Spoiled by Love – Sweetheart, Don’t Tempt Me

“The clothes for older kids are really nice too, Mom! Why aren’t you looking at them?” Xiaomai wondered aloud, her mind racing with thoughts. Could it be that her mom preferred baby clothes? Would she want to have a baby just because she liked those tiny outfits?

Oh dear, what kind of imagination does this little one have? Who would want a baby just because they like the clothes, rather than liking the clothes because they want a baby? If such people exist, they must be as rare as pandas!

“Well, Mom is just asking the sales lady about the clothes for babies,” Xiaomai’s sharp ears picked up her mother’s conversation from ten meters away.

“It’s okay to ask. Now she’ll have experience for when she picks out clothes for a little one in the future,” Miss Qiao remarked casually. Although she didn’t reveal to Xiaomai that her mom might already be pregnant, she couldn’t help but speak her mind.

Xiaomai fell silent.

Oh no, her mom might be having her own child! She had thought that since her mom was still studying, she wouldn’t have a baby so soon, and she could have her mom all to herself for a long time. But now it seemed she had been mistaken.

Would her mom still love her as much if she had her own child?

Xiaomai’s brow furrowed deeply, her little face showing an unusual sadness for someone her age.

Miss Qiao, despite her carefree nature, was very attentive to her niece. Seeing Xiaomai’s frown, she quickly realized she must have said something upsetting. Retracing her words, she found the reason for Xiaomai’s silence and hurried to comfort her, “Don’t worry, Xiaomai. Your mom loves you so much. Even if she has her own child, she’ll always love you just the same. You’re her little treasure, so there’s nothing to worry about!”

“Okay!” Xiaomai nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face. “I know, Mom loves me the most.” Though she said this, her heart was still affected.

Gong Xiaoqiao soon brought Zhan Niantong back, and Niantong realized her actions might have upset the little one. Feeling guilty, she quickly asked, “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I got carried away looking at those cute clothes and didn’t help you pick out yours. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, Xiaomai isn’t a petty child!” The little one remained the sweet girl she was, incapable of being angry at her mom.

“Such a good girl.” Zhan Niantong gave her a loving kiss and held her little hand. “Did you find any clothes you like? Mom will buy them for you.”

Xiaomai, being sensible, picked just one outfit. “Mom, just this one is fine.”

“That’s not enough. It’s getting cold, and you need more clothes. What if it rains and they don’t dry? That would be terrible. Let me help you pick out a few more beautiful outfits.”

In the end, they bought four sets, spending over a thousand yuan. But Zhan Niantong didn’t mind at all. As long as the child was warm and well-dressed, everything was worth it.

Because she was preoccupied with her friend’s pregnancy and with the sensitive little guy present, Gong Xiaoqiao couldn’t find a chance to discuss the matter further with her friend. Anxious and restless, she volunteered to stay overnight at the military residential compound with them.

The little car made its maiden voyage down the asphalt road leading to the compound. Despite the wide, empty road, the pink Beetle crawled along like a tortoise. The little mom used the excuse that it was getting dark and visibility was poor, so driving slowly was safer, to dismiss the little guy’s impatient complaints.

Fortunately, Aunt Qiao was there. She didn’t mind the slow pace and kept the little one entertained by chatting about the fun things happening in kindergarten, constantly mentioning Tuantuan and Yuanyuan. It was clear what filled her little heart.

Finally, after old Mrs. Xia urged them repeatedly, the little car successfully arrived at the military residential compound.

Miss Qiao was already familiar to the Xia Family, having left a strong impression. As the best friend of their daughter-in-law, she was warmly welcomed and given no chance for a private conversation with her friend.

After dinner and some time spent chatting with the elders, Zhan Niantong finally stood up, using the excuse of taking Miss Qiao to the guest room upstairs to make her move.

The two young women exchanged knowing glances, and old Mrs. Xia, being sharp, allowed them to go: “Go ahead!”

Once inside the guest room, the impatient Miss Qiao locked the door and pulled her friend onto the bed to start their secret talk. “When do you plan to go to the hospital for a thorough check-up?”

“Tomorrow, I guess!” The sooner she got checked, the sooner she could be at ease. This state of being half-aware was making her emotions complex and difficult to bear.

“Alright, I’ll arrange it for you at my family’s hospital!”

Gong Xiaoqiao was very enthusiastic about sorting out the hospital arrangements. Next up was dealing with the little guy.

“Send her to play with Tuantuan and Yuanyuan; she’ll definitely be happy. But as for your mother-in-law…” Miss Qiao was indeed anxious, already coming up with solutions before the person involved had even thought about these issues. “Just say there’s something at my place, and I need to head back early, so you can take me home.”

“Okay, sounds good.” It seemed like the only option. Zhan Niantong felt a bit nervous and apprehensive, her expression showing just how conflicted she was.

After settling the matter, Gong Xiaoqiao remembered another important issue. “Hey, aren’t you going to tell your old man about this?” Miss Qiao, in her straightforward manner, believed that the root of the problem was Xia Zhennan, the old man himself. He needed to know so he could fully grasp the depth of his mistake and reflect on it seriously, ensuring he treated her friend better in the future.

“No, I won’t,” Zhan Niantong shook her head, her rationality having returned after all this time. “I’ll wait until after the check-up. If I’m really pregnant, then I’ll tell him.”

“Why?” Gong Xiaoqiao couldn’t comprehend her reasoning. How could she not inform her husband about something like this?

“Because I’m afraid of giving him hope only to let him down.” He’s already thirty-two and surely yearns for a child of his own. Although he understands that given their current circumstances, now might not be the best time for pregnancy, if it turns out she is pregnant, he would certainly be delighted, just like her, eagerly anticipating the baby’s arrival with a loving heart.

“What’s the big deal? I think you should let him know. If you’re not pregnant, it’s not a problem. You’re still a student, not suited for pregnancy right now. If he truly cares for you and considers your situation, he should be relieved if you’re not pregnant, not disappointed,” Gong Xiaoqiao argued, offering her unsolicited advice.

…

Meanwhile, the conversation in the guest room continued. Downstairs, after waiting for half an hour without seeing her mom and Aunt Qiao come down, a certain little guy grew impatient. She found an excuse to tell her grandma she was going upstairs and headed straight to her parents’ room.

However, the room was empty, except for her mom’s bag sitting on the table. She didn’t pay much attention to it until she noticed the zipper was partially open, revealing a half-visible report.

Recalling her mom’s odd behavior that afternoon, she couldn’t resist pulling out the report to take a look. She could only recognize a few simple words and letters, making it impossible to understand the report. But the red letters on it stood out, with the values circled in red, immediately catching her attention.

What does this mean?

She carefully examined each section of the report, and her clever mind quickly identified the issue. In all the sections, only the values in the red section exceeded the previous ones.

What does this mean? Could there be something wrong with her mom’s check-up? Was her mom’s strange behavior that afternoon related to this report? The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, prompting her to call her dad to report it, so she could feel at ease.

Thus, Xia Zhennan, who was at a dinner table socializing with provincial committee leaders, received the call.

Since her mom came into her life, the little guy rarely used her own phone to call him. She usually chimed in when her dear mom made calls. This time, she called directly, suggesting something was up.

So, he politely excused himself from the leaders, stepped out of the private room, and answered the call. Immediately, Xiaomai’s slightly anxious voice came through the receiver, “Dad, Mom’s acting really strange today!”

Xia Zhennan’s heart leapt to his throat at her seemingly random statement. “What’s going on?”

“The thing is, Mom was acting really strange this afternoon,” the little guy nervously recounted the odd behavior of his mother to his father. “Ever since she finished her check-up, she’s been acting weird. She drove really slowly, and when we got to Happy Baby, she kept looking at baby clothes and asking the sales assistant which clothes were for what age.”

These events seemed unrelated, but the clever Xia Zhennan immediately connected the dots. His heart grew even more tense. “Is there anything else?”

“Let me think!” The little guy furrowed her brow, trying to recall. “Mom and Aunt Qiao were discussing something. I overheard words like ‘pregnant’ and ‘having a baby.'”

Xiaomai’s description further confirmed Xia Zhennan’s suspicions. His heart raced even faster. His wife was usually carefree, so why was she suddenly being so cautious and interested in baby clothes? If there wasn’t something going on, why would she forget about Xiaomai and head to the baby section to look at clothes? She might actually be…

This bold thought flashed through his mind, leaving him utterly shocked and speechless. Was his belief in the safety period completely wrong?

His thoughts were quickly validated when the little guy mentioned the report with the glaring red numbers. “Dad, there’s a strange section in Mom’s blood report. I don’t understand it, but listen to this: the hcg level is greater than 1000 but less than 5000. What does that mean? Is there any danger since Mom’s level is above the norm?”

The hcg level, known as the human chorionic gonadotropin, is typically not above 25 IU/L in a normal woman. But his wife’s level was over a thousand IU/L, which meant…

His heart leapt with joy, but there was still a little guy on the other end of the line waiting for his explanation. “It’s okay, a slight increase in hcg levels is nothing to worry about. Don’t be anxious. I’ll talk to Mom about it later.”

Despite the tension, he felt a twinge of annoyance. What was going on with this little woman? There was something unusual in the check-up, yet she hadn’t reported it to him. Especially such a significant matter, and she was keeping it from him. What was she planning? She had been talking about wanting a child for so long, and now that it might be happening, she hadn’t told him. Was she aiming to give him a big surprise? Well, she certainly succeeded in surprising him.

Just as the two women in the guest room were debating whether to tell Xia Zhennan about the situation, his call came through.

Zhan Niantong looked at the familiar number with some confusion. Wasn’t he supposed to be entertaining the provincial committee leaders? How did he have time to call her?

Amidst her puzzlement, she felt a bit nervous. After all, this was a significant matter, and she hadn’t planned on telling the head of the family. She intended to keep it a secret and go to the hospital for a check-up on her own, which made her feel guilty. They had promised not to keep secrets from each other. Embarrassed, she thought about not answering the call, but her fingers couldn’t resist sliding to accept it. She really wanted to hear his voice at that moment.

To her great surprise, the head of the family started with a direct question: “Are you pregnant?”

The question hit her like a bolt from the blue, leaving her speechless.

How did her husband know? Could he see and hear everything from miles away?

Her silence was clearly a sign of guilt, which only made Xia Zhennan, already a bit displeased, even more frustrated. His tone grew harsher: “Well, speak up. Are you pregnant?”

Her husband’s uncharacteristically harsh words snapped her back to reality, and she stammered out an explanation: “No, no, I’m not pregnant. Or maybe I am.” She was at a loss for words.

“What exactly is going on?”

Well, since her dear husband already knew, she decided to come clean: “I don’t know if I’m pregnant yet. I have to go to the hospital tomorrow for a detailed check-up to confirm.”

Xia Zhennan hadn’t expected that it still needed confirmation. He thought his wife had already figured it out: “What do you mean?”

“When I went for a check-up this afternoon, the blood test showed an elevated hcg level. The nurse said it could mean pregnancy, but it might also be due to other reasons.”

After hearing her explanation, he quickly understood the situation. However, the fact that she had kept it from him still left him feeling a bit miffed: “Why didn’t you tell me about something so important?”

“You were busy with important matters, and I didn’t want to…”

She didn’t get to finish before he interrupted sternly: “What’s more important than you and the baby?” Silly woman, everything he did was to get back to her sooner, and here she was, worried about disturbing him.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong.” Knowing her husband was upset, Zhan Niantong confessed honestly: “I wasn’t sure myself. I was afraid that if I told you and it turned out I wasn’t pregnant, it would just be a false alarm.”

“Silly girl.” Sometimes he wished his wife could be a little more selfish. But if she were, she wouldn’t be Zhan Niantong. “I’m your husband. We should face this together, experience it together. When are you going to the hospital?”

From his tone, it seemed like he wanted to come back and go with her.

She quickly said, “Husband, don’t come back. I can go by myself, and Xiaoqiao will be with me. It’s fine. I’ll let you know as soon as I get the results.”

Xia Zhennan didn’t like what he heard, and his tone carried a hint of displeasure: “You really don’t want me to come back!”

What a petty man, getting upset over a single sentence. She explained, “Of course not. I know you’re busy trying to get transferred back, all for the sake of our family being together sooner. I don’t want you to tire yourself out going back and forth. Husband, you care for me, but I care for you too.” She couldn’t bear to see him exhausted from traveling, especially if it turned out she wasn’t pregnant, which would only lead to disappointment.

Alright, he realized he had been too petty. His wife cared for him, and he had been unreasonable: “Okay, you’re the boss. I’ll listen to you.” His wife was a determined woman, and once she made up her mind, it couldn’t be changed. Besides, he didn’t know how late the engagement would run tonight, and even if he wanted to return, he couldn’t catch the last flight.

His compromise brought her relief, but the possibility of disappointment made her anxious again: “If I’m not pregnant, will you be disappointed?”

“Silly girl, I’ve told you before, now isn’t the best time for pregnancy. Once I’m back and settled, if you want a baby, we’ll have one right away. How could I be disappointed?”