Chapter 35: Uneasy Fu Jingchuan's due date is getting closer...
As Fu Jingchuan's due date drew closer, carrying the child became increasingly difficult. His belly had visibly dropped, forcing him to carefully support his abdomen as he walked, his steps slower and heavier than before. His false labor contractions became more frequent, with his belly often tightening and hardening without warning, causing a brief moment of discomfort. While the pain would subside quickly, it was still excruciating.
Sleep has become a luxury. Lying on my back makes it hard to breathe, and lying on my side makes me afraid of pressing down on my child. No matter how I lie down, it's uncomfortable. My legs and feet are so swollen that the slippers that used to fit me now feel tight. My child is constantly pressing against my stomach, and my appetite has decreased significantly. I often feel full after just a few bites.
That morning, upon waking, Fu Jingchuan felt a sense of heaviness. His nearly full-term belly pressed heavily against his pelvis, making even turning over difficult. He propped himself up on the mattress with his elbows and slowly shifted, trying to find a new position. But the slightest movement brought a familiar tightening sensation to his lower abdomen—a false labor contraction.
He adjusted his breathing, waiting for the tension to subside before slowly exhaling. A layer of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.
Shen Shutong, who was beside him, woke up immediately after hearing the subtle movement. His voice was still a little sleepy, and his hand was already skillfully placed on his tense abdomen: "Another contraction?"
"Well," Fu Jingchuan said in a hoarse voice, "it's okay, just take it easy."
Chen Shutong lifted the quilt, her eyes fell on his bulging belly, and her brows furrowed: "It seems to have fallen a little bit." She reached out and gently supported the bottom of his abdomen. The heavy arc was lower than the previous few days, and the feeling of oppression was obvious.
Fu Jingchuan also looked down at his stomach and rubbed his sore side waist with his hand: "It feels heavier, it feels heavier, and I have to hold it up a little when I walk."
Breakfast was porridge and side dishes. Fu Jingchuan had no appetite because of the child. He felt choked up and nauseous after eating a little. He drank half a bowl of porridge, shook his head, and pushed the bowl away.
"Two more bites?" Shen Shutong looked at him worriedly.
Fu Jingchuan still shook his head: "I really can't eat anymore." He gently rubbed his upper abdomen, trying to relieve the lingering feeling of bloating.
Shen Shutong didn't force him anymore. He stood up and poured him a glass of warm water, and then took out the nutritional supplements prescribed by the doctor. Fu Jingchuan ate it obediently, but his brows were slightly twisted because of the nausea in his stomach.
After dinner, Shen Shutong, as usual, helped him take a slow walk around the house. It was a short distance from the living room to the balcony, but Fu Jingchuan walked for several minutes, stopping twice to wait out the false contractions. Shen Shutong stayed with him the entire time, his arm firmly supporting his elbow, silently sharing his weight.
"It feels like the contractions are more frequent today?" Shen Shutong asked, with some worry in his tone.
Fu Jingchuan nodded: "Yeah, a little." He stopped, leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, and supported his heavy abdomen with his hands. "It's okay, the doctor said it's like this in the late stages of pregnancy."
After walking for a while, Fu Jingchuan's forehead was sweating again, and his waist was aching. Shen Shutong helped him sit on the sofa, carefully placing soft pillows under his lower back and legs. He half-lay down, his heavy abdomen finally supported, and the tense back muscles relaxed a little. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Shen Shutong sat beside him, gently rubbing his lower back with his skillful hands.
Shen Shutong looked at his tired face, and the uneasiness in his heart quietly emerged again.
As for Fu Yannian, the reports she had sent to monitor him had consistently been "nothing unusual." After his bankruptcy, he seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, holed up in a suburban apartment, rarely going out. His occasional outings were only to buy cheap food at a nearby supermarket. He looked decadent and downtrodden, devoid of any of his former charisma.
Everything seems calm.
But Chen Shutong just felt something was wrong. She couldn't put her finger on the specific reason, it was just a hunch, an instinctive sense of danger honed over years of experience in the business world.
Lately, she's been feeling like someone's shadowing her. She's turned her head a few times, or even taken detours, but hasn't spotted any suspicious people or cars. She even asked the driver to keep a close eye, but nothing unusual has been noticed.
She blamed herself for being too anxious. Fu Jingchuan was about to give birth and her body was in such trouble, so it was normal for her to be nervous and suspicious.
But that feeling is always with me and cannot be shaken off.
The movements of his hands slowed down unconsciously. Fu Jingchuan looked at her: "What's wrong? You look absent-minded."
Shen Shutong came back to his senses and smiled: "Nothing, just thinking about work."
Fu Jingchuan held her wrist with some guilt: "Shutong, don't be too tired. I'm fine here. If the company's business is important, you don't have to accompany me all day."
"There's nothing serious going on at the company. I've made all the arrangements." Shen Shutong patted his hand soothingly. "You are the most important thing now. Nothing is more important than you."
Fu Jingchuan looked at Shen Shutong and said nothing more, but just held her hand tightly.
At noon, Fu Jingchuan still had no appetite. He ate something, but he was too sleepy to open his eyes. She was sleepy in the late pregnancy, but the baby always made her sleep restless. Shen Shutong helped him back to the bedroom and lay him down. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, but his sleep was not peaceful. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his hand was on his restless stomach.
Shen Shutong rubbed his stomach gently, and waited until there was no movement before he tiptoed out and closed the door.
She went to the study, turned on her computer, and processed a few emails, but she couldn't calm down. The feeling of being spied on came back. She closed her computer in frustration and rubbed her brow.
Maybe she was just too nervous.
In the afternoon, Fu Jingchuan felt a little better after waking up. Shen Shutong accompanied him to watch an old movie in the audio-visual room. During that time, he experienced two more obvious contractions, each lasting longer than the last, and the pain made his fingertips turn white.
Shen Shutong kneaded his waist while timing him, his brows furrowed.
"Do you want to call the doctor?" Shen Shutong couldn't help asking after the fourth contraction passed.
Fu Jingchuan leaned back on the sofa, his face pale, panting slightly: "No need... The intervals are still irregular, it should still be fake." He closed his eyes, relaxed for a while, and then whispered, "I'm just a little tired."
Shen Shutong felt uncomfortable when he saw his tired appearance.
In the evening, Shen Shutong's phone rang. It was the nursing home calling, asking if she would come to visit her father tomorrow as usual and if she needed anything prepared.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Shutong hesitated. Tomorrow was her regular day to visit her father. In the past few months, Fu Jingchuan had usually accompanied her. But now, in his current state, it was obviously not suitable for him to go out again.
"I'll go see Dad tomorrow," Shen Shutong said to Fu Jingchuan during dinner, "Just rest at home and don't go with me."
Fu Jingchuan was sipping his soup. He paused and raised his head, "Are you going alone?"
"Well, it's just a routine visit. I'll be back soon. You need to rest more now and don't toss around." Shen Shutong said in a relaxed tone, "I'll ask Aunt Wang to make more snacks that you like. You can read a book at home or take a nap. I'll be back."
Fu Jingchuan was silent for a moment. He subconsciously wanted to object, but looking at his increasingly heavy stomach, he finally swallowed his words. He was indeed a burden now, and going out with her would only make her worry more.
"Okay," he nodded, "Then come back early. Be careful on the road."
"I know." Shen Shutong smiled and picked up some vegetables for him. "Don't worry."
Despite this, Fu Jingchuan slept terribly that night. His stomach felt heavy and uncomfortable, and the baby was moving more frequently than usual, causing pain in his ribs and stomach. He tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. He also felt inexplicably anxious, as if something was about to happen, and his heartbeat was always erratic.
Later in the night, he was once again awakened by a calf cramp. Shen Shutong immediately woke up and skillfully helped him massage the tense muscles. He was sweating profusely from the pain, clutching her wrist, breathing rapidly.
After the severe pain passed, he collapsed on the pillow exhausted. Looking at Shen Shutong's worried eyes, the feeling of panic became even worse.
"What's wrong? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?" Shen Shutong wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked in a low voice.
Fu Jingchuan shook his head, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to start. In the end, he just said in a hoarse voice: "It's okay... I'm just a little nervous."
Shen Shutong thought he was suffering from prenatal anxiety and kissed his forehead soothingly: "It's okay. Go to sleep, I'm here."
The next morning, Fu Jingchuan's condition hadn't improved. His stomach still felt heavy and his false labor contractions seemed to be more frequent. He looked pale and had no energy for breakfast.
Before going out, Shen Shutong carefully told Aunt Wang to take good care of Fu Jingchuan, and checked again whether his mobile phone had sufficient power and was placed within reach.
"I'll try to be back before lunch." She stood at the entrance, bent down and kissed Fu Jingchuan who was sitting on the shoe-changing stool. "If you feel uncomfortable, call me immediately, or call a doctor directly, okay?"
Fu Jingchuan nodded and looked up at her, but the uneasiness in his heart became stronger and stronger, and his heart beat fast and irregularly.
He suddenly grabbed her wrist: "Shutong..."
"Hmm?" Shen Shutong stopped moving with some confusion.
Fu Jingchuan moved his lips, wanting to ask her not to go, or to bring a few more people, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that his worry was groundless. In the end, he just pursed his lips and whispered: "...It's nothing, drive carefully on the road. Be safe."
"I know." Chen Shutong smiled and shook his hand again. "I'll go get some sleep. I'll be back when you wake up."
After Shen Shutong calmed Fu Jingchuan down, he turned around, opened the door, and walked out.
Fu Jingchuan sat there, listening to the engine sound gradually fade away, and his anxiety instantly reached its peak. His heart was beating violently, and he was a little breathless. He subconsciously covered his chest with his other hand, and protected his heavy stomach with his other hand, staring out the window, as if he could always see her car driving away.
Shen Shutong drove out of the villa area. The rising sun was a bit dazzling, so she put on sunglasses.
In the rearview mirror, cars are coming and going, everything is normal.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the inexplicable throbbing in her heart, and told herself not to be too anxious.
She turned on the turn signal, and the car merged smoothly into the traffic flow, heading towards the suburban sanatorium...
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