Li Zi was the one who said she was thirsty and poured the water, yet Li Zhenting was the one who chugged it down. In a few gulps, the glass was empty.
Taking the glass from him, Li Zi said with a hint of amusement, "Drinking that much... watch out for midnight bathroom runs."
"I’m already awake anyway, what’s there to fear?" He patted the pillow, signaling for her to get back into bed.
Li Zi took two sips, set the glass on the nightstand, and slid under the covers.
"Ting-ge, how about you don't go to the shop after we return to Zunnan? Just stay home and rest." Her hand slipped under Li Zhenting’s collar, brushing against his chest muscles, which had become even more pronounced. Just below his chest was his belly, rising and falling with his breath. "Your belly has started to drop lately. It’s hard on you to stand for too long."
"I feel fine." Li Zhenting let out another yawn and leaned slightly against her arm. "I plan to hold out until at least eight months. My constitution is good, anyway."
"Is that so? But starting from the seventh month, the doctor suggested you try using a dilator to let your body gradually adapt to the width."
Li Zi had brought up the one thing he didn't want to face. Li Zhenting grumbled dissatisfiedly, "I don't want to use that thing. It’s weird."
"You’re the one who said you wanted a natural birth. To make things go smoother when the time comes, we have to be prepared. Otherwise, just listen to me and have a C-section."
"No, I’m not doing a C-section. I don't want a scar on my stomach." Li Zhenting shook his head decisively. He was incredibly vain about his body; he didn't want to work on his abs later only to have a scar running right through the middle of them.
"Then we have to use it." Li Zi’s hand shifted, moving toward his lower back. "I’m worried, too. It’s so tight here—how can you have a natural birth?"
"Don't overthink it. The doctor said it wouldn't be much of a problem." He gave a dissatisfied nip at the hand that was wandering over him. "Stop touching me, or neither of us is getting any sleep today."
"Ow." Li Zi hissed in feigned pain and withdrew her hand.
"I barely used any force. No way." Li Zhenting leaned in suspiciously to look. He pulled up Li Zi’s sleeve, only to see a very faint tooth mark.
As expected, he’d been tricked again.
He glared at Li Zi, accusingly saying, "You really enjoy teasing me more and more. Do the two kids know their mother is this kind of person?"
"Children take after their parents. I’m sure they’ll understand me." Li Zi laughed, her blue eyes looking particularly gentle in the moonlight. She covered Li Zhenting’s mock-murderous gaze with her hand and leaned into his ear. "Alright, time to sleep."
His eyelashes fluttered twice against her palm before the man’s obedient voice drifted out: "Okay."
A pregnant man falls asleep very quickly. Only a few minutes after lying down, Li Zi heard his breathing slow and steady.
*Sigh.*
She hoped it really was just a nightmare and that she was overthinking things.
***
On New Year’s Eve, Liu Yan’s spirits were clearly low.
When his younger sister worriedly asked what was wrong, he said it was nothing. He simply took out his phone from time to time, checked it, and then put it back down in disappointment.
Yu Tianwu had said she wouldn't be coming back for the New Year, and she had been out of contact since yesterday. She hadn't replied to his WeChat messages, and his calls went unanswered.
This made Liu Yan’s heart sink halfway into his chest, unsure of what she meant by this. Their last exchange was from the night before last, a message from Yu Tianwu: *[Kissing you, Yan-ge. Goodnight, love you!]*
Even if he was in a bad mood, chores still had to be done. The sausages his father had cured had been hanging over the stove for a long time; today, they had to be taken down and washed. There were also the Spring Festival couplets and window paper-cuts to be put up one by one.
Though the family wasn't wealthy, they never treated the holidays with indifference.
As the sky gradually darkened, the people on the streets grew fewer as everyone gathered in their homes for reunions. At Liu Yan’s house, the ingredients were mostly prepared, and the cooking was about to begin. He stayed in the kitchen, helping his father.
His phone was left on the table outside.
His sister called out from the living room, "Brother, your phone keeps vibrating!"
"It’s fine, don't worry about it!" Liu Yan called back.
*It’s probably just friends in the group chats sending New Year greetings,* he thought.
The ignored phone screen lit up:
*Tianwu: Yan-ge, Yan-ge! I’m back! Bet you didn't expect that!*
*Tianwu: It’s so cold back home. I didn't even bring a padded coat.*
*Tianwu: I couldn't see your messages on the plane, so I didn't reply.*
*...*
*Tianwu: Are you there?*
*Tianwu: Are you mad...? I’m sorry, I just wanted to give you a surprise.*
*...*
*Tianwu: I’m coming to find you.*
Yu Tianwu was wearing nothing but a trench coat, shivering in the freezing wind of her motherland. Carrying her suitcase, she walked out of the subway station and tucked her unresponsive phone back into her pocket.
Her usual long, curly hair had been trimmed at some point into a black, shoulder-length bob, tucked casually behind her ears. Even without her usual meticulous grooming, her unique, languid aura still drew the gaze of many passersby.
She sighed and scolded herself, "Yu Tianwu, look at the stupidity you've committed again. What kind of bullshit 'surprise' was this?"
*Yan-ge isn't even talking to you anymore.*
She hadn't told anyone about her return to the country, let alone her family, with whom she had practically severed ties. She had only come back to find her lover.
What should one bring when visiting someone’s home for the New Year? Fruit? Milk? Flowers?
Her brain, which usually didn't have to consider such things, struggled to function. Yu Tianwu looked around. "Where is there a supermarket?"
Before returning, she had just sold a few paintings for a decent price. The buyer was a handsome, wealthy second-generation Omega who had even asked for her contact information and invited her to dinner when buying the art.
Yu Tianwu had politely declined, saying she already had a boyfriend. The buyer left disappointed, but the transaction was completed nonetheless.
*I finally have a bit of spare cash. I can come back and live a good life with Yan-ge.*
She had thought this happily when she received the transfer notification. It was a pity that such a good thing had been botched by her own hand.
Carrying a box of imported snacks in her left hand and pulling her suitcase with her right—with a pile of so-called "New Year goods" stacked on top—she walked for over ten minutes before finally arriving at Liu Yan’s door.
Setting her things on the ground, Yu Tianwu took a deep breath, rubbed her frozen face to loosen it up, and put on her trademark smile.
She knocked: *Knock, knock.*
The sound of footsteps approached the door, and Yu Tianwu’s heart grew increasingly nervous. It had been so long since she’d seen Yan-ge. Would he be happy to see her? Would he still be mad? Should she say "I’m back" or "Happy New Year"?
"Who is it?"
"Yan—"
The door opened, and Yu Tianwu found herself face-to-face with a young woman.
"It’s you?!" Liu Yan’s sister looked at her in surprise.
Just as Yu Tianwu was about to say hello, the girl turned and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Brother! Someone’s here for you!!"
"Coming! Who is it?"
The familiar voice rang out from inside. Yu Tianwu’s eyes uncontrollably sought the direction of the sound.
Liu Yan walked over while pulling off his gloves. As he reached the door, his sister stepped aside, and he saw Yu Tianwu staring blankly at him.
"Tianwu? How... wait, didn't you say you weren't coming back?"
For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
How had she changed so much? She was thinner, her gaze was sharper, but she also looked haggard, with obvious dark circles under her eyes. Wearing that thin black trench coat, her face was pale from the cold as she gazed at him longingly.
"Yan-ge!"
She took two steps forward and threw herself into Liu Yan’s arms, her head burying itself by his ear. "Yan-ge, I missed you so much, *waaaaah*..."
She hadn't changed.
Liu Yan’s heart suddenly found peace. He opened his arms and pulled his long-lost lover into a tight embrace.
"Thank you for coming back, Tianwu."
***
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