Chapter 72

Chapter 72

"You can be discharged this afternoon. Your wounds and everything have healed up really well."

Cheng Yuan had a C-section when he gave birth, so he had a scar on his stomach.

Most hospitals use cosmetic stitches to minimize scarring, so it's barely visible, but a mark still remains.

The nurse changed Cheng Yuan's bandage first, then told them to handle the discharge paperwork.

She told them to grab the discharge records and head to the nurse's station.

Pei Qingji grabbed his ID, insurance card, and discharge records and headed to the nurse's station.

After checking in at the nurse's station, he went to the admin office on the first floor.

That's where they handle discharge billing.

He hadn't planned to use insurance at all—given their status, staying at a private hospital didn't require it; everything was VIP out-of-pocket.

But Cheng Yuan pointed out that since he paid into insurance, using his card could cover part of the cost.

Some private hospitals take insurance, and some don't.

This one did.

When Pei Qingji came back, he pushed open the hospital room door and saw this.

Cheng Yuan had lifted his shirt, showing the scar on his stomach.

That was where the baby had come out of.

He was wearing a loose T-shirt, his fluffy black hair falling over his brows, making his eyes look even brighter and rounder.

Since he wasn't wearing socks, his bare toes were a light pink.

A C-section means cutting open your stomach—it looks painful just to look at, let alone a cut that big.

Pei Qingji's eyes were full of heartache at the sight.

Male omegas usually can't give birth naturally and have to get C-sections, so they go through more pain.

Sometimes the wound hurts so bad they can't even sleep.

"I'm sorry."

Cheng Yuan was caught off guard for a second.

On the day they were discharged.

Cheng Yuan was in loose clothes, a black mask, glasses, and a hat—bundled up tight.

Worried it was cold out, Pei Qingji draped another coat over him.

When Pei's mom walked in, they were playing with the baby.

Remembering what she'd said that day, Cheng Yuan met Pei's mom's eyes and went quiet.

Finally, Pei's mom gave an awkward cough and pushed the stroller she'd bought for the baby over.

A bunch of black cars were parked outside the private hospital.

Assistant Lin stepped up, nodded at them, said hi, and told them to get in the car.

The people around them started whispering.

"Who is this?"

"You don't know? This is the super famous Pei family from A City."

"You know the biggest hospital in the city?"

"No."

"Their family runs it, and they make up 70% of the global healthcare industry."

"Oh, THAT Pei family?! Is that top singer backed by them?"

"I remember his last name is Pei too."

"Not sure, I just know his family's loaded."

"Is that guy next to him... Cheng Yuan?"

Someone in the crowd seemed to recognize them. With a gasp, a bunch of people rushed forward.

"Mr. Pei, is the person next to you Mr. Cheng?"

Pei Qingji's brows furrowed.

The bodyguards held them off.

"Why'd you hide your marriage? Your fans are really disappointed in you, you know that?"

"Can you explain why you lost followers?"

A bunch of paparazzi from who knows where were snapping photos with flashing cameras.

They were super aggressive.

Cheng Yuan thought of last time again, his pupils shrinking, but the next second, Pei Qingji's body mostly blocked him from view.

Hearing that, he couldn't help but glance at Pei Qingji.

He looked pretty calm, like the words didn't bother him.

"Please step back. We're not doing interviews."

Assistant Lin stood in front and said.

These paparazzi, the second they catch a whiff of gossip, get as excited as dogs spotting food—there's no stopping them.

After all, if they get a viral video, it could be worth tens of thousands, maybe more. Who wouldn't want that?

"Do you think the Pei family has no one standing behind us?"

Pei's mom stepped forward and had the bodyguards hold them all down and take their cameras.

Someone in the crowd seemed to recognize her and quickly started begging for mercy.

"We're sorry, we're sorry, we messed up, we'll never do it again."

"Please, just spare us..."

They never expected Pei Qingji to actually be backed by the dreaded Pei family; otherwise, they'd never have had the guts to pull this.

These big shots could make their lives hell with just a snap of their fingers.

Just thinking about it made these paparazzi regret everything.

They wouldn't change their ways—they'd just run into someone they couldn't mess with, so they didn't dare act out.

If they'd run into someone with no connections, you'd see how cocky they'd get.

Pei Qingji had Cheng Yuan get in the car first.

Cheng Yuan shifted a little and glanced at him.

When he was upset, his brow would unconsciously knit—maybe because he was worried about him—but on the surface, he acted like nothing was wrong.

Did he really not care? He didn't think so.

Once everyone was in the car, they headed toward the Pei family villa.

Pei Qingji adjusted the seat to a comfortable angle so he could lean back more easily.

He also put a soft cushion behind Cheng Yuan's lower back and held the baby in his arms.

The baby was now asleep.

Luckily, the baby didn't get carsick this time; otherwise, cleaning up vomit would've been a pain.

He hadn't fed him earlier either, planning to wait until they got home to avoid any spit-up.

Cheng Yuan said, "You..."

"What do you want to say?" Pei Qingji seemed to know exactly what he was going to say but didn't answer.

There's no way he didn't care.

Just like when he himself was performing and couldn't win everyone over—especially fans he'd once loved the most...

And he loved music so much he'd give his life for it.

It's fine.

Pei Qingji said seriously that the most important thing right now was taking care of him and the baby.

But Cheng Yuan felt a strange, suffocating tightness in his chest.

He hated this.

Cheng Yuan pressed his lips together and went quiet.

He'd take the baby back once they got out of the car.

He'd been in a bad mood lately.

As they entered the villa, a delicious smell drifted from the kitchen—the chef must've been cooking.

He didn't think much of it, but when the kitchen door swung open, a familiar figure walked out carrying dishes.

Auntie Chen.

Auntie Chen?!

Shock flashed across Cheng Yuan's eyes, and tears nearly spilled over.

Auntie Chen had been the kindest to him over the past three years, and last he heard, she'd quit because of him.

"Look who it is," Pei Qingji suddenly said.

"Chen... Auntie Chen."

Wait, why are you back?

Auntie Chen replied, "It was the young master who asked me to come back. He said the usual meals didn't suit your taste, that you loved my cooking the most, so he invited me."

Cheng Yuan's nose tingled.

Auntie Chen hugged Cheng Yuan.

Both were a little emotional, tears welling up in their eyes.

It had been nearly half a year since Cheng Yuan disappeared, and they hadn't seen each other since.

After three years together, Auntie Chen had long treated him like a son—which was why she'd quit over that whole incident.

She was getting older now, and not many people wanted to hire her. After quitting, she found another job with lower pay, but it was enough to scrape by.

"I'm sorry, I..."

He felt awful—if it weren't for him, Auntie Chen wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Why are you back here?

"The young master asked me to come back. He said you've had a poor appetite lately and that you love my cooking, so he asked if I'd return."

Auntie Chen seemed to read his mind. She turned to look at the baby in Pei Qingji's arms and smiled.

"This must be the little young master. He's adorable."

People around him had said the baby was adorable countless times.

Cheng Yuan's heart melted instantly.

"Let's eat first. Come on, try this candied sweet potato I made—your favorite. I made sure to drain the oil really well..."

Cheng Yuan stared at all of this, slightly stunned.

His body went stiff.

Every dish on the table was something he loved to eat.

"The young master specifically asked me to make all of these. Come on, try them."

"It's been so long, and you've gotten thinner. Time to fatten you up." Auntie Chen urged Cheng Yuan to sit down.

Just then, the baby started crying again for some reason.

"He's crying again, probably wants milk," Pei Qingji said.

Sister Chen stepped forward. "Sir, I've got it."

"I'll take care of the baby, you two go on and eat. Otherwise, if you keep holding him, you won't get a proper meal in."

Since the baby kept crying, sometimes they'd have to stop halfway through a meal to calm him down.

They could only finish their meal once the baby fell asleep, and by then the food had gone cold.

Sister Chen also knew the truth about what happened back then wasn't as it seemed, so after mulling it over, she hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to come back.

"These are your favorite cola chicken wings, and candied sweet potatoes, and here's saltwater shrimp..."

Cheng Yuan watched the scene, tears streaming down his face before he even knew it.

Sister Chen said, "Eat up, or the food will get cold..."

His eyes reddened, and he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes before picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite.

It tasted familiar.

Pei Qingji watched, pressed his lips together, then picked up a piece of shrimp and put it in his bowl.

Cheng Yuan was momentarily stunned.

The room fell silent again.

In the end, he still ate the shrimp Pei Qingji had put in his bowl.

It had been hot these past few days, so the air conditioning was running throughout the house. The baby's clothes were neither too warm nor too cool.

Otherwise, if it got too hot and the baby overheated, or too cold and the baby caught a cold, either way it could be dangerous.

The whole house had been fitted with bumper guards, and they'd also bought the baby a set of building blocks.

Though he was still young and couldn't do much yet, just babbling in his swaddle.

Because of the heat, they had to give the baby a bath every night.

Newborns have a very fast metabolism; if they don't get bathed, they're prone to eczema and heat rash.

To keep the baby from catching a cold, the doors and windows were kept tightly shut, but since it was hot outside, they didn't turn on the heater, and the water temperature was just right.

It was their first time giving the baby a bath, so they were a bit clumsy.

Pei Qingji had originally planned to bathe the baby by himself, but Cheng Yuan insisted on helping.

Their hands accidentally brushed, and they could feel the warmth of each other's fingertips.

Cheng Yuan curled his fingers back slightly and looked away.

Pei Qingji lowered his eyes, saying nothing.

Author's note:

N/A