Chapter 15

Taking advantage of Gloria's potential surprise visit, Iris took the opportunity to drag Zhuang Zhuohua shopping. Girls' dating, Zhuang Zhuoyuan, was naturally left alone again. Seeing him appearing alone at PC Bar for two consecutive days, everyone couldn't help but joke that perhaps his honeymoon period with Iris was over.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan simply smiled and remained silent. When Pauline brought over a bag of items, he immediately retaliated, deliberately feeding a large bowl of dog food to his group of mischievous friends. Everyone assumed he came to Zhan Sir's bar to eat and take things, but it turned out that this time it wasn't that Pauline had something for him, but rather that he had specifically asked her to pick out some high-quality fish maw and red dates for him. The moment these women's treats were revealed, it was obvious who they were meant for. Zhuang Zhuoyuan didn't even need to say a word; the entire Team A was already dazzled.

Before Guangzai and Axing, the two most mischievous guys, could even put on their sunglasses, Zhuang Zhuoyuan, who was influenced by his surroundings, had already learned Iris's trick and added insult to injury at the right time: "Do you want me to call my BB and give you a live report?"

These words were fine for the guys with families and girlfriends, but for the other group of single guys who were usually the most teased, it was a devastating blow. They already knew all about Zhuang Zhuoyuan and his girlfriend's clingy relationship; their long phone conversations during training breaks at the base were already making everyone's teeth ache with jealousy. If they were to be attacked with sweetness during happy hour, they would truly "die with regrets."

Zhuang Sir was overjoyed at his victory. Only Su Wenqiang, a loyal fan of Iris, noticed that Iris was grinning from ear to ear and, remembering his duty as a reader, tapped the other man's wine bottle, reminding the stay-at-home husband Zhuang Zhuoyuan not to let his love life interfere with Iris's writing schedule.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan's eyes darted around, and he was in a very good mood. He readily revealed the latest progress of his baby: "She's been writing the manuscript every week. But as you know, Iris has to go to school during the day and sometimes goes out with Dr. Pun to do fieldwork on weekends, which is very tiring. So, I usually don't let her stay up too late at night for her health. I think you support me doing this, right?"

Could Su Wenqiang say no? She glanced at Zhuang Zhuoyuan speechlessly, gave up on speaking, and continued drinking her wine. She had realized that to truly find out about Iris's writing, she had to start with the great writer herself. At least Iris was quite nice to girls, answering their questions and usually giving them satisfactory answers.

Among Iris's close female friends is Ding Huihui. Since their initial encounter at PC Bar, Iris has only bumped into her four more times. Firstly, both of them are busy; the schedules of a flight attendant and a university freshman never align, so they naturally see each other less often. Secondly, both of them are in relationships, and a date with four people is never as good as a date between two people, so they tacitly chose to enjoy their own love lives.

That day, after Zhuang Zhuohua rushed back to O-Di (O-District Office) after receiving a call, only Ding Huihui, whom Iris had bumped into during their shopping trip, remained with her in the mall. The two shared similar interests and didn't care what store they were in; they browsed through everything that caught their eye. Two hours later, after deducting the items delivered, they still had a large pile of bags in their hands. Iris looked at Ding Huihui, then at her reflection in the shop window, and smiled helplessly: "I thought it could be a perfectly normal girls' date, but it turns out I still have to call Ah Yuan and Tao Ge to pick us up."

Ding Huihui was completely delighted. She nudged Iris with her arm again, and remembering how Iris's gaze had lingered on the baby store earlier, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Iris, do you and Ayuan have plans to have a baby?"

Iris was open and straightforward: "I have thought about it, but we haven't discussed it yet. It's unlikely we'll have a baby this year because we've already missed the best time to prepare for pregnancy during the summer."

Ding Huihui stared wide-eyed, thinking for a moment before finally figuring things out. She blinked, linked arms with Iris, and walked towards the mall's tea house, listening as Iris explained, "I've just started studying folklore. If I don't consider a combined bachelor's and master's program, it will take at least three years to complete my studies. And a man's prime reproductive years are before 35. A-Yuan is already quite old, and we certainly won't only have one child. So, most likely, we'll try to conceive in the final year, or immediately after graduation, so that we won't be too late."

"Wouldn't that be very tiring?" Ding Huihui sighed upon hearing this, then felt that Iris was quite courageous: "To be honest, you're younger than me. Aren't you afraid of getting married and having children so early?"

"Scared?" Iris thought for a moment, unsure at which point Ding Huihui hesitated, but since the latter showed no intention of adding anything, she didn't press the matter. She simply said, "At first, I was a little worried. After all, starting a new family would mean many, many things would change. But after living with A-Yuan, those anxieties gradually disappeared. With him around, I feel like I can overcome any difficulty. He will give me everything I want."

Looking at Iris's blissful expression, hands supporting her chin, Ding Huihui felt both envious and confused. She had to admit that Zhan Hantao was a rare good man and would definitely be a good husband in the future. But for her, Ding Huihui always felt that something was missing between them. If Zhan Hantao were to propose to her now, she really didn't know whether she should say yes or no.

Pauline wasn't entirely satisfied with her daughter-in-law, Ding Huihui. She always said the young woman was a bit of a goofball, but since her son liked her, she didn't mind too much. Now, she was hoping the two of them would get married soon so she could have a grandchild. Zhuang Zhuoyuan, recalling his old friend's earlier urging to get married at PC Bar, couldn't help but feel happy. He pulled Iris into his arms from behind, buried his face in her neck, and swayed gently, whispering, "Baby, I feel so happy right now."

Iris was used to Zhuang Zhuoyuan's occasional sighs, but every time she heard him say that, her mood would instantly improve tenfold. No longer paying attention to the newly bought flowers, nor adjusting the photos of the three of them, Iris focused all her attention on Zhuang Zhuoyuan. She turned her head and kissed his cheek, asking with a smile, "Is this enough?"

Zhuang Zhuoyuan reached out to capture her lips, his voice muffled: "As long as you're here, that's enough."

"So sweet." Iris tried to pull away after the kiss, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan held her tightly, preventing her from escaping. She then reached for her phone, quickly tapped a couple of times, and showed him a picture of a baby: "Daddy's company's latest technology uses photos of the parents to predict and synthesize the baby's appearance. I uploaded photos of both of us to test it out..."

"Whoosh!" Before Iris could finish speaking, Zhuang Zhuoyuan picked her up and cheered, his expression as joyful as if he had already become a father. His words and actions were indeed excited; he quickly moved in front of Iris and asked her expectantly, "Baby, would you like to have a baby with me?"

Iris deliberately looked away, adopting a haughty tone: "Not now."

Zhuang Zhuoyuan nodded vigorously: "Of course, you have to go to school." But then he added: "Two years? Three years? BB, I remember you skipped a grade before, right?"

Iris was truly exasperated with him. She pinched Zhuang Zhuoyuan's face and asked, "You're that eager to be a father?"

"I'm so excited, so excited." He pressed his forehead against hers, their noses rubbing together. Iris couldn't help but smile, her words revealing sweetness: "So how many do you want to have?" It was fortunate that Ding Huihui had started the conversation before, so she wasn't ashamed to say it now.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan had no reservations: "Two? Three? Or maybe a whole football team?"

Iris punched him on the shoulder: "You wish!"

Their fingers roamed freely, the atmosphere was pleasant, and their enthusiasm was exceptionally high. After a long while, Iris finally remembered the reminder she needed to give Zhuang Zhuoyuan. She shook his arm, and when he looked at her seriously, she slowly spoke: "In the near future, Huihui and Zhan Sir's relationship may be undergoing a major turning point. I don't know if it's for better or worse, but I don't want you to get too involved. I won't object if you want to help Zhan Sir, but Zhuoyuan, you have to remember that this is ultimately a matter between the two of them. We outsiders really shouldn't interfere too much, otherwise it might backfire in the end."

Zhuang Zhuoyuan frowned: "Atao is still thinking of finding a suitable opportunity to propose to Huihui. According to what you're saying, BB, is Huihui hesitant?"

Iris shrugged: "I'm not sure, but I feel like Huihui isn't quite sure whether she wants to continue with Zhan Sir. She seems to be wondering if Zhan Sir is really right for her."

“Her personality…” Zhuang Zhuoyuan sighed, his head throbbing with pain. Iris, overhearing his lament, seized the opportunity, propping herself up and demanding, “You seem to know Huihui quite well?”

Zhuang Zhuoyuan hurriedly protested his innocence, saying that whether in Amsterdam or back in Hong Kong, his heart was mostly with Iris.

Zhuang Tai was clearly dissatisfied with this answer: "Most of your heart? So you still gave some of your heart to her? Zhuang Zhuoyuan, if we hadn't met that time, would you have fallen in love with Huihui?"

“There are no ifs,” Zhuang Zhuoyuan said quickly, his survival instincts kicking in. He grasped Iris’s fingers and pulled her close. “You came into my life, and that’s it ever been. Only you. There are no ifs.”

Iris was finally satisfied and pleased. She thought that Zhuang Zhuoyuan's increasingly sweet words must also be thanks to her.