Chapter 276 Mobilization to Protect the Pregnancy
Cheng Zhou groggily opened his eyes and saw her, along with the water glass in her hand. A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips, tinged with dependence: "Sister You..."
He took her hand and slowly drank a few sips of honey water.
The warm, sweet sensation slid down my throat and into my stomach, dispelling some of my fatigue.
He put down his water glass, then hugged Lu You's waist, buried his face in her soft bosom, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm so tired, Sister You, can you recharge me?"
Lu You stiffened slightly, but did not push him away.
She looked down at his slightly messy hair, gently placed her hand on his hair, and ruffled it.
Cheng Zhou felt her comfort and hugged her even tighter.
"Idiot." Lu You muttered under his breath, but there was little disdain in his tone; instead, there was a hint of indulgence.
She looked up, lost in thought.
"I wonder how Lu Rang and A Wu are doing."
...
Since confirming her pregnancy, Lu Rang seems to have entered a state of combat readiness.
Wearing soft home socks, Shang Wu walked from the living room to the dining room, and accidentally tripped over a wrinkle on the edge of the carpet.
She only swayed slightly, but didn't even notice it, and quickly regained her balance.
Lu Rang instantly sprang up from the sofa, rushed over, and firmly supported her arm, his face turning pale.
"What's wrong? Are you dizzy? Did you slip? Is anything bothering you?"
He kept asking questions, his eyes quickly scanning her entire body.
Shang Wu was both amused and exasperated by his overreaction: "It's nothing, the carpet was just a little uneven, I tripped a little."
"The carpet isn't flat?" Lu Rang's brows furrowed immediately.
He crouched down and carefully examined the area, his expression serious.
"Tomorrow, I'll have someone come and replace all the carpets in the house with non-slip ones, or just remove them all and lay wooden floors."
He made a decision immediately, took out his phone, and started using the memo app.
"There's no need to exaggerate like that..." Shang Wu tried to dissuade him.
"Safety first." Lu Rang looked up at her, his eyes leaving no room for doubt. "Any risk, however small, must be eliminated."
He stood up, helped Shang Wu up, and carefully placed her on a softly cushioned dining chair as if escorting a national treasure. "From now on, wear non-slip soft-soled shoes at home too."
Seeing his alarmed expression, Shang Wu felt both warm and helpless, and could only let him be.
Just as she was about to complain, she suddenly smelled a faint scent of cologne on Lu Rang.
As soon as Shang Wu got close, he couldn't help but frown, feeling a slight discomfort in his stomach.
Lu Rang immediately noticed and took a step back, asking nervously, "Does it smell bad?"
Shang Wu nodded: "That's a bit strong. Does anyone in your law firm wear perfume?"
"have."
Before she could say anything, Lu Rang rushed into the bathroom, thoroughly washed himself from head to toe, and changed into brand new loungewear.
When he came out, he immediately issued a notice requiring all employees of the law firm to strictly prohibit the use of strong-smelling perfumes and colognes.
Not only that, Lu Rang also had to worry about the recipes.
The diet plan devised by the nutritionist hired by Lu Rang was an unquestionable imperial edict to him.
Shang Wu occasionally has a sudden craving for something outside of the menu.
Before going to bed that night, she muttered to herself, "I suddenly have a craving for the hot and sour noodles at that shop behind the law firm..."
Lu Rang immediately sat up, picked up his phone, and said, "Which store? Tell me the address, and I'll have the driver go buy it now."
Shang Wu quickly stopped him: "It's so late, and the nutritionist said those things are unhealthy. Just think about them occasionally, don't take them seriously."
Lu Rang replied earnestly, "If you want to eat it, it means your body needs it. I asked the doctor, and it's okay to eat it occasionally in moderation. The most important thing is to feel happy."
He insisted on getting the address and actually had the driver make the trip to buy a small portion. He only let Shang Wu taste a few bites to satisfy her craving, and then disposed of the rest.
Seeing him make such a fuss over his little craving, Shang Wu felt more touched than anything else, even though she thought he was being overly nervous.
Lu Rang's work efficiency did not seem to decrease despite taking care of Shang Wu.
But he devoted all his leisure time to studying pregnancy and childbirth.
His phone is filled with various pregnancy apps, and he follows dozens of accounts of obstetricians and nutritionists.
Every day, he would share a large number of articles with Shang Wu.
Shang Wu was sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and couldn't help but complain, "Attorney Lu, are you studying me as if I were one of your new cases?"
Lu Rang said solemnly, "This is more important than any other case; we must ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Furthermore, whether Shang Wu was walking around at home or occasionally taking a stroll in the neighborhood, he always stayed by her side, his arm always ready to reach out and let her support him.
Shang Wu laughed at him: "I'm only two months pregnant, my belly isn't showing yet, is it really necessary to do this?"
Lu Rang, however, had a valid reason: "Prevention is better than cure, and,"
He paused, looked at her, his eyes tender, and said, "I want to be a part of every little change in you."
Although Shang Wu often felt that Lu Rang was a bit too nervous, she felt more at ease being enveloped in his overwhelming love.
She knew that this calm and reserved man was clumsily but unwaveringly protecting her and their unborn child in every way he could think of.
All of these excessive behaviors stem from the lingering fear of losing that child last time.
Once she understood this, Shang Wu let him do as he pleased, and even began to cooperate with his careful care, because she knew that this was also his way of expressing his love.
At nine weeks of pregnancy, as scheduled, Lu Rang accompanied Shang Wu to a private hospital for her first formal ultrasound examination.
On the way to the hospital, Lu Rang's palms were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel. Although he remained calm on the surface, his taut jawline betrayed his inner turmoil.
Shang Wu was calmer than him. She gently placed her hand on the back of his hand, which was resting on his crotch, and said softly, "Don't worry, didn't Dr. Li say that all the indicators are very good?"
Lu Rang took her slightly cool hand in his own, nodded, but said nothing.
The shadow hadn't completely dissipated; it had simply been forcibly suppressed in his heart, transforming into his current almost obsessive protectiveness.
The hospital environment was warm and private, but the smell of disinfectant still made Shang Wu frown slightly.
Lu Rang immediately took out a citrus-scented essential oil smeller from her pocket, which she found more palatable recently, and held it to her nose.
This small gesture made the nurses next to them take another look, their eyes filled with kind smiles.
"You can lie down now."
Lying on the ultrasound bed, Shang Wu felt Lu Rang standing by the bed, holding her other hand tightly with a rather strong grip.
The doctor skillfully operated the probe, and a blurry black and white image appeared on the screen.
Shang Wu opened her eyes wide, trying to make out what was going on, her heart beating faster than usual.
Lu Rang's gaze was fixed on the screen, as if he wanted to see through the image.
"Relax, the location is great."
The doctor spoke gently, adjusting the angle of the probe.
A moment later, she pointed to a small, regularly flashing white dot on the screen and said with a smile, "Look, that's the baby's heartbeat, it's very strong!"
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
The tiny, rapidly flashing dot on the screen stubbornly danced against the gray-black background.
Thump, thump, thump...
A regular and powerful rhythm emanated from the loudspeakers, filling the entire examination room.
Shang Wu's tears welled up instantly, and an indescribable feeling of emotion surged in her heart.
This little life truly exists, proclaiming its vitality with its strong heartbeat.
Shang Wu subconsciously gripped Lu Rang's hand tightly in return.
Lu Rang stood frozen in place, motionless, as if he had turned into a statue.
His gaze was fixed on the flickering light, his eyes quickly reddened, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.
After several seconds, he lowered his head and looked at Shang Wu with an unbelievable reverence.
Lu Rang's lips moved, but he couldn't make a sound. He just gripped her hand tighter, so tight it almost hurt.
Shang Wu could truly feel the surging emotions he was experiencing at that moment.
It is the ecstasy of something lost and found again, the excitement and bewilderment of becoming a father for the first time.
"The heartbeat is very good." The doctor looked at the obviously excited expectant parents and added with a smile, "The size of the embryo is also in line with the gestational age, and everything seems normal so far."
Shang Wu smiled and thanked him, "Thank you for your help, doctor."
After leaving the hospital, she followed Lu Rang into the car.
Lu Rang didn't start the car immediately. He turned around, looked deeply at Shang Wu, leaned down, and gently embraced her.
“Ah Wu…” His voice was terribly hoarse, with a thick nasal tone, “Thank you.”
Shang Wu leaned against him, listening to his still somewhat rapid heartbeat, and her heart softened.
She knew that the sound of that heartbeat not only reassured her about the baby's existence, but also soothed the hidden wound in Lu Rang's heart.
“Let’s thank the baby together,” she replied softly, raising her hand to stroke his slightly trembling back.
This ultrasound examination was like a powerful reassurance, but it did not lower Lu Rang's guard level. On the contrary, it made him even more determined to be absolutely sure.
However, the previous tension was mixed with unease, while now it is more of a cautious anticipation.
Soon, Shangwu's morning sickness reached its peak around the tenth week.
Her sensitivity to smells is practically radar-level.
The unscented laundry detergent they were using at home suddenly smelled strange, prompting Lu to contact seven or eight different brands overnight until he found one that she approved of.
The kitchen has become a key area for monitoring.
Any smell of cooking oil, or even the steam from cooked rice, can trigger her discomfort.
Lu Rang directly hired a live-in nanny who was skilled at making light and nutritious meals. She strictly followed the nutritionist's recipes and stipulated that cooking could only be done when Shang Wu was not at home or far from the kitchen.
He himself completely gave up coffee.
Because Shangwu can't stand the smell of coffee.
The law firm's employees were surprised to find that the contents of Lu Rang's thermos cup on his desk had changed from black coffee to all sorts of health teas.
It was supposedly recommended by his family's nutritionist.
Nutritionist-designed diets are scientifically sound, but sometimes they can be monotonous.
Lu Rang racked his brains to get Shang Wu to eat even a little more.
He learned to cook light dishes from the nanny and studied how to make food look more appealing by plating and adjusting the cooking temperature without destroying its nutritional value.
Once, Shang Wu suddenly said she wanted to eat the kind of porridge she used to eat when she was a child, made with chicken broth, where the rice grains dissolved in the soup.
Lu Rang immediately called the chef at the old house to ask about the recipe in detail, and then personally stayed in the kitchen to watch the heat, simmering it for a full two hours.
Only when the rice grains had bloomed and the soup had turned milky white did he carefully serve it to Shang Wu.
Seeing that Shang Wu drank it down in small sips without spitting it out, Lu Rang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling even more accomplished than winning a lawsuit.
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