A short while ago, the photo studio mailed the pictures directly to the villa. After signing for the delivery, Zou Beiqi opened the album and flipped through the pages, looking at the various intimate poses he and Heng Shi struck, feeling a strange sensation that he couldn’t quite put into words.
Along with the photos, picture frames of various sizes were also shipped. Zou Beiqi snapped a picture and sent it to Heng Shi, who was far away at the company. Heng Shi offered to pick out a thirty-inch frame to hang in the room, which Zou Beiqi immediately rejected, expressing that such a huge photo looked far too awkward. After going back and forth, the two finally compromised on a ten-inch size.
Zou Beiqi found it deeply surreal that he could actually argue with his nominal husband over how large their wedding portrait should be, especially for a room where he slept all by himself.
The most speechless part was that Heng Shi actually kept his word, truly hanging the photograph right across from Zou Beiqi’s bed so that the moment he woke up and sat straight up, he would see it.
Once the photos were developed, Zou Beiqi tucked the album into his bag and brought it to the hospital room for his parents to flip through. The two elders beamed with joy, remarking that Zou Beiqi and Heng Shi looked more and more like a true married couple with each passing glance. Zou Beiqi didn’t quite agree with the sentiment himself, but he still played along with a smile.
Heng Shi sat beside him without joining the conversation, instead monitoring the numbers displayed on the machine, seemingly checking whether any of his father’s vital indicators were showing abnormalities.
As they got into the car, Heng Shi suddenly spoke up: “I won’t be able to make it for a while. Other researchers will come to record your father’s data.”
“Got something busy to take care of?”
“Mhm. I’ll get out at the intersection in a moment and transfer to head back to the company. Dr. Xie is coming to check on you today, so head back to the villa.”
Zou Beiqi didn’t raise any objections. Going to Yanxin Pharmaceuticals wasn’t on the same route as going home. After Heng Shi got out, the car drove all the way to the villa’s entrance. The moment the expectant father stepped inside, he found Xie Jinglian waiting in the living room ahead of time, presumably having been let in by the nanny.
Xie Jinglian came by almost once a week, and was on call at any other time. There was a dedicated examination room in the inner part of the house; concerned that nannies coming and going through the living room would be inconvenient while the rooms upstairs offered too much privacy, Heng Shi had simply gone ahead and prepared a separate room.
Zou Beiqi stepped into the examination room, with Xie Jinglian following closely behind carrying his medical kit. After completing a series of routine checks, Xie Jinglian reported that everything was normal, telling Zou Beiqi not to worry and that he could continue nurturing his pregnancy according to his current lifestyle.
“Thank you.”
“It’s only my duty.” As soon as Xie Jinglian finished replying, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He subconsciously pulled it out for a quick look and offered an embarrassed smile, “Apologies, my younger brother is messaging me.”
His younger brother, Xie Jingyuan, the orthodox protagonist Shou of this book.
At the mention of this person, Zou Beiqi couldn’t help asking a few extra questions: “How is your brother doing lately?”
“Him? He’s doing quite well, still pursuing advanced studies in Country X, and he should be able to graduate in a few months.” Speaking of his brother, Xie Jinglian’s face naturally broke into a smile. “The research environment in Country X is excellent. He’s studying medicine, and their medical development over there is very mature, with the university partnering with many large local hospitals. Besides that, there are quite a few pharmaceutical research institutions nearby. Rumor has it that the country’s largest drug manufacturing base is located right there, and there are also many mature local distributors.”
At this point, Xie Jinglian paused: “Pardon me, am I talking too much?”
“It’s fine.” Zou Beiqi recalled the content of the original book: Heng Shi had an accidental encounter with Xie Jingyuan during one of his trips to Country X, and later, after Xie Jingyuan graduated, the two of them reunited back in the country.
His thoughts sank slightly at this realization. Although the plot of this world had already derailed, he couldn’t yet say to what extent it had collapsed. Would Heng Shi still travel abroad? Would he still bump into Xie Jingyuan and find himself drawn to him?
He didn’t know. But if that moment truly arrived, he would pack his bags and clear out with utmost tact. Zou Beiqi figured that since Heng Shi had promised on his own accord to provide alimony and would still come to see the child, the pressure on him as a single dad wouldn’t be too overwhelming either.
It was just a bit of a pity that he couldn’t give the child a complete family. There was no helping it; staying behind meant destroying the romance between the protagonist Gong and Shou, and following the logic of the original book, inserting oneself into their business meant certain death.
Zou Beiqi found it hard to describe his own feelings. Ever since that day when Xie Jingyuan was brought up, he had harbored a lingering sense of unease, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint the true source of the emotion.
To make matters worse, Heng Shi was nowhere to be seen in the villa these past few days, leaving him without even a person to argue with a few rounds to distract himself.
Being truly too idle, he clicked into WeChat and began browsing the gossip about Livan City sent over by Sheng Wanzhong, even taking the time to toss every unfamiliar name he saw into the search bar. After an entire morning of this, he suspected he could qualify as half a Livan City know-it-all.
The gossip content extended into the pharmaceutical field. Rumor had it that Yanxin Pharmaceuticals and Chengshi Pharmaceuticals each occupied half of Livan City’s pharmaceutical industry, maintaining a dynamic of both cooperation and competition all along. Word had it that both sides were currently working on research and development for major projects, so the gunpowder smell between them was presumably quite intense lately.
This was Zou Beiqi’s first time hearing of Chengshi Pharmaceuticals. He searched online, clicked into the company’s official website, and discovered that their legal representative had the surname Meng. Scrolling down to look at the corporate executive profiles, the name Meng Yinsheng caught his eye.
The host of the party Heng Shi had taken him to that day. He now fully understood what fair-weather friends meant.
Zou Beiqi: [So the big move from Yanxin you mentioned last time is this?]
Sheng Wanzhong: [Curious, are you?]
[Why don’t you just go ask your husband yourself?]
[If you find out, spill the details to me too. Anyway, I know it’s related to the new medicine your dad is using.]
Zou Beiqi: [.]
It looked like Yanxin was keeping the news tightly under wraps. Could it be out of fear that their competitors would react?
Zou Beiqi: [I’ll do my best.] No matter what, he had to make vague promises first.
Yet Zou Beiqi never managed to find an opportunity to ask about this matter. Heng Shi seemed to have slept at the company for several days straight, and the last time he slept at home, he had crashed right on the living room sofa.
Terrified of waking the man up, Zou Beiqi tiptoed closer to him, keeping his steps light, and asked in a low voice: “Heng Shi?”
No response.
It seemed he was truly too exhausted to bear it any longer. He was still wearing the suit shirt he wore for work, his briefcase had been casually tossed aside, and he presumably hadn’t even found the time to take a shower. Zou Beiqi went to the shared bathroom on the first floor to grab a damp towel and tiptoed back to wipe the man’s face.
The moment the towel touched his neck, Zou Beiqi’s wrist was seized in a firm grip. Heng Shi opened his eyes at some point, meeting Zou Beiqi’s gaze: “Why are you still awake so late?”
“It’s not even that late, just past eleven.” Under normal circumstances, Zou Beiqi would still be in the dorm playing video games at this hour.
“You’re carrying a child, mind your rest.” For some reason, Zou Beiqi felt that the current Heng Shi looked like a frail little beast that had curled up in its nest after getting injured, standing in stark contrast to the usual Heng Shi. “Go on.”
Zou Beiqi didn’t budge: “You can’t sleep here.”
“Once the R&D gets busy, I’ve slept everywhere.”
“This is already home, there’s no need to mistreat yourself.” Zou Beiqi tugged on his arm: “I can’t lift you up.”
“I’ll go upstairs myself in a minute, don’t worry about me.”
“You haven’t showered yet.”
“I’ll wash up as soon as I get to my room.” Heng Shi reached out toward Zou Beiqi, seemingly wanting to stroke his head, but pulled his hand back awkwardly right before making contact. “Be a good boy. I shouldn’t be the one making you take care of me instead.”
“It’s fine, my body is still doing well right now, I can still do a lot of things.”
“Only by resting early can you keep doing well.” Heng Shi spoke as he slowly sat straight up. “I’m heading upstairs now, you go back too.”
Zou Beiqi nodded, only then feeling assured enough to head up the stairs. Just a split second before his figure vanished, Heng Shi softly called out to him from behind, reminding him to remember to call Dr. Xie over if he felt any discomfort.
He agreed once more, figuring that perhaps because Heng Shi hadn’t been around these past few days, he felt the need to drop an extra reminder, even if it seemed a bit late.
Feeling slightly uneasy, Zou Beiqi even paused outside Heng Shi’s bedroom door when he reached the second floor. Only after hearing the sound of the showerhead running from inside did he finally feel at ease. And Yan Ze had the nerve to say Heng Shi knew how to exercise moderation—was this idea of moderation sleeping on the living room sofa without even taking a shower?
“Qiqi.” Just as Zou Beiqi was about to leave, Heng Shi, who had already put on his bathrobe, appeared by the crack of the door upon noticing his presence. “I’m fine, go back to sleep.”
The pet name was uttered very softly, lacking the teasing tone of ordinary banter and missing the deliberate emphasis of his previous warnings, sounding instead like a pure sort of tenderness and intimacy.
He really seemed too exhausted to have any strength left. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Qiqi.” He murmured the name once more.
It was a rare sight to see Heng Shi at home in the morning. Sitting at the dining table, Zou Beiqi didn’t rush to eat his sandwich, instead casting his gaze toward the person opposite him: “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Very well.” Heng Shi seemed to be pressed for time, picking up his knife and fork the moment he sat down. “How has your body been feeling lately?”
“No major issues.” Zou Beiqi had been taking the medication formulated for him by Heng Shi on schedule recently, and symptoms like morning sickness and abdominal pain had eased significantly, with severe flare-ups occurring only occasionally.
“That’s good. Medicine can only help reduce your suffering, it can’t completely suppress it. Don’t try to tough it out if something comes up, contact Dr. Xie or go to the hospital.”
“Got it, you’ve said that twice now.”
“I’m worried about you.” Heng Shi paused before adding the second half of his sentence: “The child in your belly.”
“Oh.” Zou Beiqi thought to himself, I knew it.
The bread on the surface of the sandwich had just been toasted, piping hot, and the moment Zou Beiqi’s fingertips brushed against it, his appetite was fully stimulated. Unlike when he had first become pregnant, his appetite was much better now, at least to the point where he could actually keep meals down.
“Is this enough to eat?” Heng Shi paused his movements. “You’re around seven to eight weeks pregnant now, and the baby is gradually starting to take human form. This is precisely the time when you need nutrition.”
“So fast?” Zou Beiqi suddenly realized with vivid clarity that there truly was a tiny life growing inside him.
“Mhm. If you’re hungry, have the nanny make you something to eat whenever you want.”
Zou Beiqi’s palm involuntarily pressed against his lower abdomen. He kept his gaze fixed on Heng Shi’s face, deciding this was an opportune moment to pour out all the pent-up emotions he had been harboring toward the other person.
“Heng Shi,” Zou Beiqi’s lips moved a few times before he finally spoke, “there are some things I don’t know how to ask you.”
“Speak your mind.” Heng Shi halted his movements, casting a calm gaze toward the person across from him.
“Earlier when I said the child is someone important to you, you didn’t deny it.” Zou Beiqi inexplicably felt a surge of tension. “Does that mean no matter what, you will never abandon the child?”