Chapter 36
Upon returning to Hong Kong, Iris felt she received the highest level of treatment she had ever received. From the airport to her home, Chong Cheuk-yuen showered her with concern and small surprises. To exaggerate further, it was almost as if a red carpet had been laid out for her.
Iris was delighted that her boyfriend was so understanding. She happily went to a private restaurant with him, then strolled along the beach for a while to enjoy the sea breeze before heading home together. In the elevator, Zhuang Sheng, with luggage in one hand and his girlfriend's arm intimately linked with his other, was also filled with joy. The fact that Iris was willing to come home and live with him filled him with a sense of joy, like something lost and found again. Seeing her smiling face, which he hadn't seen in so long, Zhuang Zhuoyuan truly wished this happy moment could last forever.
"What are you laughing at me for?" A large bouquet of flowers covered half her face, then she moved it away after a moment's thought. Iris raised her chin slightly and stared back at him. It wasn't that she didn't miss her boyfriend after being away for so long, but at times like this, she should have the upper hand.
When was she ever not the one who had the upper hand? Zhuang Zhuoyuan understood her expression, pulled his arm away and put it on Iris's shoulder instead, taking advantage of their position to steal a kiss on his girlfriend's lips: "I will definitely remember this lesson clearly and learn from it. From now on, you just take good care of your health. I will handle everything, OK?"
Perhaps fate was truly sending him a test. No sooner had he finished speaking than the elevator doors opened, and there stood Ding Huihui—she and her suitcase, waiting at Zhuang Zhuoyuan's door. All three were somewhat taken aback. Iris gave Zhuang Zhuoyuan a deep look, and he quickly shook his head to prove his innocence. While the two were making their own subtle movements, Ding Huihui spoke first, but her voice betrayed surprise rather than joy: "Iris, you're back!"
"Yes, I just got off the plane." Iris secretly nudged Zhuang Zhuoyuan's waist, turned around and smiled politely, then walked past Ding Huihui. She had intended to drag her luggage into the house, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan stopped her, allowing her to hold only the bouquet of flowers. "BB, you go back to your room and rest first. I'll unpack my things later."
"OK, the suitcase is mostly filled with souvenirs, all of which are labeled. You can pack them in a few more bags and distribute them to everyone tomorrow."
Ding Huihui only heard Iris's voice from inside the room, and then Zhuang Zhuoyuan slammed the door shut. This action was undeniably embarrassing, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan's decisiveness was evident. Before she could speak, Zhuang Zhuoyuan said first, "Huihui, I remember I sent you a text message."
She had seen his rejection, of course. But every moment abroad, every beautiful scene she encountered, she still wanted to share with him. "I sent you messages too," Ding Huihui took a step closer to him, "A-Yuan, I can't let you go."
"Huihui, we can only be friends." Zhuang Zhuoyuan warily distanced himself again, leaving Ding Huihui's hand frozen in mid-air. His gaze swept over the pile of luggage beside her, his only thought being to quickly resolve her problem: "Is there anything I can help you with today?"
“I have nowhere to stay for the time being.” Ding Huihui gripped the handle of her suitcase tightly, recounting her miserable ordeal of the day: “After breaking up with A-Tao, I stayed at a friend’s house, but when I got back today, I found out that my presence had caused the couple to argue, so I packed my things to go to a hotel. But I left my wallet in the taxi, and I lost my ID card and money, so I had no choice but to walk here to find you. It took me a very, very long time to get here…”
Zhuang Zhuoyuan quickly interrupted her, "I don't think I can help you with this. We don't have a guest room, and it's already a bit cramped for three people. We also need to prepare some baby supplies later, so I don't think I can even give you a sofa." He patted his pocket, took out his car keys, and gave Ding Huihui only one option: "Why don't you think about where else you can go? I'll tell Iris and take you there."
Ding Huihui's thoughts were still lingering on Zhuang Zhuoyuan's earlier words. She paused for a moment, then reached out and grabbed his hand as he turned away, asking almost tremblingly, "Zhuang Zhuoyuan, are you saying that Iris is pregnant?"
"Yes." Zhuang Zhuoyuan answered briefly, then thought for a moment and added, "We'll be getting married soon. Actually, even if she weren't pregnant, I'd already proposed to Iris successfully. So, Huihui, I don't want you to have any unrealistic fantasies. Your so-called 'fighting' before I'm married is just a nuisance for Iris and me. I've never considered a second option, not in Amsterdam, and not today. Iris is pregnant now, and I don't want her to be bothered by these things. Do you understand?"
“…Okay, I understand.” Ding Huihui blinked, took a deep breath, and finally turned around. Having said all that, it wouldn't be appropriate to see her off any further. Zhuang Zhuoyuan took out two hundred yuan from his wallet and gave it to her for the taxi fare. She had quite a few friends; he trusted she would find a way to get somewhere to go tonight.
"Sorry, Huihui." He still felt a little apologetic.
Ding Huihui simply shook her head: "No, thanks, Ayuan."
Back in the room, Iris wasn't in the living room. She seemed completely unconcerned about Ding Huihui's matter, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan was worried she might be bottling things up and harming her health, so he was quite anxious while waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. However, even when distracted, his basic intelligence was still intact. When he saw the opened sanitary napkins in Iris's suitcase, Zhuang Zhuoyuan's mind went blank for a moment, and the next second, all his knowledge about bleeding during pregnancy flooded his mind. Zhuang Zhuoyuan immediately banged on the bathroom door: "Baby, are you okay? Are you bleeding? Should we go to the hospital? Where does it hurt? Tell me quickly!"
After a series of exclamations and urgent questions, Iris finally managed to ask him, "Are you alright?" She slowly changed her tampons, put on her clothes, and then opened the door to speak to him: "Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan, I'm just on my period. Do you have to be so worried?"
"Menstruation?!" Zhuang Zhuoyuan was truly stunned. "It's not at this time, and you never use sanitary pads! BB, are you really okay? Don't lie to me, or did you already have an abortion?"
"What are you talking about?" Iris was completely confused. She had only gone on a business trip, how did it turn into a secret miscarriage? And isn't it normal for a girl's period to be irregular? Besides, she had just had such a big fight recently, and after moving back to the villa, she was busy working on papers and manuscripts, staying up all night. It would be strange if it wasn't delayed.
Zhuang Sheng, who had been convinced he was going to be a father, took a while to accept the fact. Iris, who had figured out what had happened, looked at his dejected appearance and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy. However, she couldn't reveal who the pregnancy test belonged to, so she could only pat his shoulder and comfort him: "Don't worry, baby, if I'm pregnant, I'll tell you right away, and I'll raise our baby well and never hurt it."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan pouted, feeling uncomforted: "The difference is too great."
Iris then resorted to her trump card: "Just because I don't have a baby, are you not going to propose?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was quite surprised, his attention was mostly diverted, and he subconsciously tried to hide his surprise: "Who told you I was going to propose?"
Iris replied playfully, "I guessed."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt deflated again. His girlfriend was too smart; he felt like he couldn't do anything right. Seeing his head about to droop again, Iris quickly reached out to support him. Turning his face back, she bluntly stated, "Now is not the right time to try for a baby, but summer vacation would be a good time to get married. I'll try to skip a grade and graduate with the baby, okay?"
The first answer was enough to excite him, but he was worried that the second plan would be too hard on her. Zhuang Zhuoyuan ignored his own disappointment and turned to Iris: "Baby, pregnancy is hard, and I don't want you to be carrying a belly and still have to do your studies. I'm not in a hurry to have a child, I'm just thinking that if it happens unexpectedly, we can keep it."
“I know,” Iris smiled as she put her arm around him, “I’m on the same page as you, including wanting at least two kids. That should be our consensus, right?”
Zhuang Zhuoyuan nodded honestly.
Iris didn't seem to be under any pressure, and she decided to be honest: "Actually, I'm quite enjoying my folklore studies, so I might continue with a master's degree. I've thought about it, and in this case, it would be best if we had a baby in my final year of undergraduate studies, then I could take a year off, and once the baby is old enough to wean, I could go back to school. Around the time he's three, we could have a second one, which would be perfect! As for pregnancy symptoms, I asked my mom, and she said that only the first three months and the last month and a half of her pregnancy were a bit difficult. I think my genes shouldn't be too bad, and as long as we time it right, with my young age and good physical condition, it shouldn't be a problem. You should have some confidence too, okay?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was having second thoughts: "How about we just take one?"
Iris gave him another kiss: "Okay, I'm going to sleep now. I'll leave the packing to you. We can start picking out the wedding dress and hotel on Saturday. If we have time, we can also pick out a new car. Including BB and my sister, maybe a seven-seater would be suitable, but we can pick that out next year. Can we pick a cool one this year? We'll see then. Anyway, Mr. Zhuang, I'm really looking forward to your proposal tomorrow. If there's any outfit you'd like me to wear, you can take it out and hang it up later. I'll definitely put on some beautiful makeup to match it tomorrow."
Iris's method of distraction was incredibly effective. After her barrage of questions, Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt all his anxieties laid bare before him. He was now genuinely hesitant about how to plan tomorrow to surprise Iris. She seemed to have already guessed everything. Indeed, having a girlfriend who was too smart wasn't necessarily a good thing. Hopefully, he wouldn't be the dumbest one in their family in the future.
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