Against the Light - Chapter 136
Chapter 136: No Time Like the Present
Gu Xinran was just about to go settle accounts with a certain someone when she suddenly felt a body press against her from behind. Before she could react, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.
Bai Yilan rested her cheek on Gu Xinran's shoulder, her arms encircling her waist. "What's this? All huffy and bothered. Are you planning a rebellion?" she asked softly.
"Is my status in this family really that low? It's a good thing we don't have any pets, or would I be ranked behind them too?" Gu Xinran crossed her arms, feigning anger.
"Oh, right." Bai Yilan paused, let her go, picked up a pen and paper, and seriously added a few more strokes.
Gu Xinran tilted her head to look and was instantly speechless. The woman had actually drawn several small potted flowers surrounding Gu Xinran's own figure, each with a big smiley face on it.
"The flowers I raise should also have a slightly higher status than you, hmm."
"You've gone too far!"
"Have I? Then I'll add a few more pots."
"Alright, alright, that's enough, no more," Gu Xinran said, quickly stopping her hand. She was about to die of exasperation.
Bai Yilan smiled sweetly.
Gu Xinran saw it, bent down, scooped her up in her arms, and tossed her onto the sofa.
"Running around barefoot again," she chided. "If the netizens saw this, who knows how they'd tear into me." She then turned and went to the bathroom to get a towel.
Watching Gu Xinran squatting by the sofa to wipe her feet, Bai Yilan raised a hand to stroke her cheek.
"Yilan, let's go back. I can't wait to see our little Xiao Ye army."
Bai Yilan's hand paused, then she pinched Gu Xinran's ear. "Who wants to have a Xiao Ye army with you!"
Gu Xinran beamed and gently stroked her lower abdomen.
"What are you doing?" Bai Yilan slapped her hand away.
"Getting a feel for it in advance~"
Gu Xinran felt it, but the texture didn't seem right. She looked around, grabbed a small throw pillow, and stuffed it under Yilan's clothes. Looking at the round, bulging belly, she then stroked it again with satisfaction.
"You're so annoying!"
"Haha~"
In the past two days, the number of tourists at the resort had suddenly increased significantly. It was probably because photos had exposed their itinerary. It got to the point where Gu Xinran didn't dare take Yilan out, afraid that enthusiastic netizens would grab her by the scruff of her neck and lecture her on how to take care of a pregnant woman.
Bai Yilan was even more frustrated. Her Weibo was flooded with a large number of mothers, enthusiastically telling her all sorts of precautions for pregnancy. They even listed many foods she absolutely couldn't touch and places she definitely couldn't go, worrying themselves to death over her.
Finally, under a barrage of frantic calls from Qu Qi, the two had no choice but to hastily end their honeymoon trip and quietly return to Xiyuan City.
As soon as they got off the plane, they rushed straight to the company.
"What happened? Why were you in such a hurry to call me back?" Gu Xinran asked as she wandered around her own company building.
On a side note, ever since the variety show 【Queen's Stage】 reached new heights of popularity, Heart Entertainment's cash flow had rapidly recovered. With more funds to flex their muscles, Qu Qi gritted her teeth, made a bold decision, and rented the entire building. She moved the newcomer training facility directly into the headquarters, which also made it convenient for artists from the same company to interact, share experiences, and deepen their friendships.
"The finale of Queen's Stage is this weekend. It's about time you two showed your faces. After all, Yilan is participating in the show as Yi Ren's chief designer. It's not right for her to be absent from start to finish. And for the finale's mysterious grand prize, you should also make an appearance. The online demand for you two to show up is even higher than for the contestants themselves."
Gu and Bai exchanged a look. That was true. Ever since Yilan's injury, she had rarely appeared in public, aside from the few times she was secretly photographed.
"Alright. We should see things through to the end," Bai Yilan agreed.
"Okay, then we'll go over tomorrow and do a run-through," Gu Xinran nodded.
"Okay."
New Weiyi Entertainment, President's Office.
"The two of them should be home by now, right?" Shi Qing asked.
"Yes, they were called to the company as soon as they landed. They probably have work scheduled," Ye Nan said.
Shi Qing frowned upon hearing this. "At a time like this, they still have work scheduled? They're really not in a hurry to have a baby, are they?"
"Ah, young people these days. All they think about is living their own little lives. Isn't there a saying? 'The parents are true love, the child is just an accident,'" Ye Nan said with a laugh.
Shi Qing pouted and shot her a look. "I don't care. I want a granddaughter."
"…You can't say that to me!" Ye Nan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How am I supposed to be in charge of that?
However, after receiving the big boss's death glare, the little assistant decisively surrendered. "Alright, alright, alright, please don't look at me like that…"
Ye Nan thought for a moment. "Then how about I call them home for dinner tonight, and the two of us can try to persuade them?"
"Mm."
She picked up her phone and dialed Yilan's number.
"Hello? Auntie Ye?"
"Yilan, are you back? Come over for dinner tonight. Auntie will make you something delicious."
The two exchanged a look, and Gu Xinran nodded.
"Okay, we'll head over in a bit."
"Alrighty~"
After hanging up, Bai Yilan pressed a hand to her forehead. How was their schedule tighter now than when they were working?
At the dinner table, the family of four enjoyed their meal in harmony.
Shi Qing served them food, gentle and kind, her motherly love on full display. This prompted the two to exchange frequent glances, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
"Do you have any work scheduled in the next couple of days?" Ye Nan asked.
"Hmm? Well…"
"If you don't have anything scheduled, then go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. I've already made the arrangements," Shi Qing said.
"…?" You're not even letting us speak.
"What check-up?"
"A pre-pregnancy check-up. You two aren't getting any younger; it's time to have a child. If you're worried you won't have time to yourselves after the baby comes, just leave the child here. Your mother will help you raise her. She's dying to look after a granddaughter," Ye Nan said with a smile.
The two exchanged wry smiles. "Actually, Mom, Auntie Ye, you don't have to be in such a hurry. We were also planning to have a child soon. It's just that we should see our work commitments through to the end. I'm the one who spearheaded this variety show and invited so many friends from the industry. It's the finale now, so it would be unreasonable for me not to make an appearance. And Yilan, she's Yi Ren's designer, after all. The show is primarily promoting the Yi Ren brand, so she has to be there too. So we were thinking of having a child after this is over."
"Just getting a check-up first won't take up too much time, and it will give us some peace of mind, won't it?" Ye Nan coaxed.
The two exchanged a look.
"This specialist is very hard to book. It even took me a week to get an appointment," Ye Nan continued.
"Then… alright. We'll go for the check-up tomorrow morning and then head to the venue in the afternoon?" she whispered, turning her head to consult with Yilan.
"Mm," Bai Yilan nodded, feeling just as helpless.
Seeing that the two had relented, Ye Nan was very happy. She then asked them about interesting things that happened on their trip, and the rest of the dinner proceeded very harmoniously.
The next day, early in the morning, Gu Xinran was woken up by a phone call. She picked up her phone and saw it was from Qu Qi, likely calling to rush her to the venue.
Gu Xinran stretched lazily and answered the phone.
"Hello, Sister Qi. I have something on this morning. I'll head over in the afternoon."
"Ah, no, no, no, you don't need to come."
"?? What?" Gu Xinran was a bit dumbfounded.
"It's nothing. You're not a professional host, after all. I was afraid you'd drop the ball, so I found someone more professional. That's all for now. You get some rest. Don't worry about work, I've got it."
"Huh?" Gu Xinran's face was a picture of utter confusion.
"Mm, hanging up, bye-bye." After saying that, Qu Qi hung up the phone without another word.
"What's wrong?" Bai Yilan, still not fully awake, asked, her voice muffled as she buried her face in the blankets.
"I don't know. Sister Qi is being weird. Now she's saying we don't need to show up." Gu Xinran put the phone aside, turned to embrace her sweet little wife, and pulled the covers over their heads, ready for another sweet round of sleep.
"My two young ladies?"
"Aiyo!" The two were startled. Gu Xinran nearly jumped up. She threw back the covers and saw Ye Nan pushing the door open, looking at them with a smile.
"Auntie Ye, is something wrong?"
"Time to get up. Breakfast is ready. We'll go to the hospital after you eat."
The two sighed in unison. "Okay, we'll be right there," Gu Xinran replied.
In the car, Gu Xinran called Qu Qi again to ask about work, only to be explicitly told by Qu Qi to rest obediently, prepare for pregnancy properly, and that she could handle everything work-related and didn't need them to worry about it!
Ye Nan, who was beside her, heard this and smiled with sly satisfaction.
"Auntie Ye, did you say something to Sister Qi?"
"Huh? No, I just… helped her find a host with an even bigger name than the two of you."
"Huh??"
"Auntie Ye, where's my mother?" Bai Yilan asked.
"Oh, her? She had something to do today, so she's busy."
Bai Yilan sighed.
"Don't be so quick to sigh. She said that after you get pregnant, she's going to put her work aside to stay by your side and take care of you every day. She wants to personally witness you grow from a girl into a mother. So, these next few days, she needs to arrange her work so she can get away sooner."
Bai Yilan smiled, pressing her lips together.
"Hmm? Maybe not. If Mom is taking care of her personally, what will I do?" Gu Xinran asked with a laugh.
"You, of course, will be earning money for baby formula."
Gu Xinran never would have imagined that what was supposed to be just a pre-pregnancy check-up would end with the two of them being coaxed by the doctor and Ye Nan into staying at the hospital for observation and to prepare for the ovulation procedure.
Right now, Gu Xinran stood in that familiar hospital room with her hands on her hips, feeling quite bewildered. She felt as if she had been completely and utterly played.
"I can't believe I fell for your nonsense." Bai Yilan leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her forehead, her head aching terribly. She had been discharged less than a month ago, and now she'd been thrown back in here!!
"It was them, them," Gu Xinran said, puffing her cheeks in frustration.
"? Then who was it that carried me in here?"
"Er…" Gu Xinran touched her nose, looking a little guilty.
"The moment we entered the hospital, you sided with them. Gu Xinran, I really misjudged you!"
"I…" Gu Xinran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The doctor had made sense. Both of them happened to be ovulating, and if they missed this chance, they'd have to wait another month. Since Qu Qi had already guaranteed that she didn't need to meddle in work matters, why wait another month? There was no time like the present, right!
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