Showing Affection

The room was silent, and only the breaths of the people in it could be heard momentarily. Yanyue's heartbeat escalated, and time seemed slow for her.

Grandma Lu was the first one to react after she recollected her thoughts.

"My child, is that true? You're pregnant?" the old lady said, her face beamed with a bright glow from the overflow of happiness she had just experienced.

Yanyue's mouth seemed to be glued together as she struggled to utter a word, "... Grandma, I—"

Then, she bit her lips in defeat. She figured she could not hide her pregnancy, at least not with everyone's eyes on her.

She resigned and nodded, "Yes."

The old lady was elated and held the young woman's hand. "Why did you not tell grandma? When did this happen?" she asked excitedly.

The old lady's exuberance made the tightness in Yanyue's chest lighter. She replied quietly, "I just found out today at the hospital."

The King was also another person who could not contain his happiness. He was going to have two grandchildren!

He exclaimed from his spot, "That is good! You are indeed my good daughter-in-law!"

Then, he turned to his son with a face ready to lecture the life out of him.

"Since Xiaoyue is also pregnant, you must care for her and the baby well! I do not want any mishaps! As for that woman, I do not need to tell you what to do further!"

The King and Queen left for the Central Palace, and everyone also started to disperse from their spots.

Jason also scurried out of the room, not wanting to face his friend's wrath. He knew she was not happy that he had revealed her pregnancy after she had begged him to keep it a secret.

However, he genuinely thought that she was safer if everyone witnessed her pregnancy. After all, the baby in her stomach could be the next heir to the county, meaning she would receive more protection from the royal family. He felt this was a good course of action to protect the baby from his brother or people who would hurt Yanyue.

Many people wanted to harm her, especially the woman by his brother's side. He saw nothing good in that woman and wondered why his brother was head-over-heels for her.

After learning of the pregnancy, Granda Lu could not wait to prepare. She did not leave immediately and was busy ordering all the servants to look after her granddaughter-in-law's well-being. She asked that the menu be changed to more nutritious food so that the baby would grow up healthy and the mother would have more strength.

Yanyue and Wanyue were pregnant with the second prince's children, but one could see the vast difference in how the old lady treated them. She was pampering the older sister, while the younger sister was ignored.

Beichen had already taken Wanyue back to the east wing in the Eastern Palace.

Wanyue's face was gloomy throughout the evening. She was bewildered by the sudden news of her sister's pregnancy and pretended to pout to show her unhappiness.

"Ah Chen, how could you do this to me?" she cried softly, her hands covering her face.

Beichen had always quickly coaxed her given her easy-going nature whenever she cried, but seeing her tears did not distress him as usual. Instead, it was more accurate to say that he was slightly irritated.

He was unsure why he was suddenly impatient, but after hearing about Yanyue's pregnancy, he felt he could not describe his emotions. At this moment, he wanted to see that woman because he thought that it was the only way to relieve the compression in his chest.

He sighed and said, "Go to sleep. I have some work to finish. I'll see you tomorrow."

Wanyue was not reconciled and complained, "Ah Chen, I'm mad at you!"

After the whole fiasco downstairs, the man was already not in the mood to hear anyone complain, so her tantrum tested his last bit of patience. He frowned and said indifferently,

"Wanyue, be good and go to sleep."

Wanyue's heart dropped. He was never this angry with her before. In the past, even if he were not that emotional, he would never show a trace of anger to her.

She was a little scared at this moment. Before he decided to snap further, she thought she should stop her act. She knew that he could turn deadly if she probed him further.

She gulped the lump in her throat and sat on the bed, staring at his back as he closed the door.

*

The stillness of the room reminded her of the loneliness of this marriage. She once thought that if she obeyed him and let him do whatever he wanted with her body, perhaps their relationship could change and he would at least smile at her. But, everything was only her wishful thinking.

This evening, she again confirmed her hopelessness when he asked to marry Wanyue even though they were not divorced.

She curled her body on the bed and touched her stomach. Tears flowed from her eyes and she did not bother to wipe them for she was too numb.

"Baby, what should I do?" she asked, her voice shaky and empty from the desolate feeling in her heart.

The door creaked open as she was absorbed in her anguish, and Beichen entered.

Yanyue was unprepared for his presence, but she quickly wiped her tears before facing him because she did not want him to see her in her most vulnerable state.

"Your highness," she said, looking downward to escape his sight.

But Beichen knew from her shaky voice that she had been crying. "You know how to cry too?"

Yanyue stiffened at his condescending question.

He walked over to her. She could feel the heaviness in his footsteps as they echoed into her heart.

"Are you sure this baby is mine?" he asked suspiciously.

Her eyebrows pressed against each other in disbelief of his question.

"It is your baby," she answered shortly, but firmly.

He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"How could I be sure I'm the only man you are sleeping with?"

She stared at him with round, glittery eyes. "I don't dare cheat Grandma or His Majesty," she defended.

Beichen did not respond immediately, as if he had agreed with her. Then, he wandered to her flat stomach.

At first, he did not know how he should feel about this woman bearing his child. However, he knew this feeling differed from when he found out Wanyue was pregnant.

He did not want to admit it, but for some unexplainable reason, he was looking forward to this birth from the woman that he loathed as if there was another persona in him he was unaware of.

He hated this unknown feeling, as he had always been transparent about his emotions. However, this woman always managed to find ways to upset him.

"Better let that be true. You know what happens if you cheat grandma," he warned and then went away.

Yanyue placed her hand on her stomach, pitying the unborn baby.

She was not afraid of anything because she was truthful. She would never cheat him or grandma. He was the only man she had been with, so she was positive that the baby was his. If anything, she felt a little discouraged that he even doubted her innocence and loyalty.

She went to bed that night dreaming of the baby from last time again.

Ever since she was pregnant, her senses became even more sensitive, so even if it were a dream, she would tear up at the nostalgic baby cries. She thought that perhaps she could not wait to see her baby, which was why she had these dreams.

She was alone, moving in her sleep, and the night passed quietly for those with no worries to bear on their back.

After a long night, Yanyue woke up tired and haggard, but she was hungry and went to the kitchen for breakfast.

However, what awaited her was the lovely atmosphere between the two people she wanted to avoid most.

Wanyue was sitting on Beichen's lap. He gently lifted the spoon to feed her; his eyes were only on her and no one else.

When her lips were stained with the porridge, he took a napkin, folded it in half, and wiped her red lips. One could see the blush on her face like a girl confessing to her crush.

She was in a good mood because Beichen was doting again. His nonchalant attitude toward her from last night was gone.

"Ah Chen, I'm full," Wanyue said coquettishly. "You don't have to feed me anymore."

Beichen set the napkin down and smiled. He placed his hand on the woman's flat stomach and said, "You need to eat a lot because you're eating for two now."

The woman was shy, but was secretly happy.

"Do you want our child to be fat when he is born?"

The man chuckled. "That's good! My woman must give me a fat son!"

Yanyue could not stand their affection and teasing, so she did not go into the kitchen to eat and went to the company on an empty stomach. This time, she did not have to hail a cab because Grandma Lu had hired a driver to pick her up and drop her off at work. After all, she was pregnant now.

She focused on the new designs they would launch for Klotho's new opening to numb herself from overthinking.

"President Shen, you have an engagement this evening," said Anxia as she checked the calendar on her notepad again.

The Yang family, which owned the Yang Enterprise, wanted to host an event to welcome their future heir, who had just returned from his studies abroad.

Yanyue's stepmother would also be there because she was part of the Yang family.

However, she planned to attend the event to see if she could find more clues to her mother's death. The Yang Enterprise also benefited most from Klothos' bankruptcy, and the fact that Klotho fell into their hands shortly after that was more than enough to let her stand guard against them.

"Anxia, have a dress prepared for me."

The young woman nodded to her boss and left the room.

*

The sky turned orange at the horizon. Yanyue looked at the clock's tower, which had just struck five, and entered the event's venue.

The event-goers could not keep their eyes away when she entered the room. They were mesmerized by her appearance.

Her simple navy dress accentuated her curves and swirled down onto her feet. As she trod, her curled hair swayed effortlessly from side to side.

Unlike the many women in the space, she had a natural beauty that could captivate a person's attention at first glance and kept them spell-bounded.

Soon, whispers began echoing across the room as everyone pondered her identity.

Yanyue was oblivious to the remarks because she could care less. Her purpose was to investigate quietly and observe the Yang family. She grabbed a drink to blend in, but she knew that she could not drink the alcohol due to her pregnancy.

The event commenced and the main party of attraction finally appeared on the stage. He was a handsome young man, comparable to Beichen.

However, his demeanor seemed much more gentlemanly and kind.

She heard that this young master was a well-known businessman. In less than a year after he went to study abroad, he began investing in his businesses. He also boosted the Yang Enterprise's profit by a large margin shortly after he came back.

She had to admit she was a little afraid of such a talented person working in the Yang Enterprise because he could hinder her investigation.

Like everybody else, she looked at him talking on the stage, but she made eye contact with him for some reason. When his eyes did not leave hers, she thought he was making eye contact with her on purpose, but she doubted that, as they did not know each other, or so she thought.

She felt confused and gazed around the room nonchalantly.

When the star of the show finished introducing himself, he walked down the stage to where Yanyue was standing.

He seemed to be in a hurry to reach her.

"Lulu, I finally found you!" he said, eagerly hugging her and smiling from ear to ear.