Chapter 0050 Narrow Path
The fourth floor mainly sells clothing, and a large maternity and baby store is located right opposite the escalator entrance. Inside, there is a dazzling array of baby products, including formula, bottles, strollers, toys, picture books, and more, making it hard to ignore.
The villa they are currently living in is a temporary residence, so there is no nursery or baby supplies prepared. Ruyi hadn't put any thought into preparing them beforehand. She always felt that her only responsibility was to give birth to the child, and that the child's food, clothing, and shelter would be taken care of by other people and had nothing to do with her.
But as her belly grew larger, the little thing inside, from an unconscious embryo, grew into a child with a rudimentary human form, occasionally stretching its arms and legs, as if trying to assert its presence to its mother.
Even if she doesn't want to admit it, this child, who caused her back pain, drained her life force to conceive, and was connected to her by blood, has become an inseparable part of her life.
The brightly colored and exquisite baby products seemed to sparkle under the spotlight, exerting an irresistible attraction on Ruyi. She felt an unprecedented urge to take all the good things inside back with her...
Chen Yan seemed to share a similar thought and excitedly pulled her inside. Faced with this obviously wealthy and good-looking couple, whose bellies were prominently bulging under the woman's light green sweater, the middle-aged manager on patrol realized that business had come knocking and immediately put on a warm smile, personally stepping forward to greet them.
The man held the woman's waist carefully, occasionally taking items from the shelf to ask for her opinion. The experienced manager instantly realized that the woman had the final say in the relationship! He used his excellent eloquence to win her over.
She praised the two of them, saying they were a perfect match, and the baby in her belly must be smart and adorable. "You must be seven or eight months along," she said. "Congratulations! Have you prepared all your supplies for the delivery?" "No, not yet. I'll provide you with everything you need at once—all necessities, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
She then led the two to the stroller section, saying, "A stroller is a baby's mobile home, and a comfortable stroller is very important for a baby's physical and mental health. This Silver Cross stroller comes from a British royal warrant holder, has a built-in bassinet, an extra-large sunshade, a split folding mechanism, a safety brake, a smooth and silky ride, and a stylish design, perfect for a beautiful mother like you to take out..."
This stroller, with its silver-white alloy frame and sky-blue canopy, is indeed fresh and beautiful. As for the price, although it is two or three times more expensive than ordinary strollers, it is a great value for money compared to the ridiculously overpriced luxury brands on the first floor.
Seeing that Ruyi liked it, Chen Yan pushed one away. The manager beamed and kept demonstrating how to use the cart, while also moving some of the previously selected items into the cart to show how spacious it was.
They were also advised to buy some small clothes for the baby.
Ruyi stood in the clothing section, in front of her hung several rows of baby jackets and pants, each only the size of a palm. On the top shelf, hats, shoes, socks, and other accessories were arranged in categories, even more pitifully tiny, in soft, delicate colors, and felt soft to the touch...
Chen Yan quietly asked her if she preferred a boy or a girl. She didn't answer verbally, but her body language betrayed her. She picked up a pink cake dress, looked at it again and again, and then put it in the stroller.
Unbeknownst to them, the two had bought a lot of clothes and supplies for the baby girl, piling up the stroller and shop carts into a small mountain.
While they were waiting for the cashier to process their payments, they saw an unexpected person.
Zhao Nanyue and her model boyfriend went shopping at Yunding Center. They first went on a shopping spree on the first floor, and then went to the fourth floor to buy clothes for her boyfriend.
It was her boyfriend who saw Chen Yan first, and he exclaimed "Huh!" as she followed his gaze.
Away from the competition and the spotlight, Zhao Nanyue wore no makeup, only lipstick, and large sunglasses. She dressed very casually, but her cold and sharp aura remained undiminished.
As soon as she entered the store, Ruyi noticed her. Although she had never seen Zhao Nanyue without makeup before, she recognized her at a glance.
she.
They were originally two unrelated parallel lines, but they intersected because of Chen Yan. During her most painful period, she suffered from insomnia night after night because every time she closed her eyes, she saw Chen Yan and Zhao Nanyue's intimate appearance. Even though Chen Yan claimed that he and she were completely innocent, she was such a stunningly beautiful woman and Chen Yan's legal wife. Even if something had happened between them, what right did she have to be angry?
But she was indeed angry. She was Chen Yan's girlfriend, and he loved her. Just because she came from an ordinary background, while Zhao Nanyue was the daughter of a high-ranking official and a sports star, did he get to steal her away?
She hated Zhao Nanyue, was jealous of Zhao Nanyue, and at the same time felt guilty, ashamed, and pained because she was illegally possessing her legal husband... She subconsciously began to depict this proud woman of heaven, whom she had only met a few times but with whom she had a deep entanglement, and her image of her had become so detailed that it was down to the smallest detail of her eyebrows and lips.
While shopping for baby products with Chen Yan, the manager's effusive praise gave her the illusion of a parallel universe. In this parallel universe, Chen Yan hadn't married Zhao Nanyue; she was his wife. On a warm, sunny spring day, she and her husband were shopping together, browsing in a maternity and baby store, preparing for their unborn baby...
A tremendous sense of happiness welled up in her heart, surging so high it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.
Zhao Nanyue's appearance shattered this sense of happiness, making Ruyi suddenly realize that this was not happiness, but an immoral and indecent illusion.
The color drained from her rosy face, and she unconsciously released Chen Yan, her gaze drifting aimlessly to a certain place.
Chen Yan seemed not to see Zhao Nanyue, and took her hand again, slowly intertwining their fingers.
Zhao Nanyue coldly watched the two lovers, a beautiful but cold smile blooming on her lips.
The manager felt she looked familiar, but couldn't quite place where he had seen her before. Out of professional courtesy, he greeted her with a smile, even if she seemed hostile.
"What would you like, ma'am?"
Zhao Nanyue withdrew her gaze from her husband and mistress behind her sunglasses, and asked the manager with a smile, "You're a well-known chain store, so can just anyone come in and patronize your establishment?"
The manager was completely bewildered, but still smiled and replied, "Of course, the customer is king, and our aim is to serve every customer wholeheartedly."
"How dare a shameless mistress who destroys other people's marriages hide in her hole and then brazenly flaunt her pregnant belly in public? Your shop is no better then. Won't the things that have been touched by the mistress have syphilis or AIDS? Is this fair to other customers?"
"Hey, why are you talking so rudely..." The manager was bewildered by the barrage of questions. The other person was implying that their shop was unclean, and there were customers in the store. What if word got out and they couldn't do business anymore? Thinking of this, she could no longer maintain her polite facade and prepared to kick the person out.
After Zhao Nanyue finished speaking, he looked at Xu Ruyi's expression and felt his worries disappear and his spirits lift. He turned and left triumphantly.
Chen Yan pulled the stiff-looking Ruyi into his arms, ignoring the strangers standing nearby, and gently kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose.
Chen Yan was naturally angry that Ruyi was humiliated in front of Zhao Nanyue, but the angrier he was, the more he had to stay calm. He knew that he could not stand up and confront Zhao Nanyue, as that would be tantamount to helping Ruyi claim that title and putting her in a very difficult position. Zhao Nanyue knew this, which was why he dared to be so unscrupulous.
Having been tempered by the fires and ice of fame and fortune for seven years, he understood better than anyone the importance of patience and biding his time. He would let Zhao Nanyue be smug for a few more days, because after some time, she wouldn't be able to laugh anymore.
Ruyi pushed Chen Yan away, stopped looking at the things in the stroller, and silently walked out alone.
The bodyguard came to take over, and he chased after her, walking silently alongside her. Neither of them mentioned what had just happened at the baby store.
Ruyi wandered aimlessly for a while, then said softly, "Let's go back."
Chen Yan took her hand, gently stroked the back of it, and said in a coaxing tone, "The ice cream from that shop was really good. Would you like to try a different flavor? Vanilla or strawberry?"
Ruyi kept her eyes on the ground and shook her head.
She didn't curse or scold him, didn't cry or make a fuss; she was unusually quiet and obedient, yet it made Chen Yan's heart ache so much he could hardly breathe.
Two little girls chattered as they walked towards us, carrying paper bags and small bowls of wontons. They ate as they walked, noticing a young couple watching them. The woman was elegant and poised, the man handsome and striking. They already had a child, and they seemed like a perfect couple straight out of a comic book. The girls couldn't help but blush, and even after walking quite a distance, they kept turning back to look at them.
Seeing Ruyi staring blankly at their backs, Chen Yan assumed she wanted to eat, so he suggested going to the basement, where these kinds of snacks were usually concentrated.
Ruyi simply shook her head. The wontons the girl was eating reminded her of her aunt who lived far away overseas. The tears she had been suppressing earlier at the baby store, feeling unworthy, finally found an outlet. Wiping away her tears, she cried pitifully, "I miss my aunt so much..."
She asked Chen Yan to let her talk to her aunt.
Chen Yan was initially somewhat hesitant about this, but when Ruyi was four months pregnant, seeing that the situation had stabilized, he agreed to let her connect with He Caiyu. However, he didn't know what the other party said to her, but she was depressed for several days in a row. So he then strictly forbade her from making any more calls to the Canadian side.
But at this moment, Ruyi had just suffered humiliation at the baby store because of him, and refused all attempts to comfort her. Her only request was to talk to her aunt. How could he bear to refuse? Even if He Caiyu criticized him mercilessly and made him feel worthless, he would accept it.
Fortunately, this time He Caiyu didn't say much because Ruyi was quite far along in her pregnancy. She only comforted Ruyi, saying that she was doing well in Canada and that Ruyi should eat well and take good care of herself. She said that she would come home after giving birth.
After talking to her aunt, Ruyi felt much better, at least on the surface. Chen Yan tried to cheer her up by teasing Hu Niu with a newly bought cat toy. Hu Niu chased after the bright feathers and the clear sound of the bell, leaping, twisting, jumping, and crawling nimbly... looking adorable. Ruyi smiled faintly, using this to hide the wound in her heart that had reopened.
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