CHAPTER 3 

◎ For the rest of my life, I swear to do good deeds ◎

Ye Rou opened the door and threw a pillow at him. Zhou Huai instinctively caught it.

Ye Rou snapped, “Zhou Huai, are you sick or something? Look at the time—just look!”

She yanked open the curtains, so angry she nearly cursed out loud. She thought it would be early morning already, but outside it wasn’t even fully light yet.

It really wasn’t light at all. Stars still dotted the night sky. Even breakfast shops wouldn’t have opened yet at this hour.

Ye Rou: “If you keep waking me up, don’t think you’ll sleep tomorrow either. No—forget tomorrow. The day after, and the day after that, and the day after that—you won’t get any sleep at all!”

Slamming the door shut, Ye Rou climbed back into bed. She wanted to hug her pillow, but when she reached for it, it was gone. Only then did she remember she had thrown it at Zhou Huai.

Ye Rou opened the door again, snatched her pillow back, and still added, “Try waking me up one more time and see what happens!”

Left outside, Zhou Huai yawned. He glanced at the sky—okay, maybe it really was too early.

Ye Rou was so exhausted she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She didn’t even care anymore that the sheets weren’t as comfortable as her old ones.

The next time she woke up, it was already past ten.

When Ye Rou walked out, Zhou Huai wasn’t in the living room. She called for him a few times, but no one answered. Standing outside his room, she grinned brightly.

Ye Rou: “Zhou Huai, Zhou Huai, wake up!”

She knocked on the door. “Zhou Huai, get up already. Do you know what time it is? It’s nearly noon!”

Heh, this dog of a man. Since he had woken her up, he could forget about sleeping soundly too.

After waiting a bit, Ye Rou realized Zhou Huai still wasn’t awake. She quietly opened his door and found him lying on the bed, sound asleep, completely unaffected by her noise.

Ye Rou: “……”

She went over and shoved him awake. Zhou Huai opened his eyes groggily, disoriented from being woken, even showing a trace of impatience.

Ye Rou stared at him and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—his eyelashes were really long.

Zhou Huai, that damn man, clearly had morning temper too—Ye Rou could see it.

“Get up,” Ye Rou urged. “We have to go for a checkup. See if I’m pregnant or not.”

The words Zhou Huai was about to say got swallowed back down. He lifted the blanket, slipped on his slippers, and went to wash up without a word.

Alright, alright. This dad—he really didn’t want to be one, huh.

Even though Zhou Huai had already washed earlier in the morning, he still washed up again. He splashed his face with cold water, and only then did he fully wake up.

Ye Rou stood outside the bathroom watching him. “Hurry up.”

“I know,” Zhou Huai replied.

For once, the two of them were actually communicating pleasantly.

Unlike Zhou Huai, who would just wash his face, brush his teeth, and be done—without even wiping his face dry—Ye Rou was different. As he brushed past her, she glanced at his face.

Zhou Huai’s skin really was delicate. She had to admit it—Zhou Huai was good-looking. Even later, when he reached middle age, he was still good-looking.

But that thought made Ye Rou feel frustrated. Why couldn’t he be a little more mature and steady now? Why did he have to wait until middle age to finally become that way?

“What?” Zhou Huai asked. “Think I look good?”

Ye Rou just pointed at her own face and started washing up.

Sure, Zhou Huai looked good. But her face wasn’t bad either—it was exactly the same face she had before she transmigrated, thank you very much.

By the time Zhou Huai had changed his clothes, Ye Rou was still brushing her teeth. He stood in front of the mirror fiddling with his hairstyle while she finally moved on to washing her face.

Ten minutes later, Ye Rou was still sitting at the vanity, patting at her face.

Zhou Huai muttered “troublesome” under his breath and went to wait in the living room.

At last, half an hour later, Ye Rou was satisfied with her makeup. Honestly, it shouldn’t have taken that long—she was only doing something simple. But the makeup here was different from what she was used to.

“Ah—!” she suddenly cried out.

Zhou Huai rushed in. “What happened?”

“Zhou Huai, I need to wash it off. I forgot—pregnant women aren’t supposed to wear makeup.”

Ye Rou looked like she was about to cry. Right—no makeup. When her cousin was pregnant, she had even given Ye Rou all the brand-new, unopened cosmetics she’d just bought.

Biting her lip tightly, Ye Rou went into the bathroom to remove her makeup, only to find there was no cleansing oil or cream. She had to wash her face twice, and even then it still didn’t feel clean.

Zhou Huai opened his mouth, but Ye Rou glared at him. “Don’t you dare say a word.”

By the time they finally headed out, it was already past eleven. If they went to the hospital now, the doctors would probably be breaking for lunch.

So Zhou Huai took Ye Rou to eat at the same restaurant he had gone to yesterday.

The lady boss looked them over, covering her mouth with a laugh. “This must be your girlfriend, right? First time I’ve ever seen you bring someone over. The two of you look so well-matched.”

Ye Rou wasn’t wearing makeup, but she was still beautiful—slender, in a white dress, with black hair and fair skin. Without smiling she looked a little cool, but when she did, her brows curved and her eyes shone, lively and adorable. Standing next to Zhou Huai, she just reached his shoulder. Zhou Huai himself was in a white shirt.

No matter how you looked, they seemed like a perfect pair.

Ye Rou and Zhou Huai exchanged a glance. Ye Rou caught the suspicion in his eyes, and it left her feeling oddly flustered. It was as if… as if she actually wanted to stand next to him and look like they matched.

“We just got fresh shrimp today,” the lady boss said. “Want to try a plate?”

“Yes!” Ye Rou answered immediately.

Zhou Huai was paying, after all. Why not?

“I also want Kung Pao Chicken and stir-fried cabbage,” Ye Rou added.

That would be just right for the two of them. Otherwise, they’d never finish. Ye Rou herself couldn’t eat much, but Zhou Huai could handle more.

She also ordered a bottle of orange soda, then picked a table. Zhou Huai followed her and sat across from her.

The soda came in a glass bottle, with a bottle opener right on the table. Ye Rou popped it open in one smooth motion, looking for all the world like she wouldn’t leave until she’d downed a dozen beers.

Zhou Huai drawled, “Can you even drink soda?”

“……”

Could she? That was a question. But obviously, it was better not to. Even when she wasn’t pregnant, Ye Rou often heard people say to drink less soda.

Her cousin, back when she was pregnant, had been on strict sugar control. Forget soda—she barely ate sweets. Of course, every pregnancy was different, not everyone was the same.

“I’ll just have one glass,” Ye Rou finally said.

She poured herself a small cup, then pushed the bottle over to Zhou Huai. “Lucky you.”

Zhou Huai looked up. “Lucky me?”

“Of course. Wasn’t it lucky for you just now too?”

He knew what she meant.

If it weren’t for her—Ye Rou—how else could Zhou Huai show up with such a pretty “girlfriend”? Ye Rou was very confident in her looks. Back when she had tagged along with an actress friend to a film set, several talent managers had wanted to sign her. Even the director had wanted her to play the role of the “white moonlight” in a drama.

Ye Rou wasn’t interested, though. She liked camera flashes well enough, but she didn’t want her every word and action to spark endless gossip. She wasn’t vain enough to think everyone would like her—and the thought of being attacked and insulted by strangers online had immediately killed that idea.

Besides, most importantly, she wasn’t short on money.

The lady boss came over with a pot of hot water and smiled. “You two really seem to have a great relationship.”

“……”

“……”

Both Ye Rou and Zhou Huai were struck silent at the same time.

Once she was done eating, Ye Rou sat waiting for Zhou Huai. She hadn’t eaten much, and as she watched him finish his meal, the feeling crept back again.

At her core, Ye Rou was still dissatisfied with Zhou Huai. A good, steady, dependable man who should’ve given her a sense of security—yet here he was, nothing like that. How could she not be disappointed?

That’s the cruel gap between expectation and reality.

If Ye Rou hadn’t known before what a good person Zhou Huai was, she definitely wouldn’t be having such feelings now.

Zhou Huai said, “Ye Rou, when I was waiting for you, I didn’t talk much at all.”

Ye Rou: “Oh.”

By the time they arrived at the hospital, it was already afternoon. They queued up to register, and Ye Rou followed behind Zhou Huai. She was stunned at the number of people in the gynecology department—there were so many, especially a lot of pregnant women with big bellies.

Unconsciously, Ye Rou’s gaze fell on those pregnant bellies. Just the thought of herself becoming like that made her go quiet.

She had seen her older cousin before, but maybe it was because her cousin always looked in great spirits when she saw her, so she never felt the way she did now.

She even saw a pregnant woman’s calf cramp up, and with her husband’s help, the woman quickly sat down to rest.

Ye Rou said, “Zhou Huai, if I weren’t pregnant, I’d definitely divorce you as soon as I got back. After that, I’d go date some handsome men, and I swear I’d never have kids.”

Zhou Huai replied, “If you weren’t pregnant, I’d spend the rest of my life doing good deeds.”

Ye Rou: “Whether I’m pregnant or not, you’d better just go do good deeds.”

Zhou Huai stared at her for a moment. “True, that makes sense.”

Heh, this dog of a man!!!

After the check-up, Ye Rou came out with the test results. Zhou Huai stepped forward, his eyes originally holding a bit of expectation. But when he looked at Ye Rou, it seemed like the light in his eyes dimmed in an instant.

Yes. He could stop dreaming. He really was going to be a father.

In the doctor’s office—

Ye Rou sat in a chair. Across from her was a kindly looking doctor with gray hair and glasses.

The doctor read the report and then smiled. “Congratulations, you’re going to be parents. The baby is thirteen weeks along. Everything looks good, but you still need to be careful. Let me tell you some things to watch out for.”

Ye Rou pulled out a smile. “Thank you.”

When they walked out of the hospital, Ye Rou couldn’t hide the sharpness in her eyes. She knew it—according to the plot, the baby was indeed more than three months along. But Zhou Huai had insisted on giving her this sliver of hope.

The bigger the hope, the greater the disappointment.

From now on, she and Zhou Huai were thoroughly tied together.

Ye Rou asked, “Did you remember what the doctor said just now?”

Zhou Huai shook his head honestly.

Neither of them had really paid much attention to the doctor’s instructions.

Ye Rou said softly, “Baby, don’t worry. Even though Mommy doesn’t know anything, your Daddy will definitely learn.”

Then she added, “Right, Baby’s Daddy?”

Zhou Huai: “……..”