Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Song Yu shifted her gaze back to Qi Chengzhi and noticed that he was staring at her with anticipation. âPosting it to your friend list?â
â...â Song Yu found his stare hard to resist. His eagerness was what made it hard for her to let him down.
She forced herself to post it before she had any regrets. Qi Chengzhi was already refreshing his friend list on his phone. Once he received Song Yuâs message in the group, he looked at Song Yu with a gentle smile. It was as if he gave her a nod of approval.
âSo, happy?â Qi Chengzhi lifted his eyebrow, and he seemed a little arrogant with that smile of his.
Song Yu knew that a man like him would always ask for more when it came to things like that.
She looked at him briefly, and she did not want to let him down, especially since he had spent the entire day celebrating with her. The fact that he was excited after she had posted that message showed that he was easily appeased after a long day.
Song Yu grabbed his arm and leaned over as she nodded obediently. âYes, very happy. You have been so busy preparing this for me. Itâs worth more to me than the things that money can buy.â
Qi Chengzhi smiled gently at her. After Song Yu let go of him, Qi Chengzhi jabbed his phone for a few more moments before Song Yuâs phone lit up with a notification tone.
Song Yu opened the notification questioningly and found that it was Qi Chengzhi who had replied to her message.
[Qi Chengzhi: Iâve put all of my assets under your name. Iâm a poor man now, so I will only be able to cook for you.]
There was a shy emoji at the end of the sentence.
â...â Song Yu was speechless.
She considered Qi Chengzhiâs usual temperament, and it was nothing like how he acted through the text message.
After some time, her phone started to beep continuously. Yan Beicheng and the rest of her friends wrote â...â as a reply to Qi Chengzhiâs message.
âIgnore them.â Qi Chengzhi said with slight disgust in his tone. He carved a slice of the turkey for Song Yu and said, âTry this. This is my first time roasting a turkey.â
Song Yu took a bite. Under Qi Chengzhiâs eager gaze, she complimented him and said that it tasted great.
...
...
After the meal, Qi Chengzhi prepared a cake for her, but he did not bake it himself. He had learned how to cook when he studied in the US. However, he did not learn how to bake desserts. He had Dynasty sent the cake over.
The couple sat down on the couch. Qi Chengzhi wrapped Song Yu in his arms as she laid on his chest. They had cakes and watched the television together.
All of a sudden, Song Yu paused before her next spoonful of cake. Qi Chengzhi could feel her frozen in his arms. He looked down at her and asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
Song Yu was stunned and frightened. âI felt... pain in my stomach.â
Qi Chengzhi nearly dropped the plate on his hand. He moved their plates away and looked at her nervously.
âI think... I think Iâm having contractions.â Song Yu held onto her stomach. She did not think that Qi Chengzhi would be right, that Qi Youjin would arrive just in time for the festive season.
Qi Chengzhi squeezed his watch. He had studied for more information about labor, including signs of labor, labor pain, and even pseudo analgesia.
After about a minute, Song Yu sighed in relief and said, âIt doesnât hurt anymore.â
Her face was white because she was in so much pain before that. Her forehead was also covered in sweat. It had hurt a lot worse than the usual period pain.
âIâll get the things, weâre going to the hospital,â Qi Chengzhi said. He had already packed the necessary things as Song Yuâs due date drew nearer. He knew that if there was an emergency, he could just grab the bag and take Song Yu to the hospital.
âAunty Yang!â Qi Chengzhi yelled.
Song Yu grabbed Qi Chengzhiâs arm. Even though she was not in pain at that moment, she was still a little weak. She was not sure if it was only a psychological pain, so she could not relax.
âYou forgot that Aunty Yang had gone home,â Song Yu reminded him.
Qi Chengzhi regretted that he did not ask Aunty Yang to stay with them. There was no other experienced person in the house. He ran to their bedroom on the second floor and grabbed a luggage bag from the closet.
âCan you walk?â Qi Chengzhi asked.
Song Yu nodded. She got up and said, âIt doesnât hurt now.â
Qi Chengzhi carried Song Yu into the car. It was Christmas Eve, so the traffic was even worse than usual. The Range Rover managed to get onto the main road, but it did not move for quite some time.
After about half an hour on the road, they were still only halfway through their journey to the Chutian Hospital. âArgh!â Song Yu clenched her stomach. She started to shiver as the contractions came and went without any warning. Song Yu did not want to say anything as she did not want to affect Qi Chengzhiâs driving.
âDoes it hurt again?â Qi Chengzhi turned and looked at her.
Song Yu nodded as a piercing pain shot through her stomach. It felt as if someone had cut her stomach open. Song Yuâs body shivered from the pain, and her right hand unconsciously felt for the handle the roof of the car. She held onto it tightly and clenched her teeth. She was about to cry from the pain.
Qi Chengzhi could only watch her nervously. The traffic finally moved after some time, and Qi Chengzhi started driving right away.
âJust scream out loud if you canât take the pain, itâs fine.â Qi Chengzhi knew what worried Song Yu. She was afraid that her screams would distract him. âIâll be more worried if youâre quiet. I wonât be able to help myself but to keep looking at you. Donât hold it in, scream if itâs painful. Itâs better to let it out.â
Song Yu saw that Qi Chengzhi had extended his hand to her. She took it and clenched it so tightly that her nails dug into the back of his hand. Qi Chengzhi did not say anything when she did that. He seemed worried and nervous, but he showed no signs of pain. Song Yu was in so much pain that she did not know what she was doing.
She finally screamed out loud, and she was in tears. Qi Chengzhi was extremely anxious, and he wished that he could share her pain.
After another minute, the pain subsided, and Song Yu laid back on the seat in defeat. She was drenched in cold sweat.
Qi Chengzhi gave her hand a little squeeze of comfort before he grabbed his phone to call Chu Zhaoyang so that he could prepare the hospital staff.
After he hung up, Qi Chengzhi put his phone on top of the storage space in between the seats. Song Yu saw the nail prints on the back of his hand, and they had turned dark red. She realized that it was her that had done that when she could not tolerate the pain.
Song Yu grabbed his hand in distress and gently grazed her fingers over the wounds on the back of his hand. âWhy didnât you pull your hand away just now?â
âItâs nothing. This is nothing compared to the pain that youâre going through. Itâs quite good that I can go through the pain with you. We can accompany each other.â Qi Chengzhi said casually.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Song Yu wrapped his hand with both of hers. She knew that the pain did not matter as long as she could safely deliver their child.
After another 20 minutes, the car finally arrived at Chutian Hospital. Song Yu had gone through another round of pain in the traffic jam.
Qi Chengzhi did not have enough time to find a parking space. He stopped the car right in front of the hospitalâs entrance and carried Song Yu out of it immediately.
Song Yuâs legs went wobbly, and she screamed in pain, âChengzhi!â
Qi Chengzhi carried her in his arms and ran into the hospital. âDoes it hurt again?â
âYes...â Song Yu was in so much pain that she had lost all of her strength. She could only grab onto Qi Chengzhiâs shirt.
The pains had come in shorter intervals.
As Chu Zhaoyang was already notified beforehand, the nurses went to them with a hospital bed. Together with Qi Chengzhi, they put Song Yu onto it.
âChengzhi! Chengzhi!â Song Yu was in pain, and she continued to shout Qi Chengzhiâs name. However, her voice was weak because she was in so much pain.
Qi Chengzhi made a mental note to himself. He would never let Song Yu give birth again. It was too much for a person to bear.
The nurse pushed Song Yu to the labor room and had Qi Chengzhi take note of the intervals of Song Yuâs pains. They also taught him a few tricks to ease Song Yuâs pain.
The nurse left to go to the delivery room. Only the husband and wife were left in the labor room. A doctor went in to check on them intermittently so that he could inspect the dilation of the cervix.
Qi Chengzhi checked the time. Song Yuâs contractions had been about ten minutes apart. Song Yu was in so much pain that she wanted to cry. However, she tried to follow the doctorâs order and used her chest to breathe rhythmically.
âChengzhi... Chengzhi...â Song Yu could not stop calling Qi Chengzhiâs name. It was the only way she could have enough willpower to hold on.
Qi Chengzhi was extremely concerned. He held her hand as he asked the doctor, âIs it still not ready yet?â
The doctor checked Song Yuâs cervix again before he finally told the nurse, âItâs 6cm, we can go to the delivery room now.â
Qi Chengzhi continued to hold Song Yuâs hand, and it seemed like he planned to enter the delivery room with her. Husbands were not usually allowed in the delivery room, but the doctor did not dare to stop him because of Qi Chengzhiâs relationship with Chu Zhaoyang.
âChengzhi, please wait outside.â They were at the entrance to the delivery, and Song Yu attempted to stop Qi Chengzhi from entering the room. She realized that he intended to go in there with her when she noticed that he had not let go of her hand.
âIâm going in there with you.â Qi Chengzhi said assertively. That was the first time that he had said no to her. He would usually just keep quiet rather than to reject her request outright. âYouâre in so much pain right now. How can I not be worried while I wait outside here, all by myself?â
âIâm not letting you come with me.â Song Yu was adamant. To deliver a baby was not a pretty sight. He was already worried about her. If he were to watch her deliver the baby, she was afraid that he would be terrified. âIf youâre in there with me, then I will need to care for your feelings as well. The delivery of a baby is not a pretty sight.â
She had read a report that mentioned how a man was traumatized because he had watched his wife gave birth. It had been a terrifying experience for him.
Qi Chengzhi wanted to say something before Song Yu cut him short. She insisted. âIf you donât agree, then Iâm not going into the delivery room. Iâll just stay here!â
It was the first time that Song Yu was that firm with him. She seemed exceptionally adamant.
Qi Chengzhi did not want to continue to argue with her while she was in so much pain, so he could only force himself to agree to that.
The doctor also sighed in relief. If they had continued to argue, then he would come to a difficult situation as he could not offend either of them.
Qi Chengzhi was left alone when they pushed Song Yu into the delivery room. Exhaustion finally hit him, and he collapsed into a chair. He rubbed his cold hands to get some warmth and wondered when Song Yu would come out of the room.
After a few moments, Qi Chengzhi thought about calling his family. So he called the house, Xia Wenna, and Yu Qingying. It was not until he hung up that he realized that it was already half-past ten.
The door to the delivery room remained closed. No one came out of it yet, so he did not know what went on in there. He should have let Song Yu brought her phone with her so that he could at least talk to her via the speakerphone.
At about half-past eleven at night, Qi Zhongliang and Xia Wenna arrived before everyone else. Grandfather and Grandmother, Qi Zhongxun and Guan Liya, Qi Chengyue, and Cheng Dongge followed suit, while Donglin and Yu Qianying arrived last.
âThe traffic is so bad today.â Grandmotherâs mood was badly affected by the traffic jam. She was worried about her granddaughter-in-law, but the traffic was in her way. âWhy are the people celebrating the white peopleâs festival!â
â...â Qi Chengzhi had no response for that because they had celebrated it that night too.
âHow long has Little Song been in there?â Grandmother asked as she sat down.
âOne and a half hours,â Qi Chengzhi said nervously. He was no longer as calm as he usually was when faced with problems.
âDonât worry. Itâs normal to take a few hours to give birth.â Xia Wenna comforted him. âWhen I gave birth to you, it took me more than six hours to do it, but it was a lot faster when it got to your brother.â
The clock struck past midnight. Qi Chengzhi could no longer sit still, so he stood up and paced back and forth in the hall.
âChengzhi, please, calm down and take a seat. My eyes are blurry from all your pacing,â Grandmother said as she held her forehead.
âMom, why donât you go with Dad and the rest of them,â Qi Zhongliang said. There was a VIP lounge in the hospital, and it was not good for the elders to sit there and wait.
Grandmother was truly tired as well. She yawned and said, âThatâs a good idea, weâll go and have some shut-eye. When Little Song comes out, call us.â
...
...
While Song Yu was in the delivery room, Mu Sisi and Gao Jingwei laid in bed together. Gao Jingwei had invited a few friends to a Christmas party and had brought her along. He had a little too much to drink, so he smelled like alcohol as he laid next to her and snored the night away.
Mu Sisi was annoyed with the noise and turned over. All of a sudden, the wireless phone on the bedside table rang.
Mu Sisi looked at the time and wondered why anyone would call past midnight. She picked up the call, and before she could say anything, she heard moans through the phone. Mu Sisi knew who it was right away.
She looked at Gao Jingwei carefully, but he was sound asleep. Mu Sisi grabbed the phone and went into the shower. She locked the door and started to fill the bathtub so that the sound of water would overwhelm her conversation. âWhat do you want? You are crazy to call me at midnight!â
âThatâs because I miss you, baby. I watched the video again, and I want to do you one more time,â the wretched voice said through the phone.
âAre you crazy? Do you want to let my husband know about this, calling me at this hour? Heâs not me, and he wonât give in to your threats.â Mu Sisi clenched the phone.
âHahaha, that is none of my business. I donât care if your husband finds out about this. But youâre scared to death, arenât you? Be careful, donât let him hear this,â the man said arrogantly.
âWhat are you trying to do?â Mu Sisi said through gritted teeth.
The man had called her multiple times since she first got his call. Sometimes he would call her on the mobile phone, and sometimes on the house phone. It nearly drove her crazy.
Every time he called her on the house phone, she worried that the maid would learn something she should not. What if the maid had picked up the phone? What would happen if everything knew about what had happened?
Sometimes the man would also call her while she was in the middle of a meeting. He would say those wretched things no matter where she was. However, she did not dare to hang up on him as she was afraid that he would release the photos.
âDidnât you hear what I said just now? I really want to do you right now,â the man said shamelessly.
Mu Sisiâs eyes turned red. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she could no longer speak.
âGive me another five hundred thousand dollars,â the man finally said.
âHow much do you really want? Just name a price, and we can negotiate about it as long as you delete all the photos and stop harassing me!â Mu Sisi said softly.
âHow could I do that? Iâm still counting on our long-term cooperation. Why donât you transfer five hundred thousand dollars to me on the first day of every month, and I wonât release your photos. Any month that I donât receive the money on time, then your photos will appear immediately on the Internet. Your company, your husbandâs company, even your family, and maybe even your father and brother, they could all see it.â The man laughed maliciously.
âI can give you the money, but you need to stop calling and harassing me!â Mu Sisi said. He was driving her insane.
âWho are you to negotiate with me?â The man ignored her and laughed. âSpeaking of which, I forgot to tell you something. While we are talking on the phone, I sent a few more photos to your phone.â
Mu Sisi froze. It was as if the blood in her body had stopped flowing. She hung up without a moment of hesitation, ran out of the shower, and checked her phone. Her fingers tapped on the screen to open the texts, and she found two new photos from the man. She felt nauseated. She deleted the photos and hid in the shower to cry.
She was at her breaking point after daily harassment from that man.
...
...
At around half-past one in the morning, the door to the delivery room finally opened. A loud cry could be heard before anyone came out of the room. Qi Chengyue immediately went to notify Grandfather and Grandmother.
Before they brought Song Yu out, the nurse carried Qi Youjin out of the room. He was so small and not much bigger than the palm of the nurse. He had his eyes closed, and his face seemed a little yellowish, but it was not crumpled. He had stopped crying after some time.
âCongratulations, itâs a boy.â the nurse smiled and handed Qi Youjin to Qi Chengzhi. âBoth mother and baby are in good health. He weighs 3.6 kilograms.â
Qi Chengzhi carried the little person carefully. Before he could study his sonâs face in detail, he looked into the delivery room and asked, âWhereâs my wife?â
âShe will be out in a minute,â the nurse said with a smile. âI will bring the baby to the incubator now, and I will bring him back to the ward in about an hour so that the mother can feed him.â
Qi Chengzhi took another look at his infant son, intently. Everything about him was small. Since his eyes were shut, it was not possible to see who he took after.
He handed the baby back to the nurse. Xia Wenna was still worried about him, so she went with the nurse to send the baby to the incubator.
They finally brought Song Yu out of the room. She looked weak as she laid on the bed, and her face was a little pale. Qi Chengzhi went to her immediately and held her hand. âAre you okay?â
Song Yu did not have much energy left in her. Her arm was still weak, and she opened her mouth slightly before she said, âI feel a lot better after pushing it out. Iâm more relaxed now.â
Qi Chengzhi could not help himself but laughed. She made it sound like she was constipated, and she had just pooped.