The faucet was still dripping water, unknowingly filling the sink.

The moment the water overflowed and wet her pants, Zhu Yiyi suddenly woke up, “When did you see him?”

“An hour before you got off work.”

“Where did you see him?”

“It’s none of your business where I saw him!” Ms. Zhu glared at her, making a final decision, “I’m telling you, He Shen told me everything, including the fact that you’re pregnant!”

Zhu Yiyi lowered her head, looking at the faucet that was still gushing water, she was in a daze, and after a while, she raised her hand to turn it off.

Without the sound of water, the kitchen was quiet, only the sound of breathing.

Ms. Zhu tilted her head, leaned closer, and whispered tentatively, “The child is He Shen’s, right?”

Zhu Yiyi’s chest rose and fell slightly, her hand holding the bowl didn’t feel the coldness of the water at all, but instead felt burning hot.

She moved her lips, a yes or no stuck in her throat, she couldn’t say it no matter what.

Ms. Zhu kept her composure, she pressed her advantage and continued to persuade her, “He Shen told me everything, he said that as soon as you two get back together, you’ll go get your marriage license, he’ll hold the most luxurious and expensive wedding for you, after you get married, you don’t have to do anything, just stay at home and be a full-time mom, enjoy your life.”

“?”

“He Shen even bought the rings.”

“?”

Zhu Yiyi’s furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, the panic and uncertainty she had been feeling disappeared.

What was that about staying at home and being a full-time mom to enjoy life, He Shen would never say such a thing.

She looked at her mother as if she was looking at a big liar.

“You’re lying to me.” She said confidently.

Ms. Zhu choked, coughed a few times, and raised her voice, “You little brat, what am I lying to you about, what am I lying to you for!”

“You’re just lying to me.”

Ms. Zhu was very unwilling to admit defeat, but seeing Zhu Yiyi’s calm expression, she knew that her plan had failed this time. She reluctantly continued to wash the dishes, her tone was stiff, “How do you know I’m lying to you?”

Zhu Yiyi didn’t speak.

Actually, what her mother said wasn’t wrong, anyone else would think the same:

He Shen is excellent.

She is mediocre.

So she, who was dating a man like He Shen, who was outstanding in both family background and appearance, must be clinging to him desperately, sticking to him all the time, pulling him to get their marriage license at every opportunity, using the child to trap him. And a successful man like He Shen, he must not like Zhu Yiyi, he would make all sorts of excuses for her wanting to get married, even arguing and breaking up.

Wrong.

Completely wrong.

Because the one who didn’t want to get married was never He Shen, he even had the idea of buying a ring and getting married the night they slept together.

The one who didn’t want to get married.

Was her.

The one who threw away the ring and said they were breaking up.

Was also her.

Late at night, Zhu Yiyi finished showering and was about to get into bed, she caught a glimpse of the floor-to-ceiling mirror by the closet, and she went over to it out of habit.

She stood in front of the mirror, moved her still slender figure, her belly was flat, and there was no curve yet.

She touched it with her hand, and there was no feeling.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Your mom is calling you.”

“…”

“Your grandma is a big liar.”

“…”

Maybe she felt that it was a bit strange and a bit stupid to talk to her stomach, Zhu Yiyi patted her belly casually and mumbled, “Boring.”

She lay down in bed, ready to watch some videos before going to sleep, when a phone call came in.

She saw the caller ID and quickly answered, “Hey, Jiu Jiu.”

Li Jiu on the other side seemed to be busy, she was panting, “I’m exhausted, I finally finished moving… I just helped my parents move their luggage.”

“Move luggage?”

“For going abroad.” Li Jiu took a few breaths, “The procedures were completed two days ago, we were originally planning to leave next week, but my parents looked at the weather forecast yesterday and said it would get cold and snow in a few days, so they decided to leave the day after tomorrow. That’s why Xu Zhi Shu and I have been packing things all day today.”

“So soon?” Zhu Yiyi jumped out of bed, “Then you’re not coming back for Chinese New Year…”

“Not coming back.”

There was the sound of footsteps in the phone, Li Jiu had changed to a quieter place, she said, “The two old people can’t handle the back and forth plane rides, they’ll spend the next two years abroad. The earliest they might come back is in two years, I have to go back to deal with the homestead in my rural hometown.”

Zhu Yiyi was slightly stunned, a sense of reluctance suddenly surged in her heart, and a touch of indescribable sadness, “Jiu Jiu.”

“Hmm?”

“I envy you.”

“Really? Or do you miss me?” Li Jiu comforted her softly, “It’s okay, you can come to my place whenever you have time, my house is very big, I’ll leave a room for you!”

“Yeah, I miss you.”

I also want to become a girl as excellent, confident, and outspoken as you.

The two of them chatted for a while, Zhu Yiyi felt sleepy, Li Jiu told her the time and place and was about to hang up.

Zhu Yiyi’s eyes were already half-closed, something flashed in her mind, she suddenly opened her eyes, and she was quite awake.

She asked tentatively, “This time, it won’t be another gathering with a lot of people, right?”

“Don’t worry, it’s just us.”

“That’s good…”

“And He Shen.”

Zhu Yiyi lost her voice, her sleepiness was gone.

Li Jiu’s family was leaving the country on Wednesday, the time was set for Tuesday evening.

Zhu Yiyi rushed to finish her work for the day, there was still a little bit left when she got off work, she copied it to a USB drive and planned to take it home to look at.

She took the subway to the hotel in the south of the city, it took about ten minutes to reach the destination where she had made an appointment with Li Jiu.

It was a small and luxurious restaurant, looking through the window, most of the people inside were dining in groups of two or three, the environment was quiet and elegant.

Zhu Yiyi pushed the door open and found the location Li Jiu had sent on her phone.

Unexpectedly, and yet expectedly.

Someone was already sitting there.

Zhu Yiyi should have thought of this.

He Shen never arrived late, whether it was work or in private, even during their dating, he had never been late.

Businessmen value timeliness the most.

Zhu Yiyi hesitated in place, her feet were stepping on flat white sneakers, she didn’t move.

She looked at her phone, it was almost time for their appointment.

She sent a message to Li Jiu: Are you guys here yet?

A few seconds later, Li Jiu replied: Stuck in traffic, it’s probably going to be a long time.

Zhu Yiyi: Ah? What should we do?

Li Jiu: It’s okay, you guys eat first.

Zhu Yiyi looked at the last four words, her scalp tingled, she turned off the screen and put her phone back in her pocket.

She sighed, the thing she least wanted to face was still coming.

She raised her eyes and looked at the location not far away.

The man was tall and straight, his posture was upright, he wasn’t doing anything, he was just sitting there quietly waiting, and he easily became the focus of the crowd.

Many women around were stealing glances at him.

Zhu Yiyi walked over at a snail’s pace, when she reached the opposite side of He Shen, she sat down stiffly.

Seeing him looking at her, she pretended to be calm and greeted him, “Ha…ha…hello.”

After she finished speaking, Zhu Yiyi regretted it.

What kind of hello is that.

Even saying “hi” would be better.

He Shen looked behind her, there was no one, “Where are they?”

“They’ll probably be here in a while,” knowing that he disliked people being late, she added, “Jiu Jiu said they are stuck in traffic.”

“Is that so?” He Shen raised his hand to drink some water, his eyebrows raised slightly as he spoke, his tone was light and cheerful, “Then let’s wait a little longer.”

Soon, a waiter came over to ask what they needed.

Zhu Yiyi: “A glass of warm water.”

She didn’t know if she had a cold stomach last night or if it was morning sickness, but her mouth was a little sour today.

After drinking a glass of warm water, her stomach, which had been churning, felt much better.

They waited for a while, but Li Jiu still hadn’t arrived, Zhu Yiyi quietly touched her stomach.

She was a little hungry.

But the host hadn’t arrived yet, it was inappropriate for her to eat first.

Suddenly, the table in front of her was tapped twice lightly, He Shen called the waiter, “Order.”

The waiter handed over the menu, but he didn’t take it, instead, he raised his chin, “For her.”

“No, no, let’s wait for them to come before we order,” Zhu Yiyi shook her head, “I, I’m not hungry.”

Seeing that she was adamant about not ordering, He Shen took the menu with one hand and said calmly, “I’m hungry.”

“…”

He Shen ordered a few light dishes, and also ordered the restaurant’s signature steak, “Two portions.”

Zhu Yiyi, who was drinking water to fill her stomach, was stunned.

Was it what she thought it meant?

Then, she heard him instruct, “One medium-rare, one well-done.”

Zhu Yiyi’s lips, which were holding the rim of the cup, tightened.

He Shen didn’t eat well-done steak, only she liked it.

When they first got together, on their first date, He Shen took Zhu Yiyi to a newly opened Western restaurant in Beijing.

The restaurant’s specialty was steak.

The candlelight flickered, the roses were bright red and dripping with dew, the dishes were exquisite and expensive, and there was a gentlemanly and elegant man.

Even the waiter on the side couldn’t help but envy Zhu Yiyi.

But when he saw the ordinary and cheap clothes she was wearing, his smile faded, as if he was wondering why a man like He Shen would be with her.

Zhu Yiyi looked at her own jacket, jeans, flat shoes, the white shoes had turned yellow and old from being worn for too long.

Everything was out of place in this high-end restaurant.

The joy of dating was diluted, and she felt a little embarrassed instead.

But the more embarrassing part was still to come.

She didn’t know how to use a knife and fork.

Zhu Yiyi didn’t even know which hand held the knife and which hand held the fork, she sat there stiffly like a clown who had stumbled into a fairy tale world, at a loss.

On the other side of the long table, He Shen was slightly lowering his head, holding a knife and fork, he was cutting the steak slowly and deliberately.

It formed a stark contrast with her.

Zhu Yiyi suddenly felt a little choked up, she gritted her teeth and tried her best to hold back the embarrassment. She secretly watched He Shen eat, planning to learn by imitation.

But he suddenly raised his head.

He met her eyes, which were full of panic.

He saw her embarrassment clearly.

He Shen looked at her helpless expression, then at her hand holding the knife and fork the wrong way, he frowned.

Zhu Yiyi almost immediately remembered Lu Pei.

That time, she was holding a roasted sweet potato, Lu Pei looked down at her from the luxury car, she also frowned, her eyes were full of disgust.

Her hand trembled, the fork fell to the ground, making a clinking sound.

It was as if a stone had been thrown into a calm lake.

Then she saw He Shen walking towards her, and her heart panicked.

“I’m sorry…” Zhu Yiyi didn’t know why she was apologizing, she just said it subconsciously, “I didn’t mean to, I’ve never been to a Western restaurant, and I’ve never eaten steak…”

She suddenly reddened her eyes, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

Hearing her say these words, He Shen’s frown deepened, after stopping in front of her, he bent down on one knee, keeping eye contact with her, “How is that embarrassing?”

“Never been to a Western restaurant, never eaten steak, don’t know how to use a knife and fork, is that embarrassing?” His speech was slow, and his voice was soft, as if he was afraid of scaring her, “But no one is born knowing how to do these things. I don’t know either.”

Her eyes were blurry with tears, she couldn’t speak.

He Shen picked up the fallen fork and put it in Zhu Yiyi’s palm, “Sorry, I didn’t pay attention, and made you upset.”

Zhu Yiyi was most afraid of being comforted and coaxed, as soon as she was coaxed, she couldn’t hold back her tears, the grievances in her heart were like a rising tide, she couldn’t help but throw herself into his arms, “I can’t recognize as many things as you, I haven’t been to as many places, but I will try my best to learn, to keep up with your pace.”

Less than a second later, she acted spoiled again, “If I can’t catch up, you have to slow down and wait for me!”

“Okay.”

That night, they had their first candlelit dinner in love, and Zhu Yiyi also tasted the legendary delicious medium-rare steak.

Unexpectedly, it made her feel sick as soon as she took a bite.

She said with that TV dramas were all lies, it wasn’t delicious at all!

From then on, she only ate well-done steak.

“What are you thinking about?”

He Shen asked.

Zhu Yiyi suddenly came back to her senses, it turned out that while she was in a daze, the waiter had already efficiently served the meal.

The well-done steak was now in front of her.

“Ah? Nothing.”

She mumbled a response, she skillfully held the knife and fork to eat, her movements, posture, and even her eating habits were as elegant as He Shen’s.

But the excitement she felt before was gone.

The meal was almost finished, Li Jiu and Xu Zhi Shu still hadn’t arrived, they sent a message in the middle, saying that they were stuck in traffic because of a rear-end collision.

Zhu Yiyi hurriedly asked if they were okay.

Li Jiu said they were fine, but they had to take a detour.

That meant she would have to spend a long time alone with He Shen again.

Zhu Yiyi rested her chin on her hand, she ate absentmindedly, after swallowing the food in her mouth, she said, “Jiu Jiu said they’re taking a detour, it’ll still be a while.”

He Shen casually hummed in response, when he raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on her face.

His gaze was scorching, he didn’t move.

Zhu Yiyi’s face flushed red from his gaze, “Wh、what’s wrong?”

He handed her a tissue, “Wipe it.”

She lowered her head and saw the sauce that had gotten on her chest, she patted it, “Okay.”

“Your face.”

He emphasized.

Zhu Yiyi blinked, she took the tissue from his hand and wiped her mouth, “Is it okay now?”

He Shen narrowed his eyes, suddenly, he got up and walked over, before Zhu Yiyi could react, he took the tissue from her hand, bent down, leaned forward, and used the tissue to wipe her nose. Unintentionally or not, his fingertips rubbed against her skin, as if a tiny electric current had passed through, Zhu Yiyi couldn’t help but tremble her shoulders, her tailbone was tingling.

His actions were so ambiguous, but his tone was so indifferent, he withdrew his hand, “It’s okay now.”

Zhu Yiyi couldn’t tell what his attitude was for a moment.

Only her burning face reminded her that this wasn’t a dream.

Before her brain could catch up, He Shen put the tissue back in her hand, sat back in his original position with a straight back, and started playing with his phone.

He was a gentleman again.

?

Zhu Yiyi blushed, she quietly cursed him for being inexplicable.

Buzz, her phone on the table vibrated twice, attracting Zhu Yiyi’s attention. She lit up the screen, lowered her eyes to look, it was Li Jiu sending her a location share.

They were almost here.

Zhu Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Jiu sent another message asking if she had eaten with He Shen.

Zhu Yiyi opened the camera, she was about to take a picture of the leftovers on the table, when her stomach suddenly churned without warning, a wave of nausea surged up her throat.

She couldn’t help but dry heave.

The sound was very small, it was hard to notice if you weren’t paying attention, but Zhu Yiyi immediately covered her mouth and pretended to cough.

But He Shen saw through it, “Want to vomit?”

Zhu Yiyi shook her head like a rattle, she wanted to say no, but she couldn’t help but dry heave again.

Oh no.

She couldn’t hide it anymore.

She patted her chest, wanting to find an excuse to fool him, but her arm was grabbed by He Shen.

His expression was serious, there was no hint of joking, he said in an unquestionable tone, “Go to the hospital, now.”