TIPS – Chapter 65

If everything was just a dream, Shen Junxi wished he could stay in it forever and never wake up.

“Get up.” After holding him for a while, Song Jingwei shifted his legs and spoke.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi had calmed down a little. He lowered his head and sat up, his downcast eyes shimmering with light—he was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.

“You’re really happy?” Song Jingwei asked.

“Mm. Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded once, then again. How could he not be happy? He suddenly turned his head to look at Song Jingwei, a wide smile spreading across his face, as if it held a thousand unspoken words—his emotions were thick and overflowing.

“You haven’t forgotten how this baby came to be, have you?” Seeing how happy Shen Junxi was, Song Jingwei felt a bit helpless. He couldn’t help but remind him that they weren’t an ordinary couple. The happier Shen Junxi was now, the more heartbroken he would be later.

“…” Shen Junxi’s smile faded slightly, but his expression remained calm and gentle. He signed, “No matter how he came to be, he is ours—yours and mine. I will love him very much.” And in his heart, he added, I will also love you. But I will wait until the day you’re ready to know.

“You have such a big heart,” Song Jingwei murmured. He felt slightly defeated that he couldn’t get the other to be more rational. “Either way, the baby will be born. It doesn’t matter if you love him or not.” If Shen Junxi didn’t love the child, it would make it easier for him to take the baby away. But judging from the Shen family’s current attitude, that didn’t seem realistic.

“I will love him very much.” Shen Junxi signed earnestly. He repeated it four or five times: “I will love him very much.”

“…” Song Jingwei silently looked at him for a long time before lowering his gaze. He pulled the blanket over his stomach and said, “Alright, I want to sleep now.” Even though his eyes were wide open, showing no sign of drowsiness.

“But you just got up not long ago,” Shen Junxi observed. Song Jingwei’s complexion was rosy, his energy full—he didn’t look sleepy at all. “Didn’t you already nap at noon?” He was usually very punctual with his routine.

“…” Song Jingwei couldn’t sleep at all. He suddenly remembered the real reason he had come back and said, “Fine, I need to relieve myself. You go do whatever you need to do.” With that, he lifted the blanket and prepared to get up.

The moment he moved, Shen Junxi tensed up, carefully supporting him while keeping his eyes fixed on his stomach.

“Enough already! I can do it myself,” Song Jingwei complained, feeling a headache from his intense gaze. He was just pregnant—not disabled.

“Mm…” Shen Junxi shook his head stubbornly. He insisted on holding him, nodding and shaking his head with such seriousness that Song Jingwei had no idea what he was trying to say.

“I said I don’t need help.” Song Jingwei swatted his hand away, swiftly got out of bed, and strode toward the restroom with ease. He was only five or six months along—even if I were seven or eight months, as big as a watermelon, I still wouldn’t need a human crutch.

Shen Junxi followed behind, looking helpless. Sometimes, Song Jingwei carried himself with such composure and maturity that he treated Shen Junxi like the younger one in the relationship. But in Shen Junxi’s eyes, his wife also seemed like a child at times.

When Song Jingwei walked out, he wasn’t surprised to see someone waiting at the door. Ever since marrying into the Shen family, he had been under constant surveillance—he had almost gotten used to it.

“I really want to rest now. Go do something else.” Even though he had always been watched over, now that everyone knew he was pregnant, it felt especially awkward.

“…” Shen Junxi could tell his wife was in a bad mood. Patiently, he signed, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay with you while you rest.”

Song Jingwei shot him a sideways glance. “You pacing around in front of me is annoying.”

Shen Junxi blinked. In the past, if his wife had said something like that, he would have felt hurt—his feelings were delicate, and the more he cared, the harder it was to accept such words. But now, nothing seemed to affect him anymore. His wife was carrying his child, and that simple fact had settled his heart in an unexpected way.

“Still not leaving?” Seeing him standing there like a statue, Song Jingwei’s tone grew sharper.

“Mm…” Shen Junxi looked around, found a spot in an inconspicuous yet nearby corner, and signed, “I’ll stay here. I won’t be in your way.”

Song Jingwei was speechless. In all his life, he had never met someone this persistent. Well, he is related to Yang Shuangjiao, after all.

“Mm?” Shen Junxi blinked innocently when he was glared at. He stopped signing altogether and instead focused on keeping his posture straight, looking like a silent, obedient wallflower.

Just then, Yang Shi entered, carrying a bowl of freshly brewed prenatal medicine. She noticed the strange atmosphere in the room. Song Jingwei sat on the bed, looking sulky, while Shen Junxi… was standing awkwardly in the corner, as if blending in with the furniture.

“Junxi, what’s going on?” Yang Shi assumed the couple had quarreled and handed the bowl to Shen Junxi. “Here, give this to your wife.”

Shen Junxi nodded, took the steaming bowl, and listened as his mother added, “I’m going to make lunch. I’ll stew an old hen for your wife at noon—it’ll be good nourishment for his body.”

“Mm.” Shen Junxi smiled at his mother, his eyes filled with gratitude. He was truly thankful to have such a gentle and loving mother who treated them both well and cared deeply for them.

“Go on then,” Yang Shi finally said. Before leaving, she glanced at her daughter-in-law a few more times. He didn’t seem to be sulking—this was just how he usually was.

Shen Junxi carried the bowl of medicine and slowly walked over. Since it was still too hot, he set it on the table to cool for a while.

When it was finally time to drink the medicine, Song Jingwei’s face turned sour. The pungent smell of the steaming liquid in his hands made him feel nauseous… But he didn’t dump it out. There were only two doses of this medicine—whether it worked or not, he figured he might as well drink it for peace of mind.

At six months pregnant, he had already formed a deep bond with the baby inside him.

“Mm.” As soon as he finished drinking, Shen Junxi quickly handed him a cup of light tea to wash away the taste.

Song Jingwei forced down the nausea and gulped a few cups of water before feeling slightly better. After taking the medicine, he actually started to feel exhausted. Leaning back on the bed, he closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing that Song Jingwei didn’t chase him away, Shen Junxi sat quietly at the bedside, watching over him without blinking. In this peaceful moment, as he gazed at his wife and the unborn child in his belly, Shen Junxi finally felt a sense of security and reality.

He was terrified that everything he had today could disappear in the blink of an eye. From the moment he married Song Jingwei, everything had felt like a dream—what once seemed impossible had become reality.

Even when he wished for something, it would somehow happen just as he wanted. It was all too smooth, too perfect. But that was a good thing, wasn’t it? He smiled to himself. Since fate had been so kind, let his wife safely give birth to their child… and if, in the meantime, Song Jingwei could like him just a little more, that would be even better.

At midday, Shen Dongming returned from the fields under the early autumn sun. Noticing that the house seemed emptier than usual, he asked curiously, “Why is it so quiet today?”

Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi had already arrived. Wu Xi replied, “Madam’s eldest sister and niece went home.” He had overheard Yang Shi mentioning it earlier.

“Huh? They left?” Shen Dongming was surprised by the sudden news and asked, “Did something happen?”

Just then, Yang Shi entered the room carrying a dish. Upon hearing the question, she replied, “Nothing much. They just wanted to leave, so they left.” She hadn’t figured out how to explain what had happened in their daughter-in-law’s room to her husband yet, but she certainly wasn’t going to discuss it in front of the younger generation.

“Oh, is that so?” Shen Dongming didn’t really care. Noticing that his son and daughter-in-law were missing, he asked, “Where’s Junxi and his wife?”

“In the room. They’ll be out soon,” Yang Shi said. She had already gone to inform them earlier. Just thinking about the joyous news of her daughter-in-law’s pregnancy made her unable to stop smiling.

“What’s got you grinning like that?” Shen Dongming asked, amused. The weather wasn’t too hot today, so he sat down right away instead of going to wash up.

“Something good,” Yang Shi replied instantly but didn’t reveal it right away. Instead, she teased, “I’ll tell you when our daughter-in-law arrives.” Judging by the wide smile on her face, it was clearly a big deal.

Right on cue, Song Jingwei walked in from the doorway, with Shen Junxi following closely behind, his expression full of caution.

“Jingwei is here. Come, sit down and eat,” Shen Dongming greeted him as usual.

“Mm, you’re home early today,” Song Jingwei nodded as he took his usual seat at the table.

Shen Junxi, as always, sat next to him—though today, he was sitting even closer than usual. His subtle action immediately drew teasing looks from the others at the table. He simply smiled, but today, his smile was more blatant than ever.

Unable to hold back, Pei Hongxuan chuckled and said, “Looks like there really is good news today.” But what could it be?

Yang Shi used a large porcelain bowl to serve a fragrant, rich chicken soup and placed it in front of Song Jingwei. Her voice was gentle as she said, “Jingwei, have some soup. Drink more, alright?”

“Thank you,” Song Jingwei’s expression softened. He held great respect and admiration for Yang Shi. In his heart, she was the perfect example of a good mother.

“Oh, no need to thank me.” Yang Shi was overjoyed, wishing her daughter-in-law could eat the entire chicken. Of course, that was just wishful thinking. Soon, she began serving soup for the rest of the family as well.

Shen Dongming took a sip and smacked his lips, praising, “This is an old hen. How could you bear to cook it?” Their family usually kept old hens for laying eggs.

“What’s one old hen?” Yang Shi replied. “If Jingwei can eat it, I’d be happy to stew one every day.”

Everyone was used to Yang Shi favoring Song Jingwei, but today, it was especially obvious—maybe even a bit excessive.

Shen Dongming frowned. “Didn’t you say there was good news? Are you still not going to tell me?” His wife and son were grinning from ear to ear—it was impossible that nothing was going on.

Yang Shi exchanged a glance with her son and daughter-in-law before finally announcing with a beaming smile, “The good news is… I’m going to be a grandmother!”

For a moment, the entire table fell silent. The sound of chopsticks clinking against bowls stopped, and even the slurping of soup ceased. It was as if everyone had suddenly forgotten how to eat.

Shen Dongming pinched his own thigh—Ouch! It hurt. He turned to his wife and asked, “What did you say? You’re going to be a grandmother?”

Which meant… he was going to be…?