Chapter 89: The Wedding Date
Chi Wang was truly bored. His agile body was gradually becoming sluggish. If he were to fall now, he feared he might not react in time.
At over six months pregnant, he had reached his limit. Even if he felt unlucky, he still insisted on going out for a walk every day.
As a result, both Xie Sicheng and Auntie often saw him chatting with different people.
Only now did Xie realize how extensive Chi Wang’s social circle was. He was even on very good terms with the security guard at H University. He had taken a premium tea cake from his study to give to the university’s gatekeeper.
He asked Chi Wang how he became so familiar with the guard.
Chi Wang said, “I had to work part-time, but the school gates close early at night, and you need a student ID to get in and out. Since I got along well with the guard, he’d secretly let me in even if I didn’t have my student ID. Sometimes he’d even give me a big jar of his homemade braised pork with preserved vegetables—it was delicious.”
Xie withdrew his thoughts and watched as Chi Wang continued playing his game. A match ended quickly. He was playing the marksman with his hands and the jungler with his feet. They won, and the marksman got MVP, while the jungler came in second.
His ability to multitask was truly impressive.
Xie had dabbled in this game before but lost interest after a few days. However, he had enough basic appreciation to see that Chi Wang was very skilled.
Both his hand and foot reactions were very quick.
Chi Wang didn’t get to play for long. As he was about to start a third game, the baby in his belly started practicing punches.
Startled, Chi Wang dropped his phone. He lifted his pajama top to look and saw small bulges popping up. The movements weren’t strong, but it was clear the baby was becoming active.
Xie reached out to touch his belly, and the baby gently punched Xie’s palm.
When he withdrew his hand, there was a faint little fist mark on Chi Wang’s belly.
After Chi Wang put down his phone and stopped playing, the baby gradually calmed down. Chi Wang laughed, “So it only started moving when I was gaming.”
Suddenly, he thought of something and said, “Should we start thinking about a name for the baby now?”
Xie calmly said, “No rush on the official name. We can think of a nickname first.”
“Nickname, huh,” Chi Wang mused.
He pondered and stopped playing the game. “How about ‘Pingping’ or ‘An’an’? There’s a saying that giving a child a humble name makes them easier to raise. The nickname shouldn’t be too nice, or else heaven might take them away because it’s too pleasant.”
Xie: “…”
Weren’t you the one who said you weren’t superstitious?
Chi Wang didn’t seem to notice his own change. It’s normal to have some shifts in belief when it comes to things you care about.
He couldn’t bother with his usual steadfast non-superstitious principles.
Xie said, “‘An’an’ is fine.”
Chi Wang, however, rejected it himself. “‘An’an’ isn’t great; it’s too common. In our village, five out of ten kids have the nickname ‘An’an.'”
Xie: “…Then how about ‘Pingping’?”
Chi Wang said, “‘Pingping’ isn’t good either. The remaining five kids in our village are all called ‘Pingping.'”
Xie: “…”
Xie thought seriously for a moment. “‘Tutu’? ‘Naonao’? ‘Tuantuan’?”
Chi Wang vetoed them all: “No, they don’t sound good.”
Xie: “…”
Chi Wang suggested, “How about ‘Feifei’?”
Xie: “…Sounds like ‘baboon’ (feifei).”
Chi Wang: “…”
The two of them looked at each other. Finally, Chi Wang spoke up, “Let’s just go to sleep.”
There were still several months left; they’d leave this difficult task for after the baby was born.
*
That day, Xiao Fu received a call from Chu Qing, knowing she wanted to meet with him.
Xiao Fu wasn’t stupid; he quickly understood that Chu Qing wasn’t coming with good intentions—she was coming to pressure him about the marriage.
He didn’t want to meet with her and found an excuse to decline.
But after work, Chu Qing blocked him in the parking garage, so he had to reluctantly go with her to a quiet café across the street.
Chu Qing got straight to the point, “Chi Wang has only you as his brother, so I’ve come to discuss things with you.”
She handed over the betrothal gift list directly to Xiao Fu, smiling perhaps a bit too gently. “Xiao Fu, take a look and see if there’s anything amiss. We can discuss it further then.”
Xiao Fu took the list and glanced over it. It was indeed sincere, but sincerity wasn’t the issue here!
He still didn’t want to see Chi Wang marry Xie Sicheng!
Xiao Fu said, “Aunt Chu, is there a possibility that Chi Wang doesn’t marry Xie?”
Chu Qing was taken aback and awkwardly said, “How can they not get married? They have a baby; they should get married.”
Xiao Fu said, “Chi Wang is still so young, and he wasn’t gay to begin with. It’s because he’s pregnant that he’s dependent on Xie. After all, he’s carrying Xie’s child. But maybe after giving birth, he’ll come to his senses and kick Xie out. Wouldn’t marriage be unnecessary then?”
These words unsettled Chu Qing; this was also her concern. Chi Wang was really wonderful, and her son was really dull. Honestly, without a mother’s bias, she felt that Xie couldn’t find a partner through normal means.
In other wealthy families, it’s the mother who gains status through her child, but Chu Qing genuinely felt that in their case, Xie was gaining status through the child. If Chi Wang hadn’t become pregnant, perhaps he wouldn’t have had this chance.
Chi Wang was indeed very young. The legal marriage age in the country was still three years away for him, not to mention he was giving birth to Xie’s child.
Chu Qing had a hidden worry in her heart: that Chi Wang’s special attention to Xie was due to pregnancy hormones, and once the baby was born and things returned to normal, he might not want Xie anymore.
If that really happened, Chu Qing wouldn’t have anything to say. After all, it was Xie’s fault to begin with. But she would still feel regret because she genuinely liked Chi Wang!
Chu Qing calmed herself and said to Xiao Fu, “You make a good point. Everything should be based on Chi Wang’s wishes. However, as elders, we should plan ahead. In case Chi Wang wants to get married, we can’t hold the wedding in a hurry. If they want a traditional Chinese wedding, they’d need to start customizing wedding attire at least half a year in advance. Don’t you agree?”
Although unwilling, Xiao Fu knew Chu Qing made sense. With a cold face, he said, “A traditional Chinese wedding doesn’t make sense for two men getting married. But if Xie wears the bride’s gown and Chi Wang lifts his veil, that’s acceptable.”
Chu Qing: “…”
We can customize two sets of groom’s attire. Embroiderers would need at least a year to make two sets. So we could hold a Western-style wedding first; it’s simpler, but everything necessary would be included. Besides, they’re young; holding multiple weddings would be lively. In another three years, the baby would be three years old and could walk, even act as a bed-pressing child and a flower boy, making it even more festive.
Xiao Fu was almost putting on a mask of pain at her words.
Tying up with the Xie family felt like his own brother would completely belong to someone else, deepening his sense of loss. Xiao Fu really didn’t like listening to her talk about this.
Even though she was an elder, impatience showed on his face. “Aunt Chu, let’s not talk about this now. Chi Wang’s due date is in just over ten weeks; there’s no rush to handle this. Has he acknowledged you as his mother-in-law yet? He hasn’t, right?”
Chu Qing: “…”
The two parted on bad terms. Chu Qing called Xie Yunting and said, “Didn’t go well. But I feel that Xiao Fu has changed a lot; he can actually calmly discuss these things with me. He made a good point—Chi Wang hasn’t even acknowledged me as his mother-in-law yet. Talking about marriage is indeed too early. I need to get Chi Wang to recognize me first.”
Xie Yunting said, “Sicheng told you not to bother him.”
Chu Qing sighed, “I’m so anxious.”
Xie Yunting said, “Don’t worry. Let’s wait and see.”
Chu Qing said irritably, “I’m so anxious I’m getting mouth ulcers, and you’re not worried at all. He’s your son, your son-in-law! You’re too cold-blooded!”
Xie Yunting: “…”
Why am I getting scolded again? Can’t I be worried in my heart?
After talking with Chu Qing, Xiao Fu was in a terrible mood. Sitting in his car, he called Chi Wang.
Chi Wang answered quickly, lazily calling out, “Bro,” and then asked, “What’s up?”
Xiao Fu wanted to expose that Chu Qing had come to pressure for marriage but swallowed his words. If Chi Wang really married Xie someday, he’d look like the villain. Better to keep quiet; silence is a virtue.
Pretending nothing was wrong, Xiao Fu said, “Ba—Wang Wang, only a few months left before the baby is born. Are you scared?”
Chi Wang replied irritably, “Look at you, bringing up what I’d rather not think about. I’m a guy about to give birth—how could I not be scared? If you don’t mention it, you’re still my brother.”
Xiao Fu: “…”
His mood turned somber. The closer the time came, the more afraid he became. He had asked Dr. Huo about Chi Wang’s situation, and it wouldn’t be easy. There had never been such a surgery in the country. Even a familiar cesarean section, when involving male childbirth, became extremely risky.
When he asked Dr. Huo if he dared to perform such a surgery, Dr. Huo thought for a long time before shaking his head and refusing.
Xie’s hospital was advanced, and he knew the attending physician—a university genius he had known since childhood. At his own birthday party, as the birthday boy, that doctor had hidden in a corner reading a book. Xiao Fu thought he was pretentious, just like Xie, so he had purposely thrown stones at him from a window upstairs, hitting his head and sending him to the hospital for stitches, effectively ruining his birthday party.
Knowing it was him, Xiao Fu hadn’t dared to accompany Chi Wang to prenatal check-ups, fearing the doctor would recognize him.
Now, Xiao Fu increasingly believed that evil deeds have consequences, and retribution wasn’t necessarily on the perpetrator.
Thinking of this, Xiao Fu sighed, lowering his bottom line for Chi Wang infinitely. “…Wang, do you want to marry Xie?”
Chi Wang was surprised, “Why are you asking that?”
Xiao Fu said, “Can’t I ask? The baby is almost due. Doesn’t Xie plan to give you a proper status?”
Chi Wang guessed Xiao Fu’s intentions. Torn between honesty and avoidance, he chose honesty. “We do plan to get married, but it’s still early, so we haven’t continued discussing it.”
Xiao Fu said, “I think getting married during the National Day holiday this year would be good. I had a Taoist priest choose an auspicious date; it’s very suitable for marriage.”
Chi Wang was surprised that Xiao Fu would bring this up proactively. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Are you serious?”
Xiao Fu laughed. Chi Wang couldn’t see his face and didn’t know that he was actually forcing a bitter smile. He said softly, “Of course I’m serious. To be honest, I don’t want you to marry Xie, but what can I do? You have a child with him. If you don’t get married, the child would be illegitimate. Both emotionally and logically, you should get married. Of course, if you don’t want Xie and kick him out, bring the baby back to our home, I’d be very happy. But I know that’s impossible.”
Chi Wang broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed impossible; he couldn’t kick Xie out.
Chi Wang said, “Is National Day really a good date? Any particular reason?”
Xiao Fu said, “The Taoist priest I consulted said that getting married on that day would bring lifelong happiness, family harmony, and the couple would remain in a perpetual honeymoon phase.”
Chi Wang was still a bit hesitant, but on second thought, even if they got married, they’d be getting a foreign marriage certificate. It was the thought of inviting relatives and friends that was a bit daunting.
Chi Wang asked, “Do we have any relatives? Otherwise, if it’s just the two of us at the wedding, it might not look good.”
Xiao Fu said unhappily, “…Your maternal grandparents and two uncles are around, but I don’t like them.” They didn’t like him either, so Xiao Fu had never told them about Chi Wang.
Chi Wang asked, “What’s wrong with them? Are they not good to you? Then forget it; we won’t invite them.”
Hearing this, Xiao Fu relented and reluctantly said, “…After all, they’re relatives. I’ll let them know; having them there will make the occasion look better.”
Chi Wang confirmed that there was no deep-seated hatred and agreed to let Xiao Fu invite them.
Although he knew he had maternal grandparents and uncles, Chi Wang wasn’t particularly excited. The only family he acknowledged was Xiao Fu. Treating others as relatives was acceptable.
Since he had discussed the wedding date with Xiao Fu, he needed to tell Xie Sicheng.
When Xie heard that it was Xiao Fu who suggested it, his pupils constricted. He incredulously confirmed, “Xiao Fu chose the date?”
Chi Wang: “…”
Why aren’t you calling him ‘Brother’?
He said cheerfully, “Yes, he suggested it. See, my brother is quite good.”
Xie: “…”
So the sun can rise from the west.
He blinked slowly, regaining his calm tone. “I’ll inform my family. We have half a year to prepare in advance.”
He looked at Chi Wang and asked solemnly, “So, would you like to meet my parents?”
Chi Wang: “…”
Bald emoji
He wanted to keep postponing but felt there wasn’t much point in delaying anymore. Soon the baby would be born; he couldn’t keep it hidden forever.
Bracing himself, he said, “I can, but you need to give them a heads-up.”
Xie paused and said softly, “They already know.”
Chi Wang’s pupils widened. “?!”
“They already know?!” Chi Wang felt his throat go dry. “What was their reaction?”
Xie was silent for a moment before saying, “They scolded me.”
“Hahaha.” Chi Wang couldn’t help but laugh. “They should scold you. Who told you to have such a big ‘p*nis’, even getting a guy pregnant.”
Xie: “…”
Why is he both praising and scolding me?
