I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 73
On April Fools’ Day, Huo Lianghan thought the heavens were playing a joke on him.
When he saw Zhou Youling with a big belly, Huo Lianghan was momentarily speechless.
Just a few days ago, Zhou Youling showed no signs of pregnancy, so why did her belly grow so large in such a short time?
Huo Lianghan still remembered visiting Zhou Youling after the restaurant’s trampling incident earlier in the year. At that time, he hadn’t noticed any signs of pregnancy.
Seeing Huo Lianghan’s astonished expression, Zhou Youling pushed a cup of tea towards him. “What? Never seen a pregnant woman before?”
Huo Lianghan waved his hand. “No, no…”
Zhou Youling smiled and said, “This tea is good, try it.”
As Huo Lianghan lowered his head to drink the tea, Zhou Youling warned, “Careful, it’s hot.”
Huo Lianghan touched his head, looking embarrassed.
Zhou Youling ordered a milk tea with three parts sugar for herself. Since becoming pregnant, she had developed a liking for sweets, but couldn’t indulge too much, so she was always very restrained.
Huo Lianghan hesitated before speaking softly, “I thought you were single…”
Zhou Youling raised an eyebrow, “I am single.”
“But…” Why are you pregnant?
Huo Lianghan couldn’t bring himself to ask the rest of the question.
Understanding Huo Lianghan’s confusion, Zhou Youling said, “Who says a single woman can’t be pregnant?”
Huo Lianghan nodded with a smile, “True.”
Knowing the purpose of Huo Lianghan’s visit, Zhou Youling got straight to the point, “In my current state, I’m truly unable to help.”
Huo Lianghan chuckled bitterly, “You hid it well. I never saw you were pregnant. How many months?”
“Almost seven months,” Zhou Youling replied.
Huo Lianghan blew on his tea, his mind swirling with too many thoughts to process.
“Seven months… that’s fast,” Huo Lianghan said.
Zhou Youling nodded in agreement, “It is quite fast.”
Time had flown by, from the moment she found out she was pregnant to now, it had unknowingly passed.
“Is pregnancy tough?” Huo Lianghan asked.
Zhou Youling replied, “Not too bad, though I’ve heard the last two months can be difficult because the belly gets so big it’s hard to sleep.”
Huo Lianghan nodded thoughtfully.
For a moment, there was silence. Zhou Youling sipped her milk tea in small gulps. She truly loved the taste, something she hadn’t realized before. Pregnancy indeed changes one’s cravings; they say sour for boys, spicy for girls. Zhou Youling didn’t know whether her baby was a boy or a girl, so she was quite eager to find out.
Watching Zhou Youling, Huo Lianghan felt his emotions ride a roller coaster from the first glance to now. He had to admit, he initially had a fondness for Zhou Youling, but as they interacted, he realized he wasn’t worthy of her goodness. Yet now, seeing her pregnant, Huo Lianghan felt a strong urge to protect her.
After a while, Huo Lianghan spoke, “I told you before, I want you to be the lead in my video. This idea won’t change just because you’re pregnant.”
Zhou Youling was surprised, “But I don’t think I can appear on camera while pregnant. To be honest, I don’t want too many people to know about my pregnancy.”
Huo Lianghan understood and smiled, “I didn’t mean for you to appear now. After you have the baby and recover, there will be plenty of time.”
Zhou Youling was puzzled, “Why are you so insistent on having me in the video?”
Huo Lianghan thought for a moment, “I don’t know.”
…
On April Fools’ Day, Zhou Youling made a decision. After having her baby, she would participate in Huo Lianghan’s video shoot.
Faced with Huo Lianghan’s sincere invitation, Zhou Youling couldn’t bear to refuse.
Besides, considering the timeline, it wasn’t too far off.
Huo Lianghan said, “I’ll use this time to complete all the scripts and plans for the shoot. If there are any issues, we can discuss them. Does that work for you?”
Zhou Youling wasn’t very knowledgeable about filming, but one reason she couldn’t refuse Huo Lianghan was his professionalism.
During their previous collaboration, Zhou Youling had greatly admired Huo Lianghan’s expertise.
Zhou Youling said, “You’re the director, whatever you say goes.”
After parting with Huo Lianghan, Zhou Youling wandered around the nearby mall alone.
Though seven months pregnant, Zhou Youling’s belly was indeed smaller than most pregnant women. She had always been slim, and during pregnancy, she controlled her diet to prevent the baby from growing too large. Several prenatal checkups showed all her indicators were normal, and the doctor encouraged her dietary control, advising her to exercise more when possible. But exercise was something Zhou Youling found challenging.
Passing by a Maternity and Baby Store, Zhou Youling stopped.
Despite being pregnant for so long, Zhou Youling had never visited a Maternity and Baby Store.
For the past few months, she had been busy with her Food and Color restaurant, and even now, she was deeply concerned about the renovation progress of the B City branch.
The renovation of the Food and Color restaurant in B City was progressing quickly, likely to be completed ahead of schedule.
During the restaurant’s renovation period, they had already started recruiting service personnel. There were specialized staff responsible for these tasks, but Zhou Youling couldn’t help but always feel the need to “check in.”
Without much thought, Zhou Youling entered the Maternity and Baby Store.
Perhaps because it wasn’t the weekend, there weren’t many customers inside the store. As soon as the store clerk saw Zhou Youling, she warmly greeted her with a smile, saying, “Going to be a mom, huh? Is it your first time?”
Zhou Youling nodded, “How did you know?”
The clerk laughed and said, “When babies are born, they’re six or seven jin, very small. Some babies are bigger, maybe ten jin, but still very small.”
“It’s easy to tell, it’s a kind of aura,” the clerk replied.
Zhou Youling’s eyes were filled with an array of baby products, and she couldn’t help but sigh, “They’re all so small.”
A pair of socks, a pair of autumn pants, even the clothes were tiny.
The clerk laughed and said, “When babies are born, they’re six or seven jin, very small. Some babies are bigger, maybe ten jin, but still very small.”
Zhou Youling nodded, recalling the first time she saw Rong Duanjing’s child, she was shocked by Xingxing’s tiny appearance. Xingxing was just a day old then, a tiny bundle in the swaddle, and Zhou Youling didn’t dare to move at all. She remembered Xingxing’s little hand clenched into a fist, so small it seemed unreal. She gently moved her finger to touch Xingxing’s little hand.
Now Xingxing was already a year old, chubby and looking completely different from when he was born.
“These things are so cute,” Zhou Youling marveled.
The clerk said, “Every first-time mom finds these clothes magical. Life grows from such a tiny form. Look, we all grew from being that small to what we are now. It’s actually quite incredible when you think about it.”
Zhou Youling nodded in agreement.
The clerk asked Zhou Youling, “How many months pregnant are you? Looking to buy something?”
Seeing such tiny baby products for the first time, Fu Xunzhou was deeply moved.
The clerk understood perfectly, “There’s no rush. If you haven’t prepared anything at home, I can introduce some items to you.”
The clerk was experienced, explaining to Zhou Youling in detail what to buy and what to use, from clothing to other essentials.
Zhou Youling understood, and she almost wanted to buy everything she saw, feeling like she could empty the entire store. In the end, the clerk advised her not to buy too much for now and to purchase more as needed.
Zhou Youling was no longer interested in buying things for herself; she was very generous when it came to buying things for the little one in her belly. Perhaps it was because she had money to spare; she never restrained herself when it came to food, clothing, and other necessities.
Earlier, Zhou Youling had sold the single apartment she bought in Nanzhou City, and in just a few months, the property had appreciated in value. Thus, she made a small profit by chance. Not to mention, the Food and Color restaurant she opened in Nanzhou City was generating profit for her every day.
Although the Food and Color restaurant in B City was currently under renovation and burning through money, Zhou Youling wasn’t worried about its future profitability at all.
B City and Nanzhou City were close to each other, and their culinary tastes were quite similar. The Food and Color restaurant in Nanzhou City often had people from B City coming over specifically to dine, and Zhou Youling had even asked the service staff to conduct a survey, finding that ninety percent of B City residents were very satisfied with the food at Food and Color.
Zhou Youling left the Maternity and Baby Store with large bags full of purchases.
Almost as soon as Zhou Youling stepped out of the store, a man walked in.
The clerk, just as she had done with Zhou Youling, approached Fu Xunzhou to offer guidance, “Is there anything you need, sir?”
This was also Fu Xunzhou’s first time in a Maternity and Baby Store.
He had only recently come to terms with the fact that he was going to be a father. From initial bewilderment to complete acceptance, he still felt a sense of unreality.
But whenever he thought about Zhou Youling being pregnant and saw her growing belly, Fu Xunzhou couldn’t help but smile. As the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Almost every night, Fu Xunzhou dreamed of scenes of being a father.
During this period, Fu Xunzhou had actually been by Zhou Youling’s side all along. He fulfilled his promise not to appear in front of her. But he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to accompany her, so he could only watch over her silently.
In addition to silently watching over her, Fu Xunzhou also bought books on pregnancy and newborn care to study. Although he couldn’t compare with Fu Hexu in terms of studying, he now had the motivation to learn and mastered all the knowledge in just three days. But mastering knowledge was one thing; practical experience was still a long way off.
Seeing such tiny baby products for the first time, Fu Xunzhou was deeply moved.
Over the years, Fu Xunzhou rarely went shopping, and it could even be said he almost never did. Even the simplest payment methods were still traditional cash transactions for him.
The impact of the Maternity and Baby Store on Fu Xunzhou was like a collision of planets.
The clerk enthusiastically introduced the products to Fu Xunzhou, but he waved his hand, “No need to introduce so much. I’ll take everything.”
It proved that when it comes to shopping, both men and women can be equally impulsive.
