Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

Before Xu Qingcheng could even take a closer look, Fu Sichen rushed back and snatched the blood test report from her hand.

She was moving too fast, and Xu Qingcheng swayed for a moment before grabbing the handrail to steady herself.

Fu Jingting was coming down from upstairs when he saw this. His throat tightened, and he frowned. "Your second sister-in-law is pregnant. Be careful."

Fu Sichen also realized he had lost his composure. "Sister Qingcheng, I'm sorry."

"It's nothing. Are you feeling unwell?" Xu Qingcheng asked, referring to the hospital's examination report, though she hadn't seen the details.

"Yeah, menstrual cramps," Fu Sichen lied.

"Then you should drink more warm water and avoid eating cold food," Xu Qingcheng advised.

Fu Sichen was absent-minded; he simply grunted and started walking upstairs.

Fu Jingting grabbed her, frowning, "What's wrong with you? You look like you've been crippled."

"You're the one who's crippled." Fu Sichen shook his head and strode upstairs.

Fu Jingting withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Qingcheng, "Are all women so unpredictable during this time of year?"

Xu Qingcheng glanced upstairs again. "What happened to Si Chen? He seems a bit down. He's usually so talkative, but he hasn't been saying much lately."

"What could possibly happen to her? Does her family need her to worry about anything?" Fu Jingting didn't care. She was a girl who had been pampered and spoiled since she was a child. Her parents and brothers doted on her. Although he sometimes verbally teased her, she had never suffered the slightest grievance since she was a child.

They didn't let her participate in family matters. With her two older brothers, it wasn't her place to worry about those messy things. They just wanted her to grow up carefree and happy.

Xu Qingcheng gave him a push, "Sichen is all grown up now. It doesn't have to be something serious at home to be considered a problem, right?"

"What could be wrong?"

"Aren't relationships with classmates, interpersonal interactions, studies, and dating all things?" Xu Qingcheng glanced at him. "Haven't you ever experienced them?"

Fu Jingting thought about it seriously. Was what happened back then even considered a big deal?

Family matters are the real matters. The eldest brother's matters are the real matters.

And then there's the idea of ​​marrying her—those are the real issues.

Fu Jingting scoffed at the little girl's romantic talk.

Xu Qingcheng could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expression, so she didn't bother to talk to him anymore.

Fu Sichen returned to her room, her heart still pounding. She had been genuinely startled when Qingcheng picked it up.

Fu Sichen wanted to resolve this matter quietly, without disturbing anyone, just like a dream, and let it be over. Only she needed to know about it.

The simplest way.

If my second brother finds out, things will definitely get out of control.

She forcefully intervened between Brother Nan and Lin Yuanqing. If she had struggled that night and told Brother Nan that she wasn't Lin Yuanqing, this might not have happened.

If she hadn't been so upset, and had taken birth control pills in time, things wouldn't have come to this.

But all the coincidences just happened to come together.

The blood test report confirmed early pregnancy.

The doctor, expressionless, explained two methods of abortion to her: medical abortion or surgical abortion.

Medical abortion is not surgically invasive, but it has a 10% failure rate. If the abortion is incomplete, a curettage procedure is required, which causes greater damage to the uterine lining than surgical abortion.

Abortion involves surgical trauma.

She's in a short pregnancy, so either of these options is fine.

Fu Sichen had never experienced anything like this before, and was completely bewildered. He asked in a low voice, "Auntie, which one do you think I should choose?"

The female doctor was about the same age as Zhong Wanxiu, so it was fine for her to call her "Auntie".

But here, everyone calls for a doctor.

Her calling her "Auntie" made the female doctor take another look at her.

The medical record says she is 21 years old. The girl is petite, and her long hair makes her face look even smaller than her actual age.

The doctors all suspected that the girl was not even eighteen years old.

The little girl kept her mask on the whole time, leaving only her eyes showing. Her eyes betrayed her panic, and her fingers twisted nervously in front of her.

The doctor glanced behind her. "You came alone?"

Fu Sichen nodded.

The Fu family has a wide network of connections in Ancheng, so she doesn't dare go to hospitals she's familiar with, for fear of running into people she knows.

She took a special day off and traveled a bit further to get here. She didn't even tell Tao Xi. People her age are used to hearing gossip like some classmates getting pregnant unexpectedly.

When you hear news, you just listen to it, it's nothing serious. Miscarriages aren't anything new these days.

But when it was her turn, it was a different story. From the moment she sat down on the bench in front of the doctor, she felt a tightness in her chest, a sense of tension and fear.

The doctor handed her her medical records and test results. "Think it over carefully, and discuss it with your family as well. You're still too young to have a painless abortion; the size of the gestational sac needs to be clearly seen on an ultrasound."

The implication is that there is still time; you and your family should make a decision. Doctors won't make decisions for patients.

Fu Sichen tore up the medical report and flushed it down the toilet.

She sat in the room for a while, then changed into some lighter clothes and came out.

The whole family was sitting in the living room talking. The second brother and Sister Qingcheng had registered their marriage and remarried, which naturally made Mom and Dad happy.

Xu Yuan called out to the little pig and rushed over, pulling Fu Sichen's finger to show her the new toy her grandfather had bought for her.

Fu Sichen followed the child to see her toys, staring at Xu Yuan's face, she was in a daze for a moment.

Nan-ge loves making wishes, so he bought her a lot of candy.

Everything happened so suddenly. She liked Brother Nan, wanted to date him, wanted to be with him, and wanted to change the way she interacted with him.

She has never even had a sweet and loving relationship, let alone thought about what would happen after that. Marriage and having children seemed so far away to her.

But it's very close to Brother Nan.

This is perhaps the real distance brought about by the age gap; when she wanted to be in a relationship, he had already moved past that stage and was moving towards marriage.

But, but... if he's willing to wait for her, she's also willing to take a step forward.

Fu Sichen reached out and pinched Xu Yuan's cheek, his nose feeling a little sore.

Xu Qingcheng came over and took Xu Yuan to wash her hands. Seeing that Fu Sichen's eyes were red, she was about to ask her something when Xu Qingcheng turned away.

When Zhong Wanxiu came over and saw her, she said, "Never mind her. She said she broke up with her boyfriend and has been feeling down for a while. I reckon it'll be a while longer."

"Heartbroken?" Upon hearing this, Fu Jingting asked Fu Sichen directly, "Fu Sichen, you got dumped? Which guy had such sharp eyes that he avoided this opportunity beforehand?"

Fu Sichen was already feeling quite annoyed, and hearing his teasing and gloating words made her furious. "Second brother, you've gone too far! What's wrong with me?"

"You have terrible taste. What kind of brat could you possibly fancy?" Fu Jingting retorted without any politeness, but there was an undeniable element of protectiveness in his words.

Fu Sichen's pent-up emotions suddenly broke down.

Tears streamed down my face.

Seeing this, Xu Qingcheng pinched Fu Jingting hard, threw Xu Yuan to him, and pulled Fu Sichen aside.

After much coaxing, her emotions calmed down.

But she didn't say a word about who she liked.

Fu Sichen sniffed and turned to look at Xu Qingcheng. "Qingcheng, if my second brother had divorced you and married someone else, would you still have given birth to Xu Yuan?"

Xu Qingcheng paused for a moment, then said, "If I had known he married someone else, I definitely wouldn't have had the baby."

"What if you give birth to Xuyuan, and my second brother is already married when he comes back?"

Xu Qingcheng hesitated for a moment. Even if that situation didn't exist, the thought of him returning with a seemingly unrelated Wen Fei by his side still caused her a pang of pain in her heart.

He wouldn't know about the wish.

Xu Qingcheng did not hesitate at all in this matter; she would not allow herself and her child to be put in a position of being chosen.

Fu Sichen didn't ask any more questions.

The decisions each person makes are influenced by their personality, way of doing things, and environment.

There's no way to continue using it.

Xu Qingcheng looked at her, "Si Chen, why would you ask that? What stage have you two reached?"

"It hasn't reached any point, how far could it possibly go?" Fu Sichen blushed at the question, and she dodged it, "It has nothing to do with me, I just wanted to ask a few more questions since you two remarried."

"real?"

"Really." Fu Sichen blushed. "Sister Qingcheng, don't overthink it. I haven't even told him I like him yet."

"A crush?" Xu Qingcheng asked in surprise. "Haven't you confessed yet?"

Seeing her crying like that, Xu Qingcheng thought they had at least been in a relationship.

Qingcheng tapped Fu Sichen's forehead, "You scared me to death, I thought..."

Although I didn't see clearly what the examination was for, Fu Sichen's form said gynecology.

She said she had menstrual cramps, and Zhong Wanxiu constantly reminded Fu Sichen to be careful during her period, as Sichen had primary dysmenorrhea.

Xu Qingcheng finally felt much relieved.

But when Si Chen asked this question out of the blue, Xu Qingcheng immediately misunderstood.

A crush probably doesn't involve any deep physical contact.

Fu Sichen covered half her eyes with her hand over her forehead, remaining silent. She looked down at Xu Qingcheng's protruding belly and asked, "May I touch it?"

Xu Qingcheng smiled.

Fu Sichen placed his palm on Xu Qingcheng's round belly. "Are they bothering you?"

"It's much more obedient than when I make a wish. It doesn't move much during the day, but it moves at night, and I can feel it."

Fu Sichen withdrew his hand. "How amazing."

"Second sister-in-law, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. It's just that my second brother said some harsh things, but he was actually concerned about me. I could tell he couldn't control himself."

"That's just how your second brother is; his concern is genuine," Xu Qingcheng laughed. "Why are you calling me 'second sister-in-law' now?"

Fu Sichen bit her lip lightly. "If I get married someday, I'd like them to call me sister-in-law. So, I think you'd probably prefer me to call you second sister-in-law too."

I didn't realize it before, but now I understand. It's a recognition of her status; she is her man's woman.

This hidden state of mind, though just a name, is different from anything else.

She said she didn't want to call Lin Yuanqing "sister" or "sister-in-law," unless she and Brother Nan never saw each other again.

Once they meet, they still need to greet each other. She calls him Brother Nan, so naturally she should call Lin Yuanqing Sister-in-law.

I didn't realize how intimate and affectionate this form of address was before, but now it feels so close and loving.

But it doesn't belong to her.

……

On the way back, Fu Jingting asked Xu Qingcheng, "Is she her classmate?"

"He didn't say anything. He didn't reveal a single word. He probably felt embarrassed." Xu Qingcheng looked at him. "What are you pretending for? You're still concerned."

"She's still my sister, after all."

"I tried to get information from her indirectly, but to no avail. Mom said she didn't get anything out of her either. Sichen is all grown up now and has her own ideas. There are some things that no one can do for her."

Fu Jingting hummed in response. He pulled Xu Qingcheng into his arms, his gaze drifting unintentionally outwards, and he frowned slightly.

"Dazhao, turn left at the intersection ahead."

Xu Qingcheng asked in confusion, "What's wrong?" They should have gone straight home.

Fu Jingting didn't say anything. After crossing the intersection, he saw the car behind him following.

The two cars passed each other at a distance that was neither too close nor too far; if you weren't paying attention, you really wouldn't notice.

"Dazhao, take a detour and keep an eye on that white van behind us." The man's brows furrowed.

Dazhao responded.

Two intersections later, their car stopped on the straight lane waiting for the traffic light, and a white van drove past them and turned right.

A moment later, it disappeared from sight.

Xu Qingcheng looked at Fu Jingting, whose expression remained serious. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the car?"

She asked softly.

"It's hard to say." Fu Jingting had Dazhao drive back to Jingshan No. 1. He pondered for a moment, "Just in case, I'll have Zhou Qian send people over. They'll follow you around during this time."

Xu Qingcheng couldn't help but feel nervous, her eyes fixed on him as she asked.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it. But, Qingcheng, nothing else matters. As long as you're alright and the baby is alright, that's the best thing for me."

It's always good to be a little more cautious.

Fu Hongxin has remained silent, but Fu Jinyuan's overseas financial operations are showing signs of activity, with one of his tentacles already reaching into the domestic market.

Unlike Fu Hongxin, Fu Jinyuan was extremely shrewd and calculating; he was Fu Minghui's pride and joy.

In fact, even without that accident, he should have been the one to take over the Fu family business.

In terms of ability, Fu Jinyuan was no less capable than Fu Pinxiu. The struggle for power within a family was like a factional conflict; there was no right or wrong, only who had the better skills.

Xu Qingcheng reached out and hugged Fu Jingting, "Honey, I'm sorry to have worried you."

The man chuckled, his finger brushing against the bridge of her nose. "Be a good girl."

"Yes, sir." She deliberately disrupted the tense atmosphere.

Fu Jingting leaned down and kissed her, "Good girl."

……

Yu Shinan stood under the grape trellis smoking, looking down at the marriage certificate that Fu Jingting had posted in the group chat. He clicked his tongue, showing off.

Gu Feibai was still tagging him frantically, asking him when they were going to get their marriage certificate.

Yu Shinan ignored it, pretending not to see it.

Several hours passed, and Gu Feibai was still relentlessly pursuing the matter.

He stuffed his phone into his pocket, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and felt inexplicably annoyed. He simply walked into the vegetable garden and took over the work from Ding Jing, saying, "Mom, let me do it."

The Yu family's villa was confiscated during the upheaval, leaving them with little. However, this old house, located far from the city center, was preserved.

It's too far from the city center, but it's quiet, so Yu's mother lives here.

There is a small vegetable garden outside the yard, which is self-sufficient.

Ding Jing was tidying up the vegetable shelves; it wasn't much work, just something to pass the time. "Why do you have so much free time today?"

I suddenly came back and stayed at her place for most of the day. Today is Friday, and tomorrow is the weekend. The hotel must be busy tonight.

"Whether I'm busy or not, it's none of my business."

"I noticed your phone has been ringing a lot."

Yu Shinan swiftly replaced the broken pole and tied it up. "Fu Jingting and Xu Qingcheng remarried. He's sending messages to brag about it."

"They remarried?! That's great news." Ding Jing smiled. "When I visited Grandpa and Grandma Fu before, I heard Grandma Fu praise her a lot. She's very satisfied with her granddaughter-in-law."

Yu Shinan didn't respond, focusing instead on his work.

Ding Jing looked at him and asked, "And you? What did the Lin family say?"

"The Lin family consulted someone and chose August 18th," Yu Shinan replied. "Let's get the marriage certificate first. We'll have the ceremony after the baby is born."

Ding Jing was unhappy about his marriage and didn't want to care.

My stance is that since she's pregnant, it would be unreasonable for me to refuse. If you two are willing, then get married. You're almost thirty; don't wait for your parents to arrange things for you, take care of it yourself.

Let me know after I've done it, and she'll cooperate.

August 18th.

That means there's still a month and a half left.

Ding Jing looked up at the man who was hanging his head and tying up the vegetable rack. His profile was resolute, and he used force when he bent the wire, so that his whole arm was tense.

He looked serious, but there was no trace of joy on his face.

"Shi Nan, I don't think Lin Yuanqing is a good match because her heart isn't pure. The Yu family has fallen on hard times and will never rise again. Do you think she'll stay with you? She's only started having second thoughts now that you're doing well." Ding Jing sighed. "As for me, I'm getting old. I can live comfortably just staying in my little corner of the world. You have plenty of time. Find a woman who loves you. It's tiring outside, but you can rest well at home."

She's not the best choice. Look at you, the date's already set, and you don't even look happy. I didn't ask you about the date, and you didn't tell me.

When Jingting proposed, you told me he was so excited he forgot his lines. Look at you, do you even look a little excited?

Yu Shinan remained silent, offering no response whatsoever. The weather was hot, and he was wearing a black T-shirt with the short sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and beads of sweat slid down his face. He raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then withdrew it. "Alright."

Ding Jing, "..."

He probably didn't hear a word she said.

Ding Jing was too lazy to say anything. She picked a few cucumbers, tomatoes, and a bunch of lettuce and put them in the bowl she had taken out.

Yu Shinan looked at the vegetables in her basket; there were several kinds. "You're going to eat all of these yourself tonight."

"Aren't you eating here?"

"Okay, I'm going back."

"Oh, it's nothing. Si Chen is a glutton, so I'll make her a few more dishes so she can choose what she wants to eat." Ding Jing smiled. She was injured when she gave birth to Yu Shinan and had difficulty conceiving. She only has one son and no daughters.

You'll understand how heartwarming it is to have a daughter when you get older.

"Could you pick some mint for me? She likes mint pancakes; I'll make her some tonight."

Yu Shinan paused for a moment, "She's coming over tonight? Didn't you say she was coming in the morning?"

"She called me this morning saying she had something to do and needed to go home first. She'll come over tonight, stay overnight, and leave tomorrow." Ding Jing picked two more small eggplants.

Yu Shinan didn't ask any more questions. He picked a plate of mint leaves and a few figs.

Seeing that he showed no sign of leaving, Ding Jing asked, "Weren't you leaving?"

"There's nothing urgent at the hotel, I'll rest for a day."

Ding Jing hummed in agreement, "Take a break if you're tired. Qian is never finished."

Her husband left, and her family fell into ruin. Ding Jing has come to terms with it and become indifferent to worldly affairs.

What time will she arrive?

"She didn't say anything specific. Why don't you give her a call and ask?" Ding Jing said casually as she tidied up in the kitchen.

Yu Shinan held his phone in his palm and weighed it in his hand. This girl hadn't called or texted him lately.

Even when he came up with a new dish and asked her if she wanted to try it, she didn't reply.

She came to visit her mother, and before she would always drag him along, but this time she didn't tell him and called her mother herself.

Yu Shinan hadn't originally planned to come back, but Ding Jing mentioned it casually during a phone call, and that's when he found out.

He came over in the morning, but she didn't.

He didn't ask.

I thought they weren't coming.

Ding Jing didn't have any other intentions. Occasionally, Fu Sichen would come over on his own on weekends, although most of the time he would pester Yu Shinan to bring her.

Si Chen dragged Shi Nan back, not so much to let Shi Nan see her, but to let her, as a mother, see her son.

They say sons aren't as considerate as daughters; they don't think about these emotional and psychological aspects.

Ding Jing genuinely liked this girl. Only at times like this would she become a little less indifferent, thinking that the Yu family was better, and if Shi Nan were more ambitious and managed the hotel better, marrying him would be a good idea.

But those were just scattered, joke-like ideas.

The gap between the Yu family and the Fu family is too big now, and Si Chen is too young. Moreover, this girl is very popular and will definitely find a very good husband in the future.

Ding Jing thought this way and hoped this way. She treated Si Chen like a daughter and hoped that she would be well in the future.

She never considered putting her son and Sichen together.

Yu Shinan put away his phone and didn't make a call.

He went out the door and walked towards the main road.

This is the actual old house and land of the Yu family in the village.

The small village has fewer than 300 people left, with one-third of them being elderly people over 65 years old, as the young people have all left.

The conditions aren't actually bad; the air is fresh, and the roads are all newly built.

The old houses and alleys were very narrow, and cars couldn't get in.

Place it by the roadside and walk in.

Fu Sichen got his driver's license as soon as he turned eighteen, but unfortunately, he rear-ended someone less than a week after he started driving.

Although no one was injured, the impact was quite severe.

She was so frightened that she hasn't driven for the past two years. The Fu family doesn't lack drivers, so she either needs a driver to take her or takes a taxi when she goes out.

Yu Shinan guessed that she must have taken a taxi, since there was only one main road into the village, so he simply went to wait for her.

After waiting for less than half an hour, a taxi arrived.

Fu Sichen got out of the car and took a bag of things and a gift box out of the taxi.

She wore a blue off-the-shoulder tie-front blouse, denim shorts, and white sneakers.

Her long hair was braided into two small braids and pinned up on her head, while the rest of her hair was loose at the back of her head.

A pretty little girl.

Like a sixteen-year-old peach.

She closed the taxi door, bowed slightly, and waved to the driver, saying, "Thank you, sir."

The setting sun cast a reddish glow on her face. Yu Shinan walked over and reached out to pick up the bag beside her.

The man bent down, his shoulder brushing against her slightly protruding buttocks as she bent over.

Fu Sichen turned around in a hurry and saw Yu Shinan carrying things.

She was somewhat stunned, and blurted out, "Brother Nan? Why are you back?"

Silver Bay Hotel is fully booked on weekends.

He usually doesn't have time.

Usually, when she dragged him back, it would be one day between Monday and Wednesday. He wasn't too busy, and she could adjust her schedule.

It's just a meal.

She needed to rush back to school, and he needed to return to the hotel.

Fu Sichen really liked the time they came back together.

But this time she didn't tell him; in fact, she hadn't spoken to him or sent him any messages for several days.

She came because she knew he wouldn't be back for the weekend.

If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't have met Lin Yuanqing either.