In the end, Han Qing rubbed her head, then asked her to go home. Thus, Yan turned around and walked away, blushing hard. When she reached upstairs, she was still in a daze. After all, the things that had happened to her were far too dream-like—Han Qing seemed to have become gentler. Although the tone of his voice was as cold as usual, he did not seem as distant as he used to be, nor as unapproachable as he was. Don’t tell me it’s because of the kiss? At that thought, she blushed even harder.
Whoosh. Coincidentally, the door slid open and Luo Huimei poked her head out the door. “What are you doing? Why are you standing by the door, smiling like an idiot?”
The smile on Yan’s face vanished immediately, and she snorted as she went back into her room.
…
At Seabay Villa, on a wooden board by the sea, Han Muzi sat down with difficulty while supporting her belly. She tried to dip her feet in the water to cool herself down, but a gloomy voice sounded from behind her. “Mommy, if Daddy sees that, he will be upset.”
Her legs froze mid-motion at those words. She looked back and saw Little Bean approaching from the corner of her eyes; his expression was a little stiff. “He’s not here, right? I’m doing it secretly so he won’t find out.”
Little Bean blinked his eyes innocently at her. “But Mommy, Daddy asked me to watch you before he left.”
Han Muzi felt speechless. “Little Bean, I’m your mommy. Are you sure you want to join forces with your daddy to bully me?”
He walked to her side and reached out to tug at her sleeve, pouting unhappily. “But Mommy, you’re going to give birth to a baby soon! Besides, the water is so cold at this time of the year; it’s not good for your health.”
“The weather is getting warmer by the second. Can’t I just take a quick dip?” The nearer she got to her delivery date, the more closely Ye Moxuan had been watching her. Recently, she was not allowed to go anywhere. It was the same old trope every day—supporting her as she walked because he was worried she would fall, or afraid she would break. Faced with this situation, she was not sure whether to cry or laugh.
He had never accompanied her through labor before. Feeling guilty for not performing his husbandly duties during her first pregnancy, he wanted to make it up to her this time around. However, after accompanying her and learning of all the things a pregnant lady should take notice of during her pregnancy, his entire demeanor changed and he became strict. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had to go out today for something urgent, and he couldn’t bring her along with him, she suspected that he would have wanted to stuff her into his pocket for safekeeping.
At last, she promised that she would not run about, and would obediently stay in her room until he came home. Only then was he willing to leave. Even so, he directed someone—Little Bean—to watch her before he left.
“Little Bean, your daddy has never experienced labor before, but I have. In the past, I wasn’t as cautious when I had you as I am this time around. At that time, I was still going to work like normal. Anyway, I did many things a pregnant lady was not supposed to do but didn’t you come out just fine and healthy?”
“Hmph, it’s different. I’m a boy, but you’re pregnant with my younger sister right now. Girls need to be protected carefully.”
She said nothing. His response seemed so logical that she couldn’t refute him.
“Mommy, quickly get up. If Daddy sees that you left your room when he comes back, he’ll be even stricter to you in the future.”
This sentence served as a reminder to her. That’s true. If he found out about this, or if there was something wrong with her later, he would definitely tighten his watch on her. Then, there won’t be an opportunity for her to walk around like today again. His words hit the nail on the head. She looked at him gloomily. “Alright, you’ve convinced me.”
“Mommy, let’s go back then. I’ll keep you company today.”
“Okay.” Han Muzi got up with difficulty and Little Bean hurriedly stepped forward to support her. Then, they walked back to the room together, hand in hand.
…
Li Sihan lay in the hospital for a few days before he could move again. He was filled with hatred; he wanted to get revenge on Yan, but he was terrified of Han Qing. That night, Han Qing’s eyes looked like it belonged to an Asura—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he could have killed him. As to how he survived the attack, it was probably because God was looking down on him with favor. Once he was discharged from the hospital, he would definitely get his revenge on that woman.
In reality, the police had already arrived at the hospital a few days ago. However, the doctors had informed them that Li Sihan’s injuries were too severe to be discharged from the hospital for the time being. Therefore, the police had arranged for a guard to be posted outside his door until his injuries were better. The moment he was discharged from the hospital, he would be arrested on the spot. Unfortunately, Li Sihan had been unconscious most of the time due to his injuries, so he was not aware of it.
Yan had been staying home for the past few days. The Zhou couple was afraid that she would be frightened, so they did not allow her to leave the house. They even went so far as to prevent her from going to the shop, insisting that she needed a good rest and should not be going anywhere.
She realized that they were simply worried she would run into Li Sihan while she was out, and he would take his revenge on her. “Dad, Mom, please don’t lock me in today. If I stay home any longer, I’m going to turn moldy soon. I want to go out for a walk, or at least let me help out at the shop. I am the owner of the shop; how can I let the two of you toil so hard in my stead?”
“No.” Luo Huimei rejected her plea instantly.
Yan made a sad expression. “Mom, you’re worried that that guy would come looking for me if I go out, right? He won’t; his injuries are too severe. I don’t think he can get out of the hospital any time soon, so he won’t have the chance to lay his hands on me.”
Luo Huimei’s intentions were read like an open book; thus, she narrowed her eyes. “How do you know that he is severely injured? That night…”
Yan nodded. “Yes.”
“Were his actions so brutal?”
Yan thought back to how Han Qing looked that night when he was beating Li Sihan up. If she had not stepped up to stop him, he might have killed the guy. Even she had not expected him, who had always been so indifferent, to have such intense emotions. “Mom, it’s not that he was brutal; it’s just that Li Sihan had gone overboard that night. Besides, I helped too! I contributed to some of the injuries on him.”
Toward the end of her sentence, her gaze became evasive, clearly lacking confidence. How could Luo Huimei not notice that her daughter was trying to protect the guy? After thinking about it, she tugged at her daughter’s arm and asked, “Are you serious about him? Serious enough that you won’t marry anyone else but him?”
Yan’s face turned red. “Mom, why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Aren’t we talking about the matter of letting me go out?”
“Answer me first, then I’ll consider whether I want to let you go out.”
Mulling over it, Yan decided it was better to lay her cards on the table. Besides, she had already decided that she would not marry anyone else except Han Qing, so she might as well be blunt about it. “Yes.” She nodded, confessing cheerfully. “Mom, do you know the feeling where there is nobody else in your eyes except that one person?”
Hearing those words, Luo Huimei was shocked, then she heard her daughter continue talking. “When I first met him, I didn’t like him. By the time I had fallen for him, I could not look at anybody else again, no matter how great a person they were.”
Luo Huimei calmed herself down. “I understand. If you have decided, then I will support you. However, does he have feelings for you?”
