As the baby grew larger, Chen Siyu's belly gradually swelled up.
Her colleagues at the company only realized that Chen Siyu hadn't gained weight when they saw it. When the older women asked Chen Siyu, she answered as usual.
After learning that Chen Siyu was pregnant out of wedlock, no one said anything on the surface, but a few gossipy people would still whisper about it in private.
Chen Siyu was already having a hard time while pregnant, and when she heard them talking downstairs, she immediately retorted.
"Whether I'm a good mother or not, let's put that aside for now." Chen Siyu glanced at the two of them. "One of you had your child develop depression from being scolded, and the other got divorced and abandoned both of your children. What right do you have to judge me?"
The two older sisters were touched on a sore spot, and for a moment they could only open their mouths but couldn't make a sound.
Chen Siyu didn't bother waiting for them to come up with words, and turned around and walked forward.
The woman had already walked more than thirty meters away when she angrily said, "That's still better than you, at least my child has a father!"
Chen Siyu rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared to retort, just as Shen Lingfeng, who had come to pick her up from get off work, overheard her.
Shen Lingfeng closed the car door with a smile and replied loudly, "Big sister, don't worry about us. Our family is doing just fine. Don't take your frustrations out on others just because you and your husbands don't get along!"
Shen Lingfeng's voice was much louder than theirs; when he shouted, passersby had to take a second look.
Unable to withstand everyone's gaze, they quickly lowered their heads and walked away.
The annoying person was scolded away, and Shen Lingfeng was about to ask Chen Siyu for a reward when she punched him.
"Why are you making a sound? You're affecting my performance!" Chen Siyu slapped Chen Lingfeng's arm without holding back.
Shen Lingfeng winced as he clutched his arm in pain, but didn't forget to open the car door for Chen Siyu with his other hand. "Ouch, I'm just trying to help you..."
Chen Siyu refused outright, saying, "I can handle this little thing on my own, and I'd feel better if I just cursed back myself."
On the drive home, Chen Siyu ate the egg waffles that Shen Lingfeng had brought her in the passenger seat.
Halfway through her meal, she looked at her stomach and suddenly started to sigh.
Seeing her suddenly look downcast, Shen Lingfeng thought she wasn't feeling well and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell or did the egg waffles not taste good? I bought matcha and red bean ones."
Chen Siyu shook her head and said softly, "Eating like this every day, I don't know how many pounds I've gained."
So it turned out she was worried about her weight. Shen Lingfeng comforted her, saying, "You were vomiting for so long before, and you were all skin and bones. Your appetite has only recently improved, so you can eat without worry."
Chen Siyu glanced at Shen Lingfeng, as if to confirm whether he was telling the truth or not. Seeing how calm and composed he was, Chen Siyu's eyes then returned to the egg waffle.
In the end, she couldn't resist the temptation and ate it all.
Aside from her growing belly, Chen Siyu didn't feel that her life had changed much. She didn't restrict her diet, ate and drank as usual, and even stayed up late whenever she felt energetic.
That evening, she and Cheng Zhi played games together. Cheng Zhi casually asked, "People say that babies at this stage of pregnancy start to move. Have you felt it?"
Not only Cheng Zhi asked, but Shen Lingfeng also asked her this question every day. Chen Siyu was so tired of hearing it that her ears were practically calloused.
Chen Siyu stared at the screen and mechanically replied, "This child is probably lazy; I don't feel it at all."
After the first round, Chen Siyu lost. She grabbed Cheng Zhi and wouldn't let her leave, insisting on playing another round.
Just then, Shen Lingfeng knocked on the door, holding a cup of hot milk, and said, "What time is it? You have to go to work tomorrow. Are you trying to stay up all night again?"
As soon as Chen Siyu heard Shen Lingfeng nagging, she felt annoyed and immediately let go of Cheng Zhi and crawled into bed.
Shen Lingfeng put down the milk and went to pull the person out of the blanket. "Drink it before you sleep. Don't pretend you didn't hear me."
Their interaction was interesting, and Cheng Zhi watched it while holding her tablet.
She joked, "Shen Lingfeng, why are you so concerned? Anyone who didn't know better would think you're the child's father, hahaha."
"..."
Why not?
The sisters were always right. Chen Siyu coughed twice guiltily and crawled out of the blanket. "Okay, okay, I'm sleepy. You all should leave now. I'll go to sleep after I finish drinking."
Cheng Zhi had only said it casually; she yawned and then went back to her room.
But Shen Lingfeng remained standing there, like a supervisor, not leaving until he saw Chen Siyu finish drinking and fall asleep.
Having no other choice, Chen Siyu picked up the milk and drank it all in one gulp. "Alright, alright, now that you've finished drinking, can you leave?"
Just as Shen Lingfeng took the cup and was about to leave, Chen Siyu suddenly clutched her stomach in horror.
Startled, Shen Lingfeng immediately ran over and knelt down beside the bed. "What's wrong?"
Chen Siyu carefully felt the movement in her abdomen. She didn't make a sound, but directly pulled Shen Lingfeng's hand and pressed it against her stomach.
As soon as Shen Lingfeng's hand touched it, he felt the slight rhythm. He was a little excited and immediately put his ear to it.
"My God, it can move!" Shen Lingfeng said in a low voice.
Chen Siyu was also very excited. She quickly turned on her phone and started recording. She has a bad memory, so she would record these moments one by one.
"Little Shanzhu, you can move today! After so many days, you can finally move! You have no idea how worried your godmothers were..."
Chen Siyu spoke while recording, and Shen Lingfeng straightened up upon hearing it, "Little Bamboo?"
Shen Lingfeng looked dazed in the video, which made Chen Siyu want to laugh.
She nodded and said, "This is the nickname I gave him. Doesn't it sound nice?"
Without waiting for Shen Lingfeng's reply, she continued, "By the way, let me introduce you, Xiao Shanzhu, this is your father, Shen Lingfeng. Don't mistake him for someone else in the future!"
Shen Lingfeng: "..."
You're being too polite, as a mother.
Chen Lingfeng knew why he was called "Little Mangosteen." A while ago, he was suffering from morning sickness and couldn't eat anything except fruit. His favorite fruit was mangosteen, and his hands ached from peeling it so much.
With the camera still pointed at him, Shen Lingfeng simply greeted, "Hello Xiaoshanzhu, I'm your dad, you must be very familiar with my voice..."
After that, Shen Lingfeng didn't know what to say. After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "I'll protect you when we get out."
Chen Siyu: "..."
If you knew what they were talking to, you'd think they were recognizing a younger brother. What kind of words were those?!
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