Chapter 6 : Do you want to keep the child?

In the hospital room, Jiang Yunshu slowly opened her eyes amid a blur, her vision gradually focusing.

She saw the person sitting by her bed and spoke softly, “Grandmother.”

Grandma Fu took Jiang Yunshu’s hand and asked, “You’re awake. Do you feel uncomfortable?”

Jiang Yunshu shook her head. “No.”

Xu Shuping, sitting on the sofa by the window, heard Jiang Yunshu speaking and quickly stood up, walking to the bedside. Her tone was filled with undeniable excitement. “Xiao Shu, you’re pregnant! The Fu family will have an heir!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunshu wasn’t surprised.

Although she hadn’t gone to the hospital for confirmation yet, the two lines on the pregnancy test and the continuous bouts of vomiting had already made her nearly certain that there was a new life growing inside her.

The sunlight outside shone through the window, and Jiang Yunshu, against the light, slowly raised her gaze towards Fu Chengze, who was standing behind Grandma Fu.

His face showed no expression, his eyes were deep like a quiet river, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and he appeared extremely calm.

Jiang Yunshu couldn’t understand his feelings in this moment, nor could she guess what he was thinking.

“How could you not know you were pregnant? How could you be so careless? Thankfully, someone was there when you fainted. If something had happened, there would have been no way to regret it,” Xu Shuping scolded with a hint of blame in her voice.

“Alright, Shuping, enough with the unnecessary talk.” Grandma Fu’s impatient expression softened as she continued to speak to Jiang Yunshu.

“Xiao Shu, you fainted because of low blood sugar, but don’t worry. It’s not serious, and the baby is fine. The doctor said that in early pregnancy, pregnancy symptoms are usually more intense, leading to nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite, which can cause blood sugar instability. But just be careful from now on. You still need to eat breakfast.”

Jiang Yunshu nodded. “Okay, I understand, Grandma.”

Grandma Fu gently patted Jiang Yunshu’s hand. “Let Chengze stay with you. We’ll leave now.”

“Okay.”

“Xiao Shu, why don’t you move back to the old house for a while? There’s only Aunt Chen at Shang Baiyue’s house. How could she take care of you and the baby? This is a good opportunity to spend more time with your mom and grandmother,” Xu Shuping said as she walked out. “We’ll go now, rest well.”

Jiang Yunshu felt for the first time how much the Fu family valued offspring.

Even Grandma Fu, who had never pressured her, was visibly happy upon hearing the news of her pregnancy.

After Xu Shuping and Grandma Fu left, only Fu Chengze and Jiang Yunshu remained in the room.

“Do you want some water?” Fu Chengze stepped forward, his dark eyes calmly looking at her.

Jiang Yunshu’s eyelashes trembled as she nodded.

Fu Chengze turned to pour water. Jiang Yunshu silently watched his back for a few seconds before using the bed to support herself, trying to sit up.

“Lie down, let me help.” Fu Chengze quickly placed the glass down and gently helped her lie back down, then adjusted the bed.

Jiang Yunshu leaned against the headboard. “I’m fine. I just feel a bit weak. If you’re busy, you don’t need to stay here. After the IV is done, I’ll call Uncle Li to take me home.”

Fu Chengze sat on the stool by the bed and handed her the cup. “I’m not busy. Someone has to stay here.”

The steam from the hot water rose, and Jiang Yunshu tightened her grip on the cup, determined as she spoke, “It happened on your birthday.”

Fu Chengze looked up at her, understanding she was talking about how she got pregnant.

After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Did you not take any medicine afterward?”

Jiang Yunshu nodded.

Fu Chengze’s usually stern face showed a slight furrow of his brows, a faint trace of regret and helplessness appearing.

After a brief pause, he met Jiang Yunshu’s gaze and said sincerely, “The responsibility is mine. I was being hopeful.”

He paused again, then asked bluntly, “Do you want to keep this child?”

Jiang Yunshu lowered her gaze, no longer looking at Fu Chengze’s eyes.

Even though she had guessed he would ask this question, hearing him say it out loud still made her feel somewhat sad.

“Yes, I want to keep it.” She tried to speak in the calmest tone to hide her sadness.

Fu Chengze’s eyes flashed with surprise, and he asked, “Is it your wish to keep the child, or did my mother pressure you?”

Jiang Yunshu was a little surprised by his question.

What she didn’t know was that before she woke up, Fu Chengze had found out that Xu Shuping had forced Jiang Yunshu to drink the fertility tonic. He had argued with her in front of the hospital door.

Fu Chengze continued, “Why didn’t you tell me about mother making you drink the fertility tonic?”

“You were too busy with work, and I didn’t want you to be disturbed by these little things.” Jiang Yunshu paused before explaining, “It has nothing to do with your mom. The baby was conceived that night. By the time mom asked me to drink the tonic, I was already pregnant. As for the tonic, I didn’t drink it. After I brought it home, I had Aunt Chen throw it away.”

Fu Chengze took a deep breath. “I understand.”

Jiang Yunshu looked up and met Fu Chengze’s gaze.

“And you?” Her voice held some testing, “Do you want to keep this child?”

Fu Chengze’s expression remained calm as he replied seriously, “I respect your decision.”

Before Jiang Yunshu could process what Fu Chengze’s answer made her feel, she heard a knock on the door.

Fu Chengze stood up to open the door. A young woman in her early twenties stood there, holding a basket of fruit, and introduced herself.

“Hello, Mr. Fu. I’m Gong Yan from the Tea Art Selection Competition. I came to visit Teacher Jiang.”

Fu Chengze mistakenly thought she was a reporter and was about to refuse to let her disturb Jiang Yunshu’s rest. But before he could speak, he heard a voice from behind him, “Let her in.”

Gong Yan placed the basket of fruit on the table. “Teacher Jiang, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. It was just low blood sugar. Thank you for calling 120.”

“You’re too polite,” Gong Yan said. “I should have left after you woke up, but I still had some work to finish at the scene, so I had to leave early. I met Grandma Fu at the hospital entrance, and she told me you were awake. Since I was passing by this hospital on my way home, I thought I’d stop by to visit you.”

Jiang Yunshu smiled. “Thank you.”

Gong Yan didn’t disturb Jiang Yunshu’s rest. After expressing her gratitude for Jiang Yunshu’s cooperation with her work, she left the room.

Fu Chengze closed the door and walked to the bed. Seeing Jiang Yunshu’s slightly tired face, he asked, “Do you want to sleep a little longer?”

Jiang Yunshu looked up at the IV. “Mm.”

Fu Chengze helped her lie down and sat on the stool by the bed, watching her close her eyes.

The clock on the wall ticked steadily, and at that moment, Jiang Yunshu finally realized how she felt, an indescribable sense of sourness.

Under the blanket, Jiang Yunshu slowly moved her left hand to her abdomen, her mind repeating Fu Chengze’s earlier words.

“I respect your decision.”

He had simply accepted the fact that they had a child, but it seemed he didn’t have any joy or anticipation about the child’s arrival.