Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Xiao Ke valued efficiency, so within a few days of Gu Shenhan's instructions, people began arriving at Bishuiwan one after another.

They wore the uniforms of Bishuiwan security personnel but were only responsible for the area where Rong Yuan'an lived. As for how Xiao Ke negotiated with the property management, only he himself probably knew.

Rong Yuan'an didn't notice these things until many days later, and only because he arrived particularly early one day and saw someone lingering near Building 521, seemingly searching for something. That's when he asked Gu Shenhan, "Darling, what are they doing?"

Gu Shenhan said, "Running wires."

"Running wires?"

"Yes. Setting up an alarm line around these three villas. If someone approaches this perimeter without using the main entrance, it will trigger an alarm for the owner. They're all old acquaintances of Lao Xiao, so don't worry."

"I see. So they'll leave once they're done?"

"No, they'll stay here permanently. Haven't you seen them before?"

"No. I haven't been going out much since I arrived. When I do go out, I take the car straight from the garage to outside, and either Xiao Yu or Lao Xiao drives."

And when he was in the car but still inside the complex, he usually didn't pay much attention to the outside.

Gu Shenhan said, "That's fine. Focus on your own things. But it might be good to get to know them in advance, so you won't be startled if you suddenly see them and mistake them for strangers."

"That won't happen," Rong Yuan'an said. "You can tell at a glance they're former military."

"How can you tell?"

"Have you forgotten? My grandfather and father have also led troops for years. They have a distinct aura about them, and their walking postures are different."

Especially here, it was more obvious. Many people here stayed up late and lacked energy—Yan Yu was a clear example of this type.

That kid should be in the prime of his life, but even climbing a few flights of stairs was tiring for him.

But these people were different. Even a single glance from them carried a certain lethality, and they had incredible vitality.

Gu Shenhan asked, "How do I walk?"

Rong Yuan'an looked back and thought seriously for a moment. "Urgent."

"Urgent?"

"Mm. You usually want quick and correct results. You make every second count."

"Are you saying I'm always in a hurry?"

"Not with me, but with others, yeah. You walk faster with others than by yourself."

"..."

When Gu Shenhan arrived at the company, he asked Fang Yankai, "Am I always in a hurry when I work?"

Fang Yankai adjusted his glasses. "You want the truth?"

Gu Shenhan: "No nonsense!"

Fang Yankai said, "Your face says it year-round: 'Hurry up! Don't slow me down from making money!'"

Gu Shenhan: "..."

·

Rong Yuan'an had said he would take two months to finish the embroidery work he'd taken on, but once he started stitching, he entered a flow state, and by the time he came back to himself, he had already embroidered a large section. The client said two months was fine, but he finished it in just 21 days.

And that's only counting the time he spent at Bishuiwan, with Lin Xiaotang making sure he took breaks, and while he also occasionally participated in designing new Hanfu.

As soon as he finished embroidering, winter arrived.

The good news was that the skirt was finally finished, and the client was very satisfied. The Hanfu they designed had also started receiving some orders.

The bad news was that he began experiencing severe pregnancy reactions.

Before, he had craved most foods, but now it had reversed—he felt nauseated at the sight of most foods. Especially seafood; he couldn't stand even the faintest smell.

Winter is when you should eat more, especially in the north—eating well provided good protection against the cold. He was already prone to feeling cold, so he needed to eat more. But even though Gu Shenhan had the chef whip up all kinds of food for him, he still lost all the weight he'd gained the month before in just one month.

"Let's go see a doctor. Maybe there's a way to alleviate the symptoms," Gu Shenhan said. "Grandma has already lined up a trusted doctor. There won't be any problems."

"I don't want to go," Rong Yuan'an said, leaning back limply on the sofa and accepting the nutritional supplement Gu Shenhan handed him.

"How about asking your mother-in-law?"

"But if I tell Mom, she'll worry for sure."

"She'll only really worry if something happens. Come on. If this continues, it will affect both you and the baby."

"Darling, I want to eat plain rice porridge with salted duck eggs. The ones we pickled last time."

Such a sudden topic change...

Gu Shenhan quickly had someone prepare it. But when it was served, Rong Yuan'an ate only a few bites.

He wasn't this thin when they first met. Gu Shenhan thought it over and realized this wasn't working, so he coaxed and half-tricked him, "Don't you want to see what the baby looks like?"

Rong Yuan'an said, "Of course I do. But it's useless to want it now if it's not time yet."

Gu Shenhan said, "We can see," pulling up ultrasound images online. "Look, these are all from early pregnancy. You can even tell if it's twins. Aren't you curious? We can take a picture each month and compare the baby's growth."

This perked Rong Yuan'an up. Especially after hearing that he could find out if it was twins, he was really tempted.

Gu Shenhan pressed his advantage, "We can even make a video. What a great keepsake that would be!"

Rong Yuan'an said, "But I'm a bit scared. Do we have to go to the hospital?"

Gu Shenhan said, "Not to the hospital. We'll go to another grandmother's house."

To avoid being discovered by anyone who'd cause trouble, he bought a set of equipment himself. However, it wasn't bought under his name, nor was it placed in a hospital.

Since Rong Yuan'an had no appetite and no other pressing matters, Gu Shenhan took him to meet with Grandma's friend, and also invited Grandma to come along for a look.

On the way there, Rong Yuan'an was a bit nervous, but when they arrived, he found it was just an ordinary residential building. The place was nicer than your average apartment complex, and the house was quite spacious.

When they arrived, Grandma Zheng was already there. Rong Yuan'an greeted her and instinctively latched onto Gu Shenhan's arm and wouldn't let go.

Grandma Zheng, with her gray-streaked hair and kind face, smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, child. Your grandma and I have been close friends for over fifty years. Just think of me as your own grandma."

Grandma said, "Exactly. Xiao An, if there's anything you don't understand in the future, you can give Grandma Zheng a call."

Only then did Rong Yuan'an lie down on the exam bed.

The old lady asked him to adjust his pants a bit, but his hands were so stiff he could barely move them.

Gu Shenhan sat down beside him, helped pull his clothes and pants down to the right level for the exam, and held his hand. "You're nervous now, but wait till you see it—you'll get excited."

Grandma Zheng said, "It's a little cold, don't be nervous."

She squeezed some ultrasound gel onto Rong Yuan's belly, and Rong Yuan's whole body tensed up.

Then on the screen above, a dark image appeared. It looked similar to the ultrasound pictures Gu Shenhan had shown him online.

He saw two little bean-like shapes.

Grandma Zheng said in surprise, "Wanzhen, look, there really are two in there!"

The old lady's name was Chen Wanzhen, and her fellow veteran always called her by her given name. She got excited too, looking seriously at the two "little great-grandsons" on the screen. "If the old man knew, he'd be absolutely thrilled."

Gu Shenhan and Rong Yuan were also happy, truly feeling it for the first time. Especially Gu Shenhan—he had understood theoretically that his husband was pregnant, but now it was different.

Now he could actually see them. The feeling was so wonderful, hard to describe in words.

"Listen to that heartbeat, so strong," Grandma Zheng said. "Shenhan, you're a lucky guy."

"You know, I took some good advice, and it paid off," Gu Shenhan said with a smile. "Good thing I listened to my grandma back then."

"Grandma Zheng, when will they start moving?" Rong Yuan asked. "How big do they have to be before they look like babies?"

"About four months. But for you to feel them moving, usually it takes five months or more. It'll be more obvious at six or seven months."

"Are there any other things to watch out for?" Gu Shenhan asked.

"Eat well and sleep well. Don't get upset, don't lift heavy things. Just stay happy and relaxed."

Grandma Zheng printed out the ultrasound pictures. "Alright, Xiao An, you can get up now. Shenhan, help him a bit. Also, Xiao An, you need to eat as much as possible, otherwise you won't get enough nutrition. If you don't have an appetite, eat small amounts more often."

Rong Yuan felt that when he came, he hadn't had any appetite at all, but strangely enough, now he suddenly did.

He said, "I want milk-flavored lamb chops. And I want a hamburger, curry chicken cutlet rice, and cold perilla leaf salad."

Gu Shenhan said, "I'll take you right now. Would you two like to join us?"

The old lady said, "I'll chat with your Grandma Zheng. You two go ahead. Us old ladies don't eat that stuff. Just make sure Xiao An eats well. And take good care of him—it's cold outside, don't let him catch a chill."

Gu Shenhan assured her repeatedly that he'd be careful, and then took Rong Yuan out.

Rong Yuan tucked the ultrasound pictures in his pocket, absolutely delighted. On the way, he kept taking them out to look at them.

Seeing him happy, Gu Shenhan was happy too. He called the butler to ask the chef to prepare milk-flavored lamb chops and curry chicken cutlet rice, and then took Rong Yuan to eat a hamburger first.

This time, Rong Yuan ate the whole burger. He knew the lamb chops needed to be marinated for a while before roasting, so he asked Gu Shenhan to take him to Bishui Bay.

Rong Yuan didn't see Yan Yu. Lin Xiaotang said Yan Yu was upstairs playing video games.

In the living room, there was a large bouquet of flowers, pale green, at least a hundred stems. Rong Yuan casually asked, "Where did the flowers come from? The color is really pretty."

Lin Xiaotang said, "They're from Xiao Yu's friend. It looks like he's getting into a relationship."

Gu Shenhan looked over warily. "Falling in love? Where did he meet this person?"

Lin Xiaotang said, "I think he met this person through online gaming. I'm not sure about the details, but I've noticed he gets gifts every few days. Speaking of which, his sleep schedule has been better than before. He used to stay up until the wee hours, but recently he's been going to bed before midnight."

"So that sounds like a decent guy?" Rong Yuan guessed. "Someone who can help him keep a regular routine."

"Probably," Lin Xiaotang said with a smile. "Anyway, I can see he's been happy every day, not as listless as when he first moved in. And you can tell he's been more motivated at work lately."

"Have you heard what the other person does?" Gu Shenhan asked.

"I think he's in business too, but I didn't ask for specifics."

"Honey, why do you have that expression?" Rong Yuan said. "Isn't it good that Xiao Yu is moving on from that whole thing with Lao Yan?"

"That's true, but he's still so young. He talks a good game, but he doesn't have much real-world experience."

Over the years, Yan Que had protected Yan Yu too well, never letting him face any setbacks. And maybe because he had spent so much time with Yan Que, and had no parental figures growing up, Yan Yu had a thing for older men.

If this guy is in business, he'd be at least seven or eight years older than Yan Yu. If someone really wanted to deceive him, it would be easy.

Rong Yuan thought Gu Shenhan's concern wasn't unreasonable. Although Yan Yu was only two years younger than him, at age nineteen, he was still just a kid here.

Rong Yuan suddenly had an idea. "Honey, could you register a game account for me too?"

"What for?"

"I can help Xiao Yu screen his partner! We're both older brothers, so there's nothing wrong with helping a younger brother check out his boyfriend, right?"