Fu Zhiyan had just come out of the bathroom when he noticed Chi Chi staring at her phone in shock.

Worried she wasn’t feeling well, he walked over to the bed in a few quick steps. "What’s wrong?"

"Zhiyan, it looks like Yaoyao is together with my brother now."

"Mmm, what about it if they're together?"

"No, no, no, I mean—they're really together together."

Chi Chi set down her phone, raised her little hands, and tapped her index fingers together, giving Zhiyan a meaningful wink. "You get it?"

"Hm?"

"Last night they were together! And my brother called Yaoyao my sister-in-law!"

...

Silently, Fu Zhiyan gave Charles Chase a thumbs up in his mind, though his face remained calm. "Well, they do make a good match."

"I guess you're right..."

Chi Chi was easily appeased. Satisfied, Fu Zhiyan gave her a kiss. "Time for a nap."

"Okay."

He pulled back the comforter, and Chi Chi obediently snuggled in. Fu Zhiyan wrapped her in his arms, but she stayed wide-eyed, lost in thought.

"Still not sleepy?"

"I just think it’s so amazing—Yaoyao is really with my brother now. My brother won’t bully her, will he?"

Fu Zhiyan chuckled, picturing the normally ferocious Mia Moore. But Charles Chase wasn’t exactly a pushover either.

"Honestly, if your brother isn’t the one getting bullied by Mia Moore, that’s already a win."

"But..."

She was about to say more, when he silenced her with a gentle kiss.

"If you don’t sleep, I might just have to bully you instead."

He drew her close again. "You keep testing my patience, and it’s driving me crazy."

...

Chi Chi clamped her mouth shut, squeezed her eyes closed, and clutched her belly. "Don’t say such things! The baby will hear you. I’ll sleep right away!"

When the baby had been smaller, Fu Zhiyan was injured, so he couldn’t do anything. By the time he finally healed, the doctor said he still couldn’t have any intimacy.

And so, the president of the mighty Fu Corporation could only cuddle his wife every day and do nothing more than hug and kiss.

He sighed. Don’t ask—he was just a little jealous of Charles Chase right now.

It was a bright July afternoon. Once Chi Chi woke from her nap, Uncle Zhou bustled in with workers. Grandpa Rivers had long since ordered preparations for the baby’s nursery to begin.

Grandma Rivers and Mom were downstairs, sorting through supplies for the baby: diapers, all sorts of tiny clothes—no one even knew if it was a boy or girl yet, but everything was delivered to the old house all the same.

"Grandma Rivers!" Chi Chi called sweetly as she came down the stairs.

"There you are, Chi Chi. Come see all these little things we bought for the baby. I was so worried we’d forget something that your mom and I spent ages picking everything out."

Grandma Rivers had personally chosen everything, each item soft and comfortable, from tiny diapers to drool bibs. Anything Chi Chi could possibly need—or not even think of—had been packed and delivered.

And for Chi Chi, anything she might need was wrapped up meticulously as well. Grandma Rivers, wearing her reading glasses, checked every item off the hospital bag list herself.

Suddenly, Chi Chi felt touched. She hugged Grandma Rivers. "You don’t have to go through all this trouble, Grandma Rivers. Zhiyan and I can handle it."

Grandma Rivers laughed. "It’s no trouble at all. This is the happiest I’ve been in years—your mom keeps me company, and now you and Zhiyan are living at home."

"Your mom and I have so much free time nowadays. We’re just thrilled to be preparing things for you and the baby."

Ye Jing smiled too. Spending time with the old lady these days made her realize just how deeply they cared for Chi Chi—and even her.

"There’s nothing for you to worry about, Chi Chi. Grandma Rivers and I don’t find it tiring at all," Ye Jing reassured her.

Finally at ease, Chi Chi turned to Fu Zhiyan. "Zhiyan, go on and get back to work. I'll be here with Grandma Rivers and Mom."

"Alright. Call me if you need anything."

He kissed her forehead before heading to the study. Truth be told, he couldn’t do much about the baby’s room anyway—he'd hardly reached the top of the stairs before he spotted Grandpa Rivers, cane in hand, supervising the setup at the door.

"Yes, yes, remember to wrap all those sharp corners so no one bumps into them," Grandpa Rivers instructed.

Both fathers were doing their best to help, but in the end, there wasn't much they could contribute.

Grandma Rivers sat Chi Chi down on the sofa, saying,

"Let’s sit here and sort the baby’s clothes by size—all nice and neat. Later, we’ll take them out to be sterilized."

The coffee table had been replaced by a huge table filled with tiny, perfectly folded clothes that Grandma Rivers and Mom had arranged by size.

"All of these have been washed and sun-dried. When the baby comes, they'll be ready to wear."

Grandma Rivers methodically folded each tiny garment. In front of Chi Chi was a pile of buttery-soft blue, pink, and pale yellow clothes, all smelling faintly of sunshine.

"They’re adorable," she said, holding one up and imagining the baby snug inside. Her heart melted at the thought.

"Our little treasure will love these clothes for sure."

Grandma Rivers beamed at her. "Chi Chi's baby is bound to be the cutest in the whole world."

Chi Chi nodded, content, folding a little outfit on top of her rounded belly. Well, having a big belly had its perks.

The baby gave a little kick inside, as if she knew they were preparing clothes for her and wanted to make her presence known.

The old house was full of warmth and excitement. With so many people waiting in anticipation, Chi Chi thought, her child would certainly be a happy one, with so much love all around.

——

Time flew by.

The later stages of pregnancy weren’t easy, and in just a few days, Chi Chi noticed faint stretch marks webbing across her belly.

Her once pale, smooth stomach now looked a little odd, even a bit frightening. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror.

That night, as usual, Fu Zhiyan got ready to help her bathe.

Clutching her belly, Chi Chi hesitated, sitting on the edge of the bed without moving.

Detecting something amiss, Fu Zhiyan scooped her into his arms. "What’s wrong? Don’t want a bath?"

"I... want to do it myself."

Her small hand tugged at her hem, eyes flickering uneasily.

She hadn’t been sleeping well all week. Fu Zhiyan felt terrible and had been infinitely patient, doing all he could to comfort her.

"Aren’t you tired? Let your husband help, then you can get some good sleep, okay?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head. She didn’t want Zhiyan to see her looking like this.

Seeing her distress, Fu Zhiyan got worried. He pulled her onto his lap. "What is it, baby? Are you feeling sick? Is something hurting?"

She buried her face in his chest, soaking the front of his shirt with tears. "My belly... wuwuwu."

"Does it hurt? Are you uncomfortable?"

Fu Zhiyan’s heart clenched. He forced himself to stay calm.

She shook her head, miserable. "It looks horrible. I was diligent with the lotion, but I still got all these stretch marks."

Relief washed over him. As long as she wasn't suffering physically, he didn’t care about the marks themselves.

He bent down, kissed her tears away, and slipped his big hand beneath her soft pajamas. His voice was gentle: "Let me take a look, okay?"

Chi Chi shook her head. "It’s not pretty. I don’t want you to see."