Spoiled by Love – Sweetheart, Don’t Tempt Me

The curve of her smile was too wide, too obvious. The two waiting outside naturally assumed she had passed. Gong Xiaoqiao, having accompanied her twice before, wasn’t particularly excited. But the little guy was thrilled and immediately dashed over, exclaiming, “Mom, you passed, right?”

“Uh…” The little guy’s strength was surprising, her head bumping into Niantong’s belly. This potential soon-to-be mom suddenly felt a wave of anxiety. What if something happened to the baby?

She thought she should talk to Xiaomai, urging her to be gentler next time. So, she gently grasped Xiaomai’s chubby little hands, squatted down to meet her gaze, and spoke softly, “Xiaomai, we girls should be ladylike and gentle, not so hasty, okay?”

The little princess, carefree and unbothered, retorted, “I’m already very gentle and ladylike, but seeing Mom makes me too excited.”

Well, the little guy was indeed speaking the truth. In her kindergarten class, she was considered quite ladylike. Of course, there were occasional moments of boldness, but those were special circumstances. Her eagerness was simply because she was overjoyed to see her dear mom. However, this enthusiasm posed a small issue for Zhan Niantong, who might soon be a mom.

“Even when we’re outside, not at home, we should be ladylike! That way, the nurse aunties will think our Xiaomai is a sensible little girl.” Zhan Niantong couldn’t be too direct, so she used a mix of coaxing and reasoning, praising her with a little flattery. Naturally, the little guy was happy to accept.

Sure enough, the little guy promptly agreed, “Alright, ladylike it is. I can be even more ladylike.”

“Our little darling is so well-behaved.” Zhan Niantong beamed. Having a sensible and obedient child truly was her blessing and fortune.

“Mom, are we going to Happy Baby to buy clothes now?” The little guy was eagerly anticipating the promise her mom made to take her shopping for pretty autumn clothes. The weather was getting colder, and she was growing fast. Last year’s clothes were too small, so new ones were necessary.

“Yes, let’s go.” Although she really wanted to go to the hospital for a thorough check-up, she had to fulfill her promise to her little darling. Moreover, the hospital visit must remain a secret from the little guy. If she knew, the entire Xia Family would soon find out. She wasn’t yet sure if she was truly pregnant. If it turned out to be a false alarm, it would only lead to disappointment. Besides, she hadn’t mentioned having a baby to the little guy before. If she knew about a new baby, would she feel upset, fearing that her mom might not love her as much?

So, if she was indeed pregnant, she needed to gauge the little guy’s attitude first. Once she fully accepted and grew fond of the idea of a baby, eagerly anticipating its arrival, then she would tell her.

And if she was truly pregnant, she wanted to share this joyful news with the baby’s father first! She believed he would be delighted. After all, he was thirty-two, not twenty-three. He might say he wasn’t in a hurry, but that was out of consideration for her. Deep down, he surely wanted this too, right?

The little guy didn’t notice anything unusual about her mom, as she was used to being gently educated in this manner. As long as it made sense, she would obediently listen without a hint of suspicion. However, Gong Xiaoqiao, who was always glued to Zhan Niantong, immediately sensed something was off. Seizing the moment when the little guy rushed to the restroom claiming urgency, she pulled her friend aside into a corner and interrogated her sternly, “Girl, spill it! What’s going on? Is there something wrong with your test results?”

She had accompanied her for check-ups in the past couple of years, and if the test results were fine, the next step would be to submit all the reports at the registration desk to complete the process, not leave immediately.

“What could be wrong?” Zhan Niantong’s face showed a flicker of unease, yet she feigned ignorance. It was embarrassing to admit she might be pregnant!

“You might fool Xiaomai, but not me.” Gong Xiaoqiao might be a bit naive, but that didn’t mean she was clueless. She saw through her friend’s evasive glances and became more convinced of her suspicion. She reached out and snatched the report from her friend’s hand. “Let me see!”

Caught off guard, Zhan Niantong was successfully ambushed, and the report fell into her friend’s hands. She didn’t try to take it back, thinking it might be easier to let her find out this way, sparing her the embarrassment of saying it out loud and perhaps getting some advice.

Gong Xiaoqiao carefully examined the report, and when she reached the conspicuous red section, her eyes widened in shock. “Ah, you’re preg-”

Knowing her friend would react this way, Zhan Niantong quickly covered her mouth and whispered, “Shh! Keep it down, Xiaomai is inside.”

Gong Xiaoqiao lowered her voice too, clutching her friend’s sleeve tightly, her brows furrowed in concern. “What’s going on? How did you end up pregnant?”

This question was tough, leaving her unsure how to explain. “I don’t know how it happened, it’s just… possible.”

Gong Xiaoqiao internally screamed several times, her frustration causing metaphorical smoke to rise from her head. Gone was any trace of maidenly shyness about such matters. “You’re still a student! How could your old man be so irresponsible? Only caring about his own pleasure and not taking precautions, how selfish can he be, not considering you at all…”

Hearing her friend continuously criticize her husband, Zhan Niantong, who cared deeply for him, immediately jumped to his defense, clarifying the situation without any concern for embarrassment. “He did take precautions!”

But as she spoke, her confidence waned. Apparently, during their first time, they hadn’t used protection. Her dear husband had insisted on being close without barriers, claiming it was a safe period with no risk, and she believed him! Later, in Anping, during their first encounter, they hadn’t taken precautions either. It was only when they approached the risky period that he reluctantly donned protection. Could it be the consequences of those earlier times without precautions?

“How could this happen?” Gong Xiaoqiao was still fuming, paying no heed to her friend’s explanations, only venting her frustration about the future: “If you’re pregnant now, you’ll have to take a break from school! Your life will completely change, do you realize how terrifying that is? You won’t be able to attend classes, you’ll be stuck at home all the time, restricted in what you can do and eat. It’s practically like being in prison, a real-life inmate…”

Miss Qiao, is that how you describe pregnancy?

However, her words successfully stirred up waves of worry in Zhan Niantong’s heart. Could pregnancy really be that daunting? She hadn’t considered these issues before; she merely thought she could take a break from school once her belly grew. But now, given her mother-in-law’s obsession with grandchildren, Xiaoqiao’s words might not be far off the mark-perhaps even an understatement!

At this moment, a sliver of internal conflict and struggle arose within her. She both wanted and didn’t want to be pregnant, so she used this reasoning to counter Xiaoqiao and comfort herself: “Actually, it’s not certain. The nurse said the hcg levels are high, which could indicate pregnancy, but it might be due to other reasons. It’s not confirmed yet; a more detailed examination is needed.”

“What more is there to check? It’s so obvious; you must be pregnant.” Miss Qiao was impulsive, quick to jump to conclusions. But for safety’s sake, she asked about pregnancy symptoms: “How long has it been since your last-period?”

Boom-

Zhan Niantong suddenly recalled that last month, on the day her period was due, the little guy had fallen ill with a fever. Comparing today’s date, it had already been a month and seven days! Since she often had irregular periods, despite taking some traditional Chinese medicine, she hadn’t gone back to the traditional Chinese doctor for more due to the unpalatable taste. She simply assumed her period was delayed again and hadn’t given it much thought.

With Miss Qiao’s reminder, she suddenly realized there was indeed a possibility: “Seems like it’s been seven days.”

“There you go.” Miss Qiao shook her head in exasperation, utterly speechless at her friend’s cluelessness: “You’re definitely pregnant. You’re doomed, with a baby on the way, no more freedom!” She imagined the future of being a dutiful wife and mother, and the thought alone was terrifying. Boohoo, it was too tragic; she couldn’t even bear to imagine it.

Her friend’s exaggerated expression left Zhan Niantong speechless. If you aren’t a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish? She didn’t feel that having a baby was tragic. Bearing a child for the man she loved was an indescribably happy and fulfilling experience. She embraced it wholeheartedly, how could she possibly feel miserable?

Just as she was about to retort and express her own opinion, a crisp and pleasant voice suddenly came from the bathroom door, “Mom, who’s pregnant and having a baby?”

Xiaomai’s sudden outburst pulled the attention of the two women engrossed in baby talk back to reality. Zhan Niantong was startled, regretting that she had momentarily forgotten Xiaomai was still inside. She quickly scrambled for an explanation, “Uh, no one. Mommy just saw a nurse who was pregnant and still came to work. I thought she was working really hard.”

“Oh!” The little guy hadn’t clearly heard what Aunt Qiao had said earlier, but now that her mom explained it like this, she naturally believed it. However, she was a bit displeased with the idea of a pregnant nurse working, “Why would someone with a baby not rest at home and still go to work? Don’t her parents care? What if something happens to the baby? That would be so scary!”

Even the little guy said so, Zhan Niantong could imagine that if she were really pregnant, she would definitely be forcibly confined at home by her family, not stepping out of the house, living in a world without sunlight or moonlight.

The cute little car was crawling along the road at a turtle’s pace.

Zhan Niantong didn’t dare to be careless, treating herself as if she were already pregnant, driving with extreme caution.

Watching as big and small cars passed them one by one, the little guy grew anxious. When even bicycles started overtaking them, she couldn’t hold back any longer, “Mom, why are you driving so slowly today? It’s like we’re walking.”

Embarrassed, the speed was indeed comparable to walking-ten kilometers per hour!

Zhan Niantong felt a bit awkward inside, but she didn’t think the speed was too slow. After all, she might be a prospective mom now, and everything needed to be handled with extra care, especially something as risky as driving on the road.

“It’s the weekend, so there are more cars. We need to drive a bit slower.”

“But it’s really slow!” At this speed, she was tempted to jump out of the car and run, thinking she could probably go faster on foot than her mom was driving.

“Alright then, I’ll speed up a bit.” Zhan Niantong pressed the accelerator, but with her definition of ‘fast,’ that word might need a new definition.

Fortunately, Happy Baby wasn’t far away, and they’d be there soon. The little one stopped complaining, but she did notice something-Mom seemed a bit strange this afternoon!

Happy Baby was a children’s clothing store known for its high-quality, comfortable clothes at reasonable prices. The designs were unique and beautiful, loved by kids. The key was that all the clothes in this store were designed by the store owner herself, with only one set per size, so there was no worry about the awkwardness of children wearing the same clothes.

Many of the little one’s clothes were bought from this store, so she headed straight to the girls’ section as soon as she entered, eager to look at the pretty clothes.

Meanwhile, on the other side was the infant and toddler section. Zhan Niantong was immediately drawn to the cool and cute clothes, her feet unconsciously leading her over.

Touching a pair of Beetle boy’s overalls, she couldn’t help but imagine a chubby little Baozi wearing these adorable overalls, with a cool and aloof expression just like his dad’s. It was like seeing a young, cute Xia Zhennan in those adorable overalls-a delightful and amusing picture!

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Mom, what’s up? Aren’t you coming to help me pick clothes? Why are you over in the infant section?” Xiaomai was picking out clothes but quickly noticed her mom wasn’t by her side. Her eyes darted around until she spotted that familiar figure in the infant section.

She immediately became more alert. Mom was really acting strange today!

Although Gong Xiaoqiao was carefree, she figured her friend had her reasons for keeping things from the little guy, so she didn’t expose her. With a couple of awkward laughs, she casually said, “Maybe those clothes are just too pretty, and she got drawn in!”