Chapter 58 Really... going to be... forever...

Jiang Shiyuan stared blankly at the staff member, unsure of how to express her feelings, and then asked, "Are you sure?"

The staff member looked at the image on the machine and pointed to a tiny white dot: "It's confirmed. You see a small gestational sac here. Congratulations, sir and madam!"

Jiang Shiyuan's ears were ringing, and she couldn't hear a single word the staff member said afterward.

She instinctively touched her still flat stomach, where she felt nothing unusual, yet a life was already there. A wave of overwhelming panic washed over her, like ice water, instantly engulfing her and making her tremble uncontrollably.

Huo Lan tried his best to suppress the overwhelming joy in his eyes, and helped Jiang Shiyuan sit up from the bed. "How are you feeling now? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Jiang Shiyuan felt a lump in her throat, her eyes instantly reddening, unable to suppress the panic in her heart, and she began to sob.

Huo Lan quickly pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her, "Shi Yuan, I'll always be with you, don't cry, okay?"

Anna, standing to the side, couldn't hide her joy. She thought Jiang Shiyuan was just too excited to cry tears of joy, so she quickly congratulated her and told her some things to be aware of during early pregnancy.

After calming down, Jiang Shiyuan underwent a series of early pregnancy examinations accompanied by Huo Lan, established a pregnancy record, and received the initial ultrasound report.

The tiny bud landed in her uterus, repeatedly telling her that her pregnancy was an unchangeable fact.

Huo Lan wiped away the tear that was about to fall from her cheek and laughed, "Why have you become such a crybaby since you got pregnant? That's not good."

Jiang Shiyuan did not respond to him, but simply sat quietly on the sofa, looking at the image on the ultrasound report in her hand.

She didn't know what to do. It wasn't that she had chosen to get pregnant; she had been pushed forward by Huo Lan.

Everything that happened was planned by him, and he didn't deviate from it at all.

From now on, her life will be under his control.

On the way back to Lingdang Xiaozhu, the weather became a bit gloomy, and the weather forecast said that it would rain again in Wancheng.

Jiang Shiyuan flipped through the calendar and realized that the start of autumn had long passed. Although the temperature was still hot a couple of days ago, the rain could no longer be called summer rain.

The constant temperature system of Lingdang Xiaozhu made it impossible to detect any temperature changes. Jiang Shiyuan had only been lying on the sofa for a short while when she felt tired and didn't want to move.

When do the changes in the body begin?

It seems like it was only in the last two days since they were found.

Before this, she had never felt tired. Every day she was full of energy as she went down into the excavation pit, and she seemed to have inexhaustible strength.

But perhaps it was just because Huo Lan found her that she was unhappy and became depressed.

Huo Lan noticed all the changes in Jiang Shiyuan, and he even regretted getting her pregnant.

He made a point of learning about the characteristics of a pregnant woman, knowing that her body and mind would change after she became pregnant, and that she would experience nausea, loss of appetite, depression, fatigue and drowsiness.

But he did manage to keep her by his side using this method, so at least for the time being, she wouldn't have the energy to think about leaving him anymore.

However, Huo Lan couldn't bear to let her suffer too much, so he hired a team early on to minimize the negative impact of the pregnancy on Jiang Shiyuan.

Huo Lan felt a little more at ease thinking about this. He hugged her in his arms on the sofa, kissed the top of her head, and savored the faint fragrance.

There are two types of ebony agarwood aromas. The one he often uses is colder, while the one he blends for Jiang Shiyuan is sweeter. Although it is a unique aroma made by the Huo family, it is still a chemical product and its use should be stopped in the future.

"If you want to sleep, then go to sleep. If you still have time when you wake up, Cheng Yan will take you shopping. Didn't you agree on that yesterday?"

Huo Lan's voice was incredibly gentle, and Jiang Shiyuan nestled limply in his arms.

The rain outside gradually intensified, and she could clearly hear the sound of rain pattering on the sparse paulownia trees outside the window—an extremely soothing white noise—yet she still couldn't fall asleep.

Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan kept her eyes open, Huo Lan knew she didn't want to sleep, so he turned on the TV and found an archaeology program for her, turning the volume down a bit.

The archaeological event documented in the program happened to be the Liang King's Tomb project, which shocked the entire historical community back then.

The number of unearthed cultural relics was the highest, the preservation of the site was the most complete, and the technology used was the most advanced. These three "mosts" made almost all the core personnel who participated in the Liangwang Tomb project famous in the historical circles.

What would have happened if she hadn't chosen to come to Huo Garden with Huo Lan back then?

Huo Lan switched to another program; he knew what she was thinking.

Without question, he forcefully made her completely belong to him: "The choice you make will only be the best choice. Stay by my side and you'll have everything you need."

Jiang Shiyuan still didn't respond to him, but he wasn't in a hurry. He continued to hold her and feel her warmth.

"It's okay if it rains. I'll let you and Cheng Yan go out, just to help them relax."

"I don't want to go out anymore, I'm tired."

Since finding out she was pregnant, she has lost all desire to go out and have fun.

Jiang Shiyuan's decision was exactly what Huo Lan wanted. He didn't want her to go out in the rain and be out of his sight for a long time.

"Okay, I've asked Aunt Qing to make you fish maw and bird's nest soup and steamed cod. You can eat it when you wake up."

Huo Lan carried Jiang Shiyuan back to the bedroom, and after coaxing her to sleep, he asked Anna to send her some information on caring for pregnant women in early pregnancy.

He brought a whole stack of books back to his study, along with some pregnancy science videos.

He closed the book halfway through, covered his face and wept, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably. It seemed that only when he was away from Jiang Shiyuan could he let his emotions run wild.

They really do have a child; every medical report and every piece of physical data proves it.

That tiny dot on the ultrasound image will one day grow into a life, someone who will call him "Dad" and his beloved "Mom."

Regardless, now that they are connected by blood, they will be bound together forever...

After confirming her pregnancy, Jiang Shiyuan's mood fluctuated. Hormonal changes made her head feel foggy, and after studying for her postgraduate entrance exam for a while, all she wanted to do was sleep.

Huo Lan would accompany her to practice English, correct her grammar mistakes, and also guide her through professional books, checking her memorization of knowledge. However, Anna would often tell her to reduce her reading and coursework, and stay away from electronic devices, so she didn't actually have much time to study.

In reality, the two of them were just working together. Huo Lan didn't want to create any more friction with her, but he also didn't want her to overwork herself with her studies, so he could only rely on Anna to supervise her rest and recuperation.

This continued for a month. Thanks to the constant care from the maternity team, Jiang Shiyuan's morning sickness was not so severe, and her flat belly began to feel full.

Jiang Shiyuan didn't know whether she felt sad or happy, but inside was definitely her child, the life she would carry for ten months and give birth to, a life that would be infused with her and his blood.

It was only at this time that Xu Feixuan learned of Jiang Shiyuan's pregnancy.

Huo Lan was afraid that Xu Feixuan would continue to cause her trouble, so she didn't tell her. She only learned by chance from people at the maternity center that Jiang Shiyuan was already more than two months pregnant.

Anna panicked when she realized that Xu Feixuan didn't know Jiang Shiyuan was pregnant, and she couldn't understand why her employer's mother didn't know that her daughter-in-law was pregnant.

She knew things were definitely not simple, and kept trying to stop Xu Feixuan from entering Lingdang Xiaozhu. However, Xu Feixuan's arrival with her people was too forceful, and they were afraid that the noise in the courtyard would disturb Jiang Shiyuan's peace, so they let her in anyway.

After Jiang Shiyuan settled down at Lingdang Xiaozhu for a while, Huo Lan finally felt a little relieved. Sometimes he would leave Lingdang Xiaozhu to handle matters that he had to deal with in the group, but he would return within two hours at most.

Xu Feixuan arrived at just the right time; Huo Lan was not there. Jiang Shiyuan was in the study, listening to lectures and taking notes with headphones on. Her notes were already densely filled, and she hadn't stopped for several hours.

I didn't hear the study door open, and by the time I realized what was happening, my headphones had already been taken off.

When Jiang Shiyuan looked up and saw Xu Feixuan, she panicked and didn't know what to do. "Pregnant woman wearing headphones and looking at such a small electronic screen, I never did that when I was pregnant with Huo Lan."

Xu Feixuan glanced at the course content on the screen and immediately understood Jiang Shiyuan's plan.

She had heard her father, Xu Sinian, mention that Huo Lan had once contacted a professor at Peking University to help Jiang Shiyuan prepare for her postgraduate entrance exam. She never imagined that after so much time, and with her nearing motherhood, she still hadn't given up on archaeology.

She was furious and accused Jiang Shiyuan of not taking care of her body, saying, "When I was pregnant with Huo Lan, I was careful in every way and never dared to touch these electronic products."

“Using electronic products in moderation will not affect the health of the fetus, and I wore anti-radiation clothing.” Jiang Shiyuan didn’t know when she had gained the confidence to confront Xu Feixuan head-on. She took a breath and continued, “On the contrary, this can be considered a kind of prenatal education, which is beneficial to the child.”

Xu Feixuan was surprised by Jiang Shiyuan's words, as she had never contradicted her before.

"They really think they're so confident that they can maintain their status in the Huo family just by having a child?"

Xu Feixuan realized she had said the wrong thing without knowing how the malicious speculation had been uttered, but she remained silent and did not respond further.

Jiang Shiyuan showed no emotion towards Xu Feixuan's words and said indifferently, "What brings you here, Madam?"

Xu Feixuan sat down opposite the desk, seemingly prepared for a long conversation.

"I heard you've already registered your marriage?"

"Yes."

Xu Feixuan looked at Jiang Shiyuan's lower abdomen. Her clothes were loose, so nothing could be seen at the moment.

"Then what should you call me?" Xu Feixuan continued arrogantly, but she was clearly less confrontational than when she first arrived. "You can't keep calling me Mrs. Huo, can you? After all, you are Mrs. Huo now."

Xu Feixuan had truly given in. Ever since Huo Lan casually mentioned at the engagement banquet that he could get Shen Chuqing to marry Huo Qi, she knew that she could no longer control this person who could call a deer a horse and manipulate events in front of all the powerful and influential families.

But Jiang Shiyuan just couldn't bring herself to say that name, especially since she and Huo Lan hadn't even had a wedding yet.

“Once you become Mrs. Huo, you won’t have the chance to go out and study anymore, so don’t waste your time on it,” Xu Feixuan said bluntly. “You can’t possibly be completely helpless in helping your husband with all the big and small matters in Huo Garden, can you? What will outsiders say about us, the daughters-in-law of the Huo family?”

"You can't expect me, an elder, to manage the salaries of the staff at Huo Garden, the maintenance and upkeep of each courtyard, the flowers, trees, and other affairs in the garden, can you?"

Jiang Shiyuan understood the meaning behind Xu Feixuan's words. She knew that ever since she gave her that heirloom jade, she had gradually accepted the fact that she would become the mistress of the Huo family.

She had thought of this long ago, but when Xu Feixuan actually handed over the Huo family's affairs to her little by little, she felt a tightness in her chest.

She wanted to get out, not stay in this gilded cage, and think about how to make it even more perfect.

"She doesn't need to worry about anything at Huo Garden. She doesn't need to worry about anything at Huo Garden."

Huo Lan walked in from outside, looking somewhat tired. Perhaps it was because the business negotiations today had taken a toll on him, or perhaps it was because he found out that Xu Feixuan had come all the way to bother Jiang Shiyuan after returning home.

"I wish I didn't have to be bound by anything, and could just do what I wanted to do."

He paused, then looked at Xu Feixuan with icy eyes, "Don't come to Lingdang Xiaozhu again. If you're really free, you can go on a trip and come back after Shiyuan gives birth."