Extra Story X (Little Ningmeng)

Big Treasure and Little Treasure fiddled with their fingers, debating for a while, then turned to their aunt for help. How were they supposed to eat an imaginary sausage?

Yan Heyan cursed Yan Heyu in her mind and said with a smile to the two kids, “Auntie will take you to get some sausages. If you eat an imaginary one, you also have to eat an imaginary cloud, which can give you indigestion.”

Big Treasure and Little Treasure thought, No way we’re eating clouds.

They forgot about Yan Heyu and Wen Di on the video call and ran off in a flash to get their shoes on, ready to go out and eat sausages with their aunt.

Yan Heyu couldn’t see them on the screen. If it had been his little Ningmeng, she would have said goodbye to Daddy.

Wen Di stared at him. “Thinking about your little Ningmeng again?”

Yan Heyu snapped out of it and denied it. “No.”

He ended the video call and gave the sausage to Wen Di.

While eating the sausage, Wen Di took out her phone to take a commemorative photo with the small shop. She only ate half of it and left the other half for Yan Heyu to finish.

“Actually, I miss little Ningmeng too. I’ve even dreamed a few times about decorating the princess room.”

But, as Yan Heyu said himself, who could guarantee that another baby would be a girl?

She also really wanted a daughter, one who would be as clingy to her as Wen Wen was. She would spoil her daughter rotten, just like her mom had spoiled her.

They stayed in Yunshu Village for six days and returned on the seventh.

During those six days, it rained for a day and a half. Wen Di and Yan Heyu didn’t leave the hotel, and all the boxes of condoms they had brought were used up.

Without Big Treasure and Little Treasure with them, they were more able to focus on each other.

The day they returned to Beijing was a Saturday, and they had a guest at home.

When they arrived, Guan Xiangmu was playing soccer with Big Treasure and Little Treasure on the lawn in the yard. He kicked the ball, and it took the two kids a long time to catch up to it.

Yan Heyu got out of the car. “You didn’t even call before you came.”

Guan Xiangmu: “I’m just here to drop off something from Qizhen for Big Treasure and Little Treasure. It doesn’t matter if you’re home or not.”

He had returned from Jiangcheng yesterday. Before he left, he had dinner with Wen Qizhen, who said she was busy with a project and didn’t have time to come. She had modified two new energy toy cars for Big Treasure and Little Treasure, which she had just finished a few days ago.

It had taken a lot of time and effort to modify them.

“I gave the gifts to the auntie to put away. You can play with them when you have time.”

There was coffee the auntie had brewed on the patio table. Yan Heyu and Guan Xiangmu moved over there. Big Treasure and Little Treasure were clinging to Wen Di and had no interest in playing soccer anymore.

Yan Heyu handed him a cup of coffee. “What are your plans?”

Guan Xiangmu: “I don’t have any.”

Now, money, status, and marriage meant nothing to him. He cared more about his health and being able to spend more time with his family and Wen Qizhen.

These were not thoughts he had in his early forties. He only thought about them in his heart and never lectured Yan Heyu and his group of young friends. People only have a subconscious sense of crisis when they reach a certain age.

He mentioned Fu Yanzhou: “He called me to play cards tonight.”

He then joked to himself, “I’ll never be short of unhappy young friends.”

Yan Heyu laughed. He and Fu Yanzhou used to be the same, always calling Guan Xiangmu when they wanted to play cards.

Guan Xiangmu finished his cup of coffee, got up, and took his leave.

After leaving Yan Heyu’s house, he called Wen Qizhen to tell her that the toys had been delivered and that Yan Heyu and Wen Di had returned from their honeymoon.

Wen Qizhen: “Thank you.”

This kind of response made it difficult to continue the conversation.

Guan Xiangmu asked, “Are you busy?”

Wen Qizhen was preparing a PowerPoint presentation for a meeting. “I have a coordination meeting this afternoon.”

“Then you get busy.” He paused for a few seconds. “Qizhen, you can call me if you’re ever bored and have nothing to do.”

There was a moment of silence on the phone. Wen Qizhen said, “Okay. I’ll hang up now. I still have some parts of the PowerPoint to change.”

After the call, Guan Xiangmu told his driver to head to the company.

He didn’t take Wen Qizhen’s “Okay” seriously, thinking it was just a courtesy or that she was giving him a little bit of face at the time.

Three weeks later in the afternoon, Guan Xiangmu received a call from Wen Qizhen. He thought there might have been a problem with the project.

“The project is wrapping up. I came to see Big Treasure and Little Treasure. Are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner.”

Guan Xiangmu was at the high-speed train station in Jiangcheng at the moment, having just gotten off the train. He had been so busy lately that he hadn’t had time to come to Jiangcheng. He didn’t think too much of it. “I’m free. I might not be done until about 7 p.m. Can you wait for me for a bit?”

“No rush. I’ll send you the restaurant address.”

Wen Qizhen hung up the phone.

Guan Xiangmu stood there for a few minutes, staring at the darkened phone screen.

People came and went around him, and for the first time, this liveliness felt like it had something to do with him.

After a long twenty-eight years, he had finally received a call from her.

The secretary didn’t know what was wrong with Guan Xiangmu, but seeing his boss lost in thought, he assumed it wasn’t a good thing. He cautiously reminded him, “President Guan, the car is here.”

Guan Xiangmu looked up, his thoughts returning. “Qizhen is in Beijing. She wants to treat me to dinner tonight.”

The secretary was also happy. “I’ll book a ticket back right away.”

________________________________________

Wen Qizhen had just left the airport, and the car was heading toward the city.

She sent a message to her older son, telling him where she was and who she was going to see.

Her older son and younger son had both gone abroad for graduate school this year and had gotten into the same university.

Her older son replied: [Mom, my brother and I will support you no matter what you do. Today, I’ll say something a little sappy. Thank you to you and Dad for never giving us any negative emotions, not even once that I can remember. My brother and I have always looked up to you. We never felt that your relationship and marriage were a failure. We hope you can be happy. If you ever feel unhappy, just come back. Don’t worry about what others say about you. My brother and I will always be your fallback.]

Wen Qizhen wiped away her tears and said with relief: [It’s different when you’re in a relationship. Your emotional intelligence has gone up.]

She took a screenshot of her son’s message and saved it.

When she arrived at Wen Di’s house, Yan Heyu had taken Big Treasure and Little Treasure out. Wen Di was at home by herself.

Wen Qizhen felt that something wasn’t right. Every time she had come before, her niece and Yan Heyu would be playing with the kids together. But her niece wasn’t even working overtime today; she was just sitting in the yard reading.

“Did you and Yan Heyu have a fight?”

“No. He gives in to everything I say now.” She and Yan Heyu would occasionally have disagreements when it came to raising the children, but they would just argue for a bit, and he would get mad for a while and then come back and hug her.

Wen Qizhen rubbed her niece’s cheek. “Then why aren’t you with Big Treasure and Little Treasure?”

Wen Di hugged her aunt and sighed, leaning on her shoulder. Then she couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s wrong with you, child? Have you gone crazy from writing screenplays?”

Wen Di stood up straight. “Auntie, I’m expecting again.”

Wen Qizhen tidied her niece’s hair, not immediately grasping what she was saying. “Expecting what?”

Wen Di pointed to her belly.

Wen Qizhen was stunned, then she started to laugh. She finally understood why her niece was acting so strangely today. She was surprised and happy about being pregnant, but she was also worried it would be another boy.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Wen Di: “I just found out today.”

After they returned from Yunshu Village, she and Yan Heyu had both gotten busy. She couldn’t remember when her last period was. Today, Yan Heyu had made a bowl of fish soup for her in addition to the ones he made for Big Treasure and Little Treasure. However, before she could even swallow it, she felt a wave of nausea.

She took a pregnancy test later and hit the jackpot.

Yan Heyu was originally very excited, but then he remembered that she couldn’t drink fish soup when she was pregnant with Big Treasure and Little Treasure. He had a hunch that the third baby was also a boy, and he calmed down instantly.

So after dinner, Yan Heyu took the two kids to the lake plaza to play with the remote-control cars her aunt had modified. She stayed at home to rest, read, and think about her plans for the next year.

When she was a little over four months pregnant, the historical drama Wen Di had written was finished filming. The director called her and asked her to come celebrate with them.

Yin Ziyu made a guest appearance in one of the roles and was also in the final scene. She heard that Wen Di was also going to the wrap party, so she stayed.

Wen Di had only gained a few pounds since she got pregnant. From the back, you couldn’t tell she was expecting.

“Boss Wen.” Yin Ziyu came from behind and took her arm to walk into the banquet hall of the wrap party together. She gently touched Wen Di’s belly. “My little niece just kicked me.”

Wen Di laughed. “You’re just trying to make me happy.”

Yin Ziyu: “I really think it’s a niece.”

She stared at Wen Di’s face. “You can tell from your skin. My mom said she was the most beautiful when she was pregnant with me. Her skin was so fine and smooth even without moisturizer. Yours is the same. The filters can’t even make skin as radiant as yours.”

“I love hearing that flattery.”

“Haha.” After laughing, Yin Ziyu said in a serious tone, “I’m not lying. Your skin wasn’t this good when you were pregnant with Big Treasure and Little Treasure. Your complexion was a little dark.”

Then she added, “Whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as the baby is healthy.”

This was Wen Di’s biggest wish as well. She only hoped the baby would be healthy.

Wen Di took out a jewelry box from her bag. “Your birthday is tomorrow. Happy early birthday and stay forever young.”

“Thank you, Boss Wen.” Yin Ziyu happily accepted it.

“How are you and Tan Moxing celebrating?”

“I don’t know yet. He hasn’t told me.”

Yin Ziyu and Tan Moxing had been dating for almost two years. They were both busy with filming and were often apart, but he called her every day and would visit her on set whenever he had time.

However, they had never made their relationship public. Only the people around them knew.

Being with Tan Moxing, she was often worried about losing him, always feeling like there was too big of a gap between them.

In the middle of the night, Yin Ziyu was woken up by a phone call from her agent. “Tan Moxing made your relationship public!”

“With who?”

“...Ziyu, are you still asleep?”

Tan Moxing’s post went viral.

[Happy Birthday, I’ll love you forever @ Yin Ziyu]

The caption was simple and direct.

Wen Di saw the trending topic the next morning. She reposted it and sent them her blessings.

Yan Heyu came out of the bathroom and saw Wen Di leaning against the headboard, looking at her phone. He checked the time; it was only 6:10 a.m. “Aren’t you going to sleep anymore?”

“No, I have to go to the company this morning.”

She put down her phone and got dressed.

She now went to bed around 9 p.m., so she had plenty of sleep.

Yan Heyu dried his hair and came over to zip up her dress. “A meeting at the company?”

“Yeah. Shen Tang and I are collaborating with Evergreen Video to launch a variety show related to maternal and infant care to promote the physical and mental health of pregnant women.”

Her work was scheduled until a week before she gave birth.

She didn’t feel tired at all working with Shen Tang every day and often forgot she was pregnant.

The third baby was very well-behaved and never gave her a hard time. She only had morning sickness a few times in the first three months, and her appetite was great. Aside from not being able to drink fish soup, she had no other dietary restrictions.

Before she left, Yan Heyu leaned down and kissed her belly. “I’ll read you a story when you get back tonight.”

Big Treasure and Little Treasure also liked to read to her. Ever since the third baby started to move, they loved to sit next to her, put their little hands on her belly to feel the movement, and read her stories. They would just make up words for the ones they didn’t know.

Big Treasure and Little Treasure both hoped for a little sister and had nicknamed her “Little Treasure.”

At noon, Wen Di received a call from Yan Heyu, telling her to rest and not get too tired.

“I’m not tired. Little Treasure is being good.” It might also be because it was a single pregnancy. Compared to when she was pregnant with Big Treasure and Little Treasure, she felt as light as a swallow and could even jump a little as she walked.

Yan Heyu talked to her for a few minutes. Before hanging up, he said, “I don’t have any dinner plans tonight. I’ll come pick you up.”

As long as he didn’t have any social obligations, he would leave work on time, go home to play with Big Treasure and Little Treasure for a few hours, and then go to the study to work overtime after they were asleep.

Chinese New Year’s Eve was just around the corner again.

This year, he had one more wish: that his third baby would arrive healthy.

In March, the weather warmed up, and his third baby arrived.

The torment and anxiety of waiting outside the operating room were the same as the first time.

But this time, he had two people to keep him company. Big Treasure and Little Treasure were especially well-behaved today. They sat quietly on his lap for over an hour, not making a fuss or talking much.

Big Treasure said, “Daddy, don’t be afraid.”

Yan Heyu smiled. “Daddy isn’t afraid.”

Just now, he had been comforting his parents-in-law, telling them not to worry. Big Treasure was now comforting him with almost the same words.

Little Treasure kissed him. “Mommy will be out soon, right?”

Yan Heyu nodded. “Yes, we’ll see Mommy very soon.”

The waiting area was almost entirely their family. Everyone felt the same way, with joy and worry intertwined.

A nurse finally came out of the operating room and announced that mother and daughter were safe.

Yan Heyu hugged Big Treasure and Little Treasure tightly. In the twelfth year with Wen Di, he had finally gotten his little Ningmeng.