Chapter 49 Fearing Someone Was Playing Tricks Behind the Scenes
After Bai Zhenzhen returned to China, she rested at home for a few days. Since learning that she was pregnant, Shen Huai'an had become extra careful, staying by her side every time she went out for a walk, and even worrying that she would slip and fall when she took a bath.
This state of tension lasted for about a week, until it gradually subsided after he accompanied Bai Zhenzhen to the hospital for a second medical check-up.
"Now you can rest assured," Bai Zhenzhen said, handing him the test results. "The doctor said both the baby and I are healthy. Now you can finally get a good night's sleep, right?"
Bai Zhenzhen recalled that since she returned, several nights when she got up to use the restroom, Shen Huai'an would open her eyes and sit up as soon as she moved, she didn't know if it was because she was a light sleeper or because she hadn't slept at all.
Moreover, he didn't dare to hold her while sleeping at night, saying he was afraid of accidentally pressing on her stomach in the middle of the night. If the bed in the bedroom wasn't big enough, he would have insisted on sleeping on the floor.
Shen Huai'an's mind was still filled with the doctor's explanation of precautions for taking care of his pregnant wife. He only came back to his senses when he heard this and said, "I'm relieved. But the doctor said you're a little underweight. When we get back, I'll have Aunt Wang make you some nourishing soup to help you recover."
"I need to take supplements. I feel like I've gained weight around my waist."
Bai Zhenzhen frowned and placed her hand on her waist, giving it a gentle squeeze, when Shen Huai'an grabbed her hand.
If I keep patching up my clothes, I feel like I won't be able to fit into any of my old ones anymore.
He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over her still slender waist, and smiled reassuringly, "No, it looks just right to me. If you can't fit into the clothes, we'll just buy new ones."
It just so happens that it's the weekend, so he has time to go shopping with her. Besides buying new clothes for Bai Zhenzhen, he can also take the opportunity to look at baby clothes in advance.
She was still quite far along in her pregnancy, and Bai Zhenzhen hadn't thought about these things yet, but hearing him mention it piqued her interest.
Uncle Liu drove the two to a nearby shopping mall. As they were going up the escalator, Bai Zhenzhen hooked her arm around his and swayed it, asking, "Shen Huai'an, do you prefer a boy or a girl?"
"Whether it's a boy or a girl, they are our children, and I love them both," Shen Huai'an replied, helping her down the escalator.
With him by her side, Bai Zhenzhen didn't even need to look up to see where she was going. She wasn't quite satisfied with the answer, "So, do you hope I'm having a boy or a girl?"
Bai Zhenzhen was pampered by Bai Chuxiong like a precious jewel since she was a child. In her mind, there was no distinction between boys and girls. But in that dream, she saw that just because Li Zhiqiang was a man, her grandmother, who used to love her, felt that she was not worthy of inheriting the family business and should hand it over to her cousin Li Zhiqiang, because women would get married sooner or later and only men could inherit the family property.
And then there's her best friend, Ren Lina. Even though she and her older sister are much more outstanding than their younger brother, their parents still dote on their youngest son. Even though he's a spendthrift who indulges in all sorts of vices, they still want to hand over their family's company and factory to him.
She herself did not approve of this patriarchal ideology, and even felt extremely disgusted and repulsed by it, but she had not yet discussed this issue with Shen Huai'an, so she did not know what he was really thinking.
When Bai Zhenzhen asked the question, she had already thought it through. If Shen Huai'an's answer did not satisfy her, then no matter whether she was carrying a boy or a girl, she would change the child's surname to Bai, divorce him, and get rid of this man with problematic thinking.
"I just hope this child can grow up healthy, be obedient and well-behaved, and not cause too much trouble for his mother, so that you won't suffer too much." Shen Huai'an truly thought this way, unaware that he had just escaped a disaster without knowing it.
There were many women's clothing stores on the second floor of the mall. The two of them first browsed the clothing brands that Bai Zhenzhen liked. Considering that her belly might get bigger later, they first chose some loose and comfortable clothes suitable for pregnant women, as well as some new autumn clothes that Bai Zhenzhen liked.
When they had finished shopping, the two walked side by side into a baby supplies store next door. The two new parents found everything new and interesting.
The saleswoman in the store noticed their demeanor and guessed they might not know much about the product, so she came over and enthusiastically explained it to them.
Starting with various brands of imported and domestic milk powder, and then all sorts of baby supplies, such as bottles, cups, baby rockers, and so on, they finally arrived at the infant and toddler clothing section, where all kinds of cute little clothes dazzled them.
Bai Zhenzhen was not short of money, and Shen Huai'an was quite indulgent towards her, which resulted in Shen Huai'an almost being unable to carry the bags with both hands when the two left the store.
Bai Zhenzhen bought more than a dozen pieces of baby clothes of various styles, and she still felt that she hadn't had enough. "Why don't you give these to Uncle Liu first, and we can continue shopping?"
“Zhenzhen, the baby is still young, there are still a few months left, we can buy these things slowly.” After leaving the store, Shen Huai’an’s emotions, which had been influenced by her, subsided and his rationality returned. He quickly persuaded her, “Besides, it’s almost noon, are you hungry? Let’s go eat first.”
After shopping for so long, Bai Zhenzhen was indeed a little hungry. She wanted to eat at an authentic Cantonese restaurant for lunch today. The owner said that the dishes were sold out every day, and if she went too late, some dishes might be sold out. So she listened to his suggestion and decided to come back and shop properly next time.
The two were about to go down the escalator when they didn't notice that someone was watching them leave from the railing on the floor above.
Zhang Chenglin's family used to run a daily chemical products business. Although the business is not as prosperous as it used to be, the Zhang family still has specialty stores or cooperative counters in many shopping malls in Shenzhen. Today, he came here to inspect and discuss the project. Unexpectedly, he saw Bai Zhenzhen and her husband shopping in a baby and toddler products store.
He stood upstairs watching the two leave hand in hand, his face cold and his eyes unfathomable.
The Zhang family had two sons in this generation. The eldest was born to Zhang's father and his first wife. Zhang Chenglin's mother took advantage of the first wife's illness to become pregnant with Zhang Chenglin and successfully took the child to become Mrs. Zhang.
But perhaps because he had done something wrong, Mr. Zhang, who is now over fifty and his body is gradually aging, has developed a sense of guilt towards his eldest son. For the past two years, he has been keeping him by his side to train him, as if he intends to cultivate him into an heir.
Zhang Chenglin's mother couldn't sit still and hurriedly called him back from abroad. His first wife came from a humble background and didn't know how to please others, so the child she gave birth to was also dull. Therefore, the old lady of the Zhang family preferred Zhang Chenglin, her grandson who was smart, clever, considerate and sensible from a young age, and supported him more.
However, Zhang Chenglin's mother and grandmother did not own any shares in the Zhang family company. They could only support him emotionally and could not provide much help. Therefore, during this trip back to China, Zhang Chenglin had already set his sights on Bai Zhenzhen and the Bai family behind her.
He originally thought that she and her husband had a bad relationship and would get divorced soon. He would then be willing to marry her without holding a grudge and would get the support of the Bai family. But now things have turned out completely differently from what he imagined.
Bai Zhenzhen has actually fallen in love with her cheap husband. According to the information he has gathered, she is not only willing to actively cultivate feelings for that man, but it now seems that she may already be pregnant.
This completely thwarted Zhang Chenglin's plans, but he soon remembered something else. He had heard the news that Bai Chuxiong had suddenly withdrawn from the company and was no longer involved in its management while he was abroad. The unexpected discovery at the hospital last time gave him a bold guess.
Bai Chuxiong may indeed be seriously ill, as the outside world speculates. If that's the case, then whether he marries Bai Zhenzhen or not is no longer important.
The mall manager took a few more steps forward before noticing that he was still standing there looking downstairs, and turned back to look at him in confusion.
Zhang Chenglin smiled again. "Sorry, I just remembered I have something important to take care of. Let's end today's environmental inspection here. I'll arrange for someone to come and meet with you later."
Zhang Chenglin was not about to accept being dismissed by a nearly bankrupt daily chemical factory; he would never relinquish his position as heir.
A week later, Bai Zhenzhen spoke with her father and learned that he was recovering well after the surgery, without any complications or sequelae, and would be able to return to China soon.
While Bai Zhenzhen was happy, she also looked forward to her father returning to China soon for a family reunion.
But a phone call from Secretary Wang that day immediately ruined Bai Zhenzhen's good mood.
The company's projects have run into trouble one after another. Because of the incident caused by Li Zhiqiang, all the buildings in the Jinxiu Garden that had already been built were deemed unqualified. They were just demolished and rebuilt to give the public an explanation, but the government issued a document requiring them to stop construction and rectify the situation. The start date is still unknown.
Secretary Wang called again to tell her that two more new projects of the company had run into problems. Either the projects were intercepted or the materials were reported. In short, someone was targeting Zhenrong Real Estate Company and causing trouble. The enemy was in the dark while we were in the light. The company currently has no leader, and people are more likely to make mistakes in a state of panic.
Bai Chuxiong is currently abroad, and his help is not enough to solve the immediate problem. Secretary Wang had no choice but to make this call to Bai Zhenzhen, hoping that she could come to the company to take charge, even if she didn't do anything, it would still help to reassure people.
Bai Zhenzhen didn't want her father's life's work to be ruined, so she readily agreed.
Unexpectedly, when Shen Huai'an returned that evening and told him about it, Shen Huai'an was somewhat disapproving. However, he did not stop him in the end, only saying, "Have Secretary Wang contact someone to hire some bodyguards to accompany you, otherwise I will not feel at ease."
"You know about these things?" Bai Zhenzhen's attention was drawn by his words, and her irritability subsided considerably. "What could it be? From what Secretary Wang said, it's just that I need to sit in the conference room."
Bai Zhenzhen knew her own limitations; in this situation, she lacked the ability to solve problems, so she should just follow instructions.
"The current situation at the company is very likely due to someone sabotaging us. I'm worried about leaving you alone if someone goes to the company to cause trouble again." Shen Huai'an has handled many cases and can analyze multiple possibilities in just a few words. It wouldn't hurt to make some preparations in case of unexpected events.
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Author's Note: [Cat's paw] is here~
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