After washing up, Pei Xi walked Si Ruohan downstairs for breakfast. She wasn’t helpless—she didn’t need him waiting on her hand and foot.
After eating, she found she couldn’t fall back asleep. She picked out a dress, changed into it, and carefully used concealer to hide the marks on her collarbone and neck before heading downstairs.
She had just opened the door when the phone by her bedside rang.
Pei Xi picked it up and saw it was her best friend, Peng Jiao. She quickly answered.
Before she could even say a word, Peng Jiao’s rapid-fire voice burst through the speaker.
“Hey, Xiaoxi, you came to see me yesterday?”
“I did, but no one was home. Where did you go in the middle of the day? Did you go back already, or were you out on a date with your boyfriend?”
A dramatic wail came from the other end.
“Waaah, yes! I got dragged back home! My relationship got exposed, and my brother caught me and brought me back.
Now I’m locked in the house and not allowed to go out. Xiaoxi, who knows when we’ll see each other again? Maybe I’ll be trapped here forever! My parents are so angry… we might never meet again in this lifetime!
Remember to visit my grave during Qingming next year!”
Pei Xi had the speaker on, and Peng Jiao’s exaggerated sobbing filled the entire room.
She felt as if a flock of crows had just flown over her head.
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
“You want me to mourn your doomed romance, not you, right? Are you just upset you can’t see Xu Haoyang? Now that your family knows about him, did they go looking for him?”
Pei Xi was genuinely curious whether the Peng family had already gone to beat the poor guy up.
“If your family really locked you up, how are you still calling me? They didn’t take your phone?”
Peng Jiao’s voice dropped, suddenly sounding conspiratorial.
“I bribed the housekeeper to sneak it to me. My parents aren’t home right now, otherwise how would I have a phone? I don’t know if they beat him or not.
I called Xu Haoyang earlier—he said my brother went to see him but didn’t hit him. I don’t believe that! I asked for a video call, but he said he had a meeting and just told me he was relieved I was okay.
He said to wait for him—he’ll come see me tonight.”
Hearing this, Pei Xi felt her best friend’s relationship was nothing short of chaotic. Hopefully the two of them could survive this storm.
After chatting for a while, Peng Jiao, worried her family might suddenly return and discover the stolen phone, hurriedly hung up, promising to call again later.
Pei Xi had originally thought Peng Jiao would ask why she hadn’t been home yesterday. Unexpectedly, she didn’t ask at all, sparing Pei Xi the trouble of making up excuses.
When Pei Xi turned around, she saw Si Ruohan standing at the door. She had no idea how long he had been there.
Noticing that she had seen him, he walked in and handed her a tube of medicine.
“I found this for you. It won’t affect the baby, so you can use it without worry. Let me apply it for you.”
Pei Xi glanced at it, then shook her head and refused.
“Let’s skip it today. I’m not going out anyway, and I’ve covered it up for now. If it’s still there tomorrow, I’ll use it then.”
Si Ruohan thought that was reasonable. Looking at her now, he really couldn’t see anything.
He let out a quiet sigh. Her skin was far too delicate—it marked easily if he wasn’t careful. And he had already been gentle.
“I’ll be more careful from now on. I won’t leave marks where people can see them.”
As for the places hidden beneath her clothes… that was another matter.
After spending the night together, Pei Xi wasn’t as afraid of him as before. They were already married, and separation wasn’t an option for now. The only thing left to do was learn to get along.
So far, Si Ruohan treated her well—perhaps because of the child. Either way, she was benefiting from it.
Hearing his words, she shot him a glare.
“Can’t you show a little restraint? I’m pregnant!”
Why was it that other men turned abstinent the moment their wives got pregnant, while he behaved like a starving wolf?
Si Ruohan didn’t find her glare intimidating at all—in fact, he found it adorable.
“I really can’t help it. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I won’t hurt the baby.”
After so many years of abstinence, he was finally allowed a taste—how could he possibly hold back?
It was a pity they couldn’t go all the way.
As for the idea that they had married too suddenly and didn’t know each other well enough to share a bed—
He didn’t agree. If they didn’t share a bed, they would remain strangers. Wouldn’t sleeping together make them familiar?
She was his wife—what was there to hold back?
“When’s your next prenatal checkup? Maybe I should take you to the hospital and ask the doctor what we should be careful about.”
Pei Xi shook her head.
“No, not now. Let’s wait another two weeks, until I’m two months along. Right now, it’s just a tiny little bean. As long as I eat well and rest well, there’s nothing to worry about.”
The ultrasound would show nothing but a small black dot—what was there to see?
“Alright,” Si Ruohan nodded. Since she didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t force her.
“Then call me when it’s time. I’ll go with you.”
He was already planning to take her to a private hospital with better service.
“Okay. If you’re free, I’ll definitely ask you to come with me.”
Pei Xi truly hoped someone would accompany her. Every time she went for a checkup, all the other pregnant women had someone by their side, while she sat alone in the corridor, quietly envious.
Si Ruohan smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”
Even if he was busy, he would make time.
Tilting her head, Pei Xi looked at him.
“When did you come upstairs? Did you hear me talking to my friend?”
Si Ruohan recalled the scene. After breakfast, he had slowly walked upstairs, but when he heard crying, he thought it was Pei Xi and hurried over.
Only when he reached the door did he realize the wailing was coming from her phone.
“I came up to bring you some food. I heard crying and thought it was you. Did her family find out about her relationship? Do they not allow her to date? Or is she already engaged and can’t be with him?”
From what he had overheard, her friend’s family had locked her up and possibly beaten her boyfriend. It sounded like they were trying to force them apart.
At that moment, he found himself oddly relieved that Pei Xi had no family. Otherwise, their marriage wouldn’t have gone so smoothly—and he might have gotten beaten up as well.
After all, what parent would tolerate their daughter becoming pregnant before marriage?
Pei Xi shook her head.
“I’m not sure. They started dating in college and never dared to tell their families. Now that it’s out, of course her family is angry.”
Their precious daughter had been “snatched away”—how could they not be?
Then she teased him lightly,
“Thinking about it now, you’re pretty lucky. No troublesome father-in-law or overprotective brother-in-law to deal with. No one trying to beat you up. You really got off easy.”
Si Ruohan nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. No obstacles, no trials—I just married you and brought you home. That’s my good fortune.”
Pei Xi turned to look out the window.
“But her family is angry because they love her. Even if she and her boyfriend break up someday, her family will always be her support. As for me… I don’t have any way back.”
There was a saying—when love runs deep, so do expectations.
Their anger came from fear—fear that their child would be hurt, that she wouldn’t be treated well.
As she spoke, a faint trace of envy appeared on Pei Xi’s face.
How nice it must be to have a family that loves you… to have someone shielding you from the storm.
Si Ruohan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind, letting her lean against his chest.
“How could you be alone? You have me. I’m your support. Try trusting me a little, alright?”
He knew that although Pei Xi didn’t reject him, she hadn’t truly accepted him either. If not for the child, their paths might never have crossed again.
To give her a stronger sense of security, Si Ruohan felt he needed to start making preparations for her.