baby, Daddy wasn’t like that. Daddy was already a grown-up and knew how to take care of himself.

But well, if Daddy was feeling a little jealous of the little baby, he should show concern for Daddy too!

Xing Xing gently patted Yu Bai through the blanket. “Daddy, be good. Daddy, listen, don’t catch a cold, okay?”

Xing Xing said this matter-of-factly, rather absentmindedly.

Yu Bai tapped Xing Xing’s little head. “Alright, alright. I know now. In your heart, I’m not as important as Xiaobao.”

“Daddy…”

Yu Bai: “Alright, no need to argue. Ji Rongyu and I went to the snack shop this afternoon and brought back some snacks. You just finished school, and you must be hungry, right?”

Xing Xing: “A bit…”

“Okay, then go eat quickly. Remember to wash your hands before eating.”

“Okay!”

After answering, Xing Xing turned around and bounced towards the bedroom door.

At the door, he encountered Ji Rongyu. His eyes slanted, and his lips curved downwards.

Even though Daddy and the bad guy uncle were together, he still didn’t like this bad guy uncle who had once hurt Daddy’s feelings.

Of course, the most shocking and infuriating thing was that the bad guy uncle turned out to be his other biological father!!!

How could someone as cute as him have such a bad father!

Usually, Ji Rongyu would definitely argue back with Xing Xing, but today he was concerned about Yu Bai. He didn’t respond to Xing Xing and walked straight into Yu Bai’s room.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just a bit of morning sickness.” Yu Bai smiled as he lifted the blanket. “Xiaobao inside me just had some fetal movement. Do you want to touch it? Maybe you’ll feel it move!”

Ji Rongyu looked at the delicate protrusion on Yu Bai’s belly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and his eyes deep and mysterious.

Yu Bai, sensing Ji Rongyu’s mischievous intentions, quickly covered himself with the blanket.

Yu Bai squinted his eyes. “Ji Rongyu, you’re not allowed to think like that.”

Ji Rongyu looked somewhat aggrieved. “It’s been several months already, and the doctor said it’s okay. Why are you always unwilling? What’s wrong with me?”

“Because…”

Yu Bai smiled slightly. “I have a baby in my belly, and it might affect prenatal education.”