The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie
Chapter 399: 399: The Happy Life of a Pregnant Woman, Qiao Wen Doesn't Want Children

Chapter 399: 399: The Happy Life of a Pregnant Woman, Qiao Wen Doesn’t Want Children

Jiang Zhi tucked her hand back under the quilt, helping her lie down comfortably, “Don’t you want to eat it now?”

Zhou Xufang bravely said, “I can hold off.”

Her endurance is amazing! She isn’t even afraid of electric shocks!

Jiang Zhi chuckled, “I’m afraid you’ll cry.”

Why would she cry? She’s so strong.

“Great Aunt told me that pregnant women have huge mood swings, and if they can’t eat what they’re craving, they might actually cry, so I’m supposed to indulge you a bit.”

Fang Lixiang’s mood swings were significant; he even wanted to hit Xue Baoyi when the moon wasn’t full. Xue Baoyi, afraid of hurting his hands, even bought a special keyboard to prevent it.

Zhou Xufang wouldn’t hit Jiang Zhi; she had such strong hands that she was afraid she might break something with a single hit, and of course, she wouldn’t whine about it, “I’m not your ordinary pregnant woman. I’m the kind that can breathe underwater.”

She was a strong and sturdy pregnant woman.

“You’re still a pregnant woman though.” Jiang Zhi left her on the bed, got up, and said, “Wait for me at home.”

Zhou Xufang obediently pleaded, “Then you be careful.”

“Just get some sleep.”

Jiang Zhi kissed her face, changed his clothes, and left the house. He didn’t immediately head to the garage but stopped at the hallway to call Mr. Fang, “Uncle Fang, sorry to disturb your sleep.”

Mr. Fang hadn’t gone to bed yet, he was watching a TV series, “It’s fine.” He looked at the clock on the wall; it was eleven thirty, “Is something wrong with Xu Fang?”

Lately, Zhou Xufang had been going to sleep at nine at night and waking up at nine in the morning, needing twelve hours of sleep.

“No trouble, she’s sleeping.” Jiang Zhi kept his voice very low not to disturb Zhou Xufang, “Do you have any pickled radish?”

Mr. Fang muted the TV, “Pickled radish?”

“Yes, the sweet and sour kind.”

Mr. Fang knew what he meant. Just a few days ago, Xiao Fang had been insisting on eating something sour, and he had just pickled a few jars, having learned it from a girl at Qiao Nanchu’s house, a girl who was clever and skillful enough to carve radishes into flowers.

Mr. Fang went to check the refrigerator and remembered, “Lixiang ate the last of it yesterday.” There were still some white radishes in the refrigerator. “If I start pickling now, it won’t be ready until tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhi walked to the elevator entrance, “No worries, I’ll go out and buy some.”

“This late? Are there any shops still open?”

“I’ll look around.”

“Be careful driving at night.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Zhi drove out of the residential area, searching several streets. Very few stores were open, and he couldn’t find the type of pickled radish Zhou Xufang wanted.

Just before midnight, Yao Bixi received a call from Jiang Zhi.

“Hello.”

“It’s me, Jiang Zhi.”

Yao Bixi checked the time on her phone again.

Lu Jingsong also woke up, “Who is it?”

“Go back to sleep.” Yao Bixi put on a coat to step outside, “Why are you calling so late?”

Jiang Zhi asked, “Do you have any pickled radish?”

Yao Bixi knew what was going on, “I have the salted kind, not the sour.”

“Then I’ll hang up.”

As he was about to hang up, Yao Bixi quickly asked, “Is it your wife who wants to eat it?” Zhou Xufang had recently developed a liking for sour foods, and pregnant women often crave snacks in the middle of the night.

Jiang Zhi denied it, “No, it’s for me.”

Was he that worried about his wife?

Yao Bixi didn’t expose him, “I’ll have Uncle Fang make some tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Jiang Zhi said, “Sorry for the trouble, goodbye.”

Yao Bixi chuckled, returned to the room, and Lu Jingsong asked, “Who was that?”

“Jiang Zhi.”

That was rare.

Jiang Zhi was slow to warm up and rather aloof. Apart from a few words with Lu Xinglan, he hardly mingled with other members of the Lu Family, communicating very little and hardly ever initiating contact.

Lu Jingsong sat up, “Why is he calling so late? Something the matter?”

Yao Bixi explained, “Xu Fang is craving sour pickled radish, and Jiang Zhi is searching all over for it.” Knowing Jiang Zhi’s character, he must have searched everywhere and only resorted to calling around as a last resort.

“Our Lu family men really cherish their wives,” Lu Jingsong said proudly, feeling quite proud of the affection he showed for his wife.

Yao Bixi teased him, “Stop bragging so much about yourself.” When it came to cherishing his wife, she became worried, “When will our Xinglan bring a wife home.”

It was past half-past midnight, and Jiang Zhi hadn’t returned yet.

Zhou Xufang called him.

“Jiang Zhi,” she sounded anxious, “please come back. I don’t need the sour radish anymore.”

Jiang Zhi spoke softly, “What’s wrong?”

“You’ve been gone too long, I’m worried.” She feared Jiang Zhi had encountered robbers, given his wealth and good looks.

“I’ll be back soon,” Jiang Zhi patiently soothed the anxious pregnant woman at home, “Don’t wait up for me, go to sleep.”

“Then I’ll go to sleep,” Zhou Xufang instructed, “you don’t need to buy the sour radish anymore, just come back soon.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Zhi continued to soothe her for a few more moments before hanging up.

Qiao Nanchu, in his slippers, came downstairs, yawning, “I must have owed you in my last life.”

Jiang Zhi opened the car door, urging him, “Hurry up and get in.”

The two headed to Wen Baiyang’s place, Qiao Nanchu clearly had the key yet snuck in like a thief, without even turning on the lights, moving in the dark.

“Why aren’t you turning on the lights?”

Jiang Zhi wanted to use his phone to light the way, but Qiao Nanchu coldly warned, “Turn it off, my girlfriend is sleeping. Just take what you need and leave, don’t disturb her.”

Alright then.

With no other choice, Jiang Zhi fumbled his way inside, guided only by the faint moonlight.

The two tiptoed into the kitchen. The lighting was too dim, visibility too low; Jiang Zhi, being tall and long-limbed, had his waist at the level of the dining table. He misjudged his reach and collided heavily with it, shaking the ground.

Qiao Nanchu turned and snapped, “Be gentle!”

Jiang Zhi: “…”

Damn it!

Qiao Nanchu opened the fridge, took out a box of pickled radishes from the neatly stacked preservation boxes, and handed it to Jiang Zhi: “Here, take this and get lost.”

Jiang Zhi glanced inside the fridge, “Give me one more.”

There were only three boxes in total.

Qiao Nanchu glanced at him and grabbed another box, “Hurry up and leave.”

As they turned around, they saw Wen Baiyang standing in the doorway, holding a keyboard. The moonlight was dim, and she could only vaguely make out their silhouettes. She then took a deep breath.

Qiao Nanchu turned on the light, “Did I scare you?”

Wen Baiyang put down the keyboard and signed with her hands, “I thought it was a thief.” She had just lain down but remembered that the door wasn’t properly shut, so she got up to close it. The moment she opened the living room door she knew because the breeze came in, but she couldn’t hear and didn’t know who had come in.

Qiao Nanchu turned around and roared at the uninvited guest asking for food, “Aren’t you leaving?”

Jiang Zhi said to Wen Baiyang, “Sorry.” Holding the two boxes of pickled radishes, he left.

Qiao Nanchu closed the door.

“Zhou Xufang wanted some pickled radishes, so Jiang Zhi came with me to get them.”

Wen Baiyang’s pajamas were conservative, long-sleeved and pants, with a thin jacket over them: “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to disturb your sleep,” Qiao Nanchu checked that the doors and windows were all securely locked, “You go back to sleep, I’ll head back now.”

Wen Baiyang walked over and tugged at his sleeve.

“It’s too late.”

She wanted him to stay.

Qiao Nanchu smiled and asked, “Then where should I sleep?”

Her place had no guest room; one empty room had been turned into a walk-in closet, the other into her studio. She pointed to the sofa, “Sleep there.”

When she was younger, she had lived with him. After she understood the necessity of keeping distance between men and women, she moved out, and Qiao Nanchu had worried about her quite a bit.

“There are mosquitoes in the living room,” he whined playfully, “Can I sleep on your bedroom floor?”

He was busy with work and had little time to spend with her, hoping to stay a bit longer whenever he visited.

Wen Baiyang thought for a moment, then nodded.

Her room wasn’t big; he laid his bedding next to her bed, so that a simple reach from Qiao Nanchu could touch the girl on the bed.

After the lights were out, she couldn’t see his lip movements, so she sent him a message on her phone.

“Do you like children?”

She knew about Zhou Xufang being pregnant.

Qiao Nanchu replied quickly, “Not really.” He lay on his side, gazing at her in the dim light of the screen, “But if you do, we could adopt one after we get married.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t like them; it was that they couldn’t have any.

Wen Baiyang stared at the text on her phone, not replying for a long while.

Qiao Nanchu sent another message, “Don’t overthink it, go to sleep.”

“Mm.”

She put down her phone, her eyes remaining open as she observed his vague silhouette in the darkness, then finally closed her eyes.

Being with Qiao Nanchu, that was the greediest thing she had ever done in her life.

“Wen Baiyang.”

Qiao Nanchu called her.

She couldn’t hear and didn’t respond.

The room was only lit by the sliver of moonlight coming in through the curtain gaps. In the pitch darkness where one could barely make out a face, he said, “Wen Baiyang, having you is enough for me.”

When Jiang Zhi returned to his place, it was past one.

As he opened the door, he saw Zhou Xufang sitting on a little stool by the door; she immediately rushed over to hug him, “Why were you gone so long, I was so worried.”

Holding the bag in one hand, Jiang Zhi hugged her with the other, “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Bad people roam at night; I was afraid you’d run into one.”

“I’m the bad guy here.”

That’s different. Jiang Zhi’s mischief was only towards bad folks, while those thieving, despicable people would target anyone who was rich, good-looking, or both rich and good-looking.

The world is dark; a beautiful boy must protect himself when out and about, and the girlfriend of a beautiful boy must also protect her boyfriend to shield him from the cruelties of this wicked world.

Zhou Xufang: “I’ll never crave anything again.”

Jiang Zhi held the pickled radishes up to her, “Eat or not?”

Zhou Xufang swallowed, “…eat.”

Jiang Zhi set her at the dining table, then went to the kitchen to warm a cup of milk, toast two slices of bread, fry some spam, even topping the spam with some lettuce which Zhou Xufang didn’t like, served alongside the pickled radishes.

Zhou Xufang ate with pleasure: “Jiang Zhi, you went through so much trouble just for these pickled radishes for me; I need to repay you. What do you want right now? I’ll agree to anything.”

Jiang Zhi wiped the milk from the corner of her mouth, “Love me?”

Zhou Xufang chewed the pickled radish, “Love.”

He smiled, “That’s enough for your fiancé.”

Her fiancé.

Zhou Xufang, happy, ate all the lettuce she didn’t like.