Ruan Jiujiu said in despair, “I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have enrolled in this group class from the beginning. Then I wouldn’t be in this awkward situation, my identity wouldn’t have been exposed, and no one would have found out about my pregnancy.”
Cheng Jun, sitting in a nearby chair, remained very composed. He picked up a soft toy baby and pinched its belly and little hands, completely ignoring the furtive glances from others.
Ruan Jiujiu grabbed his sleeve and whispered, “Do you think that the whole company will find out about my pregnancy by the next day?”
Cheng Jun said, “I’ll teach you a trick.”
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “What is it?”
“Threaten him with termination to keep him from disclosing it.”
She raised her eyes, and the two of them locked eyes. Ruan Jiujiu remained expressionless, while Cheng Jun continued to pinch the baby’s tiny feet.
“…Are you serious?” she asked.
He replied, “Just kidding.”
The coach was earnestly teaching everyone how to quickly remove foreign objects if a baby choked. Following the coach’s instructions, Ruan Jiujiu placed the baby on her lap and gently applied pressure while patting the baby’s back.
Cheng Jun watched very attentively.
When it was the men’s turn, Cheng Jun skillfully took the toy baby and placed it on his lap. With a gentle pat, there was a loud “pop” as the toy baby’s head fell off and rolled quite a distance, startling the other pregnant women, who screamed in shock. Ruan Jiujiu was also taken aback and hurriedly apologized as she picked up the baby’s head and reattached it.
The entire scene was so gruesome and cruel that Ruan Jiujiu felt her baby kicking and struggling inside her belly, as if trying to break free from this evil cage.
Ruan Jiujiu glared at Cheng Jun. “Did you want to pat him to death with such force?”
Cheng Jun casually replied, “I considered it.”
Ruan Jiujiu was baffled.
Although the class lasted for less than an hour, it felt like an eternity for Ruan Jiujiu. After it ended, without waiting for others to cautiously approach and make small talk, Ruan Jiujiu pulled Cheng Jun out of the room.
Cheng Jun followed behind her and said, “Let’s find a different coach.”
“I know,” Ruan Jiujiu grumbled, “It’s because I didn’t think too much at the beginning. I always wanted to stay within the normal social circle.” But she kept forgetting that she wasn’t a regular person, and people had to carefully consider their interactions with her.
Working diligently every day, coming home to their not-so-large two-bedroom apartment in an ordinary residential building, buying groceries when needed, and going to the supermarket without deliberately spending too much money. The astronomical figures in her bank account were just numbers to Ruan Jiujiu, as she might never be able to spend the leftover amounts in her lifetime.
Thinking this way, Ruan Jiujiu felt a bit downcast.
During her pregnancy, Ruan Jiujiu was extremely sensitive, and the recent incident with various people made her sit in the back seat of their private car with her head down, feeling somewhat upset.
“Did I embarrass you just now?” Although that Jia Cheng executive showed respect on the surface, she couldn’t be sure what he might say behind her back.
Cheng Jun sat in the driver’s seat, about to start the car, but when he heard Ruan Jiujiu’s disheartened words, he placed one hand on the steering wheel, turned away from the front, and looked at Ruan Jiujiu sitting in the back.
His speech was slow and deliberate. “Come here.”
Ruan Jiujiu hesitated for a moment and then leaned toward Cheng Jun as instructed.
In a gentle and fleeting manner, he kissed Ruan Jiujiu’s lips.
Startled by the unexpected kiss, Ruan Jiujiu let out a gasp, and her cheeks flushed red.
Cheng Jun asked, “Will you still overthink things?”
Ruan Jiujiu nodded, her voice a little shaky, “Mm-hmm?”
He spoke softly, “This is just a very small matter, don’t blame yourself so easily.”
…
After that day, Ruan Jiujiu decided to terminate her plans to attend training classes. Cheng Jun arranged one-on-one lessons for her, allowing the instructor to come directly to her location. Ruan Jiujiu felt much more at ease now. She realized that she shouldn’t force herself into social circles where she couldn’t fit in. She had learned her lesson and no longer mentioned any group activities.
Gatherings, outings, and socializing – she already had plenty of friends to enjoy these activities with.
The unexpected encounter with the executive didn’t lead to any leaks, as Ruan Jiujiu had feared. There were rumors in the company that she was pregnant, but no one could confirm it, making it a mystery to this day.
Gu You’s wife had a much larger belly than Ruan Jiujiu’s, and she was said to be expecting twins. Ruan Jiujiu felt both envy and a sense of dread.
Whenever she thought about carrying two children in her slender abdomen, she couldn’t help but have all sorts of wild thoughts. She would dream at night of her belly growing bigger, teetering on the edge of explosion as if she were a balloon.
Experienced individuals who looked at her belly said it was a girl. Ruan Jiujiu didn’t understand how they could tell whether the belly was pointed or round, but when others said so, she couldn’t help but feel a bit excited, hoping for a cute little girl.
If it were a boy, like Cheng Jun, the two of them would babble on together every day. That would surely drive her crazy.
A girl would be better. They could both dote on her, and Cheng Jun would likely have more patience with a daughter. Ruan Jiujiu could already imagine Cheng Jun tenderly holding their daughter, rubbing her little cheeks, and the two of them playing together with warmth and affection.
With these thoughts in mind, her dreams at night were filled with a lovely little girl, with big, shiny eyes and a sweet, milky voice, melting Ruan Jiujiu’s heart.
In the morning, Ruan Jiujiu leaned against Cheng Jun’s chest and lazily said, “Let’s buy some clothes for the baby in a little while, especially some pink ones.”
Cheng Jun didn’t really care about the color of the clothes; he wasn’t very fashion-conscious himself, let alone for a child. As long as the clothes covered the basics and kept the child dressed, it was enough for him.
He replied with a simple “Okay.”
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “Have you thought of a name?”
Cheng Jun, still half-asleep, rubbed his eyes and with a nasal tone, said, “Huh? What name?”
Ruan Jiujiu playfully bit his arm and said, “The child will be born in two months! Pay more attention!”
Cheng Jun suggested, “Let’s name her Cheng Xiu.”
Ruan Jiujiu glared at him.
“No way!” she exclaimed.
After receiving Ruan Jiujiu’s brainwashing, Cheng Jun pondered for a moment and realized that having a daughter might not be a bad thing; it might even be better than having a son. He finally stopped worrying about how many layers of newspaper to fold in the cardboard boxes in the closet. If it was a daughter, they probably wouldn’t need them.
The question of what to name the child remained undecided until close to the due date.
Ruan Jiujiu’s temper had been worn thin, and as her belly grew day by day, she became increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn’t eat properly, couldn’t sleep well, and felt physically uncomfortable. She was constantly on edge and nearing the point of explosion every day.
Even drawing for Old Wei couldn’t salvage her incredibly irritable mood. When she got agitated, she would sometimes draw dozens of paintings in a day, not even knowing what she was drawing, just wanting to throw her body into outer space.
She suddenly felt how fortunate it was to not have those extra pounds of flesh on her body.
Cheng Jun watched, feeling helpless, unable to do anything.
He thought that once the child was born, he would get a vasectomy and never have another child. One would be enough.
After eagerly anticipating it for so long, the due date finally arrived. Ruan Jiujiu would tear up every time she glanced at the date, as if she were a prisoner who had spent ten years in prison and was about to be released, ready to unload her burden and feel light and free.
Ruan Jiujiu had never looked forward to going to the hospital so much in her life.
Several nannies and a nutritionist took care of her meticulously throughout, leaving Ruan Jiujiu without a care in the world. She remembered back to a time in her previous life when she was still young, and her mother was still gentle with her. Occasionally, her mother would talk about how she cooked and did laundry with a big belly while enduring the pain of labor, right up until the moment of delivery.
With just that thought, Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but gently touch her round belly.
In that moment, Ruan Jiujiu suddenly didn’t resent her mother anymore. She had also experienced the pain of childbirth, and in her younger years, she had been a loving and caring wife and mother. Love and non-love couldn’t simply summarize all the emotions in the world.
Ruan Jiujiu closed her eyes and softly stroked her belly.
She would strive to be a good mother.
Just at that moment, her belly suddenly cramped. Ruan Jiujiu, who had experienced this a few times before, remained calm despite the pain, although her face turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down her back.
Cheng Jun had just finished showering, and as he was drying his hair with a towel, he saw Ruan Jiujiu in agony, clinging to the edge of the bed.
“What’s wrong? Is your stomach hurting?!” he exclaimed.
“It’s okay, it should be contractions…” Ruan Jiujiu weakly waved her hand.
With one or two weeks left until the due date, it was probably another false alarm.
The contractions came on intensely, and Ruan Jiujiu was tortured, emitting gasps of pain. It felt as if her lower body were being torn apart, and as if a ton of weighty hammers were relentlessly pounding on her belly. She clung tightly to the bedsheets, her nightgown drenched in sweat.
“I can’t take it anymore…”
Ruan Jiujiu’s voice was on the verge of tears. “It seems like… it really is time to give birth!”
Cheng Jun: “!”
After being rushed to the hospital, Ruan Jiujiu lay weakly on the hospital bed. She was in so much pain that she couldn’t speak, gasping for breath as if on the brink of death. The doctor examined her and after a while, shook his head and said, “You’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
And so they waited for another two hours.
Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but start crying. She couldn’t control herself, her heart filled with fear and frustration. If she was in so much pain before giving birth, how much worse would it be during childbirth?
Cheng Jun stood by her bedside, comforting her in a low voice repeatedly. He also made sure to feed her some food so that she would have the energy to give birth later.
Ruan Jiujiu clenched her teeth and ate the food Cheng Jun fed her.
As she ate, she suddenly bit down on Cheng Jun’s finger. Despite the pain, she didn’t dare to bite too hard, fearing that she might hurt Cheng Jun’s finger, leaving only shallow teeth marks. Ruan Jiujiu cried as she mumbled, “I’m in so much pain, I’m never having another child…”
Never before had Cheng Jun seen Ruan Jiujiu in such a distressed and painful state. Normally composed, Cheng Jun remained silent and offered his finger to her.
“Bite it a few times; it will help.”
Ruan Jiujiu cried even harder, her rolling tears soaking his hand. “I can’t bear it… sob…”
After a series of painful contractions, they finally received notice that it was time for delivery. At this moment, Ruan Jiujiu just wanted to give birth to the baby quickly; her mind was in a daze. Cheng Jun, who had been asked to leave the delivery room, stood outside, listening to the nurses’ encouragement and Ruan Jiujiu’s painful moans.
When Tu Nan and the others rushed over upon hearing the news, they saw Cheng Jun standing in the hallway with an expressionless face.
Inside the delivery room, Ruan Jiujiu was still struggling to give birth, and even the sound of her pain was terrifying.
Tu Nan truly admired Cheng Jun for his ability to remain calm while waiting for his wife to give birth in such a situation. He handed Cheng Jun a bottle of water and encouraged him to take a sip.
Cheng Jun reached out mechanically and held the bottle of mineral water.
It was only then that Tu Nan noticed that the water in the plastic bottle had been continuously trembling.
As it turned out, due to excessive nervousness and anxiety, Cheng Jun’s fingertips were actually trembling.
The author has a message to convey: Giving birth is really not easy!
There will only be one update today, as the author is preparing to go home and is uncertain whether there will be one or two updates tomorrow. Once the author returns home, updates will be more stable (although there may not be many chapters left).
Oh, I forgot to give you a belated greeting – Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!
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