Chapter 170

Chapter 170

◎Do You Know I've Been Living Each Day Like a Year?◎

Ren Suiyi took a long time to digest the truth Meng Qi had told him.

The car was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

During this time, he not only silently processed what Meng Qi had said but also rebuilt his worldview. His gaze toward Meng Qi shifted from initial utter shock to calm acceptance, then to a mixture of surprise and joy. Finally, without waiting for Meng Qi to remind him again, he leaned down on his own to greet the little one:

"Baby, it's me. I'm your father too. Can you hear Daddy talking?"

In response, the little one gave Ren Suiyi a short but forceful double kick, hitting his lips pressed against Meng Qi's belly and making Meng Qi grunt softly.

After a brief moment of shock, ignoring the tooth pain that shot straight to the top of his head, he grabbed Meng Qi's hand and repeatedly asked what was wrong.

His panic seemed genuine, and the way he cared for Meng Qi was like handling fragile treasure. His reaction made Meng Qi feel warm and reassured. In an instant, it made Meng Qi forget the physical pain, and he smiled to explain,

"It seems the little one really likes you. He got so excited hearing your voice. He's never kicked that hard when interacting with me before."

"Does he genuinely like me, or does he hate me so much he wants to kick me away?" Ren Suiyi frowned, glancing at Meng Qi's belly, his joy replaced by a sternness Meng Qi wasn't familiar with. "Whether you like me or hate me, from now on, you're not allowed to kick Daddy's belly that hard, got it? If you don't behave, you'll get a spanking from me when you come out."

Meng Qi: ........................

"You're overreacting, Daddy Ren. He's just a little one whose brain hasn't fully developed. How could he understand concepts like hate? Besides, you've never wronged him, so why would he hate you..."

Ren Suiyi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. While rubbing Meng Qi's belly, he retorted, "If he knows who he likes and interacts with, why wouldn't he know who he hates and wants to kick away?"

It was Meng Qi who had concluded that the little one liked Ren Suiyi. Now Ren Suiyi was using Meng Qi's own words against him. Meng Qi was left speechless for a moment before finally replying, "Well, that... Right now, his brain's neural dendrites are just forming. In other words, the foundation for his thought processes has just been built and isn't fully operational yet. He can't think yet; he doesn't understand the concept of like or hate. What we call interaction is just his instinctive response to external stimuli."

"That's so professional?" Ren Suiyi looked up at Meng Qi, pausing his hand rubbing Meng Qi's belly.

Meng Qi's face turned slightly red. "...Li Qingjiang recommended some infant care books to me before. I'm going through them."

"When we get back, I'll read them with you. We'll interact with him at a basic level for now. When he can understand what we're saying, I'll educate him then," Ren Suiyi said to Meng Qi.

Meng Qi: ...

"Don't scare him! You need to have loving parent-child interactions. That way, he'll be in a good mood, grow faster, and look forward to this world," Meng Qi reached out to cover Ren Suiyi's mouth again.

Anticipating Meng Qi's move, Ren Suiyi tilted his head away, dodging Meng Qi's hand. "Whether he looks forward to this world or not, he'll have to come into it eventually, so don't worry too much about that. I've heard others say that if a child grows too fast, it can affect the health of the one carrying the baby, so..."

This time, Meng Qi had to lean forward to cover Ren Suiyi's mouth. Even though he wasn't a mind reader, he could guess what Ren Suiyi was about to say. How could they let the little one hear such words, even if his brain wasn't fully developed?

"I told you not to scare him..." Meng Qi quickly pressed his hand over Ren Suiyi's mouth.

But Ren Suiyi promptly pulled Meng Qi's hand down, raised an eyebrow, and said, "If that scares him, his courage is way too small. He needs to toughen up!" Seeing Meng Qi's face tighten with irritation, he quickly explained that he really meant no harm.

He's a father too—how could he possibly hurt his own child? "What I meant was, let him grow slowly inside you. It's fine to grow after birth. Look at Sister Tanxi's second child—born as small as a palm, now he's tall and healthy. But Sister Tanxi had a much easier time carrying him than her first. She said that herself."

Tanxi, Jiang Tanxi, Jiang Baixi's elder sister.

Meng Qi remembered that this eldest daughter of the Jiang family appeared quite often in the book. She was twelve years older than Jiang Baixi and had always been like a mother to him. Regarding her experience giving birth to her second child, the book described it this way:

At that time, because the "Meng Qi" in the book kept causing trouble between Ren Suiyi and Jiang Baixi, Jiang Baixi's mood got so bad he didn't even want to go to school. He just wanted to stay in his room and sleep. Not knowing how to cheer him up, Jiang's parents called his beloved elder sister, Jiang Tanxi, back home to take care of him. No one knew Jiang Tanxi was already pregnant, not even her. She focused entirely on Jiang Baixi, ignoring her own body until she lay on the delivery bed and saw her palm-sized second child—only then did she realize how serious it was.

In that book, Jiang Baixi doted on his little nephew, whom he felt he had accidentally caused trouble. Whenever someone mentioned something good for the child's health, whether it was the moon in the sky or a turtle in the sea, he would find a way to get it for the little guy.

By extension, Ren Suiyi also adored that child.

Though he had decided to let bygones be bygones, hearing Ren Suiyi mention Jiang Tanxi and her palm-sized child still stirred a bitter feeling in Meng Qi's heart. At that moment, he realized Ren Suiyi might not dislike children—maybe he just disliked this child in Meng Qi's belly.

Then what was that burst of joy in his eyes when he first learned the truth? Was it just an act? Meng Qi fell silent.

"Don't be upset. I won't scare him anymore, I swear!" Seeing Meng Qi's mood suddenly drop, Ren Suiyi hurriedly cupped Meng Qi's face, forcing him to meet his eyes. "This is my first time being a father. I have no experience at all. In my excitement, I might say things I shouldn't say. Can you teach me? I promise I'll listen to everything! I'll do anything if it makes you happy!"

"Anything to make you happy." After mulling over those words a few times, Meng Qi finally felt a little better. He shook his head, pushing away those awkward thoughts, took a deep breath, and said to Ren Suiyi, "I want you to love him the same way you love me, both before and after he's born."

"I can do that," Ren Suiyi nodded without hesitation. But just as Meng Qi was about to smile, he quickly added, "But you need to know one thing: the only reason I love him is because I love you. So, before he's born or after, if he ever hurts you, I will take back my love for him anytime."

Why does it sound like I'm carrying someone else's kid? Doesn't he have half your genes? Can't you love him because of that genetic connection? Meng Qi thought.

Hearing such an "unusual" view of parenthood for the first time, he wasn't moved by Ren Suiyi's words; instead, he felt a weariness. He could even picture the chaos of having to deal with one big kid and one little kid—just imagining it was exhausting. So exhausted that he couldn't help but retort, "What if it's you who hurts me?"

"Impossible. I will never hurt you." Ren Suiyi answered decisively.

Meng Qi believed Ren Suiyi could keep that promise, but he was stubborn and wanted an answer. So he insisted, "I'm saying, what if? If it's you who hurts me?"

"If that day ever comes, I would loathe—no, not just loathe, I would despise myself. And I would let the whole world despise and loathe me too. Because someone who hurts you doesn't deserve to live." Ren Suiyi's seriousness made Meng Qi's heart tremble, and he gave his answer.

Meng Qi was both satisfied and unsatisfied. He didn't know what exactly left him unsatisfied, but after hearing Ren Suiyi, he felt a pang of sorrow first, then joy.

And at that moment, he finally understood why Ren Suiyi had to add, "The only reason I love him is because I love you. If he hurts you, I will take back my love for him anytime." It wasn't because he didn't like the child—it was because he loved Meng Qi too much to allow anyone to hurt him.

Well, he had misunderstood Ren Suiyi. He needed to apologize:

"Brother, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you, nor tested you, nor demanded that you love him as much as you love me. Everyone is free. I hope you are free in loving others and yourself. I also hope you are always happy, and that you don't bear hatred or harm because of me."

"I'm happy right now. I was confused when I first learned the truth, but now I'm really happy. I love you, and I love him too. I want both of you to be healthy. After he's born, the three of us can go on a world tour—how about that?"

That was a great idea. Meng Qi was about to nod when Ren Suiyi added, "If he doesn't want to go, we can leave him with my parents and go ourselves. We can tell him about it when we come back."

Meng Qi: ...

That last sentence really wasn't necessary.

When Ren Suiyi said those words, the little one moved his tiny hands and feet, probably responding to the idea of a three-person world tour. It seemed the little one wanted to go too. But because Ren Suiyi was holding Meng Qi's hand, he didn't notice the reaction. So he didn't know that after the final hypothetical remark, the little one "stomped his feet" angrily, making Meng Qi's vision go dark and nearly making him cry out.

But to maintain the father-son bond between Ren Suiyi and the baby, Meng Qi gritted his teeth and endured it, showing no discomfort. He only gave Ren Suiyi an awkward but polite smile and replied with one word, "Okay."

Dare to kick your daddy like that? Then you won't get to go! Meng Qi had his temper too.

Then Ren Suiyi suddenly thought of something, a smile playing on his lips, and placed his hand on Meng Qi's belly. Curious to see what Ren Suiyi would do next, Meng Qi sat still, not moving or speaking, letting him continue.

But Liang Wenkai knocked on the car door and asked from outside, "Are we leaving?"

Meng Qi quickly shifted his gaze from Ren Suiyi to the driver's window and called out awkwardly while rubbing his nose, "Yes, yes, come in, A-Kai."

The next second, Liang Wenkai opened the door, climbed into the driver's seat, rubbing his hands and shivering. While fastening his seatbelt, he told Meng Qi to look outside, "The sky is dark. We need to get back quickly. It might snow halfway."

"Snow today? I checked the weather forecast before going out; it didn't mention

Oh, well...

Meng Qi silently turned his head toward the car window, pretending to admire the passing scenery.

"Author's Note"

After rushing all the way, I've only just reached Major Snow (the Chinese solar term). Didn't make it for Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way—or rather, it melted [melted], and probably won't make it for New Year's Day either [melted].

So let me wish us both all the holiday happiness ahead of time! [hug]