Neither Miao Jing nor Chen Yi had thought about having children. Perhaps one day it would happen naturally, and they would prepare for it in advance, but at least not now.

The colorful little packages in the drawer had just been restocked…

Miao Jing sat calmly on the sofa, her expression gentle. Her clear gaze moved from the flowers before her to the wall clock, then to Chen Yi. He sat deeply hunched in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, hands crossed with thumbs propping up his stern chin, lost in thought. After letting out a slow breath, he ran both hands through his hair twice, then looked up to ask her: “Are you scared?”

“Scared of what?” Miao Jing asked him.

He pointed at her stomach, his gaze dark: “Pregnancy, giving birth to it, raising it.”

Miao Jing’s lips twitched: “Are you scared?”

She forcefully threw a cushion at his face: “When you suddenly took me up the mountain at midnight to look at stars, when you pressed me against the steering wheel, why weren’t you scared then? You jerk!!”

“Didn’t I stop in time?” Chen Yi hugged the cushion with a dejected look, rubbed his face, and tried to smile but seemed somewhat dispirited. He crouched in front of Miao Jing, his dark eyes gazing deeply at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, burying his entire head against her abdomen, his voice muffled: “I’m not ready to be a father, and I didn’t dare let you become a mother.”

His arms tightened as he pressed close to her fragrant, soft body: “I’m not afraid of anything in this world… I’m afraid that you’re afraid…”

Miao Jing took a deep breath and calmly patted his head: “Get up, don’t press on my stomach.”

Chen Yi stood up in a daze, looked at Miao Jing, then at their home, scratched his head, put his hands on his hips, and their eyes met as they said in unison: “Should we go to the hospital?”

They drove to the hospital, where the test results were clear – six weeks pregnant, with a fetal heartbeat and embryo already present. The doctor saw them out, shaking their hands and congratulating the new parents, saying their little angel had already arrived.

Angel…

Chen Yi held the ultrasound photo, frowning as he stared at the blurry angel for a long while, his expression peculiar. Finally, he put his hands on Miao Jing’s shoulders and couldn’t help but smile at her foolishly. She took the photo from his hand, giving him a sidelong glance while slightly pursing her upturned lips.

It felt like experiencing the fruition of something they’d planted – each contributing half their genes to create this tiny seed.

Chen Yi grinned, pulling her into his embrace. They hugged openly in the hallway, foreheads touching as he nuzzled her cool little nose tip and pecked her red lips, saying softly: “Shall we try? Raise a child together?”

“Let’s do it.” Miao Jing nestled contentedly into his chest, deeply inhaling his scent. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll take responsibility for it.”

She promised that regardless of what the future held, she would ensure this child had a completely different life from their parents.

Chen Yi kissed her forehead: “I’ll take responsibility for both the child and the child’s mother.”

The child’s sudden arrival changed the rhythm of their lives.

First came the issue of having the baby. Miao Jing’s company headquarters asked if she needed to transfer back to China, but she declined this option. They had adapted well to life in Bogotá, and Chen Yi’s small company was just getting started. Moreover, matters in Teng City weren’t yet settled, and they didn’t want to return at this crucial moment.

Work wasn’t a problem either. The timing was good, and she had always been healthy, able to hold on until the project’s completion before taking maternity leave. Colombia ran on commercial insurance, and Miao Jing had her own Plan Especial, allowing her to go to Bogotá’s best private hospital.

As for after the child’s birth…

They didn’t make a big announcement about the pregnancy. Si Nan knew first, then the news spread throughout the office, and everyone threw Miao Jing a surprise party, giving her a set of baby items.

Chen Yi awkwardly held up the tiny baby clothes, only as big as his palm, with socks that could only fit on a finger. He had rarely seen newborn babies and couldn’t help but imagine the child’s size to be that of a cat.

Not long after they’d resolved to become parents, Miao Jing’s early pregnancy symptoms began.

Drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting – Miao Jing survived on rice porridge, small dishes, and soda crackers. She became averse to food, perfume, gasoline, and car exhaust fumes, even banishing her previously beloved scented candles. Additionally… whenever Chen Yi came within range of her sense of smell, Miao Jing would suppress her nausea, slightly furrowing her brows, and push him away with one finger, saying troubledly: “Stay away from me!”

Chen Yi was completely bewildered to the point of frustration: “What the hell, I’m taking eight showers a day, I’m practically pickled in soap, and you’re still repulsed by my smell?”

Miao Jing’s beautiful eyes glared at him: “Try cursing at me one more time?”

He felt utterly wronged, shoulders slumped, hands on hips, his long legs swinging irritably before he heavily sank into the sofa. Wanting to smoke but having none available, he grabbed a package from the coffee table and began cracking open Brazil nuts for her with crisp sounds.

To be honest, having quit smoking for a while, the tobacco smell had already faded from him. Combined with his usual attention to cleanliness and exercise, Miao Jing could only smell his body’s natural scent when hugging him – not unpleasant, the mature essence of an adult male, or in other words, the scent of male hormones.

She used to love Chen Yi’s scent, always wanting to breathe it in at his neck, but now her sense of smell was as keen as a witch’s. He had to stay at least 1.5 meters away from her, intimate activities were completely impossible, and even kisses, hugs, and caresses became fantasy.

The child in her belly wouldn’t allow him to lie in the same bed as Miao Jing. Now Chen Yi could only sleep on the floor with his pillow, curled up, looking up lonely at Miao Jing sleeping peacefully and sweetly on the bed.

Used to living well with rich food, now reduced to plain fare, Chen Yi washed his underwear every morning like a lost dog, with no glory to speak of in his life.

There were tender moments too. After Miao Jing fell asleep, Chen Yi would secretly slip onto the bed, lift her nightgown to caress her still-flat belly, poking and tapping it, begging little Angel to go easy on them both. Being first-time parents in a foreign land, they hoped everything would go smoothly and safely, without too much difficulty.

In his heart, he muttered that revenge could wait ten years – if it was a son, at least he could give him a beating after birth to vent his frustrations; if it was a daughter, she’d be the one sleeping on the floor in the future.

Looking again at that beautiful, peaceful sleeping face, she seemed to have lost weight, her face appearing smaller and whiter, her lips pale, her fluffy eyelashes distinct, seeming both fragile and strong. He quietly moved closer, hesitating whether to place a light kiss on her cheek or brow.

The sleeping figure gently fluttered her eyelashes without opening her eyes, lips curling up, her voice tired with a slight lilt: “I’m holding my breath, giving you ten seconds to get close to me.”

Chen Yi grinned, quickly pulling her into his arms, feeling her up and down with his hands, his mouth busy too, kissing from her forehead to her cheeks and chin, then with one swift move, ten seconds complete, he lay back down on the floor.

Miao Jing slowly exhaled, watching his figure fly out of the bed curtains, finding it both amusing and somewhat bittersweet.

The house needed care, so Chen Yi hired a daytime housekeeper, one of Gino’s relatives named Mejis. In her forties and already a grandmother, Mejis could cook delicious Colombian food. Miao Jing taught her to make simple Chinese dishes, white porridge, and chicken soup in a clay pot, which helped her get through early pregnancy.

Since he needed to support the family, Chen Yi became increasingly focused on work, needing at least to provide for the child in the womb. During that time, he began handling some large orders, tens of thousands of dollars, and while busier, at least money wasn’t a problem. He still went to the pool hall, which was a good place for business dealings – both billiards and business involved gambling, and Chen Yi had always been precise in his technique, good at reading people, steady, and open-minded.

After smoothly passing through early pregnancy, Miao Jing’s morning sickness suddenly disappeared overnight. Her spirit gradually improved, her energy returned, and her belly began to show slightly.

Chen Yi finally finished his sentence of look-but-don’t-touch, energetically returning to the bed with quite a sense of joy in regaining what was lost. Plus, with prenatal checkups going well and the doctor saying moderate intimate activity was allowed, his dark eyes suddenly lit up with a subtle fire, throwing Miao Jing a meaningful look that needed no explanation.

However, Miao Jing had entered a psychologically sensitive period, becoming sentimental and extremely clingy.

Her tastes began to change, favoring sour and spicy foods. At lunch, she didn’t want the work cafeteria’s burgers and fries, instead craved sour cabbage fish, Sichuan boiled chicken, and tomato-fried eggs. They had eaten at almost every Chinese restaurant in Bogotá, and for a long while after that, she kept asking for Thai food. They found an Asian restaurant in Bogotá owned by a Burmese person who could make Thai cuisine and Vietnamese and Burmese dishes. They went there twice every week. There was a kindergarten near the restaurant, and every time they passed by, Miao Jing would look at the beautiful, soft mixed-race children, her gaze becoming tender. She would always stop to watch for a while until her eyes grew misty, saying it reminded her of her grandmother.

Miao Jing couldn’t watch anything emotional, not even photos or television. During that time, she often felt something stuck in her throat that she couldn’t express, only feeling at ease when Chen Yi held her. She would suddenly remember some detail from long ago, think of her distant hometown – no, she wasn’t even sure where her hometown was.

Chen Yi wiped her slightly damp eyes, her glass bead-like eyes covered with a layer of glistening tears as he softly called her his baby, his little sister.

“Do you love me?” she looked at him with clear eyes. “Chen Yi, do you love me?”

“Of course I love you.”

“But you were so mean to me, so indifferent to me. You love me only because I love you more.”

Chen Yi choked up, responding after a while: “How about this – you love me a little less, share your love with the child in your belly, and let me love you, even more than I love the child. I promise I love you more than anyone else in this world, including myself. You can ask for anything, and I will provide everything.”

She rested her head in the crook of his arm, caressing his shoulder, saying softly: “Then can you make me some mapo tofu? And a bowl of hot white rice, pork rib, seaweed soup, and some ice cream?”

His whole body stiffened as he looked down: “My dear, it’s three in the morning… do you not care about my feelings at all?”