Chapter 59

Chapter 59

"A cramp? Why would he get a cramp?"

Cheng Yuan had no idea either.

It was probably a cramp from not getting enough calcium during pregnancy.

Pei Qingji said carefully, "Does it hurt? Let me rub it for you."

The second Pei Qingji touched him, it hurt even more.

Another sheen of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Pei Qingji didn't dare to touch him again.

He moved carefully, but even the slightest shift hurt.

More sweat beaded on Cheng Yuan's forehead, and he bit his lip hard.

Pei Qingji stood there helplessly, almost frantically grabbing his phone to call someone.

Cheng Yuan shook his head.

"I... I'm fine."

His face was still pale, but after enduring it for a bit, the discomfort slowly faded.

It still felt a little off, but at least he could move now.

The doctor said to use a warm towel on it.

At three in the morning, every light in the villa was on, and the servants were walking back and forth with basins of water.

Once the warm towel was pressed against his foot, the pain eased up a lot.

The doctor also said a gentle massage was okay.

But Pei Qingji saw that he hurt at the slightest touch, so he didn't dare try.

The doctor also said that.

His leg might cramp again during the night, so he needed to keep warm—soak his feet every night before bed, cover his legs with a small blanket, and never let them get cold.

He should also take vitamins, drink milk or eat soy products, and get some sun regularly.

Pei Qingji carefully noted every single thing.

Then the next evening, around eight.

Pei Qingji went to the kitchen, made a cup of warm milk, and had Cheng Yuan drink it.

Then he had him sit down on the bed.

Cheng Yuan sat on the bed, unsure what he was up to, and hesitated.

"You..."

Before he could finish, Pei Qingji left the room and came back shortly after with a basin of hot water.

Then he knelt down on one knee and grabbed Cheng Yuan's ankle.

Cheng Yuan instinctively pulled his foot back, feeling a little awkward, and was about to refuse when Pei Qingji cut him off.

Pei Qingji explained, "The doctor said soaking your feet every night before bed helps with cramps."

Cheng Yuan pressed his lips together and finally gave up resisting.

Pei Qingji thought he was worried about the heat, so he said softly, "The water's not hot."

Cheng Yuan paused, pressed his lips together again, then tentatively dipped his foot in. After confirming it wasn't too hot, he slowly lowered it into the water.

His skin was fair, even his toenails were pink, and because of the pregnancy, he'd put on some weight recently.

His feet had filled out a bit too, and they felt soft to the touch.

Pei Qingji's broad palm was scorching hot—so hot that Cheng Yuan wanted to pull away several times.

But in the end, he didn't move, and just awkwardly looked away.

Cheng Yuan braced his hands on the sofa, fingers clenched tight, as he watched the scene below.

After soaking for about half an hour, it finally came to an end.

Thinking he could use the water to wash his own feet.

He was about to wash his own feet when he froze.

Pei Qingji was washing his feet with a serious look on his face.

After washing, he dried them with a towel and put thick socks on him.

Even during the foot soak, a small blanket was draped over his legs, as if Pei Qingji was afraid he'd catch a chill.

Cheng Yuan's gaze fell on Pei Qingji's pants—the black hem was soaked through a big patch, yet he didn't complain at all.

He lowered his eyes, pressed his lips together, and let Pei Qingji put the socks on.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Pei Qingji wiped his hands and picked up the call.

"I heard you're putting out a new song?" It was Lu Mingzhe on the other end; he was always quick with the news.

Pei Qingji hummed in response.

"Haven't you written songs in a long time? Why the sudden urge to write one?"

Since he'd been taking care of Cheng Yuan, he really hadn't written any songs in months.

Pei Qingji paused, then simply said, "Just felt like writing one."

"Can you give me a hint as to what it's about?" Lu Mingzhe asked, sounding sly.

Pei Qingji let out a cold laugh. "A hint? So you can blab it with that big mouth of yours and have the whole world know?"

Lu Mingzhe had done exactly that last time, and the memory made him a little embarrassed, so he quickly changed the subject.

"So, have Xiao Ye and the others gotten here yet?"

Pei Qingji frowned deeply. "When did that happen?"

Lu Mingzhe said, "Just now. Didn't they call you? They'll probably give you a call in a bit."

As soon as he finished speaking, a phone call indeed came in.

"Old Pei, we're at your doorstep. Let us in."

Pei Qingji's brow was furrowed, then he looked up at Cheng Yuan, his tone softening without him even realizing it.

"Don't worry. I'll get rid of them."

"What are you doing? He's washing his feet?!"

Old Pei was actually washing Cheng Yuan's feet?!

Everyone felt their worldview get rocked a second time—the first being when Pei Qingji straight-up told them Cheng Yuan was his lover.

Pei Qingji frowned deeply, thinking they were making a big deal out of nothing.

"Keep your voices down."

"Oh, oh." They only then realized they were being too loud and quickly lowered their voices.

Pei Qingji said coldly, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to say sorry."

Cheng Yuan was a little taken aback.

"Uh, sis-in-law, sorry about last time. That was on us." The guys scratched their heads, looking a bit sheepish as they apologized.

"For the stuff we said to you."

They couldn't wrap their heads around it at first, but after mulling it over, it wasn't that hard to accept.

Sure, these rich kids seemed carefree and wild, but who they ended up marrying wasn't really up to them—most marriages were about business. How many of them got to marry someone they actually loved like their bro did?

And their bro would go this far for Cheng Yuan, not to mention he almost died in a car crash protecting him not too long ago.

So it was obvious he loved Cheng Yuan with his whole damn heart.

As his boys, they had to have his back.

They'd brought some stuff along, mostly prenatal supplements—clearly put some thought into it.

The blond guy said with a grin, "Sis-in-law, just take them. Think of it as us making it up to you."

Cheng Yuan was stunned for a second, confused by the sudden change of heart.

Pei Qingji was caught off guard too.

The guys had a moment of reflection, then clapped Pei Qingji on the shoulder.

"Bro, we're gonna head out. When the kid's born, we'll definitely be there for the celebration."

Pei Qingji snapped out of it, a rare smile tugging at his lips as he let out a low "mm."

"Wait, are you sure you're Old Pei? You seem like a whole different person."

His smile creeped them out a little—they'd known him for years and never seen him smile like that.

Pei Qingji let out a cold laugh, and the guys quickly muttered something before booking it out of there without looking back.

"Uh, we really gotta go. Sis-in-law, bye! Catch you later!"

Pei Qingji shook his head. "Those idiots."

But he was in a much better mood now.

Before bed that night, he popped some calcium supplements. Thanks to the more regular routine lately, the cramps had eased up quite a bit.

He was putting on more weight, and his body was getting rounder.

Cheng Yuan got on the scale.

He'd gained more than ten pounds compared to before.

His eyes went wide, like he couldn't believe he'd packed on that much.

He pinched his face and could even grab a chunk of fat.

And with the extra weight, most of his old clothes didn't fit anymore—he'd have to go shopping.

Just like the pajamas from that night.

Cheng Yuan was still wearing Pei Qingji's clothes—super loose, a few sizes bigger than what he used to wear.

The baggy hem swallowed his belly, making him look even rounder.

He still felt a little awkward, not to mention the pajamas were drenched in Pei Qingji's pheromones.

Cheng Yuan sat on the sofa.

The baby's kicks had gotten stronger lately—the little one was packing more punch. Sometimes he'd just be standing there and get a kick out of nowhere.

Sometimes he'd even break out in a cold sweat because it genuinely stung a little.

But the baby didn't do it on purpose. Kicking him meant the little one was happy and wanted to play.

It was time for prenatal education now. Sometimes they'd put on cartoons for the baby.

Some were about drawing, some about music.

The baby seemed to really dig music, even bopping along to the beat.

But this time, the kicks were way gentler—maybe the baby remembered hurting its little dad last time.

The TV was happily playing kids' songs.

It was time for the daily interaction period again.

This time, Pei Qingji didn't use his fingertips to interact with the baby in the belly. Instead, he crouched down and made a request.

His tone was cautious.

Then he carefully pressed his ear against the belly, hearing thump-thump-thump-thump sounds.

The smile in Pei Qingji's eyes was impossible to hide, and his voice carried a hint of delight as he spoke.

"The baby's kicking my face."

It seemed to respond to his words.

Cheng Yuan watched this, his eyes lowered, saying nothing.

Suddenly, the room fell silent.

Pei Qingji could only hang his head and give a wry smile.

A gentle evening breeze blew. The villa was lit up, and in the spacious, bright living room, cartoon characters were singing on the TV.

The two sat on the sofa, looking like a cozy, relaxed scene.

Pei Qingji noticed Cheng Yuan's eyelids drooping, a sign he was getting sleepy.

He asked softly, "Want me to carry you upstairs to bed?"

Cheng Yuan nodded.

Pei Qingji picked up the remote from the coffee table and pressed the power button to turn off the TV.

The kids' song on the TV cut off abruptly, making the whole villa feel even quieter.

Cheng Yuan was indeed quite sleepy now, his eyes blinking nonstop. He fought to stay awake, but his eyelids soon drooped again.

"Don't sleep just yet, okay?" Pei Qingji lowered his voice, making it even softer.

Cheng Yuan was too sleepy to even hear him. Before he knew it, he was already in bed.

Pei Qingji took off his slippers, set them by the bedside, and then tucked him in with the blanket.

He stood by the bed, watching him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

He'd have to try even harder to win him over.

Author's note:

None.