“When did you find out?” Gu Ting was silent for a while. When he finally spoke, his voice was trembling.
“Today.” Wen Ke’an replied, taking out a pregnancy test stick from the pocket of her pajamas and handing it to Gu Ting. “Take a look.”
Gu Ting took it and looked at it for a long moment.
His dazed expression made Wen Ke’an laugh. She reached out and pinched his face, smiling as she said, “Why are you acting so silly?”
“…”
The news of Wen Ke’an’s pregnancy soon spread to everyone.
Chu Han and Jin Ming had already started picking out various items for the baby, and they were even more excited than she was.
Wen Ke’an felt that the most excited person was still Gu Ting.
Since she got pregnant, he had frequently been unable to sleep and suffered from insomnia. Every night, he would wake up multiple times to check if she had kicked off her blanket. He wished he could watch over her every day, fearing any issues might arise.
Gu Ting even stopped going to his company, staying home with her all day. Initially, Wen Ke’an had a poor appetite, but as time passed, she began to eat and sleep well. It was obviously visible that she was gaining weight.
On the contrary, Gu Ting was not eating well and couldn’t sleep properly.
Liu Qing and Wen Qiangguo visited almost every other day. Gu Ting would only leave the house to handle some matters when Liu Qing came over.
“How have you been these days? Any discomfort?” Liu Qing asked while peeling an apple for Wen Ke’an.
“No, I’ve been eating well and sleeping well lately.” Wen Ke’an replied, “But Gu Ting…”
“What about him?” Liu Qing handed the peeled apple to Wen Ke’an.
Wen Ke’an frowned and said, “He hasn’t been eating properly these days. He seems constantly tense, with a poor appetite, and he’s lost quite a bit of weight.”
Liu Qing was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “When I was pregnant with you, your father was the same.”
“Huh?” Wen Ke’an looked back at Liu Qing.
“It should be Couvade syndrome.”
“Couvade syndrome?”
Liu Qing smiled, “There’s a saying back in my hometown that because he loves you so much, he’s taking on the pain you should bear.”
“…”
After learning about the condition, Wen Ke’an immediately researched and consulted a doctor.
Gu Ting’s case wasn’t severe. After confirming that it wouldn’t pose significant health issues, Wen Ke’an finally felt relieved.
That evening, after her parents had left, Wen Ke’an leaned against Gu Ting while watching a movie.
Sitting in the same position made her uncomfortable. As she moved, Gu Ting glanced down at her.
Wen Ke’an smiled at him, saying, “I’m fine, just have pins and needles in my legs.”
“Let me massage them for you.”
After Gu Ting massaged her legs for a while, Wen Ke’an felt more comfortable. She looked at Gu Ting, and after some hesitation, she asked, “Gu Ting, have you been too tense lately?”
Gu Ting lowered his gaze, looking at her tenderly. He looked at her for a long time before softly saying, “Yes, I have been a bit tense.”
When they actually had a child, Gu Ting was indeed a bit surprised. But what followed was a mix of panic, fear, and regret. Instead of eagerly looking forward to the baby’s arrival, Gu Ting was more worried about whether her body could handle it.
Having a baby is inherently risky. Just days ago, she was so uncomfortable that she didn’t want to eat, and he constantly felt guilty about it. If there were no baby, she wouldn’t be suffering. If only he could suffer on her behalf.
Wen Ke’an had been cautiously observing him and understood what he was worried about. She gently hooked his pinky with hers, and almost as soon as they touched, his hand moved and lightly held her small hand.
She led his hand to her belly and looked up at him. “Gu Ting, having a baby is a blessed event. Heaven will watch over us; both the baby and I will be fine.”
Gu Ting said nothing, only looking down at her belly.
Inside her was a small live that would someday call her “Mom” and him “Dad.”
Wen Ke’an tilted her head up and kissed him gently. When he looked over, she smiled and said, “Please eat well from now on, okay? I don’t want our baby to be born and find his daddy exhausted and sick.”
Maybe her words had some effect that night because Wen Ke’an noticed that Gu Ting gradually seemed a bit better. He still slept lightly, waking several times each night to check on her, but his appetite had significantly improved.
Wen Ke’an hadn’t been feeling unwell in recent days; perhaps the baby in her belly was understanding and didn’t want to make his parents uncomfortable.
Ever since becoming pregnant, Wen Ke’an had not gone out to work. Many film crews and collaborators wanted to work with her, but she turned them all down.
She could sleep up to thirteen hours a day recently, making her remaining awake hours quite dull.
When she was bored, Wen Ke’an would watch videos or read novels. However, she had stopped updating her novels and videos, leaving many of her fans urging her to update in the comments.
One day, bored, Wen Ke’an decided to start a live stream to chat with her fans.
As soon as she started the stream, she went to the kitchen for some fruit. When she sat down, she found there were already more than two thousand people watching.
“Why are there so many people?” Wen Ke’an muttered, slightly puzzled by the number on her phone.
[Aaah, you finally started a live stream! Did you finally remember your password?]
[Why haven’t your videos updated? Do you know how many fans are eagerly waiting for your updates?]
[Sis, are you busy filming lately? I really loved the character you played before!]
Wen Ke’an glanced at the comments and said, “I don’t plan to film for now.”
[Why?! You’re so popular right now, how can you not film?!]
[Yes, now is the best time to focus on your career. If you work hard, you might even win an acting award.]
[You’re not filming?! I’ve been looking forward to your new drama!]
[Did something happen at home? Your videos haven’t been updating either.]
“Nothing much happened at home,” Wen Ke’an said while eating fruit, “Since I’m pregnant, I can’t do any strenuous activities for now.”
After she finished speaking, the chat room miraculously went quiet for a few seconds.
【Did I hear that right? Pregnant???】
【Ahhh, congratulations!!】
【She’s in the prime of her career and now she’s going to have a baby. She’ll regret it sooner or later.】
【Anan, you’re a star! Did you just announce this so casually??】
Some mothers in the livestream chat who had gone through childbirth started advising Wen Ke’an on pregnancy precautions, turning the friendly livestream into a pregnancy information session.
However, Wen Ke’an did learn a lot during the chat, gaining many new insights about what to watch out for.
Since there wasn’t much to do at home, Wen Ke’an would occasionally start a livestream to chat with her fans whenever she felt good.
As time passed, Wen Ke’an’s belly gradually grew larger.
By the ninth month of her pregnancy, her belly was already quite big and getting up to go to the bathroom was becoming difficult.
Her legs were also somewhat swollen, and every night Gu Ting would massage them for her before they went to sleep.
Although her belly sometimes felt uncomfortable, Wen Ke’an was still very happy. She could sense that the baby in her belly was very healthy; sometimes she could even hear the baby’s strong heartbeat.
At the beginning, the baby in her belly was particularly active, frequently moving around. The more the baby moved, the more her belly hurt.
Not wanting to worry Gu Ting, Wen Ke’an usually just endured it.
But once, the pain was too much to bear. Gently patting her belly, she leaned down and softly said to the baby inside, “Mommy’s belly hurts, baby, please don’t move around so much, okay?”
I don’t know if the baby understood, but it was quite magical. Since that moment, the baby in my belly has been calm and hasn’t moved around much.
The due date is approaching. These days, Gu Ting hasn’t been sleeping well at night. Wen Ke’an would wake up, only to find that Gu Ting had not fallen asleep.
“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Wen Ke’an gently turned over and asked him softly.
Gu Ting glanced at her belly, “Did the baby wake you up again?”
Before, there was a period when Wen Ke’an was often woken up in the middle of the night by the baby kicking her from inside. The movements were small, just slight kicks.
“No, the baby has been very well-behaved recently,” Wen Ke’an replied with a smile.
Gu Ting reached out to brush the stray hairs from her forehead and said softly, “Maybe the baby feels sorry for mommy.”
“Mm!”
After speaking, Wen Ke’an grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly, “Feel here, this is his little foot.”
The due date had arrived, and Wen Ke’an went to the hospital beforehand.
She was about to give birth, making both families anxious. Liu Qing and Qiao Shang’er came to the hospital to take care of her.
“It’s best to opt for natural birth. Let’s hope our grandchild is obedient and doesn’t tire out mommy too much,” Liu Qing would often talk to her unborn grandchild to pass the time.
“The baby has always been very good.”
Just as Wen Ke’an finished speaking, she suddenly felt something unusual. Her stomach began to hurt in waves.
“Is your stomach hurting?” Gu Ting noticed her discomfort. He immediately walked to the bedside, held her hand, and reassured her.
“Is she going into labor?” Liu Qing quickly reacted, “Call the nurse, call the nurse!”
Wen Ke’an was indeed going into labor and was immediately taken to the delivery room.
Worried, Gu Ting went in to accompany her. The rest of the family waited anxiously outside.
“When you were giving birth to An’an, it took more than two hours. I was so scared,” Wen Qiangguo said to Liu Qing outside the delivery room.
“Let’s hope An’an’s delivery goes smoothly this time,” Liu Qing clasped her hands, subconsciously praying in anxiety.
Twenty minutes passed while the families waited outside the delivery room. Suddenly, the door opened, and a young nurse walked out.
As the door opened, Wen Qiangguo’s heart skipped a beat, fearing it might be bad news.
—
Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing almost instantly rushed to the young nurse’s side, anxiously asking, “How is it? Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine.”
The young nurse smiled at them and said, “Congratulations, mother and child are safe.”
Wen Qiangguo stood there, stunned, “Mother and child safe?? Has she given birth? It’s done?”
The young nurse smiled and said, “Yes, she has. It’s a baby boy.”
—
Wen Ke’an’s delivery turned out to be unexpectedly smooth. She had prepared herself for a difficult labor. However, to her surprise, she hadn’t even used all her strength before the baby came out.
It wasn’t until the nurse brought the baby to her that Wen Ke’an realized she had already given birth.
Gu Ting had been by her side the whole time. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and Gu Ting used a clean cloth to wipe it away.
Wen Ke’an looked up at him, her eyes slightly reddened, her voice weak but filled with joy, “A Ting, did you see that? This is our baby.”
They now had a baby of their own.
Gu Ting’s gaze didn’t leave her, filled with deep affection and concern.
During the labor, his hands had trembled uncontrollably. No one knew how afraid and distressed he was at that moment.
Gu Ting lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his voice quivering uncontrollably, “You’ve worked hard.”
—
After giving birth, Wen Ke’an stayed at a postpartum care center for a month. The baby was very well-behaved, not giving her much trouble, and Wen Ke’an’s body recovered quite well.
The little baby grew quickly, and within a month, he was chubby and adorable.
Though still very small, one could already see that his eyes and eyebrows resembled Wen Ke’an, while his nose and mouth looked like Gu Ting’s.
The little guy had big, dark eyes and loved to smile at people.
Knowing that Wen Ke’an would be bored during her recovery, her friends visited her frequently, bringing warmth and joy.
Jin Ming brought some little clothes for the baby and, shortly after arriving, bumped into Xie Hongyi, who had also come to see the baby.
Jin Ming was momentarily stunned upon seeing Xie Hongyi and then asked, “Why are you here?”
Xie Hongyi grinned mischievously, “I came to see my little nephew, of course.”
Jin Ming glanced around: “Did you come empty-handed?”
Xie Hongyi: “Of course not, I brought gifts!”
It was meal time, and Gu Ting was helping Wen Ke’an eat. Jin Ming and Xie Hongyi had already eaten and came over just to play with the baby.
The baby was very tiny, his face even smaller than Jin Ming’s hand.
Holding the little bundle, Xie Hongyi teased, “Call me uncle.”
“He’s so young, what are you thinking?” Jin Ming was speechless.
But just after Xie Hongyi finished speaking, the little bundle responded with a “Wuh-yah~”
“Not auntie, it’s uncle.” Xie Hongyi was having fun and repeated, “Uncle.”
“Uncle.”
In the next second, the little bundle squinted and responded again with an “Uhn~”
Xie Hongyi: “…”
“Ha ha ha ha.” Jin Ming, who saw this scene, couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not that I call you uncle, you call me uncle.” Xie Hongyi said, laughing and crying at the same time.
For some reason, after that sentence, the little bundle pursed his lips and looked like he was about to cry.
Xie Hongyi was most afraid of babies crying, so he immediately soothed, “Alright, alright, alright, uncle, uncle, I call you uncle.”
Perhaps because he was sensitive to the word “uncle,” after Xie Hongyi said it, not only did the baby not cry, he even smiled at him and made a sound.
“Ah~”
Xie Hongyi: “…”
Author’s Note: Xie Hongyi: Just one month old and already taking advantage of me. 🙂
