Cheng Qiaobei searched around the villa’s courtyard but didn’t see Chen Ningxi. He glanced at the half-open main door—perhaps she felt bored and went out for a walk.
He followed the path all the way up to the main street of the town, yet still couldn’t catch sight of her.
Cheng Qiaobei took out his phone and dialed Chen Ningxi’s number. It rang four or five tis before she picked up, and he could hear a bit of noise coming through the receiver.
"Where are you?"
Chen Ningxi said, "Second Aunt brought to her house to sit for a while."
Cheng Qiaobei asked, "It’s so noisy?"
Surrounded by a crowd of family mbers, Chen Ningxi responded, "Uh, Second Aunt called over a lot of relatives."
Cheng Qiaobei frowned. "Got it. I’ll head over now."
After hanging up, Chen Ningxi silently exhaled in relief, tucked her phone back into her pocket, and kept her polite smile firmly on her face.
Zhou Qiaoxin had intentionally invited relatives and neighbors over to her house, aiming to make Chen Ningxi feel so overwheld that she’d dread coming here, and thus wouldn’t fight them for Old Cheng’s villa.
"Jiang, how old is your granddaughter now?" Zhou Qiaoxin asked.
The woman addressed as Jiang replied, "She’s almost a hundred days old. Such a little thing, absolutely adorable—thick brows and bright eyes, just a miniature replica of my Xiaosheng. A perfect mold."
Soone remarked, "Your little one doesn’t even need a DNA test; she’s the spitting image of Xiaosheng."
Jiang turned to Chen Ningxi, "Do you want a kid?"
Seeing Zhou Qiaoxin exchange glances with Jiang, Chen Ningxi felt vigilant.
She responded lightly, "Where are they giving them out? Can I just pick one up?"
Jiang said, "This isn’t about adopting. I’m asking if you want children of your own."
Chen Ningxi replied, "Don’t dare to want one. Other people’s kids are illegal to take."
Jiang pressed further, "Are you planning on having one yourself?"
Chen Ningxi answered, "Not planning on it for now."
"Why not?"
Chen Ningxi said, "My great-grandfather lived to ninety-four."
Jiang was montarily speechless. "..."
Chen Ningxi continued, "His secret to longevity? Not ddling in my affairs."
Jiang was left flustered.
Chen Ningxi hadn’t intended to co here initially, but Zhou Qiaoxin stuck close to her, then suddenly claid she felt dizzy and panicky, duping her into coming ho. Zhou Qiaoxin took so dicine, then brought out peanuts, sunflower seeds, and fruit to entertain her. Reluctant to refuse, Chen Ningxi stayed for a mont.
But barely two or three minutes later, people began streaming into the house one after another, quickly trapping her inside the living room.
Just as Chen Ningxi was about to text Cheng Qiaobei, she received his tily phone call.
A middle-aged woman in a black down jacket asked, "Aren’t your parents anxious?"
Chen Ningxi shook her head. "They’re not worried."
"You’re not young anymore. You should have kids early—it’s better for recovery," the woman in the black down jacket said.
Chen Ningxi curved her lips into a slight smile, "Not in a hurry."
"How can you not be anxious?" soone chid in, an older aunt in a burgundy sweater. "You should have kids soon so that Old Cheng can see his great-grandchildren earlier and live a few more years."
Chen Ningxi couldn’t help but find it amusing. Just now, they had eagerly espoused the supposed benefits of having children, but the most absurd argunt she’d heard was that having kids could help prolong the elderly’s lives.
For her, having children wasn’t about pleasing others; it was about her and Cheng Qiaobei being ready to welco new life—one born out of their love and carrying both of their hopes.
Not for anyone else. Not for any ulterior reason.
"How old are you?" A middle-aged woman sitting near Chen Ningxi asked.
Chen Ningxi shared her age, and the woman comnted, "It’s not exactly young—you should aim to have kids now. Later on, it’ll only get tougher."
She began scrutinizing Chen Ningxi closely, "You have a small build. All the more reason to start early—delaying it might make natural birth more difficult."
Chen Ningxi responded, "If it doesn’t work out naturally, there’s always cesarean."
The woman retorted, "C-sections aren’t good for the baby; natural births are better."
Another person chid in, "Exactly. Don’t listen to doctors—they just scare you, saying the baby’s too big or that you can’t deliver naturally, then push for a cesarean so they can pocket the surgery fees."
Chen Ningxi didn’t comnt on other hospitals’ practices, but her friends and classmates who’d had kids usually followed the conditions recomnded by doctors for giving birth.
The middle-aged woman added, "Back in the day, there weren’t any fancy techniques; people still gave birth naturally on their own."
Sigh... She hadn’t even gotten pregnant yet, and here they were deciding on natural birth versus cesarean for her.
Looking toward the door, Chen Ningxi thought, Why hasn’t he co yet?
anwhile, Cheng Qiaobei was stopped on the road by a distant relative for so chat. After exchanging a few remarks, he quickly excused himself and picked up his pace toward Second Uncle’s villa.
The mont he stepped inside, he caught the tail end of a discussion urging Chen Ningxi to opt for a natural birth.
"Qiaobei’s wife, you should go for natural birth. It’s okay to endure a bit of pain—it’s how every woman gets through it. Just listen to us, not the doctors who keep scaring you."
Chen Ningxi responded patiently, "When that ti cos, I’ll still need to follow the doctor’s advice and trust science. Whatever conditions are suitable, that’s what I’ll prepare for."
Cheng Qiaobei lightly shut the door and deliberately called out loudly, "Second Aunt, are you ho?"
Zhou Qiaoxin looked toward the doorway and replied, "Here! Qiaobei’s here? Co in, quickly!"
Cheng Qiaobei stepped inside to find Chen Ningxi surrounded by a group of won. From the scene alone, he could already imagine the earlier one-against-ten scenario she had endured.
Zhou Qiaoxin had clearly spared no effort, gathering all the town’s nosiest, most gossip-loving folks into one "information hub."
When Chen Ningxi spotted Cheng Qiaobei, her eyes lit up. She was just about to speak when Cheng Qiaobei reached over and pulled her away, "Ningxi, Grandma’s looking for you. Why are you here?"
Zhou Qiaoxin hurried to explain, "Earlier, I wasn’t feeling well, so I asked Ningxi to help back ho and take my dicine. Now that we’re here, I just wanted her to sit for a while longer."
She conveniently left out any ntion of having invited all the others over, but Cheng Qiaobei didn’t bother pressing the issue. For now, getting Ningxi out of there was the priority.
After greeting everyone quickly, Chen Ningxi let Cheng Qiaobei pull her out of Second Aunt’s house.
Outside the door, Chen Ningxi took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and began venting to Cheng Qiaobei about getting bombarded with pregnancy talk and sales pitches about parenthood’s benefits.
"Do you know the most ridiculous reason I heard?"
Cheng Qiaobei shook his head.
"She said that if Grandpa sees our child, he might live a few more years. Can you even wrap your head around the idea of having kids to prolong soone else’s life?"
Cheng Qiaobei laughed, "Anyone who knows you is aware you’d be having a baby. Anyone who doesn’t might think you’re delivering Tang Seng!"
Chen Ningxi shot him a glance. "You still have the nerve to joke. Do you even realize how overwheld I was earlier? Ugh, I finally understand the phrase ’debating against a horde.’"
"Pfft..." Cheng Qiaobei burst out laughing. "When I walked in and saw you stuck in the middle, it reminded of sothing."
Chen Ningxi replied, "Reminded you of what?"
Cheng Qiaobei teased, "A nerve center—like everyone’s reporting their work to you. Hahaha..."
Chen Ningxi lightly pinched him, "Serves you right for laughing. Why didn’t you co sooner?"
Cheng Qiaobei said, "Don’t even get started—Mr. Wu stopped for a chat along the way. It held up." He took Chen Ningxi’s hand, "Let’s head ho."
Chen Ningxi thought she’d misheard, "..."
He asked her, "Do you have your bag with you?"
Chen Ningxi replied, "I left it in the car when I ca out."
"Perfect," Cheng Qiaobei said with a mischievous grin. "When we get to the yard, we’ll hop straight in the car."
Chen Ningxi’s eyes widened. "Aren’t we supposed to stay for dinner? We haven’t even eaten yet, and you want to leave?"
Cheng Qiaobei squinted at her with a smile, "You’re keen on dining with them, huh?"
Chen Ningxi hesitated, "...It’s not about wanting to or not—it’s a matter of etiquette."
"Forget it. Our etiquette is reserved for people who have manners," said Cheng Qiaobei, tightening his grip on her hand. "Trust , get in the car."
"At least let them know we’re leaving," Chen Ningxi said, unable to let her upbringing allow her to vanish without a word.
Back in the villa, everyone had gathered in the dining room and started to sit down. Cheng Siluo scanned the room, "Where are those two?"
Her words had barely left her mouth when the sound of a car engine revving ca from the yard. Under the astonished stares of the gathered crowd, a Cayenne drove out of the villa...
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