◎ “In short, she was just irresistibly captivating.” ◎

Yunque had never been the type to be melodramatic.

But in the moment she learned she was pregnant, that inexplicable sense of bewilderment and fear took complete hold of her.

It was a feeling both complex and apprehensive.

So much so that she didn’t even teach her evening self-study session that day — she took the rest of the time off and let Lu Rangchen bring her home.

Lu Rangchen scheduled a prenatal checkup for the following day.

It was an exceptionally good private maternity hospital — no queuing, no exhausting waits.

On the way back, he also brought her to an imported goods supermarket to stock up on a great many nutritional supplements and food.

He was caring for her entirely like a child, and his tone throughout was patient and gentle whenever he spoke with her.

Not that he wasn’t always like that.

But the feeling was different now.

Different from before — Yunque was no longer only herself. She was also the mother of Lu Rangchen’s baby growing inside her.

This sense of a fate bound together with Lu Rangchen through their very bloodline was, for Yunque, both new and deeply etched into her. This crystallization of their love had undeniably made the reality of their two lives being tightly bound together feel all the more vivid and tangible.

That indescribable, wondrous feeling permeated the entire evening.

So the two of them stayed up through the night talking heart to heart.

For this little life that had arrived so unexpectedly.

Honestly speaking, Lu Rangchen’s shock at first was not much better than Yunque’s.

He genuinely hadn’t imagined that this situation could occur when they took precautions every time. But at that moment, his greatest concern was Yunque’s state.

This girl looked completely unprepared.

She had been lost in thought the entire way back.

No matter how he tried to comfort her.

This was precisely why Lu Rangchen took the initiative to start this conversation.

He held Yunque in his lap, and asked her earnestly and solemnly whether she truly wanted to keep this little life.

“I know you’re scared.”

He lifted his hand and dabbed at the corner of her eye — it was a little damp. He said, “I won’t pressure you. Whatever you choose is fine. I’ll respect your decision.”

Yunque hadn’t expected his attitude to be like this.

The look on her face shifted with mild surprise before softening. She asked him just as earnestly, “And you — are you welcoming of this?”

“What do you think?”

Lu Rangchen raised his brows with a solemn air. “It’s my own flesh and blood, and it’s yours too — of course I welcome it.”

He paused, then said, “Or rather, I’m looking forward to it.”

“…Looking forward to it?”

“Of course.”

Lu Rangchen smiled and said, “It’s just that this little one did come a bit early. That’s why I said — if you don’t feel ready right now, we can still —”

He never finished the sentence.

Because Yunque pressed two fingers against his lightly parted lips.

With an inexplicable warmth spreading to the tips of her ears, she said, “We can’t do that. That’s your baby, and I can’t bear to part with it.”

A smile gradually bloomed in the depths of Lu Rangchen’s eyes.

He wrapped his fingers around her two slender, pale fingertips and kissed them in a coaxing way, then said, “So that’s settled, then?”

“It was settled from the beginning.”

Yunque lightly averted her gaze. “If it came, we’d keep it. That’s what we said.”

“Since you’d already made up your mind long ago,” Lu Rangchen said, drawing her slender waist closer and glancing down at her lower abdomen for a moment before lifting his head to look at her with a deep, doting expression, “then what are you afraid of? What are you worrying about?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Can you let me share the weight of it with you?”

The man’s voice was gently, unhurriedly persuasive.

That magnetic voice sent a numbness seeping all the way into her bones.

Yunque looked at him in silence, and her rapidly fluttering heart simply surrendered on the spot.

She had to admit — the love Lu Rangchen gave her always came in more than enough measure. Enough to give her the courage to keep moving forward.

She deliberated for a brief moment.

Then Yunque pressed her lips together and told him plainly, “…I’m afraid of the pain.”

This was perhaps the thing every woman feared most in the early stages of pregnancy.

Whether it was a natural birth or a cesarean section — the damage that giving birth inflicted on a woman’s body was simply immense.

How could Lu Rangchen not know this.

After he found out Yunque had had that false alarm, he had gone and specifically read up on all the relevant information about childbirth.

So he understood all too clearly what damage that little arrival would cause Yunque.

But it was too late to pump the brakes now.

They had both come this far, and what was needed was a plan for moving forward.

Lu Rangchen tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said, “As you know, I’ve been working very hard to earn money lately. Modern medicine is so advanced now. I can’t promise everything, but I do believe that money can solve the problem of reducing your pain.”

“After a while, when your belly gets bigger, I’ll find someone to help take care of you in advance.”

“If you’d like, we can keep the caretaker at home long-term to help with the child, right up until they’re in middle school, in high school.”

“We’ll also need a postpartum care center. I heard that Zhou Jin has already made a reservation — I’ll get her tips later and find the best one in the southern part of the city.”

“After you give birth, if you feel tired and don’t want to go back to work, you don’t have to. Just stay home and do whatever makes you happy.”

“As for taking care of the baby — I’ll handle that, and you can assist me. How does that sound?”

“And if you’re worried about your figure changing, then there’s even less to worry about,” Lu Rangchen said, the corners of his mouth curling slightly, “because I don’t care about that in the slightest.”

He tilted his head back slightly and kissed the tip of her chin, his voice rich and warm with a hint of a smile. “Honestly, I’d rather you weren’t quite so beautiful, so that other men would have less to look at.”

Yunque had heard many sweet, honeyed words over the years.

But none had ever been quite this outrageous.

Yunque let out an exasperated laugh. “You’re overthinking it. What’s there to look at in a married woman?”

Lu Rangchen let out a weighty huff of amusement. “That’s because you haven’t noticed.”

No matter where the two of them had gone before, almost every time they encountered a young man, those people would invariably keep their eyes fixed on Yunque.

Of course this happened with him as well.

It was always young, attractive women who would glance in Lu Rangchen’s direction.

But the trouble was that no matter where they went, Lu Rangchen’s eyes held only Yunque. Those women would take a look or two, realize the flower had already been claimed, and automatically shift their gazes away.

Of course, that was beside the point.

Yunque steered the conversation back. “You may not care, but I do.”

She lightly pinched Lu Rangchen’s upturned nose and said, “I don’t want to be worn down and weathered by the time I’m thirty while you’re still blooming like a flower.”

That dated expression made Lu Rangchen burst out laughing.

He let out a low chuckle and said, “So that’s what you’ve been worried about.”

Yunque raised her chin with an air of pride and said, “Men are all visual creatures, after all.”

“Fine,” Lu Rangchen said, knowing no promise of his would convince her. He shrugged and smiled. “Then let’s just wait and see.”

“But honestly speaking.”

He scooped her up in a princess carry, drawing out his words with easy unhurriedness. “Back when I fell for you, it wasn’t because of how you looked.”

“Is that so?”

Yunque laughed, her arms looped around his neck. “Then what was it?”

“It was because you were too adorable, of course.”

Lu Rangchen aimed at her lips and kissed her, his dark, clear eyes holding no one but her. “The kind that makes you want to protect her, and draws you in without letting go.”

“……”

“In short, she was just irresistibly captivating.”

……

Though the conversation had started out being about the baby.

When all was said and done, that evening inevitably concluded with another intimate encounter between the two of them.

Perhaps because she was already pregnant and there was no longer any need to worry about contraception, Lu Rangchen experienced for the first time what it was truly like to be completely uninhibited.

Of course, for the safety of both mother and child, he was still considerably more restrained than usual.

Just the once or twice.

By the following day, he had thrown himself fully into the role of father-to-be — getting up early to heat milk for Yunque, preparing the nutritional supplements she needed, and taking her to the hospital for her checkup.

As it turned out, he hadn’t been making empty promises to Yunque.

The service at that private hospital was genuinely exceptional. Yunque had even been booked in with the best specialist on staff, and the examination was completed and the results returned very quickly.

The results were clear.

Both the child and she were perfectly healthy. The only issue was that the discovery had come somewhat late.

Yunque was already a month and a half along.

On this point, the doctor’s assessment was that Yunque was too thin and needed to get proper nutrition promptly.

So for a good long stretch of time that followed, Lu Rangchen came up with a new dish for Yunque to eat every single day.

For the first two months, her appetite was very poor.

Between the vomiting and the discomfort, it was a thoroughly difficult time.

It was only after three months, when her belly began to show, that she could gradually manage to eat again.

Similarly, word of Yunque’s pregnancy spread quickly through the school. The head of the teaching department, worried about overexerting her, immediately reduced her class load by one and stopped assigning her to supervise evening self-study sessions as well.

Deng Jiao found out about the pregnancy through the mouths of other colleagues.

She was, needless to say, very put out about that.

Not that being put out gave her any say in the matter. She was simply curious whether the child Yunque was carrying was a boy or a girl.

Yunque told her she didn’t know either.

She and Lu Rangchen hadn’t asked.

During their lunch break, the two of them were sitting in the office together eating the bento Lu Rangchen had brought for Yunque, when Deng Jiao put on an exaggerated expression and said, “What? Something this important and you didn’t ask? I’m pretty sure doctors normally hint at it in a roundabout way.”

“It doesn’t really matter.”

Yunque gave a light shrug. “He said he’d be happy with either a boy or a girl.”

Deng Jiao genuinely felt a pang of envy at that.

She grimaced and gave a little shudder of mock agony. “And you?”

“Same.”

Yunque reached down and touched her belly with a light, tender hand.

She thought to herself: as long as it was Lu Rangchen’s, she would love it. Love it ten thousand times over.

—

Speaking of the pregnancy, Yunque genuinely had no idea when exactly it had become widely known outside their immediate circle.

She only remembered that at some point, a great many people suddenly began rushing to send things over to their home.

Some arrived by courier. Others were brought over by drivers in person.

Essentially, whatever was the best of everything, it was sent.

Whatever she liked to eat, it was sent.

The most remarkable package among the deliveries had come from overseas.

A large box filled with nutritional supplements for expectant mothers, skincare products, and everyday baby items.

The return address was a little unfamiliar.

But the moment she saw it had been sent from Australia, Yunque immediately understood.

She turned around and called Feng Yanlai.

Feng Yanlai didn’t try to hide it. She confirmed she was the one who’d sent it, and said she had heard about the pregnancy through Zhu Ping’an.

Yunque and Lu Rangchen had previously agreed not to announce anything before the three-month mark.

So it was only after that point that she had learned.

Yunque had assumed Feng Yanlai might be upset — after all, she hadn’t even been invited back for the wedding.

But in reality, Feng Yanlai was far more at peace with things than Yunque had imagined.

The reason she hadn’t gone back for the wedding wasn’t because she was indifferent. She genuinely hadn’t wanted to cause anyone trouble — herself included. As long as she knew Yunque had gotten married and the wedding had gone off beautifully, that was enough.

But pregnancy was different.

For a woman, this was the truly momentous occasion.

This was, after all, the flesh and blood she had brought into the world. How could she not care? Feng Yanlai spoke without circling around — before long, she was asking how Yunque had been feeling lately, whether her mood was good, that sort of thing.

Perhaps it was the hormones of pregnancy being somewhat unstable.

When Feng Yanlai asked those questions, Yunque’s eyes suddenly began to sting.

She took a few seconds to compose herself before laughing and saying, “I’m doing very well. Everything is wonderful. Lu Rangchen is incredibly considerate — he gives me nothing but the best in everything.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration.

Lu Rangchen truly was attentive in every way imaginable.

When it came to what she ate, wore, or used, he no longer listened to her insistence on moderation or keeping things simple. He ignored all of that and simply did as he pleased — her skincare products alone had been changed out three times, all of them luxury-grade items for discerning tastes.

Not to mention her daily life in every other respect.

And even so, there were times when Yunque felt so unwell that her temper was particularly short, and Lu Rangchen would simply coax her through it without a trace of anger.

No matter how busy he was, every evening without fail he would come home to apply stretch mark oil for her, stay with her, and hold her as she slept at night.

It was precisely these small moments, these fine details, that confirmed and reconfirmed for Yunque: Lu Rangchen’s love for her had no expiration date. He truly, genuinely, completely loved her.

But these were the private matters of a young married couple. Yunque couldn’t very well describe them all to Feng Yanlai, so she could only express in broad terms that she was doing well, that everything was wonderful.

Hearing this, Feng Yanlai was somewhat relieved.

She said: alright then, as long as you’re doing well.

She also said that once the child was born, she’d find time to come back and see them.

Getting to a suitable pause, she couldn’t help but ask about Cheng Liru — whether she’d known about the pregnancy and, if so, whether she had come to visit or been difficult toward Yunque.

Yunque understood that Feng Yanlai wasn’t asking because she cared whether Cheng Liru had looked after her. She was simply afraid that Cheng Liru might make things unpleasant for Yunque.

And even more afraid that after marriage, Lu Rangchen might take his mother’s side and let Yunque suffer because of it.

In her view, real life wasn’t a novel or a television drama.

Things couldn’t possibly be that perfect.

But in reality, as it turned out, it was Cheng Liru who had been overthinking it.

Over all this time, Cheng Liru hadn’t only stayed away from the wedding — the two of them hadn’t even crossed paths once during all these months.

Lu Rangchen and Yunque lived in their own home, living freely and happily.

It was only when there was a need that Lu Rangchen would go back to visit Cheng Liru.

As for what Cheng Liru’s actual feelings and views toward Yunque were since the marriage — Yunque had absolutely no idea.

Lu Rangchen had shielded her far too thoroughly for any of it to reach her.

But she didn’t mind at all.

There were too many things in this world that deserved her attention. She simply couldn’t take care of every single one.

After hearing all this, Feng Yanlai finally set her mind at ease. “Each keeping to their own side of the river is the best outcome. That way everyone stays at peace.”

She let out a sigh. “But I do feel I’ve wronged her, that’s the truth. All these years I’ve been sending her gifts anonymously every year. She probably receives them and throws them away.”

Cheng Liru, though gentle and gracious in manner, was someone who, on certain matters, refused to budge from her convictions.

Otherwise she wouldn’t have remained so stubbornly unaccepting of her daughter-in-law even after so many years of marriage.

But regardless, she was not a bad person at heart. Otherwise Yunque wouldn’t be living so peacefully. So even without Feng Yanlai saying it, Yunque already knew: in the future, she would absolutely treat Cheng Liru as though she were her own mother.

Without realizing it, they had been chatting for quite some time.

And it was only just before hanging up that Feng Yanlai thought to ask whether they had settled on a name for the child yet.

She also asked whether it was a boy or a girl.

Yunque replied with the same answer she had given Deng Jiao, and added, “We haven’t thought of a name yet. There are still a few months, so there’s time.”

“There may be time, but you should settle on one sooner rather than later. Otherwise it’ll be a scramble once you’ve given birth and need to register the name.”

Advice from someone who had been through it all was always worth heeding.

So that evening, during a stroll along the lakeside after dinner with Lu Rangchen, Yunque genuinely and sincerely asked him what their child should be named.

Lu Rangchen held her hand and, assuming a thoughtful air, said, “We could keep it simple. Easy names are easier to raise.”

The corner of Yunque’s mouth twitched. She cut him a sideways glance. “Such as?”

Lu Rangchen said with a light smile, “How about Early — ‘Zaozao’? Works for a boy or a girl.”

“……”

Yunque looked at him with an expression of pure bewilderment. “Is there a meaning behind that?”

“Of course there is.”

Lu Rangchen stopped walking. He held her chin and dipped down to kiss her lips, then grinned with the air of someone asking for a light scolding. “Come out early from your mother’s belly and stop delaying our time alone together.”