Chapter 36: The Arrival of a New Life
That tiny test paper, like a ray of golden sunlight, suddenly pierced through the clouds, illuminating their married life with a brighter and more hopeful light. After the new life's existence was officially confirmed, the air in the Repulse Bay villa seemed to have changed, filled with an atmosphere of caution yet unconcealed joy.
Huo Linshen's changes are visible to the naked eye and are almost... "exaggerated".
The man who was known for his decisiveness and coldness in the business world seemed to be possessed by a soft yet powerful force overnight. His attitude towards Su Lingwan was no longer simply doting, but rather a kind of care and tension that bordered on worship.
The day he learned the news, he immediately assembled a team of Hong Kong's top obstetricians and gynecologists to conduct a comprehensive and detailed examination of Su Lingwan. After confirming the fetus was safe and well, at about six weeks of gestation, he breathed a sigh of relief, but this was followed by even more meticulous "control."
Su Lingwan's diet was strictly planned. The family cook received a multi-page pregnancy nutrition menu and taboo list personally compiled by Huo Linshen. All raw, spicy, cold, and potentially unclean foods were completely eliminated. Huo Linshen even began researching the properties of various ingredients, occasionally going to the market himself to select the freshest ingredients, clumsily following her side to ensure that every bite she took was safe.
"Lin Shen, I'm just pregnant, not sick." Su Lingwan looked at the dazzling but bland dishes on the table and protested helplessly. She missed the indulgence of eating at the food stalls with him before, and missed the spicy and satisfying fried crab in the typhoon shelter.
"No." Huo Linshen was extremely stubborn on this matter. He pushed a bowl of bird's nest that had been carefully stewed for several hours in front of her and said in a tone that did not allow for negotiation, "The doctor said you need to be extra careful in the first three months. When you're more stable, I'll take you to see a doctor if you want to eat anything." He looked at her slightly furrowed brows and softened his voice, coaxing her, "Be good, for the sake of the baby, bear with it a little longer."
He no longer allowed her to drive, or even take a taxi alone. No matter how busy he was, whenever Su Lingwan needed to go out, he would either pick her up personally or escort her by his designated driver and bodyguard, known for their reliable driving skills. His studio was on a high floor, and he was concerned about air circulation and radiation. He even began looking for a new, more comfortable villa with a private garden, where she could rest during her pregnancy and after giving birth.
He also forcibly reduced Su Lingwan's workload by half. The day-to-day operations of "Luminance" were completely handed over to Selina and the core team. He only allowed her to participate in the most important decisions and grasp the core design concepts. He also strictly limited her work hours, and she was no longer allowed to work late into the night at her desk drawing as she had before.
"Huo Linshen, I'm going to get bored if you do this." Su Lingwan was pulled away from the design table by him, feeling a bit amused and helpless. She understood his nervousness, but his state of paranoia made her feel like a fragile glass doll.
"If you're bored, I'll take you for a walk, to an art exhibition, or even go home and watch a movie with you." Huo Linshen pressed her onto the sofa, covered her with a thin blanket, and sat beside her. He picked up a prenatal storybook and began to read... "The Little Prince" in his deep, sexy voice. The scene formed a huge contrast with his usual cold and austere image.
Su Lingwan looked at his focused and serious profile, listened to his deliberately slow and gentle tone, and the slight protest in her heart turned into a flood of tenderness. She knew that all his nervousness, all his clumsiness, all his "authoritarianism" came from his deepest love and attention to her and the child.
The effects of pregnancy gradually became more pronounced. Su Lingwan's morning sickness wasn't severe, but she would occasionally retch when she smelled certain odors. Whenever this happened, Huo Linshen would always be by her side, skillfully offering her warm water and her favorite lemon slices. His large hands would gently pat her back, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with heartache and a sense of helplessness.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" He looked at her with red eyes due to vomiting, and his voice became tense.
Su Lingwan recovered, leaned in his arms, shook her head, and comforted him: "It's okay, it's much lighter than many people."
He just hugged her tighter, rubbing his chin against the top of her head, and whispered, "Thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Huo."
At night, Su Lingwan began to become a little sleepy, but her sleep was very light and she woke up easily. Huo Linshen adjusted his schedule and tried to accompany her to bed early. He slept beside her, but his posture was no longer as free as before. He always lay on his side carefully, with his arms loosely around her, for fear of pressing her. If she moved a little, even if she turned over, he would wake up immediately and ask nervously: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want some water?"
His anxiety even permeated every aspect of his life. All sharp table corners were meticulously covered with soft, anti-collision strips; the bathrooms were covered with the highest-grade anti-slip mats; and no tripping debris was permitted along her frequent paths. Assistant Chen and the villa's servants privately joked that Mr. Huo's biggest project right now was "Mrs. Huo's pregnancy safety project."
That evening, when Su Lingwan emerged from the shower, Huo Linshen was waiting for her with a hairdryer. He sat her down on the dressing stool, and he stood behind her, gently drying her hair. His fingertips threaded through her damp hair, and the warm breeze caressed her scalp, bringing a comfortable, lazy feeling.
After the noise of the hair dryer stopped, the room returned to silence. Huo Linshen did not put the hair dryer down immediately. Instead, he hugged her from behind, his hands carefully and with a strange awe, gently covering her still flat belly.
"Ling Wan," he put his face close to her ear, his voice low and magnetic, "Was he good today? Did he bother you?"
Su Lingwan couldn't help but laugh, and put her hand on his big hand: "It's just so small, there's no way it would make a fuss."
"I felt it." Huo Linshen said seriously, with a silly tone of a new father, "He must have moved just now."
Su Lingwan laughed, but her heart softened. She knew that he was trying hard, in his own way, to feel and participate in every step of this new life's growth.
She turned around and looked at him face to face. Under the light, there was a faint dark blue in his eyes, the trace of his busy and worrying about her during this period, but those deep eyes were filled with an unprecedented soft and bright light.
"Lin Shen," she raised her hand and stroked his slightly tired cheek, saying softly, "Don't be too nervous. The baby and I are fine. Seeing you like this, I would be worried."
Huo Linshen grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it, his eyes falling on the wedding ring on her ring finger and her still slender waist, his eyes complicated: "I just... can't help it. Lingwan, I've never been so afraid of losing something, nor have I ever looked forward to something so much."
He paused, then held her in his arms again, his voice trembling with an imperceptible tremor: "You and the child are everything to me."
Su Lingwan snuggled in his arms, listening to his steady, powerful heartbeat and feeling his deep, clumsy love. She felt incredibly safe and happy. She knew that this seemingly powerful man had unreservedly revealed the softest, most insecure part of his heart to her.
"We won't leave you." She promised softly, like the most gentle oath, "We will always be with you."
Huo Linshen tightened his arms, as if to lock this promise tightly.
The moonlight outside the window shone like water, the lights inside the room warm. The arrival of a new life was like a seed dropped into the heart of a lake. Though it hadn't yet broken through the water, it had already spread ripples of hope and love across the lake of their shared lives. Huo Linshen's world, built of solid ice, was being completely melted by this impending little life and the love he held in his arms, radiating with unprecedented vitality and warmth.
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