Against the Light - Chapter 134
Chapter 134: Hurry Up a Bit
Early in the morning, Gu Xinran shamelessly pestered Bai Yilan into taking a bath with her. Unable to refuse, Yilan agreed. The two shared a long, tender moment in the bathtub, dawdling until it was nearly noon before they finally finished washing up and got ready to go out.
Fully disguised, the two of them strolled down the street. This was a popular tourist destination, bustling with visitors all year round.
As they passed a mother and baby supply store, Gu Xinran's gaze was instantly captivated. She stopped in her tracks, tugging on Yilan's arm.
Bai Yilan glanced over, chuckled, and took her by the wrist. Together, they entered the store.
The moment they stepped inside, they were enveloped in a feeling of warmth.
The shop was decorated primarily in pale pink, with a warm yellow light emanating from the walls. The shelves were lined with all sorts of baby products—various styles of little bottles, exquisite tiny clothes, shoes, toys, and more. The variety was immense.
Gu Xinran fiddled with a small pacifier while Bai Yilan picked up a delicate pink outfit. Unconsciously, they both broke into the same doting smile.
"Hey, look at this." Gu Xinran picked up a pair of tiny shoes, stuck her fingers inside, and pretended to walk them across the countertop.
Bai Yilan couldn't help but chuckle. What a goof.
"Ahhhh!" A sudden shriek made Gu Xinran's hand tremble. She immediately put the tiny shoes back, nervously wringing her hands, subconsciously thinking she had done something wrong.
"Sister Ran and Teacher Bai are actually in a mother and baby store!!"
"What? Where!?"
"…"
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan exchanged a look and simultaneously put on their sunglasses. Just as they turned to leave, they were cornered by fans.
"It really is Teacher Bai!!"
Seeing they'd been recognized, Bai Yilan stopped trying to hide. She nodded to the crowd. "Hello, everyone."
"Wow, she's so beautiful!" the fangirls squealed, their gazes pointedly shifting from her face to her lower abdomen.
Bai Yilan was taken aback by their stares. She glanced down and unconsciously raised a hand to cover her stomach.
"She's pregnant!?"
"Ahhhh! Gu-de-Bai!!"
??? No, wait, let me explain…
"…" Watching the bewildered look on Yilan's face, Gu Xinran pressed her lips together to hide a smile. But seriously, "Gu-de-Bai"!?
Sorry, but I'm vetoing that!
Just as they were wondering how to escape, a team of bodyguards suddenly appeared, politely holding back the enthusiastic fans and clearing a path for them.
Gu Xinran breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led Yilan away.
Having successfully escaped, they didn't dare linger on the street. Once they were a good distance away, Gu Xinran glanced back and saw a dense crowd of people in the distance, thankfully held back by the bodyguards.
Bai Yilan also glanced back, startled. "I didn't expect Mom to send so many people to protect us."
"What did you expect? You're the apple of her eye."
Gu Xinran sighed wistfully, then paused and glanced at Bai Yilan's stomach. "And soon, you'll be carrying the apple of our eye~"
Bai Yilan was speechless and shot her an exasperated glare.
Gu Xinran laughed heartily, took her hand, and the two of them headed to the beach.
At this time of day, there were relatively few tourists. The two took off their shoes and strolled barefoot along the beach. The sand, warmed by the sun, felt exceptionally comfortable under their feet.
With fewer passersby chatting around them, their ears were filled with the sound of waves crashing against the reefs. They walked slowly, leaving a trail of footprints behind them. Every so often, they would look back at their tracks, the picture of contentment.
Gu Xinran spotted a reef not far away and quickly pulled Yilan toward it. "Sit here, I'll take some pictures of you," she said excitedly.
"Okay." Bai Yilan nodded and sat down on the rock, raising a hand to smooth back her hair.
Gu Xinran took a few steps back and crouched down. Looking at Yilan through the camera lens, she couldn't help but recall her past life. On this very day, December 12th, she and Yilan had stood before the sea, fingers intertwined, and solemnly vowed to protect each other with all their might.
The memory made Gu Xinran's eyes well up. She quickly lowered her head, hiding her face behind the camera.
After composing herself, she took a picture. In the photo, Yilan sat on the reef, dressed in white. Her hair danced in the gentle breeze, and her long, milky-white dress cascaded over the rock, giving her an ethereal aura.
The surging waves and the still clouds formed a striking contrast.
Gu Xinran gazed at the photo for a moment, marveling at the coincidence. On this very day in her past life, Yilan had also been wearing a milky-white dress, sitting on a rock just like this while she took her picture.
"What's wrong?" Bai Yilan got up and walked over. Bending down, she noticed Gu Xinran's eyes were slightly red and asked with concern.
"Hm? Nothing. This picture is just too beautiful." Gu Xinran masked her emotions with a smile, even planting a kiss on the camera as she spoke.
Bai Yilan pouted with mock disdain. "I'm right here, and you're kissing the camera? Fine. You're not allowed to kiss me anymore. Go kiss it instead."
"Hey, don't be like that. How can you be jealous of a camera?" Xinran whined, tugging on the hem of her clothes.
"Go on, shoo."
They wandered for a while longer and had a passerby take a few photos of them together. Seeing that the beach was getting more crowded, they reluctantly departed.
New Weiyi Entertainment, CEO's Office.
Shi Qing had just finished a video conference. Before she could even put down her phone, a Weibo post caught her eye.
She squinted, wondering for a moment if she had misread it.
"What's wrong?" Ye Nan was organizing files when she noticed her boss had frozen, still as a meditating monk.
"Sister Qing?" Ye Nan tapped her shoulder and tilted her head to look at the phone. A Weibo post was displayed on the screen: 【Shocking! Gu and Bai Spotted on Honeymoon, Teacher Bai Suspected to be Pregnant, Clutching Her Stomach!】
"??? What!? They just got their marriage certificate the day before yesterday, and she's already pregnant today?" Ye Nan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. That's too… that can't be right, can it??
"What are you standing there for? Call and ask!" Shi Qing's hands were trembling—a rare sight—and her eyes were practically glittering with excitement.
"Wait, please calm down," Ye Nan said, offering a calm analysis. "This is most likely a rumor. It doesn't happen that fast, does it? Besides, she might not even know herself during the first month."
Shi Qing frowned. That made sense, but…
"I'll just call and ask," Ye Nan said, giving in. She dialed Gu Xinran's number, but the line was busy. She immediately tried Bai Yilan, but her line was busy too.
"Well, I guess people from Xinran's company are asking her about it too."
Shi Qing's brows knitted together. "Am I not her mother? Shouldn't I be the first to know about something like this?"
"…"
Back on Gu Xinran's end, just as Ye Nan had guessed, both of their phones were being blown up by people from their company.
In just half an hour, she had already explained the situation more than ten times. Qu Qi, Fang Yi, and Fang Jinghai all seemed to be calling separately, one after another. Then there were friends from the industry, like Lin Guo, who loved the drama and cheerfully sent their congratulations. The ever-earnest Qin Qiong had even sent a red envelope…
Gu Xinran finally hung up and took a breath, only for her phone to start dinging nonstop again. She rubbed her forehead and opened Weibo. She had to see for herself how this rumor was being spread.
When she saw the post, the corner of Gu Xinran's eye twitched. Yilan had just touched her stomach for a second—how could they spin it into this?
For heaven's sake!
She scrolled down to the comments and was stunned all over again.
Someone had posted a photo of them from the beach. In the picture, Yilan was standing barefoot in the water, the hem of her long dress soaked.
In response to this photo, countless netizens were frantically scolding her…
【?? Ran Zai, what is wrong with you? Your wife is pregnant and you're letting her stand barefoot in the water??】
【!!! Do you even know how to take care of someone? That's a pregnant woman, a pregnant woman! Dressed so lightly and standing in such cold water, how could you be so careless!!】
【Zai, Mama is very disappointed in you. Hurry up and carry your wife back to bed, warm up her feet, quick! Quick!!!】
【Don't let her catch a cold! Stop going to dangerous places like the beach! If anything happens to Little Bai Bai, I'll fight you to the death, ahhh!!】
【?? I'm confused after reading these comments. Whose wife is pregnant, exactly? Why are you all more worked up than she is…】
【The first three months are the most dangerous, so stop running around and just stay home! Why do I feel like my own wife is pregnant? You better take good care of her!】
"…" Gu Xinran almost laughed herself to tears. She tossed the phone to Yilan.
Yilan took one look, covered her face, and tossed the phone back at Gu Xinran. "What is all this nonsense! Clarify it, now!"
"Okay, okay." Gu Xinran thought for a moment and drafted a message. Just as she was about to post the clarification on Weibo, another comment popped up.
【I bet Ran Zai is going to post a clarification saying she's not pregnant. After all, you're not supposed to announce it in the first three months. It's bad luck!】
Gu Xinran's typing hands froze.
"What is it now?"
"…" Gu Xinran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. These netizens had completely blocked off her escape route. How was she supposed to clarify anything now?!
After a moment's thought, Gu Xinran drafted another Weibo post.
【Gu Xinran: Thank you all for your concern. I'm even more anxious about this than you are. If there is good news, I will be the first to share it with everyone. Please refrain from excessive speculation. [Heart][Heart]】
The moment she posted it, a call came in from Ye Nan.
Gu Xinran took a deep breath. "Well, now we've alerted the Empress Dowager…" She quickly answered the call.
"Hello, Auntie Ye. Yilan isn't pregnant. It's just a rumor started by netizens, so please don't believe it," Gu Xinran said preemptively, launching straight into an explanation.
The other end of the line went silent.
"Auntie Ye?"
Then, Shi Qing's voice came through the line, tinged with disappointment and impatience.
The call was disconnected, leaving Gu Xinran at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.
"What did Auntie Ye say?"
"It wasn't Auntie Ye. It was Mom," Gu Xinran said, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Oh? What did she say?"
"She told us to… hurry up a bit."
"To clarify the rumor?"
"…To make a baby."
"???"
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