Against the Light - Chapter 138
Chapter 138: Pregnant!
Outside the operating room, Gu Xinran and the others sat on a long bench, waiting anxiously.
Shi Qing paced the corridor, glancing at the operating room door from time to time.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ye Nan sitting on the bench with her hands clasped as if in prayer, and her brow furrowed slightly.
"Why are you more nervous than I am?"
"Am I?" Ye Nan paused, looking down at her hands. It seemed she really was…
Gu Xinran looked between the two of them, amused by their antics, and her own tense heart eased a little.
Just as she was about to speak, the door to the operating room suddenly opened!
The three of them shot up reflexively and rushed to the door.
"Doctor, how is she?"
"Don't worry, the procedure was a great success. The baby has already begun to develop in the mother's body."
"!!!"
The hospital bed was wheeled out. Bai Yilan lay on it, a hand on her stomach, as if sensing the changes in her body.
"Yilan, how are you? Can you feel her yet?" Gu Xinran was ecstatic. She grabbed Bai Yilan's hand and glanced at her lower abdomen, asking impatiently.
Bai Yilan chuckled lightly. "Silly, it's not that fast."
Shi Qing looked at the two of them with immense relief, her eyes reddening before she knew it.
She had never imagined she would see the day Yilan became a mother.
"Hey, hey, Sister Qing, what are you doing??" Seeing Shi Qing suddenly burst into tears, Ye Nan panicked.
Bai Yilan glanced at her mother and held out a hand.
Shi Qing took her daughter's hand and patted it. Mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled.
They wheeled Bai Yilan back to her room. Gu Xinran stayed by her side, not leaving for a second, afraid to miss a single glance.
Bai Yilan leaned against the headboard. The anesthetic hadn't worn off yet, so she couldn't feel any physical changes for the time being. Not that she would feel much even after it did; she had only just gotten pregnant, and the baby hadn't developed yet.
"Yilan, are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Have some water first! I'll peel an apple for you!" Gu Xinran was clearly still in a state of excitement.
"Will you just settle down? Where did your calm demeanor go?" Shi Qing shot her a displeased look.
Gu Xinran fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and forced her racing heart to calm down.
Bai Yilan was amused. She reached out and stroked her head. "Alright, don't be so excited." She paused, stole a glance at her mother, then shifted closer to Gu Xinran's ear. "It's not the first time, you know~"
Gu Xinran also glanced at Shi Qing and leaned in, her lips brushing against Bai Yilan's ear. "It's because it's not the first time that I'm even more excited."
She recalled her past life, when Yilan was pregnant while she was still busy running around for work. This time, she could finally make up for that regret. How could she not be excited?
"Hey, hey, aren't you two being a bit much? Whispering secrets right in front of us? Do you think we're in the way or something!" Ye Nan put her hands on her hips, dissatisfied, upon seeing their little exchange.
"Of course not~" The two exchanged a smile.
Ye Nan looked at them, then suddenly frowned. She walked over and pulled Gu Xinran's arm away from where it was wrapped around Bai Yilan.
"You two are both mothers now. You have to think of the child before you do anything. Do you understand what I mean?" Ye Nan said seriously.
The pair looked at each other, not quite understanding.
"Not really…"
"Alright. The first three months are a critical period for the baby's development. During this time, you two are forbidden from any overly intimate contact."
"…"
"Not even hugging??" Gu Xinran looked at her own hands.
"Hah, hugging and cuddling… what if you get carried away? For the baby's sake, you'll just have to endure it. We'll talk again after three months."
"Wait, what do you mean, get carried away… You're…" Gu Xinran almost burst out laughing. If a simple hug could get her worked up, just how… thirsty was she!
"Auntie Ye, it's not that serious, really," Bai Yilan tried to persuade her.
"Then who was it the other day, holding Yilan just like this and nibbling on her neck?" Ye Nan demanded.
"I…" Gu Xinran was speechless.
"Auntie Ye, that was a misunderstanding, that…"
"Alright, stop arguing." Shi Qing cut them off.
They all turned to look at her, waiting for her to say something fair.
"I think Ye Nan has a point. You two are too affectionate. You should be more careful these next few months. How about this, Xinran, you can go back to work at the company tomorrow."
"????"
Gu Xinran was dumbfounded, her mind instantly filled with question marks.
"Mom, I… I want to stay with Yilan for a few days. I promise, I swear! I won't let my mind wander, and I won't touch her inappropriately, okay? I don't want to miss a single day, minute, or second of Yilan and the baby's growth!" Gu Xinran pleaded with heartfelt sincerity.
Ye Nan felt like she was about to cry. She couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Alright, alright, it's not a big deal. But I'm serious, you really need to be careful."
"I know," Gu Xinran quickly agreed.
Bai Yilan looked at her and gently tugged her ear. "You silly thing."
"Alright, you've been staring at me for the better part of the day." Bai Yilan put down her book and shot a helpless glance at the person sitting by her bed, chin propped in her hands, gazing at her.
She glanced at the window behind her; the sky outside had already darkened.
Just as Gu Xinran was about to speak, Bai Yilan cut her off.
"No feeling, no movement, no reaction."
"You've only just conceived. Why are you in such a hurry? The doctor said pregnancy symptoms won't show up until the fifth or sixth week."
"I know, I just…"
"Can't help yourself, is that it? Then read to me." Bai Yilan handed the book to Gu Xinran.
"Hm? 'Lens Design'?" Gu Xinran glanced at the title.
"Mhm, lens design is my weak point. I can take this opportunity while I'm resting to brush up on it."
Gu Xinran nodded and opened the book to the first page.
"Read it with feeling, so the little one can listen too."
"You just said she hasn't even developed yet."
"Talking back?"
"Okay~" Gu Xinran immediately put on a smile and began to read aloud with great emotion.
Ye Nan peeked in from outside the room.
"What are those two doing?" Shi Qing asked.
"Xinran is reading to Yilan. Those two can make even reading a book look like a work of art."
"Ah, young people these days are just so romantic," Ye Nan sighed, her eyes full of envy.
Shi Qing glanced at her. "What's there to be envious about? It's just reading a book." She turned, picked up a book from nearby, and tossed it over. "Here, read."
"?"
"Is one book enough? Here's another." Shi Qing tossed another one over.
"…"
"That's enough, that's enough…"
Meanwhile, Bai Yilan was leaning against the headboard, one hand propping up her cheek, her eyes closed as she listened to Gu Xinran read to her. It was incredibly pleasant. Before she knew it, drowsiness crept in, and her eyelids began to fight to stay open.
Gu Xinran looked up and saw that Bai Yilan seemed to have fallen asleep. With a helpless smile, she gently tucked her in, then moved to the sofa to read quietly by herself.
A week later, Bai Yilan was discharged from the hospital and went to Shi Qing's suburban villa to rest and nurture the pregnancy.
Shi Qing had insisted on it. The first three months were crucial for the fetus's development, and she wanted to personally take care of her. Besides, she knew her daughter was a workaholic. If she took her eyes off her for a second, Bai Yilan might run off to a film set. If anything happened, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Gu Xinran had no objections. It was rare for the busy President Shi to put her work on hold to care for Yilan. It was also a good opportunity for the mother and daughter to mend their relationship. Moreover, Auntie Ye was a great cook, meticulous, and very caring. She felt at ease leaving Yilan in their care.
Bai Yilan, however, was miserable. Her daily routine now consisted of eating and sleeping. After living at home for over a month, she had gained a noticeable amount of weight and looked plumper all over. She felt less like she was nurturing a pregnancy and more like she was being fattened up like a pig!
One morning, before Gu Xinran had even opened her eyes, she heard the sound of dry heaving from the bathroom. She practically shot out of bed, not even bothering with slippers as she rushed straight to the bathroom.
"What's wrong? Are you having symptoms?" Gu Xinran gently patted Yilan's back. She had been a little worried that there had been no morning sickness all this time, but now that it had suddenly appeared, she was even more worried.
Yilan nodded, her face pale. She dry-heaved a few more times.
"Is it really bad?" Gu Xinran's heart ached for her.
Bai Yilan glanced at her and chuckled. "It's fine. It's normal morning sickness. It'll pass after a while, don't worry."
Gu Xinran helped her back to bed and handed her a glass of warm water.
"Still feeling sick?"
"I'm fine, it's a little better."
Seeing how worried she was, Bai Yilan smiled and pinched her ear. "Didn't Sister Qi ask you to go to the company today?"
"I'll tell her I'm not going. I can't leave you like this."
"Don't be ridiculous. You've already been off work for two months. Are you planning to stay home with me until after the baby is born before you go back?"
"Can I?"
"Of course not. Go pick your career ambition back up."
Gu Xinran reluctantly agreed.
After breakfast, Ye Nan tidied up and sat with Shi Qing in the living room, reviewing reports from the company.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan walked out hand in hand. Gu Xinran reluctantly let go and waved at Yilan. But before she even reached the front door, she turned back and hugged her again.
"You have to tell Auntie Ye if you feel unwell."
"Mhm, I know."
"Rest well, don't wander around. Don't go near the pond, don't climb on anything, don't…"
"Alright, I know. Auntie Ye and Mom are here. They'll watch me."
"Then I'm leaving?"
"Mhm, go on."
Gu Xinran walked to the door and had just touched the handle when she turned back again. "No, I miss you. One more hug."
"Okay~"
Shi Qing and Ye Nan exchanged a look, then simultaneously glanced at the goosebumps on their arms.
"Could these two get any clingier…" Ye Nan muttered under her breath.
"Are they treating us like we're invisible?" Shi Qing frowned.
"…Apparently so."
"Go on, it's getting late." Bai Yilan straightened up, popped the collar of Gu Xinran's trench coat, and checked her makeup. Beautiful~
"Then you take care of yourself."
"Mhm, go," Yilan said softly.
Gu Xinran looked at Yilan, backing away toward the door. She reluctantly turned and pressed the handle. Just as she was about to push the door open, she looked back at Yilan one more time.
"Just go!" Bai Yilan pointed at the door, her voice rising several notches. Her face was a picture of exasperation, a far cry from the sweet affection of a moment ago.
"…" Looking back with every step, Gu Xinran finally, under Yilan's pointed gaze, made her incredibly difficult exit.
Watching the door close, Bai Yilan rubbed her forehead. That whole scene just now felt exactly like watching Xiao Ye on her first day of kindergarten :)
Comments
Post a Comment