Chapter 24: The relationship between Chen Shutong and Fu Jingchuan...
The relationship between Chen Shutong and Fu Jingchuan gradually improved, and the deliberate alienation gradually faded away, replaced by pragmatic business cooperation and occasional physical exchanges that happened naturally in the dead of night.
Both of them were quite busy with work, their schedules packed. The Shen Group's new strategic plan had entered a critical implementation phase, and Shen Shutong frequently traveled back and forth between several core cities, chairing meetings and finalizing partnerships, often returning to his villa late at night, suitcase in hand. Meanwhile, Fu Jingchuan's capital operations had reached a fever pitch, with the lights in Jingjing Capital's conference room often staying on until the wee hours of the morning.
Their communication mode has become efficient and concise, mostly through WeChat messages.
F: [I have a social event tonight, so I'll be home late.]
ST: [I'm flying to City B at 9:00 tomorrow morning. No need to send me off.]
Or a note left on the refrigerator: [Auntie made some soup in the refrigerator, heat it up yourself.]
And the words that passed by me hurriedly in the morning: "Don't be late for the merger and acquisition video conference this afternoon."
The villa was large, and the two of them operated independently, only intersecting at specific times. But the atmosphere was indeed different, with more traces of daily life. Chen Shutong would occasionally spot financial magazines left by Fu Jingchuan on the coffee table in the living room, and Fu Jingchuan also noticed that the bathroom was gradually filled with several skincare products that didn't belong to him.
One morning, Fu Jingchuan woke up. The room was quiet, with only the sound of Shen Shutong's even breathing beside him. She seemed to be sleeping soundly, her face sunken into the pillow, her long hair loose.
He suddenly wanted to make breakfast: recently he was either on a business trip or she came home late, and the two of them hadn't sat at the same table and had a good meal for a long time.
He gently got out of bed, threw on a soft silk robe, and went downstairs silently.
He opened the refrigerator and saw some fresh shrimp dumplings that Auntie had prepared in the freezer. After some thought, he decided to steam the dumplings and make some millet porridge to nourish his stomach.
He turned on the faucet and washed the millet in the basin with his hands.
A familiar feeling of nausea rushed straight into my throat without warning!
He suddenly turned off the faucet, bent over, and began to retch violently into the drain. His stomach cramped and his throat tightened, but he couldn't vomit anything, only acid kept rising.
This feeling... is so familiar.
It had been a while since he'd lost that child. With meticulous care, his body had largely recovered. During his last checkup, the doctor had confirmed that the uterine environment had returned to normal, and as long as he continued to take care, conceiving again would be a no-brainer. He hadn't taken any action in the past few months.
Could it be that this time...
"What's wrong with you?" Shen Shutong's voice came from the kitchen door.
Fu Jingchuan suppressed the discomfort in his throat, turned on the faucet, and used the sound of rushing water to cover it up: "It's okay, maybe I caught a cold and my stomach is not feeling well." He was a little afraid that it was a false alarm, so he wanted to find some time to go to the hospital for a check-up.
Shen Shutong was not easily fooled.
"Caught a cold?" She asked doubtfully, taking a few steps closer. "How could a cold cause you to vomit like this?" She remembered his previous reaction in the early stages of her pregnancy...
Fu Jingchuan avoided her inquiring gaze and tried to change the subject: "Maybe it's just that I didn't eat breakfast and my blood sugar is a little low. I'll make some porridge..."
Shen Shutong had already walked over to him. "Are you too tired lately? Auntie also said last week that you didn't eat much for dinner. And you fell asleep several times while looking at documents in the study."
Fu Jingchuan paused, he didn't expect that she had noticed it.
"Did the doctor really say everything is fine during the last checkup?" Shen Shutong asked.
"The reexamination results are very good, all indicators are normal." Fu Jingchuan replied.
"Forget about breakfast," she decided decisively. "I'll call Aunt Wang and ask her to come over right now."
"Really, there's no need to bother..." Fu Jingchuan wanted to refuse. He didn't want to make a fuss, and he was even more afraid that if it wasn't true, it would only add to the embarrassment.
"Fu Jingchuan." Shen Shutong interrupted him, "Go to the hospital. Now."
"...Okay." He didn't insist anymore and nodded obediently.
I went to the same private hospital, offering exceptional privacy. The familiar path, the familiar smell of disinfectant. I registered, waited, and had my blood drawn. The process was almost identical to last time.
In the VIP lounge, Fu Jingchuan sat on the sofa, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against each other. Shen Shutong sat on another single sofa, took out his mobile phone and seemed to be processing emails, but the screen did not slide for a long time.
When the door of the lounge was pushed open and a doctor in a white coat walked in with a test report, the two raised their heads almost at the same time.
"Mr. Fu, Ms. Chen." The doctor handed the test report directly to Fu Jingchuan, "Congratulations, the test results confirm that it is an early pregnancy. According to the HCG value and the size of the gestational sac, the ultrasound shows that the gestational age is about five weeks. The fetal heartbeat is very good and very strong."
He lowered his eyes to look at the data above, and his eyes felt hot with joy.
"Five weeks?" he confirmed in a low voice.
"Yes, the developmental indicators are very good." The doctor nodded with a smile. "Ms. Fu has a good physical foundation and has been well-treated since her last miscarriage. This time, the implantation is very stable and the fetal heart rate is very strong."
Chen Shutong, who was standing next to him, stood up and walked over to the doctor. "Doctor, what should I pay attention to next? His morning sickness seems to be more obvious than last time, and he's vomiting a lot. Is there any way to relieve it? Are there any special dietary restrictions? Also, regarding work intensity, does he need to reduce his workload immediately? He's had a lot of meetings recently and often has to take long-distance flights..."
She asked one question after another, ranging from physical discomfort to daily life to all aspects of work.
Fu Jingchuan looked up at her, somewhat startled. Shen Shutong listened intently to the doctor's explanation, occasionally frowning in thought before pressing for details. This serious look only made the soreness in his heart more pronounced.
The doctor patiently answered each question one by one: "Early pregnancy reactions vary greatly from person to person. Eat small meals frequently and avoid fasting. You can try soda crackers or ginger tea to relieve nausea. The diet should be light, easily digestible, and nutritionally balanced. Avoid raw, cold, spicy, and irritating foods for the time being. Caffeine intake needs to be strictly controlled. As for work..."
The doctor looked at Fu Jingchuan and said, "Mr. Fu, although you have a good physical foundation, you have a history of adverse pregnancies. You still need to be extra careful during this early period. It is recommended that you avoid excessive fatigue and long-distance travel during the first three months. It is very important to maintain a stable mood. Severe mood swings and physical fatigue are both early risk factors. Video conferencing is fine, but it is best to reduce unnecessary business trips and social events."
Shen Shutong immediately responded: "Okay, I understand. I will coordinate and adjust his recent schedule."
The doctor gave some further instructions on folic acid supplementation, regular prenatal checkups, etc., and then left the lounge.
Shen Shutong turned around, looked at Fu Jingchuan's face, and frowned: "Are you okay? Do you want to sit for a while?"
Fu Jingchuan shook his head and stood up with the help of the sofa armrest: "It's okay, it's not that fragile. You can go."
On the way to the parking lot, Shen Shutong kept looking at his mobile phone, tapping the screen quickly with his fingers, as if he was arranging something.
Only after getting into the car and fastening his seatbelt did Shen Shutong turn his head to look at him: "I have asked my assistant to make preliminary adjustments to your schedule this week. The business trip to Singapore the day after tomorrow will be postponed. I will have Vice President Chen attend the multinational video summit tomorrow afternoon in your place. As for the dinner with Yinrui Capital tonight, it depends on the situation. If you are not feeling well, you can cancel it."
Fu Jingchuan was stunned. He didn't expect her to move so quickly. "The meeting in Singapore is very important. It involves..."
"No matter how important it is, it's not as important as this matter now." Shen Shutong interrupted him, "You heard what the doctor said just now. For the first three months, stability is the priority. I will personally call the partner to explain the situation. They will understand."
As she spoke, she had already started the car and drove smoothly out of the hospital parking lot.
"Thank you." Fu Jingchuan suddenly said in a low voice.
After a few seconds, Shen Shutong replied: "You're welcome. This is also my responsibility."
When they returned to the villa, Aunt Wang had already received the news and rushed over. She was busy preparing a light lunch in the kitchen. When she saw them, she greeted them with concern.
Chen Shutong instructed Aunt Wang: "Aunt Wang, you must pay special attention to his diet for the next period of time and strictly follow the doctor's instructions. Try to eat light food and avoid greasy food. Also, make sure he takes the nutritional supplements prescribed by the doctor on time."
"Oh, okay, okay, Miss Shen, don't worry, I will pay attention." Aunt Wang responded repeatedly.
Fu Jingchuan watched Shen Shutong arrange all this in an orderly manner, and the sense of unreality in his heart became stronger and stronger. He almost thought it was another illusion.
In the afternoon, Fu Jingchuan did not go to the company as he said, but was in the study to deal with some urgent documents that he had to review. Shen Shutong did not go out either, and held a video conference on his laptop in the living room.
In the middle of the meeting, Fu Jingchuan felt a little tired and his stomach began to feel sour again, so he put down the documents, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
After a while, the study door was gently pushed open. Shen Shutong came in with a cup of warm water and a small plate of soda crackers and placed them next to him.
"Eat something if you feel uncomfortable, don't force yourself."
"Shutong." Fu Jingchuan called her.
She stopped and looked back at him.
Fu Jingchuan looked at her, with many questions he wanted to ask and confirm, but in the end he just said softly: "...I'd better go to the dinner party tonight. It's just a meal, not drinking, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Shen Shutong frowned, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "Okay. But I'll go with you. Come back early after the end."
Fu Jingchuan nodded: "Okay."
The atmosphere at the dinner was quite harmonious. Shen Shutong's presence was a surprise to the other party, but she quickly adjusted to the situation. She handled most of the pleasantries with ease, deftly deflecting the wine offered to Fu Jingchuan, preventing him from touching any alcohol. Fu Jingchuan was relaxed, only occasionally adding a few key technical details.
The dinner party ended before nine o'clock. On the way back in the car, Fu Jingchuan did feel a little tired, and he leaned against the car window and closed his eyes to rest.
Shen Shutong glanced at him and said to the driver, "Drive steadily."
The car drove into the villa garage. Fu Jingchuan woke up from his light sleep and felt a little better. The two of them went into the house one after the other.
When going upstairs, Shen Shutong walked in front. When she was about to reach the bedroom door, she paused and looked at Fu Jingchuan who was following behind.
"I'll ask Auntie to make some porridge tomorrow morning. You should get some sleep and don't rush to the company. I'll have my assistant bring the important documents."
He nodded, his voice a little softer than usual: "Okay. I'll listen to you."
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The author has something to say: Our Shutong baby dotes on her husband like this [kiss]
(From October 1st onwards, updates will be updated daily [heart])
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