Ye Qingqing snorted, "I don't know who said it back then, that they would rather marry a pig or a dog than Li Wuming. And they said it more than once. I remember it all."

"I remember too, back then someone's sweetheart was someone with delicate skin and tender flesh." Tang Yuanyuan joined in the fun, teasing Ye Qingqing together.

Ruan Yingzi looked extremely awkward, fidgeting and stubbornly refusing to admit it. "Who said that? It wasn't me anyway. Li Wuming and I are a match made in heaven, destined to be together."

"Girl, your skin has gotten a few centimeters thicker, hasn't it? Let me see."

Ye Qingqing scoffed and gave Ruan Yingzi's face a slight tug.

"In this day and age, how can you get by without thick skin? This is called the art of thick-skinnedness and ruthlessness, you know? You're so uncultured." Ruan Yingzi spoke shamelessly, and her words sounded quite eloquent. Having spent so much time with Li Wuming, her tone of voice was becoming more and more like his.

"Why don't you set up a stall at the City God Temple tomorrow, put on a pair of sunglasses, and you can easily earn at least a hundred or two hundred yuan a day," Ye Qingqing teased.

Ruan Yingzi rolled her eyes haughtily. The three sisters chatted and laughed for a while, and Ye Qingqing felt much better. Before they knew it, they started talking about Zhu Zi, who was the object of Miss Ruan's secret crush back then.

"Zhu Zi isn't young anymore, is he in a relationship?" Tang Yuanyuan inquired.

Ruan Yingzi's expression was calm and unwavering, indicating that she had truly let go.

Ye Qingqing shrugged. "What do you mean? This guy is probably going to be a bachelor for life, spending all his time with poisonous insects. What woman wouldn't be afraid to be with him?"

"That's true. I definitely couldn't do it. My legs go weak at the sight of those poisonous snakes and insects. A woman who dares to be with Zhu Zi must be very brave, otherwise she'll either be scared to death or poisoned to death." Tang Yuanyuan is most afraid of mollusks, especially poisonous snakes and centipedes.

Ruan Yingzi sighed, "Perhaps it's just not the right time yet. Outsiders can't understand matters of the heart. I feel that Zhu Zi won't be single forever; there will always be a woman who is right for him."

Although she had feelings for him back then, it was impossible for Ruan Yingzi not to feel resentment. She wasn't that magnanimous. But now she was very happy and had let go of her feelings. Zhu Zi hadn't wronged her or deceived her feelings. It had all been her own unrequited love.

After all, this was the first boy she had ever liked, and Ruan Yingzi still hoped that Zhu Zi could find happiness and have a woman who understood him to accompany him for life.

Ye Qingqing shrugged. "Maybe. Perhaps the future Mrs. Zhu will still be wearing open-crotch pants!"

Haha, that's possible!

The three of them burst into laughter.

Two weeks past her due date, Ye Qingqing still hadn't given birth, but the doctor's examination showed everything was normal; the baby seemed quite comfortable in her womb, so comfortable that the doctor had a feeling—

"Could it be that they're reluctant to come out?"

The doctor joked that she really felt the little guy on the ultrasound looked incredibly comfortable, even crossing his legs. She thought he would suffer once he was born, and that it was definitely more comfortable inside his mother's belly.

"He can't stay inside forever, can he?" Ye Qingqing frowned, gritting her teeth. She was determined to give this little brat a good spanking when he came out. He was having a good time inside, but she was getting anxious.

"Don't worry, he'll come out when the time comes. This child is smart; he'll be fine," the doctor reassured him.

Ye Qingqing continued to wait anxiously. Ye Mingcheng would come every day. Wuchen and Tiantian were too busy with school, but they would come over on weekends.

Twenty days have passed since her due date, and Ye Qingqing is still as steady as a mountain, showing no signs of labor. She has given up and doesn't care what happens; if she's so capable, she might as well never come out of the house.

That weekend, Wuchen and Tiantian came to visit, bringing with them an unexpected guest—the elusive Zhu Zi, whom they had just talked about. Zhu Zi should be in seclusion on the mountain at this time, so his sudden appearance surprised Ye Qingqing.