Chapter 63

Chapter 63

"You... what's wrong?"

Cheng Yuan thought he seemed a bit off and asked.

Pei Qingji cast his eyes down and shook his head.

"It's nothing."

He then bowed his head and ate his breakfast. Once they finished, the two rushed to the hospital.

In the late stages of pregnancy, regular hospital check-ups are needed.

The doctor looked at the examination results and said.

"Don't be too anxious during this time. It's fine, no need to be nervous."

"Tell your husband not to worry too much either. In all my years, this is the first time I've seen someone more nervous than the pregnant person themselves."

"He really, really loves you, huh?"

A hint of warmth showed in the doctor's eyes as she smiled at him.

Cheng Yuan froze for a moment.

The two walked out of the exam room together.

Pei Qingji suddenly asked him to wait outside for a while, then ran back into the exam room himself. No one knew what he was up to.

He went to ask the doctor when he could check into the hospital.

The doctor sighed and said, "If you're really worried, you can come stay at the hospital now, just in case."

"But we don't recommend that."

Pei Qingji nodded to show he understood.

"But don't be too anxious either. Relax. At the first sign of anything, bring him to the hospital immediately."

On the other side, at the Pei family estate.

Grandpa Pei's face also showed a hint of nervousness: "How is it? Is he about to give birth?"

Pei Qingji explained, "It's nothing, just a check-up."

Hearing this, the weight on Grandpa Pei's heart finally lifted.

He had heard this morning that Qingji was taking Xiaoyu to the hospital and thought something was wrong.

Pei's parents stood to the side. Seeing Grandpa Pei hang up the phone, they quickly stepped forward to ask.

"How is it?"

Grandpa Pei snorted and chuckled: "Now you suddenly care?"

Both Pei's parents went pale.

"It's nothing. He's not giving birth. Today was just a prenatal check-up."

Grandpa Pei added, "It's just that Qingji doesn't know when Xiaoyu will give birth, and he's all worked up."

"I'm familiar with this. When I was pregnant with Qingji, I was the same way." Pei's mother paused, then stepped forward and spoke up.

"I'll... I'll tell him." They hadn't been in contact since Pei Qingji was last hospitalized.

"Better not. Don't upset him anymore..." Pei's father said from the side.

Pei's mother considered this and indeed felt a bit worried.

She was afraid that if she called, her son would hate her even more, but she was also afraid they wouldn't know what to do.

What if they don't get to the hospital in time or something happens?

The two couldn't make up their minds.

Grandpa Pei felt his head was about to explode. He thumped the floor tiles with his cane, raised his voice, and said in a low, stern voice.

"You two stop arguing. If you ask me, just call Qingji."

Pei's mother clutched her phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally dialed the number.

Back at home, Pei Qingji suddenly noticed that his mother was calling him. He frowned slightly, but still answered the call.

"What do you want?"

His mother paused, then spoke in a hesitant tone: "Son, you and Xiaoyu went for a prenatal check-up this morning, right? Xiaoyu... how is he?"

Pei Qingji only replied with a few curt responses, his tone rather cold.

The other end of the phone was silent for a long moment, before a voice finally came through.

"What happened back then was Mom's fault. Mom wants to say sorry to you."

"Mom shouldn't have been so controlling with you. I thought those things were good for you, so I thought you should do them that way."

Pei Qingji was taken aback.

His mother's voice seemed to tremble a little. She took a deep breath.

"If you want to be with him, then be with him."

"Tell Xiaoyu I'm sorry. Say sorry to him."

Pei Qingji pressed his lips into a thin line.

"What did you call for?"

There was a note of panic in his mother's tone: "I'm not trying to do anything else. I just... heard from your grandfather that Xiaoyu has been having contractions recently? Aren't you worried?"

"I have more experience with this. You can come ask me."

His father, who had been standing off to the side, silent all this time, also spoke up.

"I was also at fault back then. Qingji, we did you wrong, and we did Xiaoyu wrong too."

The other end of the line was silent for a long time.

Pei Qingji suddenly said: "Mom."

Mother's tears nearly fell when she heard this. Ever since their last argument, he had basically never called them Mom and Dad.

After hanging up, tears streamed down her face.

She realized how foolish she'd been all along.

She'd thought she loved him, but she'd done so many things that hurt him, yet she never once asked if he was happy, content, or willing.

Father was quiet for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside Mother, gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and handed her some tissues.

And that's not even mentioning how they'd forcibly torn them apart and even made him lose his memories.

The moment Mother discovered Cheng Yu'an's pheromones matched her son's perfectly, she recognized him as the person her son could never forget.

When she found out who this child was, she hadn't wanted him to marry her son, but Pei Qingji would only choose him.

Now she figured it was all just fate.

Mother was filled with deep regret and overwhelming guilt.

She had truly wronged them.

_

Meanwhile, Pei Qingji hung up, masking the complicated emotions in his eyes. When he saw Cheng Yu'an watching him, he put his phone away and walked over.

Cheng Yu'an watched him end the call and could tell something was off, but he didn't say a word.

Pei Qingji grabbed a pair of slippers from the shoe rack nearby.

Then he knelt down on one knee, gently slipped off Cheng Yu'an's shoes, and helped him into the slippers.

Cheng Yu'an kept his eyes down, lips pressed tight.

He set the hospital records on the coffee table, helped Cheng Yu'an sit down carefully on the sofa, then bent over to ask.

"You want an apple?"

Cheng Yu'an blinked in surprise, then nodded.

Pei Qingji washed the apple, peeled it, cut it into small pieces, and set them on a plate before handing it over.

Cheng Yu'an speared a piece with a fork and took small bites.

He had a vague feeling Pei Qingji's mood was off—was it because of that phone call?

Cheng Yu'an sat on the sofa, a soft cushion propped behind his back, his swollen belly even more noticeable now.

Everything was taken care of down to the smallest detail.

He kept his eyes down, thinking to himself.

Suddenly, Cheng Yu'an's body went rigid, his brows knitting together as he instinctively grabbed the sofa, fingertips turning white.

A contraction hit out of nowhere, sending a sharp pain through his abdomen.

He figured it was just another false contraction, but this time it felt different.

Cheng Yu'an quickly set the half-eaten apple down, clutched his belly, and broke into a cold sweat.

A sudden heavy ache in his lower abdomen, along with waves of cramping, showed no sign of letting up—instead, it only got worse.

His lips went pale from the pain, and he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

Pei Qingji immediately knew something was wrong and asked frantically what was going on.

"I..."

Cheng Yu'an's voice came out weak. He didn't know either.

He couldn't tell if it was a false contraction or the real thing.

Cheng Yu'an tried to wait it out, but the pain didn't ease up at all.

"It hurts..."

Pei Qingji couldn't tell if it was false or real either, his face frantic with worry.

Even his hands were shaking.

But scared it might be a false alarm and cause a fuss, he forced himself to stay calm and asked if anything else hurt.

Cheng Yu'an was in agony, biting down hard on his lip.

This time, it probably wasn't a false alarm.

"It's... real."

Pei Qingji froze at those words, stunned for a few seconds, then snapped into action, grabbing the hospital bag with shaking hands.

Seeing Cheng Yu'an clutching his belly in pain, his heart clenched.

His hands were shaking, but when he picked Cheng Yu'an up, his arms were steady as he repeated over and over.

"Don't be scared, we're going to the hospital right now, right now."

He nearly shouted.

"Someone, get the car ready now."

The servants scrambled into action, hastily getting the car ready.

Cheng Yu'an was in too much pain to speak, just clenching his jaw and gripping tight.

"Cheng Yu'an, hang in there! We'll be at the hospital soon!" Pei Qingji kept repeating this.

"Hurry."

He looked composed on the surface, but up close, panic showed in his eyes and his voice was shaking.

Assistant Lin panicked too, flooring it at nearly 100 miles an hour.

Pei Qingji held Cheng Yu'an in his arms, continuously comforting him.

"It's okay, we'll be there soon."

Cheng Yu'an's forehead was covered in sweat, his dark hair sticking to his temples, his face drained of color, even his lips white.

A faint whimper escaped his throat.

"It hurts..."

Pei Qingji saw Cheng Yu'an suffering like this and wished he could bear the pain himself.

He kept rubbing Cheng Yu'an's hand, glancing out the window from time to time.

"Almost there, just hold on a little longer."

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault you're in this state." He realized he was always the one causing him pain.

Pei Qingji's eyes reddened, his tone frantic, carrying a slight choke in his voice.

The moment they reached the hospital entrance, he immediately scooped Cheng Yu'an into his arms and rushed inside.

"Doctor."

"Doctor...!"

Pei Qingji's voice was urgent as he spotted a staff member on duty.

"Doctor, he's about to have the baby!"

Several staff members wheeled over a gurney, got him onto it, and asked, "What's the situation?"

His voice still trembling, Pei Qingji explained, "He has abdominal pain."

"How long has the pain lasted? Has his water broken or has there been any bleeding?"

Cheng Yu'an was in too much pain to speak, so most of the answers came from Pei Qingji.

"It's been about half an hour, constant pain until now. His water hasn't broken, and there's no bleeding either."

The medical staff assessed the situation and quickly sent him for an internal exam.

Not long after, the door was pushed open again, and the doctor walked over.

"The cervix is only one centimeter dilated, so he won't be giving birth just yet. We'll need to admit him for observation. Family, please go ahead and handle the admission paperwork as soon as possible."

Pei Qingji nodded hastily.

"So... when will he give birth?"

The doctor explained, "It's hard to say in this case. Some people dilate slowly, and since this is your first baby, it could take two or three days of labor before delivery."

The doctor saw Pei Qingji's panicked expression and patted his shoulder.

"Take it easy, young man. Just get comfortable in the ward for now. Once the cervix dilates to three centimeters or more, he can head to the delivery room."

"Doctor, he's in severe pain right now—is there anything you can do to ease the pain?" Pei Qingji looked at Cheng Yu'an's pale lips, and it felt like something was stabbing his heart.

Author's note:

None