RMM -Chapter 124 A Twist of Fate

Watching the snowflakes drift gently outside the window, Su Ruo let out a sigh that was equal parts joy and melancholy.

In the blink of an eye, four months had quietly spun past in the cold wind and vanished without a trace.

She lowered her head and touched her already noticeably rounded belly. Six months now. Her stomach was like an inflated balloon—round and full.

“Ruoruo, come over here already. What are you doing standing by the window all day? Haven’t you ever seen snow before?” Zhang Huaqing pushed the door open and, seeing Su Ruo standing by the window again, couldn’t help scolding her lightly. “Aren’t you afraid of catching a chill?”

Even with thick glass in between, how could there not be gaps? Cold air would still sneak in through the cracks.

Although her belly was already so big and the fetus much more stable, she still had to be careful. Her body absolutely couldn’t have any problems—otherwise, the one who would suffer in the end would still be herself.

Su Ruo had been lost in thought. After Zhang Huaqing spoke, she quickly snapped back to reality, turned around, and smiled. “Oh, Mom, you’re being way too careful. Have I been uncomfortable at all these past few months?”

When her belly hadn’t been showing, they said the baby was forming and couldn’t afford the slightest mishap. Now her belly was so big and everything was stable—yet they were still being this cautious.

As Zhang Huaqing watched Su Ruo walk over, her gaze slid to Su Ruo’s belly. The joy on her face was unmistakable. The belly was getting more and more obvious—six months already. In just three more months, her grandson would be born.

They had finally waited for this day.

The moment Su Ruo saw Zhang Huaqing’s expression, she knew exactly what she was thinking. She gently rested a hand on her belly and let out a soft hum. “Mom, hurry up and put away that overly enthusiastic, can’t-wait expression. Don’t scare my baby.”

Zhang Huaqing was momentarily speechless. She lifted her eyes and shot Su Ruo a glare, but didn’t say a word—too lazy to argue with her.

In Zhang Huaqing’s view, now that this little brat was pregnant and had become the center of everyone’s attention, she’d started acting spoiled and arrogant—running rampant at home every day. And yet no one else dared argue with her, which only made her more brazen.

“Just you wait and enjoy yourself. Once the baby’s born, see if you still dare talk back to me.”

Hearing the obvious threat, Su Ruo shrugged indifferently and said with a playful grin, “Oh my, I’m so scared. You must’ve been holding that in for a long time, huh? Why wait until after the baby’s born?”

Before Zhang Huaqing could respond, Su Ruo’s eyes rolled as if she’d suddenly thought of something. She puffed out her cheeks, looking a little displeased. “Oh, I get it now. Turns out you only have eyes for your grandson. I feel so hurt.”

Zhang Huaqing was helpless. Finally, she reached out and lightly tapped Su Ruo on the forehead with her finger. Knowing Su Ruo was just pretending, she didn’t take it seriously. “Enough acting. Go downstairs and eat. You don’t even know how to eat on your own initiative.” Always stirring up trouble—was it really that boring?

Completely ignored, Su Ruo pouted but obediently let Zhang Huaqing pull her downstairs. One hand still rested lightly on her belly.

In truth, Su Ruo’s belly wasn’t that big. Probably because she’d always been slim, even at six months, it looked smaller than other pregnant women at the same stage. But precisely because she was tall and slender, even that little bump stood out clearly. It made everyone else nervous—how could she look thinner and thinner no matter how much they tried to nourish her?

So Zhang Huaqing and Shen Liang became even more attentive to Su Ruo’s nutrition, constantly thinking about how to help her put on some flesh. Su Ruo, however, felt she’d already gained quite a bit of weight—her legs felt a little swollen, and even her chest felt swollen, her size having gone up by a full cup.

Of course, she wasn’t about to announce these things as proof that she’d gained weight. She just quietly ate everything they prepared for her.

Honestly, Su Ruo had suffered very little during this pregnancy. Aside from the inconveniences that came with a growing belly, she felt almost nothing else. A few times at night her calves cramped, but other typical pregnancy reactions—morning sickness and the like—she didn’t have at all. She’d only grown fonder of sour foods, and sometimes would suddenly crave something specific. And no matter how picky the taste or how far away the place selling it was, someone would always get it for her as quickly as possible.

A pregnant woman as blessed as Su Ruo was truly rare.

“Su Heng, is it cold outside today?” Su Ruo asked casually while sipping the soup in her bowl.

Su Heng had just come in from outside. Afraid he’d brought in cold air, Zhang Huaqing didn’t let him go near Su Ruo right away. Instead, she made him sit in the living room for a while until the chill had dissipated before allowing him to come eat.

“What, you want to go out? Don’t even think about it. The snow’s piled up so thick,” Zhang Huaqing rejected the idea without even lifting her eyelids.

Su Heng had just been about to say it wasn’t cold, but with his mother cutting in like that, he didn’t dare. He quickly nodded in agreement. “Yeah, yeah, the snow’s pretty thick outside. The ground’s slippery.”

Su Ruo stuck out her tongue, then secretly shot Su Heng a glare. Bootlicker.

Su Heng shot Su Ruo a look and gestured subtly toward Zhang Huaqing, his expression disgruntled. The Empress Dowager had already spoken—what could he possibly say? He didn’t have the guts to go against her.

Su Ruo had only been asking casually anyway. She hadn’t really planned to go out. With snow that heavy, she wouldn’t dare—what if she slipped? That would be disastrous.

She wasn’t as fond of going out as before either. Even if her belly wasn’t especially big, there was still a little life growing inside her. No matter what, it felt like extra baggage, and she tired easily.

After the meal, Su Ruo looked at Su Feng, who had also finished eating. She hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, “Dad, how’s the army been lately? Busy or not?”

Su Feng looked at his daughter in surprise. She was smiling in an unusually ingratiating way—normally, she didn’t ask much about military affairs.

But after a brief thought, he understood why she was asking. “Of course it’s busy. The Spring Festival’s coming up—every unit is busy at this time.”

“Oh.” Su Ruo nodded as if suddenly enlightened, paused, then continued with a smile, “Then… Dad, do you know how the chief has been lately?”

After all, her father was a general. Even if the chief was far away in D Province, he shouldn’t be completely in the dark, right?

But Su Feng truly didn’t know much about Xi Yuechen’s situation. He only knew the mission had made major progress and was awaiting a breakthrough. Beyond that, he hadn’t asked—after all, if others found out, who knew what they’d think.

“This… I really don’t know,” Su Feng said, feeling a bit guilty toward his daughter. Yuechen was risking his life over there, while his daughter knew nothing—pregnant with such a big belly and hardly seeing her husband.

But no matter how guilty or distressed he felt, he couldn’t leak anything about his son-in-law’s mission.

“You don’t know?” Su Ruo looked deflated, her shoulders drooping in disappointment. “Aren’t you a general? How can you not know?”

Seeing her like this, Su Feng couldn’t help feeling heartache. “Different military regions aren’t allowed to inquire into each other’s situations. Don’t worry—Yuechen’s just busy. Everything else is fine.”

He could tell how much his daughter missed Yuechen. But what could be done? Ah—this was the life of a military wife.

Watching her daughter, Zhang Huaqing’s heart ached as well. She put down her chopsticks and grasped Su Ruo’s hand on her lap, squeezing a little harder, as if offering comfort.

“Maybe in a few days Yuechen will be able to take leave. He hasn’t really been home these past few months. This time, he might even get a long vacation. And it’s almost New Year, isn’t it? He can take annual leave. No matter how busy things are over in D Province, they can’t be that heartless. It’s not like the unit can’t function without him.”

Hearing this, Su Ruo smiled and nodded, though anyone could see how forced that smile was.

Listening to the conversation between mother and daughter, Su Feng felt uneasy. He turned his gaze elsewhere. How could he tell them that Yuechen had been tied up with his mission in D Province all this time—and that even taking a few days off was unlikely, let alone annual leave?

Although he hadn’t deliberately inquired about Xi Yuechen, Zhou Tingzhang had grown increasingly satisfied with him. Because of the mission’s confidentiality, Zhou Tingzhang couldn’t openly praise him to others, so he did it at home—or occasionally when he ran into Su Feng.

When Zhou Tingzhang praised Xi Yuechen in front of his daughter, it was completely unintentional. He just thought that if he couldn’t talk about it outside, he could at least talk at home—his daughter wouldn’t spread it around. He never expected that this would only make Xi Yuechen’s image grow taller and taller in Zhou Yunzhen’s heart, causing certain thoughts to quietly take root.

As for Su Feng, Zhou Tingzhang had even fewer reservations. He didn’t believe Su Feng was unaware of what Xi Yuechen was really doing in D Province. So when praising Yuechen, he’d casually reveal bits of inconsequential information—like how Yuechen had intercepted another crucial piece of intelligence, or successfully infiltrated the core of a criminal organization.

Though nothing was stated outright, Su Feng understood with just a little thought. Clearly, Yuechen had gone undercover within a criminal syndicate.

Once he realized that, Su Feng broke out in a cold sweat. It was far too dangerous. Though he trusted Yuechen’s abilities and caliber, the criminal organizations in D Province were nothing like those inland—these were desperadoes who cared only about money, not their lives. If he were exposed, the danger would be unimaginable.

In his youth, Su Feng had charged through every kind of perilous situation without ever knowing fear. Even now, if he were ordered to carry out such a mission in D Province, he wouldn’t hesitate for a second. But when it came to Xi Yuechen, he couldn’t help worrying—for two reasons. First, he’d watched Yuechen grow up and had grown attached; as people age, they worry more. Second, it was for his daughter’s sake.

Still, from Zhou Tingzhang’s tone, it was clear he held Yuechen in very high regard—his performance seemed excellent. That eased Su Feng’s worries a little and also filled him with pride. Hearing Zhou Tingzhang praise Yuechen gave him a deep sense of shared honor.

That was his son-in-law!

Yes—but while they knew Xi Yuechen was Su Feng’s son-in-law, others didn’t.

When Zhou Tingzhang spoke to his daughter, he went on and on about what a rare talent Xi Yuechen was—yet never once mentioned that the man was already married, already the Su family’s son-in-law.

Zhou Yunzhen had rarely lived at home before and had little interaction with the circles of young ladies in the capital. She didn’t even know Su Ruo—so how could she know that the man she’d met only twice, yet who haunted her thoughts, was Su Ruo’s husband?

What people call a twist of fate… is probably just this.