Chapter 15 Trigger

Ling Yichen laid on the bed. No matter how he tossed and turned, he could not fall asleep. The petite woman had curled up into a ball and nestled in his arms, hugging his warm body closely and sleeping soundly. His child was in the belly of this woman. The thought of this trigger him so much that he lost any notions of sleeping. He couldn’t help but recollect a memory from four years ago. That was when he almost had a child. Because of that accident, the baby had died in the womb and Lu Wanru could no longer give birth. Six years of marriage. He and Lu Wanru had been married for six years already. The time when their relationship had deteriorated to mere courtesy was exactly four years ago when Lu Wanqiu’s child had died. Sometimes, he wondered. If I was stood my ground and insisted on marrying Lu Wanqiu regardless of the consequences, would things turn out differently than what they are now? He and Lu Wanqiu had been classmates since kindergarten. From elementary to high school, the two had never been apart before. To his dismay, his family had forced to marry Lu Wanru, who was two years older than he was, during his second year of university. He had also never imagined that because of a joke that he had said, Lu Wanqiu had waited for him for six years. So what if she had waited for him for six years? He couldn’t divorce Lu Wanru. As long as he didn’t want his mother to be incensed, he couldn’t leave. Lu Wanru had mentioned that as long as he gave her a child, she would not interfere with his private affairs. However, this did not include Lu Wanqiu. The problem was that if Lu Wanqiu was to leave him, she would not be able to live on. Not to mention, how could he possibly see her end up with nothing after having waited for him for so long? As for the woman who was currently beside him, would she take the money and leave quietly as Lu Wanru had promised after she had given birth? What if one day, someone found out that his child’s mother was with another man? How would he be able to salvage his and his child’s reputation? Contrary to his insomnia, Xia Mo slept extremely well. Xia Mo felt warm and soothed from head to toe as if she was dipping into a hot spring, but slowly, she sensed that something was amiss. What’s with this hot spring? Why is it entangling me? It was arduous to move around as if countless vines had entwined tightly around her limbs. Frightened, she began to struggle. However, the more she struggled, the tighter the entanglement became. In the end, the pain grew numb. Her fruitless struggle turned into a weak rubdown. Ling Yichen looked at the faintly blushing woman in his embrace and sucked in a deep breath of exasperation. He then released her and sat up. This woman’s young, but she’s already a succubus! Sleeping with her in the same bed is torturous! He angrily glared at her, but there was not a hint of fury in the depths of his eyes. With the sudden loss of warmth, the woman snorted unhappily, turned over, blanketed the quilt snuggly around her, and fell back to sleep. Ling Yichen lowered his body and gently tucked the quilt so that her petite face was revealed in the open. Have to be careful. Can’t let her suffocate. He put on his clothes and looked at the woman, with her slightly opened mouth and pink cheeks, on the bed once more. How can this woman look so cute even when she’s asleep? He continued to stare at her. This woman is torment! Afterward, Ling Yichen headed downstairs and, without eating, left the house. It was almost nine in the morning when Xia Mo finally woke up. She then remembered the man and rapidly scanned the room for his shadow. He must have already left long ago. She had sat up, put on her nightdress, and roughly ran her hands through her messy hair before she slowly got out of bed. While she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, all she could think about was that man. What does he want from me? I’m already pregnant, so what is he coming here for? When evening came, she sat on the living room sofa and watched tv. Despite her eyes being glued to the screen, her ears were perked up and busily picking up any noises from the outside. She was beyond anxious because she didn’t know when if that man would come back or not. She waited for him until ten o’clock, but he hadn’t come at all. It was then that she breathed a sigh of relief and climbed into bed. From that day onward, the man had never appeared again. On the other hand, Lu Wanru had visited her once and Mrs. Wu had visited her thrice. Three months later, Lu Wanru had brought her to the hospital for a more detailed checkup. Knowing that she and the child were in good condition, Lu Wanru relaxed her heavy heart. Following that, she counted the days with her fingers. There were still more seven months left. Right before the arrival of the Spring Festival, Mrs. Wu and the other servants brought over many gifts. Included among them were maternity clothes for Xia Mo. Xia Mo negotiated with Mrs. Wu, “I want to call my mother and friends. Is that okay?” Mrs. Wu didn’t dare to make the decision herself, so she asked Lu Wanru. After receiving approval, she handed Xia Mo a phone. Xia Mo’s eyes reddened as she held onto the phone for what seemed like half a day. She returned it back to Mrs. Wu. “Why don’t you call?” Mrs. Wu coaxed her, “Give her a call. It’ll make your mother feel at ease.” “It’s better that I don’t call,” Xia Mo shook her head, sniffed her nose, and added, “I’m not good at lying.” Mrs. Wu then took the phone and left. After hearing Mrs. Wu’s recount, Lu Wanru merely sighed. In a blink of an eye, she was already five months pregnant. The child in her belly had begun to move. She would frequently sit by the bay window during the noon, bask in the warm sunlight, play a game with the baby, and feel his movements. By the seventh month, the weather began to warm up. Xia Mo’s belly was so big that she could no longer see her feet whenever she looked down. Lu Wanru brought her to the hospital for the final checkup. On the way back home in the car, Xia Mo glanced at Lu Wanru happily discussing with Mrs. Wu about the baby in her belly while holding the ultrasound image. Xia Mo gingerly rubbed her belly. Her heart ached painfully. Time had flown by so fast. Her expected due date was less than three months away. After she had arrived at the house, she grew frustrated. She had walked about the outer grounds in circles until Mrs. Feng and Xiao Cui dragged her back indoors. However, as she lay in bed that night, she continuously tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Anguished clawed at her heart. She suddenly felt reluctant. She didn’t want to give away her child to someone else.