Having a child was a significant event.
Ruan Jiujiu hadn’t expected Cheng Jun to want to keep this child. She gently touched her still-flat abdomen, not yet feeling like a mother, while Cheng Jun was already preparing for the child’s arrival.
He had bought a stack of books, neatly arranged in the study. Ruan Jiujiu, feeling bored, went over to take a look and found a list of titles that included not only books on pregnancy and infants but also various mythological and folk story analyses. Among them, there were peculiar titles like “Raising a Dog Is Better Than Raising a Child,” “Spartan-Style Education,” and “Children Should Be Responsible for Themselves.”
Ruan Jiujiu: …
Then, she watched as Cheng Jun took out a cardboard box, lined it with fabric, and placed it solemnly inside the cabinet.
Ruan Jiujiu had a foreboding feeling. “May I ask what the cardboard box is for?”
Without looking back, Cheng Jun closed the cabinet and said slowly, “You can still change your mind later.”
Ruan Jiujiu was left speechless.
The child hadn’t even fully formed yet, and Cheng Jun was already preparing to give the child to a good home. Ruan Jiujiu wondered just how strong his determination was to fixate on this idea. Thinking about the boxes in the cabinet, she silently touched her belly and began to worry about their future parenting life.
In the evening, as the two of them lay together, Cheng Jun once again began his habit of touching and patting.
Ruan Jiujiu slapped his face, rendering him immobile.
Cheng Jun: ?
Ruan Jiujiu: “I’ve read all the books. Don’t you know that you can’t have sex during the first three months and the last three months of pregnancy?”
Cheng Jun: ???
He pulled out his phone and searched for a moment. The phone’s light reflected his silent face. His expression was wooden, and he had to look at it several times to confirm that what Ruan Jiujiu said was true. Cheng Jun’s eyes occasionally rolled, indicating that he was still alive. Cheng Jun said, “I’m really foolish, truly.”
For the sake of one moment of impulse, he had sacrificed the happiness of the rest of his life. This was the most unprofitable investment he had ever made.
His eyes reflected regret, reflected despair, reflected a sense of hopelessness.
Ruan Jiujiu almost burst out laughing.
Starting today, Cheng Jun’s ascetic life was about to begin. He lay flat on the bed, and if not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Ruan Jiujiu would have thought he had mastered the art of self-induced menopause and could slap himself to restart.
Ruan Jiujiu added fuel to the fire, nestling in his arms, rolling her soft cheeks against his chest.
Cheng Jun’s body was as stiff as a piece of wood.
After a while, he said, “I’m going to read a book.”
Ruan Jiujiu: “Are you sure? It’s this late?”
Left to her was Cheng Jun’s desolate and lonely figure.
Lately, Boss Cheng had started studying all sorts of weird books, and his mood had become extremely bad, almost one-third as bad as when Ruan Jiujiu had disappeared. Cheng Jun had never been in the habit of scolding people; he would just turn his gaze directly toward the person and stare at them straight in the eye without saying a word for a few seconds.
… That was enough to make everyone shudder in fear.
Being stared at by Cheng Jun was such a terrifying feeling!
Tu Nan finally couldn’t resist and secretly asked Wen Xi to find out what was going on with Ruan Jiujiu. Ruan Jiujiu hadn’t found the right time to confess about her pregnancy yet. She had a long chat with Wen Xi during afternoon tea, avoiding coffee and cold beverages. She was even more cautious than usual, and during this time, Cheng Jun sent several messages asking her when she would be coming home.
Wen Xi jokingly asked, “Could you be pregnant?”
Ruan Jiujiu was taken aback, “Did you figure it out?”
“…”
“…”
“My goodness!” Wen Xi’s exclamation caused everyone in the entire restaurant to turn and look in their direction.
Ruan Jiujiu pulled her and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, I haven’t made plans to announce it publicly yet.”
Wen Xi nodded firmly.
Until the evening.
Ruan Jiujiu received excited greetings from Tu Nan, Jiao Fan, Fu Zichen, An Rou, Lao Meng, Lao Meng’s wife, and others.
Wen Xi sent her a message feeling embarrassed, “I swear, I only told Tu Nan!”
Ruan Jiujiu’s biggest fear was that Tu Nan would find out.
You see, his big mouth was capable of spreading news to the entire world!
However, with Tu Nan’s big mouth spreading the news, it saved Ruan Jiujiu from having to tell everyone individually. The lengthy blessings from everyone were almost overwhelming, and at the same time, everyone understood why Cheng Jun was so unhappy. While for others, having a daughter was like a little cotton jacket, and having a son was like little pants, for Cheng Jun, nothing was more important than Ruan Jiujiu’s health.
He had already started looking for a postpartum nurse for Ruan Jiujiu and was preparing to take turns taking care of her when her belly grew bigger.
Ruan Jiujiu was speechless, “It’s not that serious, actually…”
Cheng Jun said, “You don’t have a mother, and I don’t have one either, so there are a lot of things we need someone else to guide us on.”
Cheng Jun was right. Recently, Ruan Jiujiu had developed a tendency to lose her appetite. Cooking was not good for her health, and occasionally she would cook noodles for Cheng Jun. Most of the time, Cheng Jun ate at the cafeteria, and he even hired a nutritionist to plan balanced meals for her. Her three daily meals had turned into nutritious meals, and she couldn’t even miss a single gram of nuts.
This led to Ruan Jiujiu eating more than she intended, even though she didn’t want to eat.
After stepping on the scale, Ruan Jiujiu was shocked to see a three-digit number displayed. She pinched her face, widened her eyes, and realized that she was about to face the most critical weight gain crisis.
Ruan Jiujiu started to refuse to eat so much every day and gave Cheng Jun a lesson on the difficulties of pregnancy weight gain and childbirth.
Cheng Jun insisted that eating nutritious meals wouldn’t make her gain much weight.
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “Don’t you think I look too fat like this?”
Cheng Jun replied, “It’s okay to be a bit chubby…”
The next moment, Cheng Jun earned another “getting hit” point on his daily card.
Watching Ruan Jiujiu’s angry departure, Cheng Jun fell into deep thought. Was this a sign of mood swings during pregnancy? Indeed, after getting pregnant, Ruan Jiujiu’s temper had become increasingly unpredictable.
What he didn’t know was that this had nothing to do with being pregnant or not.
As a woman, when she asked this question, she only hoped for her partner to answer, “Nonsense, you’re not fat at all,” rather than consoling her that it was okay to be chubby.
Cheng Jun was definitely not aware of Ruan Jiujiu’s psychological nuances, so he didn’t realize that his words were off the mark.
After some time passed, Old Meng’s wife met up with Ruan Jiujiu, and she smiled charmingly as she looked at Ruan Jiujiu, saying, “The baby seems to be growing rapidly. Look, your belly is starting to show.”
Ruan Jiujiu calmly touched her small belly.
“This is actually just fat.”
Old Meng’s wife: …
The belly gradually grew larger, and Ruan Jiujiu’s mood plummeted day by day. She always felt like there was a neither light nor heavy weight in her belly, making it frustrating to sleep without tossing and turning. Occasionally, she wanted Cheng Jun to hold her while sleeping, but she couldn’t make it happen, which was also frustrating. At times, she felt inexplicably irritable, which was also frustrating.
In short, she walked on the edge between very bad and okay mood every day.
Cheng Jun silently waited for three months to pass. After midnight, he reached out his long arm and hugged Ruan Jiujiu, kissing her on the face.
Ruan Jiujiu, half asleep, asked, “Huh? What’s going on?”
Cheng Jun replied, “It’s been three months.”
Ruan Jiujiu, still half asleep, said, “I’m not interested.”
…
Cheng Jun lowered his head and sat alone at the bedside. Ruan Jiūjiū slept soundly behind him, and her faint breathing was so clear in the night.
Cheng Jun: “Sigh.”
In the fourth month of Ruan Jiujiu’s pregnancy, Cheng Jun’s mood also declined rapidly.
Pregnant women were advised to reduce exposure to radiation, so she naturally avoided using the computer and phone as much as possible.
After much persuasion from a group of people, Ruan Jiujiu had to put her work aside and take a break at home temporarily. Only she, the boss lady, could enjoy such a long holiday.
Bored at home, she unexpectedly got in touch with Mr. Wei through Old Meng. Ruan Jiujiu participated in several gatherings with them, still holding deep respect for this big shot. Although she called him by the same title as Old Meng did, ultimately, he was her senior, and she dared not be disrespectful.
They talked for a long time, and Ruan Jiujiu finally understood that Mr. Wei had come to persuade her to change careers.
Saying that she’s changing careers isn’t entirely accurate; she’s just transitioning from gaming to animation. Mr. Wei has a studio and is starting a new project, and he has always hoped that Ruan Jiujiu would join. Now, it’s a great opportunity.
Ruan Jiujiu talked to him a lot, and by the end, Mr. Wei’s eyes were shining, and he was gesticulating enthusiastically. He didn’t look like a man in his fifties or sixties at all; when he talked about his project, he seemed like a child.
She decided to take a few days to consider.
Cheng Jun remained expressionless throughout. He was very unhappy that someone was trying to poach his wife, but he wouldn’t interfere with whatever decision Ruan Jiujiu made.
Ruan Jiujiu had a sore back, and she wasn’t naturally prone to swelling, but now if she drank a little more water at night, her legs would be somewhat swollen the next day. She rested her legs on Cheng Jun’s lap, leaning lazily against a cushion.
Cheng Jun slowly peeled nuts as a background activity.
“I heard that people usually attend some prenatal classes; maybe I should sign up for one too.”
Cheng Jun asked, “What do they teach in those classes?”
“Probably things like child care basics.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jun remained silent for a long time.
His gaze flickered toward the cabinet with the locked box and he said slowly, “I think we won’t need it.”
Ruan Jiujiu: ???
She followed Cheng Jun’s gaze.
Ruan Jiujiu said expressionlessly, “Don’t tell me you’ve already decided who you want to give it to.”
In Cheng Jun’s mind, he contemplated his ideal first, second, and third choices. After a moment of hesitation, he replied, “Not confirmed yet.”
Ruan Jiujiu sighed.
She was starting to worry for their future child.
Author’s Note: Witnessing someone go through pregnancy and childbirth, the whole process is really not easy! Becoming a mother is a great and challenging thing.
So, who are Cheng Jun’s first, second, and third choices in his heart? 23333
Love what you read? A little donation can go a long way!
