Chapter 85: Drafting the Wedding List
Chu Qing grabbed the phone back, incredulous as she questioned Xie Sicheng, “What did you just say? Say it again!”
Xie paused for a moment and, patiently, repeated, “Chi Wang is pregnant; you’re going to be a grandmother.”
Chu Qing: “…”
Her mind went blank for a moment, and she asked dryly, “…Isn’t Chi Wang a boy?”
It was only March 2nd—still a month away from April Fool’s Day. Besides, Xie wasn’t the type to joke around.
In a cold voice, Xie said, “Yes, he’s a boy, but he’s pregnant. The baby is mine.”
Chu Qing: “…”
She was utterly shocked and stammered, “Is this some new technology? How come I don’t know about it? Can boys get pregnant?”
As she spoke, she glanced at Xie Yunting.
Xie Yunting kept a stern face, but inwardly, he was just as confused. How could he not be? He hadn’t even bothered to remember the name of the boy Xie liked. Perhaps Chu Qing had mentioned it, but it went in one ear and out the other.
He stared at Chu Qing, clearly expecting her to provide answers, but she couldn’t rely on him at all.
“…,” Chu Qing stopped looking at Xie Yunting, withdrew her gaze, and continued to ask Xie, “What’s going on? Explain it to me clearly.”
Xie remained silent for a moment. Growing anxious, Chu Qing raised her voice, “Say something!”
Only then did Xie speak in a cold tone, “Premarital pregnancy—that’s what it is.”
Chu Qing: “…”
She said, “I’m coming over right now!”
“Mom, I’m just informing you so you can be prepared,” Xie continued calmly. “After all, I can’t keep it from you forever.”
Although Chu Qing couldn’t comprehend how Chi Wang, a boy, could be pregnant, the four keywords—eighteen years old, pregnant, boy, premarital pregnancy—left her completely bewildered and astonished.
This was even more shocking than surrogacy. No wonder people say that silent dogs bite the hardest, and the quiet ones do the most ruthless things. Look at what her son had done!
After recovering from the shock, Chu Qing’s anger surged. “How many months along is he?”
Xie replied, “Twenty-five and a half weeks.”
Chu Qing did the math in her head. “Six months???”
Chi Wang had been pregnant for six months?
Didn’t that mean he was already carrying her grandchild when they first met?
She recalled Chi Wang saying he “came of age last summer,” which meant he hadn’t been an adult for long before her son got involved with him?
Furious, Chu Qing exclaimed, “You scoundrel! He just became an adult, and you took advantage of him? And you got him pregnant?”
What’s even scarier was that Xie had previously told her he hadn’t won him over yet. How did Chi Wang become pregnant if he hadn’t? Could normal means have been used?
Chu Qing didn’t even dare to think about it.
Knowing he had to explain, Xie said, “…I was drugged at the time, and he took me back to my room.”
He didn’t elaborate, leaving ample room for Chu Qing’s imagination.
Chu Qing felt like she needed an oxygen tank. No wonder it took so long for him to win Chi Wang over.
Although there were extenuating circumstances, Chu Qing still couldn’t hide her anger. She asked, “Who drugged you? Have you found out?”
“Xiao Chengfeng,” Xie replied.
Chu Qing was shocked. “Why would he drug you? Is he crazy??”
Xie said, “Yes.”
Setting that aside for now, Chu Qing continued, “A boy being pregnant—do you know how to take care of him? There are just over three months left before he gives birth, and you’re only telling me now? What are you thinking? If you wait any longer, the baby will be born. Is this how you treat him?”
Xie wasn’t surprised by her reaction and simply said, “He’s not ready yet; please don’t come over.”
This statement made Chu Qing even more exasperated. “You knew he wasn’t ready, and you still got him pregnant?”
Xie said, “I’m hanging up now.”
Without saying more, he ended the call.
Chu Qing: “…”
She was so angry that she started cursing, “Xie Yunting, look at the good son you raised! He got Chi Wang pregnant and doesn’t even want to tell anyone!”
Xie Yunting: “…”
He said, “How can a man get pregnant? Maybe there’s some mistake.”
Chu Qing rolled her eyes. “How could this be a mistake? A simple hospital check would confirm it. Can this be mistaken?”
Xie Yunting fell into deep thought.
Chu Qing said, “Our son wouldn’t lie. We just don’t know the exact situation. It’s been six months; in a few more months, the baby will be born. Can he handle such a big matter?”
Xie Yunting didn’t respond.
“I need to go and see him,” Chu Qing declared.
“Didn’t our son ask you not to go?” Xie Yunting advised.
Chu Qing slowly calmed down. Right, being pregnant at such a young age was already overwhelming. If she went over, it might only add to his emotional burden.
“Alright, I won’t go,” she sighed. “But we can’t just sit around doing nothing. We have to do something.”
“…Then let’s start drafting the wedding plans,” Xie Yunting suggested.
Chu Qing said, “Wedding plans? There’s no sign of a wedding yet.”
“They’ll have to get married eventually,” he replied calmly. “We should start preparing.”
Chu Qing thought it made sense. “…Then let’s draft the betrothal gift list first.”
“Alright,” he agreed.
He felt this was all a bit surreal. Xie was so young, hadn’t even graduated from college, and now he had a child?
…But perhaps it was a good thing. Their son might last another fifty or sixty years, and their grandchild could carry on for several more decades. It was unlikely that the grandchild would also be gay.
Relaxing, Xie Yunting thought this was a great development. Initially indifferent about Xie’s preference for men, he now felt more invested.
He asked Chu Qing, “Is this Chi Wang the younger brother of Xiao Fu?”
“Yes,” Chu Qing replied. “They say he’s Xiao Fu’s biological younger brother. Didn’t Yang Qingdai return a year and a half after the divorce? She probably gave birth then. He shouldn’t be Xiao Wenzhou’s child.”
“Everyone knows what Xiao Fu is like,” she continued. “He even went as far as hiring someone to take out Xiao Wenzhou. How could he accept Xiao Wenzhou’s illegitimate child?”
“That’s why Xiao Wenzhou didn’t dare to have another son with someone else,” she added.
“Does Xiao Fu know about this?” Xie Yunting asked.
Chu Qing: “…”
Xie had kept it even from them; could Xiao Fu possibly know?
The two exchanged glances. After a moment, Chu Qing said, “Let’s focus on drafting the betrothal gift list.”
“Didn’t you buy an island recently? Let’s give it to Chi Wang as a honeymoon gift.”
“And that estate in Country M, with the beautiful mountains and rivers—give that to him too. He’s young; being with our son, we can’t let him feel wronged. Especially since he’s carrying a baby—we have to give more, not less.”
Chu Qing began calculating. “Cash is too vulgar; let’s convert everything into shares. We can’t be stingy. Chi Wang is a good kid; he only became an adult last year. If he were any younger and our son got him pregnant, that would be a crime. My goodness, we’ve never had premarital pregnancy in our family before. He really has some nerve, keeping it hidden until now.”
Talking about this made Chu Qing angry. “I didn’t even know at the time. I even had Chi Wang kneel to fish out my ring. His belly was already bending—that was so dangerous! Why was he so silly? Doing such things while pregnant—too foolish.”
“And Xie didn’t even accompany him then. Even if he was going back to his family, Xie should have gone with him. How could he let him go alone? Xiao Fu doesn’t seem like someone who can take care of others. I can’t believe this. What a mess!”
Xie Yunting: “…”
He began to feel curious about what Chi Wang was like to make Chu Qing care so much.
As Chu Qing muttered and wrote down items, she alternated between feeling sorry for Chi Wang and scolding Xie, eventually even directing her frustration at Xie Yunting.
Xie Yunting: “…”
What does this have to do with me?
In any case, Chu Qing quickly finished drafting the betrothal gift list.
She handed it to Xie Yunting to review. He glanced over it; indeed, it was generous—more than enough. In any family, it would be considered a substantial betrothal gift.
Picking up a pen, he added 2% shares of the Xie Corporation.
Chu Qing didn’t object but felt that “2” didn’t sound auspicious, so she changed it to “3%.”
Xie Yunting: “…”
Does “3” sound any better?
But whatever; he didn’t dare protest.
*
Chi Wang had been learning to cook from Auntie for two days. He had a knack for it and quickly began making dishes that looked quite authentic.
At lunch that day, two of the dishes were made by Chi Wang. He asked Xie to taste and guess which ones he had prepared. “If you guess correctly, there’s a reward.”
Xie picked up his chopsticks and began tasting.
There were six dishes on the table, all small but exquisite portions, so the two of them could finish everything.
Xie tasted each dish, one bite at a time, and soon gave his answer. “The braised tofu and the Three Delicacies Soup.”
Chi Wang: “…Was the difference obvious?”
Xie replied, “Not very.”
It was just that he’d eaten Auntie’s cooking for many years, so he could easily tell.
“Well, did they taste good?” Chi Wang asked.
Xie nodded. “Delicious.”
Chi Wang breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I think I have a talent for cooking.”
Xie didn’t ask why Chi Wang was learning to cook. Many skills weren’t necessary, but that didn’t dampen Chi Wang’s eagerness to learn.
This was part of Chi Wang’s unique vitality, and Xie didn’t want to hinder it.
Reaching out his hand, Xie succinctly said, “Reward.”
Chi Wang’s eyes darted mischievously. Smiling, he leaned in and kissed the corner of Xie’s mouth. “There you go.”
Xie: “…”
He looked at Chi Wang’s slightly flushed cheeks after the kiss and his evasive gaze. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift into a smile, but he restrained himself, pressing his lips back into a composed line. Casually, he said, “I like it very much. Thank you.”
After a pause, his slender finger pointed to his lower lip. “It would be even better if the reward were here.”
Chi Wang thought: Now you’re being picky?
He said, a bit exasperated, “Next time.”
Xie replied reservedly, “Alright.”
After lunch, Chi Wang started feeling sleepy but didn’t go for a nap.
It was already early spring. The weather was lovely—warm sunshine without much chill. Chi Wang had shed his thick down jacket for a slightly heavier sweatshirt and a light jacket.
Tall and slender, with a preference for loose-fitting clothes, Chi Wang’s baby bump wasn’t noticeable even in winter when he wore more layers. In spring, his loose clothing still concealed it well, so he wasn’t worried about people noticing his belly when he went out.
When summer came, being somewhat self-conscious, he might not be as keen to go out.
Chi Wang prepared to go out for a stroll, and Xie accompanied him.
As he stepped outside, Chi Wang jumped in place once. Xie immediately halted, his gaze fixed intently on him.
“It’s nothing,” Chi Wang said. “I haven’t exercised in a while; my limbs feel stiff.”
He began sharing stories from his high school days. “Back in high school, I wanted to take the athletic route. Training in sports meant I didn’t have to attend classes regularly, giving me time to work part-time. Plus, sports scholarships weren’t too expensive. Good schools would reduce tuition by half for athletes. Overall, it was a good deal. But my academic grades were too good, and after discussing the pros and cons with my teachers, I quit the team.”
Xie found it meaningful whenever Chi Wang shared snippets of his past. “Which team did you quit?” he asked.
“Athletics—the track and field team,” Chi Wang replied. “Don’t be fooled by my lack of muscles; I was the fastest runner on the team.”
He raised his arm; the Buddhist beads still adorned his wrist, making it look slender and delicate—not at all like someone who had trained in sports.
Chi Wang pinched his arm from top to bottom, saying somewhat helplessly, “I haven’t been active for so long. Feel this—the muscles in my arms have gone soft.”
Before, though thin, his muscles were firm and strong. Now, he felt a bit fragile.
“Training in sports is tough,” he continued. “After workouts, your whole body aches. To relax the muscles, someone steps on you—it hurts but feels good. I was the lightest on the team, so my teammates always asked me to step on them.”
Chi Wang rambled on, mentioning that his athletic abilities were quite good. He was skilled at basketball, able to make shots from over three meters away.
Perhaps due to pregnancy, his thoughts were a bit scattered, and the topic quickly shifted to his craving for ice cream.
“It’s too cold,” Xie said. “Eating it might give you an upset stomach.”
“I want to eat it,” Chi Wang insisted.
After a moment’s hesitation, Xie agreed. “Alright.”
Chi Wang quickly bought an ice cream. He took a big bite, held it in his mouth, and swallowed as it melted.
However, having just eaten lunch, his stomach didn’t have much room. Halfway through the ice cream, he couldn’t finish it. Handing it to Xie, he said, “Help me finish this.”
Without a word, Xie took the ice cream and ate it slowly.
Though his stomach was already full, Chi Wang’s cravings continued. After the ice cream, he wanted to eat Oden1.
The Oden vendor recognized him as well. Before Chi Wang could say anything, the vendor enthusiastically greeted him, “The usual three items?”
Chi Wang shook his head. “No, let’s switch to vegetarian options. I’ll have gluten, dried tofu, and these mushrooms.”
After buying the Oden, he ate a few bites and lost interest, handing it over to Xie.
Xie accepted it all without complaint.
- Oden: A Japanese one-pot dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konjac, and fishcakes stewed in a light, soy-flavored broth.
