Chapter 85: The Final Chapter

The next day, An Yize didn’t go to work and stayed home with Su Jian because first thing in the morning, Su Jian started throwing up again.

Hugging the toilet while dry heaving for a long while, Su Jian who felt pitifully on the verge of death was helped out of the bathroom by An Yize.

“When the great aunt comes, it causes worries. When it doesn’t come, it also causes worries. It’s so hard being a woman!” Su Jian sighed gloomily.

An Yize: “……”

Su Jian looked at An Yize, then a lightbulb went off suddenly in his head, “Yize, I have an idea!”

An Yize looked at his sparkling eyes, and asked guardedly, “What idea?”

“Say. What do you think about finding another person to have your babies?” Su Jian got excited the more he talked, “Like looking for a mistress or something. Let her give birth to your child. At that time, I can sleep with her and take care of her…”

An Yize said quietly, “You want to push me towards someone else?”

Su Jian was frozen by An Yize’s slightly rueful gaze and hastily waved his hand, “Hehe, I’m just joking! Why are you so serious? How could I bear to give you to someone else?”

Seeing the hint of doubt in An Yize’s eyes as if he didn’t believe him, Su Jian slapped his stomach and stiffened his neck as he said, “I’m already willing to have your child. What else do you want?”

An Yize’s heart skipped a beat. He hastily pulled his hand and frowned, “Don’t slap!”

Seeing his extremely serious expression, Su Jian shrank back and said in embarrassment, “Why so loud…”

An Yize spoke solemnly, “The doctor said that we had to be very careful the first three months. You can’t do high intensity movements or you could easily miscarry.”

Su Jian was terrified at the word ‘miscarry’ and unconsciously touched his stomach. He muttered apprehensively, “How troublesome…then what about after three months? Can I move however I wish then?”

An Yize replied, “After three months, your stomach will get bigger. At that time, you wouldn’t be able to move even if you wanted to.”

Su Jian: “…”

………….

Because of the sudden pregnancy, Su Jian was strongly encouraged by his family to stop teaching in at-risk areas. Su Jian felt that other than the minor annoyance of occasional vomiting, there wasn’t much of a problem with continuing to teach in an at-risk area. However, An Yize didn’t allow it and was completely unyielding this time. Su Jian couldn’t move him at all. In the end, he could only compromise. Su Jian stopped teaching in at-risk areas and returned to work at his original school.

When they found out that not only was Su Jian married, but that he was pregnant, his colleagues and students expressed emotions ranging from surprise to sorrow. But the majority were congratulatory. An Yize personally escorted Su Jian to the office and brought gifts while politely requesting Su Jian’s colleagues watch out for her on a regular basis. Thus, after her colleagues had met Su Jian’s husband in real life, everyone said that Su Jian’s hubby was handsome and loved his wife dearly and that he could not be even more amazing! If this had happened in the past, Su Jian would have inevitably felt jealousy and bitterness about hearing other people praising An Yize like that. But now that he was in a good relationship with An Yize, he would unconsciously feel elated when he heard other people praise An Yize. He said, beaming, “You’re too kind! The main point is that I have good taste!”

When the students found out that Su Jian was pregnant, they felt happy and excited for the new experience. They were actually a lot better behaved in class. It was not just because of the head teacher’s strict oversight, but also: “Our language teacher is pregnant. No one is allowed to make the language teacher angry,” the tall, strong Ling Si had also spread the word. He would beat up whoever dared make the language teacher angry or make her unhappy!

At home, Su Jian pretty much became the most protected person in the house. Not only were the servants warned repeatedly to pay attention to third young master’s wife’s needs, but even the An family members warmed up even more towards Su Jian. Knowing that Su Jian was pregnant, An Yiheng who just happened to be out filming a movie forcibly cleared up some time to go home. In addition to a bunch of maternity and infant products, he also brought a large stack of autographed pictures from major movie stars. Even the mysterious oldest brother, An Yitian, that Su Jian hadn’t even met yet had made a telephone call to Su Jian and sent generous gifts. An Yirou didn’t even have to be mentioned. She moved back to school as soon as she heard Su Jian was pregnant and would check in frequently on how her sister-in-law and the baby were doing. And while father An treated Su Jian warmly, it was now supplemented with occasional concern as if he was treating Su Jian like a daughter.

The biggest change was seen in mother An. Even though mother An was still a bit cold to Su Jian to her face, it was a departure from the formerly critical Elder Rong. Now she had become a ‘caretaker in both name and reality. Every day, she made Su Jian eat, rest, and limited his screen time. If Su Jian felt even the slightest discomfort, she would worry. Confronted with mother An’s panicked suspicion of every tree and bush, Su Jian who was usually carefree felt very distressed. He secretly muttered, “How could it be so easy to miscarry? And even if I did miscarry, couldn’t I just get conceive again?” Who would have known that once mother An knew Su Jian had said that, she immediately and ruthlessly lectured him, “You think that it’s only the child’s problem? Miscarriages are very harmful to a woman’s body. Don’t you want to live?”

That night, Su Jian touched his chin as he laid in An Yize’s arms, “Why do I get the feeling that mom’s words were out of concern for me?”

An Yize laughed, “Mom has always been worried about you. When you went to teach in at-risk areas, mom would always ask me about you. It was just that you didn’t know.”

After mother Su learned that Su Jian was pregnant, she was delighted beyond belief. She stubbornly dragged her sick self to call on Su Jian and had prepared to take care of her daughter herself. It took a Herculean effort by Su Jian and An Yize, both worried about her health, as well as mother An’s personal vehement guarantee that she would definitely take good care of Su Jian to make her drop the idea and go home to take care of her own illness.

With harmonious and friendly coworkers, lively yet obedient students, and a family that treated him with utmost care, Su Jian felt that he lived a very comfortable life. Especially after three months, the bad side effects disappeared. Su Jian couldn’t help but feel that pregnancy actually seemed to not be so hard!

Su Jian had actually heard in the office from coworkers who had already become mothers that even though pregnancy was difficult, the feeling of growing another life was indescribable. When Su Jian felt it for himself, he discovered that other than the amazement at seeing his own stomach grow big as if it was a balloon being blown up, he didn’t have many of those so-called maternal feelings that everyone talked about. Occasionally he’d get dragged to some baby store by mother An. His neighbor mothers-to-be would carry expressions of tender happiness, yet he would usually feel bored and embarrassed. Thus, he often slipped away secretly to the neighboring toy store. Then, when he became engrossed in playing, he’d be dragged back by mother An.

However when he came home at night and watched An Yize gently kiss his stomach tenderly with a worshipful face, a tendril of some kind of feeling would surface and he’d suddenly feel as if enduring this torment was pretty…worth it.

But he still felt regret. Lying in the crook in An Yize’s arm, he sighed, “Everyone says that once you have a child, don’t even think about having a carefree life again. Ay, I wanted to have two more years with just the two of us!

An Yize kissed him and said gently, “Jian Jian, I would still love you whether we had a child or not.”

The corners of Su Jian’s mouth lifted but immediately fell again. “That’s not the same! This ball is too inconvenient! I originally wanted to try out a whole bunch of places! Like in the car, outdoors, or something. But now look at me! I can’t do anything!”

An Yize let out a soft chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?” Su Jian was dissatisfied, “You don’t want to?”

“I do.” An Yize’s delighted voice was low, gentle, yet husky, “After you give birth, we can try them one by one…”

Su Jian’s gaze lit up and clung onto his neck, “Can’t we try them right now?”

An Yize gaze deepened. His Adam’s apple bobbed, but he managed to hold himself in check. He pressed himself against Su Jian’s forehead and said huskily, “No. At least, not right now. It could hurt the baby.”

Su Jian was a bit disappointed, so he leaned in and resentfully bit An Yize’s lip. Then, he looked up at the sky while sighing sadly, “Alas! I’ve just now discovered that condoms are an invention truly beneficial to mankind!”

An Yize: “……”

………….

As his due date neared, Su Jian couldn’t help but start to worry. Sometimes he would watch dramas with mother An and see the female lead of the drama give birth. Her face would be twisted as she shouted in desperation. Su Jian couldn’t help but tremble—where was the happiness of growing a new life? This was clearly torture! Ah! He’d rather die than give birth!

As he became more traumatized, Su Jian started to twist himself up in knots with worry. “What do I do if I have complications during labor?”

He felt for An Yize so whether to protect the adult or the child was not a question he was planning to ask. But An Yize directly answered him anyways, “It won’t happen. Don’t speculate blindly. No matter what, Jian Jian, you are the most important.”

When he heard this, Su Jian couldn’t help but be glad. He thought and thought, then he had another dilemma, “Do you think I should choose to give birth naturally or have a C-section?”

An Yize was surprised, “Aren’t you afraid of pain? I thought you wouldn’t even consider natural childbirth.”

“Who said I was afraid of pain?” To be considered weak by An Yize made Su Jian very unhappy. “Don’t they say that natural childbirth is better for the baby? Also, the doctor said that it was fine for me to give birth naturally. It’s decided! I’m going to go with natural childbirth!” In any case, he was a manly man. So many delicate girlies had already gone through it, he didn’t believe he wouldn’t be able to bear it!

An Yize hesitantly asked, “You really don’t want to consider it some more?”

“I don’t have to think it over anymore!” Su Jian spoke heroically, “A C-section uses external forces, while natural childbirth needs one’s own hard work! The competition is so fierce nowadays, our child cannot lose at the starting line! The little guy has to be assertive from birth or I’ll push him back in!”

An Yize: “……”

……..

Although the due date neared, Su Jian didn’t want to just lay there in the house and wait for labor to start. After consulting the doctor, An Yize finally agreed to take him out for a spin.

The place An Yize picked was a small park, lush with plants, yet not very crowded. It was very secluded. But to Su Jian who had gone on maternity leave and had not left the house for a long time, it was heavenly. He browsed through the greenery with much fervor. An Yize supported his clumsy body and said gently, “If you are tired, you have to tell me.”

Su Jian replied, “What can you do if I tell you? Don’t tell me you want to carry me back?”

An Yize nodded, “Yes.”

Su Jian looked at his own rounded body and laughed, “Right now I’m over 100 kg. Can you carry me?”

An Yize said with a smile, “How could I not be able to carry my own wife and child?”

The two strolled casually as they chatted along the way, surprisingly quite happily as well. As they turned the corner, the verdant green forest suddenly revealed the corner of a building. Su Jian made a sound of surprise, “There’s a church up ahead!”

Su Jian dragged An Yize over in curiosity then discovered that there was a wedding ceremony going on inside. The wedding wasn’t a big one and didn’t have many guests, but it was like all weddings under the sun, both dignified and beautiful,

Su Jian dragged An Yize inside and secretly sat on a chair.

In the midst of the formal music, the tuxedoed groom and the bride covered in a white wedding dress stood in front of the pastor. Su Jian looked at the visibly happy and excited new couple and suddenly sighed with regret.

Once, he had wished for this—watching the girl he liked draped in a white wedding dress, walking one step at a time towards him. She would stretch out her hand and give it to him. He would hold her hand and never let go. Witnessed by the world, the two of them would engrave an oath into their hearts to be with each other for the rest of their lives.

But he didn’t expect that the world would throw him such a big curveball. Even though being reborn into a woman wasn’t what he would have wished for, he still was grateful for this new life, whether it was being alive or the person at his side.

Su Jian quietly turned his head and looked towards An Yize at his side.

He was suddenly curious about the An Yize in the past. Did he have a wedding ceremony like this with this body? What did An Yize as a groom look like?

No matter what, the An Yize of that time would never have displayed a happy expression. After thinking it over, in this aspect, it was really hard to decide who won or lost between An Yize and him. He probably would not be able to really have his own wedding in this lifetime. An Yize, even if he’d had one, had only had a fake one, one having nothing to do with true happiness.

But now, true happiness already had nothing to do with a wedding.

An Yize turned his head and saw Su Jian’s eyes shining when looking at the newlyweds. His heart suddenly stirred. He said in a low voice, “Jian Jian.”

“Hmm?”

“After the child is born, let’s have another wedding.”

It wasn’t that he had never seen Su Jian wearing a wedding dress. It was only that seeing the couple’s happiness in front of him, his heart suddenly stirred. He really wanted to see a Su Jian who was harmoniously in sync with him wearing a wedding dress and looking at him with a big, shining smile.

“Huh? We don’t need to, right?”

“…Or, we could find some time to take some wedding portraits?”

“Wedding portraits? No way. Isn’t that super-girly? Yize, when did you have an interest in those things?”

“……”

In the front, the pastor started to ask the groom, “Zhang Ming, Do you take Qing Hong as your wife? Whether for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this forward until death do you part?”

Su Jian, affected by the atmosphere, turned towards An Yize and imitated, “Mr. An Yize. Do you take Su Jian as your wife? Whether for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this forward until death do you part?”

An Yize’s gaze was filled with warmth. He said in a low, yet solemn voice, “I do.”

Su Jian’s teeth shone bright. He heard An Yize say in a low voice in his ear, “Su Jian, will you be An Yize’s wife? Whether for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this forward until death do you part?”

Amused, Su Jian was about to respond when he suddenly frowned.

An Yize waited so long for Su Jian to make a sound, that he couldn’t help from lowering his eyes in disappointment.

Next, he heard Su Jian make a sound as if exerting a strenuous force.

“Yize, your son says that he is willing so he wants to come out now…”

“……”

………

Because his stomach suddenly started to hurt, Su Jian was quickly brought to the hospital by An Yize who had put his best effort in remaining calm but was still quite nervous.

Then Su Jian was rolled into the delivery room.

Only at that moment did Su Jian realize that the most difficult time of his life had arrived—the baby was about to be born!

Su Jian was tormented by labor pains such that sweat covered his face yet when he saw An Yize come in to accompany him while giving birth, he still couldn’t help but laugh though his gasps. He saw An Yize dressed in pink from head to toe. He even wore a hat! His typical dashing aura had disappeared without a trace. His eyes will filled with anxiety yet he still came forward to comfort him, “Jian Jian. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Su Jian thought it was funny yet very warm.

Then Su Jian couldn’t laugh anymore because—Your mom! It was really too painful! Su Jian originally thought he could withstand everything like a martyr, but he gave in at the end. The pain was too sharp and fierce. He really couldn’t be bothered about his image. Thus, the delivery room was filled with repeated, mournful cries of, “Help! Save me!”

An Yize: “……”

With much difficulty, the labor pains slowed down. Su Jian panted, “So painful… it hurts so much that I want to sing…”

All the pain that An Yize felt paused suddenly. He wipes his sweat as he said tenderly, “…Don’t sing anymore. Conserve your energy. Be good.”

Su Jian replied, “It seems a little better now… I felt like I wanted to die just now… Yize, did you bring your cellphone… help me post on weibo … write ‘Dying of pain’.”

An Yize: “……”

But not long after, the labor pains rallied and came upon him violently. Su Jian truly couldn’t bear it. He cried in desperation, “I’m not going to give birth naturally anymore…I want a C-section…”

The doctor calmly yet gently rejected him, “It’s too late.”

Su Jian: “…”

An Yize’s face was covered with sweat and he was beyond distressed, “Jian Jian. Bear with it! Push hard!”

Su Jian looked at him pitifully, “I don’t have any more energy… Yize… I’m hungry…”

An Yize: “……”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The waves of pain each came fiercer than the last. Su Jian’s face screwed up in pain. Even his voice became weaker. At the end, he couldn’t even shout out in pain. He could only grab onto An Yize’s hand chanting repeatedly, “Yize… Yize…”

An Yize suddenly started to panic. He wiped Su Jian’s sweat. His shake voice was hoarse, “Jian Jian, bear with it some more. Our child is going to come out very soon!”

Su Jian was dazed with pain. He looked at him. When he saw An Yize’s eyes welling up, he suddenly froze in the midst of enormous pain.

And then he didn’t know what happened, but he suddenly had energy again…

………

“Congratulations, it’s a girl!”

An Yize only gave her a simple glance then let the doctor carry the baby to the family members outside to share the good news. He himself leaned over and kissed Su Jian’s forehead. He said huskily, “Jian Jian, thank you.”

Su Jian looked at his red eyes and smiled weakly but with a sense of pride, “I’m… pretty amazing, right?”

An Yize gave him another peck then laughed while nodding, “Amazing. Jian Jian is the best.”

Su Jian looked at him and he suddenly felt a little proud: Ah, An Yize. So what if you’re tall, handsome, and rich. So what if you’re a jewel amongst men? In this lifetime, there’s one thing you can never beat me at!

Su Jian suddenly remembered the first time they met after he had been reborn.

That actually could be considered the first time they met over two lifetimes. That time, it was also in a hospital room. The first time he woke up after being reborn when he looked up, he saw An Yize. He was the pathetic person who had been reborn into a woman and Yize was his contractual lawful husband. The two of them met in this extremely melodramatic manner.

And afterwards, it was a bout of chaos.

And even later, they became one.

At that time, he could never have thought that this time, he would be laying in a hospital room again and would willingly give birth to their child.

The universe is fickle. Life is cruel, but fate tends to bestow happy surprises to people.

Su Jian couldn’t help but quietly smile.

An Yize tenderly wiped his sweaty hair, and gently said, “What are you smiling about.”

Su Jian replied, “I suddenly thought of a former love rival.”

“Former love rival?” An Yize was a bit perplexed then guessed, “Li Feifei?”

Su Jian didn’t admit or deny it but continued, “They were better than me in everything. At one point I was envious, jealous, and hated them.”

“No, you’re better than her.” An Yize kissed him, “And then?”

Su Jian smirked, “Although I’ve just discovered that no matter what there is one thing they can’t beat me at.”

An Yize laughed as he asked, “What thing?”

Su Jian looked at him, eyes crinkled into little moons, “I have you. They don’t.”

An Yize froze, then immediately held him with a deeply moved expression on his face.

Su Jian lifted his hand to hug him back, his smiling expression glitteringly bright.

I have you, yet he can only marry someone who was a man in his last lifetime, haha.

………

There once was a very popular question on the internet:

If one morning, you woke up and realized that your gender had changed, what would be your first reaction?

And someone on the internet had famously responded:

First, give your bros a good time!

………

Su Jian recalled, when he saw that reply, he had slapped the table with much gusto, “Good bro! Such loyalty!”

But now, he who had reborn into a woman leaned towards his former love rival cum husband An Yize’s ear. He smiled and said, “Yize, have I ever said to you that I love you?”