Xiang Lan is very satisfied with her job.
Having clarified Gu Yuan's purpose, her doubts about him vanished, and she was able to view him from a more impartial perspective. She discovered that he was a very dedicated and hardworking person, and the arrangements he made for her were in line with her needs. Her current internship involves the sale of commercial art, where she is responsible for selecting different artworks based on the needs of various clients. This work can be done in the office or at home, and communication with clients is mostly via mobile phone and the internet, making it very flexible, quick, and convenient. Her colleagues are all young and quite considerate of her, and because of her professional background, she has gradually become a minor expert among them.
This is a sense of accomplishment gained outside of work.
Gu Yuan's thoughtfulness was not only reflected in his care for her, but also in his subtle approach to securing projects. He never directly mentioned anything about Xiang Yuan to her. Xiang Yuan believed that Gu Yuan was seeking a long-term relationship and wasn't in a hurry. He had such patience and dedication, so there was no need for anyone to worry.
As Xiang Lan's belly grew bigger each day, her prenatal checkups at the hospital became more frequent. Both families took the initiative to call and inquire about her well-being, asking if she had hired a postpartum nanny, found a babysitter, and prepared everything for childbirth. They were almost saying, "Do you need any help?"
Yes, Fang Zidu and Xiang Lan strictly kept their promise and never asked their parents for help. Logically, this should be a good thing, but it made them very uneasy. Liu Zewen worried that the two were completely inexperienced and that their negligence might cause irreparable regrets, so she often came to observe them on weekends. When she saw her daughter skillfully using various household tools and cooking, she felt heartbroken; when she saw Fang Zidu rolling up his sleeves to wipe windows, wash clothes, and repair appliances, she couldn't bear it even more.
Privately, she complained to her son, "I never imagined Xiang Lan would live this kind of life—"
"They're doing quite well this way." Xiang Yuan had to admit that Xiang Lan was living a more fulfilling life with Fang Zidu.
That brat was willing to wrong her, and even more willing to wrong himself.
The two of them, of course, had no idea of the adults' worries. They were excited about feeling the baby move for the first time, and also excited about seeing the baby's 4D ultrasound image in the hospital. They foolishly guessed the baby's gender and appearance from the blurry picture.
"Look at her little mouth, it's still pouting. Like me, she must be a little girl." Xiang Lan decided to make a few more sets of plush toys, because little girls love to be pretty.
“His nose is so straight, like mine, it’s definitely a boy,” Fang Zidu said. “I think we should change the prenatal music to educational videos, so that he’ll subconsciously have—”
Xiang Lan felt that Fang Zidu's intelligence had regressed in this matter.
In her spare time, Xiang Lan cleared out all her photos from the school's online community and created a new Weibo account to post some of her favorite pictures. She also photographed and uploaded series of rag dolls she had made for her two little ones. At first, she had only two or three followers, but the number gradually increased, and people started commenting. Finding this activity quite fun, she turned some of her small carvings into pendants and posted them online, waiting for positive feedback.
A month or two later, a fan actually asked if I was selling it.
This was so interesting! She told Gu Yuan about it as a joke. Gu Yuan, with his keen insight and sharp mind, said, "Important ideas and concepts shouldn't be posted online. Too many people plagiarize design concepts. If you're interested in this, you could collaborate with a brand to launch a product or register for copyright protection—"
She thought what he said made a lot of sense, so she only picked and chose to post some less important, peripheral products, but it still attracted a lot of attention, and her number of followers increased very quickly, even earning her the title of a talented woman. However, she thought that this was just empty fame on the internet and did not take it seriously.
In autumn, on Xiang Lan's birthday, Fang Zi prepared a small portrait of her that he had carved himself and placed it next to the computer for her to play with. In return, she dragged him out of the lab and spent a romantic evening on the mountain. The only regret was that it was inconvenient to travel now, which meant they missed out on a lot of fun.
Oh, and she received a text message from Li Xingda wishing her a happy birthday, even though he was far away in the United States.
Autumn has passed and winter has come; before we know it, the end of the year is here, and Fang Zidu's throat has flared up again.
The air was thick with dust and smog, and even a mask couldn't completely block it. He initially felt itchy, then pain, and finally a cough. Visits to the hospital and medication were ineffective. This minor ailment tormented him, keeping him awake at night and disturbing Xiang Lan's sleep. Waking up in the middle of the night, feeling Xiang Lan's prominent belly and sensing the baby occasionally kicking and turning inside, he would silently suppress the urge to cough, get up, and go to sleep on the sofa in the living room.
Xiang Lan felt heartbroken seeing his haggard appearance, especially considering his selfless return to China for her sake. She not only searched everywhere for traditional Chinese medicine doctors but also went to the mall and bought seven or eight air purifiers, averaging two for each room, with the doors and windows tightly closed, to ensure he could rest more comfortably at home.
In November, Fang Zidu's laboratory was finally officially inaugurated. As his wife, Xiang Lan attended the ceremony and stood proudly alongside a group of scientists of all ages. To celebrate this milestone, Xiang Lan used her internship salary from the past six months to buy three relatively large smog removal devices for their laboratory and sent them over, as a token of her affection as a family member.
After the job was taken over, she found that Fang Zidu's work became even busier. Now, people would not only come to his office but also to his home, whether it was day or night. Several times when she got up to go to the bathroom, she found the study light on. When she pushed the door open, she would find him discussing something with a few young people in hushed tones, which was absolutely terrifying.
He also likes to invite students or teachers of the same age to his home for dinner. A group of young people would talk and chat, creating a lively atmosphere. Whenever this happened, Xiang Lan would be in charge of ordering takeout, buying wine and fruit, and handling various logistical support tasks, which she found quite enjoyable.
As, well, as the mistress of the master and the boss's wife, she also put on a show and earned a medal for being a virtuous wife and loving mother.
Wow, even peaceful days can be made so exciting.
In the last month before giving birth, Xiang Lan and Fang Zi personally went to Gu Yuan to resign from their jobs, express their gratitude, and give him a small trinket they had created during this period.
Xiang Lan was actually very curious about him. The two had spent several months together and were quite familiar with each other. She wasn't one to keep things to herself, so she asked, "Brother Yuan, are you really impressed by my talent?"
Gu Yuan looked at her and said, "Of course, you also have some talent."
"Really?" She was overjoyed, taking it as a compliment.
"Don't be too happy yet," he said calmly. "A rough gem needs polishing to become a masterpiece. You have the talent, but you lack someone willing to take the plunge and refine you. Originally, I planned to bring you here, polish you for a few years, and then give you some encouragement; unfortunately—"
"What's a pity?"
“I didn’t expect you to be President Xiang’s sister. I didn’t expect your husband to keep such a close eye on me that I couldn’t make a move at all.” Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “A genius is either honed by the environment or by their own efforts. You are the former, and your husband is the latter.”
Xiang Lan was a little nervous. "What did they do?"
“They didn’t do anything, they just demonstrated their strength, so—” Gu Yuan shrugged, not denying his interest in the young couple, “I tried to guide you and Zidu, but after weighing my own abilities, I realized I wasn’t quite up to the task, so I decided against it.”
She was actually somewhat disappointed, but also secretly pleased.
“I appreciate their protection of you. But it may not be a good thing for you. If you want to achieve something, you must break through this protective shell. In addition, you are a practical and experiential talent—” he said to Xiang Lan, “Production is a very important life experience for you. I hope you can have a different experience and then create more groundbreaking works.”
When they went to the hospital, Xiang Lan said to Fang Zidu, "Gu Yuan isn't a very good person, but he has excellent taste."
Xiang Lan sat outside the ultrasound room waiting in line. Fang Zi went to get her blood test results, and when it was her turn, she went in first. This examination took exceptionally long; she lay there for quite a while, but the doctor wouldn't let her get up. Instead, the doctor got up and left. A moment later, two or three doctors came in, gathered around the screen, whispering and using jargon she didn't understand. She leaned in and asked, "Doctor, what's the situation now?"
"No rush, let's take another look—"
She waited patiently for a while longer, and then an elderly female doctor with half-gray hair came in. She stood on the screen for a long time without saying a word, and then softly asked her, "Did you come alone, or with your family?"
"He's waiting for me outside."
"Okay, you're done with your examination now. Have your family member bring the report to my office in a bit." The old doctor told her the location of his office and his name before leaving.
Half puzzled and half worried, she pulled up her pants, took the report given to her by another young doctor, and went outside. Fang Zidu was already waiting outside. She said, "Zidu, there seems to be a problem with today's test."
"What's wrong?" Fang Zi coughed twice, took the report, and looked at it carefully.
"They examined us for a long time, several groups of doctors came in, and finally the one who looked very authoritative told us to go see her. What did they say?" Xiang Lan stood on tiptoe to see, but he immediately folded his feet and said, "There are too many people here, don't rush to see, let's go find a doctor and ask about the situation first."
The two took the elevator upstairs and arrived at a large office. Fang Zidu said, "Wait for me outside."
Xiang Lan sat on the green stool, feeling a little irritated. She took out her phone and called Hu Li. Hu Li was also quite pregnant, with her due date only a month later than Xiang Lan's. She spent all her time indoors incubating eggs and was quite bored.
"The doctor's examination was very slow today. It took me more than an hour to get it done by myself, and the people in line behind me had to wait for a long time," she texted.
"It's probably because you're about to give birth, so they're conducting a more thorough examination."
"I don't know. It was an old doctor I don't recognize who came to see me. Now the doctor has gone inside to ask about my condition. I'm so nervous."
"There shouldn't be any problems. You're almost due, so don't scare yourself."
"My belly is so big, it's making me so uncomfortable, I wake up several times every night," Xiang Lan complained. "How could my belly stretch so much? It's amazing. By the way, the oil you used on me is so good, even Zidu says my stretch marks have faded a lot—"
"Keep using it, otherwise your belly will be like a sac after giving birth, and you'll cry your eyes out."
"Don't talk nonsense."
Fang Zi pushed open the door and saw her laughing heartily at her phone. He shook his head and said, "Xiang Lan, the doctor has scheduled a check-up at the affiliated hospital for us. We have to go there now."
Xiang Lan asked curiously, "Why do we need to go to another place for the checkup?"
"The equipment here isn't advanced enough; we need to go somewhere else for the final prenatal checkup," he said calmly.
Is everyone like this?
"No, that's not it either."
Why is that?
"This test is a bit expensive, and not many people choose it, but I'm worried about it, so I'm asking you to go through the trouble."
"All right!"
The two took a taxi to the affiliated hospital and went through a special passage, where they were immediately taken in for examinations. The equipment was indeed much newer and a very large table. She lay down on it, and the examination was completed in a short time. The doctor told her to wait outside for the results.
He took the prescription and the barcode given when he paid, scanned it at the self-service machine, and after the results came out, he went to find the doctor and came out shortly after.
"How is it?" Xiang Lan asked expectantly.
"It's alright," Fang Zidu replied, forcing a smile. "They said it might weigh a little over six pounds, and they asked you to eat less during this period so you can try for a natural birth."
"Why does everyone insist on natural childbirth? Isn't a C-section better? One dose of anesthesia, they pull open the abdomen, bring the baby out, sew it up, and it's done—it's so simple!" Xiang Lan complained softly, as if afraid someone would hear, adding, "What if it stretches my lower body too much?"
Fangzi was speechless for a long time before saying, "There is research on this. It says that during childbirth, the baby's ability to withstand pressure increases due to the squeezing of the birth canal, making them feel more secure in the environment and less sensitive."
Is that so?
"Yes, I am a scientist, you have to believe me."
"All right!"
After easily persuading Xiang Lan, he took her to Xiang Yuan's house for dinner. The two women discussed preparing maternity bags and also made appointments with the confirmed postpartum nanny and caregiver.
Xiang Yuan was cooking in the kitchen, absentmindedly picking vegetables while looking at the recipe, and said, "Why do you look so unhappy?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Brother, this time, Xiang Lan and I might really need your help."
Chapter 59
After nearly eight months of contact, Xiang Yuan had come to understand Fang Zidu to a certain extent. This young man appeared quite gentle, but his stubbornness and tenacity were ingrained. He had also witnessed Fang Zidu discussing professional issues with students, and Fang Zidu exuded a strong sense of authority. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Fang Zidu was far superior to any of the men he had introduced to Xiang Lan. Fang Zidu could solve most problems on his own, but when he actually opened his mouth, it meant that even Xiang Yuan himself couldn't handle it.
"What's wrong?"
Fang Zidu glanced at his sister-in-law and her husband, who were chatting and laughing in the room, and said, "Let's go to the balcony to talk."
Xiang Yuan turned off the fire, and the two moved to the back balcony. He took out two ultrasound reports from today and said, "These are today's examination reports."
Xiang Yuan took it and looked at it, puzzled, "The double diameter apex is clearly smaller, what does that mean?"
“We started with the examination at the Women and Children's Hospital, but the doctor there wasn't sure. They consulted the attending physician, but he also hesitated to make a conclusion. So they consulted a senior specialist. The specialist said that the equipment at the Women and Children's Hospital wasn't the most advanced, and based on the results, there was a high possibility of head deformity. The affiliated hospital had the most advanced equipment, so they contacted doctors there and arranged for us to be examined ahead of schedule. The results from that hospital were still significantly smaller than expected, making the possibility even greater.” Fang Zidu looked bewildered. “I don't dare show this to Xiang Lan, and I don't dare tell her, but I definitely can't hide it from her alone.”
Did you discuss it with your parents?
He shook his head. "Not yet. They excitedly arranged a time to come next week to be with Xiang Lan during her delivery, but I—"
Do you have a preliminary plan?
"I've thought of several plans, but none of them will work," Fang Zidu said with a bitter smile. "I'm already over eight months pregnant, and the baby will be born in another twenty days; if the baby is born deformed, Xiang Lan definitely won't be able to accept it; I—"
Xiang Yuan reached into his bag, pulled out a deflated pack of cigarettes, opened it, and found only two cigarettes left. He offered one to Fang Zidu. Fang Zidu shook his head, "I don't smoke."
"Give me one."
I accepted the prescription, lit it, took a puff, but not understanding the coordination between my mouth and nose, I coughed several times because of the smoke.
"It must be bitter, right?" Xiang Yuan could still manage a smile.
"Bitter."
"You know, cigarettes taste awful, so why do people like to smoke them?" Xiang Yuan fiddled with the small cigarette. "I quit before your sister-in-law got pregnant, but after she got pregnant I couldn't resist and secretly smoked outside, one every three to five days, just to satisfy my craving."
"Why?"
"Nicotine can relax the brain and temporarily numb it, making you feel no pain. Try it, you'll love the feeling."
Fang Zi frowned and immediately extinguished the cigarette in his hand. "My brain must be clear every second."
“Alright, sober man, now, what do you want to do?” Xiang Yuan looked at him.
His hands trembled slightly, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his eyes were red. After a long while, he said, "The doctor said it's also possible that the baby's head is positioned too far back, making it appear smaller on the X-ray; but I don't dare to gamble on that possibility. If possible, I would like to advise Xiang Lan to terminate the pregnancy."