Extra 1

Lu Yun graduated from university, and while others were busy looking for jobs, her chain of spicy skewer shops had already opened over a dozen locations in the provincial capital.

She had also opened six or seven shops in some surrounding counties and was even considering expanding her business to the capital.

She dreamed of buying several apartments there once conditions were right, but this plan was temporarily shelved due to Lu Yun’s pregnancy.

At this time, Zhang Yuan, who had often discussed the matter with Lu Yun, offered himself for the task. Since he was not married, Lu Yun decided to let him take charge.

Over the years, Zhang Yuan had made quite a bit of money working alongside Lu Yun. She recognized his ability to manage people effectively and appreciated his diligence. Zhang Yuan’s parents believed that his success was largely due to Lu Yun, whom they regarded as their benefactor.

Every year, they would send fresh vegetables and fruits from their farm in the countryside to Lu Yun in the provincial capital. To put it dramatically, Lu Yun’s family could have managed without buying vegetables at all.

When Li Ling arrived, Lu Yun was at home reading a book on prenatal education. This book had already been read by He Cheng’an, who had mentioned it to Lu Yun the night before. With nothing else to do, Lu Yun decided to take a look at it herself.

When He Cheng’an came back, he carried numerous bags and boxes. He did not stop there; he went back out to bring in two more large boxes. Lu Yun had a good idea of what was inside—fresh grapes, which she had recently developed a fondness for during her pregnancy.

Although she had not experienced much morning sickness, Lu Yun found her appetite had diminished significantly, and she had become quite picky about food. After realizing that she could eat grapes, He Cheng’an began to send her box after box from the orchard in the countryside, all freshly picked.

He Cheng’an approached her with a slightly pained expression. “How was your day?”

Lu Yun thought for a moment. “I had a bowl of steamed egg custard for lunch.”

He Cheng’an asked, “Shall I make you one for dinner?”

After a long pause, Lu Yun appeared to be considering what she wanted for dinner, but she did not have a specific craving, so she eventually nodded.

After He Cheng’an bought the villa, it needed to be decorated and aired out. The renovation of the villa was both lengthy and meticulous, and since Lu Yun’s school was still near Seagull Garden, she found it more convenient to live there while studying.

Eventually, when they could move in, Lu Yun had already become pregnant and was not keen on relocating. Particularly, Seagull Garden had been developing very well lately, with complete amenities nearby.

So, Lu Yun decided to continue living there for the time being, planning to move only when the child was born and they required more space for play.

However, Lu Yun already owned more than a dozen properties in Seagull Garden. Some were rented out, while others remained vacant, untouched. In addition, Lu Yun had developed a keen interest in the nearby estate. He Cheng’an, knowing her preferences, had been working on acquiring it for her, but even so, it would take quite a while before they could move in.

Despite this, Lu Yun had grown accustomed to living in the area and truly enjoyed it.

He Cheng’an tied an apron around his waist and headed to the kitchen to cook. Lu Yun couldn’t help but laugh at his appearance. If outsiders saw He Cheng’an, they would find it hard to imagine that he was the cold and aloof Mr. He.

During dinner, He Cheng’an coaxed Lu Yun into eating half a bowl of steamed egg custard.

When she had finished, he polished off the rest himself. Just as he was about to finish his meal, he received a call from a client.

He went to the kitchen, grabbed the washed grapes he had prepared earlier, and handed them to Lu Yun before continuing his phone call.

As Lu Yun ate the grapes, she watched him, finding them deliciously sweet.

Once He Cheng’an finished the call, he looked at Lu Yun and asked, “Shall we wash up and then go to bed?”

Lu Yun nodded, “Okay.”

The two of them went to the bathroom together. Standing side by side, they brushed their teeth. He Cheng’an waited for Lu Yun to finish washing her face before he began.

However, by the time He Cheng’an had washed his face, Lu Yun was still in the process of drying hers. He Cheng’an patiently waited for her, and when they returned to the room, Lu Yun remembered to dab a bit of cream on him, though it was just the basic brand.

Lu Yun would remember to apply it when she thought of it; other times, she would forget.

Sister Sun’s partner had lost his job, and initially, Sister Sun was quite worried. Then she thought of Lu Yun; if Lu Yun could run a business, perhaps they could too.

They might not reach Lu Yun’s level, but earning what Sister Sun’s partner had made before would suffice.

To explore this idea further, Sister Sun made a special trip to the provincial capital to ask Lu Yun for advice. Lu Yun suggested they could start a breakfast shop, knowing that Sister Sun’s partner was hardworking and knew how to cook. While they couldn’t run a restaurant, a breakfast shop was certainly feasible.

Thanks to Lu Yun’s suggestion, Sister Sun and her partner opened a breakfast shop, employing a strategy of low prices and high volume, using generous ingredients.

Their soy milk turned out particularly fragrant and rich, and surprisingly, they managed to make it work. Although they weren’t making a fortune, their lives were surprisingly better than when Sister Sun’s partner had been unemployed.

One day, Sister Sun came to the county town, and knowing that Lu Yun was pregnant, she didn’t invite Lu Yun to go shopping with her.

Instead, she brought a lot of things for Lu Yun and went to visit her at home. The two of them chatted for quite a while.

It seemed that Lu Yun and Chen Zhiqiang had rarely seen each other, and few people spoke of their relationship.

However, Lu Yun couldn’t help but think about the storyline in the novels she had read and wondered how Chen Zhiqiang and the female lead were doing.

She decided to ask Sister Sun about it.

Sister Sun indeed knew about the situation.

Chen Zhiqiang’s wife had given birth to a son, and Li Chunxia couldn’t sit still.

She practically stormed the Chen household every few days, causing quite a commotion.

Lu Yun didn’t find it surprising; in the novels, the Chen family merely saw her as spoiled and thought they could control her.

Now that Li Chunxia had taken over, it was no wonder she was stirring things up.

Li Chunxia was quite formidable in her own right; otherwise, she wouldn’t have married Chen Zhiqiang in the first place.

As for the female lead, Lu Yun realized that without her as a comparison, the female lead’s qualities wouldn’t stand out as much.

Lu Yun asked, “What about Li Chunxia?”

Sister Sun replied, “After graduating from college, she returned to the county town to work. With her high education, she landed a decent job. I heard she’s preparing for a blind date for a second marriage.”

On her way home, Sister Sun said that Lu Yun had married well, to which Lu Yun nodded in agreement and even jokingly told Sister Sun that she was right.

This made Sister Sun laugh.

In recent years, He Cheng’an had remained much the same as before, rarely engaging in socializing.

When it came to work, it was strictly business; he had no desire to visit nightclubs and usually spent his evenings cooking for Lu Yun at home.

A while ago, Zhang Hao mentioned to Lu Yun that many people were saying that He Cheng’an’s wife was impressive and that He Cheng’an was afraid of his wife.

Sometimes during business meetings outside, he would pause to call Lu Yun, and if he found something delicious, he would order a portion to take home.

Remembering Zhang Hao, Lu Yun asked He Cheng’an one evening when he returned about Zhang Hao’s plans for finding a partner.

He Cheng’an replied, “I’ve asked him a few times, but he says he’s not in a hurry.”

Lu Yun inquired, “Has Li Lan approached Zhang Hao at all?”

He Cheng’an responded, “He hasn’t mentioned anything about it, but since Li Lan took the money and the matter was exposed, she definitely won’t be looking for Zhang Hao now.”

Zhang Hao had high standards; seeing how well He Cheng’an and Lu Yun lived together, he wanted to find someone who matched Lu Yun’s caliber. But it wasn’t that easy; he also wanted mutual affection, which was why he hadn’t married yet.

It was said that Zhang’s family had set up numerous blind dates for Zhang Hao, but he felt none of them were suitable.

For a long while, Lu Yun remained silent before she held He Cheng’an’s hand and said, “He kicked me.”

He Cheng’an asked, “Who?”

Lu Yun simply smiled without answering.

After a moment, He Cheng’an finally grasped what she meant. His first reaction wasn’t excitement about their child moving; instead, he lightly rested his head on Lu Yun’s belly and said, “No more tossing around in there.”

Lu Yun burst out laughing, “Hahaha!”

—o—o—o—

The day Lu Yun gave birth was indeed a momentous occasion that drew many people’s attention. Members of the Lu family arrived, along with Li Ling and even Zhang Hao’s family.

However, the most anxious of all was He Cheng’an.

Surprisingly, Lu Yun didn’t feel much stress because the delivery went remarkably smoothly, resulting in a pair of twins—a boy and a girl.

Lu Yun felt as though these two children had come to repay her kindness.

Throughout her pregnancy, aside from eating less and not always feeling hungry, she experienced only occasional leg cramps or discomfort as her belly grew larger.

Overall, it had been a very manageable experience.

In fact, Lu Yun thought that if these weren’t her and He Cheng’an’s children, she might not have considered having kids at all.

After all, before her “transmigration,” she had believed that not getting married was acceptable, and therefore, not having children was fine too.

Since both Lu Yun and He Cheng’an were busy, it was impossible for them to care for the children entirely on their own.

So, Zhang Meili and Lu Dong moved in to lend a hand.

However, as long as He Cheng’an was home, he tended to take care of most of the children’s needs.

Fortunately, the two babies were remarkably easy to care for, even when it came to putting them to sleep.

—o—o—o—

One night, after He Cheng’an had lulled the twins to sleep, he lay down on the bed while Lu Yun sat there reading. Hearing his movements, she rested her head on his shoulder and continued her reading.

They exchanged casual conversation.

Lu Yun said, “What will you do when they start kindergarten?”

He Cheng’an laughed, “Once they’re in kindergarten, we can have our parents take them. After a few days, I think we’ll feel more at ease.”

They went on to discuss the kindergartens in the provincial capital and what special skills their children might learn in the future. Lu Yun wanted their children to learn many things, while He Cheng’an believed it was more important for them to enjoy what they were learning.

After thinking about it, Lu Yun agreed; if the kids were interested in something, they should definitely pursue it.

While Lu Yun was pondering the challenges of raising children, He Cheng’an pulled her into his arms.

“They’ll have their own lives, so can you spare a bit of attention for me, Ah Yun?” he said.

Lu Yun smiled and kissed him lightly, saying, “Yes, yes, yes! They’ll have their own lives. The only one who can grow old with me is my husband.”

Later, as they were playfully bantering, Lu Yun heard He Cheng’an say to her, “I’ve had a vasectomy.”