After everything had been laid out in the open, both of them felt noticeably lighter.
Little by little, their hearts began drawing closer together.
For example, right now.
Perhaps because pregnancy made her sleepy, Chi Ruanli had barely finished breakfast before she stood beside the bed, eyes half-closed, intending to crawl back in for another nap.
Before she could react, the world spun around her.
The next thing she knew, Sheng Yanqing had pinned her beneath him.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together without even the slightest gap between them.
The rapid pounding of a heartbeat echoed in her ears.
She couldn’t even tell whose heartbeat it was anymore.
Sheng Yanqing’s beautiful dark eyes stared intently at her.
His warm lips brushed her forehead.
Then her eyes.
Her cheeks.
The tip of her nose.
As though she were a priceless treasure, he traced every part of her face with gentle kisses.
Finally, he captured her swollen lips.
The slight curve of her abdomen limited how far President Sheng could go.
After a barely audible sob escaped her, Sheng Yanqing reached for several tissues and carefully cleaned her hands.
Then he went into the bathroom, returned with a warm towel, and patiently helped the little woman clean herself up.
Only afterward did he stride into the bathroom.
In the end, they still had not crossed the final line.
She was carrying their baby.
They couldn’t.
When he returned, he climbed back into bed and gathered Chi Ruanli into his arms.
Then he kissed her gently in comfort.
Seeing that her eyes remained closed and that a faint teeth mark had appeared on her lower lip, he stroked it tenderly.
“Did I scare you?”
Chi Ruanli didn’t answer.
She simply buried her face deeper into his chest.
She really had been startled.
She had never expected the restrained, abstinent-looking President Sheng in public to be so passionate in private.
As her thoughts wandered, she eventually drifted off to sleep.
The two of them remained tucked away inside the hotel for two whole days.
Aside from ordering takeout to fill their stomachs, they spent nearly all their time in bed.
As a result, Chi Ruanli could barely look at the bed anymore.
Except for the final step, they had practically done everything else.
Especially Sheng Yanqing.
Whenever he was satisfied, he remained stubbornly determined to make sure she felt good as well.
The variety of things he knew left Chi Ruanli questioning him more than once.
“Are you sure this is really your first time?”
Each time, Sheng Yanqing would hold the little woman in his arms and swear repeatedly with three fingers raised toward the heavens.
Only then would she let the matter go.
Perhaps she had truly exhausted herself.
Chi Ruanli slept until nine o’clock the next morning.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that the man beside her was still sleeping soundly.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing was slow and even.
Clearly, he was still immersed in his dreams.
Chi Ruanli nodded understandingly.
After all, he had been the one doing all the work.
Being tired was only natural.
Curled in Sheng Yanqing’s embrace, she quietly admired him for a while.
His thick brows.
His deep-set eyes.
His high nose.
His thin lips.
His sharp jawline.
That face was simply flawless.
For some reason, the little woman felt proud.
This perfect man belonged to her now.
After amusing herself for a while, Chi Ruanli slipped out of bed and got dressed.
Today she was going out.
No one could stop her.
She sat on the sofa and waited for quite some time.
Surprisingly, Sheng Yanqing showed no signs of waking up.
Unable to sit still any longer, Chi Ruanli tiptoed into the kitchen.
Opening the refrigerator, she took out a can of cola and held it with both hands until her palms turned cold.
Then she returned to the bedside.
Carefully lifting the blanket, she placed her icy hands against the man’s abdomen.
The cold shock made Sheng Yanqing shudder.
Without opening his eyes, he caught the mischievous hands and brought them to his lips for a kiss.
“Wake up, Mr. Sheng. The sun’s already shining on your butt.”
Lying on top of him, Chi Ruanli spoke in a soft, coaxing voice.
The tone sounded exactly like someone trying to wake a child.
Sheng Yanqing laughed.
Opening his eyes, he was just about to lure the little woman back into bed when he noticed she was already fully dressed in long sleeves and long pants.
All she needed was a down jacket before heading out.
One eyebrow rose.
She was guarding against him.
Then again, after spending two days and two nights in bed, anyone would be cautious.
Slow and steady was the way to go.
Without further urging, Sheng Yanqing got up.
Within ten minutes, he had washed up, dressed, and was completely ready.
Then he took Chi Ruanli’s hand and led her out.
Seeing how cooperative he was, the little woman happily rewarded him with a kiss.
This time, Sheng Yanqing had traveled to Harbin alone without bringing any assistants or bodyguards.
As a result, he got to experience life as an ordinary person.
Together, he and Chi Ruanli boarded a public bus.
The cold in Harbin was undeniable.
The bus windows were covered in a layer of white mist.
Bored during the ride, Chi Ruanli raised a finger and wrote the initials of their names on the fogged glass.
Afterward, she drew a heart around them.
Her girlish thoughts were on full display.
Naturally, Sheng Yanqing saw everything.
Ever since boarding the bus, his eyes had barely left her.
He watched over her carefully, afraid she might bump into something.
Taking out his phone, he snapped a picture of the moment.
Then he posted it to his social media feed.
The caption consisted of a single heart emoji.
Chi Ruanli didn’t see the post until that evening.
The first comment came from Jing Xun.
One word.
“Cringe.”
Instead of being annoyed, Chi Ruanli burst into laughter.
The man’s initiative made her heart so sweet it felt as though bubbles were rising inside her chest.
During the day, they first explored the local markets.
They sampled freshly made red sausage, blood sausage, grilled cold noodles, and sweet date cakes.
Under the enthusiastic recommendation of a Northeastern auntie, Sheng Yanqing even drank a glass of Harbin beer.
At first, Chi Ruanli had assumed he wouldn’t be used to the food.
After all, he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
How could someone like him have experienced these things before?
To her surprise, not only did he enjoy them, he ate with remarkable enthusiasm.
As locals would say, he was absolutely devouring everything in sight.
Only when his stomach literally couldn’t hold another bite did he finally stop.
Chi Ruanli stared at him in amazement.
At the end, she even reached out and touched his stomach.
The abs were still there.
Later, they arrived at the famous Central Street.
There, Chi Ruanli insisted on trying the iconic ice cream sold by the century-old local brand.
According to her, anyone who visited Harbin without eating it had wasted the trip.
She chattered endlessly.
It was clear she wasn’t leaving without one.
Since she was pregnant, Sheng Yanqing absolutely refused to let her eat it.
He coaxed her for a long time, but she refused to budge.
What a little troublemaker.
Sheng Yanqing sighed inwardly.
Unable to resist her any longer, he took a bite of the ice cream himself.
Then he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her.
The cold ice cream passed into her mouth—
Only to be stolen right back by Sheng Yanqing.
Chi Ruanli ended up tasting practically nothing.
Afterward, he held her and continued kissing her without restraint.
Only when applause erupted around them did Chi Ruanli finally break away in embarrassment and bury her face in his chest.
Looking around, Sheng Yanqing discovered that at some point, tourists along the street had completely surrounded them.
A circle had formed around the couple.
Voices continuously called out:
“May you stay together forever!”
“99! 99!”
A handsome man and a beautiful woman were already eye-catching enough.
A passionate kiss in the middle of the street naturally attracted even more attention.
In the end, Sheng Yanqing grabbed Chi Ruanli’s hand and ran with her until they escaped the crowd.
After that, the little woman didn’t dare act up anymore.
She spent the entire afternoon hiding in his arms without lifting her head.
She was mortified.
Their kissing had been publicly witnessed.
How was she supposed to show her face anymore?
Only after returning to the hotel that evening did Chi Ruanli finally leave Sheng Yanqing’s embrace.
Her face was as red and beautiful as a blooming rose.
The sight made the man’s heart itch.
However, considering her condition, Sheng Yanqing closed his eyes and forcibly suppressed his thoughts.
Then he walked into the bathroom.
A short while later, he returned carrying a basin of warm water.
Placing it in front of her, he knelt down on one knee before she could react.
Then he removed her shoes and began washing her feet.
Her feet were tiny.
Smaller than his palm.
Her round little toes curled upward slightly.
The sight was so adorable that Sheng Yanqing couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
This only made Chi Ruanli even more embarrassed.
Her face reddened all the way to her ears.
She repeatedly pressed cool hands against her burning cheeks in an attempt to lower the temperature.
As soon as her feet were dried, she tried to pull them back and hide under the blanket.
She was simply too embarrassed.
Unfortunately, Sheng Yanqing caught one ankle and held it firmly in his hand.
A moment later, Chi Ruanli bit her lower lip shyly.
“Don’t bite it, Baby.”
Seeing the movement, Sheng Yanqing instinctively reached out with his other hand.
His thumb brushed softly across her pink lips.
The action nearly drove Chi Ruanli crazy.
A layer of moisture appeared in her doe-like eyes.
“Let me go…”
Her voice came out soft and sweet.
Naturally, Sheng Yanqing ignored the request.
He thoroughly enjoyed seeing the little woman affected by him.
Only after teasing her until she was nearly in tears did he reluctantly release her.
The moment he let go, Chi Ruanli snatched back her foot and dove beneath the blanket.
Then she turned her back toward him.
Hmph.
She was ignoring the bad guy.
Her childish reaction made Sheng Yanqing laugh.
After tidying everything up, he climbed into bed.
Turning her around by force, he pulled her into his arms.
Then he kissed her forehead gently.
“Good night.”
The following morning, they had barely gotten out of bed when Chi Ruanli announced that she wanted to visit a ski resort.
She had even secretly rented ski gear behind his back.
“Absolutely not.”
Sheng Yanqing’s attitude was firm.
His voice carried an unusual seriousness.
The moment she heard him, the corners of Chi Ruanli’s eyes reddened.
He had scolded her.
They had only just gotten together, and he was already scolding her.
Feeling wronged, she stubbornly declared,
“I want to do it anyway!”
Then she turned away and ignored him.
Sheng Yanqing sighed.
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed and coaxed her repeatedly.
“Baby, be good.”
“There’s a little baby inside your belly.”
Truthfully, Chi Ruanli didn’t understand why she had become so unreasonable lately.
She had never been like this before.
Even so, she pouted.
“But I really want to go.”
“Then how about watching me ski instead?”
Sheng Yanqing kissed her lips gently.
“Skiing is dangerous to begin with.”
“You’re pregnant.”
“You really can’t do it.”
Hearing him coax her so patiently, Chi Ruanli became embarrassed.
She buried herself against his neck.
“Actually… I only wanted to look around and take pretty photos.”
“I’ve never gone skiing before.”
“It’s because you sounded so fierce at first that I became rebellious.”
She buried her face even deeper against him.
Hearing that, Sheng Yanqing smiled.
Patting her back, he said,
“I wasn’t scolding you.”
“I love you, spoil you, and cherish you.”
“How could I possibly bear to scold you?”
Chi Ruanli had always been easy to soothe.
A few sweet words were enough to bring dimples back to her cheeks.
When they arrived at the ski resort, Chi Ruanli immediately dragged him around to take countless photographs.
Once she was satisfied, she urged him to ski for her.
Fortunately, Sheng Yanqing knew how.
The slopes posed no challenge at all.
At one point, he even performed a beautiful jump.
Chi Ruanli applauded enthusiastically.
Afterward, they changed clothes and walked out hand in hand.
Chi Ruanli hummed happily the entire way.
Perhaps she was too excited.
Neither of them noticed the small pile of snow in front of them.
Chi Ruanli stepped on it.
Her foot slipped.
Then—
She landed hard on her backside.
The little woman sat there blankly.
Her expression hovered between laughing and crying.
Sheng Yanqing was equally shocked.
For a moment, all rational thought disappeared.
He immediately scooped her up and rushed toward the hospital.
Along the way, his face remained tense.
His jaw was clenched.
Not a single word left his mouth.
He had never been this frightened in his life.
Curled in his arms, Chi Ruanli was equally shaken.
Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
After undergoing a series of examinations, they finally heard that everything was fine.
The pregnancy was stable.
Only then did both of them breathe a sigh of relief.
“However…”
The doctor deliberately paused.
Immediately, both of them looked over.
Their hearts shot back into their throats.
They thought something was wrong.
Instead, the doctor smiled and said:
“I saw three gestational sacs.”