Hello, Jie Fen – CH60

Chapter 60: Is It Hard Being Pregnant?

Chi Wang’s expectations for his own child plummeted from a high point to a new low.

But Xie Sichen couldn’t say anything; why bother arguing with him over such matters?

However, from Chi Wang’s ramblings, Xie quickly realized one thing—he was included in Chi Wang’s future.

Xie Sichen’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his mood brightened.

Chi Wang chattered on about his visions for the future and then wanted to see the baby room that Xie had prepared.

Initially, Xie had used this as an excuse to have Chi Wang move in, but Chi Wang had only glanced at it and hadn’t paid much attention since.

Now that the baby was growing bigger, Chi Wang had read some books and knew what infants and young children needed, so he wanted to check whether Xie had prepared everything.

Xie led him to a room where all the items were covered with white dust covers. Chi Wang pulled off the covers one by one.

Among the things Xie had prepared were baby cribs—several styles of baby cribs—diapers of different brands for different stages, pure cotton cloth diapers, a whole box of pacifiers (enough to use a new one each day for a year or two).

There was a wall of milk powder cans, and many clothes and small quilts in various colors, both bright and subdued. There were towels, baby bathtubs, baby powder, car seats, strollers, and so on.

In short, it was very comprehensive.

Chi Wang couldn’t think of anything missing; even toys were prepared—rattles, wooden xylophones, building blocks, matching toys, plug-in toys, word cards, sandboards, bead mazes, number boxes, small abacuses, and so on. These toys were neatly placed in a large transparent cabinet. If the room weren’t big enough, they wouldn’t have been able to fit.

Chi Wang: “…”

Previously, he had only taken a quick look and hadn’t paid attention to what had been bought. Now, looking carefully, he realized that not hesitating and directly finding the child’s father was the most correct decision he had ever made.

Otherwise, if he couldn’t abort it and had to raise the child alone, even if he had three heads and six arms and infinite energy, he couldn’t guarantee providing such abundant living materials for the baby.

So close—he almost became a beggar.

Xie asked him softly, “Do you think there’s anything else we need to buy?”

Chi Wang wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and said, “No, no, you’ve prepared everything very thoroughly.”

Xie said, “This house is still too small. When the child can walk, we’ll need to change to a different place.”

Chi Wang thought: This house is still small? It’s already a small villa, okay?

He thought this in his heart and said it out loud.

Xie explained reasonably, “Babies are very curious and need a large space to move around. I’ve bought many small cars, and there’s not enough space here for him to drive even a mile.”

Chi Wang: “…”

Wait, you…

Chi Wang suddenly felt a bit ashamed. Xie could give the baby a highway, yet he hadn’t bought anything for the baby yet.

At first, he really didn’t care about the baby, but now he felt a sense of shame from being overshadowed by Xie.

But Xie had already bought everything that needed to be bought; he didn’t know what else he could buy for the baby.

It seemed there wasn’t much he could do.

However, Chi Wang quickly cheered up—it hasn’t been born yet; it’s too early to talk about this.

When it’s born, he’ll make a tiger-head hat for the baby! He knows how!

He could also make little scarves, all handmade—how is that not fatherly love as strong as a mountain?

Thinking this way, his thoughts became clear again.

*

Zuo Qianxing had always felt that the only difference between himself and Conan was that people didn’t die around him.

And the difference between himself and Sherlock Holmes was that he didn’t have a Watson.

In short, he had great reasoning skills.

He knew that Xie was cohabiting with someone but didn’t know with whom—thank heavens, he now knew it couldn’t possibly be Xiao Fu, and that was enough.

Even if he wanted to know more, he couldn’t just stake out someone’s house; that would be too bizarre.

Besides, this was Xie’s privacy. Digging into it wouldn’t be appropriate. Xie wasn’t a celebrity idol, and he wasn’t a sasaeng fan, so Zuo decided to suppress his curiosity and not interfere excessively in Xie’s life.

However, sometimes, even if he didn’t seek information, news would inadvertently come to him.

Every day, Xie would leave at lunchtime, so during the lunch break, Zuo could go to Xie’s office and take a nap on the sofa. Although he had a sofa and rest area in his own office, Xie’s office had a better view and a nicer sofa, so occasionally he would choose to rest there.

One day during the lunch break, he went to Xie’s office. When he went to the pantry to get some water, he heard two secretaries chatting inside.

“My workload has reduced a lot. The new person does the work quickly and well, and I don’t have to teach multiple times. It’s quite effortless.”

“Yes, even though the new hire bypassed Director Zuo and was hired directly by President Xie, I initially thought it was nepotism. But now, it seems he is competent. But what’s his relationship with President Xie? If they’re close, he could just be a secretary. If not, why give him the title of assistant with such a small workload? It’s hard to understand.”

“I did some digging and heard that he’s President Xie’s junior. Remember the boy President Xie brought last time? The really good-looking one? Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember. He was so good-looking; how could I forget?”

“That’s him. At first glance, I thought he was a girl, but he’s tall, and whether male or female, he’s stunning. President Xie is really enjoying himself.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never heard of President Xie having a partner. Maybe they’re really just junior and senior.”

“Speaking of which, I have some unreliable news. President Xie might be married.”

“What?? No way. He doesn’t wear a ring.”

“Well, maybe not married, but possibly has a child.”

“What do you mean?”

“Secretary Huang let it slip when we were drinking. He was responsible for purchasing new models of baby strollers and new formula milk and sending them to President Xie’s home.”

“What?! Did Secretary Huang see a child?”

“No, he didn’t say. He realized he let it slip and told me not to spread it. I’m telling you, but don’t tell anyone else.”

“I won’t say anything. Who would dare spread this? Might lose our jobs.”

“Glad you understand. I’ve known for several months now. Keeping it inside was uncomfortable, but now that I’ve said it, I feel much better.”

Zuo Qianxing: “…”

This was truly an exhilarating eavesdropping experience!

Zuo tiptoed away from the pantry, feeling like a thief, forgetting even his thirst.

He returned to Xie’s office, put back on his suit jacket—which he had taken off to use as a blanket—and sat on his favorite sofa, savoring every sentence the two secretaries had chatted about.

First, he could confirm that the new hire was Chi Wang. After all, Xie had only one junior—who else could it be but Chi Wang?

Secondly, Xie definitely had some big secret he was hiding from him—cohabitation? Buying milk powder and baby strollers??

This was more than just cohabitation; this was cohabitation with pregnancy and childbirth!

And before marriage!!!

Of course, these were Secretary Huang’s drunken words, and their authenticity needed to be verified, but Zuo had a hunch that there was a 90% chance it was true.

All the doubts seemed to have been answered at this moment.

Why did Xie suddenly give up going abroad? If the reason was that he accidentally got someone pregnant, that would explain it.

Xie was not someone who shirked responsibility. To take responsibility, he would naturally choose to stay in the country. If you said he could take the person abroad, that would be too outrageous. Having someone pregnant and taking them abroad to give birth wasn’t Xie’s style.

But who could it be??

Such a big event, and he hadn’t heard a single rumor. Xie’s parents probably didn’t know; if they did, they would have contacted him long ago.

Zuo was sweating from his thoughts, itching to know who it was. But such matters could never be known from Xie’s mouth, and he couldn’t go snooping around. So he had to keep it to himself for now.

In the afternoon, when Xie came to work, he received a resentful glance from Zuo.

Xie noticed his displeasure and said to him, “If you want to take leave, I can approve it.”

Zuo was also busy with work. Since he came to work under Xie, Xie wouldn’t be polite about assigning tasks. Zuo liked that Xie was someone who kept work and personal matters separate.

Zuo rarely pulled the friend card at the company, but after work hours, it was acceptable.

Since it wasn’t yet work time, Zuo spoke casually, “No need, no need. Might as well save my annual leave for the New Year.”

Xie responded with a “Hmm,” took off his coat, and sat down in a gray-brown turtleneck sweater. He was handsome, and whatever he wore looked elegant and classy.

He continued to deal with the mountain of documents, but before starting, he glanced at Zuo, who was still staring at him, and asked coldly, “Is there something you need?”

Zuo said wistfully, “Aren’t you going home for the New Year? Auntie asked me to see what you’re busy with that you can spend the New Year away from home.”

Xie said, “If you feel idle, I can transfer you to another position.”

Zuo: “…”

Although Xie casually jabbed at him, Zuo knew he wasn’t really upset; his brows even showed a hint of softness, as if in a good mood.

Zuo could see that the dark circles under Xie’s eyes had faded, and his brows were relaxed and calm, completely different from before.

You know, in the past, if Zuo talked to him a bit more, Xie’s brows would furrow, and the crease between his brows could kill a fly.

But his good upbringing made him bottle up his bad emotions. At most, he wouldn’t answer calls or messages, emitting a low-pressure aura, wanting to be alone.

Now, his mood was clearly much better; you could tell from his micro-expressions.

Zuo suddenly felt emotional—Xie had actually cohabited and had a child before marriage.

And he had kept it so tightly under wraps—no, not entirely, since he had at least admitted to cohabiting.

So who could it be?

Zuo pondered all afternoon.

And a successful detective needs opportunities to achieve success.

After work in the afternoon, Xie left right on time, not staying a minute extra.

But he left in a hurry. There was an important project wrapping up the next day that needed his confirmation. When Zuo saw that Secretary Huang was about to inform Xie and send the documents over, he volunteered and seized the opportunity.

This was a heaven-sent chance. With a legitimate reason, he excitedly took the documents and drove his car to Xie’s house.

He got stuck in rush-hour traffic, sweating profusely, and only by turning down the air conditioning did he stop the incessant sweating.

After being stuck on the road for over an hour, he finally reached near H University.

Finally about to arrive at Xie’s house, Zuo felt a bit nervous.

At this time, Xie had already arrived home.

He was out walking the dog on the electric scooter.

Chi Wang was working in the living room, making charts for Xie, with a plate of fruit cut by the auntie and homemade snacks beside him.

Chi Wang stretched lazily and was about to take a peeled honey tangerine, popping it into his mouth, when he heard a familiar voice outside—it was Zuo.

Before he could get up, the auntie, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the commotion and went out to open the door before him.

Zuo saw that the door was opened by a middle-aged woman. He smiled and asked her, “Is Xie at home? I’m here to deliver some documents.”

The auntie opened the gate to the courtyard and said to Zuo, “Mr. Xie has gone to walk the dog. Please come in first.”

Zuo chatted with her, “Are you the auntie at Xie’s house? I haven’t seen you before. How long have you been working here?”

The auntie smiled back, “I’ve been here quite a while. I’ve seen you before.”

Zuo was surprised, “You’ve seen me? Oh, could it be back in high school…? You look even younger now! You could be my sister.”

The auntie was amused, “You’re not mistaken. I was the one taking care of Mr. Xie’s meals back in high school. You used to come over for meals—you liked steamed sea bass, right? You could eat a whole one each time.”

Zuo had actually recognized her at first glance but was just flattering her.

The auntie led him inside. As soon as he entered, Zuo Qianxing saw Chi Wang.

He didn’t think much of it at first; if he could come to Xie Sichen’s house, why couldn’t Chi Wang?

The auntie brewed tea for Zuo Qianxing. Zuo placed the documents on the coffee table, reached out to grab a few strawberries, and popped them into his mouth. Leaning over, he watched Chi Wang creating dynamic charts. His hands moved swiftly—clearly the work of an experienced office worker.

It was rare; after all, Chi Wang was only a sophomore.

Chi Wang set aside his laptop and proactively spoke to Zuo: “Try this; it’s sweet.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the peeled honey tangerines. Zuo obediently picked one up, peeled it, and ate it while glancing around at the furnishings, which hadn’t changed much since his last visit.

But his gaze fell on Chi Wang’s wrist and suddenly halted.

Indoors, it was warm. Chi Wang wore a coarse-knit sweater with SpongeBob SquarePants knitted on it; the sleeves were a bit short, revealing a section of his wrist. He wore a sports watch and a string of Buddhist prayer beads. Because his wrist was slender and fair, the mix of these different items didn’t look out of place at all; instead, it made his wrist appear as white as moonlight.

Zuo Qianxing: “…”

Wait a minute.

Could it be that all along, Xie Sichen has been with Chi Wang…

But Chi Wang is a guy??

“…” Zuo spoke casually, “How have you been feeling lately? Are you alright? It’s hard being pregnant, isn’t it?”

Chi Wang was stunned, lifting his eyes to meet Zuo’s gaze. Zuo looked at him with concern.

Chi Wang instinctively said, “Uh… not hard.”

Zuo Qianxing: “…”

1. Conan: Refers to the main character Shinichi Kudo (also known as Conan Edogawa) from the Japanese manga and anime series Detective Conan, known for solving mysteries.
2. Sasaeng fan: A term used in K-pop fandoms referring to obsessive fans who stalk and invade the privacy of celebrities.