68 Extra Four
◎Preparing for Pregnancy [Part 3]◎
Shang Xinuan did not experience any particularly noticeable pregnancy symptoms throughout her due date. Except for the later stages when the baby was fully formed and she didn't like to sleep much, she had a relatively smooth pregnancy.
When attending the birthday banquet of a senior figure in the business community, I was surrounded by a group of people, like the eye of a hurricane.
"Have you gone to get checked to see if it's a boy or a girl?" In recent years, many of her peers from wealthy families in Shanghai have gotten married, and many of them have also become pregnant around the same time.
Shang Xinuan shook her head, "I registered my pregnancy at the maternal and child health hospital, and now the regulations don't allow for examinations."
They even tried asking doctors online whether to prepare pink or blue clothes for their child, but the doctor just smiled and didn't answer. Later, they decided that it didn't matter if it was a son or a daughter, so they didn't look for any other solutions.
"My mother-in-law introduced me to an old gynecologist who is very accurate." The girl holding Shang Xinuan's arm is named Chen Shan. She is only four or five weeks younger than Shang Xinuan in her pregnancy. Her family is in the jewelry business, and she married into the Liu family, which is in the foreign trade business.
Shang Xinuan glanced at the man in the middle of the banquet, exchanging pleasantries while holding tea. The two looked at each other across the sea of people, and she felt an immense sense of peace.
"We both feel that having a son or a daughter is the same. Since the regulations prohibit checking, we won't check." She just wants her child to be happy and grow up safely by their side.
Chen Shan sighed, her voice low and plaintive, "It's good that you don't have a mother-in-law. I'm having a daughter this time, so I guess I'll have to try for a second one..."
“Actually, it also depends on whether you want to have the child or not. After all, you are the one who bears all the risks of pregnancy.” As a woman herself, Shang Xinuan could empathize with Chen Shan’s situation. “Of course, you can also talk to Mr. Liu. He is the child’s father and will help you talk to your mother-in-law.”
“You don’t know my in-laws’ family. Lao Liu is completely supported by his parents. He has no say in how many children he has.” Chen Shan’s mood also became gloomy. She nodded and looked at her high, bulging belly. “Nuan Nuan, we are all envious of you.”
Of these wealthy second-generation Shanghai residents, only about a third are truly independent. Most of them, growing up, are content to seek protection under their parents' wings, thinking they can simply spend money peacefully.
But people always grow up, and there will come a day when they need to protect their families.
In their minds, Shang Xinuan was initially just an illegitimate child, only cared for by Old Master Shang's longing for his daughter. So, although they envied her for being born into the Shang family, they still secretly compared her to him.
But Shang Xinuan was just luckier than them. She always had the best food, clothing and daily necessities, and her allowance was an amount that they could only dream of.
The car that picks up and drops off Shang Xinuan from school, its license plate, and the height and appearance of the driver are all things they compare.
But these were ultimately gifts from their families, so they comforted themselves by comparing themselves to others.
They first compared their looks, and almost one of them was much better than the other.
Shang Xinuan is like a naturally proud white swan. She doesn't need to go through the eighty-one tribulations of the Ugly Duckling to transform herself; she is the most dazzling pearl in Shanghai.
They compared their studies and finally found some balance in the process.
Shang Xinuan is one of the few among this group of rich second-generation individuals who does not plan to study abroad.
At first, they all thought that Shang Xinuan was just a pretty tool raised by the Shang family for marriage alliances, so naturally there was no need to worry about her studies.
However, it was overlooked that the reason they wanted to study abroad was because of the strict college entrance examination system in China. In their minds, studying abroad was a way to escape the examination-oriented education system and the evaluation of results.
Shang Xinuan was admitted to the Department of Literature at Shanghai University, which is among the top ten in the country, with a score of 623. During her undergraduate studies, she published numerous articles. Her application for postgraduate studies was not the "easy" master's program that they mentioned, but Cambridge, which is among the top ten in the world.
At the same time, she was admitted to graduate school at Kyoto University.
It's often said that a girl's life is doomed if she's just pretty, but she's not only beautiful, she also has excellent grades and talent, and a family background that many people envy.
She was clearly dealt a terrible hand—an illegitimate daughter who was on the verge of starvation—yet she played it like a winning hand.
The most shocking thing, of course, is that Shang Xinuan married Li Xiran.
The man who had never even been the object of a secret crush for any girl in Shanghai was the one who was willing to humble himself and submit to the young lady.
Li Xiran showered her with exclusive pampering and allowed her to be spoiled.
He was even willing to put his job aside and accompany her to study abroad for two years.
Of course, there are many other details they don't know, but these alone are enough to make them envious.
"Not many people can treat you like Chairman Li did." As time passed, they finally shed their girlish innocence and realized what was truly precious. "Of course, you deserve it too."
Shang Xinuan knew the psychological pressure Chen Shan was under at the moment, and she was also indignant. "Although I don't know how to help you, remember that you must believe in yourself and not belittle yourself for anyone."
"Since only women have the right to reproduce, you should love yourself more."
This is what Li Xiran has been telling her all along.
The right to reproduce belongs solely to her.
"Chen Shan, only you know how hard pregnancy is and how dangerous childbirth is, right?" In business, if a project's risk assessment is too high, even the most astute investor will take emergency measures to avoid the risks.
"I understand, Nuannuan."
After the banquet, Li Xiran helped Shang Xinuan into the car.
"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" He asked, glancing at the expression on Shang Xinuan's face.
The young lady blinked wearily. "Is it that obvious?"
"Your emotions are always written all over your face." Shang Xinuan wasn't used to having to pretend in front of him, and with the added sensitivity of pregnancy, her emotions were almost entirely exposed.
Li Xiran originally just wanted to take Shang Xinu out to relax, but he didn't expect it would drive away her good mood.
Shang Xinuan sighed softly, "I ran into a friend from before. She complained to me that because she was pregnant with a girl, her mother-in-law started pressuring her to have a second child during her pregnancy."
These Shanghai socialites used to sit together and talk about which jewelry brand had released a new design or which clothing line had a good new season design.
Now that people are getting married one after another, worries are starting to surround their marriages and families.
"So how did you comfort her?"
"I only told her that she had to bear the hardships of pregnancy and the dangers of childbirth herself. As for what she did afterward, that was her choice."
These were things that Li Xiran told her when they were discussing preparing for pregnancy.
The premise for their love is always the same.
First be calm and composed, then love others.
"You did the right thing, sweetie." Li Xiran hugged her and gently stroked her high, protruding belly.
"Li Xiran, do you have any expectations? Do you want a boy or a girl?" Although the two felt that having a boy or a girl was the same, each of them naturally had a favorite in their hearts.
Li Xiran pondered for a moment, then looked at her, "I only care that the baby is the fruit of our love. As for whether it's a son or a daughter, I will look forward to it with great anticipation."
Everyone has a favorite thing in their heart, but his favorite thing is Shangxinuan.
As long as it's him and Shangxi hand warmers, that's what he's looking forward to.
-
Shang Xinuan was admitted to the maternity hospital a week before her due date. On the day she officially gave birth, she already felt abdominal pain in the early morning.
But because the contractions and pains were not regular at first, she thought it would be like the first time she had abdominal pain, when her whole family rushed her to the hospital.
So in the morning, she was still sitting on the bed directing Li Xiran to peel and eat fruit.
It wasn't until three or four in the afternoon that Shang Xinuan began to experience intense labor pains.
The pain was indescribable; it felt like all the bones in my body had been opened up at once.
She lay on her back on the bed, the sheets soaked with sweat from her back.
I wanted to scream out in pain, but the doctor reminded me to conserve my energy.
When they heard that she was really going to give birth, almost the entire Shang family gathered together.
Looking at Li Xiran again, his hair was messy, and grayish-blue stubble had sprouted on his cheeks. He was no longer the well-dressed business elite he used to be.
"Does it still hurt a lot?" Li Xiran sat on the edge of the bed, his face full of concern. Watching Shang Xinuan toss and turn, he seemed to feel the pain as well.
"It hurts so much, I can't take it anymore." The young lady gripped Li Xiran tightly, her eyes red and swollen. "Li Xiran, this is the most painful day of my life."
The physical pain surpassed all the psychological pain she had ever experienced before.
It was the pain of cervical dilation that she couldn't understand before, a pain that words and screams couldn't describe.
However, because her cervix had not dilated to the required level, she was unable to receive an epidural.
As Li Xiran watched Shang Xinuan's face turn pale and then flushed red, he felt as if he had been punched countless times in the heart.
When he was finally able to get an epidural, the veins on Li Xiran's forehead bulged as he watched the thick, long steel needle pierce into Shang Xinuan's spine.
At this point, Shang Xinuan even began to feel numb, even when she felt pain.
She was exhausted and sleepy, and her whole body was in excruciating pain, as if her nerves were being torn apart.
At that moment, she finally fully understood that the pain of pregnancy and childbirth is something only she can bear.
When she saw Li Xiran standing to the side, she actually felt a little annoyed.
While waiting for the anesthesia to take effect, she cried and cursed at Li Xiran, "Bastard, you bastard."
Li Xiran reached out his hand, and there were deep nails under his thumb, from which blood was seeping, but he still cooperated and went along with it, saying, "I'm a bastard."
Shang Xinuan was taken into the delivery room close to evening. Li Xiran originally wanted to accompany her in, but the young lady refused.
During the waiting period before delivery, Li Xiran stood outside the delivery room like an ant on a hot plate.
During this period, the company called several times, but he answered each call for only one minute before hanging up and eventually turning off his phone.
The same space, separated by a door.
For the first time, they both realized that time has gaps and wormholes.
Outside the delivery room, the entire Shang family and Li Xiran stood guard together.
Later that night, when no news came from inside, the three elderly people were told to go back and rest.
As it approached midnight, Li Xiran couldn't bear to see Qiao Xi and his wife with their child, so he stayed by their side alone.
In his memory, this anxious and uneasy waiting only happened once.
This was the first time he visited Shang Zun at the Shang family after taking over the Li family.
Although the butler greeted him at the door, he did not let him wait in the living room, but instead made him sit in the open garden.
Moreover, before coming, he specifically sought out old friends who had visited the old man to inquire about the situation.
The answer I received was that if the old man didn't want to see him, he would send the Shang family's daughter to send someone away.
So when he met Shang Xinuan, he had already guessed the ending.
Faced with the young lady's spoiled and willful behavior, he thought that since things had already come to this, he might as well leave a good impression.
The question he taught Shang Xinuan was the simplest one on the entire test paper in his memory.
However, when he taught her for the second time, he noticed something amiss in the young lady's eyes.
She was looking at herself with a scrutinizing gaze, and when their eyes suddenly met, the girl's cheeks would suddenly turn red.
Li Xiran and Yu Guangzhong's pond, and you can also see people standing on the second floor.
The expression on his face was exactly the same as the way the young lady looked at him.
This was the third time he had taught it.
However, I also guessed the reason and the outcome.
When he left, Shang Xinuan personally saw him off at the door.
At that time, Li Xiran truly had no idea what would happen the next day.
But because of him, the Li family suddenly had new possibilities.
At the same time, he also knew that all of this was possible because of Shang Xinuan.
For a long time, he regarded the young lady as his lucky star.
I always feel at ease when she's around.
Strangely, she was only 19 years old at the time, and they had a full 10-year age difference.
Over the years, when faced with occasional teasing, all he could think of was: she could be willful and immature, but he couldn't.
Celestial maidens are not to be profaned.
But love is a magical thing, like destiny, something you can't escape.
He truly loved that spoiled girl terribly.
Thinking of this, Li Xiran's eyes began to burn.
He felt a pang of heartache. Listening to the cries from inside the delivery room, even the scar on his heart, which had already fully healed, felt as if it had been torn open again.
Even the question Shang Xinuan had asked him before—whether he loved the child more or her more—re-emerged in his mind.
He thought that he should have the real answer by now.
In this world, there is nothing more important than Shang Xinuan.
He was originally a gentle and aloof person, but it was because Shang Xinuan entered his heart and participated in his life that he developed a real passion for the world.
-
At this moment, the door to the delivery room finally opened slowly.
Two nurses pushed a stroller out of there.
"Shangxi Warms the Family".
When Li Xiran got up, his vision went black for a moment before he stepped forward.
His eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse. "Here."
"Congratulations, it's a beautiful little princess." The nurse tried to lift the blanket a little so that Li Xiran could see her.
Although Li Xiran's hands were on the stroller, his eyes were fixed on the delivery room. "How is my wife? When will she come out?"
He knew the baby would be well protected, but his partner had been inside for almost ten hours.
During those ten hours, they were only ten meters apart, yet it felt like they were in two different times and spaces.
The nurse noticed his anxiety and reassured him, "She's fine and is undergoing final postpartum observation. You can take the baby to the neonatal ward first."
Li Xiran nodded repeatedly, but his mind was only filled with the nurse's instructions about Shang Xinuan.
Fortunately, after Qiao Xi and Shang Dan took the child home, they returned to the hospital.
The couple took the child. "Uncle, you wait here for Nuannuan. Shang Dan and I will take the baby for a check-up."
Without turning his head, Li Xiran leaned against the wall by the door and instructed, "Go, be careful."
Shang Xinuan was wheeled out of the delivery room half an hour later. She was completely exhausted and too tired to open her eyes.
But she was still calling his name softly.
Li Xiran immediately stepped forward, took her hand, and replied, "Wife, I'm here, I'm here."
Shang Xin blinked, and only after seeing him clearly did a tear slide down her cheek. "Husband, it hurts so much!"
She almost couldn't hold on any longer; in the final moments, even breathing was painful.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I'm so sleepy."
Before Li Xiran could say anything more, Shang Xinuan had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
-
When Shang Xinuan woke up again, it was already the next day.
Her eyelids were still heavy, so only her ears were open.
She thought there shouldn't be many people in the ward, because she could only hear Li Xiran's footsteps.
Then Li Xiran approached and placed a basin of warm water beside the bed.
He unscrewed a hot towel, then held her hand and gently wiped it.
He chatted with her as he spoke, saying, "Miss, you can really sleep. Aren't you going to wake up yet?"
She was so tired that she didn't even have the strength to speak.
“Have you seen our daughter? She looks almost exactly like both of us, she’s especially beautiful, you’ll definitely love her.” Li Xiran’s voice was gentle and deep, as if he were telling her a story. “But her eyes are even more beautiful. They’re like golden amber, like a little elf.”
What first attracted Shang Xinuan to Li Xiran was his pair of amber and jade-like pupils.
However, when the nurse showed her the baby in the delivery room, the newborn hadn't opened its eyes yet.
"Wife, you're lying right here, but I still miss you so much." Before she could even process what they were talking about, Li Xiran had already grabbed her hand and pressed it against his eyes.
Hot tears fell into her palm, and only then did Shi Xinuan realize that Li Xiran must have been talking to her for a long time.
"The doctor said you were just too tired, so you've been sleeping. But I can't see you open your eyes, and I'm still a little scared."
If she hadn't heard Li Xiran's vulnerability at that moment, it would have been hard to imagine that a man who dominated the business world would cry because his wife was so tired from giving birth that she fell asleep.
"Wife, let's not have any more children, never again."
All he wanted was for Shang Xinuan to be safe and happy by his side.
“Didn’t you ask me before whether I loved the children more or you more?” He had a definite answer in the early hours of the morning. “Before, although I answered you, it was a mix of reason and emotion.”
"It wasn't until last night that I realized I only love you." Amidst the chaos of the world, his eyes and heart are filled only with love for her.
"Yes, if you put all the things in nature together, I would only love you, I love you."
Shang Xinuan's eyes trembled slightly, then she slowly opened them.
She saw Li Xiran looking at her with a haggard expression, as if his heart was breaking.
"You only love me?" she uttered the three words tremblingly.
Upon seeing her wake up, Li Xiran, who had already calmed down, burst into tears once again.
"Of all the people in the world, I only love you."
A note from the author:
Soon, it'll be a segment featuring adorable kids!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
