I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 43

After the prenatal check-up, Zhou Youling received a colorful ultrasound sheet. As she gazed at the tiny figure on the paper, the reality of becoming a mother truly sank in.

Recently, Youling’s pregnancy symptoms had noticeably decreased. Apart from having to get up frequently at night, everything else seemed just like before.

However, Bai Lingxue noticed a change in Youling. “Have you realized you’ve been a bit of a foodie lately?”

Looking at the nearly devoured slice of cake on the table, Lingxue snatched the spoon from Youling’s hand. “My boyfriend bought this! And you ate it all! Zhou Youling, I’m going to strangle you!”

With that, she playfully pretended to choke Youling.

The two friends laughed and tussled, with Youling ducking her head in mock innocence. “You never mentioned it was from your boyfriend.”

Lingxue frowned. “You never used to like sweets.”

Youling pointed to her belly. “Maybe it’s the little one inside craving them.”

Lingxue reluctantly forgave her. “Alright, as long as my godson wants it, he can eat as much as he likes!”

“You’re so biased,” Youling said, licking her lips. Truth be told, she had indeed been craving sweets lately.

Due to her pregnancy, Youling had downloaded an app with information about pregnancy. It mentioned that changes in taste during pregnancy were normal. Though she hadn’t been fond of sweets before, it was natural for her to crave them now.

With that thought, Youling quietly picked up the spoon again and took another bite of cake.

Meanwhile, Lingxue was busy with her own plans.

Early in the morning, Lingxue had called Youling over to get her opinion on something.

Lingxue tried on outfit after outfit in front of Youling, finally settling on a ponytail and sportswear. She turned to Youling and asked, “How do I look? Do I look like a college student?”

“What’s up? Planning some mischief?”

“No, no,” Lingxue said, kneeling on the tatami mat. “Luo Hang’s classmates are having a lunch gathering, and he wants to take me along.”

Youling looked Lingxue up and down, then said coolly, “You look great, but not like yourself.”

“Hmm?” Lingxue was puzzled.

Youling confessed, “I don’t know what role you’re playing in this relationship, but it feels like you’re a bit like I used to be.”

Like the old Youling, Lingxue seemed to be trying hard to play a role that wasn’t truly hers, just to please her partner.

Lingxue glanced at her outfit and instinctively explained, “I just wanted to look a bit younger. You know, there’s a four-year age gap between us, and I’m the older one.”

“So what if you’re four years older?” As an observer, Youling saw things clearly. “In the world of love, age doesn’t matter.”

Lingxue’s shoulders slumped at Youling’s words.

Realizing she might have been too blunt, Youling tried to explain, “No, what I mean is, don’t change yourself deliberately. Be who you are. I’m sure your boyfriend, Luo Hang, likes you for who you truly are.”

Bai Lingxue didn’t mean to blame Zhou Youling. She sighed and said, “I know what you mean. It’s just that he’s surrounded by girls younger than me, and it makes me feel a little insecure…”

Zhou Youling wrapped an arm around Bai Lingxue’s shoulder. “You need to be more confident! We should look down on men and be ourselves!”

These were words Bai Lingxue had once said to Zhou Youling, and now Zhou Youling was returning them to her.

Bai Lingxue nodded vigorously. “Okay!”

Despite her words, Bai Lingxue spent over three hours getting ready that morning.

With nothing else to do, Zhou Youling sat across from Bai Lingxue and did her own makeup.

Lately, Zhou Youling had been busy with the restaurant and waking up at night due to her pregnancy, leaving her with little time to rest. As a result, she had been neglecting her appearance.

Zhou Youling’s style was never overly extravagant. She applied foundation to even out her skin tone, then did her eyebrows and eyes. Her nose was naturally well-shaped, with a perfectly prominent bridge, so there was no need for additional contouring. Despite being pregnant, her weight hadn’t changed much from before, and her face seemed to have grown even smaller.

After finishing her simple makeup, Zhou Youling tidied her long hair, maintaining her usual style. There wasn’t an obvious change, but she looked much more refined.

At this time, Zhou Youling also needed to head to the Food and Color restaurant, so she went downstairs with Bai Lingxue.

Bai Lingxue’s new boyfriend, Luo Hang, was already waiting at the apartment complex entrance. This was Zhou Youling’s first time meeting him.

Luo Hang, a 22-year-old college student, was tall, sunny, and a member of the school basketball team. Such a boy was bound to be the center of attention wherever he went.

Upon seeing Zhou Youling, Luo Hang couldn’t help but give her a once-over, then politely greeted her.

Feeling a bit uneasy under Luo Hang’s gaze, Zhou Youling joked with a smile, “Luo Hang, right? My good friend is in your hands now. You better treat her well, or my Taekwondo black belt isn’t just for show.”

Luo Hang was visibly surprised, raising an eyebrow. “You do Taekwondo? And you’re a black belt?”

Zhou Youling smiled slightly. “Yes.”

“That’s impressive.” Luo Hang took Bai Lingxue’s hand and assured Zhou Youling, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”

“Alright, alright, you two should get going. It’s getting late,” Zhou Youling said.

Bai Lingxue waved shyly at Zhou Youling and got into the car with Luo Hang. After getting in, she poked her head out and asked, “Want to come with us?”

“No, no, my ride will be here soon.”

Almost as soon as Bai Lingxue’s car drove off, another car pulled up in front of Zhou Youling.

It was a luxury car, definitely not the one Zhou Youling had called.

The driver’s window rolled down slowly, and Ji Yangwen greeted Zhou Youling with a smile. “May I have the honor of giving our Boss Zhou a ride?”

Zhou Youling was a bit surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Ji Yangwen stepped out of the car and approached Zhou Youling. “If I told you I was waiting here just for you, would you believe me?”

Zhou Youling looked at Ji Yangwen, momentarily speechless.

Ji Yangwen chuckled, “Just kidding. I had some business nearby this morning and happened to pass by. Didn’t expect to see you standing here.”

“What a coincidence,” Zhou Youling replied dryly.

“Heading to the restaurant?” Ji Yangwen asked.

Zhou Youling nodded.

Ji Yangwen said, “Perfect timing for lunch. I’ll join you for a meal.”

Zhou Youling couldn’t refuse.

Ji Yangwen was true to his word; he came just for a meal. He had been quite busy lately, and after a simple lunch at Food and Color, he bid farewell to Zhou Youling and left.

This kind of interaction, brief and friendly, made Zhou Youling feel very comfortable.

However, before leaving, Ji Yangwen turned to Zhou Youling and remarked, “The Kung Pao Chicken was too spicy for me.”

Zhou Youling laughed heartily, “Alright, next time it’ll be mildly spicy, just a hint.”

“Deal,” Ji Yangwen agreed.

After seeing Ji Yangwen off, Zhou Youling encountered Old Master Fu.

It was clear that Old Master Fu had noticed the interaction between Zhou Youling and Ji Yangwen.

For several days in a row, Old Master Fu came to Zhou Youling’s place for lunch, always accompanied by Fu Ruxuan.

“Grandfather, you’re here,” Zhou Youling greeted.

Old Master Fu nodded, glanced in the direction where Ji Yangwen’s car had departed, and asked, “Made a new friend?”

Zhou Youling knew Old Master Fu might have misunderstood but didn’t deny it. “It’s inevitable to make friends.”

Old Master Fu nodded thoughtfully, “That’s good, very good.”

With that, Old Master Fu familiarly entered the restaurant.

Fu Ruxuan, following behind, grabbed Zhou Youling’s hand and asked, “Elder sister, where did you go yesterday morning?”

“Yesterday morning?” Zhou Youling feigned thinking. She had gone for a prenatal check-up yesterday morning, a fact known only to her and her mom.

Fu Ruxuan, unable to hold back, said, “I think I saw you on the road yesterday morning! Did you go to XX Hospital? The silhouette looked just like you!”

Fu Ruxuan was confident she hadn’t mistaken the person, but something seemed off.

Zhou Youling shook her head, “No, I was at the restaurant all morning yesterday. Didn’t Grandfather come here for lunch?”

“Oh, then I must have been seeing things,” Fu Ruxuan murmured.

Zhou Youling asked, “By the way, what were you doing there?”

Fu Ruxuan replied, “My friend was having a prenatal check-up, so I went with her. She’s almost due, and now she has to go for fetal heart monitoring almost every week. It’s quite troublesome.”

“I see.” Zhou Youling linked arms with Fu Ruxuan and entered the restaurant, but she was thinking that she could never go to that hospital for check-ups again.

Zhou Youling was clear in her mind; she would never let the Fu Family know about the child she was carrying. If necessary, she might even leave the city, start anew in a place where no one knew her.

For Fu Xunzhou, moving forward meant letting go.

With his health back on track, he returned to work, and as the year-end approached, there were more meetings to attend.

Fu Xunzhou’s demeanor had become even colder, and he rarely smiled.

During a morning meeting, Fu Xunzhou tossed a folder onto the table with a cold expression, “Please refrain from showing me such useless documents in the future. Don’t waste my time.”

People began to notice that Fu Xunzhou had finally removed the ring from his finger.

Whether to turn left or right, move forward or backward, life cannot remain stagnant.

Even with his heart closed off, Fu Xunzhou would occasionally feel a pang of pain. He opened his drawer and unexpectedly found a small gift box tucked in the corner. It was a gift he hadn’t had the chance to give, and perhaps he never would.

Fu Xunzhou took the gift box out of the drawer, tossed it into the wastebasket without a second thought, but moments later, he retrieved it and carefully placed it back in the drawer.