Chapter 43

Chapter 43

At eight in the morning, Pei Qingji, dressed in black loungewear, sat at the desk in his study, working on a new song on his computer.

The basic melody had already been composed, but he hadn't written the lyrics yet.

At this hour, Cheng Yuan was still asleep, so he used this time to come out and write.

Worried that he might get thirsty or toss and turn and fall off the bed, he would occasionally have the servants check on him.

About half an hour later, the person in the room woke up.

Hearing the sound of movement, he closed his computer, immediately rushed to the bedroom door, and helped him out of bed.

After they washed up, they went downstairs to have breakfast.

"Have some fish soup."

Cheng Yuan responded with a faint "Mm," then took the fish soup that he had personally ladled out and drank it with a spoon.

After breakfast, he sat on the sofa, picked up the remote, and flipped through the channels to see what was on.

He chose a classic film—one he had watched many times before.

Though it was rather dull, at least it provided some background noise.

Pei Qingji moved to the living room as well, sitting not too far away, occasionally looking up to glance at Cheng Yuan on the sofa.

His brows furrowed slightly, and he called a servant over, asking him to bring Cheng Yuan a glass of water.

Cheng Yuan took a few sips of the water the servant handed him, looked down, and touched his belly.

He hadn't felt the baby move over the past few days. The doctor had said it would be another week or two before the movements became more noticeable.

His belly was still, with no sign of movement at all.

He looked back up at the TV show that was playing, which was in the middle of a classic scene.

Just as Cheng Yuan was beginning to feel bored, his belly was suddenly kicked lightly.

If he hadn't been paying attention, he wouldn't have felt it at all—it was like a slight flutter in his stomach.

Cheng Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly placed his hand on his belly. Through his warm palm, he could feel a faint pressure.

It seemed like the baby had kicked.

But it only lasted a moment—by the time he tried to feel it again, it was gone.

A hint of disappointment crossed his eyes.

Perhaps it was the pregnancy hormones, but he kept alternating between disappointment and a sudden warmth in his chest.

Pei Qingji sat at the desk, typing away on his computer, with a cup of iced coffee beside him.

He had barely slept all night taking care of Cheng Yuan, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

So whenever he felt drowsy, he would take a sip, just enough to keep himself awake.

He glanced over and saw that Cheng Yuan had fallen asleep, so he quietly went over and covered him with a blanket.

Soon it was time for dinner, and lights were coming on in the houses around them. Pei Qingji sat across from him, occasionally picking up food and putting it in his bowl.

"Try this—I was worried you'd get bored of the usual dishes, so I had the chef make something new."

Cheng Yuan stiffened slightly but didn't refuse, taking a bite without a word.

Though they lived together, the atmosphere was very awkward and tense.

Even though they shared a bed, they kept their distance. If the middle of the bed weren't connected, it would have been like sleeping in two separate beds, each with their own covers.

Cheng Yuan lay on the other side with his back to him, and the two of them didn't say a word to each other.

Sometimes, from morning to night, they barely exchanged a few words, and most of the time it was Pei Qingji who was the one doing the talking.

Cheng Yuan never initiated conversation, spending most of his time staring off into space, or passing the time reading or watching TV.

His mental state didn't seem very good either—always listless, uninterested in everything.

Cheng Yuan rested his chin on his hand, watching TV, his thick, long lashes trembling slightly.

Before long, he had dozed off on the sofa again. The servant called out softly a few times, but Pei Qingji stopped him.

"I'll handle it."

With practiced movements, he carried Cheng Yuan back to bed, tucked the blanket around him, and only then got into bed on the other side.

Pei Qingji looked down, hiding the worry in his eyes, his thin lips pressed tightly together.

The next day, after dinner, he asked suddenly.

"Do you... want to go for a walk?"

Cheng Yuan finally looked at him.

Pei Qingji sounded hesitant: "The peach blossoms over there have bloomed—they're beautiful. Do you want to go see them?"

Cheng Yuan didn't speak, just watched him quietly.

Because of their high-profile identities, they had to wear masks to avoid being recognized and causing unnecessary trouble.

Pei Qingji didn't really want him to go outside, worried it might not be safe, but seeing the look in Cheng Yuan's eyes as he gazed out the window...

He lowered his gaze and had someone arrange for a car.

He checked the current temperature outside, and before getting out of the car, noticed Cheng Yuan's collar was out of place and reached over to straighten it.

He also found a scarf and wrapped it around his neck, wrapping him up snugly before getting out of the car.

Cheng Yuan was a little taken aback.

They got out of the car and walked on, gradually seeing more and more people.

The sound of crowds chattering gradually reached them—some people were out walking their dogs, others were riding skateboards.

Standing by the shore, Cheng Yuan could feel the breeze brushing against his face, and his mood involuntarily began to relax.

There were also some cafés nearby, their lights glowing.

The two of them took a stroll, with people passing by, chatting, snacking, and cracking jokes.

There were also plenty of little stalls around, selling everything from food to ring-toss games.

At night, with the lights glowing, it was bustling. You had stalls selling candied hawthorns, sugar figurines, and roasted sweet potatoes.

They walked past a rabbit stall.

Inside those pink cages were a bunch of fluffy white rabbits with red eyes, nibbling on carrots.

He came to a sudden halt.

Little bunnies.

Chengyuan watched quietly, wondering if this was some kind of fate.

The rabbit in the cage, the moment it spotted Chengyuan, got all worked up, trying to leap out, absolutely thrilled.

"Hey mister, want to buy a rabbit?" The stall owner, a chubby guy, said with a big, cheery grin.

Chengyuan froze, didn't say a word, stared for a good while, then quietly shook his head.

Pei Qingji dropped his eyes.

Since he was pregnant, he couldn't walk for too long, so after a little more wandering, they got ready to head back.

Pei Qingji trailed behind Chengyuan, carrying his thermos, and passed it to him whenever he seemed thirsty.

Walking too long sometimes brought on cramps, so Chengyuan would find a spot to sit, rest up a bit, then keep going.

Other folks were sitting around too—friends hanging out, and families.

They laid out the food they wanted to eat on the table, kind of like a mini picnic, chatting and taking in the view.

Next to them was a big peach tree, its petals drifting onto the river and bobbing along with the waves.

Chengyuan quietly took in the scenery, but after just a few steps, his body was already starting to wear out.

A wave of nausea even churned in his stomach.

He pushed down the discomfort, when something suddenly caught his attention.

A little girl, maybe five or six, was asking her mom.

"Mommy, when's my little brother coming out?"

Her mom's belly was round—probably pregnant, around seven or eight months along.

"Soon, Qiqi will get to meet her little brother," the woman said gently.

And the sturdy guy next to her, probably the dad, was laughing along heartily.

A family of three—no, with the baby on the way, a happy family of four.

Chengyuan stared blankly at the scene, watching for a long while.

"I wanna go back."

Pei Qingji opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but swallowed the words.

The two got in the car. He leaned against the window, the dim yellow streetlights washing over his face, his eyes completely empty.

Pei Qingji turned to him and asked, "Tired?"

Chengyuan gave a soft "Mm," so quiet it was barely there.

When they got back to the villa and pushed the door open, there was a pink cage right in the middle of the living room.

That cage looked really familiar—it was the one from the market stall.

This little bunny.

It seemed nervous about the new place at first, but the second it saw Chengyuan, it got all excited, trying to jump out of the cage and rattling it loudly.

Chengyuan was startled.

How did it end up here?

Pei Qingji, standing behind him, explained, with a hint of nervousness in his voice that was hard to catch.

"I saw you liked it, so I had someone bring it over ahead of time."

Worried Chengyuan might be annoyed, he quickly added.

"Having it around can keep you company and help pass the time."

The little bunny was still excitedly pawing at the cage, like it wanted to get close to him.

When it saw he wasn't coming closer, its ears drooped, looking totally pitiful.

Chengyuan, hearing this, just watched in silence.

He knew full well he didn't belong here.

Once he gave birth, he'd leave with the baby. He was only here to rest and carry the pregnancy.

Chengyuan finally spoke: "Do you want me to stay?"

Pei Qingji froze for a second, then nodded.

Of course he wanted him to.

He'd seen how long Chengyuan had stared at that little bunny—he must've really liked it.

Chengyuan looked at his reaction and stayed quiet for a long, long time—so long that Pei Qingji thought he was about to say no.

"I'll stay then."

His tone was completely flat, totally calm.

Since it was already bought, might as well let it stay.

Just like if you want to be nice to me, then go ahead—after all, nothing really matters anymore.

The pregnancy's morning sickness was already wearing him down nonstop, leaving him no energy to think about anything else.

The hatred he used to feel had now dulled into a kind of numbness.

He felt exhausted—not just in his body, but more than anything, drained in his mind.

Cheng Yuan took in Pei Qingji's delighted expression, but his own eyes remained utterly calm.

Soon, someone washed the rabbit clean, and only then was it brought back, now wearing a little outfit.

It really was adorable.

"Do you want to pet him?" Pei Qingji asked cautiously, noticing that his attention was fixed on the little rabbit.

Cheng Yuan stroked his soft fur, and the rabbit happily nuzzled into his palm.

"He's probably hungry. Do you want to feed him together?" Pei Qingji asked softly as he watched him pet the rabbit.

Cheng Yuan froze for a moment.

After a while, he took the carrot and fed him a bit. Once the rabbit was full and content, he gradually fell asleep in his new nest, feeling safe.

"I'm tired. I'm going upstairs first."

With that, he turned and walked up the stairs.

Cheng Yuan dropped his gaze, pressing his lips together.

No matter what he was trying to do, he'd leave eventually anyway. What was the point of any of this?

Pei Qingji stood there, watching his back, hiding the loneliness in his eyes.

Even though he was right there, he always felt like he could never truly hold onto him.

Author's note:

None.