Chapter 50

Chapter 50

It took less than twenty-five minutes there and back.

When Bian Han returned, her down coat was dusted with snow that hadn't melted, and she carried a large bag of items. She pulled Jiang Jining, who was dozing on the sofa, to his feet. "Come."

Jiang Jining obediently followed her lead.

"What exactly did you go out for?" Bian Jiacheng, using the little black cat nestled against his chest as a phone stand, shot a long look at the bag in Bian Han's hand.

His intuition told him this thing was quite important.

Bian Han didn't have a second to spare for him. She led Jiang Jining back to his own room, dumped out seven or eight boxes of different brands all at once, glanced at the instructions, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a paper cup. She took him to the bathroom and said, "Pee in this."

Jiang Jining: "..."

His drowsiness vanished, and his face flushed red. He stammered, "Why?"

"I have good reason to suspect there's another little one here."

Bian Han pointed at his stomach. "Haven't you noticed yourself? Or do you not know the early symptoms of pregnancy?"

Pregnancy?

Jiang Jining's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly dismissed the idea as impossible. Fu Yuze wouldn't lie to him.

"But we used protection every time..."

"Did you check in the middle or afterward for any breakage or slippage?"

It was plain as day to Bian Han how lovestruck her kid must have been. It was perfectly normal for a smooth talker to fool him. "Or did you leave it all to Fu Yuze to handle? He could have sweet-talked his way through it, and you wouldn't have known."

Jiang Jining: "..."

"For now, it's just my suspicion. If it's true, it's a happy event. Go on." Bian Han didn't want to put too much pressure on him. While he was in the bathroom getting ready, she tore open all the test strips on the bed and read the instructions.

Two minutes later.

"Click—"

Jiang Jining opened the door and came out, but his hands were empty. He said dryly that he'd left it in the bathroom.

After explaining the usage to him, Bian Han, still worried about mistakes, asked, "Shall I do it?"

Jiang Jining quickly said, "I'll do it myself!"

Bian Han couldn't sit still; standing was torture. She was essentially going through the anxious process of impending fatherhood on Fu Yuze's behalf in advance. She sat on the foot of the bed, directly facing the bathroom door, eagerly awaiting the results.

She rather hoped it was a big misunderstanding.

If it was a false alarm this time, that was fine; at least they'd be prepared next time.

It probably hasn't been long, right?

Five minutes later, Jiang Jining finally emerged, his cheeks flushed. Bian Han went in and found seven or eight test strips of different colors and shapes neatly arranged on the long marble vanity, lined up like well-behaved children taking a nap.

The waiting times varied slightly.

The longest one required fifteen minutes.

Bian Han: "..." Patience is a virtue.

"I'm a bit hungry."

Jiang Jining had run through quite a range of emotions.

From shock to anger at Fu Yuze's blatant lies, then to nervousness and anticipation—it had taken a lot out of him. Finally, he remembered his empty stomach.

"Alright, go eat something first. Don't feel like throwing up anymore, right?"

Bian Han hadn't forgotten what sent her out into the snow to buy pregnancy tests.

Jiang Jining softly said he didn't.

Watching her guard the vanity without moving an inch warmed his heart.

He went alone to find the housekeeper for something to eat. There was a freshly baked batch of chicken wings and pear baked with rock sugar. The small cakes and cream doughnuts Fu Yuze had delivered in the morning were in the fridge, icy cold. Bian Han wouldn't let him eat those, so he had to give up.

"You can eat this much now?" Bian Jiacheng, on his way to ask Bian Han what was happening, passed the dining room and saw Jiang Jining eating alone. He was eating slowly but had already put away quite a bit. "Dinner's almost ready."

"I'm too hungry."

Jiang Jining told him matter-of-factly.

Bian Jiacheng looked at the food and felt tempted too. "Give me a bite."

Jiang Jining handed him a new pair of chopsticks and generously offered him the last two pan-fried pork and water chestnut buns.

In the bathroom, just a wall away.

Bian Han watched as all the test strips fully developed their colors, one after another. Without exception, they all showed two lines. She paid special attention to the two most sensitive digital tests the pharmacy owner had highly recommended.

They clearly displayed the electronic data:

"Pregnant, 3w+"

Thank goodness.

Bian Han's heart finally eased a bit. It wasn't too late; they could start paying attention now and not miss any steps. Leaning on the vanity, she took a photo with one hand and sent it to the father-to-be, Fu Yuze, tossing a single question mark over as punishment.

Shishu was in the middle of its evening service; he probably wouldn't see it immediately.

No hurry.

Bian Han tidied up and left the room.

The auntie had prepared a full table of delicious dishes.

Jiang Jining, having saved room by not eating too much earlier, stood holding the kitten, admiring the freshly prepared feast.

The housekeeper at Bian Han's place, after learning about Fu Yuze's profession, had taken the initiative to study. Her increasingly exquisite culinary skills were now widely praised and quite impressive.

Jiang Jining understood from the look in Bian Han's eyes.

He was pregnant.

Although caught off guard at first, Jiang Jining felt more anticipation than anything else. A slight smile touched his lips as he scratched the soft chin of the kitten in his arms, unable to contain his joy at the thought of becoming a father.

Modern pregnancy testing technology is so convenient!

Bian Han let the housekeeper leave early.

She figured they'd be fine using the dishwasher.

Bian Jiacheng saw Jiang Jining had been texting on his watch and said, "Don't bother asking. Shishu is open until 8:30 today."

"He told me before he left this morning." Jiang Jining put down his hand and announced, "I'm craving Shishu's pudding. I messaged him to bring me back some. Do you want any? Fu Yuze should be here around eight."

Bian Jiacheng remembered that Shishu's chef's menu had limited availability.

No wonder it's closing so early.

"Ask him to bring Xi Wang along."

Bian Jiacheng turned down the dessert offer, put on gloves, and peeled the largest crab for Jiang Jining as part of the deal.

After all, Jiang Jining always gets a hold of Fu Yuze.

"He's not to be disturbed at work." Jiang Jining pushed the crab back, sticking to his principles.

From the other side of the living room, Bian Han took a prized bottle from the liquor cabinet, uncorked it, and came back to the table. Watching their back-and-forth, she didn't intervene. Instead, she went into the kitchen and brought out the warm milk the housekeeper had left ready for Jiang Jining. Only then did she warn Bian Jiacheng, who was pushing harder and harder to get Jiang Jining to call Fu Yuze: "Don't pester him here."

After issuing the strict prohibition, Bian Han placed the entire large plate of drunken crab in Huadiao wine in front of Bian Jiacheng.

"You love this, so you eat it all. Ning Zai shouldn't have this now. The housekeeper made so much because she saw you both liked it. It would be a waste not to eat it."

Bian Jiacheng wondered what the new rule was. "He could eat it before, couldn't he?"

Jiang Jining had been eyeing that plate of crab for a long time. Hearing Bian Han's words, he quickly realized that pregnant people shouldn't eat drunken crab. He slipped a hand under the table to touch his belly. The little one was more important.

Well, if he couldn't have it, he couldn't.

"Ning Zai is pregnant and can't eat it." Bian Han cut off any chance for him to ask if it was a joke, directly stating, "I just went out and bought test strips. They showed two lines. With all the alcohol and crab, if something happens to the little one, will you be responsible?"

Bian Jiacheng: "???"

"Wait—"

Bian Jiacheng put down his chopsticks and looked at the two of them.

Both were completely unflappable. Since Jiang Jining appeared, nothing in the world seemed impossible anymore. But the facts were right in front of him, and it was downright baffling: "Hey! Why didn't you two tell me?"

So I'm the only one who didn't know?

That bastard Fu Yuze knew all along and was taking it easy, right?

No wonder the Fu family's attitude was completely different from our parents'. The more Bian Jiacheng thought about it, the more worked up he got. Finally, as if remembering something, he scrutinized Jiang Jining's current radiant, well-nourished, wifely appearance.

Damn!

When did these two achieve the great harmony of life?

Bian Jiacheng had been wholly focused on chasing after someone recently, completely captivated by Xi Wang's steady, honest personality. It felt like real domesticity—if he drank too much, someone would take care of him, and when he woke up, delicious food would be brought to his lips. He hadn't noticed at all that his good brother was no longer a virgin.

Is Fu Yuze crazy?

After guarding his chastity for twenty-five years, he goes crazy with Jiang Jining and even manages to get him pregnant?

"Why should we tell you?" Bian Han peeled several plump shrimp, dipped them in sauce for Jiang Jining, and pushed the plate of deboned fish over as well. She said very seriously to Bian Jiacheng, "Give me a few reasons why we had to tell you. If you can come up with three, you can be the child's uncle."

"..."

Bian Jiacheng's mind raced.

"I can give Ningning a baby gift. I can love this child as if it were my own when it's born. Also, the best OB-GYN care in Jingzhou is from the hospital where my mom gave birth to me. My family is still the largest shareholder of that hospital."

Bian Han saw that he actually came up with three reasons.

"Then it's settled." Bian Han was pleased with the deal she'd secured for the little one. "After Ning Zai gives birth, I'll have Fu Yuze notify you first thing."

Bian Jiacheng was a man of his word: "Deal!"

Then he demanded immediate proof.

Bian Han got one of the most intact, clean, and sealed test strips for him. It still displayed the words "pregnant" and the number of weeks.

"..."

Is this really not a prank?

Bian Jiacheng then asked to see all the test strips.

Bian Han brought them all. As he picked them up one by one, she cleared her throat softly after he had almost finished examining them all: "For your information, early pregnancy test strips use urine. You should go wash your hands."

Bian Jiacheng stood up wordlessly and left.

Jiang Jining whispered, "A-Han, why didn't you tell him earlier..."

He was feeling rather speechless.

Bian Han genuinely thought Bian Jiacheng would just open and look. Who knew he would directly handle them? There was really no helping it. Watching Jiang Jining's face grow redder, she found him adorable: "Eat more. It's too late today to definitely book a doctor's appointment. I'll discuss with Fu Yuze later and try to get the first appointment possible tomorrow."

Jiang Jining asked earnestly, "Do we still need to go to the hospital?"

"Of course." Seeing that he understood nothing and didn't much like hospitals, Bian Han shared the most tempting condition: "Current medical technology can see the baby in any form, even in the early months."

Jiang Jining was almost instantly swayed.

That meant, even now, through his belly, he could see the adorable image of his daughter sleeping inside him.