Chapter 84: Chi Wang Is Pregnant
Chi Wang’s words made Xie’s heartbeat quicken significantly.
He lowered his head slightly, his nose nestling into Chi Wang’s soft, fluffy hair. His voice was hoarse: “Mm, so getting married won’t change anything between us.”
Chi Wang couldn’t help but fidget under the covers, realizing it, he quickly stopped and reached out to push away Xie’s hand resting on his belly. Only then did he say, “…Then let’s get married. But I’m only eighteen now; we can’t get a marriage certificate until I’m twenty-two.”
Xie said, “We can get a certificate abroad first, and when you reach the legal age here, we’ll do it again.”
Chi Wang breathed a sigh of relief. So no matter what, they couldn’t get the certificate for another three years.
Suddenly, he didn’t feel so afraid anymore. He chuckled and asked, “So when you first talked about getting married, you meant getting married abroad?”
Xie: “Mm.”
Chi Wang laughed. “Hahaha, then it’s not a big deal, like playing house.”
Xie said, “…But if we get married, we’ll have to invite friends and family.”
Chi Wang: “…”
He fell silent.
He suddenly realized that if they got married, Xie’s parents would also have to know.
Unlike him—he had no parents, only a brother. Xiao Fu had become a paper tiger for his sake, but Xie had both a father and a mother.
Although Xie had said his parents were nice, the fact that he, a male, was pregnant and was now going to marry Xie… If it was just the two of them, it was fine. But to bring it up to his parents, Chi Wang felt his head starting to ache.
Chi Wang wasn’t afraid of elders; in fact, he was quite popular with them. During his school days, from teachers to the security guard grandpas and cleaning grannies, they all liked him. Chi Wang also had plenty of experience dealing with them.
But this situation was different. Getting married meant entering the other person’s family.
Anything involving family was a challenge for Chi Wang.
He remained silent, not wanting to delve deeper into the topic, afraid that Xie would bring up his parents. Chi Wang wasn’t ready for that yet.
After a moment of silence, Xie softly said, “Let’s sleep. Goodnight.”
Chi Wang hurriedly replied, “Goodnight, goodnight.”
*
After the New Year, time seemed to fly.
As March approached, the chill of early spring lingered, and the new semester was about to begin.
He no longer had to worry about tuition fees; the money he had saved in the past half-year was enough to cover it.
Moreover, Xiao Fu had given him some money.
Not long ago, Xiao Fu had him sign a stack of agreements and contracts. Chi Wang was now quite wealthy, but he didn’t feel it was real.
After paying his tuition at home, Chi Wang told his two roommates that he wouldn’t be attending classes on campus.
Luo Lianyun breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn’t approved of Chi Wang coming to school in his condition.
Shu Tingyu, on the other hand, was worried about his mental health.
Chi Wang was deeply moved and said bluntly, [Xiaoyu, you really understand me!]
Luo Lianyun put on a jealous act. [So you think I don’t understand you?]
Chi Wang laughed. [Hahahahaha.]
He tried to appease both, [You understand me too—you understand the baby!]
He could still go out, but only with someone accompanying him.
Chi Wang was satisfied with this arrangement. After all, the baby was growing day by day, and walking too much made his back ache. No matter how well-behaved the baby was, it couldn’t change the fact that as it grew, it would press against his spine and organs.
His belly was still manageable, but Auntie would nag him, “When it’s time, leave your belly to me. I’ve gotten some scar-removing cream that the imperial concubines used back in the palace. It works wonders and won’t leave any scars.”
Chi Wang said, “I don’t mind scars; I just don’t like stretch marks—they’re too scary.”
Auntie said, “Oh, stretch marks—that can’t be helped. It’s fate. But if you haven’t developed any by this month, you probably won’t get them later.”
Xie had gone to the company to hand over his work, planning to step back and accompany Chi Wang throughout the pregnancy, so he wasn’t at home.
Auntie accompanied Chi Wang for a walk to the snack street near the school gate. Out of concern, she held his arm.
Chi Wang wasn’t very fond of overly intimate contact, but he was gradually getting used to it.
At the snack street, many vendors recognized him and invited him over to eat. Chi Wang went to a hand-grabbed pancake stall, intending to buy one.
The pancake vendor knew him and didn’t need him to say much. He said, “Same as usual—two eggs and a sausage, right?”
Chi Wang grinned. “Yes! You have a great memory, boss. And add extra crispy layers.”
He originally wanted to ask for some spicy sauce but thought better of it; he didn’t want to end up in the hospital again with gastroenteritis.
Auntie didn’t stop him. If people kept saying pregnant women couldn’t eat junk food and forbade them from eating, wouldn’t that worsen psychological problems?
In her opinion, he should eat whatever he wanted. Eating some junk food in moderation wouldn’t hurt.
Auntie proactively asked, “Want some milk tea? You young people love milk tea, don’t you?”
Chi Wang cheerfully said, “Sure! Auntie, I’ll treat you.”
Auntie smiled. “Well, thank you then.”
At the milk tea shop, Auntie noticed that the staff also knew him. They added lots of milk foam to his drink and even gave him an extra cup filled with milk foam.
Chi Wang sat in the shop, chatting with the staff. Auntie listened quietly and learned that the staff member was a junior from Chi Wang’s major.
As he shook the milk tea, the junior complained about the early start of the semester. Other schools were starting around March 7th or 8th, but theirs was starting so early.
Chi Wang agreed indignantly, “Yeah, starting so early! I’m missing out on ten days of work and losing a lot of money.”
The junior, with teary eyes, asked him, “Senior, what part-time job are you doing now?”
Chi Wang replied, “I’m working in childcare.”
“How much do you earn? Childcare is tiring, isn’t it?”
“The pay is quite high, but it’s indeed exhausting. I work at least sixteen hours a day.”
“Wow, you’re amazing to keep that up. But it’s true that childcare jobs pay well now. If I can’t find a job after graduation, I might become a nanny.”
“A nanny? It’s hard for a guy to get that kind of job, isn’t it?”
“I can cook and do housework, so who knows?”
Soon, their conversation shifted from part-time jobs to teachers and then to the new gossip that had emerged during the New Year holidays. Chi Wang listened with wide-eyed amazement.
Auntie noticed that even after finishing his milk tea, he didn’t mention leaving. It was clear that Chi Wang needed to interact with others. Even just chatting could lift his spirits.
His laughter became more hearty and lively.
After chatting to his heart’s content, Chi Wang and Auntie left the milk tea shop, visited a few stores, and then headed home.
Back home, Chi Wang suddenly said to Auntie, “Auntie, I want to learn how to cook from you!”
Auntie was surprised. “Huh?”
Chi Wang said, “Your cooking is so delicious; take me as your apprentice! I’ll call you Master first—Master!”
Auntie: “…”
Chi Wang asked, “Master, how much tuition do you want?”
Auntie was stunned; she had never seen a boy proactively ask to learn cooking. She curiously asked, “Why do you suddenly want to learn this?”
Chi Wang replied, “You can never have too many skills, right? It’s a craft, after all. Plus, your cooking is so good; your skills shouldn’t be lost! Please teach me.”
Lately, Chi Wang had been learning French, but progress was slow. Now that he had money, he paid for classes—having money was great; you could buy skills.
However, the online French course had its own pace; he couldn’t speed it up. So Chi Wang also spent money on calligraphy classes. His handwriting was already good; back in middle school, after learning that neat handwriting could earn him five extra points, he had made a special effort to improve. Now, he could write elegant and beautiful characters.
Now that he had money, his pursuits had risen. Chi Wang chose to practice brush calligraphy.
He once again filled his time outside of classes.
But Chi Wang felt it wasn’t enough. Taking French and calligraphy classes required sitting; he wanted to learn something that allowed him to stand.
It was chatting with his junior at the milk tea shop that reminded him—since Auntie’s cooking was so good, he could learn to cook!
Seeing that he wanted to learn, Auntie was, of course, willing to teach. As long as he was happy.
So in the evening, she demonstrated how to cook dishes to Chi Wang.
On the other side, after arranging all his work and completing the handover, Xie received a call from Chu Qing.
Xie knew that Secretary Li had reported to her, but he didn’t say anything. He answered the call and clearly explained to Chu Qing why he was stepping back from work.
Upon hearing his reason, Chu Qing felt overwhelmed. “You’ve had the entire winter break, and you still haven’t won him over?”
Xie lowered his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting. “I have.”
Chu Qing took a deep breath. “How did you win him over?”
Xie replied perfunctorily, “Using the methods Dad taught me.”
Chu Qing: “…”
She couldn’t help but think that Chi Wang was still too young. Boys matured late; even at adulthood, they might not be mature and steady. You couldn’t say that a nineteen-year-old boy was a child, but having just reached adulthood, how much could he know?
She felt a bit uneasy, thinking that her son might have tricked the young man.
Of course, she understood her son, knowing he was meticulous and responsible. He wouldn’t deceive someone, but the age gap did seem a bit large.
As Chu Qing’s thoughts wandered, Xie suddenly said, “Mom, you’re going to be a grandmother.”
Chu Qing: “??”
She was stunned. “What do you mean?”
Xie hadn’t planned to tell her at this moment, but he had to tell her eventually, so why not now?
In a calm and indifferent voice, Xie said, “Literally—you are going to be a grandmother.”
Chu Qing: “…”
She asked incredulously, “You have an illegitimate child outside?? What about Chi Wang? Aren’t you two dating? Did you use surrogacy??”
Chu Qing felt like the sky was falling. She never expected Xie to pull such a stunt. Her voice turned cold and sharp. “I didn’t say anything about you liking boys; I can live without grandchildren. But you can’t use such unethical methods—deceiving a woman into surrogacy? How did your father and I raise you??”
Xie: “…”
Do you have so little faith in me?
He said, “…It’s not surrogacy.”
“If it’s not surrogacy, then you tricked a girl into premarital pregnancy? How could you do that?” Chu Qing’s harsh tone drew the attention of Xie’s father, Xie Yunting. Hearing the implication of her words, the usually stoic Xie Yunting felt like the sky was collapsing.
He grabbed the phone from Chu Qing and said sternly to Xie, “Premarital pregnancy, then turning around to pursue a same-sex relationship? Is this how we raised you? Come back home immediately!”
Xie: “…”
Xie said, “What I mean is, Chi Wang is pregnant.”
Xie Yunting said angrily, “Chi Wang is pregnant? That girl is named Chi Wang? If she’s pregnant, marry her and break up with that boy. Don’t ruin people’s lives!”
Xie: “…”
Chu Qing exclaimed, “Wait, Chi Wang??”
