The person who was being seriously roasted by his secretary tapped on his table with one finger, deep in thought.
When his phone beeped, he disinterestedly glanced at it. This Han Jingse again. Doesn't she ever get tired? She had called more than one hundred times in a single week!
Or should I ask SJ to make her work overtime? He wondered, blocking her number out of annoyance.
His thoughts quickly turned to Pei Yueran.
He really wanted this lady, but she wasn't giving him the time of the day. He could not believe that he was unable to go to lunch with her at all, not even once.
The finger that was tapping his table paused.
It was that guy, that Chairman Li or whatever his name was. As long as that man remained by her side peacefully, he would not get his chance.
His mind spun around, thinking of all the information he had on Li Chuanmo. What could he do to just send him a warning? He wanted to only threaten him lightly first and assess the impact, before doing something else if needed.
What should he do to give that jerk lots of trouble?
Few seconds later, he opened his eyes, his lips curving in a wicked smile.
"Ah, this should be quite interesting."
*****
"Lub-dub! Lub-dub! Lub-dub! Lub-dub! Lub-dub! Lub-dub!...."
For a few seconds, that was the only sound that rang out in the room.
Then the doctor commented, "That's the sound of your baby's heartbeat. It's still too early to tell the gender, but you can be sure the baby is healthy."
The doctor seemed to have forgotten that this was the same couple that wanted an abortion the first time they heard about the baby.
Jiang Philip did not say anything, but his hand holding Su Qianhua tightened. She felt the pain, but did not say anything. She was as enthralled as he was.
This was their baby? That tiny shadow on the screen that didn't look as big as her fist?
The doctor was still talking, "The size is consistent with the calculated gestational age, and all is fine."
He was about to say congratulations again when he finally remembered their unique situation. He cleared his throat and wiped off the residual gel on Su Qianhua's abdomen.
He then gestured towards his table.
They were here for the follow-up examinations, and the doctor said the ultrasound was routine for a pregnant woman.
Looking at her blood test, the doctor said, "Are you sure you're using your drugs properly?"
They nodded. Jiang Philip always made sure she used them after each meal.
"Alright. It means we need to keep monitoring your condition. Don't stop using your drugs, and make sure you eat well. Has the morning sickness subsided?"
"Yes. I still can't eat a lot of foods, but some soups and bread are fine."
"That's good." Turning to Jiang Philip, he said, "make sure to keep her away from stressful situations, the first three months are the most dangerous for the baby.
"Remember, even if you don't want the baby, it has to be taken out under medical supervision, and after her blood levels are normal, else it would cause serious complications."
Jiang Philip nodded. He had taken it as his responsibility to see that she came out of this ordeal unscathed. She would be fine.
Just as they finished at the hospital, Su Qianhua got a call from Pei Yueran.
"Qianhua, how are you?"
"Doing okay. Just leaving the hospital now."
"Oh, is there any problem?"
"No, just a routine visit."
"Okay. I wanted to tell you that we're in City A now, to see my mother. We would come to your place in the evening."
"Wow, you didn't tell me you were coming."
"Surprise!"
"A pleasant surprise indeed! We have a lot to catch up on! And I can finally get to see that priceless ring of yours up close."
Pei Yueran smiled. "That's true. By the way, is Jiang Philip with you?"
"Yes he is."
"Alright. See you in a bit."
"See you." Su Qianhua replied before ending the call." Ranran and Boss Li are in City A." She said to Jiang Philip.
"That's wonderful. Should we go out for dinner with them then? I think it would be better to go out for formal dining instead of ordering in."
"Sounds like a plan."
They both stopped speaking after that, each busy with their thoughts.
Su Qianhua could not get the heartbeat out of her head. It looped over like a favorite song on repeat. Unconsciously, she touched her abdomen. A heart was really beating here?
For the first time, she seriously questioned her choices. Was taking out the baby really the right thing to do? Perplexed, she tried to take her mind off it and focus on other things.
Jiang Philip's thoughts were pretty much the same. Hearing the baby's heartbeat made it all the more real. He briefly considered begging Su Qianhua to keep the baby again, but he discarded the idea.
Her mind was obviously made up and he didn't want to make her feel bad again. She did not need more stress.
His left hand patted the pocket in which he had put the ultrasound photo he got from the doctor. At least, he would have a picture of his baby—sort of. The thought actually cheered him up.
His thoughts turned to the phone call he received from his mother. He didn't know how, but apparently Qianhua's mother must have told his mother about the pregnancy, because she called him yesterday, threatening hell and high water.
She insulted him thoroughly on the phone, asking why he didn't want to marry Qianhua and what was wrong with him that he had refused getting married all these while.
She at one time cried that she didn't raise him to be this irresponsible, and at another time, she shouted that he had to make it up to her daughter-in-law and unborn grandchild.
It was so chaotic that he left the house and went to the neighborhood playground, so that Su Qianhua, who was sleeping, would not be disturbed.
So he sat down at the playground for almost two hours, listening to his mother lambaste him. At some point, he felt a little sorry for himself. Here he was, really wanting to get married to Su Qianhua, but she wasn't at all interested.
And he was singlehandedly receiving the wrath of both mothers.
Still, he reasoned that it was better this way. Better he be insulted than Su Qianhua receiving more stress.
He just hoped that they never got to know the plan of actually getting rid of the baby. All hell would really break loose then!