Shen Chi frowned, âYou hardly ate anything all day today.â
âBecause I lose my appetite when I see you,â Xu Chaomu said, without lifting her eyelids, hugging a pillow lazily.
Ever since she got pregnant, she had become very lazy, sometimes not even wanting to talk.
But Shen Chi was so annoying, disturbing her peace.
âDonât be wilful, come here. Even if you donât want to eat, you have to think about the child in your belly! Iâm telling you, if the child is malnourished, it could be born prematurely, or even worse, miscarried, evenâ¦â
âDamn Shen Chi, youâre cursing my child!â Xu Chaomu threw the pillow away and stood up abruptly.
âI also wish for your child to be born safe and healthy,â Shen Chi said, his voice devoid of emotion.
âReally? Is that what you really think? Why do I find it so hard to believe?â Xu Chaomu huffed.
That day in the hospital, he was desperate to terminate her pregnancy.
If he hadnât had a change of heart that day, her child would be gone now.
âAs long as youâre fine, I donât care whose child it is, I will treat it as my own.â
There was no expression on Shen Chiâs face, but his eyes were sincere.
Xu Chaomu was moved to say something, yet she remained silent.
âCome have some porridge, Iâll feed you, itâll be cold soon.â
Shen Chi walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Pulling out the chair at the dining table, he sat down beside her.
Shen Chi picked up the bowl of porridge and lightly stirred it with a spoon.
The steam rose along with the aroma, a whole bowl of millet porridge looked sweet and tempting.
Xu Chaomu touched her stomach, she was actually a bit hungry.
âIâll do it myself,â she said, reaching for the bowl.
âDonât move, Iâll feed you.â
Shen Chi didnât give her the chance to do it herself, scooping up a little bit of porridge, blowing on it to cool it down, and brought it to her lips.
âBe good, eat it.â
âI donât want you to feed me, I can do it myselfâ¦â Xu Chaomu was awkward.
This man had changed completely after not seeing him for five years.
In the past, even if she was sick and begged him to feed her, he would never agree.
âJust give me one chance. Itâs been five years, I would rather feed you like this every day than have you leave again.â
Xu Chaomu truly found it rare to hear such cheesy words from this man, and her heart felt strangely stirred.
âOpen your mouth, okay?â
Shen Chi brought the spoon to her lips, and only then did Xu Chaomu open her mouth, looking up at him.
He fed her a spoonful of porridge, and only after she swallowed it did he curve his lips contentedly.
âHowâs your husbandâs cooking?â
âNot great,â Xu Chaomu said disdainfully.
Although, she had to admit to herself, it was quite delicious.
âYouâre just stubborn,â he said.
Shen Chi quickly scooped another spoonful of millet porridge for her. She ate slowly, so he waited patiently.
âChaomu, can you come back to the Shen Family?â
âNo.â
âWhat about the Waterside Pavilion? Letâs go back to Waterside Pavilion together, nobody will disturb us.â
âI stopped liking you a long time ago.â
âBut I like you,â Shen Chi sighed.
Xu Chaomu looked up, a memory surfacing of five years ago, amidst the gunfire and bullets, when he said, âChaomu, I love you.â
She never believed that he could fall in love with her.
How could he possibly love her? He was just unable to distinguish what was love and what was atonement.
All he felt for her was guilt.
âShen Chi, letâs discuss something,â she said.
âWhat is it?â he asked.
âFind time for us to get a divorce. Iâm marrying Chenglang, and we canât do it without a marriage certificate; otherwise, what about my childâs future?â
The warmth in Shen Chiâs eyes instantly cooled: âThatâs impossible. If you stay by my side, I will treat this child as my own.â
âI never knew that President Shen is so noble and great, raising someone elseâs child.â
âYour child is my child.â
âBut he will call you âUncle Fourâ in the future.â
âAre you insisting on tormenting me?â Shen Chiâs eyes grew darker and darker.
âIâm not tormenting you, itâs you whoâs tormenting me. Why wonât you let me go? I can live the life I want,â Xu Chaomuâs voice lowered.
âEnough,â Shen Chiâs face darkened early on.
Each time, they couldnât talk without arguing.
He had a temper too, but he could only indulge her.
Xu Chaomu kept silent. When Shen Chi brought the spoon to her again, she turned her head away, refusing to eat.
âEat a little more, otherwise, your child will suffer,â he urged.
âI donât want any more. Feed whoever you want,â she retorted, standing up and pushing back her chair.
Perhaps the movement was too suddenâthe chair didnât stay upright and with a âthud,â it fell to the floor, making a loud noise!
âForget it!â Shen Chiâs patience wore thin.
Xu Chaomu turned and walked out of the living room. Shen Chi called out coldly, âWhere are you going?â
âIâm going to ask the butler for the guest room key to stay one night, okay?â she replied.
âYour room is still kept for you.â
Upon saying that, Shen Chi took out a key and slapped it on the tableâit was the key to Xu Chaomuâs room.
Xu Chaomu walked over, picked up the key, and said indifferently, âThank you.â
After that, she took the key and walked upstairs.
Shen Chi grew particularly irritable. After watching Xu Chaomu go upstairs, he lit a cigarette.
After five years of not seeing her, she treated him like a complete stranger.
Eight years of being together every day and nightâeven if there was no love, there were still feelings.
He took a drag from his cigarette, frowning deeply.
At that moment, his phone rang.
âWhatâs up?â he asked.
âPresident Shen, please come to the First Hospital. Itâs urgent,â Xiao Mo said.
âFirst Hospital? What urgent matter? Tell me first.â
âJian Sisi is pregnant.â
âTerminate it!â
âAre you sure? Itâs⦠your child,â Xiao Mo hesitated.
âDo I need to say it again?â
âAlright, Iâll arrange it right away. Arenât you coming over, President Shen?â
âCanât you handle this kind of thing?â
âOkay, youâre busy.â
After hanging up the phone, Shen Chi felt even more agitated. He took off his tie and threw it aside, then he casually unbuttoned a few from his collar.
This summer was particularly irksome.
Jian Sisiâ¦
She was his biggest mistake.
If it hadnât been for that spring in Paris when he was plied with too much alcohol, he would never have slept with his secretary.
He had always been a man of self-discipline, except⦠that time.
Even if there were regret pills, it was no use now, he could only manage the aftereffects.
He stepped out onto the porch, staring at the stars while smoking.
Before he could finish his cigarette, Xiao Moâs call came in again.
âPresident Shen, Jian Sisi refuses to abort the baby. She says if we dare to touch her child, she will call the media and expose everything,â Xiao Mo reported.
âShe must have eaten the guts of a leopard,â Shen Chi remarked.
âPresident Shen, weâre at a standstill right now, waiting for your decision,â Xiao Mo said.
âIâll come over,â he decided.
âOkay.â
Shen Chi discarded the cigarette butt and headed towards the garage.