Li Chuanmo waited until she was facing him, and his heart tightened seeing the worry in her eyes.
Cupping her face in his palms, he looked into her eyes, "I'm here. We're in this together. Don't panic."
Pei Yueran looked straight at him and took a deep breath before nodding. She then lay her head on his shoulder, with a hand on his chest. The rhythm of his heart beating against her fingers served to calm her down.
Li Chuanmo put his arms around her and adjusted her posture to make her more comfortable.
Almost immediately, her phone rang again. She didn't plan on answering it, but she changed her mind after seeing who the caller was.
"Oi my baby's godmother!"
Pei Yueran could not help the smile that sprang to her face, "What, are you playing the part of a pirate now?"
Su Qianhua exaggerated a sigh, "Do you blame me? I'm so bored that I'm even tempted to join a pirate ship if it means I can escape from this boredom. Need I say more?"
Jiang Philip, who was going to the kitchen to get some fruits, turned to look as his wife whined to her friend on the phone. He wondered how she could claim boredom when she had been tormenting him happily only moments ago.
He honestly couldn't wait for the baby to arrive, else, he felt like his head would be filled with gray hairs from the fright of seeing her continue to jump around in spite of how big her abdomen had gotten.
Pei Yueran laughed softly at her friend's antics while Su Qianhua continued to say while rolling her eyes, "I'm serious. And my darling husband thinks I'm too fragile to be left alone for even a second."
"That makes sense honestly. I can only imagine his apprehension. You're not exactly a reserved person."
"What do you mean by that? A more demure lady than this Miss Su has never existed."
Pei Yueran and Jiang Philip rolled their eyes at the exact same time, and Jiang Philip added, "It's Mrs Jiang now."
Su Qianhua totally ignored him as she moved on to the reason she called, "So is Boss Li there?"
"Yes, you want to speak to him?"
"No it's fine, just wish him a happy birthday for me, and tell him how sorry we are that we couldn't make it for the party."
"Will do. It's not a problem though, we understand. It's really not safe to travel so close to your delivery date."
"Yeah, but I so wanted to come. Imagine missing all that excitement.... and the exotic food!"
Pei Yueran shook her head. Su Qianhua and food were really best friends.
"Are you sure you need more excitement at this point, Miss demure Su? Anyway, it was a pretty intimate gathering, so the "excitement" was within limits."
Then she added, "And don't worry, I'll send you some food to celebrate once you give birth to my godchild."
Su Qianhua reluctantly said, "I guess I would have to settle for that. I would really need that food to replenish my strength. With the way he kicks, I think your godchild is threatening to kick his way out of here soon."
As if to buttress her point, the baby kicked at that moment, and the vague outline of a small foot could be seen.
Pei Yueran gave a sound of sympathy, "Ouch, sounds painful. I hope he or she didn't inherit your strength though."
Su Qianhua was very strong. It was probably why she was such an invaluable asset to the police force. Infact, she was so strong that she once beat a wanted criminal into a coma.
The incident made the news, and her superiors had to hold a weeklong meeting, confused on whether to query her for such a heavyhanded act or commend her for catching the elusive criminal in the first place.
Now that she was in maternity leave, her colleagues were counting down to the day she would resume.
"No matter what, he cannot be stronger than I am. I'll make sure I discipline him into submission."
Jiang Philip took the plate of fruits to her and brought a piece of pear to her mouth.
Pei Yueran teased, "The way you discipline his father? Poor Philip!"
Su Qianhua chewed and swallowed before replying with a naughty smile, "As a matter of fact, no. I use a different approach for my husband, and it works splendidly."
"If it's what I'm thinking, then don't say it."
"It's exactly what you're thinking, Mrs Li. I'm sure you use the same method of discipline on Boss Li, don't you?"
"He's the one usually doing the disciplining instead....ohh Qianhua, what am I even saying to you?" Pei Yueran said without thinking, then groaned when she noticed Li Chuanmo's eyes on her.
Hopefully he didn't understand what she was talking about.
Su Qianhua chuckled, "Only the truth Ranran, only the truth. Of course, I trust Boss Li!"
Pei Yueran rolled her eyes for the nth time while Su Qianhua continued with enthusiasm, "By the way, I'm waiting for the juicy details of how you celebrated Boss Li today."
Determined to feign ignorance, Pei Yueran said, "I just told you. I got him a gift and organized a party."
"Ah? But how can that be all? Shouldn't you treat him to some sexy—"
"Qianhua!" Pei Yueran's voice was full of warning.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything, chill. But trust me, it's worth doing."
"I think it would be better to send you a gift certificate for an aromatherapy session instead of food. You really need to cleanse your mind from all the filth in it."
"Whatever. Whether my mind is filthy or not, you can't deny that I am right. Just don't take away my food."
"Good night Huahua. Say hello to Philip for me, and tell him I said he's enduring a lot, living with you."
"What? Do you dare to say that again?" Su Qianhua feigned anger and threatened.
"No my lady Su, forgive my impudence." Pei Yueran said with laughter in her voice.
"That's better. Run along now, and don't forget my advice."
Pei Yueran just ignored her and cut the call, a smile on her face. Su Qianhua was really a vibe all on her own.
But really, she wasn't wrong....
Thanks to that interlude with Su Qianhua, Pei Yueran was able to adjust her emotions, and by the time they got home, she had put the matter at the back of her mind, at least for the moment.