Chapter 61

Chengshi opened his eyes, unsure whether it was a nightmare, the birdsong outside the window that disturbed his sleep, or both, that had woken him.

It was still early, so a sense of fear welled up in Cheng Shi's heart. He was afraid that if he took a breath or blinked his eyes consciously, he would suddenly remember a sad memory or hear some bad news.

However, only a minute later, Cheng Shi regained his senses. He remembered that he had heard good news yesterday, not bad news—yesterday was the last day of the first week of August, so when he woke up today, the deadline set by Huang Ruoyu had passed peacefully. In other words, his struggle with Huang Ruoyu was over, and he was the final victor!

Cheng Shi propped himself up on his elbows and carefully examined Huang Ruoyu's smooth back as it faced him in the pale morning light. Then, Cheng Shi stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Huang Ruoyu's back, lying close to her. Then he found himself... erect.

Huang Ruoyu didn't wake up, and Cheng Shi remained in that stiff position, letting the impulse slowly subside. Half an hour passed, and Cheng Shi was still awake, while the sky was gradually brightening. So in this boredom and silence, Cheng Shi really wanted to smoke a cigarette immediately to comfort himself.

But Chengshi knew he couldn't smoke right now, since Huang Ruoyu was pregnant. So he could only lie there lost in thought, and then he remembered something strange: for the past week, neither he nor Huang Ruoyu had brought up the pregnancy. Actually, every day when Chengshi got home from work, he was prepared to discuss the pregnancy with Huang Ruoyu at any time, so he would intentionally drink less alcohol to keep his mind clear and his thinking more agile. But lately, every night they either chatted aimlessly or didn't talk about anything at all, each scrolling through their own phones.

Just last night, Huang Ruoyu even set up an ironing board in the living room and started ironing her dresses that had long been shelved, and she ironed them all night long without getting annoyed.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Cheng Shi felt that Huang Ruoyu's body language as she ironed the clothes was conveying this message to him in response to the uneasy look he was giving her.

But yeah, what else is there to say? Haven't we said enough in the past few months? Cheng Shi felt that she had truly run out of ideas and had nothing left to say.

After Huang Ruoyu finished ironing the last dress and folded the ironing board, Cheng Shi went over and touched Huang Ruoyu's arm.

Do you know what day it is today?

What day is it?

“Today is the last day—you figured it out yourself. If you don’t plan to use your unlicensed Miao medicine to do ‘that thing,’ then you won’t have the chance.” Cheng Shi imitated Huang Ruoyu’s Shanghai accent in a strange tone.

"Oh, right." Huang Ruoyu replied without looking up, her hands busy packing up clothes she didn't intend to wear.

Cheng Shi patted Huang Ruoyu on the shoulder, feeling a little embarrassed, but he still asked, "You won't regret it, will you?"

"Probably not, and it's too late to regret it now." After saying that, Huang Ruoyu picked up the ironing board with some difficulty and walked towards the guest bathroom on the first floor.

Cheng Shi watched Huang Ruoyu walk to the guest bathroom door before realizing he should go and help her carry her things. So he quickly caught up with Huang Ruoyu.

"I'll do it."

"Thank you," Huang Ruoyu said politely.

That evening, Chengshi and Huang Ruoyu made love silently, restrained and mature—all professional books say that it is okay to have sex in early pregnancy, as long as you pay attention to the position, intensity, and hygiene, and avoid vigorous movements.

Before they fell asleep, Chengshi's last words to Huang Ruoyu were: "This is not a big deal at all. Everything will be fine. You just have some early pregnancy anxiety caused by hormonal fluctuations."

“Okay,” Huang Ruoyu replied softly. “I also hope things will get better, I really hope so.”

Then Narumi fell asleep. But now, he's awake.

Chengshi got up anyway and tiptoed around the quiet house. Sunlight bathed the entire first floor in a bright glow—it was a beautiful morning. Chengshi picked up his phone and checked the calendar, but the calendar on his phone had lost its magic from before. Chengshi thought he would never again check the calendar on his phone so frequently.

Then, Narumi took a bottle of ice-cold cola from the refrigerator, poured it into a glass with satisfaction, and watched the white, constantly dancing foam. He carefully took a sip. But after that first sip, Narumi's mood plummeted again. He felt that although he had won, he wasn't a true victor. Although he had successfully corrected his life's path, he felt more like a victim oppressed by the world's indifference—this was utterly illogical!

Cheng Shi sat at the dining table for a long time, gradually figuring out what had been bothering him when he woke up, what had made him drink that sugary drink he shouldn't have, and what had been suppressing his ability to appreciate the beautiful blue sky, white clouds, green grass, and flowers outside the window...

Cheng Shi had figured it out: he would have another child, a child he had no idea whether he wanted or not.